Historical Fiction

Herc / Phoenicia Rogerson

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Herc
By: Phoenicia Rogerson
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 384
Published: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Dates Read: October 31, 2023 - November 6, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: violence, death, murder, (ya know, Greek Gods’ stuff)

Herc is a retelling of Hercules told by the people around him and how he impacted their lives – for better or worse.

So, upon reading this, I realized that I only knew the Disney version of Hercules – totally and absolutely so much different. <spoiler> It was the children’s killing that made my jaw hit the floor </spoiler>

I mostly listened to this in an audiobook and it had a whole ensemble of characters and voices, which was great because it helped with keeping everyone straight. It also gave Hercules a layered and complicated life (again, one I did NOT know about because I knew only of the Disney version). The different voices also gave way to some humor with it too because everyone obviously had different experiences with him through his life.

Overall, I’m going to be recommending this to quite a few people, especially those who like mythology and retellings. Also, this is such a nice twist of the telling of Hercules because it’s not really about him, but more about the people he had interactions with throughout his life.

*Thank you Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

My Brilliant Friend: The Graphic Novel

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My Brilliant Friend: The Graphic Novel
By: Chiara Lagani (Author), Mara Cerri (Illustrator), Ann Goldstein (Translator), Elena Ferrante (Original author)
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 256
Published: October 10, 2023
Publisher: Europa Editions
Dates Read: November 3, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

This graphic novel is a coming-of-age story about two girls, Lila and Lenù and their complex, mostly toxic, friendship.

So, I haven’t read the original book or series, I grabbed this graphic novel to read to hopefully get a faster reading of the story to understand it better for my book groups I help manage. That being said, I felt like this was super condensed and I was missing pieces of the story – or rather, not getting the full intensity of it.

The art of this is intense and beautiful. I really enjoyed how dramatic it was – even if I wasn’t fully understanding what was happening, I could still get the intensity of it all.

Overall, I think this would be a good companion piece to the actual novel itself. Which means I still need to get my hands on that and read it and then possibly come back to this graphic novel.

*Thank you Europa Editions and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

That Self-Same Metal / Brittany N. Williams

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That Self-Same Metal
By: Brittany N. Williams
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Dates Read: October 29, 2023 - October 31, 2023
Format: ARC / Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: racism (including blackface), sexism, murder, violence

Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a “gifted” craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company. Joan’s gift comes from a magical ability she was blessed with from her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her entire family is Orisha-blessed, they’ve kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually, they just see a faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try their best to blend in with regular society. After a pack has been broken though, the rise of brutal Fae attacks has risen. After saving the son of a cruel Lord from a Fae attack, Joan gets thrusted into the political world of humans and Fae.

The writing really shows the author’s background in theater and acting and of the historical time period (including the treatment of Black people living in London, which I hadn’t known about). 

Some of the parts didn’t interest me as much, but I did really enjoy the fight scenes as I felt like they were well written. There could have been a lot going on, but I would never feel like I was lost but rather right in the middle of swords swinging around.

Overall, this was a fun and action-packed YA fantasy with an alternative history twist. I can see YA fantasy readers and those who love theater enjoying this book with the twist of Shakespeare. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the series to continue with Joan and her story.

The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1) / Katherine Arden, Kathleen Gati (Narrator)The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1) /

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The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1)
By: Katherine Arden, Kathleen Gati (Narrator)
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 347
Published: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Del Rey 
Dates Read: October 12, 2023 - October 19, 2023
Format: Audiobook, Library Book, Paperback

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year. Vasilia isn’t bothered much by the amount of time she has to spend indoors, because she gets to listen to her nurse’s fairy tales while huddled around the fire with her family. 

After Vailisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Vasilia’s new stepmother forbids the family from honoring the household spirits – all the family follows, except for Vasilia, who can see the spirits, knows they must continue. But because the others have stopped, crops begin to fail, evil creatures come closer and closer to their house and village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother is determined to groom the rebelliousness out of Vasilisa in order to marry her off or ship her off for a life in a convent.

I did mostly listen to this in audiobook because I wanted to make sure I could pronounce the Russian names correctly – I was not the first two chapters of the book – but the narrations of Katheleen Gati were amazing and really put me into the storyline of Katherine Arden.

Arden did a fantastic job of taking us on a journey into this magical, historical world of Russian folklore, mythology, and fairytales. She does amazing at teleporting you into the cold, bitter frost of their winters. It’s also so very much a page turner that keeps you hooked from the very beginning – a little slow, but still a page turner. I’m pretty excited to continue on with the series.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to those who love a good historical fiction mixed with mythology and folklore. This is also a good book to read curled up under a thick blanket with a warm drink in hand too.

