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Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Cornwell
Through the eyes of a long bow archer, Nickolas Hook, lives the glory and the horror of the legendary Battle of Agincourt. Historical fiction at it's best!
Submitted by Joan Christensen 2/09
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Aisling of Eire by Dorothy Keddington
Historical Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Call#: F Keddington
Great read for March - magical lure of things Irish - combination of historical fiction and romantic suspense that takes place in Ireland, California, and right here in Salt Lake City. The protagonist, Catherine Cavanagh, is writing a book loosely based on her own Irish ancestors, while dealing with her own tragic history of losing her Irish love and a daughter she had to give up for adoption. The book is full of intriguing side plots, great character development, and includes a wonderful Celtic music CD.
Submitted by Annie Eastmond 03/07
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Alchemist's Daughter by Katherine McMahon
Historical Fiction
Call#:F McMahon
Cloistered away on a farm in Buckingham shire, Emilie's father raised her to be a scientist and an alchemist. She's investigating the nature of fire when she meets the handsome Robert Aislabie, and quickly loses her heart. Emilie soon finds out that as much as she knows about science, she knows little about love. Set in the Age of Reason, this is a great book club selection.
Submitted by Jennifer Fay
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Amagansett by Mark Mills
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Mills
Lillian Wallace's murder appears to be an accidental drowning to everyone but Conrad Lavarde and Deputy Tom Hollis. Why would someone kill her? What other secrets do the wealthy Wallace family want kept from public view? Mark Mill's multifaceted development of character and plot is intelligent and intriguing.
Submitted by Kiku Kimura 10/07
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Amandine by Marlena de Blasi
Historical Fiction
F De Blasi
Amandine, an illegitimate child born into Polish royalty ditched at the age of five months by her grandmother and left at a convent in France, grows up surrounded by loving caretakers. But as Europe descends into WWII, it becomes increasing difficult for everyone.
Submitted by Lorraine Jeffery 12/10
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American Cookery by Laura Kalpakian
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Kalpakian
A novel of a Mormon family in California who survive many hardships through their resiliency, the strength of the women in their midst and cooking. A marvelous read, tender and unforgettable.
Submitted by Joni Kohagen 5/07
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Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Historical Fiction/Western
Call#: F Stegner
The odyssey of Susan Burling Ward's life and the challenges she faced as she followed her husband across the untamed Western frontier of the 1870's are revealed in letters found years later by her grandson. Wallace Stegner won the Pulitzer Prize for this many-layered story of relationships defined by a delicately balanced tension.
Submitted by Jane Cooper |
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Angel of Forgetfulness by Steve Stern
General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction
Call#: F Stern
In 1969, a dying woman gives her 19 year old nephew an old unfinished manuscript about an angel who came to earth and fathered a child. Stern's ingenious novel, which encompasses a century, meshes heaven and earth, past and present, body and soul. Bright humor, colorful characters, strong sense of time and place, magic realism abound in this book.
Submitted by Lee Alexander |
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The Bracelet by Jennie Hansen
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Hansen
Great read! I loved it!
Submitted by Vicki Firth
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The Captain's Angel by Anita Stansfield
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Stansfield
This exciting, interesting book features descriptive characters and a good plot.
Submitted by Kathy Lunceford |
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Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer by Wesley Stace
Historical Fiction
F Stace
On the eve of the premier of his revolutionary opera, Charles Jessold kills his wife, her lover and himself. This is eerily similar to the plot of the opera.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/11
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Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Olmstead
A near mythical horse drives this powerful novel of the Civil War. Fourteen-year-old Robey has been sent by his mother to find his father and bring him home from the battle. She has the "sight" and has seen that her husband is in mortal danger. On his arduous journey Robey is given the coal black horse, it is stolen, but he finally regains it and finds the battlefield.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/07
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Coventry by Helen Humphreys
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Humphreys
Two women's lives intersect twice by chance in WWI and WWII during the bombing of the town of Coventry, England. The author draws the reader into the horror and tragedy of the devastation of an entire town. Beautiful historical setting and characterizations.
