May Book club. First read in grad school.

A collection of voices of Texas women from the 1820s until the turn of the century. There are some powerful stories here, including one by Cynthia Ann Parker's cousin, who was also taken by Native Americans. Other favorites include Mollie Bunton, a woman who joined her husband on a cattle drive, and Amelia Barr, who later became a well-known 19th century author. A few images will burn themselves into your brain.

However, there is very little that connects these narratives. If you're looking for interpretation or a connected story, this is probably not the book for you. Published 25 years ago, it's still an important work for Texas women's history.

In anticipation of my visit to Springfield next week.

Still not sure if I should have waited until after my visit to Springfield to read this, but it's too late now.
It's not on the level of Confederates in the Attic or Assassination Vacation (he can't bring the funny irony in the way that Horwitz and Vowell do), but it's a fascinating look at the ways in which people have used Lincoln to suit their purposes. His review of the new museum made me wish he was a bit more of a museum person, but I did appreciate the backstory to many Lincoln sites.
It should have been more, but it's pretty good for what it is.

One of the advantages of staying with a Burton is that they have lots of books--including ones on my to-read list!
This is very, very different from other Streatfeilds, but I loved this look at WWII and children and the bombing of London. Also loved that the family is poor and struggling. Plenty of little details about live during the bombing, though the ending was a bit too pretty.
Ultimately, very satisfying.

Sigh. Wendy might have to check my bag to make sure I don't "accidentally" take this book with me.

How I wish I was reading this last year, when I was remodeling my own neglected house. Tragically, we didn't discover any treasures to fund the restoration. The ultimate house fantasy book, and full of everything that makes Enright one of my new favorites.

One of my favorite lines:
"I like to see neglected houses getting fixed," Portia said. "Of course, I know houses can't possibly think but sometimes I have a feeling they can feel."

It's always refreshing to have a non-perfect family in young adult novels, especially historical ones. And they wrestled with some real problems--it was not all sweetness and light.

And yet, I couldn't really get into this book. It was hard for me to really like any of the characters, and I've realized that I must love the characters to love the book.

Except Ken. I kinda loved him.

Audio book for road trip

It's been a long time since I entered Maisie's world, but it was good to be back. These books are rich with period details and the ever-present shadow of World War I. I really liked the way they explored the art world.

Bonus for the audio edition--an interview with Winspear, which was fascinating. I have much more appreciation for these books now and will probably be reading the rest this summer.

I've never been a huge fan of historical fiction about the colonial era, but if all the books were like this one. . .

All the complexities of what to do about the slavery question in the early days of the Revolution are explored here. But not from those in power, but with a group of very real slaves seeking freedom. One of my favorite parts is when Octavian attempts to record some of their stories. Anderson takes a little-known episode in history and makes you want to know more.

Realistic, with very little of the "oh, well that's way too convenient and not likely" eye-rolling I usually do with historical fiction.

And the ending--wide open, no hints to his future, is perfect.

Audio book for the drive home.

An almost perfect audio book. I laughed, and I might have teared up. The miles flew by.
All the complexities of 1967/68 but never heavy-handed. Holling is a great kid, though I could have kicked his parents in the butt more than once. Will have to check out other Schmidt books.

Always disheartening to finish a book that has no real ending--it just stops, go to reserve the final one at the library and end up #218 on the waiting list. Though I shouldn't be surprised the list is that long.

Still not sure I entirely understand all the twists and turns, but I sure enjoyed the ride.

You could file this alongside Betsy and the Great World and Our Hearts Were Young and Gay--young girl travels to Europe on her own. She explores France, meets interesting people, and in the process, finds herself.
And yet, it is completely different. Set and published in the 1950s, Sally Jay is a very different kind of heroine. There's sex (gasp!) and lots of alcohol and some unsavory characters. There are times where slapping her seems like the right approach to take. At the same time, you can't help falling in love with her exuberance.
The writing sparkles, and includes one of my new favorite closing sentences:
"It's the end, it's _end_. .! It's the last word.
It's zymotic."

Definitely recommended--and amazed that none of my goodreads friends have read this charmer.