A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

Charlotte Holmes was an odd child and becomes even more unconventional as a grown woman, as a scarlet woman, tarnished according to Victorian decorum. Fortunately, her nonconformity hides a brilliant mind, one she uses to survive and thrive. When some of her family is suspected in the murders of several prominent members of Victorian society, Charlotte determines to solve the crimes and prove her loved ones innocent, but first she needs to take on an assumed name to protect her identity and to have her skills as a genius puzzle-solver taken seriously by the police and the world at large. What could be more natural than Sherlock?

The first in the "Lady Sherlock" series, A Study in Scarlet Women, is a complex mystery with multiple deaths, multiple motives, and multiple suspects. While Thomas could have made her female Sherlock impervious to doubt and secure in her supreme intellect, Charlotte Holmes is extremely vulnerable simply due to the time period and her gender, and it isn't without a great deal of luck and help from a few friends that she is able to succeed. An incredible start to a series, readers will come to love the flawed but intelligent heroine and will be eager to read more of Lady Sherlock's future adventures.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Wayfarer isn’t the most beautiful ship ever to roam the galaxy, but for Rosemary Harper, it’s now home. Rosemary isn’t a spacer—someone who lives primarily out in the open of the Galactic Commons—far from it. In fact, she’s never even left her home planet before. But open space does seem to be the ideal place to escape her troubled past, so she accepts a job aboard the Wayfarer. The ship has a truly motley crew, both human and alien, and life aboard tends toward the chaotic. When the captain decides to take a lucrative commission building a wormhole on the other side of the galaxy for a strange and largely unknown race, things get downright dangerous and Rosemary must learn to trust her crew mates in order to survive.

Though this is Becky Chambers’ debut novel, her writing is masterful and already feels classic. The galaxy she has created feels lived-in and true, thanks largely in part to the care with which she crafts the many species that people it. An absolute must-read for sci-fi aficionados and fans of series like Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Even readers who have never picked up a science fiction title before will appreciate Chambers’ quirky characters and careful world-building.

Travelers Rest by Keith Lee Morris

The Addisons-Julia and Tonio, ten-year-old Dewey, and recovering alcoholic Uncle Robbie-are traveling east from Washington back to South Carolina over winter break. When a terrifying blizzard strikes outside the town of Good Night, Idaho, they seek refuge in the town at the Travelers Rest, a formerly opulent but now crumbling and eerie hotel where the physical laws of the universe are bent. Soon, the family is separated and they must fight to escape the building's alluring yet frightening pull.

With its slow burn pacing, readers are swept up into a time bending, haunted house story that is terrifying without any blood, but features a menace that is definitely not of this world. It is a story about familial love, memory, and identity that will make you think, but it is the creepy tone that will continue to haunt you after the final page. Travelers Rest is both a mind-altering meditation on the nature of consciousness and a heartbreaking story of a family on the brink of survival.

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

This is a big week for Milly. On Saturday, she is going to get married. Her mother has been furiously making the final preparations, and her sister is about ready to fly in for the big day. There is just one little problem. Milly is already married. None of her family or friends know about it. It happened years ago and was just a favor for a college friend, so to her, it shouldn’t even count. In fact, shortly after the wedding, she lost touch with "her husband." The event was so inconsequential to her that she hasn’t even told her fiance, Simon, about it. Unfortunately, when she meets her wedding photographer, she comes face to face with someone from her past. He was there the day she got married all those years ago, and he could potentially give away her secret. How is she going to dig herself out of this situation?

Madeleine Wickham has written a light, breezy novel that is sure to please readers of Sophie Kinsella, Jane Green, Lauren Weisberger, and Jennifer Weiner.

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

While working on cataloging an earl's vast collection of artifacts and curiosities, Veronica Speedwell, lepidopterist by profession, is approached by royalty to exonerate a fellow aristocrat accused of murdering an artist, and he will hang if the true culprit is not found. Veronica recruits her partner in crime, Stoker, to investigate, and the two insert themselves into the Bohemian artist community of Victorian London. Everyone has an ulterior motive, and secrets abound as nearly all of the artists are hiding affairs and love interests.

Veronica remains as plucky and boldly independent in this installment as in A Curious Beginning, the first of the "Veronica Speedwell" series, while Stoker is just as mercurial. Raybourn carefully doles out a bit more back story for both Veronica and Stoker and even introduces Stoker's brothers into the mix. The sexual tension between the two has abated a bit from the first book, but almost as if to make up for this, the rest of the story is focused around clandestine trysts, adultery, and orgies. Readers who enjoy humorous historical mysteries with a naughty side will greatly enjoy Raybourn's latest. Although there is some introduction to Veronica and Stoker here, those new to the series may want to start with A Curious Beginning. The scheduled release date for A Perilous Undertaking is January 10, 2017.

