Books to Read if You Are Visiting Virginia this Summer

Books to Read if You Are Visiting Virginia this Summer

by | Jun 21, 2023 | Book Nook

There is something magical about getting to celebrate Independence Day from the back lawn of the man who penned the Declaration of Independence. This is how I was fortunate enough to spend many an Independence Day growing up. My parents, cousins and I would travel down to Virginia to spend the days surrounding July 4th at my Aunt and Uncle’s home. 

 

Every July 4th Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s retreat home, would hold a bi 4th of July celebration! There were different artisans such as; blacksmiths, weavers, spinners, gunsmiths, and basket makers. There was a sword swallower, and a slack rope walker. You could take a paid tour of the house, or you could wander the grounds for a small admittance fee. It was a blast! 

 

Naturally though, I always enjoyed when I was able to line up some reading to coincide with these visits! If you are planning a visit to Virginia this year, or just wish to visit vicariously, here are some titles to pair with your travels! 

 

America’s First Daughter

If you go to Poplar Forest, Jefferson’s vacation home, then you will get to see where it was that Jefferson and his family fled in hot pursuit by the British During the American Revolution. America’s First Daughter is about Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson’s Daughter. Here was a book about the revolution, a closer glimpse into Jefferson’s personal life, told through the lens of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter. 

While this book starts off happily enough, readers should be aware that Martha did not lead an overly joyous life. There were happy times, but oh so many hard times too. This book accurately portrays the struggles of the day in the new nation as well as Martha’s personal struggles too. A turbulent childhood at times spent fleeing the British, gave way to a fairly happy adolescent spent abroad in Paris as a diplomat’s daughter, then giving way to a marriage colored by abuse. As a woman in the 18th and early 19th century Martha was no stranger to commonplace domestic violence, the loss of children, as well as financial struggles. This book offers a realistic peek into the life that was Martha Jefferson’s. If you are visiting either Poplar Forest, or Monticello this summer this is a must read! 

America’s First Daughter

 

Wolf By the Ears by Ann Rinaldi

Wolf by the Ears is perhaps Rinaldi’s best known work. This is a story of Harriet Hemings, one of Thomas Jefferson’s slaves, long supposed to have been one of the children between Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemings. Harriet wrestles with the desire to know whether she is really a daughter of this man, a man who is opposed to slavery in theory, but who feels that “Slavery in America is like taking a wolf by the ears, you can neither hold it, nor safely let it go.” One thing young Harriet knows though, is that her skin is light, very light—light enough that she could pass for white. If she was offered this chance of freedom would she take it? To take it would mean a life of freedom, but it would also mean turning her back on her heritage and her culture, not to mention never seeing her family again. Could she take this leap? Should she? 

 

Wolf By the Ears by Ann Rinaldi

 

Or Give Me Death by Ann Rinaldi 

We think of Patrick Henry as a man who cried the immortal words, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Henry wasn’t just a statesman and lawyer; he was a father with a family and a wife who was slowly losing her mind, just as our country was trying to gain its independence. Told from the eyes of his young daughter, Anne, we see what home life was like for this man, as he tried against the current of the time to care for his wife at home, while also being a public figure, championing the cause of liberty. 

Or Give Me Death by Ann Rinaldi 

 

In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi

If you are traveling to Virginia this summer, save time to visit Appomattox courthouse, where the south formally surrendered to the north, concluding the Civil War. For a reading companion, pick up In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi. Meet young Oscie Mason, the step daughter of Wilmer McLean, on whose property the Civil War started and, after moving many miles away, the War concluded- the treaty being signed in his parlor! 

 

Even if you are staying close to home this summer, I hope you might take this opportunity to check out one of these titles. Summer is a great time to take time to remember the history that built this nation.

In My Father’s House by Ann Rinaldi

Disclosure

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!

