The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was a great summer novel.  I've never been to "the south" and I felt like this book gave me a good idea of what it might have been like.  The characters were endearing and the "good wins over evil" theme made this book so lovely to read.  If you read The Help and want more, I recommend reading Cane River by Lalita Tademy.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I realize that I’m behind the crowd with reading this book, but I think it’s interesting that I started reading it on the day Osama bin Laden was captured and killed.  I wish I had read it earlier.  Everything about this fictional story of 2 remarkable women tugged at my heartstrings.  I was outraged at the men for their treatment of women and girls, and was so touched by the ending.  If you have never read a book about women of the Middle East, this is a great introduction.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

This book was not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl.   It seemed to drag at the end, going back and forth between the three women: Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn and Katherine Howard.  Although I loved finding out what happened to King Henry’s next wives, the novel itself fell short for me. 

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This book is like good braised meat.  It cooks really slowly but in the end you have a tender and delicious masterpiece.  I took my time with this novel, not just because it was rather long (over 600 pages) but also because I had to let each section sink in before moving on.  Told in 4 parts, this novel is the story of Marion Praise Stone’s journey as a brother, son, lover, and doctor. As the story grew, elements of surprise and magic kept me hooked, and the ending brought it all together for a sweet finish. 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The title of this book struck me first.  Followed by the fact it was about the Japanese internment during WWII.  I loved that it told a story about an old man and a child (him as a boy).  However, I became disappointed about halfway through the book when I could easily tell where it was going and how it would end.  It was too predictable for my taste, but I finished it.  It ended just as I thought it would, no surprises.  This would be a good book for a high school student learning more about the Japanese internment, but not as a novel for an educated adult.    

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

More or less a sequel to Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen is another wonderful piece of historical fiction about the Queens of Egypt.  This time told as a first person account from the aspiring Queen, the main character is well developed and easy to identify with.  The story is filled with jealousy, trickery, politics, and love. 

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

A great recommendation from my mom, Nefertiti is a wonderful piece of historical women’s fiction.  I love books about women in history, and this one hit the nail on the head.  Told from the point of view of Nefertiti’s sister, Mudnodjmet, the story of the famous Egyptian queen is revealed from start to finish.  It satisfied my love for strong women and also my enjoyment of stories that are told from start to finish.  And what’s even better is that Moran has written several books about the Queens of Egypt, so if you like this one there are more to read! 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

This novel was my first introduction to The Tudors, and it had me hooked from the start.  I thought it was brilliant to tell the story of Anne Boleyn through her sister.  I remembered that feeling of sisterly competition, and appreciated the honesty from the main character, Mary.  I read most of the book on a 36 hour flight itinerary, and couldn’t have chosen a better time because I had the luxury of reading for hours on end.  I now realize that this book is actually #2 out of 6, and I intend to start reading the others. 

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

I ordered this book from Scholastic for my classroom.  After reading it, I realize that it is more suited for Jr. High or High School students than 4th graders.  Although I think that younger students  benefit from learning about the Holocaust, I think books more like Number the Stars are more age appropriate for 9 and 10 year olds.  being sent to a concentration camp.  The story told has a magical element of time travel, that she had a hard time selling to me.  However, the purpose and story is there.

The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds

I’ve always been intrigued by small religious communities: the Amish, the Mennonites, etc. who seemingly live in their own time and space.  The author does a great job in this book with setting the scene.  While reading this book, I too was walking around the compound of The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God’s Almighty Baptizing Wind.  I was very angry at whoever wrote the description on the back of the novel however, as they gave away events in the story that don’t happen until well into half the novel.  Even so, I enjoyed the story of Ninah and was rooting for her the whole way through. 

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

The fact that this was a true story was the only reason I trudged through the terrible writing. The author got caught up in the unimportant fictional details and let the beauty of the true story fall through the cracks. The Widow of the South is the true story of a woman who, unwillingly at first, gives her house over as a hospital and later a graveyard for the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Franklin.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Reading this book was a new take on an old topic. The story is told from Death’s perspective, with hand drawn pictures inserted throughout.  I enjoyed the non-traditional aspects of this novel.  The Book Thief is an intricately woven story of a German girl, an accordion player, and a hiding Jew during WWII all told from the memories of Death.  I highly recommend it. 

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I read this book in one day. One work-day even, because I couldn’t put it down. The way the story is written from a child’s perspective is just incredible. It is simple enough to be taken at face value, but also poignant enough for the more advanced reader. I am so glad that I took this journey with Bruno, and I hope you do too.

Elly My True Story of the Holocaust by Elly Berkovits Gross

Written as child's nonfiction, Elly tells her story in short segments. It reads like a book of memories, in short bursts. She tells her true story in an honest and open manner, exactly as it happened to her, but with language suitable for elementary students. I would suggest this book as a good introduction to WWII and the Holocaust. This book is written at a fifth grade reading level, and I wouldn’t suggest children below fourth grade reading the story because of it's nature.

Cane River by Lalita Tademy

I almost put this book back on the shelf before buying it. Oprah’s Book Club books have always been hit or miss for me. Thankfully I took this book on with me on our holiday in Mexico. I spent two glorious days laying in the sun, enjoying the lives of these beautifully strong women.

Review:
I loved every minute of reading this book. Lalita Tademy spent years researching her family history, and then used what she found to write a semi-fiction, semi-fact based novel about her female ancestors beginning in the 1800’s while they were still living in slavery. This is one of those rare books that tells a complete story. Each of these amazing, strong women, drew me in to the novel giving an excellent portrait of what a woman’s life in slavery would have been like as well as the Civil War, reconstruction, and the years of discrimination that followed. I was so sad to say goodbye to these characters at novel’s end that I found myself re-reading large sections of the book, unready to move on. I would recommend this story to anyone who has an interest in historical fiction, slavery, and the lives of real women. This is going on my all time favorites list.

Girl Mary by Petru Popescu

I have always been drawn to historical religious fiction, particularly about biblical women. Is that even a genre in itself? The cover of this novel caught my eye, and I pulled out my iPhone in the middle of Barnes and Noble to google the title to see if it was about The Mary, not just A Mary. As this was in the regular fiction section, I figured it would be a work of historical fiction, not Christian fiction.

Review:
The book was easy to read. It jumps right in to the story of Mary at the well, and later gives you the back story. Told from two perspectives, Pontius Pilate and Mary Amneh, the story gives a new outlook on what Mary’s life may have been like prior to the birth of Jesus as well as the politics of Roman Times. As a woman the story resonated with me, and although this was definitely not Christian fiction I found that it did pose some theological questions. Throughout the story, I found myself asking: is she the chosen one? will there be immaculate conception? will the book tell about the birth and beyond? The only answer I can give without spoiling the book is that the story ends before any “Jesus Story” begins. After finishing the novel, I immediately wanted to open the book of Luke and re-read the biblical version. I would recommend this book to any woman who likes biblical fiction, or wants to get a glimpse into what life was like for women during this time period.

If you liked this, try:
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card
Lilah by Marek Halter