The Queen of the Tearling Trilogy by Erika Johansen

Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn has spent her entire childhood hidden away, in training for the day when she will claim her birthright. The first book in the trilogy, The Queen of the Tearling, describes Kelsea's harrowing journey to claim the throne with her Queen's Guard, evading assassins sent by her uncle, the Regent. But death threats are not Kelsea's only troubles; once she arrives at her kingdom's seat in New London, Kelsea realizes how far her countrymen have fallen, keeping peace with the dangerous neighboring kingdom of Mortmesne by forcibly gathering dozens of citizens each month to be sent as slaves to the Red Queen. As the new Queen of the Tearling, Kelsea ends this practice immediately, but at the cost of war.

The Invasion of the Tearling ratchets up the suspense further, with the Tear army trying to slow the invasion of the Mort forces, and all the while Queen Kelsea tries to organize protection for her citizens and deal with the powerful but corrupt Holy Father of the Arvath. Meanwhile, Kelsea tries to understand the magical powers she is gaining from wearing the Tear sapphires and why she is having visions of the past from the perspective of a mysterious woman. This sequel ends on a cliffhanger, with the Mort army and the Red Queen at the gates of the capital as well as Kelsea's visions of "the crossing" many years before.

The final installment in the trilogy, The Fate of the Tearling, comes out the end of this month and is the most climactic with both the Tear and Mort kingdoms teetering on the brink, with Mort citizens and soldiers rebelling, the treacherous Arvath vying for more power, and creepy little beasts running amok everywhere. The shocking end should take readers by surprise.

Despite the medieval feel to the time period, events of the Tearling take place years in the future after the American government deteriorates into an increasingly conservative and surveillance-driven world where everyone and everything is censored and class divides are greater than ever between the rich and the poor. Epic fantasy fans and apocalyptic science fiction fans alike will enjoy this trilogy, as well as any reader interested in frank discussions of humanity and feminism.

Ōoku: the Inner Chambers, Vols. 1 & 2 by Fumi Yoshinaga

In seventeenth century Japan, a plague called the Red Pox inflicts only men, decimating the male population. With so few men left in the country, women take over the roles of men, becoming farmers, shopkeepers, and heads of households. Healthy men are prized, and only wealthy women are able to take them as husbands. Despite these reversals, women are not to rule, leaving politics to men, but the current shogun is secretly a woman. Rather than the traditional female concubines, her inner chambers are filled with men - men who can never leave, lest they reveal the true gender of their imperial ruler.

The first two volumes in the "Ōoku" series tell the origins of the first few female shoguns. Issues arise with pride and jealousy between the men and whom the shogun favors at that moment. Love is rare and cherished but cannot always be embraced as the men must be able to produce heirs with the shogun; otherwise, a shogun is forced to move on to a new male partner. The female concubine is frequently portrayed in fiction, while Ōoku is utterly unique for its frank portrayal of male concubines and their lives.

The Trespasser by Tana French

Detective Antoinette Conway grew up mixed-race and without a father in conservative Dublin, Ireland, so she’s used to not fitting in. She has always worn her differences defiantly and proudly, and styled herself a lone wolf, happy to be an outsider. She didn’t think she would fit right into Dublin’s all-male Murder squad, but she didn’t expect the level of harassment she’s receiving—pee in her locker, spit in her coffee, her paperwork thrown away and her cases jeopardized. It’s clear to Conway that everyone in the squad wants her out except for maybe her rookie partner, Steve Moran.

As the harassment begins to take a toll on Conway’s psyche, she and Moran are handed a seemingly straightforward murder—the victim, Aislinn Murray, led a boring life and there’s only a single suspect, her new boyfriend, Rory. The case should be an open-and-shut domestic, but nothing quite adds up. As their investigation is blocked at every turn by members of their own squad, Conway and Moran begin to suspect that finding Aislinn’s killer may lead them to a dangerous truth.

The Trespasser combines beautiful writing and intense psychological drama to create a literary mystery that draws the reader in completely and doesn’t let go until the final page. Though it is book six in French’s Dublin Murder Squad series, this novel is more than capable of standing alone. 

