Tag: 1800s

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was stunning! I read it in a day, less than a day, I mean hours. I couldn’t put it down! It is a historical fiction that brings a lovely story of a 71-year-old man and a 10-year-old forming a bond as they travel across Texas to return her to her family. This book is being made into a movie, and I cannot wait to watch it now!

If you are interested in any of the following, I think this is a book for you!
✔️ 1800’s historical fiction
✔️ Texan history
✔️ Western lawlessness
✔️ On-the-road adventures
✔️ Unlikely friendships

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Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon – Book Review

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

What I Loved:

This was a beautiful story that I loved reading. The overarching idea behind this story was to show the hardships of traveling west for people in the 1800s. I was completely drawn into Where the Lost Wander from beginning to end by the descriptions of the travel and the people. I loved every single page of this story.

How I Felt:

Amy Harmon has quickly become one of my favorite authors! Her ability to write so many different types of stories leaves me speechless each time I finish a book. This is my favorite book she has written, however, I have enjoyed every book I have read, and I can’t wait to read more!

I’m going to start my review a little backward today because there is something at the end of the book I wish I would have known when I started the story! Amy Harmon provided an author’s note at the end of the book that was fascinating to read. She discusses that John Lowry, the male main character, is actually an ancestor of her husband’s. The family that the story follows out West are the May’s, who were Harmon’s own pioneer ancestors. In addition, many of the other characters like Lost Woman, Chief Washakie, and Chief Pocatello were real people. I started this book thinking it was historical fiction where the “historical” came from the overall event of westward migration. I would have loved to have known how much of this was founded in actual history when I started, so I wanted to share that with you!

Continue reading “Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon – Book Review” →

Spring House by Mary Ellen Taylor

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

What I Thought of this Book:

What I Loved: I loved that this was a sequel that extended the story of the Winter Cottage book by Mary Ellen Taylor . The story featured Megan Buchanan’s story, but still had some of the lovable characters from Winter Cottage.

One other thing that I really loved was a section of the book that featured breastfeeding and the difficulties. I thought that it was an odd thing to focus on, but I LOVED seeing the struggles and the real-life feel of that section. Thank you to Mary Ellen Taylor for doing that.

How I Felt: I wasn’t quite as intrigued as with Winter Cottage, but I am by no way saying that this book wasn’t just as good. I just REALLY liked Winter Cottage.

To Read or Not To Read: If you read Winter Cottage, you should definitely pick up this book. If you haven’t read Winter Cottage, I believe this book could stand alone, but is so much more intriguing after learning the history from Winter Cottage.

What’s This Book About Anyway?

Spring House is again a story that follows the lives of the people living at Winter Cottage, but also jumps back in time to help unravel secrets from 70+ years earlier. This book focused on Megan, very pregnant and working hard to renovate and restore Spring House. She, Lucy, and Natasha begin to find historical letters and pieces in the house that unlock secrets to Megan’s great-great-grandfather, Claire Buchanan, and her lost-to-history sister, Diane. This story continued the great history that was started in Winter Cottage and it’s well-worth the read.

Footnotes:

#springhouse #mayellentaylor #shejustlovesbooks