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The Judge Hunter by Christopher BuckleyBaltasar "Balty" St. Michel gets by on handouts from his brother-in-law Samuel Pepys, an officer in the king's navy. Fed up with his needy relative, Pepys offers Balty a job in the New World. He is to track down two missing judges who were responsible for the execution of the last king, Charles I. When Balty's ship arrives in Boston, he finds a strange country filled with fundamentalist Puritans, saintly Quakers, warring tribes of Indians, and rogues of every stripe. Helped by a man named Huncks, an agent of the Crown with a mysterious past, Balty travels colonial America in search of the missing judges.
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| The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna GoodmanWhat it’s about: Fifteen-year-old Maggie is pregnant by her French farm boy neighbor in 1950s Québec -- and her disappointed parents force her to give up the baby, Elodie. Maggie’s story alternates with that of her daughter, who grows up under harrowing circumstances in an orphanage that is converted into a psychiatric hospital.
Why you might like it: Readers who enjoyed Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train or the film Philomena will like the intertwining narratives of this bittersweet, poignant tale, which is based on true events. |
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| The Soul of a Thief by Steven HartovWhat it's about: As World War II draws to a close, Shtefan Brandt is a German of Jewish descent hiding in plain sight as clerk to Colonel Eric Himmel. Himmel has the foresight to realize that the Germans are about to lose -- but has plans for how to come out ahead.
Who it’s for: Fans of World War II-era fiction and readers who like vivid characters and plot twists.
Reviewers say: “Simply a wondrous and utterly captivating novel” (Booklist). |
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| The Abbot's Tale by Conn IgguldenFeaturing: Tenth-century English abbot Dunstan of Glastonbury, the confidant and advisor to King Aethelstan, who, as the grandson of Alfred the Great, dreams of creating a united kingdom.
Why you might like it: Readers who enjoy gripping, grand historical sagas rich with battles and intrigue will savor this page-turning masterpiece.
You might also like: Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Series; the 1st is The Last Kingdom. |
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The Queen's Promise by Brenda Rickman VantreaseThe enthralling story of two remarkable women caught up in the maelstrom of the English Civil War. February, 1642. Forced to abandon her children and leave for foreign shores, the extravagant and unpopular Queen Henrietta Maria discovers that she cannot rely on the loyalty of her former friends and relatives in the royal courts of Europe. Meanwhile, her friend and former lady-in-waiting, the beautiful Countess of Carlisle, determines to remain loyal to the King, despite his craven betrayal of her lover and protector. Separated from their menfolk, these two very different women determine to do what they can to survive in a world where brother is at war with brother, a world where no one can be trusted. But the war will change both their lives in ways they could never have imagined.
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| Dragon Teeth by Michael CrichtonWhat it’s about: The real-life 19th-century rivalry known as the Bone Wars between paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope -- who resorted to a variety of underhanded methods to outdo one another in pursuit of fossils in the American West -- is retold through the eyes of fictional Yale student William Johnson.
Why you might like it: Though this book was published after bestselling author Michael Crichton’s death, it has his signature elements: action, science, and history all combined in page-turning fashion. |
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| Conspirata: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert HarrisWhat it’s about: In 63 BC, Cicero has been elected consul -- the highest government official in Rome -- but a rising upstart named Gaius Julius Caesar (as well as the discovery of a young murdered boy) complicate Cicero’s newfound power.
Series alert: Conspirata is the 2nd book in the Cicero trilogy; the 1st is Imperium.
You might also like: Steven Saylor’s Roma Sub Rosa series -- try The Seven Wonders -- or Colleen McCullough’s Master of Rome series (start with The First Man in Rome). |
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| The Sweetheart by Angelina MirabellaFeaturing: Seventeen-year-old Leonie Putzkammer, who leaves behind her 1950s Philadelphia neighborhood to train as a female wrestler; and “Screaming Mimi Hollander,” who becomes Leonie’s fiercest competitor.
Why you might like it: You'll cheer for Leonie as she finds herself -- and love -- in the male-dominated world of professional wrestling.
You might also like: Velva Jean Learns to Fly by Jennifer Niven, which is also set in mid-20th-century America and is a moving coming-of-age story featuring a feisty, offbeat heroine. |
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| Crossing the Horizon by Laurie NotaroWhat it’s about: In 1927, three women vie to be the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic: the Honorable Elsie Mackay, a disobedient earl’s daughter; Mabel Boll, a wealthy American widow who craves fame; and Ruth Elder, a former beauty pageant winner from Alabama.
Try this next: Victoria Patterson's The Peerless Four, about a Canadian track and field team overcoming significant hurdles in pursuit of Olympic gold. It too is a character-driven tale of daring women breaking barriers in the 1920s. |
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| Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral by Mary Doria RussellWhat it’s about: In this sequel to Doc, the consumptive Doc Holliday accompanies Wyatt Earp and his brothers to 1881 Tombstone, Arizona, to face off in a legendary gunfight against the Clantons and the McLaurys.
Why you might like it: Author Mary Doria Russell employs meticulous research, sumptuous period detail, and sensitive, in-depth character studies.
Try this next: Lyndsay Faye's Gods of Gotham, a historical mystery set in 1845 New York and the 1st in a trilogy, which also features rich characterizations and vivid storytelling. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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