The President's House / Margaret Truman / 396 pages

This book caught my eye because it was written by Margaret Truman, President Harry Truman's daughter.  She tells the story of the White House.  I thought it would be even more interesting since she had an inside perspective after having actually lived at the White House.  The author writes in easy to read style.  It is as if she is just talking to the reader.  She writes about the history of the White House and how it evolved into what it looks like today.  The book is filled with MANY interesting stories of past first families.  There are lots of photographs as well.  If you like American history I think you would enjoy this book.

Victoria & Abdul / Shrabani Basu / 334 pages

When Abdul Karim came from India as a servant for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, he became so much more.  Queen Victoria was a long reigning monarch and woman ahead of her time, but also mourning the loss of the two most important people in her life: her late husband Albert and her gillie John Brown.  Fascinated with India, a country she ruled, yet was forbidden from visiting, she sought out Abdul and ultimately found in him a friend, confidante, and teacher.

While the book highlighted a time in Queen Victoria's rule that I knew nothing about and offered a glimpse into her personal dealings with India during her time as Empress of India, I found the book to be very dry.  It was hard to find the motivation to get through the whole book.

Imagine Wanting Only This / Kristen Radtke / 278 pgs

Very few books make me want to throw it across the room, burn it, then throw it again. Usually, if I don't like a book, it's because the book is boring or just not that well written. This one made me furious. The only redeeming quality it has is that the artist/author is really good at drawing. It was depressing, navel-gazing, and self-serving. It's autobiographical, and the author chose to capitalize on a sad tale of a man who died tragically, a stranger she didn't even know, without consulting the family of the deceased man to make sure it was okay. Let's just say I won't shed a tear the moment this awful graphic novel is taken out of circulation at my library.

However, if all what I said before doesn't deter you from this book, or has now made you almost morbidly curious, here's a summary of what it is about:

College girl loses her favorite uncle at a young age due to a genetic heart condition that runs in the family. She begins a years-long obsession with ruins, whether they be the ruins of a theater in a dying town, like Gary, Indiana, or Ancient Greek ruins all the way in Europe. Meanwhile, her increasing depression makes her break off an engagement and stop finding meaning in anything in her life, because all of life is just dust and future ruins, doncha know? Interspersed are historical stories that have nothing to do with the author's own life other than to just illustrate the futility of life.

One of my favorite quotes is from Doctor Who, "Sad is happy for deep people." Well, I guess I'm more shallow than I thought because the author's kind of depression was too much for me.

The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA / Doug Mark / 336 pgs

I've really enjoyed this book! The author visited all of those U.S. territories that most of us know nothing about including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and really gets a feel for the culture, the problems, the history, and everything else you could ever want to know about these places that are part of America, and yet not quite. I like how the author describes the islands that he visits. He shows the beautiful and the ugly and really gives life to the people who he meets on his journeys. I highly recommend if you're looking for a good book about travel.

For the ReadHarder challenge I am doing, I am using this book for the Travel Memoir category. 

Hamilton: The Revolution / Jenny McCarter and Lin-Manuel Miranda / 288 pgs

"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by Providence, impoverished, in squalorGrow up to be a hero and a scholar?"
And thus begins the Tony and Pulitzer winning musical on Broadway, "Hamilton." This book was so good. Lin-Manuel Miranda did an amazing job of making sure that the entire musical is within the pages of the book. He also provides a ton of footnotes that explain both the history of Alexander Hamilton and the time period between 1776 and 1804 and his musical inspiration. There's a ton of behind-the-scenes looks at how the musical was conceived, written, edited, changed, and produced. Each of the principal actors are profiled, and those who worked behind the curtain like the choreographer and costume designer. If you either borrow or buy this book, make sure to read the song lyrics while you are listening to the cast album. It was such a great way to take in the whole experience, especially if you, like me, won't ever get to NYC to see it live.

