Tag Archive for: historical novels

What’s on Your Nightstand?

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By Lois Winston

I’m an extremely eclectic reader. There are a few genres I don’t read because they turn me off. My apologies to the vampire and werewolf fans out there, but I just don’t get the allure of falling for someone who wants to drain me of my blood or sup on my entire body.

I used to read a wide range of science fiction and fantasy, everything from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy to Arthur C. Clark’s Space Odyssey series to the Harry Potter books. At one point in my life, I devoured books by Leon Uris and James Mitchener, then Michael Crichton.

These days, though, besides reading books by other cozy authors, I find myself drawn to novels featuring historical people, women’s fiction, literary fiction, and books that cross genres. For my post today, I thought I’d tell you about some of my recent reads, all in different genres, and what I enjoyed about them.

The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax by Dorothy Gilman

I don’t know how I didn’t know about this series of books, but I’m so happy I stumbled upon them. Mrs. Polifax is a New Jersey widow who walks into the CIA one day and offers her services as a spy. Surprisingly, they take her up on it! And that’s the start of a very entertaining book featuring an extremely endearing character. The author wrote fourteen books in the Mrs. Polifax series before her death at the age of eighty-eight in 2012. I’ve already started the second one.

 

 

 

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

If a book doesn’t draw me in by the third chapter, I won’t waste any more time on it. There are too many books to read and not enough leisure hours in my day. Even so, there are books I finish but soon forget. Then there’s The Dutch House. I first picked this book up because it takes place in a town where I went to college and later lived for several decades. But I kept reading because the author is so adept at crafting both characters and plot.

 

 

 

11/22/63 by Stephen King

I bought this book several years ago but just got around to reading it this summer. At 880 pages, it’s quite intimidating and requires a huge commitment of time. Because I don’t care for horror stories, I’d never read anything by King other than his book on writing. However, I’m old enough to remember the day Kennedy was shot, and the concept about a man who goes back in time to prevent the assassination fascinated me. I flew through it, unable to put the book down until my eyelids grew heavy each night.

 

 

The Colony Club by Shelley Noble

Disclaimer: the author is a dear friend, and I was lucky enough to read this book prior to publication. Daisy Harriman, one of the main characters in the book, was a real person. When she requested a room for the night at the Waldorf Hotel, she was turned away because she wasn’t accompanied by her husband. Appalled by her treatment, she set out to change history, creating The Colony Club, the first woman’s club of its kind in not only New York but the world. The novel also incorporates other historical people of the Gilded Age, including Stanford White, who designed the building, and actress-turned-interior designer Elsie de Wolfe, who decorated the Colony Club’s rooms. The author is a meticulous historian who creates a richly accurate depiction of the times, especially in the treated of women, making the book extremely au courant for today’s readers.

What’s on your nightstand? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free download of any one of the first ten audiobooks in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.

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USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.

THOUGHTS ON LIFE DURING A PANDEMIC

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by Kay Kendall

Anyone
who knows much about me realizes how much I love learning about history. I used
to study it in school and always enjoyed reading historical novels. I still enjoy
those books but now I write them too–historical mysteries. I’ve occasionally tried to understand why
I enjoy delving into the past so much, particularly because so many others do
not.

Lately I have come up with a new angle in my appreciation of the past. It is SAFE back there. I know how all the various historical plots turn out—which contending princes end up seizing the thrones—which nations vanquish which. I never grow anxious reading a novel set during World War II, worried that the Axis Powers will prevail and conquer the whole world

Sure there’s
plenty of bad activity, monstrous atrocities, folks killed, bad guys putting
down good guys every which way—and so on. But still. I know how everything
turns out. I see how everyday people ENDURED.

Because
of my well-honed perspective on how people lived—back then, once upon a time—I don’t
feel especially hard done by as I shelter in place now during this raging worldwide
pandemic. Five weeks have passed since my husband’s and my routine changed
drastically. That is a long time. I used to think I could make it to the end of
April without getting stir crazy. I now think I can make it until the end of
May. Furthermore, if I have to go even longer, which may well be the case, I
can do that too. Easy-peasy.

Why?
Because I know my life could be so
much harder to endure. I’ve read a lot about living through the two world wars
of the twentieth century. I know what citizens put up with back then. Think of
the blitz that hit England in the early 1940s. If you didn’t march off to war,
you stayed home and “did your bit” for the war effort, caring for your family,
hunkering down, staying home, and at nighttime when the air raid sirens blew,
you ran with your brood to a shelter. You never knew if the bombs would fall on
you and yours and if you would live to see another day.

That
explains why I answer the way I do these days when someone asks—by phone, text,
Zoom or what not—‘How are you doing?”  I
always say, “I am just fine thanks. After all, no bombs are falling.” And I
really mean that with all my heart.

Long
story short, I caution you never to say, “Things can’t get any worse.”
Look–Don’t tempt
fate. Things most assuredly can worsen. And perhaps they will someday. But not
right now. If you and your loved ones are lucky enough not to have cases of
CV19, then just stay home. That’s the least you can do for humanity right now.
And while you’re at it, feel free to ask me to recommend a good historical
novel, now that you have some extra time on your hands.  

~~~~~~~

 

Award-winning author Kay Kendall is
passionate about historical mysteries.  She lives in Texas with her
Canadian husband, three house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. Visit Kay at her website http://www.austinstarr.com/  
or on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/KayKendallAuthor