The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly

 

The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly. Gallery Books, 2021. Adult historical fiction.

Until 1959, wealthy girls dressed in white and were "presented" to the Queen of England to herald the announcement of their presence in society. A series of teas, parties, and balls followed so that the girls could meet "the right" people and be seen by eligible bachelors. Lily Nichols is not terribly excited about the whole Season, but her mother and grandmother insist on the tradition. The friends she makes will influence her entire life. Family secrets loom large in this detail filled look at London and life in the late 1950's.

The Measure: A Novel by Nikki Erlick

 

The Measure: A Novel by Nikki Erlick. William Morrow, 2022. Adult fiction.

Suppose that when adults get up in March, small boxes wait for them. A string is enclosed and only accompanied by a paper that reads, "The measure of your life lies within." As people learn that the string shows the length of the rest of their lives, they fight battles of long stringers vs. short stringers. Ben, Hank, Maura, and a few others join a short string support group. They form the narrative as each chapter moves the story along and their lives intertwine in unusual ways. Time passes. Life happens. Readers will be caught up in their lives and learn that living long is not the same as living well. A fascinating notion for a book and well written, this would make a good book group read. 

Independence: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

 

Independence: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. William Morrow, 2023. Historical fiction. Adult fiction.

The subtitle of this book is "Three Sisters, Their Deep Bond, and the Struggle for India's Freedom." That really says it all. Priya in 1947 India loves Amit and dreams of becoming a doctor like her father. Deepa, the beautiful one, wants to marry and bring prestige to her family, but falls in love with a Muslim. Jamini walks with a limp, but is the one who can help her mother make beautiful quilts and who secretly craves the attention of handsome Amit. Caught up in the growing tensions of the Hindu and Muslims as the country of Pakistan fights for its birth, the daughters become adults and fight their own battles. Beautifully written, easy to understand even if readers know nothing about this part of the world. 

The Slow Road North by Rosie Schaap

 

The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country by Rosie Schaap, Mariner Books, 2024.

  Bar tender, wine expert, and journalist as well as a New Yorker, Rosie Schaap finds herself drawn to the Belfast area of Northern Ireland after both her mother and husband die. Grieving, mourning, and searching for both peace and a new life, she moves to the small village of Glenarm, a seaside oasis in which she makes new friends and finds love and acceptance. 

The Waiting Game by Nicola Clark

 

   The Waiting Game: The Untold Story o the Women who Served the Tudor Queens by Nicola Clark. Pegasus Books, 2025. Nonfiction.

   While a good deal is known about the wives of Henry VIII, much of the information about the women who surrounded them at court has been lost. Destroyed or just never recorded, the stories of the ladies-in-waiting, chambermaids, and others are definitely part of history. Nicola Clark has produced a masterful investigation of these women. With a lengthy bibliography of resources, including both print and online, Clark has pieced together details and woven a fascinating tapestry of the Tudor years in England.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

 

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. Pamela Dorman Books, Viking. 2024. Mystery.

Amy Wheeler is an adventurer on assignment to protect famous author Rose D'Antonio. When she runs into trouble, Amy calls the one person she knows she can trust to help--her retired investigator father-in-law Steve Wheeler. Steve likes his life in a small English town complete with weekly pub quiz, cat named Trouble, and mourning his late wife Debbie. 

But, Amy needs help and this first adventure in a new series by The Thursday Murder Club author, takes readers from England to South Carolina to St. Lucia to Dublin to Dubai in search of the mysterious Francois Loubert. Someone is killing social media influencers and is now aiming  for Amy herself. Buckle up! This bodes well for a new series of fun and mystery in the hands of a master writer.

A Wilder Shore: The Romantic Odyssey of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson by Camille Peri

 

A Wilder Shore: The Romantic Odyssey of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson by Camille Peri. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2024. Biography. Nonfiction.

   Think you know Robert Louis Stevenson? Think again! Camille Peri's chunky book on him and his wife, Fanny, will almost certainly provide new insights for most readers. Although they met when she was married and had children, the two spent the rest of their lives moving about and writing. Best known for Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and his curious tale about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson was ill and near death many times during his lifetime. Fanny is given credit for being a muse, a nurse, a co-writer, as well as his wife. While she outlived him by some twenty years, her influence and works were never given much credit during his lifetime. Peri's deep dive into their lives corrects that omission.

   Among my favorite new pieces of information in this well researched book is that Stevenson is actually responsible for the slightly altered song lyrics in Outlander, the television series! (See page 305 for more information.)   

Annie's Secrets of the Quilt series

 

Annie's Secrets of the Quilt series. Fiction. Historical fiction. Various authors and dates.

When Sophie Porter of Cabot Falls, VT inherits a chest, a quilt, and a diary from her grandmother, she vows to learn more of her family history. About half of each of the twelve books in the series feature Sophie's modern family and friends. The other half spotlight one of the blocks in her grandmother's quilt and take readers back to different women in different time periods. It's up to Sofia to show how these women may be connected to her family and the quilt. 

