| Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan BrennertWhat it is: the long-awaited sequel to Moloka'i, which follows Ruth Utagawa, the daughter of Rachel Kalama.
The story: Born in the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement, Ruth grows up in California on her Japanese adoptive parents' farm. When World War II begins, the entire family is sent to an internment camp.
Try this next: Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine offers a similarly moving and richly detailed fictional account of this dark chapter in American history. |
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| Dear George, dear Mary by Mary CalviWhat it's about: the 1756 courtship of heiress Mary Philipse by the dashing young colonel George Washington. Can their engagement weather separation, scandal, and Mary's stormy temperament?
Why you might like it: This bittersweet novel draws on diaries and correspondence to recreate life in 18th-century colonial America.
You might also like: Elizabeth Cobbs' The Hamilton Affair, which similarly unfolds from the alternating perspectives of its protagonists: a founding father and an heiress from a prominent family. |
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Death of an eye
by Dana Stabenow
Alexandria, 47 BC. For three centuries, the House of Ptolemy has governed the Kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra; seventh of her name, rules from Alexandria, that beacon of commerce and learning that stands between the burning sands of the desert and the dark waters of the Middle Sea. But her realm is beset by ethnic rivalries, aristocratic feuds and courtly intrigues. Not only that, she must contend with the insatiable appetite of Julius Caesar who needs Egyptian grain and Egyptian gold to further his ambitions. The world is watching the young Queen, waiting for a misstep. And now her most trusted servant; her Eye, has been murdered and a vast shipment of newly minted coin stolen. Cleopatra cannot afford for the coins to go unrecovered or the murderers unpunished, so she asks childhood friend, Tetisheri Nebenteru, to retrace the dead Eye's footsteps. Tetisheri will find herself plunged into the shadowy heart of Alexandria. As she sifts her way through a tangle of lies and deceit, she will discover that nothing can be taken at face value, that she can't trust anyone; not even the Queen herself.
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The Kennedy debutante
by Kerri Maher
"A riveting novel following the exploits of Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, the little known and rebellious daughter of America's royal family. London, 1938. Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy has already taken England by storm, when she is presented to the king and queen. The effervescent It Girl of London society since her father was named the ambassador, Kick moves in rarefied circles--dancing and drinking champagne at the hottest nightclubs and attending the horse races with nobility. One such acquaintance is Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire. Though initially reticent, the tall, handsome man sweeps Kick off her feet, but the obstacles to their love are many. Kick is a self-proclaimed triple threat--American, Catholic, and of Irish descent--all unacceptable to such a traditional family as Billy's. And as WWII looms, she is ripped away from the country she has grown to love and the man who has stolen her heart. Returning to the States, Kick throws herself into making a difference. Becoming a journalistgives her a voice--and a chance to step out of the shadows of her accomplished brothers, including the charismatic Jack. Then as America is drawn into the war, Kick will discover where her true loyalties lie--with family or with love.."
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| The night tiger by Yangsze ChooIntroducing: Ji Lin, a seamstress who moonlights as a dance-hall girl in 1930s colonial Malaysia, and Ren, an 11-year-old Chinese houseboy who has made a promise to carry out his employer's dying wish.
What happens: The discovery of a severed finger is the catalyst for multiple, ultimately converging, narratives.
Is it for you? Like The Ghost Bride, author Yangsze Choo's debut, The Night Tiger's subtle supernatural elements evoke Malay folklore. |
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| The familiars by Stacey HallsWhat it's about: Having suffered multiple miscarriages, 17th-century noblewoman Fleetwood Shuttleworth hires midwife Alice Gray to ensure the survival of her unborn child. Then Alice is accused of witchcraft.
Reviewers say: "a quietly powerful and richly evocative tale" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| American duchess: A novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen HarperStarring: American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt, who weds the Duke of Marlborough to please her social climbing family.
Want a taste? "Everyone was calling it the wedding of the century. I was calling it the worst day of my life."
You might also like: Therese Fowler's A Well-Behaved Woman, about Consuelo's mother Alma Vanderbilt. |
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| The falcon of Sparta by Conn IgguldenWhat happens: In 401 BCE, King Artaxerxes of Persia attempts to kill his younger brother, Cyrus, who in response raises an army of mercenaries in a daring campaign to take the throne.
Why you might like it: Covering events depicted in Xenophon's Anabasis, this dramatic novel puts readers on the front lines as it depicts grueling marches and bloody battles.
For fans of: the action-packed, ancient-world historical epics of Steven Pressfield or Christian Cameron. |
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| Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth LettsStarring: Maud Gage Baum, wife of author L. Frank Baum, and Judy Garland, the 15-year-old actress portraying Dorothy in MGM's adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
What happens: Although she comes to Hollywood to guard her late husband's literary legacy, Maud realizes that it's Judy, vulnerable and mistreated, who needs her protection.
Why you might like it: Finding Dorothy reveals the stories behind the creation of a beloved series of books and the making of the classic movie. |
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| The age of light: A novel by Whitney ScharerWhat it is: an atmospheric biographical novel about American photographer Lee Miller.
More than a muse: Though best known for her involvement with fellow artist Man Ray, Miller also models for Vogue, studies painting, becomes a war correspondent, and later, finds fame as a food writer.
For fans of: the artistic expats in Paula McLain's The Paris Wife, the complex protagonist of William Boyd's Sweet Caress, or the intrepid female war correspondents of Meg Clayton White's The Race for Paris. |
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| Cherokee America by Margaret VerbleIntroducing: "Check" Singer, the no-nonsense matriarch of a mixed-race family in 1875 Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). She's got a husband to bury, five sons to raise, a farm to run, and a community to hold together in the face of violence and oppression.
Why you might like it: a strong sense of place and a diverse cast of authentic characters make this novel a memorable read.
About the author: Margaret Verble's previous novel, Maud's Line, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; Verble drew on her own family history to write Cherokee Nation, which took her 20 years to complete. |
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Painting Mona Lisa
by Jeanne Kalogridis
A meticulously detailed historical novel, set against the turbulent backdrop of fifteenth-century Florence, chronicles the life and times of Madonna Lisa, the mysterious woman who becomes the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous and enigmatic portrait and who becomes caught up in a web of dark secrets, treachery, illicit love, and murder.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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