The Fireman by Joe Hill

A horrifying plague is spreading like wildfire all across the country. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it's Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with black and gold marks across their bodies-before causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.

Infected nurse, Harper Grayson, must fight for her life and the life of her unborn child as the country begins to round up those with the 'scale. Helping her hide away from the self-appointed extermination gangs is a mysterious stranger called The Fireman, an infected man dressed in fire gear, who seems to have the ability to control the disease, and even use it to cause fires at will. As the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman's secrets before her life - and that of her unborn child - goes up in smoke.

The Fireman is one of the most thrilling, imaginative takes on an apocalyptic future, and will leave readers infected for more.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

In this science fiction novel from the author of the Twilight series, parasitic extraterrestrials invade and overtake the bodies and minds of most of the human population. The story is narrated by an alien ‘soul’ named Wanderer. Wanderer is placed in the body of Melanie, who has managed to evade capture for several years. Most souls have no trouble possessing a host, but Melanie is strong. She resists Wanderer, fighting with her only weapons, her own thoughts and memories. Melanie’s presence eventually evokes an empathetic response from Wanderer, who begins to view humans as more compassionate creatures than the barbaric animals she thought them to be. When Wanderer/Melanie joins a pocket of resistors that includes Melanie’s brother and the man she loves, both the alien and the humans find they have much to learn about trust and love and ‘humanity.’ The understanding they finally come to may be the only thing that can provide hope for them all.

Though there is romance in this story, it is less melodramatic than the Twilight books are. It combines the action and suspense of an apocalyptic novel with an unique look at human emotions from an alien perspective.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

It’s 1988 in Charleston, South Carolina and sophomores Abby Rivers and Gretchen Lang have it all -- they’re popular, academically successful, and have a tight-knit group of friends. Most of all, they have each other. Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since the fourth grade, when their friendship bloomed against a backdrop of E.T., roller rinks, and Ms. Pac-Man. Now, as high schoolers, they are closer than ever and their friendship feels unshakable. 

Then, one night, Gretchen goes missing during a slumber party. Abby and the other girls find her in the woods hours later, but Abby knows something’s not quite right. Gretchen is withdrawn and acting weird, and Abby can’t seem to get through to her. Soon, everyone believes Gretchen is back to normal, but she’s still not the person Abby once knew. In fact, she’s becoming downright evil. Could she be possessed by the devil? And more importantly, is their friendship strong enough to survive what’s happening?

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a pitch-perfect mix of teen angst, ‘80s pop culture, horror and dark comedy. Best friend drama takes center stage, but there is no shortage of truly scary moments. Hendrix excels at creating an oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere that only gets more spine-tingling as the pages turn.

Two for the Show by Jonathan Stone

The main character, Chas, is a loner with no family or friends to speak of and a relationship to which he give very little of himself. Instead, his main focus in life is his job. It's a job that he has been devoted to for 20 years, but it's also a job that he can tell no one about. His life is one of secrets until one day when his life is thrown a curve ball. You see, Chas works for Archer Wallace, a.k.a. Wallace the Amazing. Wallace is a legendary performer in Las Vegas who can scan his audience, pick a person out at random, and tell him (or her) amazing details about his life. Things that would be impossible for the everyday person to know, but Wallace has the mental abilities to do this, at least that's what he says. In reality, he has an amazing memory, but Chas is the one supplying him with the amazing details. He scours the Internet and logs into private databases to cull as much information he can for his employer. Then, one day, Wallace calls on an audience member who throws the whole charade for a loop. That person isn't who he says he is. He knows it and so does Wallace, but what he wants is to force Wallace to pay him to keep quiet. Thus begins a roller coaster of events. With this interesting setup, the further you get into the story, the more you wonder how it's going to end.

Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky

V.I. Warshawski is a private investigator in Chicago. Late one night, a man comes to her office asking her to find two people, Anita Hill and Peter Thayer. However, it turns out that this man isn't who he says he is, and Warshawski isn't just looking for a missing person. This case becomes a race to find a killer in order to prevent more deaths from happening.

Indemnity Only keeps you turning the pages as one clue leads to the next. There never is a dull moment in Warshawski's investigation. One chapter builds on the next without need to digress or distract with unnecessary details. If you get caught up in Warshawski's sleuthing skills, then you can carry one with more of her investigations as Indemnity Only is the start of the seventeenth book in the "V.I. Warshawski" series so far. That said, the investigation in the story is nicely wrapped up by the end of this quick read.

