Meltzer Delivers

The President's Shadow
by Brad Meltzer

"A severed arm, found buried in the White House Rose Garden. A lethal message with terrible consequecnes for the Presidency. And a hidden secret in one family's past that will have repercussions for the entire nation."

If you are a history buff and have not read Brad Meltzer here is your chance to read a master of the historical conspiracy thriller. The Culper Ring Series: The Inner Circle (2011), The Fifth Assassin (2013), and now The President's Shadow (2015) further establishes Meltzer as an incredible storyteller. His abilty to capture history and make you question all you have learned is masterful.

Beecher White works as an archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. His job is to protect some of our countries most important and valuable documents. He is also a member of the Culper Ring, a secret society established by President George Washington over 200 years ago in order to protect the Presidency. There are secrets in our country's history, but once we uncover those secrets, they can never be hidden again.

In the third installment of the Culper Ring Series, Brad Meltzer delivers the thrills and excitement his fans have come to love. I highly recommend the series and especially this exciting thrill ride of a tale.

The President's Shadow is currently available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It will be released tomorrow, June 16th. Meltzer is also currently on a book tour across the country. Check out his site to see if he is going to be at a location near you.

**To comply with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, Grand Central Publishing has provided a complimentary electronic copy of The President's Shadow for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.

Scandalously Wonderful

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
by Julie Berry

I just finished reading Julie Berry's The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place. Simply fabulous is the perfect way for me to describe this suspenseful mystery. I love the opening of the book where each of the students of St. Etheldreda's School for Young Ladies is introduced and the reason for their enrollment into the school is revealed. The main characters are the young ladies, the students of St. Etheldreda's. They have been given very specific nicknames based on the background information provided in the first chapter. The students are Dear Roberta, Disgraceful Mary Jane, Dour Elinor, Dull Martha, Pocked Louise, Smooth Kitty, and Stout Alice. The story takes place in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England and is set in 1890.

It doesn't take long for the action to begin in Berry's late 19th century book for young adults. Within the first ten pages the Headmistress of the school and her brother are both dead. The girls set out to hide the bodies and any evidence of foul play which occurred on Prickwillow Place. 

I don't want to ruin any of the story by providing too much detail. I thoroughly enjoyed this well researched account of Victorian life and believe children in upper elementary to middle school will enjoy the mystery, suspense, adventure, and hilarity of The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, Roaring Brook Press has provided a complimentary digital copy of this book for review purposes. My review is in no way influenced by the author or publishing company and is solely my opinion.

Historical Fiction for Middle and High School

I love historical fiction. I have read books from all different places and times, such as the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1483), the Jacobite Rising in Scotland (1745), nineteenth century China, United States Civil War (1861-1865), World War II (1939-1945; from the British perspective), and many others. This is the first time I have read a book set during the French and Indian War (1689-1763).

The Snake Fence
by Janet Kastner Olshewsky

The Snake Fence by Janet Kastner Olshewsky takes place in Pennsylvania and is narrated by a young Quaker boy named Noble. More than anything this book is a coming of age story for Noble and an account of his experiences in helping to bring peace between the Delaware Indians and the British colonies, which concluded on October 26, 1758 by the signing of the Treaty of Easton, but is not mentioned in the book because it ends prior to this time period.

Noble is a sixteen year old boy who has finished an apprenticeship with a carpenter when the story begins. He yearns to be a cabinetmaker, but needs money in order to purchase the tools for this profession. An opportunity arises for Noble to earn money when he sees an advertisement in the paper for volunteers to take supplies to General Braddock at Fort Cumberland. This is when historical information is presented for the first time. Noble sets out and joins the wagon train from Philadelphia to Wills's Creek as advertised by Benjamin Franklin. General Braddock and Mr. Franklin are not the only historical figures to make an appearance in this novel.  Others include the Pemberton family, specifically Israel Pemberton - known as the "King of the Quakers", James and Susannah Wright, and Scarouady - half-king in the Ohio Valley over Iroquois and their allies.

The novel does not end when Noble and the other members of the wagon train arrive at the fort. In fact, this is only the beginning of his journey to manhood. Through the choices he makes on his return home from the fort, Noble begins to establish his own course, not that chosen by his father. In the end it seems appropriate for this young man to have been named for his grandmother's family - Noble - in his deeds and actions. He is certainly a young man with superior character and morals.