 

Other Posts You May Enjoy: 

Author Spotlight: Books by Ann Rinaldi

Author Spotlight: Susan Meisner

End of Summer Historical Fiction Round 2021

 

Gettysburg Visitor’s Guide and Books pairing 

by | Jun 2, 2023 | Book Nook

I’ve decided to sprinkle in a few posts that are a little different this summer. It’s summer so I hope you get to do some sort of travel. Living in Pennsylvania, one of our favorite places to visit year after year is Gettysburg! Gettysburg is a little historical town which had the unfortunate job of hosting the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and was the turning point of the Civil War. Since my family and I have traveled there most years, we have amassed our favorite things to do and places to go while there and, of course, I have several books I would recommend reading to get more out of your visit—and to enjoy even if you are not able to visit Gettysburg! 

The Battlefield

You can drive, you can take a bus tour, or you can hire a guide to drive you around the battlefield in your car for a personalized experience. One of our favorite ways to experience the battlefield is to bike it! There is something about being out in the open air that allows you to take in the battlefield and what it would feel like to be marching across it, that you just cannot appreciate the same way from a car. 

Reading Companion: Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Museums

The Visitor Center

Roughly 10 years ago they redid the Visitor Center and wow—is it nice! The museum inside the Visitor Center takes you through the Civil War chronologically. While this isn’t imperative if you are trying to see as much of Gettysburg as possible (I would block at least a half day for this), it is a great refresher if you are rusty on your Civil War history. 

Also found inside the Visitor Center is the Gettysburg Diorama—a large painting going all the way around a circular room. A narrator and spotlight explain the parts of the battle depicted in the painting. Again, a great overview of the battle. 

Seminary Ridge Museum

This just recently opened but I am so glad that it did! The old seminary, located on top of a hill known as Seminary Ridge, was used as a lookout point for the battle of Gettysburg. The cupola on top of the seminary gives you a panoramic view of Gettysburg. If you decide to see the museum (which focuses mostly on the history of the seminary and the part it played in the battle of Gettysburg). I highly recommend paying the extra for the cupola tour. You will be able to see and hear about the troop movements. I had been to Gettysburg so many times, but never had as clear of an understanding regarding the actual battlefield logistics as I did after taking this tour.

Museum of Gettysburg

Located on Baltimore Street, my dad and I were poking into the little shops and stores, taking in the bullet holes stills found in the bricks of the houses in Gettysburg, when we happened upon this little museum, which looked more like a house than a museum. What a hidden gem! This museum has artifacts such as a mummy’s head, Adolf Hitler’s foot stool, Marilyn Monroe’s undergarments, an object’s from the Kennedy assassination. At this time, only donations are required to enter this museum so don’t miss it!

Reading Companion: Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

The Horse Soldier

This is a privately owned antique store, which sells antiques such as Civil War uniforms, guns and bayonets from the Civil War, as well all the other detritus from war that you might imagine. Go visit some of the other museums—then come to this one and see the price tag for all the objects you grumbled about having to pay to see—it will put things in perspective! 

Human Interest

Gettysburg Aftermath Night Walking Tour by Grave Digger Tours

If you go to Gettysburg you will see just about every shop on Baltimore Street (one of the main thoroughfares) have nightly ghost tours which you can go on to hear the ghostly history of Gettysburg. I am not a ghost tour person. But I am a huge fan of the aftermath tour! Take a tour of Gettysburg in the evening and hear about how the residents of Gettysburg coped after war left thousands of dead men and horses on their land. Many people moved away due to the stench. Learn what one widow with ten children did to save her family after all the dead left on her property ruined her well’s drinking water…. 

Reading Companion: The Last Full Measure by Ann Rinaldi 

The Jennie Wade House

As bloody as the battle of Gettysburg was, only one civilian was killed during the battle—young Jennie Wade. For a human interest angle take this tour! Though called the Jennie Wade house, this house is in fact Jennie Wade’s sister’s house, who Jennie was staying with for a few days, as her sister had just had a baby. See what life was like for those who had war come to their homes.

