The Whalebone Theatre

 

Title: The Whalebone Theatre

Author: Joanna Quinn

Publisher: Knopf

 
ISBN: 9780593321076

 

Thoughts: Quinn presents a sweeping family saga and uses a variety of literary forms, but some of that gets lost as the last 40% or so turns into an almost typical WWII novel.

Rating: 4/5

How to Be a Victorian

 

Title: How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life

Author: Ruth Goodman

Publisher: Liveright

 
ISBN: 9780871404855

 

Thoughts: Very thorough and enjoyable glance into Victorian life and the reason why things were as they were.

Rating: 4/5

Little Monsters

 

Title: Little Monsters

Author: Andriene Brodeur

Publisher: Audible Audio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: Good family drama, but there were some family issues that seemed not fully fleshed.

Rating: 3/5

The Man Who Invented Christmas

 

Title: The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits

Author: Les Standiford

Publisher: Crown

 
ISBN: 9781524762469

 

Thoughts: Approachable biography of Charles Dickens centered around his writing of A Christmas Carol, along with a brief history of the holiday.

Rating: 4/5

Mary Anne Saves the Day

 

Title: Mary Anne Saves the Day

Author: Raina Telgemeier & Ann M. Martin

Publisher: Graphix

 
ISBN: 9780545890663

 

Thoughts: Realistic portrayal of middle school friends fighting, but shows how standing up for yourself can make all the difference.

Rating: 4/5

A Thousand Times Before

 

Title: A Thousand Times Before

Author: Asha Thanki

Publisher: Viking

 
ISBN: 9780593654644

 

Thoughts: Beautiful novel about a preternatural connection between daughters and all the mothers who have gone before.

Rating: 4/5

Banyan Moon

 

Title: Banyan Moon

Author: Thao Thai

Publisher: HarperAudio

 
ISBN: n/a

 

Thoughts: This was a powerful novel about family, especially about mothers and daughters, but it had so much potential to also be an amazing gothic.

Rating: 3/5