Tag Archives: historical fiction

Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber

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mortal_arts_book_cover_mediumI greatly enjoy reading historical mysteries and having now read the second of the Lady Darby mysteries, I am excited to have found a new author to follow and read.

The Lady Darby mysteries are set in 1830’s Scotland and feature a young widow, Kiera, (Lady Darby) who has artistic talent and a cloud over her past. In this book, she is traveling to Edinburgh with her sister and her family when they make a stop at Dalmay House.

Kiera’s brother-in-law, Philip, has been asked by his aunt to join her family there because her daughter is engaged to be married to Michael, the owner and friend of Philip. His aunt does not approve  of the proposed marriage and desires Philip’s support. Kiera is happy to see Michael, a childhood friend of her own. His older brother, Will, served as an art tutor for Kiera when she was only 15. Since Will has been missing for over ten years,  Kiera has believed him to be dead. They are not long at Dalmay House, however, when she learns that Will is not only very much alive, but has been considered insane and dangerous. When a young woman who lives nearby goes missing, Will is the first to be suspected, and Kiera is determined to help her friend and to learn what is behind the insanity accusations.

Though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I do recommend starting with the first in the series: The Anatomist’s Wife. the_anatomists_wife_book_cover_mediumIn this book, you will learn more about Kiera’s background and be introduced to another character, Gage, whom Kiera assists in solving a murder, and also becomes attracted to. Of course, Gage appears in Mortal Arts as well and helps Kiera solve the mysteries surrounding Dalmay House.

What about you? What are some historical mysteries you have enjoyed and would recommend?

 

An Update on My Blog & the Meaning of Its Existence

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IMG_20160607_102046As it’s been awhile since I started this blog (it has died and been resurrected more than once), I’ve decided to spend some time not only updating my blog, but also explaining its purpose and what I hope to accomplish. I originally started this blog for a project in a class I was taking for my masters in library science. Since I was still homeschooling at the time, I thought of sharing thoughts and events on homeschooling that might prove interesting and helpful to other homeschoolers, as well others interested in education in any way. Reading and writing are my two main spheres of interest, so I knew my posts would be in those areas; as well as on library events and library news.

So, I’m not homeschooling any longer and that perfect library job has still not happened. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t, but in the meantime, I have become more serious about writing–my first love and what I’ve declared I would do since probably about third grade. When I was in college, it was suggested I go into teaching, but, no, I wanted to write. Well, I’ve spent quite a few years teaching–from preschool to ladies’ Bible studies–and I’ve loved it, but I still want to write.

I’ve actually written two books, so the one I’m working on is my third. The first book was read by my mother and several long-suffering friends. For some reason, I could never find an interested publisher, and, really, I didn’t know what I was doing in that area, which may have actually been a blessing in disguise. (I still don’t know a lot–but learning!) What happened to the second? I’m not even sure.

In the meantime, I want to continue to share about books I’ve read and enjoyed. Since the book I’m working on is historical fiction and that is my favorite genre, I am going to focus on books in that area but there will definitely be others–from books on writing to fantasy to Bible studies.

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Eventually, (and, hopefully, very soon), I will also be writing and sharing about the progress of my book. I’m excited at where it’s going and how much I have completed. I would like to share the first chapter on here at some point, but that will depend on how certain things go. I’m using a good part of that chapter to enter a couple of contests, so can’t release or share anything about it while it is out there being reviewed and scrutinized by “those in the business.”

I was going to also explain more about the title–declaretonextgeneration–but I believe I’ll save that for another blog post.

Those Dual Story-Lines

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Midnight RoseI recently finished reading Lucinda Riley’s The Midnight Rose, one of those dual timelines or two intersecting timelines, or (what I prefer) a dual story-line.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/879379687)

This got me to thinking about how many such books I have read lately and why these dual story-lines have become so popular, and can they really be considered historical fiction in the truest sense? And how different are these from the traditional plot/subplot?

For those of you who may be wondering what in the world is a dual story-line–it is two stories told in the same book or a story within a story. The stories usually take place in the same setting but with quite a few years (approximately a hundred seems rather popular) separating the two.

The Lake House by Kate Morton was one of the first books I read this year and I just loved it. This one moved back and forth between an unsolved mystery in Cornwall in the early 1900’s and then to a woman who was visiting her grandfather (in Cornwall) in 2003. This woman stumbled upon an abandoned house which had obviously been a rather magnificent house at one time, and decided to use her journalistic skills to solve the mystery of what had happened there almost a hundred years before. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1518062106?book_show_action=false

Then there was The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett. An antique bookseller from North Carolina moves to England and ends up in a familiar quest to prove Shakespeare’s authorship. This book’s dual timeline goes from Hay-on-Wye in 1995 to the time of Shakespeare and is complete with both book and art forgers. Another four star for me.

Two of my favorite authors who write the dual timeline quite well are Susan Meissner and Susanna Kearsley. My most recent reads from these two are: A Fall of Marigolds, (New York in Sept. 1911 and Sept. 2011) and A Desperate Fortune (London and Paris in 1732 and present day).