How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell

The unacknowledged daughter of a wealthy earl, Charlene Beckett assists her mother managing a debt-ridden bawdy house and watches over her young and innocent half-sister. When Charlene is offered a large sum of money able to raise her family out of debt and on the path to a respectable life, she must pose as her legitimate half-sister, Lady Dorothea, and compete for the hand of a duke. James, the Duke of Harland, invites four of London society's most proper ladies to be considered for his wife. James is looking for a simple business arrangement, one that will recover his tattered reputation, but he is drawn to Lady Dorothea, despite her displaying the mos risqué behavior. Likewise, Charlene falls hard for the duke and debates giving up her charade and the money that goes with it to disclose her true identity.

Verdict Bell's talented debut is full of characters whose antics, from the clever to the ridiculous, will have readers laughing out loud. Charlene is smart and tough and easily steals the show with her gutsy nonconformity. Regency romance fans will delight in this expert start to a fun new series.

This review was originally published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews: Fiction, April 14, 2016.

The BFG by Roald Dahl

When you are young and little, the idea of a giant is an awesome conception, something even beyond words. That's where a good author makes a difference. One little girl, several extraordinary giants, and the magic of words all have roles in Roald Dahl's The BFG.

Sophie is a little girl who has been kidnapped by a giant and taken far away into a land of giants. Her kidnapper is a good giant. He is the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant.  He goes among neighborhoods at night, unseen, blowing dreams into the bedrooms of sleeping children. Unfortunately, Sophie has spotted him at work and he must now protect his secret, but in this land of giants there are others who would eat, and do eat, little children. Sophie, with the aid of the BFG, hatches a plan of action.

Dahl, who began writing children's books late in life, has an uncanny, unsentimental way of capturing the imaginations of young readers. He creates unique characters and situations, all in an environment that is fantasy and yet totally believable. Who wouldn't enjoy a story with a little girl among giants who fearlessly becomes a heroine? Who wouldn't care about a friendly giant who had no schoolin' and uses words like kidsnatched (kidnapped), human beans (human beings), and chiddlers (children)?

The BFG, first published in 1982, has taken its place among Roald Dahl's many other masterworks. It has even captured the imagination of that most remarkable of big screen dream weavers, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg's film version of The BFG will be released in the summer of 2016.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Alexander Hamilton may be the least known among our country's founding fathers. The two familiar facts of his reputation may be his presence on the ten dollar bill and the sad fact that he perished in a famous duel in 1804. Hamilton was born out of wedlock in the West Indies. There is uncertainty as to the identity of his father. Penniless, he migrated to New York, alone, in his mid-teens. Yet by the age of twenty-two he was the chief of staff to Washington during the American Revolution. He became an essential interpreter and promoter of the US Constitution in the first years of the republic. He was not only founder of the Federalist Party, the US Coast Guard and the New York Post, but as the first Treasury Secretary he implemented financial reforms and programs that secured the future of his young country.

Ron Chernow's biography is considered by many to be the best account of Hamilton's life. It is long and dense but, in the words of one critic, it is that happy rarity, "a popular biography that should also delight scholars." Hamilton's brilliance and foresight shine with dazzling effect in Chernow's storytelling and analyses. If we think that politics and the press are poisoned in our own time, we learn that the modern era may pale beside the vitriol of early America. It was not just reputations that were contested in such contentious times. The founding fathers argued over the direction of the country. There were fundamental differences over executive authority, the implied clause in the constitution, and federal precedence over states' rights  In short time, the two party system would emerge and dominate the politics of American culture. It is this background that leads to the fatal encounter between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton in July of 1804.

In 2015, Chernow's biography became the inspiration for Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's blockbuster hip hop musical. Miranda read the book while on vacation in 2008. Seven years later, 700 people waited in line for lottery tickets for the opening night preview of his musical on Hamilton's life. While they waited they could have read the book.

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

Casey Duncan is a successful detective hiding a terrible secret. She shot and killed a boyfriend, the grandson of a mobster, years ago, after he left her for dead with a gang of thugs. Her friend, Diana, seems to have trouble bouncing around in accounting jobs but far worse trouble is her abusive ex. He finds her again despite Casey and Diana frequently moving to throw him off their trail. On the same night as Diana's attack by her ex, Casey is threatened by one of the mobster's hired goons. Both women need to get lost and stay lost to keep their lives. They flee to a hidden, self-sustaining town in the Canadian Yukon. Both women are allowed in because the town is desperate for a detective. There have been too many mysterious deaths of late, deaths not attributable to the dangerous wilderness surrounding the town.

