The Queen's Coronation by Jennifer Ryan

THE QUEEN'S CORONATION by Jennifer Ryan (The Kitchen Front and more) is a work of historical fiction set in early 1950’s Britain. Based in large part on reminiscences from her grandmother, Ryan has written numerous books set during WWII and I would recommend those over this latest. Here, readers will again find women building a community and supporting each other, but this book seemed to focus more on their problems and to be more repetitive than Ryan’s other novels. THE QUEEN'S CORONATION is still a good story involving Caroline, an assistant dresser to the Queen; Lucy, a beautiful aspiring singer who is taken advantage of; and Miranda, a self-centered, independent newspaper woman. Because of events in their pasts (an out of wedlock pregnancy, potential for stepparent abuse; and widowhood), each of these women struggles with her own feelings of inadequacy. Whereas Ryan’s books are often more about a group of women actively encouraging each other, this one seems to focus on the individual plights and the unhappiness and abandonment faced by Caroline, Lucy, and Miranda. Earlier works are more uplifting; this one compensates with some “inside” details on the coronation and the young queen as she, too, copes with 1950s gender stereotypes and expectations.

The Mountains We Call Home by Richardson

THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME by Kim Michele Richardson is a work of historical fiction subtitled “The Book Woman's Legacy.” It continues the excellent series which began with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, followed by The Book Woman’s Daughter. This time, readers find Cussy Mary, a young woman whose skin appears blue due to genetic factors, in jail for marrying a white man, Jackson Lovett. It is the early 1950s (prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia) so the partners are separated and imprisoned. This is a hard book to read at first as Cussy works long hours in the prison kitchen and laundry, amidst harsh conditions. Eventually, she and the readers find hope and some respite as she is assigned librarian duties and begins to transform life for other inmates through literacy and the escape that books often bring. Concerned with freedom and bodily autonomy, there are many sad aspects, including talk of lobotomies, a botched death sentence, and threatened abortion. This title is a LibraryReads Hall of Fame selection and for interested book groups, a Reading Group Guide is included which also explores rural vs. urban life and several social issues. Library Journal describes THE MOUNTAINS WE CALL HOME as “a deeply satisfying companion novel … exploring injustice, belonging, and the transformative power of literacy with compassion and grace.” Kim Michele Richardson is herself passionate about literacy and has honored the Pack Librarians by founding an initiative called Courthouses Reading Across Kentucky, establishing Little Free Libraries across the state.

100 Rules for Living to 100 by Dick Van Dyke

100 RULES FOR LIVING TO 100 by Dick Van Dyke is subtitled “An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life.” I particularly enjoyed listening to the audiobook where narrator Tom Bergeron does an excellent job of channeling Van Dyke. The tone is reflective and friendly, and Van Dyke readily admits that there may not be exactly 100 rules, but he offers many funny stories and valuable insight. These tales span eight or nine decades and center on family members as well as acting and musical colleagues. I truly enjoyed and would definitely recommend. In fact, I plan to listen a second time!

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND by Patti Callahan Henry contained many of the elements in her earlier The Secret Book of Flora Lea, including dual time periods, setting in England, and a sense of a fairy world/fantasy. In this new novel, Henry introduces Clara Harrington, a young, divorced award-winning illustrator, and her mother, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, who was famous for publishing a book as a young child, but who disappeared twenty-five years ago when Clara was eight. Clara has a daughter Wynnie, now also eight, and those two travel to London in 1952, searching for news of Clara’s mother because Charlie Jameson has found some of her papers after his father’s death. Through another quirk of fate, they end up at Charlie’s family home in the Lake District, a beautiful setting that reinforces the other-worldliness of this story even though it is based in part on a real person. There are quite a few coincidences and some repetition, but THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND was a LibraryReads selection for March and will appeal to readers looking for a bit of mystery and romance combined with introspection about mother-daughter relationships.

Christmas with the Queen

CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is a work of historical fiction spanning the years from 1952, when Queen Elizabeth gave her first Christmas speech, to 1957. I had really enjoyed Hazel Gaynor’s The Last Lifeboat, but found this latest collaborative offering to be more predictable, though still entertaining. CHRISTMAS WITH THE QUEEN is told from three points of view: mainly Olive Carter, an unwed mother and young reporter with the BBC, and Jack Devereux, a budding chef who suffers a loss and ends up working for the royal household, although Queen Elizabeth is also quoted and adds some commentary. Olive and Jack have known each other for a long time (flashbacks to 1945) and the spark of attraction never seems to line up in a more permanent way which involves much of the story’s tension. If readers liked The Crown, they will enjoy the behind the scenes glimpses involving the royals, their homes, and yacht. The authors clearly have a great deal of affection for Sandringham, in particular, and make that evident in their final note as well as through the descriptions in the novel itself. Gentle and fun with a festive air.

