I have loved reading and meeting authors for as long as I can remember! As an elementary teacher I integrated literature into every part of the core curriculum. Since my retirement, reading and flower gardening are my two favorite pastimes. I look forward to sharing my passion for reading by providing reviews of the books I've read. Perhaps you will join me as I explore new authors and genres!
I travel to south Louisiana many times each year. Lafayette is where I was born and my family and relatives still live in that area. Now that I’ve found Beausoleil Books I have another reason to visit! The bookstore has a wonderfully curated collection of books, a lovely, inviting coffee bar and sitting area, plus adjoining is The Whisper Room for cocktails! This is a heavenly place for book clubs and private events. The Whisper Room was closed for a private event the day I visited but I’ll be back! Alexis, the manager, spent a great deal of time explaining her role and I spent a great deal of time sharing information about Zibby Owens, her new publishing company and quest to support independent book sellers. Of course I told Alexis about the #22in22Challenge for #Zibbybooks and #bookambassadors! Beausoleil Books is perfect for bibliophiles-visit the square in downtown Lafayette!
children’s Books for Easter BasketsEarly Christmas Shopping!Atlas of the Heart by Brene BrownInside Beausoleil Books
Flora Harding began writing over 30 years ago to fund a PhD on the disposal of waste in Elizabethan York, and has juggled fact and fiction ever since. Under various pseudonyms she has written more than 75 novels, histories and other forms of non-fiction and continues to be fascinated by the relationship between the past and the present, whatever she happens to be writing. Flora still lives in York with the city walls and the Minster at the end of her street, and is a freelance project editor as well as an author. Much as she loves the historic city, she yearns too for open horizons, and is a keen walker, preferably in wild, open spaces. https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/flora-harding
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
Flora Harding’s parallel account of Princess Charlotte of Wales, 1813-1817, to Lady Diana in 1981 will appeal to Royal followers. There have been many attempts at capturing the essence of Lady Diana; it seems Royal appetites would be satiated; many having experienced her life and death firsthand.
The People’s Princess opens at Buckingham Palace in March 1981 as Lady Diana Spencer is preparing herself to become Princess Diana of Wales. Diana becomes curious about Princess Charlotte after noticing her portrait in the halls of the palace. Princess Charlotte’s journal, discovered by a historian in the Royal Archives at Windsor, becomes Diana’s key to unlocking the mysteries of joining the House of Windsor. Readers are treated to Harding’s comparisons of family lives and struggles, similarities in personality traits, and the unusually close relationships with staff enjoyed by Charlotte and Diana. From missing her friends at the nursery school, becoming determined to win Charles away from Camilla, to sequins on her veil winking and glittering in the light; readers will delight in Diana’s long-awaited ride in the Glass Coach and the procession up the aisle of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Listen carefully for whistles, cheers, bells, helicopters and then the huge roar of welcome from the crowds on The Mall. Relish a “royal wave” from The People’s Princess!
Princess Diana leaving St. Paul’sPrincess Charlotte of WalesPrincess Charlotte’s Wedding Dress
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including Under the Southern Sky, Feels Like Falling, and The Peachtree Bluff series. A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Southern Living, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, Domino, and O. Henry. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her work has been optioned for film and television, and her books have received numerous accolades including Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Parade’s Big Fiction Reads, and Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks. Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction. She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic, and loves connecting with fans on KristyWoodsonHarvey.com. She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband and son where she is (always!) working on her next novel.
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
At the back of the wardrobe was the wedding veil that had been worn by generations of Vanderbilt women. The initials of the Vanderbilt women who had worn the treasured veil were embroidered in the lining of the Juliet cap. Was the veil magic? Did it truly ensure a fairy tale life?
Kristy Woodson Harvey’s first foray into historical fiction is a keepsake for fans of the architectural miracle known as Biltmore, near Ashville in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Throughout the marriage of Edith Dresser and George Vanderbilt and later the struggles of their daughter Cornelia, readers will wonder how and why the women of the wealthiest family in America, in the largest home on thousands of acres of land, would feel trapped and without purpose. KWH’s thorough research transports readers to Biltmore’s 250 rooms, George’s famous library with 23,000 books, and to Biltmore Village. Intricate details of daily life, the provision of teaching much needed skills, and the support and encouragement of Edith, Cornelia, and staff after flooding and near financial ruin keeps readers engrossed, in awe, and hopeful that Biltmore will survive.