One of the characters I was most interested in was John McCowen. He is indeed a real person, as is Noble. I attempted to find out more information about Mr. McCowen because my maiden name is McCown. I was able to find out the McCowen's connected to my family were actually in Tennessee and Kentucky - according to my father who has been doing genealogy for over sixty years. It would have been very ironic had this John McCowen been related to me, but I was still intrigued with him as a character in the book.

The only difficulties some readers may have is in the Quaker "lingo" (as the author states on her website). "By the 18th Century, when The Snake Fence takes place, hardly anyone except Quakers used "thee" and "thy." In fact, if people used those pronouns, others could be pretty sure they were hearing Quakers. Everyone else had gone to "you" and "your."  Now, I don't know if it is because I was born and reared in Texas, but I have never heard the word "mayhap". When I first came across the word, I immediately thought of "perhaps" and learned when looking the word up online that it is indeed "an archaic word for perhaps" according to The Free Dictionary by Farlex.

I believe this would be an excellent novel for students in middle and high school, especially in the area in which this story takes place. The story provides a wonderful mix of historical events in an easy to read story line. I believe students would not only have a better understanding of history, but also more appreciation for our forefathers if they were to read more books like The Snake Fence. The story provides historical information in a manner that is entertaining and informative to the reader. Like I said at the beginning, I have read a lot of historical fiction. It is one of my favorite genres, however this is the first book I have read about the French and Indian War and I learned a great deal. I'm not sure all readers would research the people and places like I did in order to learn more, but the opportunity is there and so is the historical information.

*To comply with new guidelines introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, the author - Janet Kastner Olshewsky, has provided a complimentary copy of her book for review purposes. My review of this book is in no way influenced by the author and is solely my opinion.

Reaching for the American Dream

In 1901, my maternal great-grandmother, Beda, arrived in the United States aboard the S.S. St. Paul. She landed in New York City the day President William McKinley died, September 14th. She married my great-grandfather, Claus, during the winter of 1908. She worked as a seamstress and he as a farmer in Marshall County, Kansas. My great-uncle, Everett was born in the fall of 1909 followed by my grandmother, Inez, in the winter of 1913. The family learned English by reading the Sears and Roebuck's catalog.

My husband's parents married in the fall of 1946 in Clifton, Arizona. My in-laws worked for the Phelps Dodge Corporation in the copper mine.  They raised a family in the town of Morenci, owned and operated by Phelps Dodge. The entire city (school, hospital, mercantile, everything) was owned by the mining company. They rented a three bedroom, from the corporation for $24-$25 per month. Along with each paycheck a book of coupons, in $20 increments, was issued. This money was deducted from the paycheck, but could be used to make purchases in the mercantile.

Although the time period and the locations are not the same, they are similar enough to the new book I am reviewing that I had to mention some of the comparisons.

Katerina's Wish
by Jeannie Mobley

Katerina's Wish is a wonderful coming of age book about a young Bohemian girl and her family who have come to the United States in the early 1900s. They make their way to a southern Colorado coal mining town and live in a home owned by the mining company. The family is part of a community of other immigrants, also working for the mining company. The three sisters, Trina, Aneshka and Holena, attended school during the fall helping them to learn English. Their mother relied on her daughters to assist her, but learned about America by looking at the pictures and ads in the newspaper.

This thirteen-year-old overcomes a number of obstacles in order to help her family achieve the American dream. She shows the most growth through listening to fairy tales told by family and friends. The sisters learn about perseverance, creative thinking, and reaching for your dreams. I love the manner in which Ms. Mobley wove the traditional Eastern European fairy tales into the book. It made me want to go and find these stories so I could read more.

I highly recommend this wonderful historical fiction title for all libraries providing services to children in upper elementary through middles school (Grade 4 - 8). Not only is it a wonderful story, I actually did not want it to end and hope a sequel is in the making, it is also an excellent example of a mining community.

