November Books

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith -- I'd seen this book recently at the library and wrote it down to get eventually. Then I read a Kate Morton book last month, and a character in the book had been reading this book before she died!  Weird!  So, I went ahead and got it at the end of October, and finished it in two days.  I enjoyed the story of Francie Nolan and her life in Brooklyn about 100 years ago. 

The Spirit of Covington by Joan Medlicott -- more adventures with the elderly Hannah, Grace, and Amelia in Madison County, North Carolina.  This time they have to deal with a fire consuming their house.  More than that, too.

Murder Most Persuasive by Tracy Kiely -- another murder mystery with our favorite heroine, Elizabeth. This time when her uncle's house is sold, a dead body is found buried under the pool.  Yay.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton -- This is the second book I've read from this Australian author, and I enjoyed this!  It does flit back and forth between women's lives to the early 1900s, to 1975, and to modern times (2005).  It has ties to England and Australia. A tale of Nell who arrived in Australia as a little girl, alone. And Cassandra, the granddaughter who lived with Nell.   What happened to Nell's family? What is her real name, and who are her parents? Why did they put her on a ship and have her sail so far away?  And how does the Authoress play into it all? Good story!

The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff -- Marta - whom we met as part of the Jewish resistance in a previous book - wakes up in a Nazi prison and later is freed by an American whom she later meets again in Paris. Later Marta is sent back into eastern Europe with hopes that she can persuade her former resistance partner to introduce her to someone who has a cipher needed for breaking codes.  Pretty good story.

At Home in Covington by Joan Medlicott -- more happenings with Hannah, Grace, and Amelia; this time the ladies take a trip to the US Virgin Island among other things

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave -- There were some interesting aspects in this book -- people of London hiding out in bomb shelters, many of them still dying; a young teacher who instructed children not suited for or rejected by those in the countryside who kept some of London's children -- but overall, I was happy to finish this book.

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton -- a group of ladies met at a park on a Wednesday morning, and every Wednesday for the next several weeks.  They became friends who later branched out into writing (and critiquing said writing) and supporting each other through miscarriages and affairs and racism. 

A Covington Christmas by Joan Medlicott -- whereas the previous books in this series covered more months, this book focused on the weddings taking place in Covington on Christmas Eve. Of course Hannah, Amelia, and Grace were asked to help pull it off!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton -- this is a long book, but like her other ones, a somewhat layered story that kept my attention. My niece is visiting so I read this throughout several days.  A story about Milderhurst Castle and the three old women -- Persephone (Percy), Seraphina (Saffy), and Juniper Blythe -- who live there.  Edie finds out more about her mom through visits to and delving into the mysteries surrounding the castle and the people who have lived there.

Murder Most Austen by Tracy Kiely -- another murder mystery with our favorite non-detective who is pretty good at finding out information, Elizabeth Parker.  This time Elizabeth and her Aunt Winnie are in England at an Jane Austen festival when the murder takes place. 

Almost Home by Pam Jenoff -- Jordan Weiss returns to England years after leaving this place she loved so much because of her boyfriend's drowning.  She goes back because her friend Sarah is fighting ALS, and she'll do anything for Sarah.  While in London, Jordan is contacted by a former friend about Jared's alleged drowning.  The book also follows Jordan as she does her work as a diplomat.

Walkin' on the Happy Side of Misery  by J.R. "Model-T" Tate -- we met Mr. Tate while in Abingdon, Virginia, in early October!  He and his friend were in the area for a yearly Appalachian Trail conference.   The conference is not always held in Abingdon, but happened to be this year, and we met the two at breakfast.  J.R. and his friend Noel DeCavalcante amused us with tales of their AT thru-hikes.  We asked if either of them had written about their trips, and were told of this book which I received for our anniversary. 

Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen -- I noticed our library had all of her books except this one. Apparently, she was given permission to try out another publisher and this is from the second one.  It's not the same quality as the original one, in my opinion, but it was still fairly interesting to learn about the Regency-era world. In this book Hannah Rogers leaves her home as a companion for Lady Marianna Mayfield.  On the way to their new residence, a carriage accident takes place and there is a big switch up in Hannah's role.

Another Woman's Son by Anna Adams --  a book I picked up at a free little library about a year ago and read now because it was the Thanksgiving holiday and I'd read all my library books. Thankfully it was a short, easy read because it wasn't very interesting

A Hidden Affair by Pam Jenoff -- the sequel to the above book about Jordan Weiss after she leaves State to search for a friend somewhere in Europe

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman -- a look inside a young teen's life in the "foreign country" that is 1290 England by reading her journal entries. Corpus bones, this Newberry Honor Book was a free little library find that I read mostly when Sophie was in town in middle November.  But I just finished it last night.

A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor -- "a novel of London's Flower Sellers"  -- I enjoyed this look at the flower sellers who lived in an orphanage and village to make flowers; a rather good book about Tilly going to be a house mother at one of the homes for flower girls