Nadia
The Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma was plagued by an intense string of murders throughout the 1920s. The case eventually caught the attention of Hoover and his newly-created FBI. Grann examines the story in detail, exploring oil money, racism and justice in the last, waning corner of the Wild West. If you want a page-turning, well-researched read, this is your book!
Helen Hoang is one of my favorite romance writers! This book tells the story of a 30 year old girl with Asperger's who wants to take control of her love life. The story is full of compassion, romance, and tension, and Hoang handles more serious subjects like family and self-doubt with a healing kind of sensitivity.
Prehistoric Pets is an interactive children's pop-up book about the prehistoric pasts of today's pets! Lomax covers everything from guinea pigs to horses, with many animals in between. The book is full of unique facts, and its illustrations really bring life to each animal and its history. It is the perfect gift for any animal loving kid. The recommended age range is 5-9, though I would tack on a few years to each end of that.
The Blackhouse is a deeply atmospheric and thoroughly dark Scottish thriller. Maggie MacKay is haunted by the murder of a man named Andrew MacNeil, a man she's never met, a man she's not sure ever existed. The mystery brings her to a remote island in the Outer Hebrides, where she finds more questions than answers.
I found this book to be an incredibly satisfying read. Johnstone writes a gripping but unrushed story that teeters on the edge of the supernatural. I was shocked by how much I came to care about her characters, their stories, and even their demons. Perhaps my biggest selling point is her vivid descriptions. I felt like I could see and feel exactly what her characters were experiencing. If you can't make a mystery-filled trip to see the Hebridean islands, reading this story is the next best thing!
Bombing the City is one of my favorite primary source-based books. Moore gathers diary entries from English and Japanese civilians living through WWII, tracing the impact of war and bombing on ordinary people.
Sensitively told, well-written and extremely well-researched.
This book is filled with tension and likeable characters. Hazelwood's friendly and relaxed tone immediately invites you into the story, and the world of science provides and exciting and developed setting. A very fun and satisfying read!
Set in a vivid world of knights, kings and archers, this story combines classically thrilling adventure with sensitive, unique heroism. This book is what made me fall in love with reading as a kid. I love the characters to this day.
The Shetland bus tells the firsthand account of a British-Norwegian spy ring during WWII. The writing is exceptionally sensitive and knowledgeable. If you like remote places, espionage, seafaring or niche history, this is the book for you! This is my single favorite history book; I can't recommend it enough!
An inspiring and cativating picture of American history and invention. This book is what inspired me to become a history major. I walked away feeling like I knew the Wright Brothers personally. I cannot recommend it enough. (It is also my go-to gift for relatives.)