The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
Millard has been hailed as the David McCullough of this generation. Big shoes to fill, but she is up to the task.
This is the fantastic story of Teddy Roosevelt's journey down a previously uncharted Amazon tributary. So audacious a trip, and so incredible that he survived, it is almost unbelieveable. A+
Son of the Old West by Nathan Ward
The subject of this book, Charlie Siringo, was a multi-talented man who embodied the Old West in the second half of the 19th century with its cattle thieves, gun fights, campfires, and outlaws, but transitioned to the New West as an author, actor, and movie consultant into the 1920's. This is a vivid portrayal of him and our country during that time. A+
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Set in Malaya in 1945 and the frantic last days of WW II, this is an engrossing read about a housewife turned spy 10 years prior in the British colony, and the consequences of her actions a decade later. Excellent as an Audible selection. A
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The narrator is a mid-wife in 1879 Maine- but this historical mystery is more than her work treating women and babes. An exceptional description of life, justice, commerce, education, and the plight of women in the early US.
From the diaries of the actual mid-wife, Martha Ballard. A
The Adversary by Michael Crummey
Not for the faint of heart. Blistering tale of siblings at war over control of commerce in an isolated town on Newfoundland's Northern coast in the late 1800s. Treachery, debauchery, violence, but a hell of a story told at a relentless pace. A
(PS- The diaries of the above Martha Ballard were cited as one of the references for this book)
The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
Historical fiction based on the horrific theatre fire in Richmond in 1811. The heroes, the cowards, and those who knew the difference. Well- plotted and researched, this is a sad incident in our past, but important to understanding who we were and where we need to go. A
I enjoyed all of these as well this month-
Go as a River by Shelley Read
Northwoods by Amy Pease
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
The Rice Birds by Lindy Keane Carter