This is the story of women finding their purpose in life; deciding when to put themselves first and discovering whether a vintage wedding veil is a sign of a happy marriage. KWH writes emotional, soul-searching dialogue between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters, and husbands and wives. The scrutiny of the public and press into the Vanderbilt family, especially Cornelia, who only wants to be in the shadows at best, is reminiscent of the treatment of Princess Diana. Cornelia’s unstable habits and moods as she searches for self-worth impact personal decisions and her family life. This glimpse into the lives of the wealthiest family of the early 1900’s, social expectations, financial and personal struggles is a generational contrast to a wealthy present-day family dealing with secrets, decisions, social media impact, and family expectations. Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt’s story is alternated with present day widow Barbara Baxter’s wisdom and joyful attitude and her granddaughter, bride-to-be Julia, who are living their own fractured fairy tales. Readers will get caught up in their adventures with shocking surprises as they each make life changing decisions.
Through touching scenes and conversations between Edith and George, KWH portrays George Vanderbilt as a devoted, loving husband who is respected and well-loved by his staff, especially his favorite footman, Mr. Noble. George’s sharing of his beloved library, enthusiasm for learning, and his dedication to helping the less fortunate make him a central character with influence on family decisions even after his early death. Noble is a good listener, compassionate, and gives great comfort and assurance to Edith that she and Biltmore will be fine.
Kristy Woodson Harvey’s “lessons on letting go of expectations, drawing close to loved ones, helping those in need, and fighting for your dreams” will have readers crying happy tears, laughing with glee, and cheering for unexpected decisions. Maybe there is magic in The Wedding Veil!
“It’s been great to combine research and suspenseful writing into my first historical novel, Answering Liberty’s Call: Anna Stone’s Daring Ride to Valley Forge. The book stars my sixth great-grandmother, who cast off societal norms and risked her own safety to aid both her family and the Revolutionary cause in the winter of 1778.” https://tracylawsonbooks.com/meet-tracy-lawson/
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
In the bleak winter of 1778, Anna Asbury Stone enters the world of men and war, riding over two hundred miles on horseback to deliver food, clothing, and money to her brothers and husband at Valley Forge. This is a spirited tale of the American Revolution based on family stories passed down through generations and meticulous research.
Tracy Lawson’s first-person narrative alternates between several timelines. The novel begins with Anna Stone’s bold and terrifying ‘woman on a mission” in 1778, as a wife and mother in a “modern day agreement” attempting to save her husband and brothers. Two other timelines include Anna’s flashbacks from 1758 as a 10-year-old indentured servant for seven years to the wealthy Dunlap family and memories from 1775 when her husband, Benjamin, joined the Culpeper Minutemen to defend Williamsburg. These experiences greatly impact Anna’s feelings and opinions as an adult.
Lawson’s accounting of Anna’s frustrating lack of choices, her tender feelings at missing Benjamin, and the complete trust of her children to housemaids gives readers great insight into the structure of society at the time. Paralleling Anna’s personal life is Lawson’s account of Anna’s added mission to deliver a message to General George Washington as she experiences river crossings, political conspiracies and corruption, and eye-opening descriptions of Continental Army camp life at Valley Forge.
One character key to Anna’s growth and development is the curmudgeonly “Uncle” who placed her as an indentured servant with the Dunlap family. He also has his own stressful secrets and business dealings. A blessing of Anna’s servitude with the Dunlap family, is that she meets head cook and protector Rhoda, who teaches her about healing and cures in exchange for Anna’s help in learning to write. Lawson’s superb dialogue and character development between Rhoda and Anna leads to a life-long tender, trusting relationship; one readers will treasure. Rhoda’s frying pan and Lawson’s inclusion of Anna’s recipe for Apple Tansey are memorable for several reasons! (See present day recipe link below)
Answering Liberty’s Call is a riveting “Revolutionary Ride” that refreshes America’s early history and shares insights into the roles of the strong, bold women who supported the quest for freedom.
Anna Asbury Stone: wife, mother, healer, adventurer- Lady of the Revolution!
Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of The Invisible Woman,Hemingway’s Girl, Call Me Zelda,Fallen Beauty, The House of Hawthorne, and Receive Me Falling. She is a contributor to the anthology Grand Central: Postwar Stories of Love and Reunion, and to the Writer’s Digest Essay Collection, Author in Progress.
In 2014, Robuck was named Annapolis’ Author of the Year, and she resides there with her husband, three sons, and a spunky miniature schnauzer.