Castle of Whispers by Elizabeth Penney. 2015,2017. Book 1 involves Caterina Vasari in 1503 Italy. Could the seamstress's mistress, Lisabetta Donati, actually be the woman in the Mona Lisa painting? In present day, someone is trying to break into Sofia's house. Sofia's daughter, Wynter, needs a cochlear implant.

Decadent Deceit by Deanna Julie Dodson. 2015, 2017. Cerise Belanger in 1789 is witness to happenings in the Palace of Versailles in France. In present day, the school play involves Sofia, Husband Jim, and son in drama

A Dangerous Tide by Kristi Holl. 2015, 2018. Can Sofia link  a whitework quilt square and Jane Austen to her antique quilt? Daughter Vanessa is falsely accused of causing a car accident.

Highland Treachery by Elizabeth Penney. 2015, 2018. Is the tartan square in Sofia's quilt indicative of her Scottish heritage? Set in the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie, can Isabel Ripa solve a murder? In modern day, the Highland Games in Vermont wrap Sofia in a baking competition and controversy. Can Sofia solve a murder or maybe prevent one?

Arsenic and Old Silk by Mary Blount Christian. Can Sofia link a quilt square to her ancestor to the court of King Henry VIII? In modern day, someone seems to be stalking Sofia's family.

Target for Revenge by Margaret Chase. 2016,2017. Most of the action takes place in 1885 Omaha, Nebraska where Libby and Meg's aunt has invited them to visit. The girls meet Annie Oakley and learn she is a seamstress. Will one of Sofia's quilt squares be tied to the famous sharp shooter? Sofia has her hands full when a Native American artist's show and visit to present day Cabot Falls goes awry.

Deadly Angel by Kristi Holl. 2016. When a Civil War era re-enactment group event takes place in nearby St. Albans, Vermont, Sofia's son Luke participates and Sofia caters the tea. But, it appears that ten year old Matthew has disappeared there. In 1862, Phoebe Ashford's husband, a Union soldier, is hurt and she goes to Washington, D.C. to be with him. Did he desert as accused? How can Phoebe find the truth? How will nurse Louisa May Alcott figure into Sofia's story? Does the famous Vermont quilter Jane Stickle become part of Sofia's quilt's history?

Mist on the Moors by Elizabeth Penney. 2016. Sofia is catering a charity auction of wealthy Catherine Stanley's jewelry collection, but both a blizzard ad thieves complicate things. Orphaned Beatrice Kimble in 1850 Yorkshire, England is an art appraiser for the National Gallery. When Beatrice gets a dream job appraising the collection of handsome Lord Blackwell, it leads to danger, adventure, and perhaps a promising new life.

The Thief of Hearts by Mary Blount Christian.  Sofia opens a temporary bakery shop for the Cabot falls founders' Day celebration. Her neighbor Jessop Norton provides trouble at home and in town. Can Sofia find out about the next quilt suare from 1871 and with only the word Pinkerton? When Hannah Reed is eighteen and leaves the orphanage in 17 Chicago, she finds the world is complicated. A silk baby quilt and a gold locket are in a reed basket she was given. With the initials A.J. and a photo that looks just like Hannah, she searches for her past.

All That Glimmers by Marlene Chase. 2016. When their father dies in 1849 Kanesville, Iowa, Quinton and his sister Adelia Long head to California's gold fields. Sofia gives art lessons at home to Ernest Hayes, Jr. and Marjorie Bennett. While preparing for a garage sale, Sofia and her children find a pouch of gold flakes and nuggets. The pouch vanishes and the mystery begins.  (Interesting that Kanesville becomes Council Bluffs) "Real treasure lies within the heart." p. 204 (Not as much about the quilt, more about Sofia's inherited diary in this book.)

Where Summer Never Comes by Kristi Holl. 2016, 2019. In 1848 Yorkshire, England, the Bronte sisters, Charlotte and Anne, are on a train where a young woman is murdered. They are accused of murder! In present day Cabot Falls, VT, Sofia's husband, Jim, is attacked and accused of "fixing" grades in his math classes. Sofia has volunteered to demonstrate cake decorating and candy making for two weeks to classes at the high school so she is on the scene to investigate what's going on there. And, where has the lavender paisley quilt square come from?  

A Lethal Journey by Elizabeth Penney. 2016. Young film star Daisy Grifin and her friend and writer, Aria Greco, get tickets on The HMS Titanic in 1912. The two hobknob with millionaires, but don't predict a they will be involved in a murder nor a love story.  In modern times, just before the three Pinot Painters and their families take a vacation at Lake Champlain, Julie's brother, Ian, shows up and then disappears. Can they find him? And how will Sofia ever connect her water stained quilt square to her family history?

Bright I Burn: A Novel by Molly Aitken

 

Bright I Burn: A Novel by Molly Aitken. Knopf, 2024. Historical fiction.

Alice Kyteler grows up the daughter of a wealthy innkeeper in Kilkenny, Ireland. Life is hard for a woman in 1279. Alice swears to never have no power as her mother did. Alice marries four times. By then, people have gossiped for years about her dead husbands and her family.

"Inspired by the true story of the first woman in Ireland to be condemned as a witch"