Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

 

Title: The Book of Lost Names  

By: Kristin Harmel
Published: 2020 
Call #: FIC Harmel 

 http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=harmel&title=book+of

In her fifth WWII novel, Kristin Harmel tells the story of a forger’s quest to make sure the people she’s helping don’t forget who they were. In 2005, Eva Traube Adams stumbles upon a man hoping to reunite owners with books stolen by the Nazi during WWII. He’s intrigued by one book which seems to contain a code and Eva has the answer since she’s the one who put it there.  

 

After she witnesses her father’s arrest for being Jewish, she uses her artistic skills to create fake documents for her and her mother to leave Nazi occupied Paris. They retreat to a small town near the Switzerland border. It is only meant to be a stopover before making it to freedom, but the local Resistance group recognizes Eva’s skill at forgery and requests her help in creating documents for the children they are helping escape France. Unable to ignore those in need, Eva stays, drawn both to cause and her attraction to fellow forger Remy. Together they created the code that they put in an old religious text as a way to keep track of the true identities of everyone they help so that their past won’t be erased, but the ever-increasing presence of the Nazis and war threaten to expose them all. 

 

Not only does this book offer an interesting insight into the role of forgers in the war, but it poses thought provoking questions about identity. Eva’s mother constantly claims Eva is losing herself as she moves forward with her life, forgetting about her father who they left behind and losing her religion as she works in a Catholic church and falls for a Catholic boy. In the same way, does creating a new name and identity for a person erase where they came from? Through an engaging story with the threat of war and a touch of romance, this book questions what defines a person and what matters most when the end can happen at any moment.

Mary-Megan K.   

Popular Materials Asst. 

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

 

Title: The Exiles

Author: Christina Baker Kline

Published: 2020

Call #: FIC/KLINE

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=kline&title=exiles

 Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train  and A Piece of the World, is back with her latest offering: The Exiles.    The story of three women intertwines in this novel set in the 1840s.  Evangeline is a young governess who was taken advantage of by her employer's son and now finds herself with no job, a baby on the way, and a one-way ticket to Australia as a convict.   Hazel is a midwife from Scotland who finds herself on the same ship as Evangeline as they both are sent abroad for their alleged crimes.  Hazel and Evangeline meet under harsh conditions while on the transport ship.  Finally, Mathinna is the 8 year old daughter of an Aboriginal chief, taken by the Governor of Australia as an attempt to "civilize" her.  It fails, and she is returned to her people on Flinders' Island, where many aboriginals have been banished to after the English colonizes Australia.   

     The well-researched, often intimate, story is filled with unflinching details of hardships, horrible living conditions, prejudice, suffering and survival.  As each female character develops in her own state of exile,  the tenuous bonds of relationships grow and strengthen, making for an ultimately uplifting story. 

Michaelle S.

Popular Materials Asst. 

The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis

 

Title: The Diabolical Bones: A Bronte Sisters Mystery, Book 2

Author: Bella Ellis

Published: 2021

Call #:  Fic/Ellis

 

In this delightful sequel to last year’s ”The Vanished Bride,”  the Bronte sisters are back on the case!  It is winter, 1846 and bitter cold has set in upon Yorkshire.  The Bronte Sisters are beginning to contemplate writing novels and expanding their detective business when a child’s body is discovered buried in the chimney at Top Withens Hall, and the home’s owner refuses to answer any questions.  Emily, Charlotte and Ann decide to take matters into their own hands.  What they discover sends fear shivering down their spines.  It seems as if an ancient magic, long thought dead, is coming back to haunt Haworth village and its citizenry.   Ancient magic and misguided prejudice threaten all who would interfere.  Will they be able to discover who, or what, is threatening the most innocent amongst them? 

Ellis’s strong atmospheric writing makes it easy for the reader to fall in love with the characters.   My own opinion of them, forged mostly through reading their books, has changed after reading the two books in this series.  The characters feel authentically real and full of life.  Emily, Anne and Charlotte all have their own unique personalities, making the reader feel as if they know them well.  To me, this is the strength of the novel.  This is a well written historical mystery, full of Gothic atmosphere and suspense.  Fans of historical fiction, cozy mysteries, gothic stories and general fiction readers will all enjoy this story.

