Fiction
By Proal Heartwell
During the summer of 1927, college grad Robert Martin rents a room in a boarding house in Lawrenceville, Virginia, with the intention of teaching at the local high school. In this well-researched story, we step into a time and town from the past replete with a cast of generally likable characters, their customs and concerns, with accurate descriptions of everything from the clothes they wore to the food they ate. Quiet personal dramas leavened with humor make this old-fashioned novel a winner.
Mystery
By K.C. Sivils
Johann Mueller fled Germany to America to escape Nazism. He works as a physicist for a U.S. government at war with Germany. Mueller is taking the San Juan Express to a Colorado mining town. He never makes it; his body is found where he fell off the train. Was it an accident or was he pushed? Answers lie on the narrow-gauge railroad tracks. The FBI investigates federal employee deaths, and Special Agent Nelson Paine gets the case. A book for those who love 1940s-style mysteries and railroad stories.
Espionage
By William Stevenson
William Stephenson (no relation to the author) was a World War II spymaster, whose codename INTREPID, was created by Winston Churchill. Stephenson headed a spy network within the Nazi regime that greatly assisted the British and Allies in winning the war. It is a work that reads like fiction considering the great stakes and the derring-do of its characters. James Bond creator Ian Fleming once stated, “James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is William Stephenson.”
History
By Larry J. Hughes
In 1940, Edwin Land was best known for inventing polarized sunglasses. When World War II started, he thought of a way to use polarized light in a gunsight. The Optical Ring Sight could have won the war but didn’t. Using light-polarizing properties unique to calcite, the gunsight doubled the hits produced using previous sights. But it took so long to work out the bugs that the sight was no longer necessary when it finally entered production. A fascinating story about the promise and limitations of technology.
Classics
By Seneca
Seneca’s lifelong involvement in Roman politics (he was chief advisor to Emperor Nero, who eventually ordered his execution) add to the weight of this work. Written near the end of his life, these letters make up a guidebook of hands-on philosophy that still speaks to modern readers. While he addresses concepts like wisdom, virtue and vice, friendship, and time and death, his letters are best known for their practical advice, even regarding how to dress and to decorate homes.
For Kids
By Alice Dalgliesh and Helen Sewell
Jonathan was always told there were no bears on Hemlock Mountain. When he travels over it to borrow a pot for his mother, he finds out the truth. This suspenseful, adventuresome book features themes of appreciation for family and love of nature. It makes a great early chapter book for a growing reader or a family read-aloud to enjoy together.
