Hello All,
We met at Beth Hedengren's home last Thursday night and had a wonderful time talking and sharing great books. Here is the list of books (only one book from each list was discussed).
MARYANN STEVENS
️one of my favorite authors but not as good as other works. Laurel Eastabrook is a young social worker at a homeless shelter in Burlington, VT. When Bobby Crocker, a former resident of the shelter dies, she discovers a cache of photos that he took over a successful career & finds evidence that intertwines their Long Island Roots.️ When the beautiful, sad widowed daughter of Sir Basil Moidore dies in her bed with stab wounds, the family & police naturally assume an intruder committed this horrible crime. Inspector Monk & his young apprentice interview the servants, of which there are many, multiple times. Nurse Latterly, embedded in the household to attend to the aging mistress in her grief, gathers more intimate information discovering once again that the high born are not necessarily of high morals.️ based on life & work of Donaldena Cameron who rescued Girls and women from slave trade in the early 19 century in San Francisco.️book 2 18 months later Armand Gamache is again called to Three Pines to investigate the murder of a newcomer to the village. Many twists & turns before the murder is solved.️️ (non-fiction) Charles Darwin claimed men were superior in every way and that women were on a lower level of evolution. He was saying what everyone knew was true. NOT! New scientific & anthropological finds are supporting feminist thought- anything you can do I can do better. Saini analyzes old & more recent studies both supporting & denying feminist claims- some studies by men, others by women. Interesting reading.BETH HEDENGREN
Heart of Fire by Mazie K. Hirono
A memoir by the current US senator representing Hawaii. Maizie was born in Japan and came to Hawaii with her mother and older brother as a young child. Her mom was fleeing an abusive marriage, and was able to come to Hawaii because she had been born there. Mom worked very hard at two jobs and the family lived in little more than a shed, but eventually they improved their situation. Maizie went to college and then law school. She was a tireless advocate for the poor and underrepresented, turning to politics to try to improve the lives of others. She was a state representative, then lieutenant governor, then US Senator. Her story is interesting—I especially loved the early part about her family working hard to succeed in a new country. I was a little annoyed by the many interruptions to the story to share her political opinions which seemed to be mostly “Republicans bad; Democrats good.”
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
A sequel to A Deadly Education which came out last year, this fantasy novel continues the story of El (short for Galadriel) who is half Welsh and half Indian, and has been identified as an evil sorceress. El refuses to give in to her evil side at great personal sacrifice. She and all the magical kids are confined to the “Scholomance”—a school for magic. But there are no teachers. Instead the school itself hands out text books and exams and projects. The incentive for studying: if you don’t learn magical ways of protecting yourself, the hungry monsters who infest the school will no doubt eat you. It is a pretty bleak world. But El manages to pull together a team to work together against the monsters. The last chapters are riveting. The last paragraph a cliff hanger. Now we need to wait for the next book to be written!
After that terrifying book, I doubled down on happy Christmas stories.
Christmas Bundle by Joanne Fluke
Fun Christmas themes cozy mysteries with recipes included from the baker/sleuth. Added bonus, takes place in Minnesota!
I read Sugar Cookie Murder and Candy Cane Murder
Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
The origin story for Hannah the baker sleuth. Just one dissertation away from her PhD in English literature, Hannah moves back to her hometown north of Minneapolis to start a bakery (and solve crimes).
Anne Perry’s Christmas Vigil by Anne Perry
Two novella-sized mysteries set in Victorian London. Excellent historical setting, well-rounded characters. Very fun to read. I’ll have to read more Anne Perry!
Christmas Chronicles by Tim Slover
My favorite Christmas story, or at least a close runner-up to Christmas Carol. Excellent origin story for Santa Claus written by a theater professor at the U of U (also a BYU grad). If you look closely, lots of parallels with LDS faith. Charming, and inspiring.
MARLENE MATHESON
JO ANN ABEGGLEN
To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876
An epic history spanning the battlegrounds of the Civil War and the violent turmoil of Reconstruction to the forgotten electoral crisis that nearly fractured a reunited nation, Bret Baier’s To Rescue the Republic dramatically reveals Ulysses S. Grant’s essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during an unprecedented period of division.
Born a tanner’s son in rugged Ohio in 1822 and battle-tested by the Mexican American War, Grant met his destiny on the bloody fields of the Civil War. His daring and resolve as a general gained the attention of President Lincoln, then desperate for bold leadership. Lincoln appointed Grant as Lieutenant General of the Union Army in March 1864. Within a year, Grant’s forces had seized Richmond and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender.