An excellent mystery series opener by Armstrong, City of the Lost is placed in a truly unique setting where technology is minimal and the town's civilians must rely on each other to survive. Armstrong's writing shines by building complex, damaged characters who struggle with intimate relationships, romantic and platonic, but she is also able to render taut, exciting action scenes that will keep the reader turning the pages to the end. This book will be published mid-May. While you are waiting, check out Armstrong's other mystery series with folklore elements called, "Cainsville."

The Martian by Andy Weir

Stranded on Mars after a severe dust storm forces his team to evacuate, Mark Watney realizes he's going to die and quick, unless he can manage to survive until another Mars mission arrives in several years. Fortunately for Mark, he was his team's handyman and a botanist to boot, so he's got plenty of ingenious tricks up this sleeve to keep himself alive and kicking. Fortunately for us, Mark has a hefty sense of humor which keeps the story upbeat and exciting rather than depressing as he tackles the never ending catastrophes Mars throws his way. Back on Earth, NASA eventually realizes Mark is alive and desperately tries come up with a rescue plan before it's too late.

The humor and suspense keep the pages turning, making this a book for every reader and not just science fiction fans. And even though there is a lot of science, math, and technological jargon, Mark's matter-of-fact journals parse out the essentials, so it's easy to keep up. Conceptualizing everything Mark describes might be another matter, but the movie version of the The Martian has fantastic visuals so be sure to check that out as well as the book! 

A Common Scandal by Amanda Weaver

Growing up the daughter of a self-made tradesman, Amelia Wheeler spends most of her time at the Portsmouth harbor with her best friend, Natty Smythe, before he heads off to sea to support his penniless family. Years later, after completing Lady Grantham's finishing school, Amelia must act the perfect lady to nab a titled husband, fulfilling her dying mother's wish. Hoping to encourage a future earl, Amelia accepts an invitation to an extended house party. Meanwhile, Natty, who now owns a wealthy shipping business and goes by Nate, also attends the party to pursue the daughter of a powerful shipping magnate. Nate and Amelia continually provoke each other in public and in private, but their passion is far from the only secret able to ruin their plans.
Verdict Weaver (A Duchess in Name) expertly drafts a compelling history for these childhood friends, and readers will be immediately invested in the pair's affection and future outcomes. Nate and Amelia's chemistry smolders; their heat is kindled from a shared past rather than instant attraction, which makes their reckless bid for happiness truly believable. This series tale stands well on its own and is certainly one to savor.

This review was originally published in Library Journal Xpress Reviews: E-Originals, March 3, 2016.

The Longest Night by Andria Williams

Nat and Paul Collier move to Idaho Falls in the summer of 1959. Paul is an Army Specialist. He has been assigned to work at the nuclear plant in Idaho Falls. There is trouble with the reactor, but Paul can't get his superior to take the problem seriously. After an unfortunate argument Paul is deployed to the Arctic Circle for several months. He has to leave Nat in Idaho Falls knowing there is a problem with the reactor. Paul hopes for the best and leaves a now pregnant wife and two young daughters. Nat is lonely and when she meets young rancher, Esrom, she finds someone she can enjoy spending time with, but the army community is small and word gets out about Nat and Esrom. It is really an innocent relationship, but people will talk and word gets to Paul at the Arctic Circle.

Williams writes a compelling story of marriage and army life.  The story is based on the only fatal nuclear accident in the U.S.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, speaks in a soft monotone and is an inch over five feet in height. She will be 83 in April of 2016, and she is still going strong. There may be no better introduction to this remarkable lady than Notorious RBG. The book began as a blog in celebration of the jurist's independence, determination and accomplishments. It's a book that suggests an age of social media with photos, documents, charts, doodles, cartoons, nail art, t-shirts, poems, and a recipe. From its appearance, the immediate audience my be twenty somethings, but anyone who picks it up will be entranced.

It took 192 years for the first woman, Sandra Day O'Connor, to join the U. S. Supreme Court. Ginsburg was appointed twelve years later. The road that each traveled as a woman is invaluable in applying law to all citizens. The experiences of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American appointed to the nation's highest court, broadened the court's understanding of what it is to be an American. This diversity finally gave real meaning to the Constitution: "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union..."

