Orphaned at a young age, Marguerite de la Rocque's family's chateau and land was being looked after by her guardian. Roberval, a gambler, adventurer and explorer, sells the estate and land, and uses the money to pay off his debts and fund his expedition to New France. He takes Marguerite and her maidservant with him.… Read More
The East Indian by Brinda Charry
Tony lives with his mother and her patron, who's a merchant for the British East India Company in the 1630's. Tony is eleven when his mother dies, so her patron arranges for Tony to travel to London with him as a servant. With the gentleman's death, Tony is left to fend for himself and soon… Read More
The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar
2023, The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: While preparing an exhibit featuring movie costumes from the 1920s to the present day, costume conservator Sylvia discovers a name label hidden underneath the designer label of a dress that was worn by Greta Garbo. Her curiosity leads her on a quest - who was Zora Lily,… Read More
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray
Austen fans rejoice! The Knightley's are throwing a summer house party and everyone is invited - including the Darcy's, the Wentworth's, the Brandons, and young Juliet Tilney. Unfortunately another well known Jane Austen character shows up uninvited - Mr. George Wickham. Mr. Wickham has come to collect money from those he has swindled in a… Read More
The Last White Rose by Alison Weir
The Last White Rose by Alison Weir explores the life of Elizabeth of York, the mother of King Henry VIII. Elizabeth grew up and reigned during turbulent times in England. Weir's retelling of Elizabeth's story covers the death of King Edward IV (Elizabeth's father), the disappearance of her brothers (the Two Princes in the Tower),… Read More
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr is a mosaic of a novel with bits of historical, contemporary, and sci-fi fiction storytelling all in one. The book is narrated by 5 different characters in 3 different timelines: Anna (a young girl in 15th century Constantinople while it is under siege by the Ottoman Empire) Omeir (a… Read More
Love and Saffron by Kim Fay
Joan is 27, lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. She sends a fan letter, along with a small gift of saffron to 59 year-old Imogen, a writer who writes a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine. This begins their friendship by letter, one… Read More
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray is a fictional account of the real-life story of Belle da Costa Greene, who worked as J. P. Morgan's personal librarian. Only her real name isn't Belle da Costa Greene. It's Belle Marion Greener. Long before she worked for one of the wealthiest men in… Read More