dear mr. hemingway’s 2019 holiday books & pairings
holly jolly
historical fiction
the huntress by Kate Quinn (William Morrow)
WWII historical fiction lovers……….this is for you. I loved this book from start to finish. The storyline was so different from most WWII historical fiction books I have read. A Nazi murderess, the night witches and of course a complicated romance kept me wanting more.
From the Publisher: “Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.
Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.
Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.”
the Chelsea Girls
by Fiona Davis
(Dutton books)
I love books that take place in The Big Apple. Fiona Davis’ latest book captures all of the glamor and drama NYC has to offer. With the theater district and the famous Chelsea Hotel as the backdrop, McCarthyism (1940s-1960s)sweeps in and tries to steel the dreams of Hazel Riley and Maxine Mead. This is a good one!!!!!
From the publisher: “From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City’s creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red Scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine’s Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.
Robert Frost’s famous poem, “Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening”, comes to life with Susan Jeffers’ gorgeous illustrations. A great family read by the fire on a snowy day. This book is for EVERYONE!”
Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand (little, Brown & company)
Yes…you are seeing this correctly. I put Elin Hilderbrand in my historical fiction category. Summer Of ’69 has all the Nantucket drama, love and charm like most of her books.
However, this time, Hilderbrand set her story during a wild and tumultuous time in American History. From man’s first walk on the moon, to Woodstock, to the Vietnam War, the summer of 1969 definitely made history. You can still read this on the beach…..I promise.
From the Publisher: “Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It’s 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother’s historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha’s Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country.”
the golden hour by Beatriz Williams (William Morrow)
Everything Beatriz Williams writes is classy with a touch of zest!. Check out her new historical fiction book.
From the publisher: “The Bahamas, 1941. Newly-widowed Leonora “Lulu” Randolph arrives in the Bahamas to investigate the Governor and his wife for a New York society magazine. After all, American readers have an insatiable appetite for news of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, that glamorous couple whose love affair nearly brought the British monarchy to its knees five years earlier. What more intriguing backdrop for their romance than a wartime Caribbean paradise, a colonial playground for kingpins of ill-gotten empires?
Or so Lulu imagines. But as she infiltrates the Duke and Duchess’s social circle, and the powerful cabal that controls the islands’ political and financial affairs, she uncovers evidence that beneath the glister of Wallis and Edward’s marriage lies an ugly—and even treasonous—reality. In fact, Windsor-era Nassau seethes with spies, financial swindles, and racial tension, and in the middle of it all stands Benedict Thorpe: a scientist of tremendous charm and murky national loyalties. Inevitably, the willful and wounded Lulu falls in love.
Then Nassau’s wealthiest man is murdered in one of the most notorious cases of the century, and the resulting coverup reeks of royal privilege. Benedict Thorpe disappears without a trace, and Lulu embarks on a journey to London and beyond to unpick Thorpe’s complicated family history: a fateful love affair, a wartime tragedy, and a mother from whom all joy is stolen.”
park avenue summer by Renee Rosen (Berkley)
Raise your hand if you have read Cosmopolitan Magazine. If you raised your hand or just love glamorous NYC tales with powerful women…this one is for you. Excellent read. Not only do you get the back story on how Cosmopolitan really came to be, but you also get a story of a young girl trying to chase her dreams in NYC. Oh how I loved this book!
From the Publisher: “New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown.
For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters. Editors and writers resign on the spot, refusing to work for the woman who wrote the scandalous bestseller Sex and the Single Girl, and confidential memos, article ideas, and cover designs keep finding their way into the wrong hands. When someone tries to pull Alice into a scheme to sabotage her boss, she is more determined than ever to help Helen succeed.
While pressure mounts at the magazine, Alice struggles not to lose sight of her own dreams as she’s swept up into a glamorous world of five-star dinners, lavish parties, and men who are certainly no good. Because if Helen Gurley Brown has taught her anything, it’s that a woman can demand to have it all.”
P.S. Pair this glamorous book with a collection of holiday teas in this storefront box.
Dear Mr. Hemingway’s 2019 Holiday Books & Pairings
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