My Father, The Panda Killer / Jamie Jo Hoang

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My Father, The Panda Killer
By: Jamie Jo Hoang
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 384
Published: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: August 19, 2023 - August 24, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

**THIS DOESN’T LET ME DO SPOILERS – SO THE SPOILER IS IN THE BRACKET WITH THE BOLDED <SPOILER> </SPOILER>

Trigger Warnings: Generational trauma, physical abuse, violence

My Father, The Panda Killer is told through Jane, in San Jose, 1999, as she tries to explain to her 7-year-old brother why their dad can’t control his anger. It’s because back in his own country, in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, 1975 Phúc (rhymes with Duke), is eleven the first time his mother through him through the minefields, fallen airplanes, and debris to a refugee boat. But, before the sun even rises, more than half the people aboard will perish. Fleeing the horrors of this homeland, Phúc’s difficult journey across the Pacific has just started as he fights to survive Thai pirates, starvation, hallucination, and the murder of a panda.

Told in alternating voices of Jane and Phúc, this novel tells the unflinching story of the Vietnam war, its impact on multiple generations, and how one American teenager battles along the path to accepting her heritage and herself.

This novel is definitely unflinching in the struggles and horrors Vietnamese boat people had to endure in order to survive. Jamie Jo Hoang brings to light how those experiences still trickle down generations and how, even in America, first generation children were raised in completely different worlds and conditions.

<spoiler> What got me was that after everything Phúc went through, when he meets Jane’s mom for the first time on the boat over to Guam from Hong Kong, he’s so dismissive of her and also so hard on her. Like – he wasn’t going to clean up after himself because she’s a woman and that’s what women do. And he gets mad at her for playing with a jump rope? We had gotten so much of his story and on that boat trip, it felt like Phúc flipped a switch and I didn’t get it. Maybe it’s because he was still trying to hold onto his Vietnamese culture, but still… </spoiler>

Overall, this is a beautiful novel that gives a wonderful insight on both the Vietnam War and what some first generation Americans (and others) have experienced as a result of the War. I would recommend this to those who want to read more about Vietnamese culture and the legacy of immigrant and refugee experiences.

*Thank you Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

White Bird / R.J. Palacio

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White Bird
By: R.J. Palacio
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 224
Published: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: August 14, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Holocaust 

In White Bird, readers are told Julian’s (who you meet in Wonder) Grandmère’s story as a young Jewish girl hidden away in the barn of a classmate’s in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while now and I needed something I knew I would enjoy before my next read. So, I grabbed this from my library.

There is a bit of a tie in to events in recent days. Which brings up the quote shared at the very beginning of the book,

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana.

I don’t think the author is pointing at comparing what’s happening at the US/Mexico border to the Holocaust as a whole, but more of what the beginning of it looked like. The main character, Sara even mentions the fact that even though she was limited to certain places, or stopped from going into others, that it didn’t really bother her at the beginning. Overall, there is no reason to be unjust to any specific group of people. 

I enjoyed the story and how it was told, especially for the middle grade age group it’s targeted for. Sara’s story is a page turner with many moments of tension. The author does an amazing job at still showing the horrors of war while still making it suitable for middle grade readers. There are also resources in the back few pages to expand the story as well as lists of organizations, biographies, and photos.

The Librarianist / Patrick deWitt

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The Librarianist
By: Patrick deWittt
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: July 4, 2023
Publisher: Ecco Press
Dates Read: June 25, 2023 - July 6, 2023
Format: eBook / ARC

Bob Comet is a retired librarian who spends his days surrounded by books and the little things – such as walks around the neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. One day while on his walk, he encounters a stone still elderly lady with a lanyard that gives information about a senior center down the street. After returning the lady to her center, Bob begins volunteering, hoping to fill the empty void he’s had since retiring. 

While there, it brings up Bob’s complicated life’s history; his adventures as a unhappy child, who, at 11-years-old runs away during the last days of WWII, of the love of his life being won and then stolen away, the story of his once best friend, and the pride and fulfillment he felt being a librarian. Though his life seems simple, it’s still filled with love, humor, and lovable people.

This is such a wonderful, contemporary read. While following Bob’s life, it is a pretty simple life of a librarian, but it’s filled with so many moments that make a person’s life special, and therefore, makes this novel special. It leaves you feeling like you know Bob and his story.

A few parts of this novel were a little slower for me, but none of that deterred me continuing my read. It’s a book about life and it was sweet.

Overall, I can see a lot of Book Clubs reading this book in the future as there are plenty of things to discuss, but I can also see those who want to see the story of the life of an retire librarian whose life didn’t actually always revolve around books.