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These type of books are often listed as historical fiction, but I consider true historical fiction a work that is based on actual events and people. Both The Midnight Rose and The Lake House are totally fictional concerning their characters and events. I don’t enjoy them any less for that, and, of course, they are historical in the way they portray the ways people lived, the clothes they wore, the way they talked, used transportation, etc.

What do you think? What makes a book “historical fiction”? And, do you enjoy dual time-lines? Read any good ones lately?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd

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Mist of Midnight is the first in the series, Daughters of Hampshire, by Sandra Byrd. An historical romance, this book takes place in England in 1858. Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries to India, has returned home after the tragic death of her parents in the Indian Mutiny. Unfortunately, she has no time to grieve for her parents and to adjust to life in England as upon her arrival, she learns that someone else has been in her home claiming to be Rebecca. Having to prove that she is, indeed, Rebecca Ravenshaw and the true heir to Headbourne House is her first order of business. Dealing with identity theft in any century is both frustrating and scary. Besides clearing her name, she must learn who the imposter was, how she knew about her family, and what happened to her. Did she really commit suicide or was the cause of her death more sinister?

I enjoyed the suspense in this novel and the historic detail. I especially found interesting learning a little bit about missionaries in this time period. Leaving your home is never easy, but especially in a time when travel and communication were much slower and less reliable than we are accustomed to in the 21st century.

Though the first in a series, the book is a stand-alone. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, released earlier this year also takes place in Victorian England, but is a different story with different characters. The third book, A Lady in Disguise, is scheduled for release in 2017.

This is not the first book I have read by Byrd. She is a writer of different types of romance, and I have read her first two books in the French Twist series, which are contemporary romance. These books are fun and lighthearted romances, following the character of Lexi, who is learning to be a pastry chef. In the first book she is in Seattle and in the second book, she is able to follow her dream to study and work in France. French-Twist,

Sandra Byrd writes as a Christian writer, and for romance readers that means, you can expect some good, ‘clean’ fun. Anyone else read any books by Byrd? If you read romance, do you enjoy reading historicals or do you prefer stories set in more contemporary settings?

 

The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson

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Summer_10_14_redHat_BrokenLine.inddLately I have been reading several books of historical fiction from the era of WWI. I am currently listening to a Maisie Dobbs audio book, have started a Bess Crawford book on Overdrive, and last night I finished up The Summer Before the War.

The Summer Before the War was a book that I felt improved and was more entertaining and engrossing as it went along. (So much better than one that starts out promising and then the ending disappoints.) It takes place in East Sussex in 1914, in the small village of Rye. The first major event of their summer is the arrival of Beatrice Nash who has come to apply for the position of Latin teacher. Many in the village do not approve of a young woman for this position; especially one that upon arrival turns out to be more attractive than expected.

Beatrice is championed by a prominent woman of the village, Agatha Kent, whose husband works for the Foreign Office. Agatha has two nephews, Hugh, a medical student, and Daniel, a promising poet. Hugh and Daniel have differing personalities but are close and are both adored by Agatha.

When Germany invades Belgium, Rye is quick to welcome refugees and, in spite of those who still believe war won’t come to England, the village prepares to support their country even if it means sending their young men off to war. Soon everyone in the village–the young the old, and all those in between–become caught up in a patriotic fervor. Of course, their young men do go off to war, and what happens to them and the ones who are left to wait for them makes up the rest of the story.

Part of what interests me in reading historical fiction is found at the end in the author’s notes or acknowledgements. Simonson tells of the books she read to immerse herself in this period, as well as the websites and libraries. I love that she was able to read newspapers of the time (and took the trouble to do so).

birds-of-a-feather-150For those of you unfamiliar with Maisie Dobbs or Bess Crawford, they are both heroines of their own historical mystery series. The Maisie Dobbs books are written by Jacqueline Winspear and Birds of a Feather is the second in the series. I’m always looking for audio books with good narrators and a story that I can follow as I drive, walk, or cook. So far, this book has delivered with the excellent narration done by Kim Hicks.

The Bess Crawford books are written by the mother/son team, Charles Todd. I have just started reading the second in that series, An Impartial Witness. A group I belong to on goodreads–Historical Mystery Lovers–will be reading a selection of your choice from Charles Todd during July, so I have a bit of a head start. If you’re on goodreads, check out the group and come read with us.cover-impartial-witness

Reading any WWI fiction or nonfiction? Let me know what you’ve read and can recommend.

 

 

The Blood of Caesar by Albert A. Bell, Jr.

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albert bellBlood of CaesarSmPtThe Blood of Caesar, A Second Case from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger is the second book in a series of historical mysteries taking place in the Roman Empire in the first century. This particular book is set in the summer of 83 A.D.

The author, Albert Bell has been a history professor, holds a PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as an MA from Duke, and MDiv from Southeastern Baptist Theological  Seminary. He has been writing since his high school years, first publishing in 1972.

Bell uses historical figures and events to set up his mysteries. The real Pliny the Younger wrote hundreds of letters which are still considered valuable for the time period. Pliny was also an eyewitness to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 B.C., and Pliny the Elder lost his life there.

