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Historical Fiction April 2019
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| The Last Year of the War by Susan MeissnerWhat it's about: After her father is accused of being a Nazi sympathizer, German American teen Elise and her family are sent to a Texas internment camp, where she befriends Japanese American Mariko.
For fans of: Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Karin Tanabe's The Diplomat's Daughter.
Want a taste? "I've a thief to thank for finding the one person I need to see before I die."
Location/Format: eBook |
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In Another Time : a Novel
by Jillian Cantor
A bookshop owner in pre-World War II Germany launches a secret effort to save his wife, a Jewish concert violinist who awakens in 1946 Berlin with no memory of the past decade or her husband's fate.
Location/Format: Fiction
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The Parting Glass
by Gina Marie Guadagnino
Set in the upstairs/downstairs of 19th century New York City, lady’s maid Mary Ballard, who leads a dark double life, finds her world unraveling when the truth is exposed, forcing her to choose between family loyalty and loyalty to her mistress who has a secret of her own.
Location/Format: Fiction
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We Must Be Brave
by Frances Liardet
Caring for a lost child during the chaotic 1940 evacuation of her once-quiet Southampton village, a woman who never believed she wanted children finds herself unexpectedly at a loss when the child is taken away.
Location/Format: Fiction
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| The Island of Sea Women by Lisa SeeIntroducing: best friends Young-sook and Mi-ja, who train as haenyeo, divers in the all-women fishing collectives of Korea's Jeju Island. Closer than sisters, their bond is shattered by wartime betrayal.
Why you might like it: This lyrical and heartbreaking novel presents a detailed look at life in a matrifocal society whose ancient traditions are threatened by modernity.
About the author: From Snow Flower and the Secret Fan to China Dolls, historical novelist Lisa See is acclaimed for her moving depictions of female friendships forged in adversity.
Location/Format: Fiction, Audio CD, eBook |
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| The Masterpiece by Fiona DavisThe setting: Grand Central Terminal, in 1928 and 1974.
Starring: illustrator Clara Darden, who teaches at the Grand Central School of Art, and Virginia Clay, who decades later discovers the remains of the school and decides to investigate its history.
About the author: Fiona Davis specializes in novels that center around iconic locations in 20th-century New York City, such as The Dollhouse and The Address.
Location/Format: eBook, Fiction |
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| The Cottingley Secret by Hazel GaynorWhat happens: In 1917, cousins Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright claim that they've photographed fairies in their Yorkshire garden -- and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believes them.
And then: Present-day bookshop owner Olivia Kavanagh discovers a manuscript that reveals the story behind the famous images.
Reviewers say: "a lovely meditation on the power of belief and hope" (Kirkus Reviews).
Location/Format: Fiction |
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| Court of Lions by Jane JohnsonWhat it's about: A scrap of paper concealed in a wall in the Alhambra links a 21st-century British woman living in Granada and the 15th-century companion of Prince Mohammad XII.
Read it for: a suspenseful tale of courtly intrigue in Islamic Spain and a well-researched recreation of the last days of the Emirate of Granada.
Further reading: The Alhambra, Robert Irwin's myth-busting history of the iconic palace complex, or Steven Nightingale's Granada, a blend of history and travelogue focused on the Andalusian city.
Location/Format: Fiction |
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| The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish2000: Ailing historian Helen Watt works with graduate student Aaron Levy to examine trove of documents in Hebrew and Portuguese discovered during a home renovation.
1657: Jewish orphan Ester Velasquez flees Amsterdam for London, where she becomes the scribe of a blind rabbi.
Try this next: Mary Morris' Gateway to the Moon, another dual-narrative novel that offers a richly detailed depiction of historical Jewish life and culture.
Location/Format: Fiction |
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| The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen WhiteWhat it's about: Three women -- two in the past, one in the present -- connected by the final voyage of the RMS Lusitania.
Contains: a shipboard mystery, spies and secret documents, a valuable manuscript, family secrets, a love triangle, and more...
Author alert: Following the success of their previous collaboration, The Forgotten Room, "Team W" -- bestselling authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White -- join forces once again.
Location/Format: Fiction, Playaway |
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Great Decisions
Monday, April 22, 6:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The foreign policy discussion program Great Decisions returns to the library for its 21st season. The discussion this session is Made in China. For more information, call 873-3049.
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Needle Arts League
Thursdays, 5:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The Needle Arts League of Michigan City promotes all forms of needle arts. Membership is open to anyone interested in needle arts such as crochet, needlepoint, cross stitch, crewel, tatting and other hand stitching. All skill levels and ages are welcome. An exchange of skills and materials is encouraged. For information, call 219-873-3049.
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Collector's Corner Breakfast Benefitting the Friends of the Library
Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am
Full Gospel Church, 2700 Ohio Street, Michigan City, IN
The annual Collector’s Corner Breakfast will be held on Saturday, April 27 at Full Gospel Church. Tickets are $25, and each ticket holder can bring one item for appraisal by Martin Papke of Kathy’s Antiques. Appraisals are intended for entertainment purposes only. No weapons will be appraised. Breakfast will be catered by Portofino’s. Tickets are available for purchase at the library Circulation Desk or from Friends of the Library board members. No tickets will be sold at the door. Ticket sales are limited to just 75. For more information, please call 219-873-3049.
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Author William Hazelgrove: Wright Brothers, Wrong Story
Sunday, April 28, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
How could two misanthropic brothers who never left home, were high-school dropouts, and made a living as bicycle mechanics have figured out the secret of manned flight? This history of the Wright brothers’ monumental accomplishment focuses on their early years at Kitty Hawk and Orville Wright’s epic fight with the Smithsonian and Glenn Curtis. Hazelgrove makes a convincing case that it was Wilbur who designed the first successful airplane, not Orville. He shows that, while Orville’s role was important, he generally followed his brother’s lead and assisted with the mechanical details to make Wilbur’s vision a reality.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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