“Maria understood that part of aging, at least for many of us, was to see how misshapen and imperfect our stories had to be. The passage of time bends us, it folds us up, and eventually, it tucks us right into the ground”

*Thank you Ecco Press and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Winter’s Reckoning / Adele Holmes

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Winter's Reckoning
By: Adele Holmes
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 336
Published: August 8, 2022
Publisher: She Writes Press
Dates Read: June 5, 2023 - June 11, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

Maddie Fairbanks is her dying Southern Appalachian town’s skilled herbal healer, something that, along with the influence of her late husband, has allowed her to have socially progressive views; including taking on a Black apprentice, Ren Morgan. Members of the town may grumble about it, but they know they need them both.

That is until a new reverend blows into town in 1917 and begins to preach on both the importance of racial segregation and the dangers of the harmful “herbal witchcraft” Maddie and Ren partake in. These teachings respark the local KKK chapter and they begin to threaten Maddie and Ren’s family’s – stop what you’re doing and leave town, or there will be trouble.

Will Maddie follow their demands or will she stay and fight to keep the home she’s created in Jamesville.

This took me a little to get into it, but once I did, I got lost in it quite quickly. I’m always interested in herbal medicine and especially the history of it as well, which is why I was interested and picked this book up.

This novel is told in third person, but would focus alternatively between Maddie, Ren, Hannah (Maddie’s granddaughter), and Carol. I could not stand Carol – very narcissistic and it drove me nuts. Of course, once we found out more and more about him, it explained a lot but when we first started out I could tell something was off with him and would roll my eyes every time his section would come up in the reading. Adele Holmes did a fantastic job at writing a despising character.

Overall, I can see those who enjoyed historical fiction enjoying this intriguing story about a herbalist living in a small, southern Appalachian town in 1917. It’s a great insight into that life and the history of women who couldn’t yet be doctor’s, but could mix herbs to keep their loved ones and community going.

*Thank you She Writes Press and Publisher’s Weekly for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Secret Rules of Being a Rockstar / Jessamyn Violet

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Secret Rules of Being a Rockstar
By: Jessamyn Violet
Genre: YA
Number of Pages: 288
Published: April 18, 2023
Publisher: Three Rooms Press
Dates Read: April 20, 2023 - April 28, 2023
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: fat shaming, drug use, alcoholism, anxiety, talk of suicide, abortions

18-year-old Kyla Bell dreams of getting out of her dusty basement and playing the keys professionally, but she hardly gets any support from her parents. One night, her dreams are answered after the rocker Ruby Sky, frontwoman of her favorite band, Glitter Tears, hears Kyla perform and asks her to join the band for their upcoming tour.

In order to be ready for tour, Kyla must drop out of high school in the last few weeks of her senior year and immediately move out to LA to live with a producer who has agreed to put her through “rock star boot camp”.With her feelings towards Ruby emerging and the lifestyle of a rockstar, Kyla has a lot to learn as she stumbles through the 90s music scene of Lose Angelos.

This book definitely doesn’t sugar coat anything about the hard truths of rockstar life in the 90’s – there’s drugs, alcohol, fat shaming, abortions, and the stress of being in the public eye. I’m a ‘92 baby and grew up reading about all the craziness that happened back then, so it was interesting to see it from a band member’s point of view.

I had a little bit of a hard time with this one because of the exploitation of Kyla – which, the hard truths of rockstar life in the 90’s, I get that, but I wanted someone to look out for her better <spoiler> it didn’t seem like it was going to get any better by the end of the story and now I’m sitting here worrying about Kyla… </spoiler>.

Overall, I see a lot of people enjoying this book and behind the scenes of the rockstar life. It wasn’t 100% for me, and that’s okay. The story is interesting and kept my attention throughout it, but I kind of wish there was more to it.

*Thank you Three Rooms Press and LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Who Owns the Clouds? / Mario Brassard

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Who Owns the Clouds?
By: Mario Brassard, Gérard DeBoid (translator)
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 100
Published: January 10, 2023 (1st Published May 1, 2021)
Dates Read: April 14, 2023
Format: Hardcover

Even though it’s been years and Mila is no longer a child, she still holds memories of a childhood torn apart by war. But even with those memories, Mila has a hard time distinguishing between what was a dream versus reality – especially the lines that her and her family stood in – and the clouds…

What a beautifully drawn, heart wrenching graphic novel originally in French, now in English.

There’s not a lot of text in this – it’s almost like a picture book, but with spooky, thought-provoking art about a childhood in war. But then, you’ve got text like this:

“Maybe memories are like clouds. Some, lighters, float high above; others are darker, weighing heavily on our shoulders for a long time, until the day we’re finally ready to let them fly”

Beautiful and highly recommended.

*Thank you Tundra Books and LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review