Category: Historical fiction
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A Girl Called Samson: I’m not crying, you’re crying.
A Girl Called SamsonBy: Amy HarmonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 18 and up I’m not crying, you’re crying. Wait wait wait wait…you’re telling me there was an actual girl who Mulan(ed) her way into the American Revolutionary War and fought as a man for over two years? Who served on General John…
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To Kill a Mockingbird: The Greatest?
To Kill a MockingbirdBy: Harper LeeMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up The Great American Novel Wow. So many thoughts. I loved to read when I was teenager, but I hated when teachers told me WHAT to read. I suspect that’s the real reason why I’m One Man Book Club. I…
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The Secret Keeper: Kate Morton is a story weaver
The Secret KeeperBy: Kate MortonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: Advanced 14 and up Kate Morton is a story weaver! My favorite stories surprise me. Sometimes it’s the engaging mystery, other times it’s the characters themselves. Many times it’s a great twist ending. Kate Morton is good at all the above, and her…
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The Help: The movie doesn’t count.
The HelpBy: Kathryn StockettMy Rating: Five out of five stars.Best for: 16 and up Dedicated to those who think everything magically got better after Martin Luther King Here’s my recommendation. Next time you’re in Atlanta, don’t just go to The World of Coke and the Aquarium. Take time to go to the other building in…
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The Lost Shtetl: Mel Brooks x Fiddler on the Roof x Schindler’s List
The Lost ShtetlBy: Max GrossMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Now THIS how to teach history… I picked up The Lost Shtetl because the blurb sold me on a fascinating idea: What if an entire town had been lost to history? What would happen when it was rediscovered? I checked…
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A Tale of Two Cities: Come join the club!
A Tale of Two CitiesBy: Charles DickensMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Come join the club! Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities might have been the hardest book I’ve ever read–and I’ve read a lot of hard books. I don’t mean the content was hard. I mean the words…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Beneath a Scarlet SkyBy: Mark T. SullivanGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: 16 and up This WWII Hero Will Change YouGuest review by Catina Haverlock How did we not know of this TRUE WWII story? How did it remain untold for SO long? Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the inspiring true tale…
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Where the Lost Wander: Love and Tragedy on the American Frontier
Where the Lost WanderBy: Amy HarmonMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest For: 16 and up Love and Tragedy on the American Frontier I’m not Amy Harmon’s target demographic, but I sure enjoy a good story. Amy Harmon tells really great stories. My first experience with Amy Harmon was The First Girl Child and The…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Swords of Joseph
Swords of JosephBy: M R DurbinGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 10 and up Moses Mystery Historic FictionGuest Review by Julie Hilton Joshua and Caleb are troublemakers when they can’t handle the Egyptians anymore!! Their troubles come to the attention of Moses who has recently returned to free the slaves from Pharaoh.…
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A Book Club Guest Review of West with Giraffes
West with GiraffesBy: Lynda RutledgeGuest Reviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 12 and up Historic Fiction embellishedGuest Review by Julie Hilton An aged veteran (105!) tells a story looking back at his youth of when he talked his way into helping drive a couple Giraffes from the East Coast to San Diego, California.…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Double Eagle Double Cross
Double Eagle Double CrossBy: M. R. DurbinGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Indiana Jones meets Jim CheeGuest Review by Julie Hilton Ancient Indian ceremony combined with Confederate gold. Knights of the Golden Circle clash with modern day students who get unknowingly mixed up in a search for lost treasure…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Book of Lost Names
The Book of Lost NamesBy: Kristin HarmelGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 12 and up Lost people of the Holocaust foundGuest Review by Julie Hilton An old woman with a boring history suddenly decides to take a trip to Germany after reading about Berlin librarian’s attempts to return books to rightful owner…
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#TheDevilandtheDarkWater: Agatha Christie+Sherlock Holmes+1600’s Hygiene
The Devil and the Dark WaterBy: Stuart TurtonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 18 and up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a happy surprise. It’s Groundhog Day + Quantum Leap + Agatha Christie, and if you haven’t read it, you need to. It was so good, in fact, that when…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Floating Twigs
Floating TwigsBy: Charles TabbReviewers Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Justice, delayed, and lots of MercyGuest Review by Julie Hilton A boy rescues a dog and must find a way to feed and get vet care. Trying to find work makes him some enemies and some friends: an older man, and…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Cold Sassy Tree
Cold Sassy TreeBy: Olive Ann BurnsReviewer Rating: Three out of Three StarsBest For: 14 and up Much Ado About N-O-T-H-I-N-G, NothingGuest review by Catina Haverlock It’s 1906 and the town of Cold Sassy, GA is in an uproar when Rucker Blakeslee, the town’s general store owner, and highly respected citizen of the small community, marries…
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#WheretheCrawdadsSing: The Perfect Novel?
