It's Dead Jim.

Much to my dismay, I have decided to close down History Rocks. Its too hard to work on two blogs at once. I will be reviewing historical fiction novels every third Friday of the month. I am going to call it Historical Fiction Fridays and you can read my reviews over on my other blog at http://yabookmarks.blogspot.com/ .

Help!

I realize now that I don't have time to dedicated to two blogs. Work has been crazy, I'm also trying to write a manuscript and I am reading two books a week for both blogs. I'm overwhelmed.

I'm not happy about it, I had thought I could do two, but I can't.

So I am asking if anyone would like to share the responsibilities with me. Would someone like to read historical novels for teens and write reviews of them? We could rotate every week if that is possible.

If you are game drop me an email. yabookmarks@gmail.com

Thanks

Historical Fiction Everywhere!

I was walking around Barnes & Noble today when I noticed something different. There was a lot of historical fiction novels on display. On the new fiction shelves there had to be five or six titles. On the new paperback section there were three or four. There was even a display for historical fiction novels on an end cap.

I couldn't believe all the HF novels that were on display. It gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Three months ago when I tried to find the latest and greatest HF novels I couldn’t find anything new. Now they were stocked with multiple titles.

Rockin!

I went over to the YA section and there were a few on display. One was A Voice of her Own which is about a young Emily Dickenson. Another entitled The Musician's Daughter also looked interesting. There was another one, but I forgot it.

Still, I was pleased that maybe things have finally changed. Maybe now fans of historical fiction can walk into a bookstore and find the titles they are looking for. That would be great!

Now, if only I could have the publishers create more historical fiction for teens! Hmmm.

One step at a time.

A Novel about Joan of Arc????

Mariane de Courcey is the main character in Warrior Girl: A Novel of Joan of Arc.
Once again I was mislead by a title and a cool flashy cover (I really have to stop that) and bought a book on what I thought it would be about….Joan of Arc.

Now don’t get me wrong, Joan of Arc is in this book, but she is a secondary character. The narrator in the story is Mariane, a mute girl who has lost her mother after the English killed her. Mariane is Joan’s cousin and goes off to live with Joan’s family in Doremy. She later goes off with Joan on her mission etc. etc. etc.

I felt that I was mislead by the book. I wanted a story about Joan of Arc, from her perspective, but that’s not what I got. If readers don’t mind Mariane telling the tale, then they should be fine with this interpretation of events. I, on the other hand, didn’t like it. The historical details are good and I think some readers will be engaged.

For those looking for a historical fiction book about Joan of Arc there is:
Young Joan

Joan of Arc: An Army of Angels
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc


For those looking for good nonfiction books I strongly suggest
Joan of Arc: In her own words This is an excellent book that records what she said throughout her public life. Nothing is added. The reader gets a raw, unflinching look at the warrior saint.

Joan of Arc: By Herself and her Witnesses

Vacation!

I went on vacation for the first time in my life! YAY me! That is one reason I haven't updated my blog. I was so excited about going to Cozumel that I forgot to let you know that I would be gone for a week.

The history nut in me had to visit the Tulum Ruins. It was amazing and our tour guide rocked!

Anyway, I'm back in Syracuse. I'd also like to mention that I came back in a snow storm with an additional foot of snow on the ground. boo! Oh well, the sun was great while it lasted!

Expect a review in a few days.

An Angelic Catherine de' Medici?

This novel relives Catherine's life as a young girl and closes with her being crowned Queen of France. Throughout the novel we see that her life was full of turmoil. Catherine’s parents die at a young age; and her cousin hates her and torments her religiously. She is held prisoner in a convent and is surrounded by nuns who dislike her and her family. Then later in life she is whisked off to France to marry a man she has never met.

This book paints Catherine in a very sympathetic light. While maybe not angelic, she certainly comes close to it. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, but it is what it is. So if anyone is looking for the mean, hateful Catherine they will not find it here. The author does a wonderful job of describing the detail of the time without making it seem dull and like a history book. The characters are an interesting variety with their personalities shining through.

Sadly, I will say that I haven’t really enjoyed a YA historical fiction novel since A Northern Light, but this one was different. It held my interest and I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes or sighing.

I should make note that there is mention of rape in this novel; however it does not go into detail.

For students looking for a good historical read then I strongly suggest this book. It has great detail and paints Catherine in a different life. For students looking for a dark, gloomy book about the hateful Catherine de' Medici, then this is not the book for them.

Struggling to survive

Juliet Bradshaw’s life is turned upside down as the Civil War rages on. Her father is killed, and her brother is one of Quantrill's renegades, which puts a huge strain on her life. Instead of leaning how to become a proper lady, Juliet tries to survive a series of interesting events in her life, which include being arrested by the yankees and kidnapped by one of Quantrill’s raiders.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, but the subject was interesting. I cannot recall any books about William Quantrill or his men so that made the book a unique read. The historical detail was very good, though I still question Seth (Juliet’s older brother) decision to put a slave in charge of the other slaves. I never heard of such a thing before. So that had me wondering if such an occurrence would ever happen. It seems doubtful, but maybe it happened. Other than that I enjoyed the book.

The book is for ages 9 -12, but there were some adult situations in this novel. They were subtle, but they were there. I think this book would be good for freshmen or even sophomores, but anyone older may find it a bit juvenile.