Meet Samantha

Author: Susan Adler
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: American Girl Publishing, Inc., 1986
Pages: 61
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Samantha Parkington is a bright Victorian beauty being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Samantha's stories describe her life during this important period of change. Her own world is filled with frills and finery, parties and play. But Samantha sees that times are not good for everybody. That's why she tries to make a difference in the life of her friend, Nellie, a servant girl whose world is nothing like Samantha's. 

Review: This book may seem like a copout, but I promise that it isn't. Fiona Davis has a new book coming out on October 13, 2026 called Samantha: The Next Chapter. Written for adult fans in honor of the 40th anniversary of the American Girl dolls debut. Should Kiersten and Molly's stories also be continued, I'm here for them.

In preparation for the book launch, I wanted to reacquaint myself with Samantha. I was aging out of dolls in 1986, but the historical fiction nature of the series captured my imagination. My sister and I used to browse the catalogs, but neither of us ever received a doll.

The Girl in the Glass

Author: Susan Meissner
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: PRH Christian Publishing, 2012
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Since she was a child, Meg has dreamed of taking a promised trip to Florence, Italy and being abler to finally step into the place captured in a picture at her grandmother's house. But after her grandmother passes away and it falls to her less-than-reliable father to take her instead, Meg's long-anticipated travel plans seem permanently on hold.

When her dad finally tells Meg to book the trip, she prays that the experience will heal the fissures left on her life by her parents' divorce. But when Meg arrives in Florence, her father is nowhere to be found, leaving aspiring memoir-writer Sofia Borelli to introduce Meg to the rich beauty of the ancient city. Sofia claims to be one of the last surviving members of the Medici family and that a long-ago Medici princess, Nora Orsini, communicates with her from within the great masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

Review: Susan Meissner is one of my favorite historical fiction authors so I decided to give one of her older books a try. I have to say that I'm happy she found a home (and her groove) with historical fiction. This was good, not great. In fact, it seemed Meissner struggled to advance the story at times. That said, I want to travel to Florence, so she did something right. If you're reading Meissner for the first time, start with her historical fiction novels.

Susan Meissner Novels
A Bridge Across the Ocean
As Bright as Heaven
Map to Paradise
Only the Beautiful

A Bridge Across the Ocean

Author: Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2017
Pages: 384
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: February, 1946. World War II is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors have only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Resistance spy.

Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Their new lives in the United States brightly beckon until their tightly-held secrets are laid bare in their shared stateroom. When the voyage ends at New York Harbor, only one of them will disembark.

Present Day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides - and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings.

Review: Meissner is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her characters speak to me and the time period comes alive. There's a supernatural element in this novel, but I bought into it. I picked this novel up intending to read a few chapters before I took a shower, and ended up finishing it one night.

My grandparents were the Greatest Generation and I often think of my grandmothers when I read books set during this time period. The 1940s was a decade of both the worst of humanity and the best.

Susan Meissner Novels
As Bright as Heaven
Map to Paradise
Only the Beautiful
The Girl in the Glass

It's Not Her

Author: Mary Kubica
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Park Row Books, 2026
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: A scream shatters the silence. . .Courtney Gray's peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs - unharmed. A town full of secrets. . .As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney's family-and the town itself-begin to surface. Is Reese a victim. . .or the killer. A truth no one saw coming. . .When everyone is hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who-or what-to trust.

Review: I have found Mary Kubica's thrillers to be fast paced and quick reads. I struggled a bit with this one. I'd still recommend it, particularly if you're a fan of Kubica. However, if you're wanting to read her for the first time, this is not the book with which to start. You may be underwhelmed or wonder why some readers love this author.

I find the best thrillers are the ones where, as a reader, I'm trying to figure out whodunnit. In this novel, I felt I was being pushed to believe this person was the killer, and then no, it's this person over here. Let me try to solve it without making me feel that I'm being led to one person or another. 

It's Not Her was not the fun thriller that I've come to expect from Kubica. 

Memory Man

Author: David Baldacci
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2015
Pages: 432
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Amos Decker's life changed forever - twice. The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington to ever play in the NFL. But, his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field forever, and left him with an improbable side effect - he can forget nothing.

The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare - his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.

His family destroyed, their killer's identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when we can.

But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. he must endure memories he'd rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review: My coworker and friend gifted me this book for my birthday. Baldacci is her favorite author and she was surprised that I've never read him. Subconsciously I don't read many male authors, I read even fewer serial authors, and I don't gravitate to mysteries. I have to say, I loved this book. It's intense. I had to set it down and walk away at different times to pull myself out of the story.

The Wide Wide Sea

Author: Hampton Sides
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2025
Pages: 432
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The Wide Wide Sea details the life and voyages of Captain James Cook, killed by native Hawaiians in an uncharacteristic final act. This is the mystery of Cook's final days, laid bare in riveting narrative fashion.

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first chapter. The new world explorers, Cook, Magellan, Hudson, de Leon, and others captured my imagination in school. I would be inclined to read all of Hampton Sides books. I know a lot more about Captain Cook than I had ever expected I would, but the best authors can capture your interest regardless of topic.

The Paris Wife

Author: Paula McLain
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2012
Pages: 368
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness - until she meets Ernest Hemingway. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group - the fabled "Lost Generation" that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, fast-living, and free-loving life of Jazz Age Paris. As Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history and pours himself into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises, Hadley strives to hold on to her sense of self as her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Eventually they find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage - a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they've fought so hard for.

Review: I am very late to the party with this one. I'm not a fan of Hemingway's writing style so I put off reading this as a new release in 2012. However, last month my family and I traveled to Key West for the first time and toured Hemingway's home. While the tour focused on his second wife, Pauline, who lived in Key West with Hemingway, his first wife (the Paris wife) was mentioned during the tour. I took it as a sign to read this novel.

I ended up frustrated with Hadley and totally detesting Ernest. What a time those Paris years were, for all of them - Ezra Pound, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and others. 

The Paris Wife is well-written and for that reason I will recommend this novel, but I was happy to leave the "characters" behind.