Jill B.

Popular Materials Manager

Keep Calm and Read On: The Mitford Murder Series by Jessica Fellowes

 

Title: The Mitford Murder Series

Author: Jessica Fellowes

Published 2018 - 2021

Still missing Downton Abbey? Look no further than the Mitford Murders Series by Jessica Fellowes.  She is the niece of Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey. Jessica wrote the companion books to Downton Abbey. The Mitford Murder Mysteries are Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie. There is lots of period detail including fashions, jewelry, politics, and the hierarchical nature of society The stories are based on true unsolved murders during the 1920s, as well as the real-life Mitford family.

The first book, The Mitford Murders (2018) is set in 1920 when a nurse, who is the goddaughter of Florence Nightingale, is murdered on a train in broad daylight. The Mitfords and Louisa are on the same train.  In the first book Louisa Cannon becomes the nursemaid to the Mitford family living in Ashtall Manor in Oxfordshire England. Louisa has lived in poverty with an abusive uncle who bullies her into crime. Louisa looks for a way out of her miserable situation and finds her way to Ashtall Manor. Louisa Cannon starts as a nursemaid and moves up steadily until in the 4th book she is a lady’s maid. Louisa is also very observant and curious finding herself looking for clues to solve the murder mystery.

The second book, Bright Young Dead (2019), is set during Pamela Mitford’s 18th birthday party where they have a treasure hunt. These treasure hunts are all the rage with the young at the time and one of the young aristocratic guests is killed. This is a real locked-room murder.

Third book, The Mitford Scandal (2020), is set during 1928 and involves the death of a maid during an engagement party for Diana Mitford and Bryan Guinness. Bryan Guinness is the son of the Guinness beer manufacturing family.

The fourth book, The Mitford Trial (2021), takes place on an ocean crossing where another man who is a member of high society is killed and is filled with intrigue, affairs and betrayal.

Michaelle S.

Popular Materials Asst. 

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

 

 

 

Title: The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Author: Christy Lefteri
Published: 2019
Call #: FIC Lefteri

 

In her latest book, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, author Christy Lefteri brings us the story of a lovely couple living an almost idyllic life in Aleppo Syria. Nuri is a beekeeper and his wife Afra an artist, and though they have a rather simple lifestyle it is also richly fulfilling, surrounded by loving family and strong friendships, with a bright future. And then the unimaginable occurs…the Syrian war breaks out and their once peaceful life is shattered almost overnight.

The couple, faced with profound loss and Afra having gone blind, decide they must escape the country and flee to Great Britain where Nuri’s cousin lives. The book weaves the couple’s dangerous journey and compelling personal drama as they, and their marriage, deal with the trauma of their new reality. At the same time, the book does not lose sight of the “big picture” themes of war, suffering and loss. And yet, as the couple puts their hopes on a new life as refugees in a foreign country, we also see the hope of the human spirit at its best.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough, it will enrich anyone who reads it, while providing a wonderfully entertaining read!

 

Blanca S.

Popular Materials Assistant

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly

    

   

Title: The Last Garden in England

Author: Julia Kelly

Published: 2021

Call #: FIC/Kelly

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=kelly&title=last+garden

  Julia Kelly is back with another engrossing historical fiction title sure to please her fans and new readers alike.  This book has everything a reader loves in a good story: engaging characters, connections to the past and an engaging plot.  Kelly is amazing with description, bringing the different areas of the garden to life with her vivid imagery.  Like her previous novels,  Light Over London  and Whispers of War,  you won't be able to put this book down.
     The Last Garden In England takes place across three different time periods, with the plot interweaving between the three.  The story begins in present day England, where Emma Lovett is hired to restore the gardens of a large home, Highbury House.  While researching the history of the garden, Emma finds the original plans from 1907, learning that that her hero, pioneering landscaper Venetia Smith, is the creator of the themed garden "rooms," including the mysteriously locked Winter Garden.  Her research also leads to the discovery of photos from WWII, that highlight what has happened to the gardens.  Highbury House has now become a recovery hospital for wounded soldiers, much to Diana Symonds' dismay.  Diana is lady of the house and is desperately trying to cling to some sense of normalcy after her husband's death.  Her relationship with her cook, Stella Adderton and "land girl" Beth Pedley, will lead to one of the biggest secrets discovered about the Winter Garden.