Submitted by Joni Kohagen 5/09
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The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
Historical Fiction
F Dallas
A young bride moves to Colorado Territory with a new husband who she didn't even know fancied her until he proposed. Her witty sense of humor helps her through many struggles, including multiple miscarriages, Indians, and a former girlfriend that keeps her husband making frequent trips into town.
Submitted by Nicci Renouard 12/11
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The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld
Historical Fiction
F Rubenfeld
Did you know 9/11 was not the first terrorist attack in New York City? Rubenfeld's new fictionalized account of the September 16, 1920 bombing outside the JP Morgan building is rich with historical detail and memorable characters. Police detective, Littlefield, and Younger, former doctor and WWI survivor, take on this fascinating case that was never really solved.
Submitted by Ruby Cheesman 1/12
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Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Russell
The chatty fictional reminiscences of Agnes Shanklin, who in 1921, at forty years of age, left her teaching job in Iowa, took her dachshund and traveled to Egypt. There she enjoyed a romance, was befriended by T. E. Lawrence, and met Winston Churchill. Thus, she was on the periphery of the Cairo Peace Conference as the modern Middle East was created, which carved out the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 3/09
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The Exile of Sara Stevenson by Darci Hannah
Historical Fiction
F Hannah
Due to her unseemly behavior, Sara is banished to a lighthouse on a lonely isle. Her only companions are her disgruntled maid, the maid’s husband, and a mysterious lighthouse keeper. This suspenseful gothic romance is reminiscent of Jane Eyre, and will keep you reading until the wee hours.
Submitted by Geanie Roake 3/11
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Eye of the Red Tsar: A Novel of Suspense by Sam Eastland
Historical Fiction/Suspense
F Eastland
During the time of Stalin's Russia, one man is selected to determine what really became of the Tsar Nicholas Romanov and his family.
Submitted by Jennifer Cox 6/11
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A Fierce Radiance by Lauren Belfer
Historical Intrigue
F Belfer
Penicillin operates as the source of romance, murder and drama in this evocative WWI-era novel.
Submitted by Lorraine Jeffrey 11/11
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The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia
Historical Fiction, Mystery
F Wishnia
A dead Christian girl is found in the Jewish ghetto. Did a Jew indeed kill the girl or is this another Christian excuse to banish the Jews from Prague? Informative and entertaining tale of 16th century Jewish life. Remember to refer to the glossary.
Submitted by Kiku Kimura 11/10
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The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Morton
Cassandra's grandmother had always been a bit mysterious, but when she dies the mysteries pour out. An aunt tells Cassandra that her grandmother was found on a ship; an old child's suitcase hidden away has clues to her past; and a deed for a house halfway around the world is now Cassandra's property.
Submitted by Jewel Nelson 6/09 |
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The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Humphreys
Helen Humphreys has written a beautiful collection of short stories all revolving around England's harshest winters and the freezing of the mighty Thames River. The stories begin in the 12th century and continue through the ages. Each is a window to the time and is written from the perspective of every walk of life. A light and fun read.
Submitted by Jenny McDonald and Lee Alexander 7/09
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Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Austin
The fascinating history of Israel during King Ahaz's reign of Judah comes alive with dynamic energy and passion. False idol worship encounters a standoff with a remnant of Yahweh's believers in this first of a five part series. This is passionate writing par excellence!
Submitted by Madalene Cuglietta 10/07
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Bowers
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Shaffer
A writer decides to visit Guernsey Island to write a book about the occupation of the island by the German Army during World War II and becomes enchanted by its inhabitants. The book is composed of letters written by the people who survived the occupation and their experiences, telling a story of courage, humor, love and friendship.
Submitted by Linda Broussard 4/09
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The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
Christian Historical Fiction
YF Dickerson
In this retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Melanie Dickerson, has created a believable cast of characters and a story of how the story really could have happened. Rose is not only on a journey to find out where she belongs, but what God would have her do. She must learn to trust herself, her friends, and ultimately God.
