Katherine Recommends

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A Discovery of Witches: A Novel (All Souls Series #1) By Deborah Harkness Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143119685
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Penguin Books - December 27th, 2011

The Secret of Magic By Deborah Johnson Cover Image
$26.95
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ISBN: 9780399157721
Published: Amy Einhorn Books - January 21st, 2014

Fiction is often thinly disguised true stories. Deborah Johnson has written a captivating lush protrayal of post-WWII life in Mississippi.  In the early days of NAACP, a young woman works in Thurgood Marshall's office & she comes across a file about an African American vet who disappears in Alabama on his way home to his father in Mississippi.  An older (white) published author has sent for an investigation of the death/disappearance of the returning vet; the son of the man whose stories inspired her novel.  At times, Johnson's prose conveys magic & her characters are well-developed.  An unforgettable story.


Boy, Snow, Bird: A Novel By Helen Oyeyemi Cover Image
$27.95
ISBN: 9781594631399
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Riverhead Books - March 6th, 2014

This book is a recast Snow White fairytale with a dark, grim bent.  It is an edgy, well-written modern day story of secrets, race & the power of what is seen in the mirrorBoy is a runaway from a cruel father who ends up in a small New England town.  She marries the father of motherless Snow, a beautiful & odd young girl.When Boy gives birth to her daughter Bird, the plot thickens.  And a surprising plot twist makes for an astonishing finish to this intriguing novel. 


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The Invention of Wings: A Novel By Sue Monk Kidd Cover Image
$27.95
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ISBN: 9780670024780
Published: Viking - January 7th, 2014

Based on real characters, this historical fiction takes on early abolitionists & women making their voices heard.  The author bring to life the characters & their hometown of Charleston in the early 1800s.  The story begins with 10 year old Sarah Brimke being given a young slave for her birthday.  When Sarah refuses her gift she is required to write an apology to the town matrons who were guests at the party.  Sarah never gives up her sensibility & becomes an early abolitionist.  This is a thoughtful, well-researched and well-written read.


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Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart By Carol Wall Cover Image
$25.95
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ISBN: 9780399157981
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons a Member of Penguin Group - March 4th, 2014

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Hild: A Novel (The Hild Sequence) By Nicola Griffith Cover Image
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ISBN: 9780374280871
Availability: Out of Print
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - November 12th, 2013

If you enjoy historical fiction - this is a good read for you, especially as the long darkness has returned.  Study the glossary first, to facilitate understanding the warps and welts of this carefully written novel.  Hild is a 10 year old clairvoyant in 7th century England.  She follows her uncle, a king in North Umbria.  The land, the customs, and the relationships of the people - all come alive and colorful under the pen of Nicola Griffith.  -Katherine