Quite possibly one of the best novels set in a museum I've ever read.

Full of twists and turns, I hate to give much away. The New York Public Library is the center of the story, along with some greedy trustees who collect rare books and maps, some conservators with fancy tools, and some nerdy curators eager to help. So, so much better than I expected. I will admit that this is one of those mysteries in which I might have found myself talking to the book.

Also must give props that this is the 11th book in the series--haven't read any of the others--and yet, I got in step with the characters without feeling like the author spent a lot of time catching people up.

Amazing follow up to If I Stay---a true continuation of the story, though told from Adam's perspective. Lots to ponder, especially about how people deal with profound loss.

When I finally closed the cover, I said to myself "A hell of a book."

In a way, this is really a biography of Higginson--a dreamer and a reformer who lived long enough to both command the first unit of African American soldiers during the Civil War (no, the guy from Glory wasn't the first!) and was a founder of the NAACP. He was a writer who surrounded himself with interesting people. Because of this, Dickinson reached out to him, and they began a remarkable correspondence. Ultimately, he was one of the editors that brought her work to the public.

Dickinson's poetery is scattered throughout. It's really a dual biography, but part of me prefers the longer, exclusively Dickinson biography "My Wars Are Laid Away in Books" by Alfred Habeggar for more insight into Emily.

It does drag in places, but it's a powerful book with an unusual structure. Recommended for all fans of Dickinson, but also folks that are just interested in 19th century intellectual life. What I'm going to remember about this book is not what I learned about Dickinson, but what I learned about Higginson. I may just be a wee bit in love with the guy.

A surprisingly great book--I picked up at the bargain section of Half-Price books. I was intrigued by the description--all about a woman who was an extra in some of the blaxplotation films of the 70s, her mother who was involved in the Tulsa Race Riot and her daughter who became a filmmaker. Hard to put down and a great story about the power of family and the movies.

Lots to ponder here. Many layers, and I kept me up late at night, reading. Probably not for everyone, but I liked that it showed how complex women's lives could be in the 19th century as well as how perception can alter the truth.

The story of the WASP has long had a special place in my heart, so three cheers for telling this story! And three more cheers for making the main character African American. That layer of complexity wasn't required, but it added so much to the story.

I'm no expert on the WASP, but the historical details seemed to be right on. The characters felt so real, and I loved that in the end, Ida Mae's story wasn't wrapped up in a neat little package.

A thumping good read in the best way. It reminded me of so many books I love: Jane Eyre, Possession, Secret Garden, and yet it felt entirely new and different.
Morton has an amazing ability to drop a thread, let it trail, and then pick it up and weave it into the story. It's a complex story, darting back and forth in time, and there's just not a missed step.
Will be checking out her others soon!

Had to think long and hard about whether or not to read this book before the Hawaii trip. After all, sometimes knowing more about the past means I can't enjoy tacky things, like luaus.
Going into this, I knew very, very little about Hawaii's history. Vowell essentially begins with the arrival of missionaries and concludes with the barely legal annexation. Some really good stuff, though I did occasionally bog down. The funny wasn't there like it's been before. And sometimes it took a very long time for a tangent to start making sense.

The jury is still out on how reading this book will affect my trip to Hawaii.

Not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way.