Jill B.

Popular Materials Manager

 

    

Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green

 

 

Title: Things We Didn't Say

Author: Amy Lynn Green

Published: 2020

Call #: FIC/Green 

 

     While many WWII novels focus on the action in Europe, this novel explored what happened in the United States, using letters and newspaper articles to tell the story. The main character, Johanna, is recruited to work as a translator in a German POW camp located a small Minnesota town. There is a lot of animosity in town over the Germans who have been sent there to help with the town’s harvest as part of their sentence. As Johanna adapts to this new position that she is ultimately forced into, she corresponds with Peter, a Japanese American who serves as a teacher preparing students to head overseas and help with translations in Japan. Before long, Johanna and the town begin to see the Germans as people rather the enemy but soon questions of treason begin to circulate around Johanna.
      This novel felt like a fresh take on WWII as I'd never known there were German POW camps in the United States. Although the story lagged a bit in the middle, it was overall a great story filled with captivating characters. While it is considered Christian fiction the message of forgiveness and treating others with kindness is handled naturally without being preachy. This is a wonderful addition to the WWII historical fiction genre. 

Mary-Megan K,
Popular Materials Asst. 

The Woman before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts and Royal Scandal by Bryn Turnbull

 

Title: The Woman Before Wallis: a Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, & Royal Scandal

Author: Bryn Turnbull

Published:2020

Call #: FIC Turnbull

The title says it all, this book is chock full of the British aristocracy, the royals, the rich and famous, and best of all, the scandalous!  Gloria and Thelma both marry into wealth,  but their fortunes turn out very differently.  Gloria's marriage into the Vanderbilt family begins to unravel as her husband's mismanagement erodes away their wealth.  Thelma, already a divorcee, marries Viscount Duke Furness who introduces her to Edward, Prince of Wales--leading to a passionate affair between Thelma and Edward. 

    When Gloria's husband dies, her future becomes threatened as the battle for custody of her daughter threatens everything.  Eventually, a scandalous custody trial forces Thelma to fly to New York to support her sister.  Just before her journey, Thelma asks her fellow American to keep Prince Edward company, which Wallis Simpson is more than happy to do.  The rest of the story is history.  

The book has the overall feel of sitting down with your besties, twin sister socialites Thelma and Gloria Morgan--also known as Gloria Vanderbilt and Thelma, Viscountess Furness.  It's an escape from the world as we know it right now. Great escapism in a time and place so very different from our own.  This book is a real guilty pleasure.  Great for fans of The Paris Wife  and The Crown.

Michaelle S.

Popular Materials Asst.

Keep Calm and Read On: Royal Spyness Series by Rhys Bowen

 Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen                                                                           FIC Bowen                                                                                                       First Published: 2007

In this special series, our librarians are introducing you to more series and authors that keep them reading long into the night. In this post, one of our librarians talks about one of her favorite series: Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen.

    This series is my go-to when I'm in the mood for something light, amusing, and with just a touch of intrigue.  The main character is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin to King George V of England, and affectionately known to all as "Georgie."  When the reader meets Georgie, we learn that she is penniless and struggling to survive on her own as an "average" person in London in 1932.  Throughout the next 14 novels, we follow Georgie's adventures, meet her friends, watch her trying to stay financially afloat, and dreaming of love and marriage.  Georgie valiantly carries on, despite bodies showing up with disturbing regularity and threats of royal scandals constantly brewing. 

Michaelle S.                                                                                           Popular Materials Asst. 