Reading Companion: The Slopes of War, a Novel of Gettysburg, by N. A. Perez 

Ten Pin Alley and the Tillie Pierce House

Ten Pin Alley, like a bowling alley, and the Tillie Pierce house are again another great human interest angle to explore if you are visiting Gettysburg. See how young Tillie Pierce survived as a young girl during the battle of Gettysburg. 

Reading Companion: Two Girls of Gettysburg, by Lisa Klein

Other Things to See

Evergreen Cemetery

If you come to Gettysburg, you can’t leave without making a quick stop by Evergreen Cemetery and taking a moment to stand under the arches where Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address. 

Eisenhower’s Estate

Located just off of the battlefield is the Eisenhower estate where you can take a tour of this president’s home! 

Dining

There is no shortage of good places to eat in Gettysburg! While we don’t typically eat out a ton when we come to Gettysburg, a few places we really enjoy and have heard other rave about are: 

O’Rourke’s 

Pub-style food, reasonably priced and very tasty. 

Appalachian Brewing Company 

This brewery has great burgers too! 

Coffee 82

Located on main drag to where many of these shops are located, get your morning started off with a great cup of coffee with some innovative flavor options.

There is no shortage of things to see and do in Gettysburg. We haven’t seen it all! As I’m sure is evidenced by this post, I highly encourage you to add a trip to Gettysburg to your bucket list. If you cannot come now, make sure to visit at some point in the future! 

 

Disclosure

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!

Books Taking Place in the 1800s

by | May 9, 2023 | Book Nook

The Devil in the White City

This is the story of a serial killer and the 1893 World’s Fair. It was by a very close margin that Chicago was granted the privilege of hosting the 1893 World’s Fair; the last World’s Fair had been hosted in Paris and Chicago had a lot to live up to—what could possibly compete with such an engineering feat as the Eiffel Tower? The heads of Chicago’s World Fair are determined to find something… but they also have the monumental task of turning a swamp into a paradise—in less than two years! Paris had four years to prepare for the previous World’s Fair! Will Chicago be able to pull it together in time? Many are convinced they won’t be able to..

Meanwhile not far from where the World’s Fair will take place, young pretty girls are going missing, a conman constructs a creepy building with gas pipes releasing into rooms, and a sound proof vault in the basement… and a doctor who always seems to have a cadaver to sell to one of the many medical universities clambering for skeletons…..

The Personal Librarian

by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Around this same time, in New York there is a young woman by the name of Belle Greener… or Belle Da CostaGreen as she is better known—a name invented by Belle and her mother to go with Belle’s new persona. Belle is a woman of color, although fairly light skinned, is going to pass into white society and into the role of head librarian for JP Morgan’s library. Belle is tasked with acquiring new volumes of books to add prominence to JP’s growing library. In such a role Belle is welcomed into New York’s society, a place only secured by the thread of keeping her true identity a secret. Will she be able to keep up the false front and keep her prestigious role? 

The Blue Tattoo: the Life of Olive Oatman

Just 40 years before the 1893 World’s Fair debuts such feats as the Ferris Wheel, westward expansion has led many to travel west in search of a better life. It is hard to believe such a short amount of time can make such a difference, but in the 1850s people were braving the elements, the unknowns of the trail, and Native American attacks to build a life for themselves in America’s west. Olive Oatman was one such girl. 

Olive and her family were on their way to their better life when they were attacked by the Apache Tribe. Olive and her sister are taken captive and the rest of her family is left for dead, brutally murdered before their eyes. After a year of being kept as slaves by the Apache, Olive and her sister are traded to the Mojave tribe where they are adopted and treated as daughters. Five years after their initial capture, Olive is traded back to the white people, her sister having died. Olive, who has assimilated into her life with the Mojave, as evidenced by the blue tattoo on her chin, now has to assimilate into white society, a task which is nearly impossible given her tattoo marking. This is a work, not of fiction, but of fact, drawn from only the facts known about Olive’s life and a very fascinating read about a resilient woman! 

