I have 613 books on my Goodreads “Read” list, and at least a third of them fall into the historical fiction classification. So I guess you say this is my jam. Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the story takes place in the past. Historical novels capture the details of the time period as accurately as possible for authenticity, including social norms, manners, customs, and traditions. Many novels in this genre tell fictional stories that involve actual historical figures or historical events. To help you land on some reads you may not have considered, I’ve put together a list of the best historical novels of all time. Such […]
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Visitors from Heaven
In many cultures, cardinals have long symbolized loved ones who have passed away. I saw a Cardinal in my tree, The bright red color so beautiful to see. Thoughts of loved ones brought a smile to my face, As I watched it flitter about with grace. Visitors from Heaven they are said to be, I feel blessed that you came to visit me. (author unknown) Cardinals have always reminded me of my mom. She so loved to decorate with them at Christmas that she gave me a gorgeous ornament featuring the songbird to hang on my tree once I was old enough to have one of my own. I get […]
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The Children’s Blizzard – Book Review
Now that our long Minnesota winter has finally ended (knock on wood), I think it’s safe to post this review. My mom grew up on a farm in North Dakota during the Great Depression. I remember her telling me what life was like without central heat, boots without high-tech insulation, and woolen mittens that froze stiff with the cold. Imagine trudging out in the middle of the night in -30-degree temperatures to use the outhouse and then having to wipe yourself with pages of the Sears catalog. I remember her telling me about terrifying blizzards that struck the flat landscape. One of the most epic blizzards in American history came […]
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5-Star Reads from 2020
I read some great books in 2020 (and some duds if I’m being honest). These were my favorites. There’s something here for just about everybody. (I’m a professional reader, author, and librarian, in case my opinion matters). The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical, but after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes […]
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A Hidden Life
Last fall I watched a gorgeous movie titled A Hidden Life about Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. Franz, his wife, Fani, and their three young daughters lived outside the small village of St. Radegund and were important members of the tight-knit rural community. In 1943, he and other able-bodied were called up to fight for Germany. When recruiters asked him to swear an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler, Jägerstätter refused and was arrested and taken to prison in Linz where the most “dangerous” prisoners were housed. His family was ostracized and belittled by their friends […]
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Genghis: Birth of an Empire
Courage cannot be left like bones in a bag. It must be brought out and shown the light again and again, growing stronger each time. If you think it will keep for the times you need it, you are wrong. It is like any other part of your strength. If you ignore it, the bag will be empty when you need it most. Ruthless. Intelligent. Murderous. Ingenious. Brutal. Intense. Courageous. Formidable. Charismatic. These powerful words describe one of the most powerful conquerors of all time: Genghis Khan. At the time of his death, Genghis Khan had united all Mongolian tribes, conquered the land mass extending from Beijing to the Caspian […]
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Book Review: The Vanishing Half
She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for you. ― Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half Most of us experience a time in our lives when we feel like we don’t belong, that we’re impostors in our own reality. Author Brit Bennett vividly portrays those feelings in her brilliant new novel, The Vanishing Half. It’s about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical, but after growing up together in a small, southern black community and […]
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Book Review: Along the Broken Bay
I am a huge fan of World War II historical novels whether set in Europe or elsewhere. For the first time I stumbled upon one based in the Philippines and I loved it. Here is a brief synopsis (without too many spoilers): December 1941. War has erupted in the Pacific, spelling danger for Gina Thorpe, an American expat living in Manila. When the Japanese invade and her husband goes missing, Gina flees with her daughter to the Zambales Mountains. Desperate for money, medicine, and guns, the Resistance recruits Gina to join their underground army and smuggles her back to Manila. There, she forges a new identity and opens a […]
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Book Review: The Mountains Sing
“Human lives were short and fragile. Time and illnesses consumed us, like flames burning away these pieces of wood. But it didn’t matter how long or short we lived. It mattered more how much light we were able to shed on those we loved and how many people we touched with our compassion.” – The Mountains Sing I was in junior high when Saigon fell. I remember little about the Vietnam war, other than that our black and white television droned statistics while I played with my Barbies. I don’t remember knowing anyone directly affected by the fighting, probably because my parents worked hard to insulate me from the ugly […]
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