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Bradley

WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST by Alan Bradley is the newest Flavia de Luce Novel (Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and many more; for example, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches). Once again Bradley’s opinionated and daring young detective sets out to solve a murder while proving that her housekeeper, Mrs. Mullet, is innocent. Flavia has been described as a combination between Eloise and Sherlock Holmes; she certainly loves her chemistry experiments and clever wordplay. Her internal dialogues are such fun; for examples “I know how suspicious minds work because that's how my mind works. It is not always easy being blessed with a superior brain.” Or, more seriously, “For the first time in ages, I wanted to cry. I wanted to have a good old-fashioned wail: a healthy old heartbreaking howl. But why bother when there was no one here to hear it?” As Flavia ages and her sisters develop their own lives, it appears that her younger (and often annoying) cousin, Undine, may take a larger role in investigating and in perpetuating the sometimes naïve innocence and lucky thinking needed to beat the local inspector to the true perpetuators. Dogger, loyal servant and dear friend to Flavia, is indispensable, too, in helping unravel motives in the death of Major Greyleigh, formerly a public hangman. This series offers readers a charming and humorous scramble of mystery and introspection. A LibraryReads September 2024 Hall of Fame selection, WHAT TIME THE SEXTON'S SPADE DOTH RUST received a starred review from Booklist (“an endlessly entertaining amateur young sleuth who has much to teach her elders”). 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

THE BRIAR CLUB by Kate Quinn (The Diamond Eye) is another excellent piece of historical fiction deserving its LibraryReads selection for July. Here, Quinn focuses on the inhabitants of a small Washington, D.C. boardinghouse in the 1950s and the efforts of one woman, Grace March, to create a community. Her Thursday night suppers feature a favorite recipe (e.g., Swedish Meatballs, Eight Layer Honey Cloud Cake) from one of the boarders. Chapters tend to focus on individual characters like a career-minded young women, Nora, who is being courted by a member of an organized crime family or a young mother, Fliss, who struggles with her emotions while her husband is stationed overseas. Another is an older immigrant, Reka, who loves art; plus, there is former baseball player Bea and the children (hardworking teen Pete and little sister Lina who learns to bake) of the rather strict and demanding proprietress. These “misfits” do fashion a family of sorts and pull together in surprising ways at the very end when violence strikes within the walls of Briarwood House. Quinn also offers commentary on class, on women’s rights, and on the politics – particularly McCarthy’s intimidating tactics – of the day and points to Margaret Chase Smith (Declaration of Conscience speech) as an inspiring figure. THE BRIAR CLUB received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. 

Our Hidden Conversations by Michele Norris

OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS by Michele Norris, an award-winning journalist, offers an excellent and fascinating look at “What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity.” As described in this Washington Post article, she began The Race Card Project several years ago, using postcards to collect people’s 6 word comments on race. Her book is filled with those statements, often with accompanying stories, background context, and photos; at one point, she refers to it as a scrapbook. Some content will seem familiar, perhaps, and other chapters will surprise, maybe even shock, readers. As Norris writes, “the people who spend time with The Race Card Project might not find common ground, but they are exposed to new ideas and worlds beyond their realms.” Due to the uniqueness of each contributor's experience and the willingness to show vulnerability, OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS is inspiring, honest, and thought-provoking. One of the most haunting comments: “after all, if you've paid any attention to how minorities have been treated in this country over centuries, you might reasonably be concerned about becoming one.” OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS received a starred review from Booklist (“an eye-opening read and …. wide-angle look at others' thoughts on race”). Highly recommended.

Norris points out that she is compiling a piece of the American story that we normally don’t get to hear; in addition to her amazing book, you can hear and see more on NPR’s special series site from roughly ten years ago. And, for those intrigued by Norris’ postcard project, Six Word Memoirs have been with us from Not Quite What I was Planning (2008) to I Can't Keep My Own Secrets (from teens in 2009) to A Terrible, Horrible, No Good Year (filled with pandemic reflections in 2021). Concise yet clever opportunities for reflection.  

PLEASE NOTE: Michele Norris will be speaking on January 19 at 11:30 Central time on Washington Post Live. More details are available at this link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/01/19/michele-norris-our-hidden-conversations-about-race-identity/

Added: Here is an interview with her from PBSNewsHour