I believe I have mentioned this before but January is rarely a month where I hit the ground running. I settle into the new year rather than jump into it. As someone who settles in and focuses on their new year’s goals little-by-little, I find myself still reflecting and thinking a lot about the past year; and, of course, these thoughts include reflections on all the books that I read last year.
Below is a list of several books that I read last year that stood out to me. These are ones that, nearing a year later, I still vividly remember and think, “Oh I loved that book!”. These are not necessarily new titles that you have never heard me discuss before—although a few of them are—but rather they are the ones that I most likely would recommend to friends and family so I am sharing them with you too!
Early American History
The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
This book is set in 1739 and is fleshed out American history. Ms. Boyd took excerpts from the letters of the main character, Eliza Lucas, and true life events to craft this narrative. Eliza was a 16 year old girl growing up in South Carolina on a plantation. Her father was a merchant with aspirations in the West Indies; he left his young daughter in charge of not just one but all three of the family’s plantations. Having heavily mortgaged his properties in order to pursue his political aspirations, Eliza is left trying to make ends meet and to turn a profit on the plantations. To do this, she decided to try to raising indigo—something never before attempted in America. If she is successful, she saves her family. If she isn’t, the family’s future is at stake, including her having to marry, not for love, but to the highest bidder—making her a low dowry bride.
Revolutionary War Books
The Revolutionary War is my favorite time period from American history. In late winter/early spring, my husband and I got hooked watching a Netflix series called, “Turn,” about the spies George Washington employed to help defeat the British. “Turn” was based on real people and real events. The show doesn’t strictly follow the facts, of course, but it got me curious and did wonderful things for my reading life during one of the dreariest times of the year.
Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
This book is based on the events of the revolution that Washington’s spy ring help effect. This particular narrative is based on who the mysterious “lady” agent could be that was supposed to have played an active role in the Culper spy ring. The true identity of the lady agent remains a secret—in fact there are discussions as to whether a lady agent existed at all! The events of this book are true while the story itself is a work of fiction; it is gripping fiction indeed! If you are looking for a book with all the classic elements of spying, adventure, close calls and a dash of romance, this is one you won’t regret reading!
George Washington’s Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
This is a fact based, fast paced account of what we know about the men in the Culper spy ring. To try and decipher what is fact and what is fiction about the Culper spy ring, I recommend reading this title as an introduction, not a conclusive study, of the spy ring.
355: A Novel, The Women of Washington’s Spy Ring by Kit Sergeant
This novel is closely based on the facts of three women who participated as information carriers during the Revolutionary War. I would say it is more of a portrayal of events than a story with a plot. Imagine trying to gather information on the British and safely transfer that information of the Americans—all while having the British living in your home and watching your every move!
My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
This was a slower paced book than I am apt to typically count as one of my very favorites, but I really enjoyed the book’s slower pace and ability to pull me into the events. I knew very little about the Hamiltons prior to reading this book so I found it very informative. This book also shed light on how turbulent it was starting out as a new nation—the nation almost didn’t make it.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat with the storylines of three women who helped crack the German enigma. Beth is brilliant, one of the best minds to work on the enigma. Mab has secrets she desperately wants to keep hidden. Osla wants to be seen as more than a silly debutante. A few years after the end of the war, the three friends who worked on the enigma have had a falling out. Beth has somehow ended up in an insane asylum and she needs her friends’ help to escape before a surgery ruins her mind forever. A note from Beth reaches Osla and Osla wants to help Beth, but Mab is bitter from something that happened during the war. Will Osla and Mab devise a plan to rescue Beth before it is too late? What did happen during the war to tear this group of friends apart?
Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson
This is a story that takes place in Italy during World War II. Nina is sent with a man, Nico, who she doesn’t know, to live under the guise of being his wife in his family’s home.
It is a rocky situation from the start—she is blamed as the reason her pseudo husband left seminary, something the entire family was immensely proud of Nico for achieving. Things start to smooth out but stress is always high as Nico’s exploits to help rescue Jewish people frequently take him away from his home … a fact that does not escape the notice of the Nazis who are stationed in their little village.
Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan
This is a fictionalized account of a real event, the sinking of a ship called the Pulaski that later came to be known as The Titanic of the South. Everly is a young historian who has been recruited to work on the Pulaski exhibit at the museum. Everly stumbles onto the stories of a few young women who were aboard the Pulaski and instantly becomes intrigued—what happened to these women after that fateful night? Everly falls into the research. However, digging up the past also means that she will have to dig through her own personal history and come face-to-face with working through the death of her best friend—something for which she feels terribly responsible.