We know much more about political candidates who run for the Presidency and seats in Congress, but the Supreme Court, with its life appointments, is sacrosanct. When Bob Woodward pierced its secrecy in 1979, he titled his book The Brethren, as if these jurists were members of a male religious order. Ginsburg opened her private life to the authors of Notorious RBG. It's a welcome introduction and a study of how one individual, one woman, can make a difference.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

At the beginning of the Victorian era, Jane Steele is growing up at Highgate House the despised niece of her Aunt Patience. Then, she makes her first kill and flees to school before being caught. Eventually, Steele discovers her favorite book, Jane Eyre, and although her circumstances closely mirror that of her favorite book character, Steele isn't about to follow meekly in Eyre's footsteps, becoming a victim time and time again. Jane Steele is going to make sure the violent, the cruel, and the worst dregs of society will get their just desserts.

After fleeing school for London, Jane notices a posting for governess at her former childhood home. Jane's mother always said she would be the rightful heir of Highgate House, so Jane sets off to take the measure of this supposed new heir. Once there, Jane quickly finds herself falling in love with her young charge and eventually the master of the house. But this new household is a place of many secrets, and Jane risks having her own deadly indiscretions exposed while she pieces together the mysteries of those around her. Will she be able to solve all the puzzles before her lethal past comes back to haunt her?

Lyndsay Faye impeccably recreates the world of Jane Eyre, while revamping her main protagonist into a smart and witty executioner, and the amount of research Faye conducted is readily apparent in the gritty Victorian London details as well as the history of the First Anglo-Sikh War in India. For those who enjoy clever thrillers with droll characters or for anyone who enjoys suspenseful historicals, Jane Steele, is an exceptional read that will captivate from Jane's first confession:

"Reader, I murdered him."

Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly by Jennifer Fleischner

Mrs. Elizabeth Keckly and Mrs. Mary Lincoln first meet in 1861 when Mary's husband is scheduled to take the oath of office.  Mrs. Lincoln wanted fine clothes that would reflect her position as the nation's first lady.  Mrs. Keckly was one of the best and most popular modistes in Washington, and while fulfilling one role, Elizabeth Keckly also became a confident and cherished friend to the president's wife.

The friendship between these two ladies unraveled when Mrs. Keckly published a memoir in 1868.  The book, entitled Behind the Scenes, was a remarkably frank account of her own life.  But it was also a revealing look at the Lincoln White House, one which crossed the "Victorian" codes of friendship and privacy.  Ironically, with this publication, Mrs. Keckly had hoped to gain sympathy and understanding for a controversial first lady.

The author, Jennifer Fleischner, has written chapters which alternate between the two women, both of whom were born in 1818; each is profiled separately and chronologically up to their meeting in 1861.  After 1861, it is a shared story of a remarkable friendship.  Also, it is a great, if unfamiliar, tale in the Lincoln legacy, one which Mrs. Lincoln would write this acknowledgement to her seamstress, a former slave:  "I consider you my best living friend."

The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded by Jim Ottaviani

Alan Turing was a gifted cryptographer and scientist, who lived through a time of considerable turmoil, surviving both world wars. Turing's greatest achievements include solving the German Enigma machine code during WWII, helping to end the war earlier than thought possible, and advancing ideas of artificial intelligence and computer technology that are still relevant today. Unfortunately, his life ended all too soon, and his accomplishments were unfairly overshadowed by the trial and conviction of his publicly gay lifestyle.

The Imitation Game provides a thoroughly detailed account of Turing's adult life especially amid WWII but also with his career and life at university before and after the war in addition to the tragic circumstances that lead to his death. The artwork is loose and almost sloppy in presentation, which parallels Turing's own struggles with messy presentation of his work. However, the characters are well differentiated making it clear to readers as to whom is whom. Where this graphic biography excels is how it breaks down Turing's complex theories into simple terms. This is an excellent introduction to a remarkable person who deserved so much more recognition of his accomplishments during his lifetime.

If you would like to learn more, be sure to take a look at other books on Alan Turing, or check out the beautiful film, The Imitation Game.

Ostend: Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth, and the Summer Before the Dark by Volker Weidermann

Ostend was a popular resort on the Belgian coast. The Austrian author Stefan Zweig was vacationing there in 1914 when a world war was declared. Years later, Zweig invited Joseph Roth, the Austrian journalist, to join him in Ostend during the summer of 1936. Both men were Jews, emigres, and writers, whose books were banned in much of German-speaking Europe. A small colony of fellow writers, all anti-Fascist, was also in Ostend that summer, commiserating in a tranquil haven before the developing storm: The Spanish Civil War began on July 18. Hitler opened the Berlin Olympics on August 1 with hopes of putting a deceptive face on anti-Semitism. A dictatorship was established in Greece on August 4. The first of the Moscow Purge Trials took place on August 19.

