Tag: historical-fiction

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Hana lives a quiet life in Minnesota and likes it that way.

Yet when she becomes aware that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows her past has come to pay an unwanted visit.

Thirty years ago, Hana was someone completely different. She was a teenager growing up in war-torn Bosnia, and her name was Nura Divjak. When her entire family was murdered before her eyes, Nura was thrown into a war she did not want, and a side of her emerged in ways no one could foresee.
Now her past is coming, and the only way to survive is to bring Nura back. No matter what the cost.

A long-time fan of Allen’s books, I was excited to get my hands on this book and purchased it this past May at the Words by the Water author event I helped the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library with.
Of course, as it often happens, the book went to my TBR stack and hung out there until this past month when the Bookies Book Club chose it for their November read. I have to say, I am glad I waited – reading this with a group of 17 ladies made for a much richer experience.

Admittedly, for myself, it was a heavier read than I was planning on. I’m used to a different style from Author Allen Eskens, and at first, I personally struggled engaging with the book. Let’s just say – Bookies to the rescue. After talking with a few of our members over the past few weeks and hearing things such as “I can’t put it down,” “I can’t wait to get back to it!_, “Usually when a book goes back and forth, I like one storyline better than the other, but in this case – I love both!”, as well as “The book is making me think of my own life and where I was at in the early to mid 1990’s and how different my life was…” And a personal favorite comment,
“This is why I joined this book club. To read books like this that I would have never picked up on my own.”

Last night (November 11th, 2025), 15 of us sat in the front room of my house to enjoy a glass or two of wine, delicious food ( we had both Sarma ( a Bosnian dish of cabbage leaves stuffed with beef and spices in a tomato sauce) and Burek ( Hana’s favorite dish – a dough filled patry with beef, potato, onion and spices) as well as so mnay other delicious dishes. The Burek was my attempt, and while it says to roll it in a pastry in a tube shape and then roll up, my dough did not bend well, so tube Burek it was 🙂

Overall – great discussion – very high ratings from the group – on a scale of 1 to 5, the average rating out of the 15 present was 4.75. A crazy high overall rating, and it honestly speaks volumes of positivity about this book. It’s nice to have an engaging read that is not necessarily the easiest, but is definitely a book to consider.
And yes, eventually, I too fell into the rhythm of the read and ended with a personal rating of a 3.75… it was very different than what I was expecting and took me a bit to get into (busy time of year for me too, and I know that contributes) – I am glad I read it.

Rated: 3.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes, and I recommend!
Read Author Again: Yes
Book Club Worthy: Yes! This is an excellent discussion book. Most of us were alive during the Bosnia war ( I was a young mom at the time) – it hits a little different when it is during your lifetime and you can recall where you were during that period of your life, as well as admittedly how little ( we anyway) knew about this war or how little we followed it.

Like Eskens? Be sure to check out The Life We Bury

Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

It is so good to be back in Court ~Sheila

Jane Boleyn served as a Lady in Waiting – almost a right hand- to five of Henry VIII’s wives. After the first, Catherine of Aragon, Jane’s role began to change. As she was often one of the closest to the Queen, she also knew secrets, overheard conversations, and was privy to many things that most were not. This also put Jane in a perfect position to pass important information to assist her in her position in Court and to the most powerful people in England.

Survival in Court meant wearing many masks- a loving wife, a devoted sister, a friend, as well as a confident. Spy was never a role she wanted, but being one gave Jane power, and power gave her access to a front-row seat as history unfolded…

It was in April of 2008 that I read The Other Boleyn Girl with my book club. That book was the start of a deep dive into historical fiction, a genre I knew little about at the time, but fell head over heels into the incredible world of Henry VIII, this era also brought the widespread distribution of the English Bible, and got to court activities such as music, dancing, masquarde balls, sports, and feasting. Honestly if not for the whole “off with your head” thing – I may have enjoyed Court!

Instead, I live vicariously from the safety of these pages about a King who could turn on you in an instant. The brilliance of those who surrounded his world, the names that stayed close, hoping to rise – The Boleyns, Howards, Seymours….to name a few.

I loved this book and having the opportunity to once again pop into Henry’s world and learn more about the names that were hopeful to be next in line, the continuing story of the Boleyns, and this incredible person, Jane, whose own story was that of a pawn, playing her role in a dangerous and fascinating world all the while holding her own moves close to her heart.

Save the date – The Boleyn Traitor will be released to the public around October 14th, 2025. While Author Philippa Gregory has many books on the Tudor Court as well as others of the Era, you do not need to have read any before this book – while I have enjoyed much of the series, The Boleyn Traitor can easily be read as a standalone.

Want a chance to win my copy? Leave a comment here – next Monday, I will announce a winner and email them to send the book to that person.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes – recommended author!
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: Camping and at home
Book Club Worthy: Yes – there is much to discuss about this era, Jane’s life, and of course – Henry.


Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Bookies Book Club Pick)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Based on a true story, this retelling of another remarkable woman pulled from history is well worth your time and attention. We have come a long, long way. ~Sheila

It is Maine, 1789, and Martha Ballard, a Midwife, is requested to examine a body found in the icy waters of the Kennebec River. As a Midwife, she knows much about her community and what goes on behind closed doors, recording in her diary every birth, every stillborn, as well as deaths and debacles, and every detail surrounding the circumstances.
Now, as Martha examines the dead man, she recognises him to be one of two respected gentlemen that had been allegedly involved in a rape a few months back. She also sees this death as not an accidental drowning, but murder.
As Martha lives in a time when women should know their place, and their voice is not always respected, when you could instead get an opinion from a man, her battle for justice is an uphill one When her son, Cyrus, is identified as having been in a fight with this man the same night as his death, Cyrus is accused of the murder. Martha knows she has to find a way to justice, no matter what the cost.

My Book Club, The Bookies, chose this as our read for June. I had this book already downloaded and for the life of me, was under the impression I had never finished it and wasn’t sure why… turns out – I just have a poor memory- not only did I read it, I also reviewed it here, as well as on Goodreads in March of 2024 – both I discovered this morning when I went to write this review. Good grief… I think that is a new one for me.

That all said – without reading what I previously wrote – here are my 2025 thoughts (and yes while listening to this one over the past week, I did recognize that I had some knowledge of this book, so there is hope for me yet… ;P
Martha’s story is compelling – not only is the book well written, it is based on an actual person and facts (historical fiction – the author admittedly fills in blanks and takes liberty to make the story flow). The book and the struggles of women having a voice are timely. I recently finished the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, while certainly not apples to apples – this book gave me some of that same vibe of women struggling for respect and rights.
Often I find some of the more recent books are going for the big shocking “WOW” with nothing to stand behind it but poor writing, loose ends, and a confused reader – this is not one of those books… everything flows well, every storyline comes full circle.
It’s definitely worth the hype surrounding it, and I would absolutely recommend you give this a read.

Bookies Book Club:
The Bookies enjoyed this book very much – there was much to discuss, and women’s rights were definitely part of the discussion. Overall, the rating was a solid 4.5 out of 5. One of our members even stated that when she read this last year, it was her favorite book of the year.
If you are reading this as a book discussion, here are some fun things to include:

Food suggestions – there is not a lot of food talked about in the book, but if you look at the times, here are some thoughts:
Hearty Crusty Bread
A Chowder or Stew (think things you can get from a garden or from animals you raise, like cows, chickens, pigs)
Whole chicken (I went with the rotisserie style I could get from Walmart – already cooked)
Small potatoes, Carrots, Rosemary
Salad
Fruits
And an add-on for us with the Frozen River title – I made frozen Margaritas

Topics to pull for discussion –
Women’s rights ( we had a list of when laws were passed – see below), actually frightening to see how much of this has happened in our lifetime.
Midwifery
Relationships

Rated: 4.25 out of 5
Read Author Before: well, the same book so yes 🙂
Read Author Again: I would- she has a certain style I enjoy
Where Read: Listened on audio between house, car and yard work 🙂

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)9 Comments

Never… NEVER hesitate to read a book by Kristin Hannah ~Sheila

It’s 1965 and it is a changing world. Frankie McGrath is well aware of the Vietnam War. Her brother is serving and her father is proud of his son and all the men fighting their country. But Frankie can not just sit idly by, and when she finds her chance -to do something to join the Army Nurse Corp, she does not hesitate to make the decision that changes her life – for both better and for worse, forever.

I stand by my statement – if you only have room for one book this summer… this is the book. I don’t know why I hesitate when it comes to books that center around war… but I do. While I love a Kristin Hannah book, admittedly this theme gave me pause. It was a little buzz from friends (when did I become such a follower lol) that assured me it so much more than about war – that I dug in.

So – it is all about the Vietnam War… and it isn’t. It’s also about life after the war, and its also (refreshingly so) about the unsung heroes of the war, our medical team that patched up the boys, talked them through surgeries, lost limbs, minor to major bruises, and held their hands as they died. Going a step further – many of these people serving in the makeshift hospitals were women.

I flew through this book on audio – listening every chance I had – while cooking, cleaning, mowing the lawn, driving… it’s beautifully written with just the right amount of history sprinkled through to remind us of those who served, those who suffered, what it was like to return to a world that once was yours but now is different, and how we adjust and survive and not always in the most elegant ways.

HIGHLY recommended. Five Shiny Stars.

Other books I have reviewed by Kristin Hannah:

The Four Winds

Distant Shores

Mystic Lake

Home Front

Winter Garden

Between Sisters

Firefly Lane

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

If you think word of mouth doesn’t work – think again. The rave reviews everywhere I looked caused me to pick up this book and give it a try. I am so glad I did. What an adventure! ~Sheila

Martha Ballard is a midwife and a healer. One day in Maine, Martha is requested to come and examine a body of a man found frozen in the river. Martha knows this man well as he had been documented in her well kept daily journal as a suspect in a rape. But it is 1789, and Martha’s documentation needs a lot more to make this accusation ring true.

As fingers are pointed and stories told of what not only happened to cause the body to be found in the river, but details of incidents in the days prior to the death that can bring a number of things to light.
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The heart of this story really falls into Martha’s incredibly detailed documentation of her whereabouts and visitors – it is a rare for a women of this day and age to read or write and Martha has the ability to do both.

The book was just as engaging as others in my circles were saying it was. As the details come to light I found myself reaching for this one every chance I had to inch my way towards the truth – and when it does come out, its so worth the wait.