Where the Crawdads SingBy: Delia OwensMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best For: 18 and up Is this it? The perfect novel? Judging by the raving crowds of fans and bottomless 5 star reviews, could it be? Naw. No such thing. The perfect novel doesn’t exist. But… …Where the Crawdads Sing is absolutely worthy of…
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#AGentlemanInMoscow: 1/2 Boring. 1/2 Brilliant.
A Gentleman in MoscowBy: Amor TowlesMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Look at all those great reviews! Look at all those recommendations! Sorry everyone, this book is boring. [Ducks flying rotten tomato] Okay, okay…it’s only boring for the first 55 or 60%. In the back half of the book I…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Serafina Series
Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina, Book 1)Serafina and the Twisted Staff (Serafina, Book 2)Serafina and the Splintered Heart (Serafina, Book 3)Serafina and the Seven Stars (Serafina, Book 4)By: Robert BeattyReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 10 and up Looking for an exiting fantasy mystery? You HAVE to read Serafina!Guest review by Gisele,…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Girl You Left Behind
The Girl You Left BehindBy: Jo Jo MoyesReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 18 and up WWI history, romance, and mystery!Guest review by Catina Haverlock It’s World War One France and Sophie Lefevre and her sister Helene have but one goal – keeping their family safe until the war ends and their husbands…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Other Side of the Stars
The Other Side of the StarsBy: Katherine KingReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 12 and up Beautiful and unexpected love story set in and after WWIIA guest review by Catina Haverlock After the sudden death of her parents, Gita finds herself alone on the family farm in post WWII America. She has absolutely…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Infinity Ring Series
A Mutiny in Time (The Infinity Ring, Book 1) by James DashnerDivide and Conquer (The Infinity Ring, Book 2) by Carrie RyanThe Trap Door (The Infinity Ring, Book 3) by Lisa McMannCurse of the Ancients (The Infinity Ring, Book 4) by Matt de la PenaCave of Wonders (The Infinity Ring, Book 5) by Matthew J.…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Orphan Train
Orphan TrainBy: Christina Baker KlineReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up An eye-opening and moving story about a forgotten spot in American historyReview by Catina Haverlock Between 1845 and 1929, more than 250,000 orphaned, abandoned and homeless children (mainly Irish immigrants) were scooped from the streets of New York and transported…
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#DeathsDoor: Did you know Edgar Allan Poe could time travel?
Death’s Door (The Immortal Descendants, Baltimore Mysteries #1) By: April White My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Best for: 14 and up April White writes the stories I want to read! I hope you’ll check out her Immortal Descendants series. It’s time travel, shape-shifters, and vampires (who don’t sparkle). It brings to life the…
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#TheKingdomofBack: To never be forgotten…
The Kingdom of Back By: Marie Lu My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!! Best for: 14 and up I love fantasy. I love historical fiction. I love music. I love to be surprised. I love learning new things. I love books that inspire me. The Kingdom of Back is all of those. I loved…
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#GatesofFire: Gulp. Talk about changing the world…
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of The Battle of Thermopylae By: Steven Pressfield My Rating: Three out of Five Stars Best for: Adults Gulp. Gates of Fire is ancient history…literally. This is a dramatized history of the events leading up to, during, and immediately following the famed Battle of Thermopylae. Led by King Leonidas…
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#MyPlainJane: Jane Eyre + The Sixth Sense = The scratch for the itch you didn’t know you had
My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 12 and up Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: Authors. Friends. Committed to fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time… …and killing it. My Plain Jane tells…
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#MyLadyJane: Fixing history…and laughing about it!
My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1) By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars! Best for: 14 and up Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: Authors. Friends. Committed to fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time… …and killing it. My Lady Jane re-imagines the story…
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#TheLakeHouse: Kate Morton has it figured out
The Lake House By: Kate Mortin My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Kate Morton has a winning formula. In the past, something tragic happens, but without a resolution–leaving an unsolved mystery. In the present, someone picks up the pieces of the unsolved mystery and puts together the clues. Both…
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#AnUrchinofMeans (The Baker Street Series, #1): This Book is worth reading
An Urchin of Means (The Baker Street Series, Book 1) By: April White My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars I wish I could remember what made me pick up Marking Time, book 1 of April White’s Immortal Descendants series. Was it the time travel? The vampires and shapeshifters? The historical fiction? Jack the Ripper?…
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#BeneathaScarletSky: And the Truth Shall…
Beneath a Scarlet SkyBy: Mark SullivanMy Rating: Five out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Dang it. This is one of those. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is one that needs to be read. The Book Thief was beautiful in its tragedy. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is too. But… …it’s true. It really happened. I…
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#CheatingDeath: Here’s an author you should be reading…
Cheating Death (The Immortal Descendants, Book 5) By: April White My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars (The One Man Book Club reviews for books 1, 2, 3, and 4) It’s a fun day when the final book in a favorite series is published. It’s a great day when the final book in a favorite…
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The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2)
5/5 stars The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2) by Michael Shaara This is the book General H. Norman Schwarzkopf described as “the best and most realistic historical novel about war that I have ever read.” Me too Stormin’ Normon. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more impressed. Sole recipient of the 1975…
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Waging War (The Immortal Descendants #4)
5/5 stars Waging War (The Immortal Descendants #4) by April White These are a few of my favorite things… I can’t remember what made me pick up Marking Time, the first book of The Immortal Descendants series. Whatever the reason, it was most certainly a moment of brilliant insight on my part. Way to…
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Tempting Fate (The Immortal Descendants #2)
4/5 stars Tempting Fate (The Immortal Descendants #2) by April White At Least as Fun as Book One! Tempting Fate, book two of the Immortal Descendant Series was at least as much fun as book one—maybe even more so thanks to a really cool historical-fiction background for the story. Time travel? Check. Often time travel…
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Marking Time (The Immortal Descendants, #1)
Marking Time (The Immortal Descendants, #1) By: April White My Rating: Four out of Five stars Best for: 14 and up Time Travel and Vampires and Bears…Oh My! Cool, a time travel story! Whoa, there’s vampires in here? Wait…shape shifters too? AND a school for young descendants of immortals where they can learn to use…
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All the Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot SeeBy: Anthony DoerrMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up I loved it. I hated it. From page 1 to page 482 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE is brilliant and represents everything I love about reading. From page 482 to 531 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT…
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City of Thieves
City of Thieves By: David Benioff My Rating: Three out of Five stars Best for: Adults Loved the story… …Hated the vulgarity and language. I get that war sucks, so I can live with the gruesome realism. But the the crude language was too much…it was unnecessary. On the other hand, I felt like this…
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The Book Thief
The Book ThiefBy: Marcus ZusakMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up I’m trying to decide if it’s too much to say The Book Thief is the greatest book I have ever read. I think I need a few days to say for sure. (See below for an update) I can say…
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11/22/1963
4/5 stars 11/22/1963 by Stephen King I have to say, Stephen King remains one of the great writers of our time. He can tell a story in a way that only a few can. 11/22/63 is the most meaningful Stephen King book I’ve read. That doesn’t say a whole lot; I haven’t read that many…
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The Forgotten Garden
5/5 stars The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton I do not give 5 stars lightly. That should be your first sign that I really enjoyed this book! Think of one of your ancestors and what you know about them. Maybe you’ve seen a wedding picture, or you know the names of their children. Maybe you…
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The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
5 out of 5 stars I’m not sure if this one would fly today, but I have good memories of it. If my kids brought it home from the library I’d love for them to read it.
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Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
5 out of 5 stars This was the first book I ever re-read. Not sure how it will hold up today, it might be time for me to read it again.
One Man Book Club 