Disclosure 

Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too! Support this blog here, The Devil in the White City, The Personal Librarian, The Blue Tattoo: the Life of Olive Oatman 

 

New Historical Fiction I Can’t Wait to Read this Year

by | Apr 22, 2023 | Book Nook

Spring to Early summer is a season in the publishing industry, and as such I find myself eagerly awaiting the release of several books! A few of these are by authors who I have talked about before, a few are by authors I am not yet familiar with but am looking forward to reading! Here are the books I am looking forward to reading this year! 

 

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner has become one of my favorite authors; not only for her ability to tell an enrapturing story set against a historical backdrop, but also her books are clean! You don’t have to worry about what you might encounter within the pages of her books! 

 

Her latest book Only the Beautiful tells the story of 17 year old Rosanne in California in 1938. Rosanne sees flashes of color according to different sounds that she hears, a secret she swore to her dying mother that, she would not disclose to anyone. Later, in a moment of vulnerability, she breaks this vow and soon after also finds herself pregnant. She is then sent to a place where inherited “flaws” are not tolerated…

 

In 1947 Helen returns home to California, after spending the war years witnessing the horrors of what trying to purify a race can cause. Helen begins to learn what really happened to her friend, Rosanne, and soon realizes that while a war was just fought in Europe, there are still battles to be fought at home too. 

 

 

Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt

Ms Gerstnblatt is a new author to me but I am looking forward to this historical fiction novel set in Nantucket in 1846. Many of the women who lived in Nantucket at this time enjoyed more freedoms than women in other regions at this time period; their husbands were largely sailors who were gone for months and even years at a time. Eliza Macy turns against her progressive ideals and targets Meg Wright, a pregnant free black woman who is trying to relocate her store to main street. Then there is Maria Mitchell who loves running Nantucket’s Atheneum and enjoys spending her nights observing the night sky, but she shoves down her heart’s deepest desires, which threaten to break through. Then one July evening a fire breaks out in town and quickly grows. Everything these three women own is at stake and they are forced to decide if working together to rebuild their lives is worth working together. 

 

The Cuban Heiress by Channel Cleeton

Ms Cleeton’s books never fail to immerse into the world of the character’s. Set in 1934 on a luxury cruise ship, Catherine Donhan and Elena Palacio find that their pasts are colliding. Catherine is an heiress and seems to have it all- except for the fact that it’s all a lie. As soon as her ship sets sail Catherin’s life is threatened and she must team up with a jewel thief in order to discover who wants her dead and why. Elena has been betrayed and left penniless, returning to Havana will give her the chance to right the wrong that has been done to her… but she is hungry for revenge and the target of the fury is aboard ship… Set aboard the SS Morro Castle this story was inspired by the true story of the SS Morro Castle

 

The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen

Again Lynn Cullen is a new Author to me, although I have heard of her Other book, Mrs Poe. This novel is based on the true story of a woman who is applying the same determination to finding a cure for polio as she did to rise out of poverty and become a doctor. The Woman With the Cure is set  in America in the 1940s and 1950s polio is a petrifying illness. While many of her colleagues are racing to see who can come up with a vaccine first, Dorothy Horstmann just wants the world to have a cure. She searches out the virus where it dwells, in the blood. Her discovery thrusts her closest colleague to the front of the vaccine race, and Dorothy is asked to validate his vaccine, while receiving little credit for the part she played in it… 

 

These are the books I am looking forward to this year; what about you? What are some of the titles you can’t wait to get your hands on? I’d love to hear from you! Connect with me on social media, on pinterest or Instagram @ EssentiallyEmmaMarie!

