Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/21/2012
ISBN-13: 9780062188502
ISBN-10: 006218850X

In the early 1900s, solitary Talmadge tends his orchard in Washington State's Wenatchee Valley, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. When two pregnant young runaways, Jane and Della, show up on his property, Talmadge -- still haunted by the disappearance of his sister Elsbeth fifty years ago -- offers them sanctuary, hoping to protect them from the violent, opium-addicted brothel owner who wants the girls back. His decision, based more on an obsession with past events than any understanding of the current situation, will alter his life -- along with that of the girls -- forever. Don't miss this "eloquent, moving" debut (Publishers Weekly).

Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/28/2012
ISBN-13: 9780061231452
ISBN-10: 0061231452

Narrated by her closest friend, this novel recounts the life of Xenia Grigoryevna, patron saint of St. Petersburg. After Xenia loses her family at a tender age, she becomes a singer in the Imperial choir, marries a handsome military officer, and -- in the wake of a terrible, fateful vision -- loses him, along with their child. Reeling from the tragedy, Xenia relinquishes all her worldly possessions and takes to the streets, where she ministers to the poor. Alas, Xenia's behavior as a "holy fool" incurs the displeasure of the royal family, who view her actions as a criticism of their extravagant lifestyle. Readers interested in 18th-century courtly life in Russia may also want to check out Eva Stachniak's The Winter Palace, which traces Catherine the Great's rise to power.

Publisher: Crown Publishers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/14/2012
ISBN-13: 9780307953032
ISBN-10: 0307953033

Having portrayed the opulent, ultimately doomed court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in Madame Tussaud, author Michelle Moran turns her attention from pre-Revolutionary France to the reign of Napoleon Boneparte. This dramatic, richly detailed novel unfolds from the perspective of three individuals: Marie-Louise of Austria, who becomes Napoleon's second wife after he casts aside the Empress Joséphine; the emperor's sister, Pauline, whose incestuous relationship with her brother and obsession with ancient Egypt fuel delusions of becoming the new Cleopatra; and Pauline's Haitian servant, Paul, whose mixed-race status and intimate knowledge of the Bonepartes make him a particularly insightful outsider.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/21/2012
ISBN-13: 9781451642964
ISBN-10: 1451642962

Although there's no evidence that iconic nurse Florence Nightingale and author Gustave Flaubert ever met, it's a matter of historical record that both traveled up the Nile in 1850 for a sightseeing tour of Egypt's magnificent monuments. Having just turned down a marriage proposal, prim, privileged Florence yearns to escape her disapproving family and decide for herself what course her life will take. Flaubert, reeling from the failure of his first novel, wallows in self-pity and debauchery -- drinking, whoring, and writing pornography while desperately hoping for literary inspiration to strike. Although they initially appear to have little in common, these two lost souls meet and form a strong bond as they realize that they are, in many ways, kindred spirits.

Publisher: Scribner
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/31/2012
ISBN-13: 9781451681734
ISBN-10: 1451681739

In 1918, highly decorated but emotionally scarred World War I veteran Tom Sherbourne takes a position as a lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, a small and isolated island off the coast of Australia. Several years later, Tom and his wife Isabel encounter a boat that's washed ashore, carrying a dead man and a live baby girl. Isabel, who has suffered multiple miscarriages and a stillbirth, believes that the infant is a gift from God -- and convinces her husband that they should keep the child. Tom acquiesces, but their decision will have dramatic consequences for both, particularly after they discover more about the baby's origins. Booklist

First Chapter  

Publisher: First Second
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/04/2007
ISBN-13: 9781596431010
ISBN-10: 1596431016

Did you know that the first earthling launched into space had four legs, not two, and was "recruited" from the streets of Moscow in 1957? The Space Race between the United States and the former Soviet Union had begun, and the Soviets desperately wanted a quick follow-up to their success with Sputnik -- which meant sending a living creature into space. This graphic novel tells the story of Laika, the curly-tailed stray pup who was captured, trained, tested, and loved by her handlers -- but ultimately sacrificed for scientific and political gain. If you are intrigued by Cold War history or space travel, don't miss this poignant piece of historical fiction...but dog lovers beware: you'll need tissues.

Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/05/2005
ISBN-13: 9780393061055
ISBN-10: 0393061051

Set in New York City's tenements during the Great Depression, this trilogy -- comprised of A Contract With God and Other Tenement Stories, A Life Force, and Dropsie Avenue -- is among the earliest graphic novel series and paved the way for other autobiographically inspired works, such as Maus and Persepolis. Drawing on author and artist Will Eisner's childhood memories of growing up in a predominantly Jewish community of immigrants in the Bronx during the 1930s, this collection of stories follows the lives of an eclectic cast of characters grappling with life events both large and small.

Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/02/2009
ISBN-13: 9781401210984
ISBN-10: 1401210988

Harlem-based journalist Zane Pinchback is a light-skinned African-American man whose popular newspaper column records his experiences "passing" as white while he investigates lynchings and other racial injustices in the Deep South -- eyewitness accounts that appear under the byline "Incognegro." Although he's on the verge of giving up his undercover reporting for an editor's job, the arrest of his brother on charges of murdering a white woman forces Pinchback to once more don his disguise in an attempt to save his brother and find the real killer. Readers with an interest in Civil Rights history may recognize parallels between Pinchback and the real-life Walter White, executive secretary of the NAACP in the 1930s.

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/09/2000
ISBN-13: 9780958578349
ISBN-10: 0958578346

Originally published in serial form, From Hell speculates on the true identity of legendary killer Jack the Ripper, who terrorized London in 1888 with his gruesome slayings of Whitechapel prostitutes. In the process of lining up suspects and delving into conspiracy theories, this painstakingly researched graphic novel also presents -- by means of authentic period language, vivid visual detail, and cameo appearances by real-life historical figures -- a cross-section of Victorian society that starts in the slums of East London and extends all the way to Buckingham Palace. Although it's neither a mystery nor a graphic novel, Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White also explores the seamy underbelly of London, with particular emphasis on the wealth and power disparities between men and women, rich and poor.

Publisher: Yen Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/31/2011
ISBN-13: 9780316180993
ISBN-10: 0316180998

As a member of a nomadic tribe living along the Silk Road, 20-year-old Amir Halgal has no expectations of choosing her own husband. Still, she's surprised at her betrothal to 12-year-old Karluk. But just as Amir is beginning to adjust to her new life as a bride, her family decides that they want her back, having arranged a second, more profitable marriage for their daughter in her absence. However, Karluk isn't about to stand aside and let someone else marry his wife. Set in 19th-century Central Asia, this leisurely paced 1st volume of a three-part series chronicles in rich, vibrant detail the day-to-day life of an ordinary family living in the Caucasus region.