This is one of the best books I've read this year. 10 Stars!! In the early 20th Century, Catalina, lovely young woman/girl lives in the Canary Islands where her family cultivates olive trees. Things are going poorly and her father is ill. Catalina is forced to marry a man who is a good match financially. … Continue reading Deeper than the Ocean – Mirta Ojito (Narrator – Kim Ramirez)
Tag: #HistoricalFictionBEST
Lone Dog Road – Kent Nerburn (audio narrated by Lynch Travis, Matt Haynes, Benjamin Collins, Tanis Parenteau)
Lone Dog Road is one of the loveliest books I've read. I read the beautifully narrated audio version of this story about Levi, aged eleven and Reuben, aged six who are forced to run from their home when the government agent who grabs children to send them to the Indian boarding school fixes his eye … Continue reading Lone Dog Road – Kent Nerburn (audio narrated by Lynch Travis, Matt Haynes, Benjamin Collins, Tanis Parenteau)
Where the Rivers Merge – Mary Alice Monroe
Where the Rivers Merge bookends and then fills in the life of Eliza Rivers, born in 1900 in a country home/rice plantation. Her father lost his fortune but he married her wealthy mother who initially agreed to raise the family at Mayfield Hall, rebuilt after it was burned during the Civil War. Eliza is the … Continue reading Where the Rivers Merge – Mary Alice Monroe
The Red House – Mary Morris (Audio Narrator – Alyssa Bresnahan)
The Red House is a story about trauma and a child's search to learn about her mother's experiences during WWII in Mussolini's Italy. Laura was born in post-WWII Italy to Viola, an Italian woman and her American father. The family eventually moved to New Jersey. Viola was an artist, who frequently painted a red house … Continue reading The Red House – Mary Morris (Audio Narrator – Alyssa Bresnahan)
The Library of Lost Dollhouses -Elise Hooper (Audio narrated by Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt)
The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a wonderful multi-timeline story that centers on a fictitious library/museum in San Francisco, housed in a Beaux Arts Building, the Belva Curtis Lefarge Library. Belva Lefarge founded the library and lived on the top floor after her home burned down. The nickname of the library is, "the Bel." A … Continue reading The Library of Lost Dollhouses -Elise Hooper (Audio narrated by Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt)
Red Clay – Charles Fancher (audio narrator Dion Graham)
Red Clay is definitely a 2025 favorite for me. We learn the stories of a formerly enslaved family and the family that owned them through a shared oral history that takes place in 1943 after the death of Felix Parker. Addie Parker, now 90, was a member of the Parker family who owned Felix. She … Continue reading Red Clay – Charles Fancher (audio narrator Dion Graham)
The Boxcar Librarian – Brianna Labuskes
Three women's stories start in three different decades and merge eventually in a super satisfying piece of historical fiction about strong women who make their way in Montana. in 1914, Collette is part rough and tumble, part self-educated and pro-union. Her father, who is raising Collette is a miner, self educated and a strong union … Continue reading The Boxcar Librarian – Brianna Labuskes
The Quiet Librarian – Allen Eskens
Hana, a Bosnian refugee, dresses in frumpy clothes and stays out of the way as an employee at a library in Minnesota. And then, one day, a detective comes in to ask her about her friend, Amina. She is dead. Her grandson, a seven year old orphan, now has no family. And Hana fears the … Continue reading The Quiet Librarian – Allen Eskens
The Girl in the Painting – Tea Cooper (Audible Audio Narrator – Casey Withoos)
In the 1860s, Michael and Elizabeth Quinn's parents emigrated to Australia with the plan that teenaged Michael would soon follow with his then baby sister, Elizabeth. I forget why because I took too long to review this book, as happens too often with my very favorite reads, but Michael has to leave school and go … Continue reading The Girl in the Painting – Tea Cooper (Audible Audio Narrator – Casey Withoos)
The Naturalist’s Daughter – Tea Cooper (Audiobook Narrator -Corrine Davies)
The Naturalists Daughter is part literary fiction, all historical fiction, part mystery and part thriller. As a budding fan of Tea Cooper, I was thrilled to listen to my second audiobook of one of her works. The Naturalist's Daughter takes place in a dual timeline. In 1808, Rose Winton, lives in the town of Agnes … Continue reading The Naturalist’s Daughter – Tea Cooper (Audiobook Narrator -Corrine Davies)
They Called me Bookworm 