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1869 Unlikely travelers on a quest to Lhasa Tibet have much to fear but for two groups of outsiders it can mean their death if caught. A British Captain has dyed his skin and his spy/ guide who is familiar with their path is tasked with getting into Tibet so the fame seeking Captain can be the first westerner mapping the route. Another westerner, along with her young guide who hopes to become a monk, wants to gain entrance into the famed Royal Geographical Society as the first western woman to enter Tibet. They are all there for various reasons and all are hiding secrets and hidden agendas. Perhaps the most secretive of all is Chetak a sort of Robin Hood bandit who glides in and out of their lives offering help. With the constant threat of capture, snow leopards, disease, bandits and storms this is a sweeping novel of adventure, the audacity of the British and colonization as well as friendship, loyalty and a chance to make things right. For fans of LOST HORIZONS and SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET this will delight both historians and historical fiction readers. 4 stars 
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For as long as anyone can remember the Newman family has been coming into people's homes every week via their wholesome tv show. The show featured every day antics of Dinah the perfect housewife and mother, Del a true family man, oldest boy Guy in law school and about to be engaged to his steady girl plus Shep the teen heartthrob and pop musician. This illusion has been successful until now - it is 1964 and the country is changing even if the Newmans aren't. A candid interview with Dinah coinciding with a terrible accident right before their finale will change all of them. In a world run by men it is time for the women and the next generation to have a go. Perhaps I loved this novel because I grew up in the Hollywood Hills where it takes place in the 60's when the world was in flux. The heart of this story is family and love - both public and private which is true for any decade. Historical fiction readers will enjoy as will readers of celebrity family dramas. 4 1/2 stars  Happy book birthday to SKYLARK by Paula McLain A fascinating dual timeline centered in Paris. In 1664 a young woman longs to have the freedom to create color dyes that her father and the other men dyers do. As a woman she is not allowed and is imprisoned and sent to an asylum. Separated from the man she loves and her father Alouette must learn to survive and make a new life within the asylum walls. In 1939 a medical student sees radical change as Nazis take Paris and Jews are herded into the streets and stripped of all their belongings. He also sees other atrocities as those deemed undesirable are left to starve. Kristof will risk it all to offer care and escape to as many as he can in the secret underground tunnels. Beautifully written by a master historical storyteller these two stories share a common theme - chose love and bravery over hate and fear. It made me want to go to Paris and walk those same steps of the past. 4 1/2 stars  One of my favorite genres is historical fiction. This year I enjoyed many time periods and places but these captured my heart. THE ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell is a harrowing tale of life in Nebraska at a time of depression, drought and now dust storms. It follows a Prairie Witch who is tasked with keeping secrets for a price. THE LISTENERS by Maggie Steifvater moved me in many ways. A secret romance, a resort hotel in the mountains that is taken over by the government to house German POWS are the heart of the story but nature and the healing waters at the resort also play a big part of the atmosphere. I also really enjoyed ATMOSPHERE by Taylor Jenkins Reid for the women's perspective and early space shuttle history. Riveting! Aleys flees from her home to escape a forced marriage and is left with one of the few choices for a woman in 13th century Bruge - give herself to God. She wants to join the friars but must recruit some other women before that can happen and finds safe haven in an unconventional group of women of weavers who follow their own religious order - the Beguines. There is a dangerous underground movement within this group that of translating religious text from the required Latin (which most men read) to Dutch. A practice that is punishable by death if they are caught. Aleys spends her time searching to hear God even as powerful men seek to destroy her and the Beguines. She remains devout as some want to make her a saint and some want to burn her at the stake. A tale of quiet revolt, power struggles in the church, feminism and women protecting women despite the clear danger. The writing feels very authentic and will resonate with women both rebel and religious plus fans of Katherine J. Chen's JOAN or Phillipa Gregory. 4 stars  Multi layered historical story of war and lost family. Billie Walker is a fearless private detective in Australia who helps women free themselves from disastrous relationships but her last case didn't go as planned. When she finds some papers containing a family secret and needing a break she hops on a cruise headed to Naples Italy with her mom and mom's companion in tow. She searches for answers to her family's past while evading a criminal and danger from her last case. I really loved Billie's story but did not connect as much with the back story and family secrets. This is one of a series of Billie Walker books and I am sure fans will enjoy this new episode. 3 1/2 stars  Medusa- legend, myth, monster but once she was an innocent girl named Meddy who longed to see the world beyond her island. Meddy is a mortal born of two lesser immortal sea gods in Poseidon's sea kingdom. She is the youngest of three sisters and isn't expected to get much attention or marry well but when she catches the attention of the Goddess Athena and is taken on as an acolyte in her temple she thinks she has found her purpose. She is an innocent and life in the city has its own challenges as does attention she is getting from Poseidon. When a misstep angers the Gods Meddy's fate is cast and she becomes Medusa. Where her dreams and hopes end, her rage will save her. A powerful blend of myth, abuse of innocence at the hands of powerful Gods who use mortals as disposable currency and playthings. A feminist tale that will capture your attention from the first page. Readers of classic Greek and Roman mythology wanting to hear from a different viewpoint will enjoy this. 4 1/2 stars  A sweet cautionary tale as seen through the eyes of a large tortoise for over a century. She goes by many names over the years as the only tortoise on a large estate and is witness to the good and bad in the humans around her as well as the lives of the other animals who live on the estate. She makes several human friends in her lifetime but Lucy, names the tortoise Magic and remains with her throughout her life. Magic sees the estate change owners and purpose from family estate to animal sanctuary and in the last part of her life is given another tortoise as a companion. Through Magic we have insight into a century of wisdom, joy, pain and awareness of her surroundings that most people never take the time to see. A delightful story that begs to be read slowly and pondered as if Magic were reading it. 4 stars  In a world that brings to mind ancient Rome a city stands on the brink of disaster. On one side of the city wall stands the old regime of powerful magistrates with their old ways of prophecy and adherence to the Gods ,while the other side stands the rebellion the citizens who have gone without and have been exiled. Luca is on the outside of the walls a legionnaire who becomes a symbol of the resistance. Maris is on the inside, a novice priestess who is forced to take her mother's place as a magistrate after her untimely death. Both know the risk of being together and are desperate to stop the devastation that will come if war continues. Can they trust each other and how they feel about each other to make it through the revolution. Magic, the change of the old ways of priestesses and the gods to new government, friendship turning to love, trust and lots of political upheaval is what is in store for you in this two part story. For fans of the RED RISING series by Pierce Brown, classic Roman tales like I,CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves and romantasy hybrids of ancient power struggles and star-crossed lovers. Adrienne Young's debut will have you wanting book two and more without having to wait. 5 stars  Take an abandoned hotel in Switzerland, an art appraiser that can't get past a mistake as a child that caused her sister's death, magical objects and moving octopus tattoos, a brilliant composer whose mind is trapped in a war where he survived when others did not and add a way to travel back in time to find the truth and that is the basis for THE WHITE OCTOPUS HOTEL but the true beauty of this book is the mystical hotel itself which the author has described down to the last detail. The characters evolve as does Eve and Max's circular relationship as she travels back and forth through the years at the hotel. The story is clever, there is always a touch of the surreal with objects and people appearing at the corner of the eye and I loved how these broken people through guilt and regret found each other. If you have ever touched a wall in an old place and tried to glimpse what life must have been like then you will find the magic and time travel in this book irresistible. For fans of THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS and THE LISTENERS. 4 1/2 stars  |
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