Tag: #Historical

Posted in #Classics

The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

The iconic Miss Marple must investigate the case of a girl found dead in Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, The Body in the Library

It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry?

The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple into their home to investigate. Amid rumors of scandal, she baits a clever trap to catch a ruthless killer.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

It’s seven in the morning. The Bantrys wake to find the body of a young woman in their library. She is wearing an evening dress and heavy makeup, which is now smeared across her cheeks. But who is she? How did she get there? And what is the connection with another dead girl, whose charred remains are later discovered in an abandoned quarry? The respectable Bantrys invite Miss Marple to solve the mystery . . . before tongues start to wag.

From AudioFile

Her old friend Mrs. Bantry has called Miss Marple in again. It seems that the body of a dead blonde lies on the library floor, much to the chagrin of the servants. Miss Marple is only too happy to help, as there’s nothing she likes better than nosing around in other people’s business. Stephanie Cole manages just the right tone for this breezy story of English village life of sixty years ago. Taking you back to a simpler time and place, Cole performs with a chatty intimacy that lets you feel you might be at the next table overhearing (in true Miss Marple fashion) some intriguing goings-on. A wonderful diversion for a long car ride or a quiet winter evening. D.G. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Posted in #BookTours

The Blue & Gray Almanac: The Civil War in Facts & Figures, Recipes & Slang

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree
  • “Help[s] readers to examine this period in history with a more cultural perspective than other books have . . . clear, concise, and crisp . . . fascinating” (San Francisco Book Review).
  • • During the final days of the war, some Richmond citizens would throw “Starvation Parties,” soirees at which elegantly attired guests gathered amid the finest silver and crystal tableware, though there were usually no refreshments except water.
  • • Union Rear-Admiral Goldsborough was nicknamed “Old Guts,” not so much for his combativeness as for his heft—weighing about three hundred pounds, he was described as “a huge mass of inert matter.”
  • • 30.6 percent of the 425 Confederate generals, but only 21.6 percent of the 583 Union generals, had been lawyers before the war.
  • • In 1861, J.P. Morgan made a huge profit by buying five thousand condemned US Army carbines and selling them back to another arsenal—taking the army to court when they tried to refuse to pay for the faulty weapons.
  • • Major General Loring was reputed to have so rich a vocabulary that one of the men remarked he could “curse a cannon up hill without horses.”
  • • Many militia units had a favorite drink—the Charleston Light Dragoons’ punch took around a week to make, while the Chatham Artillery required a pound of green tea leaves be steeped overnight.
  • • There were five living former presidents when the Civil War began, and seven veterans of the war, plus one draft dodger, went on to serve as president.
  • These stories and many more can be found in this treasury of anecdotes, essays, trivia, and much more—including numerous illustrations—that bring this historical period to vivid life.
Posted in Guest Authors

Literary Fiction Perfect for Cold Winter Nights

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

What better way to spend the chilly winter months than curled up with a good book? You can’t go wrong with these stunning picks made up of the latest and greatest in literary fiction. With plenty of settings that will make you want to wrap yourself up in a blanket — including the top of Mount Everest and the coast of northern Newfoundland — you’ll be transported by these captivating literary novels coming out in February 2024.

Bookbub

Posted in Guest Authors

The Best Historical Fiction of 2024

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

We can already tell that 2024 is going to be another fantastic year in the book world! Get ready to be swept away to different times and places by our list of the best new historical fiction. You might visit 14th-century France when you read Wolves of Winter by Dan Jones, or a ranch in Reno in 1950 by picking up The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird — the possibilities are endless. You won’t want to miss any of these highly anticipated historical novels coming out in 2024.

Bookbub