Henry VIII & Cotton Malone

The eagerly anticipated 11th book in the always thrilling Cotton Malone series, The King's Deception,  by Steve Berry will be released in a few hours. I have to say my excitement for this new book came after reading the excerpt at the end of Berry's The Columbus Affair (a stand alone novel). It's not really fair for an author to include these teasers at the end of a previous book. It's like showing a toddler a cookie (in June) and then saying, you can have a crumb now, but you cannot eat the rest of the cookie until October! It might as well be when they turn 18! Seriously, you expect readers, especially bibliophiles such as myself, to be patient and just wait for the book to come out?!? No way! I searched for the opportunity to read The King's Deception pre-pub and was thrilled beyond belief when I was approved for the advanced reader copy via electronic delivery Oh, how times have changed!! My reading addiction can be now be fed simply by opening a webpage, downloading a book, sending it to my device, and then syncing the library on my e-Reader! FREE! Now, can you say addicted? Why, yes I am. I'm not a member of Bibliophiles Anonymous (BA) I am a loud and proud member of Bibliophiles Out Loud (BOL)! I really tried to come up with a cool acronyms, but my husband really hates them!

Okay, onto my praise for The King's Deception. Like other Steve Berry books, I was captured by the first pages and had a very difficult time putting it down . The book begins in Whitehall Palace in January 1547 [For those of you not familiar with English history, this is where Henry VII lapsed into unconsciousness and ultimately died, following a reign of over 37 years] and then moves to May 2012 where Cotton Malone and his ex-wife begin to discuss the death of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted murderer for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The real story begins as Cotton and his teenage son travel to London on Thanksgiving holiday.

I don't want to ruin any of the action, suspense, and adventure for you. So I will just say, if you have plans for the evening, weekend, etc. do not pick this book up because your plans will either be forgotten or cancelled because you will not want to put the book down ~ for any reason. Yes, it is a long book (432 pages), but you will be so engrossed in the story line you won't realize the world is continuing to function around you.

This novel is a wonderful marriage of historical events ~ distant past and not so distant past (because I can remember these events). The way Berry intertwines historical fact with his own story line, thus creating historical fiction, makes the reader wonder, could this really be the case? Is this what happened? If you are not questioning your knowledge of history when you finish a Steve Berry novel, then I don't think you really read the book!

I am a huge fan of historical fiction. While reading a book, such as The King's Deception, I make an effort to do my own research in order to have a better grasp of the actual history and geography of an area. It is not that I don't trust the author. On the contrary, I believe them to such an extent that I have to be able to separate fact from fiction, for my own sake. If I don't do this additional research and investigation I feel that I am not an informed reader. Now, for some this would cause you to move as far away from historical fiction as possible. I, however, love history and always want to learn more. As I have gotten older I have found that I read about times and events in history in which I never studied in school through the historical fiction books I pick up to read.. Historical fiction provides me with the opportunity to learn in an entertaining and suspenseful manner, especially when Cotton Malone has anything to do with the story!

More Historical Fiction

I honestly can not remember the first book I read in the historical fiction genre. I wish I could. I'm not sure about the title, but I can say my love of history is directly linked to two men, my father and Coach Z. My entire life, my father has worked on genealogy. Every family vacation I could remember growing up involved libraries, historical societies, research centers, and of course cemeteries (I'm sure a part of my love for mystery, suspense, and thrillers is derived from my many hours spent in various graveyards). It wasn't until after I married I discovered the joy of Disney World! As ironic as that may be that trip also included genealogy because my husband's grandfather was raised in Florida, in Orlando,so it was very appropriate that we visit the land of his birth, oh and the mouse of course. Even now at forty I find myself drawn to cemeteries. Everytime I see one I have to point it out. My husband recently said there was no denying I am my father's daughter. On a recent trip to Kansas, we made a detour to Winfield where my maternal grandfather is buried. As weird as it may be I also have paternal relatives buried in the same cemetery. As soon as we arrived I was the first out of the car because I always want to be the one to find the tombstone of the family member for which we are searching. I love walking around reading the headstones, wondering how each person died. I know it is morbid, but it is what I think about when calculating their age and reading their names. On this trip we also visited the historical society in Topeka. I don't remember the last time was given a name and date and told to find a birth announcement or death notice, but it felt like welcoming back an old friend to have the microfilm swish around the knobs as the pages of the newspaper swirled by in a flash. The thrill of discovery was rekindled in me. I wanted to find more. In fact I took it upon myself to search for my Mother's birth announcement, but sadly was not able to find one. I believe it might not have been in the paper because my grandmother was so very ill after my mother's birth. The doctors did not believe my grandmother would survive, and it was only with the miraculous care, hands, and prayers of her nurses that she did.

