Wow --- where is Alice???  She always begins these new topics.

I am here, just thought about so thanks for Starting it Becky. Reading some paranormal right now Casual Curses Meticulous Magic by Lee Roland. Fun read.

Not historical fiction, but I have started reading The Lost City of Z by David Grann.

Been reading The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent for the past couple nights. The author is a direct descendant of Martha Carrier, one of the women who was hung as a witch in Salem back in 1692. The story is told through the eyes of Martha's daughter who is about nine or ten at when the book begins in 1690. There's a lot of insight into what life would have been for the colonists, both from the standpoint of just surviving a smallpox outbreak and the harsh climate, and the oppressive nature of the Puritan culture. It's well written and interesting, but it's definitely not a fun book. It's my choice for the Dark Arts category of the challenge.

I started The Amber Keeper by Freda Lightfoot.  So far, so good.  Easy reading.  :)

Although it's not an easy book to read, I highly recommend The Heretic's Daughter for anyone who wants to get a different view of the Salem Witch Trial era than is usually presented. What the families, including young children, of those who were accused went through was total hell.

Now it's time for something different - Sharpe's Escape by Bernard Cornwell. 

I finished Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi  It was one of those books that you wanted to like more than you actually did. It gets great reviews on all sites. It just didn't call to me. It is essentially a series on small storries about different generations from two families. Because every 30 or so pages you jumped to new characters you never got to develope relationship with any of them. moving through the generations was interesting and history of Ghana was intersting just not my cup of tea.

I just read "Secrets of Nanreath Hall" by Alix Rickloff and enjoyed it.  It is of the Kate Morton sort of book.  WWI and WWII back and forth.  

Every time I pick up another book in the Richard Sharpe series I expect it to be good, and pretty much every time it exceeds my expectations. In Sharpe's Escape there's a battle scene that goes on for maybe 75 or 80 pages. Then Sharpe is detailed to the city of Coimbra in Portugal to arrange for billetting of soldiers and make sure that there are no food supplies left behind when the army withdraws to Lisbon, so as to starve the Napoleon's troops that live off the land. That's when he and Sergeant Patrick Harper get into some deep doo-doo, along with a Portugese captain they met in a prior book and a couple of pretty ladies. I find myself smiling through most of the books because Sharpe is such a great character. And of course I hear him speak with Sean Bean's voice throughout. 

I finished this book this morning.

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro  

This book is set in England between 1920s and 1950s. It is narrated by the butler of Darington Hall. I came to quite like Mr. Stevens with his professional tone but lots of humanism added into his dialogue.  Lots of examples of do you job at all cost. If you are fan of Downton Abbey you will enjoy this book. Very well written and flows nicely.

Alice

Alice, is this the Remains of the Day that was made into a movie  starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson?

Mary P --- Yes

Yes it is but I haven't seen it yet.   Remains of the Day  imdb info

Going to take a break from reading mysteries and historical fiction and read some straight history, which I haven't done in ages. I have Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph and Frances Gies. Many years ago I read and enjoyed their books Marriage and the Family in the Middle Ages and Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel about technological advances made in the Middle Ages. Both were very interesting. I have their book Life in a Medieval Village on my WL.

That was a lovely, but sad movie.

Just finished another historical --- definitely with a mystery involved, but not a whodunit.  "The Dollhouse" by Fiona Davis.  A story between 1952 and and 2016 recounting the history of the "Barbizon Hotel for Women".  Really enjoyed it.

I'm reading The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession by Charlie Lovett.  I plan to use this one for the "time traveler" category of the challenge.  It shifts between 3 eras: the 1990s, Victorian England and Elizabethan England.  I love anything about William Shakespeare, especially books that deal with the mystery of who actually wrote his plays.

Cheryl - Your post about a Shakespeare themed book reminded me that I had Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith on my TBR. It's a mystery, with two researchers, one of whom wants to prove that Shakespeare wrote his plays, and other who believes it was a nobleman, presumably DeVere. Good story telling!

Mary:  Sounds like me; I vacillate between the two points of view!  This one was okay, it did have an element I just couldn't buy into though.  I did really enjoyed Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell.  I read that one a couple of year's ago and highly recommend it.

Just finished "The King's Hounds" by somebody Jensen.  An historical mystery during the time period when Cnut was the King of England.  It was okay --- probably some would say it was really great, but it just did not hit my spot for some reason.  The main character is an Illustrator of books, mostly religious, at the time.  His sidekick is a man who lost his family lands to Cnut when he conquered England.

I'm well into The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. It's an interesting look at what life would have been like for a servant in 17th century Netherlands. Griet, the girl Vermeer will paint, had no preparation for being a servant, but she's a good judge of human character and knows how to get along with Vermeer's wife, his mother-in-law who's the real mistress, her fellow servant, and others. She also has a good eye for composition and color. The book is well written. I'm using it for the My Precious category of the historical fiction challenge.

I loved the book and the movie!

I've been reading Dying in the Wool by Frances Brody, the first Kate Shackelton mystery.   I'm enjoying it very much so far.  Lots of folks have compared Kate Shackelton to Maisie Dobbs, as both ladies served as nujrses during WW I and the story is set in the 1920s.  However, the Kate Shackelton story seems quite a bit lighter than Maisie Dobbs. 

I finished A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Rayborn. Set in 1888 London. Very good book 3 of the series. Veronica Speedwell is a likeable spunky character.

I'm reading River of Darkness by Rennie Airth. A husband and wife, maid and nanny are all brutally murdered. The only survivor in the house is the little daughter, who was found by the local doctor hiding under a bed. She's severely traumatized and unable to talk. Inspector Madden of Scotland Yard is the investigator. He fought in the trenches during WWI and is dealing with his own trauma issues. The book is set in Surrey during 1921 so I'm able to use it for the Oklahoma category of the Mystery/Thriller challenge and the Roaring 20s category of the Historical Mystery challenge.