Submitted by Samantha Hiskey 3/11
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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Ford
Set in Seattle, this is the story of a Chinese boy who falls in love with a Japanese girl, much to the dismay of his family. The story alternates between the present and the past during the internment of the Japanese during World War II.
Submitted by Pamela Smith 9/09
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Illuminator by Brenda Vantrease
Historical Fiction
Call #: F Vantrease
A story of lost love, regrets and the illustration of one of the first English versions of the Bible. (Reader's Choice Nominee)
Submitted by Janene Alvey 9/10 |
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In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Dunant
The shifting fortunes of a beautiful and expensive courtesan and her loyal manager, a wily dwarf who narrates the story, from their escape from the 1527 sack of Rome and struggle to rebuild their lives and professions in Venice. The author of The Birth of Venus provides detailed historical information and descriptions, vivid characters and a complex plot.
Submitted by Marsha Leclair-Marzolf 02/07
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The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander
Historical Fiction, Christian
F Alexander
The Inheritance is a book about what love really means and accepting people for who they are. I really enjoyed this book because even though it takes place in the 1800s, the problems are still the same.
McKenna Ashford is a young orphan who is trying to raise her younger brother right. When he gets into trouble, McKenna decides to move from Missouri to the Colorado Territory where she also inherits her cousin's only surviving child. McKenna faces hardships and trials as she tries to care for her family. When Marshall Wyatt Caradon unexpectedly enters her life, it is all McKenna can do to keep her brother's past hidden from him.
Submitted by Samantha Hiskey 1/11
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Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Children's Fiction
Call#: JF Funke
In this spellbinding tale of adventure and magic, characters literally jump out of the page and into the "real world." Twelve-year-old Meggie's father, Mo, can "read" fictional characters to life. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart releasing its characters, who now threaten Meggie and Mo, into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story.
Submitted by Tauni Everett 12/05 |
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The Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Morsi
A volunteer on an archeology dig finds a secret cave which contains two skeletons, a stone ring, a small leather bag and etchings on the wall. These items are linked to a woman born eight hundred years before, who tries to prevent the secret they represent from falling into unscrupulous hands.
Submitted by Cherie Bitter
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The Last Canyon by John Vernon
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Vernon
The Last Canyon is the story of John Wesley Powell's voyage of exploration through the Grand Canyon in 1869. Powell and nine men in four small boats face extraordinary odds as they encounter dangerous rapids, near-starvation and tragedy, and cross paths with a band of Paiute Indians traveling the Kaibab Plateau. This stirring fictional account of Powell's tenacity and thirst for adventure leads readers on a stunning and perilous journey through the magnificent canyon.
Submitted by Jane Cooper |
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The Last Waltz by G.G. Vandagriff
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Van
Amalia Faulhaber has three men who are in love with her, but with World War I the status of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and her family life are rocked by the events taking place. This title has good character development and accurate history, but the people involved are a bit idealistic-American, rather than authentic-German in their outlooks.
Submitted by Nola Magneson 9/09
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Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Golden
Although this novel has been around for years, I just got around to reading it. I enjoyed it very much and now would love to see Japan for myself. It was interesting to view WWII from a Japanese viewpoint and to discover the wonderful traditions, art, and scenery of Japan through very descriptive narration. This is a beautiful book.
Submitted by Barbara Bank |
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Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne
Historical Fiction
F Verne
Who knew that Jules Verne also wrote historical fiction?!? I just found this out when I stumbled over this fabulous book. If you are a Jules Verne fan, then you will enjoy this character driven book that gives lots of information on the culture and people living in Russia during the time of the Tsars.
Submitted by Judy Harmon 10/11
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North River by Pete Hamill
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Hamill
A struggling New York City physician, whose wife and daughter have both disappeared, comes home to find a baby buggy containing a grandson he didn't know about and a note from his daughter. Hamill is a man who loves his city and knows its history, and immerses readers in the world of 1930s New York, the Great Depression, the New Deal, Tammany Hall, Mayor LaGuardia and mobsters.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 8/07
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One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Fergus
Master storyteller, Jim Fergus, author of Wild Girl, takes the reader on an unforgettable journey out West when strong and colorful women are traded in a U.S. government sponsored program intended to assimilate the Cheyenne Indian population into the white culture through breeding. Although a fictional account, it reads as factual when Fergus addresses the political and religious strife of the time through May Dodds' personal journals. A great read!
Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 9/08
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Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Vreeland
Artemisia Gentileschi was the most famous and gifted female oil painting artist of the 17th century. Her life unfolds on a very intimate level of struggle, disappointment and great accomplishment. The author paints a canvas of Artemisia's passion for painting beyond what the eye sees, and we meet a soul healed and set free by her gift.
Submitted by Madalene Cuglietta 11/07
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Pelican Road by Howard Bahr
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Bahr
It is Christmas Eve, 1940, after the Great War, with WWII on the horizon. The men who work the rails on Pelican Road, an isolated stretch of track between Mississippi and Louisiana, are veteran trainmen. They have their own language, exacting schedules and code of conduct. Each man also carries his own private thoughts, fears, desires, successes and losses with him. From the first paragraph the tension slowly builds, to an inevitable catastrophe, perceived by the reader, but unknown to the men. A powerfully told tale of a lost era and lifestyle.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 9/08
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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Brooks
When Australian book conservator, Hanna Heath, is commissioned in 1996 by the United Nations to visit war-torn Bosnia to help repair the famous Sarajevo Haggadah--a rare illuminated Jewish manuscript created in medieval Spain--she discovers clues that lead to its mysterious provenance. Alternating between revealing Hanna's own personal background and flashbacks to medieval Seville, Venice during the Inquisition, 19th century Vienna, and World War II Sarajevo, this gripping narrative uncovers the evolution of the controversial book and the religious conflict that contributed to its turbulent history.
Submitted by Holly Whistler 4/08
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The Personal History of Rachel Dupree by Ann Weisgarber
Historical Fiction
F Weisgarber
The American homesteading struggle is vividly illustrated in this novel. In the early 1900’s Isaac Dupree, a former Buffalo Soldier, is driven to prove himself a successful rancher in the Badlands, while faced with drought and dwindling supplies. His wife, Rachel, has already lost one child and fears for the quality of life her surviving children will experience in this harsh land. The story of a strong woman torn between her love for her husband and what is best for her children.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 11/10
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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
by Katherine Howe
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Howe
Constance (Connie) Goodwin is doing research for her doctoral thesis at Harvard. Her mother asks Connie to clean up her Grandmother's house in Old Salem Village in preparation for selling. Suddenly very strange things begin to happen as Connie and her new friend Sam delve into a 17th century "almanac" belonging to Deliverance Dane. Is Connie bewitched, or is it just in her genes?
Submitted by Ruby Cheesman 5/10
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Pompeii by Robert Harris
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Harris
The author has the ability to help the reader visualize the living conditions in Rome and Pompeii during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 B.C. Reading about the amazing aqueducts, the engineers, the scoundrels, and those personalities of honor helped me to appreciate having visited Pompeii.
Submitted by Madalene Cuglietta |
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Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Biographical Fiction
F Cross
In the ninth century, there is some historical evidence to suggest that a woman rose to the papacy, disguised as a male. Using the limited evidence available, Cross constructed a fictional story of Pope Joan, a brilliant girl who challenged all social norms in a time where women had no power.
Submitted by Carrie Rogers-Whitehead 9/10
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Rainwater by Sandra Brown
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Brown
A very good, heartwarming love story with a neat twist at the conclusion. Ella Barton is on her own running a Texas boardinghouse in a small town in Texas during uncertain times of drought and the economic depression of the 1930s. While caring for her autistic nine-year-old son, Solly, she becomes acquainted with her new boarder, soft-spoken Mr. Rainwater. This tearjerker is unlike anything Brown has written over the years!
Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 3/10
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Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Alexander
Narrated by Rasputin's daughter Maria, this novel chronicles the controversial monk's final days and mysterious death.
