The Cliffs: A Novel by J. Courtney Sullivan

 

 The Cliffs: A Novel by J. Courtney Sullivan. Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Adult fiction. 

    Jane has grown up in Maine and had a turbulent childhood. Now, as an adult, she returns home. The little town is much the same, but Jane has changed. High up on a hill was a lavender house that had been abandoned and in which Jane liked to explore as a girl. Now it is the rather palatial estate of Genevieve and her family. Jane has pursued a career in which the past and relics from other times are important. 

Sullivan has done a masterful job of melding the present and the past in this novel. Jane's mother and grandmother are presented as well as their neighbors over the years. None of the women know the whole story of the house on the hill, but Sullivan puts all the clues together for us as readers to understand. If you like Maine, you will definitely want to put this novel in your stack to read this summer!

The Glass Maker: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier

 

  

 The Glass Maker: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier. Viking, 2024. Adult Fiction. Historical Fiction.

This creative novel begins in 1486 and ends in 2019 with the same characters who have aged a little, but not a lot. Its interesting to see how the characters have adapted to the different time periods and Chevalier does a great job of telling how the world itself has changed each time the time changes for the characters..

The Rosso family are glass makers in Murano near Venice. The brothers make the glass while the eldest sister, Orsola Rosso, works on beads, considered lesser work by the men. But, it is Orsola who is able to feed the family in hard times.  Loves, deaths, plagues, the enticements of Venice all crowd the narrative. It is a fascinating look at glass over the ages and the long tradition of glass making on the island of Murano.

The Story of Charlotte's Web by Michael Sims

 

 The Story of Charlotte's Web: E.B.White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic. Walker and Company, 2011. Adult nonfiction.

In this novel, author Michael Sims does a masterful job of telling about the life of author E.B. White and what led him to life in New York City, to his wife, and always back to his farm in Maine. Sims writes in an eloquent manner and his descriptions are apt and  lush. Readers can almost hear the traffic sounds in the city and the silence in the country. The interviews, manuscripts, newspaper accounts, magazine articles, and other resource materials are carefully documented at the end. A bibliography for further reading is provided. His work showing how White worked and lived adds much for readers to pore over and enjoy.

E.B. White grew up on a farm. He knew the animals and the daily routine. He felt more at ease with animals than with people. His glorious book, Charlotte's Web, tells of life on a farm and the animals and people who live there. Often noted as a tale for all ages, the novel is one of friendship, greed, family, and great wisdom. If you have never read it, do it now.

 

 The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicolas Day. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Random House Studio, 2023. All ages, but published as a children's chapter book.

You're heard this before, but this is probably the best book I have read all year. I do love a good art heist book as readers of this blog are aware. But, Nicholas Day has created a fascinating look at da Vinci era Florence, the early 1900's in Paris, the connection Pablo Picasso had to a theft of the Mona Lisa from The Louvre, and the creation of police work involving finger printing. And, he does it with humor and complete bibliography and references! The only thing missing is an actual photograph of the painting herself...and photos of the Gainsborough stolen portrait and the statues Picasso used to paint ears! The book may finally receive the readership due it since it has been placed on the Texas Lone Star book list for middle grades. 

Beneath a Crescent Shadow by A.L. Sowards

 

 Beneath a Crescent Shadow by A.L. Sowards. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2024. Adult historical fiction.

I like historical fiction and picked up this ARC at a recent Texas Library Association conference. Have you ever read anything about the history of the Balkans?? This well written, fast paced novel tells the story of Konstantin and Suzana who have an arranged marriage. The classic story: her dowry for his royal treasury. Under the Ottoman oppression, the little area for which Konstantin is responsible is subject to the whims of the ruling sultan. Brigands, traitors, war, and danger lurk everywhere. But, the two newlyweds manage to learn about each other in good old fashioned love story fashion. With a sprinkling of Christianity, the two main characters manage to find love, hope, and family. Out in 2024, this is the first in THE BALKAN LEGENDS series. Beneath the Crescent Sky is due out in 2025. 

The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian

 

 The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian. Random House, Quaker Village Books, Large Print Edition, 2024. Adult fiction.

Crissy has parlayed her looks as a look-alike for Princess Diana into a stage show at the Buckingham Palace, a rather seedy venue that is definitely not on The Strip in Las Vegas. When her sister, Betsy, who also looks a lot like the other two women, and her newly adopted daughter, Marisa, move to Las Vegas, Crissy finds herself with old resentments and new problems. Not to mention that the book starts out with the murder of one of the owners of Buckingham Palace and is soon followed by another murder! It is great fun to read about the city and the novel includes some tidbits about its past. Marisa is a former foster child with computer smarts and sometimes knows more than the adults about reading people. Bohjalian has taken a unique concept and fleshed it out beautifully. Take a chance on this story!

Enchantee by Gita Trelease

 

 

 Enchantee, by Gita Trelease. Flatiron Books, 2019.

                                           All That Glitters, reissued 2021 as first in a series. 

                                          YA fiction. Fantasy. Historical Fiction. 

Set in the heady days of the French Revolution, this novel has history, magic, and memorable characters. Camille and her sister, Sophie, have struggled since the deaths of their parents. Camille uses the dark magic that her mother taught her, but warned her against using, to transform herself into a baroness. She plays cards at Versailles and meets some of history's greatest characters. But, when Sophie is in danger, she risks everything to save them both. With a love interest who flies the new balloons as a aeronaut and a dastardly marquis both wanting her, Camille must also make tough decisions about her future in a time when women had few choices.