Four years later, the reunified nation faced another leadership void after Lincoln’s assassination and an unworthy successor completed his term. Again, Grant answered the call. At stake once more was the future of the Union, for though the Southern states had been defeated, it remained to be seen if the former Confederacy could be reintegrated into the country—and if the Union could ensure the rights and welfare of African Americans in the South. Grant met the challenge by boldly advancing an agenda of Reconstruction and aggressively countering the Ku Klux Klan.
In his final weeks in the White House, however, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life’s work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain: the installation of Republican Hayes to the presidency, with concessions to the Democrats that effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression.
Deep with contemporary resonance and brimming with fresh detail that takes readers from the battlefields of the Civil War to the corridors of power where men decided the fate of the nation in back rooms, To Rescue the Republic reveals Grant, for all his complexity, to be among the first rank of American heroes. 4 Stars
GERI CHRISTENSEN
THE FRENCH BAKER'S WAR by Michael Whatling
Andre and Mirelle own and run a pastry shop in a small French town during World War II. When he leaves the shop one day to go buy more supplies, he returns to find his wife gone and his five year-old son out in the street looking completely lost and confused. Andre searches frantically for Mirelle but she is not to be found. When he comes back to the shop he discovers a young Jewish woman who is
dressed in rags and is hiding behind the display case in the shop. He is not happy to have this woman there, but he is willing to help her if she will help him to find his
wife. She is terrified of being discovered by the Nazis so she won't leave the shop, but she does help with the pastry baking and with the little boy. Things get very complicated when Andre's parents come to visit and they discover this young Jewish woman and no Mirelle. The book is well-written and very compelling. Also, it is based on a true story. 4 Stars
A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW by Marian Kummerlow
Also a World War II story, but this one is a little different. A young Jewish girl working as a maid for a wealthy family finds herself alone in a bombed-out house and decides to take on the identity of the daughter of the house. She goes to Berlin and is able to find a place to stay, but she is discovered when the brother of the daughter who was killed comes to town. It was an interesting story, this one
pure fiction, and the writing is more amateurish, but I enjoyed it. 3 Stars
THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR by Jacquelilne Winspear
This is a more recent of the Maisie Dobbs novels and takes place during World War II. Maisie has an undercover job working for the government recruiting young girls to work for the French Resistance. The job becomes doubly hard when she is acquainted with two of the girls and hates to send them off to what could very well be certain death. The book deals with a young boy who witnessed a murder and can describe the murderer, but no one but Maisie and her business partner, Billy, believe the young boy. The book is well-written with interwoven stories that keep you reading to find out what happens and how Maisie is able to put it all together. Plus, she has a new romantic interest in this book, an American diplomat, which adds another dimension to her character. I recommend this book if you are a Maisie Dobbs fan. 3 1/2 stars.
CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS by Agatha Christie
Three young teachers are murdered in a very exclusive girls' school and Hercule Poirot is brought in to try to sort out who could possibly have done it. The story involves some jewels that were smuggled out of Ramat in Iraq by a woman who was not aware of the valuable treasure she returned to England with and someone is determined to get the jewels at all costs. Three lives are not too much for this vicious killer who is well-hidden among all the other characters. This started out slow, but it gained momentum and turned out to be very entertaining and worthwhile reading. 3 Stars
THE SLOW MARCH OF LIGHT by Heather B. Moore
Bob Inama was an outstanding university student on track to become a lawyer when he was drafted into the Army in 1961. Because he was fluent in German, he was sent to West Germany and was later given an undercover assignment in East Germany that was very dangerous. He was eventually caught and sent to prison where he was tortured, but he also made friends with one of the guards there. The story is part fiction and part true, but still very fascinating reading. Well-researched and well-written by the same author of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown. 4 stars.
MRS. POLIFAX UNVEILED by Dorothy Gilman
After facing down hijackers on a plane due to land in Damascas in the Middle East, a young American girl becomes a celebrity and then promptly disappears. Mrs. Polifax and her friend and partner-in-spying, Farrell, are sent to find her and bring her back to the US, hopefully alive. This is probably the fourth or fifth time I have read this book, but it was still great reading and wonderfully entertaining. I love most of the books by this author, especially this series, and always get caught up in the adventure and fun when Mrs. Polifax is on an assignment for the CIA. 3 1/2 stars.
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