Submitted by Joni Kohagen |
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The Raven's Bride by Lenore Hart
Historical Fiction
F Hart
This biographical novel of Virginia "Sissy" Clemm Poe, the young child bride of Edgar Allan Poe, is an interesting account of what the Poes' life may have been like in the mid- 19th century. Lenore Hart was able to create a first person account of the young girl who had to grow up before her time due to poverty, illness, and a husband who depended on her to be well. The story captivated me from the beginning, and even made me reconsider Edgar A. Poe's own works.
Submitted by Samantha Hiskey 4/11
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Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Rosnay
A journalist is assigned to write an article about the roundup of the Jews by the French police during WWII and discovers a link to her own family and the secrets we all carry. This is a riveting, heart wrenching, but ultimately triumphant novel of the power of story and the courage of one young woman in a horrific time.
Submitted by Joni Kohagen 10/07
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Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Turner
This sequel to the extremely popular book These is My Words, is as wonderful if not more so. Fans of her previous novel will love reading more about this amazing woman in the early days in Arizona.
Submitted by Allison Madsen |
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Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
Historical Fiction
F Ghosh
A whopping maritime adventure, propelled by vibrant language, and filled with a huge diversity of characters, and multiple love stories, set in the era of the British opium trade between India and China . Fast paced and hard to put down.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 1/12
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The Secret River by Kate Grenville
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Grenville
This gritty story explores the settling of New South Wales. Starting with a flashback to 18th century London, it follows William Thornhill and his wife's journey aboard a convict ship to Australia. In this rough, undeveloped land, the Thornhills develop a life and put down roots.
Submitted by Linda Frederick 4/09
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Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Historical Fiction
Call#: F See
Two beautiful Shanghainese sister's carefree lives are suddenly changed when their father marries them off to two strangers. When Japanese bombs start falling, the sisters must begin a journey to America to begin a new life in Los Angeles with men they do not know.
Submitted by Carrie Rogers-Whitehead 12/09
Sisters, May and Pearl come to America after losing everything except each other. Their love and devotion to one another as well as their inner strength, determination, and resilience are essential for their survival during heartbreaking experiences in China during the 1930s, later in their journey to America, and their experiences as young Chinese-American brides living in post war Los Angeles. Janet Song does an excellent narration of the audio book.
Submitted by Winnie Kandolin 12/09
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Shosha by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Singer
Set in Poland at the beginning of World War II, this novel chronicles the love of a young man for his childhood friend Shosha. This book is beautiful, lyrical and unforgettable.
Submitted by Joni Kohagen
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Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
Historical Fiction
F Donoghue
A compassionate, unsentimental tale of a young girl who becomes a whore and then a killer. The finely developed characterization of Mary Saunders makes it easy to understand her choices.
Submitted by Kiku Kimura 11/10
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Tales of the Otori (series) by Lian Hearn
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Hearn
A blend of medieval history and magic, this romantic fantasy takes us to the Japan of the Samurai warriors. Hearn's writing style has the sparseness and exquisite beauty of a Japanese painting. The three titles are Across the Nightingale Floor, Grass for His Pillow, and The Brilliance of the Moon. Also available as an audiobook series.
Submitted by Merry White |
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Though None Go With Me by Jerry B. Jenkins
Historical/Christian Fiction
Call#: F Jenkins
From the author of the Left Behind series, comes a story about a woman who decides to make her life an experiment in obedience to God. Elisabeth LeRoy commits her life at a very young and tender age to the will of God. She soon begins to realize that it isn't a one time choice but something that she has to commit to over and over again as she faces the ups and downs of life and love. I enjoyed reading the story even after seeing the new movie based on this novel. Jerry Jenkins has a way of making his characters become real.
Submitted by Samantha Hiskey 3/10
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Thread of Grace by
Mary Doria Russell
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Russell
I love this book for the way the author has
delicately woven the stories of people from different cultures during
the tumultuous WWII era. Russell spins a compelling tale about the little
known Italian resistance of the Germans and how they aided the Jews in
escaping German policies toward them. In the end, despite great loss,
the reader feels the triumph of human spirit.
