In my blog post from May 31, 2014 I listed several novels that were introduced at Book Expo America and I'm now ready to review a few.

 I've been reading voraciously this summer, sometimes on my patio with robins singing in the background, sometimes relaxing under a tree at the town pool, my feet covered in sand, and other times curled up in my Laz Y Boy with a cup of tea at my side. No matter where I sat I was carried away meeting fascinating characters, visiting distant lands, and enjoying every moment.

Below are two reviews, one for a book listed in my previous blog, Henna House by Nomi Eve, and the other not mentioned in that post but should have been, The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan. I recommend both highly, as you'll read below. In future posts, I'll review more.


Henna House  by Nomi Eve

Nomi Eve transports the reader to the fascinating, colorful world of Yemenite Jewry. I did not merely read Henna House, I savored each word, each scene, and the descriptions of these exotic people and their customs. The novel is evocative, rich with description and purpose. Eve’s knowledge of the language of henna along with the joys and sorrows of the characters and families we meet kept me riveted. 

The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan

Allegra Jordan’s novel, The End of Innocence, is proof that diligent research pays off. Her beautiful prose brings Harvard of 1914 and the battlefields in northern France to life. I felt the swish of Helen’s skirt as she walked through Harvard Yard on her way to class, smelled the blood on the soldiers that lay dead in Ypres, heard the voices singing Silent Night during the Christmas truce of 1914 when German and English soldiers joined together for a brief moment, and felt my own anxiety rise as Professor Copeland called on students to read their poetry aloud. A beautiful love story woven in vivid history that will leave you holding the book close long after you read the last word.

Happy Reading!