celebrating books & the literary lifestyle
I’ve read so much WWII historical fiction, but I’m always looking for something new in this genre that gives me an additional perspective. This new book by Kristin Harmel, an author I’ve previously enjoyed, is set in the Champagne region of France during German occupation:
Mixing past and present, love and betrayal, this is the story of two couples who run a winery and another that run a restaurant, each making different choices to survive while serving the Germans.
Continue readingI want to recommend new historical fiction about an American actress who married the Prince of Monaco. It was delightful:
Meet Me in Monaco: A Novel of Grace Kelly’s Royal Wedding by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Grace Kelly is attending the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 when she first meets Prince Rainer of Monaco. This story covers their awkward first meeting and builds to the royal wedding that captured the world’s attention while intertwining a secondary story about “normal” people who meet because of Kelly’s visit to Cannes.
Continue readingI have read so much WWII historical fiction it’s nice to come across more post-WWII historical fiction. Recently I have read a couple of novels set during this time period in New York but just yesterday I finished The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson. I want to thank Aunt Jean for the recommendation; her book club was reading it!
As the title suggests, this book is set in 1947 as Great Britain anticipates the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) to Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten.
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Tonight I had the wonderful opportunity to hear bestselling author Paula McLain speak. She is best known for The Paris Wife, historical fiction from the perspective of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley. McLain is now promoting her newest novel, Love and Ruin, which I have already read and included in my favorite books of 2018.
Following my usual rules for attending a book event I arrived early, sat in the back, and was therefore the very first person to get my book signed; this certainly capped off my amazing experience (more on this later).
Continue readingThis new novel about Winston Churchill’s mother, That Churchill Woman, is a good read for anglophiles who enjoy historical fiction.
Jennie Jerome, an American, marries Randolph Churchill, the son of a duke and becomes Lady Churchill. Their oldest son, Winston, of course goes on to become the Prime Minister, but this book covers the family drama and secrets during his childhood. For one, Jennie remains in love with another man, Charles Kinsky, but there is much more to this family’s complicated story.
Continue readingI’ve been so excited to tell you about this book I just read: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton.
This book is a sequel to one I read and loved last year: Next Year in Havana.
This work of historical fiction is told from the perspective of Beatriz Perez, who fled Cuba with her family when Fidel took power (their exile is covered in the first book).
“It’s been nearly a year since we left Cuba for what was supposed to be a few months away until the world realized what Fidel Castro had done to our island, and American has welcomed us into her loving embrace – almost.”
Now living in Miami, the rest of her family is trying their best to assimilate, but Beatrice yearns for her homeland and decides to risk everything to save it.
Continue readingThe book I just finished, Lost Roses: A Novel, is getting a lot of attention as the prequel to Lilac Girls, both by Martha Hall Kelly. Thanks to NetGalley I got access to this book in advance, and I’m ready to tell you more about it.
I liked this book though I had a couple of issues with it. Perhaps my expectations going in were a bit off, so I hope to help out with that in this post (for your future enjoyment). I do think it’s worth reading!
Continue readingI’m excited to write my first recommendation since publishing my spring reading list for:
American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper.
An intriguing story, this work of historical fiction was a lighter read until the last sections. It tells the story (from first person perspective) of Vanderbilt heiress Consuelo who was forced by her mother Alva to marry the Duke of Marlborough. Consuelo’s character, as it is written here, is likeable and she navigates her circumstances admirably, becoming a champion for the underprivileged.
I had already read and enjoyed a prequel to this book though it was by a different author: A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts. which focuses on Alva but follows Consuelo’s marriage from afar.
Continue readingIt’s been a long winter, and I am ready to start my “spring reading” which means I will compile a new list of the most intriguing new books to read. As I read through this list, I will post about the books I want to recommend (usually this isn’t all of them although I had great luck with my winter reading list!!). And today I am happy to write that I can already recommend a book from my spring list:
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
This is historical fiction by Stephanie Marie Thornton as the subtitle implies about a first daughter starting in 1901. I did not know anything about the oldest daughter of Teddy Roosevelt before reading this book. Apparently she obtained celebratory status with the press reporting her every move (many of these moves being rebellious) and even had the color “Alice Blue” named after her.
Continue readingI don’t have a book club, but I do have a Downton Abbey group…a group of 4 women who connected over this show years ago.
Once or twice we tried to read this same book but we were forgetting to talk about it until the end of our “meetings” so we gave that idea up, and now we just “meet.”
At the past meeting I hosted I had to laugh because they all walked in with a pile of books, and the first 20 mins of the gathering consisted of them passing books around to each other, returning books to each other, and recommending books.
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