Submitted by Mindy Whipple
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Tombstone Travesty: Allie Earp Remembers
by Jane Candia Coleman
Western, Historical Fiction
Call #: F Coleman
Allie Sullivan Earp, Virgil Earp's wife, outlived everyone else in the Earp clan and had many tales to tell about the terrible events that took place in Tombstone, culminating at the infamous OK Corral. This is historical fiction, but it reads like an autobiography and is told with such realism that it makes you feel you are there. It won the 2005 Willa Literary Award for historical fiction from Women Writing the West.
Submitted by Jane Cooper |
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Touch by Alexi Zentner
Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
F Zentner
The story is recounted by Stephen who tells about his grandfather's discovery of gold on the banks of the Sawgamet River which leads to the founding of a mining town and how his grandfather is helped by ghosts and mythical monsters.
Submitted by Cherie Bitter 9/11
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The Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Capella
Expelled from Oxford for too much partying and cast out by his father, Robert Wallis lives in 19th century London on nothing but his charm. He considers himself a poet and quite fashionable. Hedonistic as Robert is, he is still endearing. Robert’s adventures begin while sitting in a café, where he meets Mr. Pinker. Mr. Pinker is a coffee merchant and trader who hires Robert to develop a reference manual to describe the tastes and smells of various imported coffee beans. Robert soon meets Mr. Pinker’s beautiful daughter, Emily, and later, in order to avoid a scandal, Robert is sent to Africa. The Various Flavors of Coffee is a story as luxurious and rich as coffee, with many compelling themes such as love, loss, the women’s suffrage movement, slavery and travel.
Submitted by Mindy Whipple 11/08
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Wanting by Richard Flanagan
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Flanagan
Following the death of his infant daughter, Dora, Charles Dickens becomes obsessed with writing and performing in a play which would show the nobility of English explorer Sir John Franklin. Dickens wants to counter the charges of cannibalism leveled against Franklin and his crew, during their fatal voyage to find the Northwest Passage. Paralleling this story, is the earlier tale of Franklin's obsession with Mithanna, an Aboriginal orphan whom he and his wife have adopted, while governing an experimental colony of forcefully relocated Aboriginals. Tension builds as the Europeans confront their beliefs that they represent civility over savagery, reason over desire.
Submitted by Lee Alexander 4/10
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What You See in the Dark by Manuel Muñoz
Historical Fiction, Noir Fiction
F Muñoz
1950s Bakersfield is the backdrop for the Psycho murder scene as well as a real life murder. Muñoz' writing makes for effortless, entertaining reading.
Submitted by Kiku Kimura 5/11 |
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The Widow's War by Sally Gunning
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Gunning
It is 1761 and Lyddie's husband is lost at sea. As a widow, she has very few rights. But Lyddie refuses to become the property of her son-in-law and struggles to maintain her independence.
Submitted by Linda Worstell 5/08
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Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
Historical Fiction
F Austin
Alice Ripley of Blue Island, Illinois feels like she has just entered Wonderland, complete with the Mad Hatter, when she travels to Acorn, Kentucky to donate books to their library during the Great Depression. When she suddenly becomes a substitute packhorse librarian, Alice realizes that she must overcome much more than her fear of riding a horse. I really liked this book because I was captivated from the beginning by the story of an overly imaginative librarian, with family feuds, corrupt law enforcement, and even a touch of romance.
Submitted by Samantha Hiskey 1/12
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Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks
Historical Fiction
Call#: F Brooks
Ann leads the reader, as Virgil led Dante, into the depths of the inferno of the 1666 plague in England. Brooks is a master writer who can transport you through the atrocity of human behavior into the realm of sublime all on one page.
Submitted by Madalene Cuglietta 3/08
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Patrons often ask our staff to suggest books to read.The titles on this list were compiled by asking our staff to recommend their favorite books and describe great books they have read and enjoyed. 