 

 

 

 

 

Great Book Club Discussion Books

Great Book Club Discussion Books

by | Apr 2, 2023 | Book Nook

 

 I have read several books lately that, yes, have been compelling reads, but more than that have made me think about them after I finish reading them. These are books of substance with thought provoking themes that would make great discussions for book clubs! These books were not light reads, but were still ones that I was glad to have picked up and that I look forward to discussing with others who have read them.

 

The Yellow Wife

by Sdeqa Johnson

This one had some disturbing content. It is one thing to know about the atrocities committed from one race to another, but it is another thing to read about these experiences in the firsthand narrative. That disclaimer aside, I was glad I read this book! My attention was held the whole way through it!

 

The main character of this book, Pheby Delores Brown, was based loosely on the story of a woman who really lived. Pheby is the illegitimate daughter of a plantation owner and as such has been afforded certain rights not usually granted to a slave; she has also been promised her whole life that she will be freed on her 18th birthday, a date she eagerly awaits. Then without warning Pheby is sold, ripped away from the life she knows and is sold to a man known as the Jailer, who has gained his wealth selling people into slavery and disciplining any slave who attempt to run away. Pheby becomes his unofficial wife—the mother of children who he claims. As the mother of these children she is treated better than other slaves but a slave she still is. She is forced to ready young slave girls who come ready for auction; Pheby must help these girls to look their best so they can fetch the best prices before the auction where they will be sold into a life of prostitution. Pheby despises the roll she plays in these girls lives, but what would happen should she refuse?

 

The Children’s Blizzard

by Melanie Benjamin

 

It was an unusually warm day in the middle of winter 1888, after a long stretch of bitter cold, spirits were light as people in the territories of Nebraska and Montana went about their daily lives. Most were dressed lighter than they normally would be that fateful day. It was nearly time for school to dismiss when the air started to change and a blizzard began. Many of the teachers in these schools were young women—barely 18 years in many cases—that had to make what they didn’t know at the time to be life and death decisions. Should these teachers send the children home from school early or wait it out in the school house? The children could be caught and perish in the cold, but how long would the blizzard last? Would the flimsy school houses stand up against the blizzard?

 

We follow mainly three characters, fictional though somewhat inspired by people who really lived, as they face these fateful days. Who would survive and who wouldn’t? And how will the others live with the decisions they made?

 

Ribbons of Scarlet

by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Heather Webb

 

The French Revolution was inspired in part by the success of the American Revolution but went far differently than the American Revolution did. Through the pages of this book we follow six different women who all hail from different stations in life and have different outlooks on the Revolution. This book is a collection of six stories interwoven by six different authors (one author assigned to each story) which gives this book depth and character as each author uses their expertise to depict the circumstances surrounding their character. I greatly enjoyed learning more about the French Revolution and enjoyed the differing perspectives this book offered, but I confess, books of this nature are not my favorite from a purely enjoyment-focused point of view as I just start to really get into one character’s story when it’s time to switch characters! Still this book offers a lot of topics for consideration that we might think to be contemporary in nature but which were, in fact, still being fought for over 250 years ago!

 

Being Mortal

by Awtul Gwande

 

This book is non-fiction but deals with themes we all have to think about sooner or later. Gwande is a physician and has taken a close look at the aging process and how the elderly are treated in this country (America). Being of Indian descent, he saw the aging process of his grandfather in a country where the elderly live at home among the different generations. Living out one’s old age at home among family has long been regarded as the paragon to which it would be nice for us all to aspire, but Gwande points out the difficulties with this style of living also. Gwande goes on to discuss the pluses and minuses of assisted living centers and nursing homes; the last part of this book discusses medical treatment in the end stages of life. If doctors discussed more straightforwardly the prognosis of the terminally ill would it allow patients to make the discussion of ending treatment sooner in exchange for fewer higher quality months or years, rather than perhaps living for an extra year that depletes the patient so much then cannot enjoy it? As you may have gathered, Being Mortal is not a light read but if you pick this one up I think that you will be glad that you did!