In this second book, Pliny is first asked by the emperor Domitian to trace references to an unknown heir of Augustus Caesar from a part of a letter. He is then asked by a friend to look after a young woman whom the friend claims is a relative, but he will give Pliny no details of her family or explain why her life is in danger. It is not long before Pliny’s own life is in danger as he attempts to unravel the two mysteries without offending the emperor.

I enjoy reading historical fiction from all time periods, and reading mysteries in these different eras and locations adds a certain spice to the reading. Working on my own book of historical fiction, I’ve been reading with an eye as to how authors are able to add both historical detail and locale descriptions without overwhelming, or just flat out boring, the reader. Bell does a good job of describing the city of Rome, as well as the surrounding countryside. He has created engaging characters that help a reader understand the time period in which they live. Pliny has a good friend, Tacitus, (another character from history) who provides some humor and serves as a foil to Pliny’s somewhat staid behavior.

I can also recommend the first book in the series, All Roads Lead to Murder.  roads_murder(1) There are three more books in the series, and I’m looking forward to finding them and reading them as well. For my local friends, these first two books are available at both Union County Public Library and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

 

INSPY Shortlist 2016

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The INSPY Shortlist for 2016 has been announced, and though some of these books are already on my TBR list, I can see I will need to add several more.

The INSPY awards were created by bloggers for the best literature “that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith”. The categories include: historical romance, debut fiction, speculative fiction, and literature for young adults.

20160505_105741I already have two books in the historical romance category that I am looking forward to reading. One by Jody Hedlund is Luther and Katharina, a story of a monk and a nun who fall in love in the 16th century. You’ve probably heard of the monk, Martin Luther. I’ve read a couple of Jody Hedlund’s books in her Beacons of Hope series and know that she is a skilled and entertaining writer.

The other I’m looking forward to reading is Lori Benton’s The Wood’s Edge.  I read her book, Burning Sky, last year and can highly recommend it. Several people in a group I belong to in Goodreads have already read The Wood’s Edge and can only rave about it.

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One more author I’ll recommend writes speculative fiction, (what I would call fantasy) Patrick Carr. I read A Cast of Stones and am ready to read the second in that series. His book that has been nominated for an INSPY is Shock of Night, the start of a new series.

To see the full list of nominations, go to: http://inspys.com/?page_id=2645 and have fun reading!

The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak

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The Architect’s Apprentice is a very engaging and entertaining story which takes place in Istanbul in the 1500’s. The story is told through the eyes of an apprentice to the architect, Mimar Sinan, who designed buildings (mostly mosques, but also bridges) during the Ottoman Empire. Sinan, a contemporary of Michelangelo, was appointed to be the chief royal architect at the age of 50 and kept the post for almost 50 years.

His apprentice (in this story) was an Indian boy, Jahan, who arrived in Istanbul with a white elephant which had been sent as a gift for the Sultan. The city, its politics and intrigues, are seen through Jahan’s eyes as he continues to be the mahout, or keeper of the elephant. He soon catches the eye of Sinan with his own drawings and is made Sinan’s apprentice though he continues his duties as mahout. The white elephant, Chota, is as much an important character as Jahan and Sinan. Chota and Jahan grow up together, serving the Sultan, both in war and in helping with building bridges and mosques, designed by Sinan.

This is a time and place in history which I have not been very familiar with, so that added to my interest for the story. Any other books written about this time period that anyone can recommend? Or other books about the architect, Sinan?

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner

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I picked up Secrets of a Charmed Life because I have read other books by this author and have always enjoyed them. When I realized it was “another WWII novel”, I almost put it away for another time. Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre, and I have read and enjoyed my share of WWII novels, but lately, there just seems to be a glut of books taking place in this time period in both my reading and my TBR pile of books. However, I’m very glad I decided to go ahead and read this novel. It may be “another WWII novel”, but it has its own charms (sorry!).

The story is told as an older woman looking back and telling her story, for the first time ever, to a student reporter. So, it begins in present day Oxford, but mostly takes place as a flashback to the war and the effect it had on two children who were among the ones evacuated from London to protect them from the coming Blitz.

This is a story of two sisters who are caught up in a war, their separation, and the trials they go through to find each other again. It’s a story of motherhood, sisterhood, forgiveness, and learning to live with and through our mistakes.

It’s a story of history; both personal and worldwide. As one character says of history: “What good is remembering an event if you don’t remember how it made you feel. How it impacted others. How it made them feel. You would learn nothing and neither would anyone else.”

I highly recommend this book by Meissner as well any other book she has written. Check out her other books on her website: susanmeissner.com

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, by Ilene Cooper | Booklist Online

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Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, by Ilene Cooper | Booklist Online.

Historical fiction is a favorite genre at our house. Here are some new ones for young adults; and for those of you are young at heart.

jump into the skyThe link above will give you a short synopsis of each book. There are books from many different time periods, including: Victorian England, WWII, N.C. shortly after WWII, New York City in the 1920’s, and British occupied NY City in 1776.

I haven’t read any of these yet, but will be looking for them. Let me know if you find a new favorite!
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