krin5292 - aNobii

Books (421)

historical f… Added (Newest) Title (A to Z) Title (Z to A) Rating (Highest) Rating (Lowest) Finished (Newest) Finished (Oldest) Published (Newest) Published (Oldest) Added (Newest) Added (Oldest)

- The Alchemist's Daughter (16)
- By Katharine McMahon
- Finished on Jan 2, 2010
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Alchemist's Daughter

My thoughts

This was a great book to read at the end of one decade and the beginning of another. I liked how gradually Emilie learns how her isolation has left her ignorant of not only the city life in London but how others perceive her.

Is this helpful?

— Apr 11, 2010 | Add your feedback
- The Book Thief (1244)
- By Markus Zusak
- Finished on Mar 6, 2009
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Book Thief

1 person find this helpful
My thoughts

This was a beautifully written, thought provoking book about words, friendship, hope and love despite fear and uncertainty. I especially liked the interactions between Liesel and the people around her. I also liked Death as a narrator who sees both the good and bad in humans.

Is this helpful?

— May 26, 2009 | Add your feedback
- A Sundial in a Grave: 1610 (5)
- By Mary Gentle
- Finished on Jun 6, 2009
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
A Sundial in a Grave: 1610

My thoughts

I enjoyed this historical fiction filled with adventure and intrigue set in 17th century France and England. At first, it seemed slow to me, but once Rochefort and Dariole meet Saburo and head to England, the pace definitely picked up.

Is this helpful?

— Aug 2, 2009 | Add your feedback
- Locked Rooms (18)
- (Mary Russell Novels)
- By Laurie R. King
- Finished on Mar 11, 2008
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
Locked Rooms

My thoughts

This was a good mystery set in post-earthquake San Francisco in the 1920s. I liked the alternating viewpoints between Holmes and Russell as well as the interactions between Holmes and Dashiell Hammett.

Is this helpful?

— Apr 17, 2008 | Add your feedback
- The Final Solution (89)
- A Story of Detection
- By Michael Chabon
- Finished on Mar 10, 2008
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Final Solution

My thoughts

This was a quiet, contemplative mystery regarding a missing parrot who may know some secret information. While the mystery itself was not that engaging, I did enjoy reading about Sherlock Holmes in his retirement years and how taking care of bees became a solace to him after years of detection.

Is this helpful?

— Apr 17, 2008 | Add your feedback

- Sister Noon (8)
- By Karen Joy Fowler
- Finished on Feb 29, 2008
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
Sister Noon

My thoughts

This book was an interesting historical fiction set in late 19th century San Francisco. Appearances, both real and imagined, are important as well as maintaining one's reputation. I liked how Lizzie gradually broke away from convention to find her own path without relying on the opinions of others.

Is this helpful?

— Mar 11, 2008 | Add your feedback
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (228)
- A Novel
- By Lisa See
- Finished on Jan 21, 2008
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

1 person find this helpful

This was a moving book about friendship and how different perceptions can affect it. I also learned a lot about women's lives and customs in 19th century rural China.

Is this helpful?

— Jan 24, 2008 | Add your feedback
- The Mauritius Command (46)
- By Patrick O'Brian
- Finished on Jan 12, 2008
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Mauritius Command

My thoughts

Like previous Aubrey-Maturin books, this one took me back in time to the Napoleonic Wars and to faraway places. I liked the interactions between Dr. Stephen Maturin and his friend Jack Aubrey. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Desolation Island.

Is this helpful?

— Jan 14, 2008 | Add your feedback
- The Man from St. Petersburg (96)
- (Signet)
- By Ken Follett
- Finished on Dec 29, 2007
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Man from St. Petersburg

My thoughts

This book was a good mix of historical fiction and thriller set in the months leading up to World War I. Though the characters at times seemed two-dimensional, the relationships and events made them come alive now and again.

Is this helpful?

— Dec 31, 2007 | Add your feedback
- The Last Town on Earth (31)
- A Novel
- By Thomas Mullen
- Finished on Nov 8, 2007
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Last Town on Earth

My thoughts

It's days later, and I'm still thinking about this book. Choices people make, even with the best intentions, don't always work in the long run. This book is a compelling look at how an epidemic during wartime affects a small town in early 20th century America in ways both large and small.