As I was saying at the beginning my love of history actually came from two men, my father and Coach Z. Coach Z was one of my history teachers in high school. I think my junior year. I remember how he would bring history alive for us. He would tell a story. It was not just dates and facts, he would make the events come alive and almost make you feel like you were there experiencing the events with the people of the past. He is one of the reasons I took so many college hours of history and ended up with a minor in history. What a wonderful gift of storytelling he had and I am so thankful to have experienced history through his class.

My favorite time period in history is actually the Revolutionary War. I also love reading about the Civil War. Through the many family vacations we have taken during my youth i have had the great fortune to visit many of the battlegrounds for both of these wars. It is amazing to me to read a story about the places you have seen and think about to the details of why happened on those same land we now walk without any real though to previous events. So many people never think about history. They don't wonder what happened on this spot on this day, at this hour one hundred years ago.

I have read a number of time travel books, and I guess my love of history has made genre one of my very favorites. I love the idea of traveling back in time to visit the different places and times I have only read about. To meet some of the great men and women of hiotry would be fascinating, although I believe it would also be very overwhelming. Yes, I am educated (two college degrees and aspirations of working on a doctorate someday) but to think of being in the same room as Abigail and John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin is terrifying. I would hate to think these great people of history would see me as a bumbling fool.

The Distant Hours
by Kate Morton

My intention when I started writing tonight was to give insight into my latest discovery, The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. This was one of those books that just fell into my lap. It wasn't the cover that caught my attention necessarily, but the blurb's description of the main character, Edie's "love of words and mystery." I found a number of quotes that I simply fell in love with while reading, including (from page 16), "I'm just not the type of person who accumulates friends or enjoys crowds. I'm good with words, but not the spoken kind; I've often thought what a marvelous thing it would be if I could only conduct relationships on paper. And I suppose in a sense, that's what I do, for I've hundreds of the other sort, the friends contained within bindings, page after page after glorious page of ink, stories that unfold the same way every time but never lose their joy, that take me by the hand and lead me through doorways into worlds of great terror and rapturous delight." I was also grabbed by this wonderful quote on page 25, "After all, it is the librarian's sworn purpose to bring books together with their one true reader." I tight I. It have been reading about myself when I came across, "It's natural in times of great perplexity, I think, to seek out the familiar, and the high shelves and long rows of neatly lined-up spines were immensely reassuring.amid the smell of ink and binding, the dusty motes in beams of strained sunlight, the embrace of warm tranquil air, I felt that I could breathe more easily. I was aware of my pulse slowing to it's regular pace and my thoughts drilling their fenders."

I have never claimed to be a writer. The only reason I write this blog is to help me remember and express my opinions of the books I have read, the adult books and not the children's picture books I read for my professional life. This is all about my enjoyment of the written word, like Edie's. That being said, I claim to be a reader.

I was completely enamored by the author's use of time. I love the way the book begins with the prologue of The True History of the Mud Man. As you read through the book, you find what an important role this book has on so many of the characters. Although the Mud Man is a fictional character I am so very glad Ms. Morton provided us the readers with the story so we could be privy to the emotion brought about by this book on all of the characters. We are then thrust into a kitchen in England where a letter is delivered 50 years late. Through the characters reading we find ourselves engrossed in their private letters and then transported back in time to relive their experiences. What begins as a summer reading on the history of this great castle ends with the discovery of a great mystery and deep secrets held in the walls of the fortress. Just as reading a letter or journal transitions into a new chapter where the writer is no longer writing but actually experiencing the events recorded on paper. The writing evolves into the story with such wonderful detail.  It is a beautiful, way to bring the reader closer to the characters in a unique manner. The way the story is woven together through letters, manuscripts, journals and books is one of the most enduring elements to me as a lifelong reader. I look forward to reading Ms. Morton's other books and simply want to say to her, Thank You. The Distant Hours did not make me a reader, like The True History of the Mud Man made Edie a reader, but I am grateful I found this book and this wonderful story.