Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Hattie Big Sky was inspired by the author’s great-grandmother who single-handedly “proved up” on a Montana homestead. Many thanks to the librarians at the ImagineIF Libraries of Flathead County, Montana for helping me find an audiobook for this project. Hattie Inez Brooks is a 16 year old orphan living in Iowa with her distance relatives, …
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Kindred by Octavia Butler is a very creative way of looking at the horrible and troubling history of slavery in the United States. In Kindred, the protagonist, Dana, time travels from the 1970s to the American South in the years before the Civil War and the end of slavery. In the story, Dana is descended …
The Reckoning by John Grisham
This review contains spoilers. The Reckoning, by John Grisham, returns the reader to Ford County Mississippi during the 1940s to 1050s where an unusual murder takes place. Pete Banning, cotton planter, husband, father, and decorated war hero, one day walks into the Methodist church and shoots the pastor. There is no doubt that Pete murdered the …
Suspect Red by L. M. Elliott
The early 1950s come alive in Suspect Red with each chapter starting with “current” events, news articles, and information about 1950’s pop culture. The book contains pictures of people, places and events from 1953-1954 as well as comics and maps. A good argument for audio-listeners to have both the book and the audio versions! Author …
Masterfully Told Story – Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough is one of the best written and best told stories that I’ve read in a long time. It is the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a young painter in Rome in the early 1600s. It is a man’s world and women have little say in their own lives. Artemisia’s mother died when …
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The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker
The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker is the first book in the Buttons trilogy. Each book focuses on a different Button family member; the first two take place in 1929 and the third book takes place during the Civil War when granddaddy Ike was just a boy. All three of the books are suitable for …