Three Sisters by Heather Morris, Historical Fiction, 2022

Based on interviews with three sisters and family members, this haunting but hopeful story follows what happens to the Jewish sisters, during a war that separated families. How they find each other in the end is unbelievable, but true. Check out the author’s website for family interviews.   https://heathermorrisauthor.com/three-sisters/note-from-the-family/

 

​How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior, Fiction, 2020

This lighthearted fiction features eccentric 85-year-old  Veronica, whose interest in penguins is piqued by a documentary.  She recklessly decides to visit the research station in Antarctica. In the cold isolation with a rescued orphaned penguin, her lonely heart began to melt. 

 

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin, Historical Fiction, 2016

Alexandrina Victoria was not even eighteen when she became Queen of England in 1837. Using Victoria's detailed diary, Daisy Goodwin shares Victoria’s early years until she meets Albert and must decide whether to propose marriage. A rich and satisfying read!

 

Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki, Historical Fiction, 2024

Margaret Fuller is one of the first female journalists recruited by Horace Greely for his newspaper and served as one of the first international correspondents. Admired and somewhat courted by the literary greats of the day, she found her voice and the love of her life, and then disappears. An interesting behind-the-scenes literary story you've never heard.​

 

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, Historical Fiction, 2023

This lesser-known story about the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Bethune and how shares how each with limited power formed an alliance that began a shift in the fight against white supremacy and black oppression.  

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​Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson, Nonfiction, 2023

Egyptologist Christiane Desroches-Noblescourt fought for the place of women in archaeology and joined those who saved priceless art from the Louvre from Nazis and took on the fight to save the magnificent Egyptian temples, especially Abu Simbel, from flooding with the opening of the Asan Dam.  It is a remarkable story of an unstoppable woman.

 

​Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray, Historical Fiction, 2024

Frances Perkins is the longest-serving Secretary of Labor who served through all three terms of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency and was responsible for implementing much of Roosevelt’s New Deal and crafting and negotiating for Social Security while dealing with her husband's manic-depressive illness. .

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Prize Women by Caroline Lea, Historical Fiction, 2023

Based loosely on the true story of Canadian Charles Vance Millar, who bequeathed prize money to the woman who gave birth to the most children within ten years after his death. 

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The Berlin Apartment by Bryn Turnbull, Historical Fiction, 2024

In 1961 Uli Newmann expected to marry Lise Bauer when both wake up one morning on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall. The rest of the book tells of the 28 years that separated them, It is a story of life torn apart and the miracle of unexpected reunion.

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The Nile: Traveling Downriver through Egypt's Past and Present by Toby Wilkinson, Nonfiction, 2020

Egyptologist Wilkinson shares how the Nile has influenced economy, caused famines along with interesting stories about people, politics, and pyramids.

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The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas, 2018, Historical Fiction

Three stories blend history and fiction. Berkeley student, Joseph, goes  to Cairo when he receives a mysterious box following the death of his Egyptian father. Ali is an orphaned Muslim boy who becomes a night watchman for the historic Ibn Ezra Synagogue during pre-war tension. And in 1897, twin Egyptologist sisters travel to Cairo hoping to find the original "Ezra scroll.”  

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Pontius Pilate by Paul Maier, Historical Fiction, 2014

Paul Maier is a historian and novelist. This book on Pontius Pilate uses meticulously research of the Roman government when Jesus was crucified, Maier crafts a believable story of the enigmatic Pilate and his wife, Procula. 

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The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers, Historical Fiction, 2024

Who knew that well-known chef, Julia Child first served in Britain’s espionage service?  She was intellectually smart, fearless, and never turned down a challenge.  .

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Lost December by Richard Paul Evans, Fiction, 2011

Luke Crisp, the expected heir of the Crisp Copy Center franchise his father built, found the wrong crowd after college and squandered his trust fund. With believable twists and turns, this parallel prodigal son story is a warm and satisfying read.

 

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, Fiction, 2021

\Set in a small Irish town in 1985, Bill Furlong delivers coal to a convent and confronts a secret that nobody wants to address. This story settles deeply in your soul and begs the question: what am I ignoring that is hurting me or someone else?

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