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
COURAGE is the watchword in Erika Robuck’s Sisters of Night and Fog. This isthe spellbinding account of the women serving in World War II whose only common bond is their call to duty. The novel opens at Ravensbruck, at a remembrance ceremony for survivors of the Nazi concentration camp for women. For avid readers of WWII history this conjures a dreaded memory of the Nazi’s despicable, disgusting treatment of the female prisoners. The narrative continues with flashbacks between the “sisters” beginning in 1940, until the Allied invasion in June 1944, and the end of the war. Accounts alternate between real-life war heroes, Violette Szabo, who begins her service in the Land Army, and American, Virginia d’Albert-Lake. As Virginia says, “It’s easy to talk about the successes, the thrills, the adventures, but the consequences are another story.”
Readers of Erika Robuck’s previous novels know of her descriptions that captivate and character development and dialogue that evokes a range of emotions. Violette’s strained, intense relationship with her father is juxtaposed to the regret and uneasy feelings she experiences as a mother herself when she comprehends her own mother’s grief should Violette die. Violette uses her “inner strength to contract within herself” when she is in confinement or being tortured. Readers will expend a sigh relief when “As the night clears, an exquisite sight awaits Violette’s eyes. St. Paul’s Cathedral still stands.” Equally comforting is the happiness at helping deliver “parcels” on the Comet Line that brings Virginia and Philippe closer together. Even the warm bread and potato soup served by a farm wife to Virginia hidden in a barn soothes the readers’ nerves. As the narrative alternates, so do the emotional highs and lows. Violette’s and Virginia’s changing outlook swings readers from the mountain top of determination to the valley of despondency.
Between the angst of the Boche, double agents, missions abandoned, and captured SOE agents, readers are treated to Erika’s beautiful, soulful expressions; “stirring embers of her musical memory,” and “he dances her around the dining room to the music they can hear in the echoes of their memories.”
When Philippe and Virginia arrive at their country house north of Paris she thinks, “We have each other. We’re sheltered. We’ll just wait out the war. Nice and safe.” That’s the end of comfortable feelings for readers. This novel will leave readers feeling grateful for the simplest luxuries of daily life and ever so humbled by the courageous women of the Resistance Erika Robuck coaxes out of the shadows of history.
Sisters of Night and Fog is the story of how these women and their love for family, call to duty, and courage helped change the world.
“Sarah Jio is the #1 international, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of eleven novels. She is the host of the ModAboutYou podcast and also a longtime journalist who has contributed to Glamour, The New York Times, Redbook, Real Simple, O: The Oprah Magazine, Bon Appétit, Marie Claire, Self, and many other outlets, including NPR’s Morning Edition. Jio’s books have been published in more than twenty-five countries. She lives in Seattle with her husband, three young boys, three stepchildren, and two puppies.”
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
“Books have feelings. Only you can unlock them. It’s easy, though, all you have to do is read the pages.” There are plenty of feelings to unlock in With Love from London. Sarah Jio shares two love stories: one with tragic timing and one with “stardust luck.” Valentina, a librarian and bookstagrammer, arrives in London as the new proprietor of The Book Garden, previously owned by Eloise, her estranged, recently deceased mother. Sara Jio draws readers into Eloise’s dream of escaping London’s East End, her unlikely life in California, and how she “finds some semblance of life again.” After Valentina arrives in London relationships of husband/wife, parent/child, and best friends are delicately explored in years of letters, shared memories, and scavenger hunts just like her mother had created when she was a child. In this dual timeline, themes of friendship and family inspire readers to examine feelings ranging from anger to understanding and from pain to forgiveness. Read With Love from London with anticipation of healing, revelations, and a new lease on life!
“Allison Pataki is the New York Times bestselling author of The Traitor’s Wife, The Accidental Empress, Sisi, Where the Light Falls, and The Queen’s Fortune, as well as the nonfiction memoir Beauty in the Broken Places and two children’s books, Nelly Takes New York and Poppy Takes Paris. Allison’s novels have been translated into more than twenty languages. A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, HuffPost, USA Today, Fox News, and other outlets. She has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago, and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Allison graduated cum laude from Yale University, is a member of The Historical Novel Society, and lives in New York with her husband and family.”
The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab
“Marjorie the Magnificent” was the moniker given to Marjorie Merriweather Post, only daughter and heir to the C.W. Post family fortune. Allison Pataki’s novel reads like Marjorie’s private journal; the blue-eyed dazzling beauty born in 1887, who reigned as “America’s Most Fabulous Hostess” until her death in 1973. Pataki highlights Marjorie’s determination, passion, and generosity in this four-part, first person retelling of the opportunities, decisions and influencers that had such a profound impact on Marjorie’s life experiences. From Battle Creek, Michigan, and the beginnings of Grape-Nuts and General Foods, to Washington D.C., Palm Beach, and ambassadress in Moscow; readers are treated to personal details and descriptions of Marjorie’s palatial residences filled with art and treasures from around the world, disastrous marriages, amazing contributions to philanthropic favorites, and her famous guests and friends from the world of politicians and celebrities. As C.W. Post introduced the world to cereal, Allison Pataki introduces the world to The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post.