Parchment Maze/ Ludmila Filipove/ 439 pages

The Parchment Maze written by Bulgarian author Ludmila Filipova is written in the style of Dan Brown, but set in Eastern Europe.  Vera Kandilova is trying to separate herself from her archaeologist father by writing a revolutionary thesis that ties a lost Bulgarian civilization to ancient Egypt and Rome based on the Orpheus Cult.  In her search for material to back up her thesis she is directed to the Parchment Maze.  Much to Vera's surprise, she finds multiple clues that imply her thesis is more real than even she imagined.  Vera's search includes plenty of action and adventure along the way.  If the reader likes Dan Brown and Steve Berry, they will enjoy this novel.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania/ Erik Larson/ 430 pages

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania is the latest nonfiction work by author Erik Larson.  In Dead Wake, Larson introduces the reader to several surviving passengers and crew members of the doomed Lusitania, as well as the German U-Boat captain who ordered the firing of the torpedo.  Along the way the reader learns of the anguish of President Wilson with the death of his wife, Ellen, and the turmoil of his courtship with Edith Galt.  Both prove to be a distraction to Wilson with regards to the war in Europe.  The book is well written and makes for an interesting read.  The reader cannot help but feel emotions, if only the ship had sailed faster, if only it had left port sooner.  I found the book particularly interesting given that my husband's Great-grandmother was aboard the Lusitania when the torpedo was fired.  She died shortly after being brought ashore.   For further information and books about the Lusitania see the SCCCLD website.  Also, see more books written by Erik Larson.

The Family Romanov: murder, Rebellion, and the fall of imperial Russia / Candace Fleming / 292 pgs

This book moves back and forth comparing the over-the-top lavish lives of the Romanov's against the
poor, starving peasantry which made up the majority of the country.  Whenever possible, the author uses excerpts from original documents such as personal diaries or newspaper articles that describe the events of the time from a first person perspective.   This really brings the book to life so it is not just rehashing the dates and facts.

This book can be recommended to any teen or pre-teen that is a historical buff.   This book has been nominated for The YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award, ALSC Notable Children's Books - Older Readers, and Cybils Award for Nonfiction.

The Brutal Telling: A Three Pines Mystery / Louise Penny / 384 pages / 11 discs

     Inspector Gamache has returned to the village of Three Pines to try and solve a murder that hits close to home. In the beloved local bistro a body has appeared and no one knows him. Even the owners are perplexed as to his identity. As Gamache begins to follow the twisting trail, he begins to suspect one of his friends, a villager isn't telling all he knows. The village has also seen the historical mansion on the hill turn into a spa. This means direct competition for the bed and breakfast. Is this part of the murder or is it a red herring? Gamache and his team follow all the available clues, uncovering some unpleasant truths about the village's history. Is he on the right trail or is he letting his personal feelings cloud his judgement?
     The fifth volume in the series and it has definitely turned toward a darker tone in voice and the plot. The reader is uncomfortable with what is happening to familiar characters. Has the author been fooling us all along and everyone has terrible dark secrets that will ruin them? One of Penny's best in my opinion. She has turned her fictional world on its ear. I was pulled along by the story even though my mind was screaming "No! No! I don't want to find out anymore!" Our village which seemed a tranquil place has begun turning into something else.The ending has unsettled me so much I am taking a break from my beloved Gamache. I need to come to grips with what has happened. As usual the narrator has done an excellent job. I truly recommend listening to him read this series.

6 Degrees of Reading: Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside by Martin Walker, Death of a Cozy Writer: A St. Just Mystery by G.M. Malliet, Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon.

A Rule Against Murder: A Three Pines Mystery / Louise Penny / 322 pages / 9 discs

     Inspector Gamache is on vacation. He has taken his wife to the beautiful and historical Manoir Bellechasse. They have gone there every year since Gamache asked his wife to marry him. It is a secluded retreat from the pressures of being a policeman. Also at the Manoir is a family reunion though it isn't a happy one. They are there to remember their patriarch and to put a statue in the garden. During a severe thunderstorm the statue falls over and kills a young woman. Gamache is pulled into the family's tragic past while investigating the murder. He finds secrets from the bus boy to the Manoir's owner. Will he figure out what happened in order to save them from themselves?
     This is the fourth volume in the Three Pines series. Gamache is a bit battered from the events from the last novel. He needs time to reflect and gather his strength. The novel's tone has changed a bit from the last few stories. It is a bit darker and not so quick with the puns. Gamache has seen some of his friends betray him and that has caused some hesitation in his thinking. Don't get me wrong. The novel is pure Gamache with his questions, provoking comments and undying love for his wife. We learn even more about the history of Quebec and its peoples. But the change is there. The ending is so surprising and exciting that you realize Gamache isn't done yet. Heartily recommended for mystery and well as history aficionados.

6 Degrees of Reading: A Fine Summer's Day: An Inspector Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd, Vertigo 42: A Richard Jury Mystery by Martha Grimes, A Dangerous Place: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear.