Chenneville by Paulette Jiles

 

 Chenneville, A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance  by Paulette Jiles. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2023. Adult fiction. Western.

John Chenneville has fought valiantly in the American Civil War and been injured. When he wakes up after months in a field hospital, the war is over, the President is dead, and he must make his way home to Missouri. He finds that his beloved sister, her husband, and their baby have been killed. He determines to find their killer.

Thus, the novel is a journey, a quest, for Chenneville. It takes him through big cities and uninhabited regions into Texas. Jiles is a master at writing the thoughts of characters and the places they go. The book does not plog, but makes readers feel as if they are right there along side Chenneville. Of course, Texas was Confederate and the Union greatcoat Chenneville wears marks him as Union in a place where resentments run high. He meets a telegraph operator who tells him of a woman telegraph operator whose messages help in his search. Will he find the killer? Keep reading!

Arsenic and Old Silk by Mary Blount Christian

 

 Arsenic and Old Silk by Mary Blount Christian. Series: Secrets of the Quilt. Historical fiction. Annie's  2016, 2019. Children's chapter book. 

    A mom in Vermont has inherited a diary and a quilt that lead her to believe that her ancestor, Maddalena Vitari, worked as a seamstress in the 1532 court of King Henry VIII in England. But, Sofia Parker knows that her family came from Venice, Italy. Can she make any connections and solve the mystery? In the meantime, someone seems to be stalking the Parker family. Are these things related and is the family really in danger? Alternating stories are well done and build suspense. 

Sargent's Women by Donna M. Lucey

 

 Sargent's Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas by Donna M. Lucey. Nonfiction, biographical, 2017.

The author examines the lives of four women who are painted by John Singer Sargent: Elsie Palmer, Sally Fairchild, Elizabeth Chanler, and Isabella Stewart Gardiner. While Sargent is well known for his paintings of society women in the late 1800's, this exploration is fascinating and follows the women through their lives. The interactions of Sargent and the people in his world and these four women form a spider's web of connections. Reading the book will definitely make you want to look up more about all of them!

Yours from the Tower by Sally Nicholls

 

 Yours from the Tower by Sally Nicholls. Walker Books, 2023. Young Adult fiction.

Told in the form of letters, this novel follows the lives of three school friends who are searching for their next steps in life. It's the late 1890's in Great Britain. Sophia is doing "the season" in London and looking for a wealthy husband to secure her future. Polly is working in an orphanage in Liverpool. Tirzah is, unhappily, the companion to her remote grandmother in Scotland. The three pour out their hearts in letters to each other and others. Like in Jane Austen and the Bridgerton tv series, all does not go smoothly as they dream about adult life. 

The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club: A Novel by Julia Bryan Thomas

 

 The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club: A Novel by Julia Bryan Thomas. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2023. Adult fiction. 

    Four freshman year students at Radcliffe are brought together for monthly book groups at a newly founded local bookshop. It's the 1950's and women are often overlooked for careers except as wives, teachers, or nurses. Tess, strong willed and smart, and her roommate the beautiful and wealthy Caroline, as well as Evie who grew up on a farm, and Merritt from California whose mother is dead and whose artist father is remote, all live in the same dorm, but are very different. The young woman who owns The Cambridge Bookshop, Alice, provides a safe haven during rocky times for those who need it.  Friendship, books, jealousy, and trauma blend in this well written novel of their first year away from home and in college.

Bernie's Mitten Maker by Jen Ellis

 

 

 

 Bernie's Mitten Maker: A Memoir by Jen Ellis. Green Writers Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 2023. Adult memoir.

At Inauguration Day, 2021, the world watched as Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont wrapped his coat firmly around himself. On his hands were striped mittens and he wore a mask. The image went viral on the Internet and memes appeared of Bernie in grocery stores, parks, and just everywhere.

This book is the story of the school teacher who made the mittens. Jen Ellis is incredibly honest about her childhood, her marriage to Liz Fenton, and her quest to make a meaningful life. The two go to extraordinary lengths to have a child. All the while, Jen is doing crafts and making things to sell while she is making her friends and building a community. The parts about teaching during the pandemic are especially true to life. This is a memoir from a woman who loves her family and her life. 

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

 

 The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines with Mark Dagostino. W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2016. Memoir.

  Millions of people recognize this married couple from Waco who have turned rehabbing houses into careers. In alternating narratives, sort of like having a conversation with them, each tells how they met, about their own families, and about starting their businesses. Now known for The Silos and its home living shops, bakery, restaurant, and hotel in Waco, Texas, their tv show has spawned an entire network and a magazine and several cookbooks.