Recent books read

The Alienist by Caleb Carr. Back in my bookstore days several customers recommended this book. Not exactly my cup of tea, but what a pageturner! I zipped right through it. Okay, okay, those who know me would say I'd read any book that had Theodore Roosevelt in it!

Patriot Hearts: A Novel of the Founding Mothers by Barbara Hambly. I was disappointed in this book, felt the story line linking the four women together was more than a bit of a stretch. I think I would have preferred separate books about each of the women (Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Sally Hemings).

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. I'm about 1/3 through the book and am very impressed. This is a fictionalized account of a real person I had not heard of, nor was I familiar with the battle of Franklin, Tennesee. This was a nominee for the Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War fiction, and as I am a major fan of Michael and Jeff Shaara's books, I felt this would be worth reading. Coincidentally, Barbara Hambly also was nominated for that award (though obviously not for Patriot Hearts).