Heather Webb’s The Next Ship Home is set in 1902, at Ellis Island, known as The Island of Tears. The novel chronicles the awakening of two young women, Francesca Ricci, desperately escaping her father, arriving by ship from Sicily and Alma Brauer, living with her family of seven in a tenement in New York City’s “Little Germany.” The Brauers run a successful bierhaus despite narrow views. Alma is intelligent but despised and bullied by her stepfather. Her respite from servitude and her parents’ beliefs and mores is her penchant and adeptness for learning other languages. Alma’s domineering stepfather secures a job for her at Ellis Island without her knowledge. As a twenty-two-year-old spinster dependent on her parents, Alma feeling she has no choice, boards the ferry to the island.
Through fear and profound despair Francesca and Alma’s paths cross and a deep friendship is formed. Becoming like sisters they find determination and motivate each other to endure circumstances beyond their control and the courage to make choices when it seems there’s not one. Heather Webb creates doubt and suspense through characters’ dialogue involving anarchism, labor disputes, and strikes. Rumors of lies and deceit by Ellis Island staff and despicable behavior by inspectors, and even Alma’s own family members, keep readers in disbelief and absolutely spellbound. Her sensitive and visual descriptions of neighborhoods and characters add to the anxious feelings when viewed through an immigrant’s eyes. The prospects for Francesca and Alma seem bleak and unsurmountable but as Francesca says, “Anything worth doing or having is a little frightening… or very frightening!”
Readers will follow these young women from the ferry, aboard the trains, on long walks up Park Avenue and even to a riot, but all will survive and celebrate The Next Ship Home as Francesca and Alma embark on America’s shores of optimism.
(At Ellis Island by Louise Peacock is one I used in my classroom with third graders. It’s an excellent example of using trade books to teach history and social studies. It appeals to all ages.)
This week we drove to Glen Rose, Texas, about an hour and a half southwest of Dallas to visit the Storiebook Cafe. We’d traveled through the Dinosaur Capital of Texas before but not with bookstore visits in mind! Owner, Storie Sharp, (yes, that’s her real name) greeted us and gave me a tour. Every room is cozy and inviting, and overflowing with books. Once a Texaco gas station and car dealership, the location has been home to many businesses over the years. We are so grateful that 13 years ago it became The Storiebook Cafe; an independent book store with a delicious “bookish” menu! We had a scrumptious lunch and picked up The Magnolia Palaceby Fiona Davis which Storie special ordered for me. Here are some darling photos with some links to famous places near Glen Rose, Texas, and The Grateful Reader’s review of The Magnolia Palace.
STORIEBOOK CAFE, GLEN ROSE, TEXAS1940’s Texaco & Crabtree ChevroletStorie and Dorothy Dinosaur Window DisplaySpecial event room Seasonal Book TreeMain Dining RoomTea Party RoomFOSSIL RIM WILDLIFE CENTERhttps://fossilrim.org/Dinosaur Valley State Park https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley
I used to visit this B&N quite frequently when I was teaching third graders. The parents would give me gift cards for every holiday and in-between! Because….BOOKS! I loved to go and browse the children’s book section, the beautiful magazines, and of course, the “best sellers” section. Over the past two pandemic years the lovely Starbucks inside this bookstore has closed. So no more cozy moments in the coffee shop with my newest purchases-to just smell and touch! As much as I want to support local indie bookstores, B&N seems to need help too! I went with the mission of buying Fiona Davis’ The Magnolia Palace, but being on the NYT best seller list it was already sold out- a purchase for next week’s bookstore visit! Instead I shopped for Valentine’s Day gifts for my grandchildren. I often watch Adriana Trigiani’s interviews on FB so I knew her new children’s book The House of Love had published just in time for Valentine’s Day. This lovely story is filled with the warmth of a large family and shows how money doesn’t create joy. You’ll want to string some gumdrops and decorate your own tree branch! The House of Love is an homage to Adri’s mother, her favorite librarian. The link is below for Adri’s appearance February 10th on the Today show. Hoda & Jenna interview Adri and Allison Pataki. Allison’s book The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post is on my read/review calendar. Enjoy the interview! And visit a bookstore soon!
Darling End Pages-I always pointed these out to students!
The Grateful Reader 