 

P.S. If you know of a friend who enjoys a thought provoking read please share this post with them!

 

 

 

Books to Read When You Feel Stuck

Books to Read When You Feel Stuck

by | Mar 9, 2023 | Book Nook

We all go through seasons when we feel stuck. Maybe life isn’t going the way we want it to and we need some encouragement. Perhaps you feel like your creativity has been taken away and for the life of you, you can’t come up with a fresh idea to save your life. Or, maybe you have a list of things you’ve been needing to get around to and you just haven’t been able to make yourself do it. In the meantime the to-do list backs up more, and more, making it even more difficult to get started! I’ve experienced all of those things at one point or another and the following is my prescription, if you will, of books that can help inspire us when we need a little nudge!

The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman

We face on average more than 35,000 decisions to make every single day—that’s a lot! No wonder many of us suffer from decision fatigue and by the end of the day we end up zoning out in front of the TV. It’s hard enough to make the mundane decisions in life but when it comes to making bigger decisions—whether to move to a different area or stay put, whether to look for a new job or continue working one we don’t love, we usually put these decisions off. Emily admits to being a chronic over-thinker and a person who has always struggled to make decisions. In The Next Right Thing, Ms. Freeman sets forth a simple, biblical framework that has helped her (and now me) make decisions. Sometimes we don’t have to have the whole journey figured out in front of us, sometimes we need to just take the step of doing the next right thing that we can see to do. Then the next right thing, and the next.

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

So often we look at constraints that are put on us as hindrances to our creativity instead of looking at these obstacles as tools that can help inspire our creativity. Ms. Tharp, in her career as a well-known choreographer, gives various examples throughout the book of instances when obstacles such as a tight budget or a really short deadline, forced her to buckle down and look for ways to make do. You may not think of yourself as a creative person but we all have to use creativity in our lives, from day-to-day problem solving, to coming up with innovative solutions at work. This book gives examples of how obstacles were overcome as well as exercises you can do to get your creativity flowing!

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin

Do you waste time feeling sorry for yourself? What about worrying about pleasing others all of the time? Do you resent the success of others? These topics as well as 10 others make of the substance of this book. Ms. Morin, a psychology professor and psychotherapist, lost her new husband at a very young age; she then had to figure out how to cope with a life she had never imagined. That experience combined with training as a therapist led her to study what the thought habits are of people who have overcome devastating obstacles in their lives. You may not have any huge obstacles, such as a spouse dying shortly after you had gotten married, but we all have obstacles that we face on a daily basis and this book gives tangible tools of how you can start working through some of these mindset blocks.

168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam

Would you like to take that class in the evenings? Finish organizing your basement? Read that great work of literature but just feel as though you don’t have the time? Not having time is one of our most often used excuses of why we don’t do things. But we do have time. Through lots of research Ms. Vanderkam sheds light on where we usually spend our time, ways we can save time, things we might not think of to batch or outsource. Nothing gets me all excited like a good time management book (I know, I’m a little pathetic) and I loved the analytical look that this book took to examining where our time goes, and how we can reclaim it to do the things that are most important to us.

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

While time management books might be the most enthralling thing for me to read, books on habit are right up there with it! In Better than Before Ms. Rubin takes us along her journey to develop new, better habits. We might not be perfect after developing these habits, but we will be better than before! I have a whole post on some of the habit books I’ve read (check out that post here: How to Create Better Habits in 2022) but Better than Before remains one of my favorites for its tangible takeaways and the overview Ms. Rubin offers of many of the different ways to instill a new habit and what methods worked best for her.

I hope these books help to motivate you and inspire you to take the action you’ve been putting off taking in your life, as they motivated me! By being judicious with how we spend our time, taking control of our thoughts, and not overthinking some of our day-to-day decisions we can stop wasting time, and put our efforts into what really matters to us in life, and start becoming the people that God created us to be!