THE BOOK OF FIRES by Jane Borodale

In 18th century London, a young runaway becomes the apprentice to a pioneering pyrotechnist.  Atmospheric and absorbing.

 

BIO Burden, Wendy: DEAD END GENE POOL

Mostly ignored by her mother, this descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt was raised by her rich, eccentric grandparents.  (Many, many cocktail hours.)  Burden tells the sad story of a dysfunctional family with flair and humor.

973.0492 Malek, Alia: A COUNTRY CALLED AMREEKA: Arab Roots, American Stories

Synopses of historical events from the 1960s to the 2000 presidential election accompany these stories of Arab-Americans.   A look at the great variety of backgrounds and experiences of immigrants and their descendants.

979.404 Corbett, Christopher: THE POKER BRIDE

Polly Bemis, a young Chinese immigrant, was gambled away in a poker game during California’s Gold Rush.  After years of living in self-sufficient isolation with the man who won and married her , she became a local legend when she told her story.

978.7 Bell, Laura: CLAIMING GROUND

A young woman is so drawn to the stark beauty of Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin that she becomes a sheep herder. 

BIO Rosenblatt, Roger: MAKING TOAST: A Family Story

When the author’s daughter dies, he and his wife essentially move in to care for their three young grandchildren.  A moving story of family love told without sentimentality but with lots of heart.

 

 

Looking for a great mystery series?

Susan Hill has created an English town called Lafferton and its inhabitants, notably policeman Simon Serrailler.  The mysteries are smart and absorbing, but it is the characters  - Simon, somewhat mysterious himself, and his relatives and colleagues – who make these books so outstanding.  You’ll want to start at the beginning, with THE VARIOUS HAUNTS OF MEN.

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