Books High and Low

  This was a good introduction to English history under the Plantagenet rulers. It is brief, but gives the reader a sense of the time, custo...

  Noticing my recent interest in Alfred the Great, Mike bought me this biography for my birthday. Written in a highly readable style, this b...

  This is an excellent novel about a young woman whose father was targeted and executed as a corrupt official of a 1980s government official...

  This is a fascinating account of the experiences of author Raymond Barrett, who spent many years living in the Middle East, including sign...

  This book really grew on me. I didn't think I was going to like it at first, but the more I read, the more I liked it. The book opens ...

  This is a well-written account of the case that led to the defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act in the Supreme Court. Roberta Kaplan repr...

  I have mixed feelings about this book which tells the story of a branch of the Astor family and how they've declined financially but s...

  After reading the last book about first ladies, I pulled this book from my shelves. I received it at a Book Expo back in 2011, and it'...

  This is a good introduction to the women who served as First Ladies, although my edition ends with Hilary Clinton. Lots of images and phot...

This is a fast-paced story set in 1930s Malaysia about several characters whose fates are intertwined. Ren is a young orphan whose twin brot...

  This is a compelling thriller about a woman who is on a bike trip to Vietnam when her boyfriend unexpectedly disappears and later turns up...

  I swore off Cara Black after the last Aimee Leduc mystery that I read, but I made the mistake of picking this one up and giving it a shot....

  I loved this novel about a young woman who was raised in seclusion by her kidnapped mother and the man who abducted her. Years after her f...

This is a fascinating look at the role women play in Emirati society and the many ways their lives have changed since the country was formed...

  This is a very well-written and scholarly look at the legends that surround King Alfred the Great. The author, David Horspool, breaks down...

I've been reading about Alfred the Great lately, and came across this account of Alfred's life drawn from 14 medieval chronicles, in...

  I loved this short novel by Ian McEwan. Orphaned at a young age, Jeremy has always admired the parents of his friends, and his in-laws are...

  I found this book at the Dog's Ear used book store in Hoosick, NY, in the Books about Books section, one of my favorite parts of the s...

  I really enjoyed this graphic novel about a young man who tries to take over the management of a circus troupe after his uncle plunges to ...

  This novel follows Leia, a comic book artist, as she faces several family crises at the same time, including an unexpected pregnancy, her ...

  I really enjoyed this YA novel about the young Alfred the Great, considered the first English king. He is famous for many accomplishments,...

This was a fascinating history of what became England from year 1 through the middle of the 12th century. Nicely illustrated and with lots o...

  The Light in the Ruins takes us to 1943-1944 rural Tuscany where the Nazis were making a last stand against the allies as they invaded Si...

  Reading The Law of Similars was like watching a slow-motion train wreck. Leland is a recently-widowed lawyer whose tendency to hypochondri...

  I enjoyed this page-turner of a thriller by Lisa Jewell. Laurel's daughter goes missing, and 10 years later her remains are found. But...

  I have mixed feelings about this novel. It has been compared to The Handmaid's Tale, but the writing is nowhere near as good. The prem...

  I really loved this novel about two girls who are abducted from their town on the Kamchatka Peninsula, part of Russia that is very remote ...

  This book provides reading suggestions for kindergarten through grade 6 in many disciplines: language arts, history and geography, visual ...

  I finally got around to reading this purchase that I made many years ago from the History Book Club. It's a very high level overview o...

I came across this book at work, and although dated (1989), I was curious about what the author thought every child should know (the book is...