Volker Weidermann, the author of Ostend, is a career journalist who has carefully researched this topic. He introduces his cast of celebrated writers, their writings, and their relationships to one another. He has read their letters, diaries, and memoirs. It's as if he was present during  conversations, the walks they took together, and the cafes they frequented. His subjects become players in a real-life drama. More than one critic has remarked that Ostend is "as transporting as fiction."

Many of these writers did not survive the war years. Most, and perhaps all, of them may be unfamiliar to Americans. But in Europe they all enjoyed literary prominence on the eve of World War II. They are worth knowing. And today, you can't read Ostend without thinking about the emigre experience unfolding daily in our current news. It is this world of today, however, in which Germany has done so much to extend a welcome to emigres seeking peace, protection, and a new life.

Eligible: a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld

Liz Bennett moves home with her elder sister, Jane, from New York City to suburban Cincinnati in order to help care for their ailing father and decrepit childhood home. A task that their mother and three younger sisters, who although grown and living at home, are too self-centered and selfish to accomplish. Then, the Bennett family is invited to the Lucas family's barbecue and meet Chip Bingley, a new ER doctor and recent reality-TV star of the bachelor series, "Eligible," as well as Chip's haughty friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Naturally, things begin well for Jane and Chip, while Liz and Darcy equal instant animosity.

Sound familiar? Sittenfeld reserves a few twists and turns for some of the characters, creating a welcome divergence from what readers will expect and generating a keen curiosity to see just how this tale will pan out in comparison. Can the original classic, Pride and Prejudice, ever be surpassed? No, but Sittenfeld still manages a great deal of the humor, wit, and disastrous first impressions in her contemporary take on the tour de force. And even if you are unfamiliar with this novel's inspiration, anyone who enjoys dramatic romantic tussles similar to those manufactured on reality TV will be well rewarded.

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner

Ruth is her father's 39th child, growing up in a Mormon polygamous cult in rural Mexico called Colonia LeBaron. Her father was the leader when he was murdered by his brother shortly after Ruth was born. Her mother became the second wife of another LeBaron member and moved her family into a dilapidated house with concrete floors, no electricity, and no plumbing. The husband was unable to support multiple families, so Ruth's mother shuttled her children back and forth from the United States to Mexico in order to obtain government financial assistance. These brief trips and other lengthier periods when Ruth and her family lived among ordinary Americans provided her with the ability to critically compare her family's way of life and how it fell far short of the safe and healthy childhood all children should have.

For anyone curious about religious and doomsday cults, Wariner reveals the inner workings and recounts her disturbing childhood with exacting detail  and compassionate insight but absent a woe-is-me attitude. Her writing style makes for an illuminating and fascinating memoir that reads quickly and keeps readers engaged. Despite the grim experiences she continually faced, Wariner's tale is ultimately one of triumph, escaping her desperate circumstances for a better life.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande, a Boston surgeon has now written three bestselling books on the medical field.  Oliver Sacks hailed him as one of "the finest physician writers." Gawande subtitled this work "Medicine and What Matters in the End."  Medicine is the miracle of modern health care.  It has transformed our expectations and eased our worries about childbirth, injury and disease.  We live in a time when people live longer, an older generation anticipates enjoying the golden years being cared for and in reasonable health.

But the end will come, no matter.  Death is the enemy and death will win.  And the simple fact is that modern medicine and the most sophisticated surgical procedures may not always be the best option.  Gawande shares poignant and agonizing stories of his own patients facing mortality.  They include his father who was also a physician.  But these stories also share a sense of peace in the most fateful moments.

While Being Mortal is a clear-eyed look at aging, it is also a candid examination of the medical community.  We rely on doctors to save and extend life in our most advanced years.  But few medical students take classes in geriatrics.  What choices do they give to the elderly at the end of their lives?  Is death even discussed?  What does a doctor, committed to saving life, say when faced with an unfixable problem?  Perhaps Gawande says it best:  "We've been wrong about what our job is in medicine.  We think it is to ensure health and survival.  But really it is about well-being.  And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive."

Also available is the PBS documentary Being Mortal.

Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larsen and Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larsen

I was waiting to read Dead Wake, Erik Larsen's most recent (2015) best seller. This one is on the sinking of the Lusitania.  But I was at the bottom of the request list for the library's copy.  Dead Wake would be a long wait.  So, I read an earlier Larsen story, Isaac's Storm, of an even earlier disaster.  Then, when my turn arrived, I read Dead Wake.

The earlier book, Isaac's Storm, was published in 1999, and it was Larsen's first best seller.  The Washington Post hailed it "the Jaws of hurricane yarns."  The Great Galveston Hurricane reached landfall on September 8, 1900, becoming the deadliest hurricane in U. S. history.  At the time, Galveston, located on little more than a Texas sandbar, was a boom town.  Trade made it prosperous, and success made it complacent.  Coincidentally, the National Weather Service, which became a civilian agency in 1890, didn't like to alarm the public.  Information sharing was severely tested, and tragedy was the result.  The "Isaac" of the story was Isaac Cline, who was the bureau's resident meteorologist in Galveston.

Larsen likes to tell parallel stories and personal stories too, enriching the narrative.  One parallel story in Dead Wake is how information was amassed by Room 40, a secret group under the British Admiralty, one with access to a German naval code book.  The last voyage of the British-owned Lusitania, we remember, takes place in the first year of World War I.  It was a time when the United States was still neutral.  Larsen asserts that the British were able to track the whereabouts of U-20, the German u-boat that would eventually sink the massive ocean liner with just one torpedo.  Again, the lack of shared information was catastrophic.  Still, the resultant death and destruction was a shameless act of war, certainly a horrific act of terrorism on a civilian populace.  By the way, the term, "Dead wake" is that fading disturbance of water made by a torpedo.

Both tales, both tragedies, are all the more wrenching and inspiring because of the personal stories that Larsen shares.  His research, as always, captures the imagination.  You get to know people: children at play, families together, people and their professions - all at the cusp of a life shattering event.  These individuals accept fate or fight against it, and luck always has a role to play. Both stories read like fiction and are told with detail, insight, and compassion.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

It's the last year of school at Watford School of Magicks, and nothing is going the way it should. Simon Snow's mentor is ignoring him, and in turn, Simon is avoiding his girlfriend, or maybe she's his ex-girlfriend now. To top it all off, Simon is more preoccupied with his missing roommate and nemesis, Baz, instead of worrying about how he can barely perform spells or any magic at all without exploding like a bomb. And yet, Simon knows he is the "chosen one" who must defeat the Insidious Humdrum, a monstrous creature who is literally sucking magic out of the world. So why is he only ever concerned about Baz?

Carry On continues the fan fiction begun in Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, and although it closely resembles J.K. Rowling's world of Harry Potter, Rowell's characters, monsters, spell casting, and numerous other details are utterly unique. Readers who are unfamiliar with Harry Potter and other fantastic universes may feel unsettled by the lack of explanations and background, but for aficionados of fanfic and fantasy literature in general, this book is a welcome addition.

Lincoln: A Novel by Gore Vidal

I had been thinking about this older book this year for two reasons. The year 2015 was an important anniversary, one that was memorialized in Springfield, as the subject of the book was assassinated 150 years ago. A second point of interest was that the author was the subject of a documentary released this year. The documentary is Best of Enemies, and the author in question is Gore Vidal.

To be frank, I was concerned how Gore Vidal would portray Abraham Lincoln. Adding to the concern is the full title of the portrayal, Lincoln: A Novel. It is a fictional account of our sixteenth president. Why read fiction when there are so many acclaimed biographies on this subject? Also, I was well acquainted with Gore Vidal's reputation for being irreverent. Would Lincoln and Vidal be a good fit? Not to worry. The novel offers adroit storytelling and is largely based on fact.  It's drawn from historical accounts: letters, diaries, memoirs, and contemporary newspaper stories. Also, no less a Lincoln scholar than  David Herbert Donald was a consultant. But it's Lincoln. There was criticism along with the acclaim when the novel was published thirty years ago in 1984. 

I enjoyed it immensely. It is skillfully written and, at 657 pages, it's a quick read. Lincoln:  A Novel covers the years of the presidency, 1861-1865. The rich cast of secondary characters (Nicolay and Hay, Seward and Chase, Mrs. Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley) are richly brought to life. Much of the exposition is in the memorable dialogue that drives the story along. But it is Lincoln, as he should be, who leaves the deepest impression. Vidal creates a multi-dimensional man. And, through one of his characters, the author makes a case for the greatest of presidents, one who was handed a civil war and still managed to remake "an entirely new country, and all of it in his own image." At story's end, Lincoln's good and melancholy company, so human, enlightened, humble and playful, is deeply missed.