The following are the books that arrived in my mailbox or on my Kindle in January from authors and publishers. Some of them are scheduled reviews and others are ones I hope to get too soon. So many of these books are right up my alley….rich in history, drama, and characters that will stick with you for a long time! There is some great reading ahead for me!
FALLEN BEAUTY by Erika Robuck
Upstate New York, 1928. Laura Kelley and the man she loves sneak away from their judgmental town to attend a performance of the scandalous Ziegfeld Follies. But the dark consequences of their night of daring and delight reach far into the future.…
That same evening, Bohemian poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and her indulgent husband hold a wild party in their remote mountain estate, hoping to inspire her muse. Millay declares her wish for a new lover who will take her to unparalleled heights of passion and poetry, but for the first time, the man who responds will not bend completely to her will.…
Two years later, Laura, an unwed seamstress struggling to support her daughter, and Millay, a woman fighting the passage of time, work together secretly to create costumes for Millay’s next grand tour. As their complex, often uneasy friendship develops amid growing local condemnation, each woman is forced to confront what it means to be a fallen woman…and to decide for herself what price she is willing to pay to live a full life.
THE FEVER TREE by Jennifer McVeigh
I will be offering a giveaway of this book!
Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father’s sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different men—one driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumor of an epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines does Frances see her road to happiness.
But before she can follow that path, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, between her desire for the man who captured her heart and her duty to the man who saved her from near ruin, a decision that will have devastating consequences.
But before she can follow that path, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, between her desire for the man who captured her heart and her duty to the man who saved her from near ruin, a decision that will have devastating consequences.
THE FALL OF MARIGOLDS by Susan Meissner
A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away….
September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her?
September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?
September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her?
September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?
THE HOUSE OF MEMORIES by Monica McInerney
Months after a tragic accident, Ella O’Hanlon flees to London in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her loss: Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoiled half-sister. Taken in by her beloved uncle Lucas, Ella discovers that his extraordinary house holds many wonderful memories for her…and his group of transitory boarders provides a refreshing and welcome emotional tonic. But as Ella settles into a comfortable new role as unofficial cook and housemother, Jess secretly comes to London to pursue her own dreams, precipitating an unexpected family reunion and an exploration of the heart—one famished for love, for healing, and for forgiveness.
RECESS IS MY BEST SUBJECT by Peggy Mastel
What if, in order to survive, you were thrown into a teaching job with young children and no training? “Recess Is My Best Subject” tells the true story of a professional woman who, after a family tragedy, plunges into the world of substitute teaching in the public schools of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A far cry from the nun-run Catholic school of her childhood, this new world is one shaped by special needs, poverty, and new immigration. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, Peggy Mastel’s debut memoir follows her as she dives into the most challenging job of her life and, against all expectations, finds that that she is the one doing most of the learning.
WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE A TEACHER from Wigu Publishing
Carlee always wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, until her mother is hired as a teacher at her school! Some of her friends are even in her mother’s class. Carlee is worried. What will her friends say? Will her mother do something to embarrass her? Carlee vows never to become a teacher like her mother, but as she journeys through the first day of school with her own new teacher, Carlee makes some surprising discoveries.
WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE IN THE ARMY from Wigu Publishing
When Jake’s teacher assigns a “career” project, Jake decides he wants to be a soldier in the United States Army. Jake and his father visit an Army surplus store to find items he can use to present his project. As they search the store, each item makes the history and proud spirit of the U.S. Army come to life for Jake and readers alike. Through Jake’s discoveries, readers are introduced to the history of the U.S. Army, what soldiers’ duties include, and the equipment they use.
30 DAYS PRAYING THE OUR FATHER by David J. Gonzalez
By taking this 30 Day Course in Prayer, you are about to spend the next 30 Days, and the rest of your life, in a heightened relationship with God. You will need anywhere from 10 minutes in the beginning, up to 30 minutes daily, to start your training to powerful prayer. Later, you may discover that you can pray for an hour with ease! Many books have been written on the subject of prayer throughout time, yet today we still grapple with connecting with God, and having a worthwhile relationship with Him. This book has been written for just such a purpose, to learn to interact with God and to develop a deep relationship with Him, as your God, “Your Father”, and your Friend. I believe that everyone daily should recite the “Our Father”. I believe it not only aligns us with God on a regular basis, but the prayer also realigns our thinking as to what we should be thinking on a multitude of subjects. There is room on every Day to write your personal requests to pray for. You will find that this book will become your personal daily prayer journal for years to come.
OLIVIA, MOURNING by Yael Politis
Book 1 of the Olivia Series
Historical Fiction – USA, 1840s
Olivia wants the 80 acres in far off Michigan that her father’s will left to whichever of his offspring claims the land. As Olivia says, “I’m sprung off him just as much as Avis or Tobey.”
The problem: she’s seventeen, female, and it’s 1841.
Mourning Free, Olivia’s trusted childhood friend, knows how to run a farm and is also sorely in need of a new start in life.
The problem: though born in a free state, he’s the orphaned son of runaway slaves and the slave catchers who patrol the north hunting fugitives are not particular about who they take back south with them.
Not without qualms, they set off together. All goes well, despite the drudgery of survival in an isolated log cabin. Incapable of acknowledging her feelings for Mourning, Olivia thinks her biggest problem is her unrequited romantic interest in their young neighbor.
Until her world falls apart.
Strong-willed, vulnerable, and compassionate, Olivia is a compelling protagonist on a journey to find a way to do the right thing in a world in which so much is wrong.
Historical Fiction – USA, 1840s
Olivia wants the 80 acres in far off Michigan that her father’s will left to whichever of his offspring claims the land. As Olivia says, “I’m sprung off him just as much as Avis or Tobey.”
The problem: she’s seventeen, female, and it’s 1841.
Mourning Free, Olivia’s trusted childhood friend, knows how to run a farm and is also sorely in need of a new start in life.
The problem: though born in a free state, he’s the orphaned son of runaway slaves and the slave catchers who patrol the north hunting fugitives are not particular about who they take back south with them.
Not without qualms, they set off together. All goes well, despite the drudgery of survival in an isolated log cabin. Incapable of acknowledging her feelings for Mourning, Olivia thinks her biggest problem is her unrequited romantic interest in their young neighbor.
Until her world falls apart.
Strong-willed, vulnerable, and compassionate, Olivia is a compelling protagonist on a journey to find a way to do the right thing in a world in which so much is wrong.
THE END OF THE LINE by Jim Power
Latesha Thomas is a beautiful, young African-American woman who lives with her handicapped father. She is in her final year of university and they are having a hard time making ends meet. She decides to start a matchmaking service to make a little extra money, though she has no experience and it turns out to be a disaster. She does, however, meet a client, a handsome white man named Peter Elsworth. The sparks fly immediately, but there’s a huge problem. Her father, and his mother, are vehemently opposed to an interracial relationship. This leads to tremendous conflict, but their love will not be denied. They grow closer, yet the closer they become, the more the tension rises. In time a secret connection between their two worlds become clear and this adds another dimension of conflict and complexity. But love is color blind and they are irresistibly drawn to one another.
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