Is this helpful?

— Nov 20, 2007 | Add your feedback

- The Poe Shadow (101)
- A Novel
- By Matthew Pearl
- Finished on Oct 24, 2007
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Poe Shadow

My thoughts

This book had a good attention to detail as I learned a lot about Baltimore and Paris in the late 1840s-1850s. I did find that the plot sometimes dragged a bit as Quentin's personal fate overshadowed the mystery of Poe's death, but it was nicely wrapped up at the end. I also liked Pearl's notes at t ... (continue)

This book had a good attention to detail as I learned a lot about Baltimore and Paris in the late 1840s-1850s. I did find that the plot sometimes dragged a bit as Quentin's personal fate overshadowed the mystery of Poe's death, but it was nicely wrapped up at the end. I also liked Pearl's notes at the end as he explains how he used actual newspaper quotes and letters throughout the narrative.

Is this helpful?

— Nov 8, 2007 | Add your feedback
- Perfume (934)
- The Story of a Murderer
- By Patrick Suskind
- Finished on Sep 9, 2007
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
Perfume

1 person find this helpful
My thoughts

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille - human or monster? Both? Just when I found myself feeling sympathetic to this young man who grew up without human kindness, the monster side of him would emerge and I could sense his scorn for people he fooled with his pretense of humanity. This was a beautifully written bo ... (continue)

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille - human or monster? Both? Just when I found myself feeling sympathetic to this young man who grew up without human kindness, the monster side of him would emerge and I could sense his scorn for people he fooled with his pretense of humanity. This was a beautifully written book about the importance of smell that we all take for granted and how one man with an incredible gift took advantage of people.

Is this helpful?

— Sep 13, 2007 | Add your feedback
- Labyrinth (258)
- By Kate Mosse
- Finished on Oct 13, 2009
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
Labyrinth

My thoughts

This was a good fictional account of the 13th century Albigensian Crusade (also known as the Cathar Crusade) in which the French Catholics in the northern part of France attacked the Cathars, a Christian sect, in the Languedoc in the south. I liked how these events were portrayed in the lives of Ala ... (continue)

This was a good fictional account of the 13th century Albigensian Crusade (also known as the Cathar Crusade) in which the French Catholics in the northern part of France attacked the Cathars, a Christian sect, in the Languedoc in the south. I liked how these events were portrayed in the lives of Alais, her sister Orianne, her husband Guilhelm, and her father, Bertrand.
The 21st century scenes were not as good as the 13th century ones. I wanted to know more about how various characters were counterparts to the 13th century ones and many characters had similar names which added to the confusion. Still, I liked how Alice discovers the truth about her ancestor, Alais.

Is this helpful?

— Nov 22, 2009 | Add your feedback
- March (78)
- A Novel
- By Geraldine Brooks
- Finished on Jul 30, 2007
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
March

My thoughts

I enjoyed this historical fiction set in the early 19th century and in the early years of the U.S. Civil War. I liked reading about the Underground Railroad, John Brown, and the transcendentalist movement (Thoreau, Emerson). I think it helps to have read Little Women first so March's descriptions of ... (continue)

I enjoyed this historical fiction set in the early 19th century and in the early years of the U.S. Civil War. I liked reading about the Underground Railroad, John Brown, and the transcendentalist movement (Thoreau, Emerson). I think it helps to have read Little Women first so March's descriptions of his wife and daughters become more familiar.

Is this helpful?

— Aug 21, 2007 | Add your feedback
- The Cloud Sketcher (4)
- A Novel
- By Richard Rayner
- Finished on Jul 16, 2007
  
  Review
- Add...
  - My Shelf
  - Wish List
The Cloud Sketcher

This was a great book of historical fiction set in Finland in the early 1900s and New York City during the jazz age of the 1920s. Reading it, I could almost hear the music playing and the men working on the steel girders of the growing skyscrapers. The characters also came to life with their hopes a ... (continue)

This was a great book of historical fiction set in Finland in the early 1900s and New York City during the jazz age of the 1920s. Reading it, I could almost hear the music playing and the men working on the steel girders of the growing skyscrapers. The characters also came to life with their hopes and fears.

Is this helpful?

— Jul 17, 2007 | Add your feedback