Her Royal Spyness (Book 1)

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Atholt and Rannoch, is 34th in line to the throne. She grew up in Scotland at the Castle of Rannoch which is very isolated, cold, and boring. When her brother cuts off her allowance and Georgiana’s relationship with her sister-in-law becomes impossible, she leaves for London. In London the need to earn some income leads her to work behind a cosmetics counter—and she is sacked after five hours. She starts to fall for a quite unsuitable minor royal, makes some money cleaning other people’s houses (incognito, of course) and then is summoned by the Queen to spy on her playboy son. All this before an arrogant Frenchman, who wants her family’s 800-year-old estate for himself, winds up dead in her bathtub. Now her most important job is to clear her very long family name.

A Royal Pain (Book 2)

The Queen has asked Georgie to entertain Bavarian Princess Hanni, while at the same time conveniently placing the princess in the playboy Prince’s path, in the hopes that he might finally marry. But The Queen doesn’t realize that this will take money and Georgie has very little, which is why she moonlights as a maid. She must draw up plans: clean house to make it look like a palace; have Granddad and her neighbor pretend to be the domestic staff; un-teach Princess Hanni the English she’s learned from American gangster movies; cure said Princess of her embarrassing shoplifting habit; and keep an eye on her at parties. Then there’s the worrying matter of the body in the bookshop and Hanni’s unwitting involvement with the Communist Party.

Royal Flush (Book 3)

To avoid scandal, Lady Georgiana is shipped home to Castle Rannoch where her summer plans include honoring a promise to Her Majesty to keep Castle Rannoch's divorcée houseguest from seducing the Prince of Wales. She's also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard with a top-secret mission--namely keeping an eye on the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince. And Georgie must manage all this without strangling her extremely unpleasant sister-in-law Fig or spineless brother Binky.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Title: The Henna Artist

Author: Alka Joshi 

Published: 2020 

Call #: Fic/Joshi 

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=joshi&title=henna

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi is a debut historical fiction novel published in May 2020.  The book begins in the year 1955 when India has recently gotten its independence from the British.  The main character, Lakshmi is a woman who has forged her own path by moving to the large city of Jaipur and becoming a much sought after henna design artist.  The reader learns that Lakshmi was forced into an abusive arranged marriage at a young age because her parents could no longer care for her.  How did Lakshmi get from an arranged marriage at 17 to an independent woman 13 years late?  As the story goes along we find out how Lakshmi made her own way despite many struggles. 

One day Lakshmi finds her estranged husband waiting for her along with a 13-year-old sister she never knew she had.  She is heartbroken when she learns that both her parents have died. Lakshmi takes in her sister while also juggling her business, ex-husband and forging an independent life.  When Radha, Lakshmi’s sister, becomes pregnant Lakshmi must make choose between her family and her business. 

If you like to read about female resilience, the choices women have and how they overcome life’s obstacles this book is for you.  It also gives the reader a peek at Indian life from the caste system, dress, food to family life.  If you are a fan of historical fiction, women’s fiction or just like to read about strong women overcoming struggles this is the book for you. 

This book was one of Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks.  If you are interested in learning more about the author, Alka Joshi, go to the website, thehennaartist.com for more information, interviews and a wonderful blog.   

This book is available at Poplar Creek in regular print and as an eBook or eaudiobook.  

Lynn D.

Popular Materials Asst. Manager

The Deep by Alma Katsu

Title: The Deep
Author: Alma Katsu 
Published: 2020
Call #: FIC Katsu  

The Titanic and its sister ship the Britannic both suffered tragic ends and The Deep explores the idea that there might have been something sinister aboard the ships. Annie Hebbley survived the Titanic with a number of demons but now she’s hoping for a fresh start as a nurse on the hospital ship, the Britannic. Boarding the ship that is nearly identical to the Titanic, though, has her revisiting her previous sailing.  Aboard the Titanic, Annie, along with a number of passengers like Madeleine Astor and William Stead, worry that something otherworldly is traveling with them. While they try to uncover the truth, nothing can prevent the ship’s devastating end. Meanwhile on the Britannic, Annie reconnects with Mark Fletcher, who she’d previously met on the Titanic. Is it fate that brings them together again or something more malevolent? 

 

This was an intriguing look at these two historic ships. While labeled horror, the supernatural elements of this novel are merely eerie rather than scary. It is far more a historical fiction look at the events as the novel is filled with real people who were aboard the Titanic. The novel also explores a number of passengers from the Astors, W.T. Stead, Lady Duff-Gordon, Benjamin Guggenheim, and two boxers. Some of their stories seem irrelevant to the overall storyline, but they were an intriguing addition to the historical story. Fans of historical fiction and those interested in the Titanic should pick up this book. 

Mary-Megan K.

Popular Materials Asst. 

Keep Calm and Read On: Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes Series by Laurie R. King.

 

Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes Series by Laurie R. King FIC King First Published 1994

In this special series, our librarians are introducing you to more series and authors that keep them reading long into the night. In this post, one of our librarians talks about one of her favorite series: Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King:

In this series, Laurie R. King revives the tradition of Sir Arthur Conan Dole from a distinctly different point of view, while being faithful to the voice of Sherlock Holmes. She presents him with fresh adventures and a new partner in Mary Russell. Mary is a student of Theology and Chemistry at Oxford University. She is intelligent and excels at deduction. Sherlock Holmes long since retired from crime fighting in London and has moved to Sussex, along with housekeeper Mrs. Hudson. There he meets Mary. As the series grows, so does the relationship between Mary and Sherlock. Mrs. Hudson's fascinating background is also revealed throughout the series. Mary struggles against the social norms of the day, and the changing roles of women in society remain a main theme of the novels. As the series progresses, the cases become global, with rich historical and cultural details adding texture to the books. I learn so much about many world locations and their history, customs, languages and beliefs while watching Mary and Sherlock's relationship grow and change. Below are the summaries of the first 2 books in the series, as well as the most recently published installment.

Keep Calm and Read On!

Michaelle S. Popular Materials Asst.

 

          The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (First in Series)

 In 1915, 15-year-old Mary Russell meets Sherlock Holmes on the Sussex Downs. Holmes has retired from investigation, moved to Sussex and his attention is absorbed by beekeeping.  Mary Russell is a gawky, egotistical, recently orphaned young lady who piques Holmes’s interest and in short order impresses the detective with her intellect and powers of deduction. Under his tutelage, this very modern twentieth century woman proves a deft protégée and a fitting partner for the Victorian detective, and in this first volume, we witness the formative years of a character who will grow and develop over many books to come.

 

  A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Second in series)

Two years later, Mary Russell has graduated from Oxford with degrees in Theology and Chemistry and now, will inherit a considerable fortune.  Mary returns to Sussex to find her mentor behaving strangely.  Could he have developed stronger feelings for her?  What about her own feelings about him? Russell turns her attention to the New Temple of God, and its leader Margery Childe, a charismatic suffragette and a mystic, whose draw on the young theology scholar is irresistible. When four young woman with considerable scholarly and intellectual ability turn up dead shortly after agreeing to will money to the temple, Russell and Holmes come together to investigate Childe, and a sinister plot is revealed.  

 

       Riviera Gold (16^th in series, newest)

In 1925, Mary Russell has been a member of a crew sailing to the French Riviera.  She found the experience exhilarating and exhausting.  She meets a group of Americans, Russians, artists, writers and other creative types summering there even though the season has long since ended.  On the beach with these friends, Mary sees Mrs. Hudson of all people wearing apparently new clothing of a very fashionable sort.    Mrs. Hudson is living in a rental home not far from the beach and a young man is killed in her sitting room.  Holmes comes to join Mary and they begin trying to find the murderer.  Mrs. Hudson is the primary suspect, but Holmes and Russell, well Russell at least, is not suspicious.  Holmes, however, is keeping an open mind.  This adventure involves smugglers of all kinds, sea chases, and the great wealth of Monte Carlo where money is won, lost, and stolen.