My Historical Fiction Evolution Part 5

Today I will wrap up my series by talking about technology. But first let’s recap the previous posts:

Part 1: My introduction to historical fiction in elementary school with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.

Part 2: Historical fiction close to home with Booky: A Trilogy by Bernice Thurman Hunter and Guest of War Trilogy by Kit Pearson.

Part 3: Learning about the holocaust.

Part 4: Eras of Interest

How today's technology has enhanced my historical fiction evolution

It’s no secret that technology has come a long way in the past 20 years. Hell it’s come a long way in the past year alone. And with that new technology it has brought an enhanced experience for readers.

The internet alone has opened the door to me for more learning opportunities than I could have ever imagined.

All those time periods I have been mentioning, now I can find out more on a topic I have read about, with just a click of the mouse. Websites like Goodreads and Pinterest have made my TBR list never ending and many of those books are of the historical fiction and non-fiction genres.

Goodreads

Goodreads allows its users to create bookshelves to organize their books. I have created several bookshelves for my historical fiction and non-fiction books. Click on the links below to see my shelves:

• Historical Fiction
• World War I
• World War II

Pinterest

One thing I enjoy when reading a historical book is looking up pictures of that time period, the events that occurred and even sometimes the people. My cell phone comes in handy in case I’m not near my computer at the time. I have started to save these pictures in a Pinterest board I created called From the Books I Have Read.

eBooks

There are many books I have read over the past couple of years that I haven’t been able to get a physical copy of, but have been able to obtain in eBook format. This has been a wonderful and cost effective way to get my dose of history.

I read my eBooks using:

• My Kobo
• Kindle for PC
• Adobe Digital Editions

Blogging and Booktube

And of course the blogging community and booktube has been a wonderful source for great recommendations.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

The Girl Who Chased the Moon

By: Sarah Addison Allen

Published: March 2010

Published By: Books on Tape

Format Read: Audio Book

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Magical Realism 

Rating: 4/5

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Emily Benedict is sent to live with her Grandfather, after her Mother’s untimely death. Not only is he a real life giant, but the small South Carolina town of Mullaby is home to many magical secrets. One of which was the catalyst for Emily’s Mother leaving town. She befriends neighbor Julia Winterson, owner of a local BBQ restaurant and baker of the most delicious cakes.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen is a contemporary novel with dusting of magic. Normally fantasy or magical realism isn’t my cup of tea, but I decided to give this one a shot anyway. And in the end I was happy that I did.

The author painted a beautifully magical picture of the small southern town of Mullaby. The characters were charming with detailed backstories. Rebecca Lowman was a good fit as narrator for this book and kept me engaged throughout.

While I really enjoyed the contemporary romance story-line, I found that the explanations behind the mystery and magic to be a bit underwhelming. I had hoped it would be more exciting or shocking.

Still I think that The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen was a good book and worthy of a 4 star rating. I would recommend this book to fans of lightly magical contemporaries. I will consider reading more from this author in the future. 

ML's Worth a Watch: Book Trailers (January-June 2017)

Today I would like to share with you some of the trailers for books I have read between January and June 2017.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin 

My Historical Fiction Evolution Part 4

Welcome back to the next installment in my series about how my love for historical fiction has evolved.

Here is a recap of my previous posts. Click on the links to check them out.

Part 1: My introduction to historical fiction in elementary school with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.

Part 2: Historical fiction close to home with Booky: A Trilogy by Bernice Thurman Hunter and Guest of War Trilogy by Kit Pearson.

Part 3: Learning about the holocaust.

Notable Time Periods

Today I will spotlight some of the other different time periods I have discovered through books.

As I got older I began to read adult books (both fiction and non-fiction) and this opened the door to discover more events, eras, cultures and places throughout history. I began to branch out from books set during World War II to include a wider variety that fascinated me just as much.

Some of these books include:

The Russian Revolution including The Romanov’s

Edwardian Aristocrats and the people who worked for them

Old New York City

The Immigrant Experience

Pre-20^th Century America

The Tudors

Among others..

I just love being transported to a different time and discovering all there is to know about. I know that my future reading will only take me farther and I can’t wait to learn more about the past.

In the 5^th and final installment of My Historical Fiction Evolution will focus on today’s technology and how it has enhanced my reading experience.

What are some different time periods you enjoy reading about? Leave me a message in the comments. Recommendations are always welcome. 

"If You're Gone" Inspired Playlist

Every once in a while I hear a song that reminds me of a certain book that I have read. Recently I had the chance to read and review If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin (click on the link to read my review).
Book synopsis from Goodreads:

Lillian White was planning for the perfect summer- spending every waking minute at the lake with her heartthrob boyfriend, Brad Lee. But her world is shattered when Brad mysteriously disappears the night of his graduation ceremony- the same night he tells her he loves her for the first time. After law enforcement dismisses the case, classifying Brad as voluntarily missing, Lillian becomes desperate to prove that he couldn’t have just walked away. Not from his family. Not from his friends. Not from her.

Heartbroken but determined to find answers, Lillian begins to uncover secrets from Brad’s past that force her to question everything she thought she knew about him and their relationship. Will the truth lead her to him? Or are Brad’s lies just the beginning of the mystery? 

 Upon visiting the authors website I discovered that she had compiled a playlist herself for the short story.

Goodwin's playlist included songs from Daughtry, David Cook and Nickelback (among others). However my personal favourite is A Thousand Years by Christina Perri:

Here are some other songs that reminded me of If You're Gone:

Fix You by Coldplay

A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans

When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne 

Be sure to check out author Brittany Goodwin's post for her If You're Gone Playlist. 

My Historical Fiction Evolution Part 3

Welcome to part 3 in My Historical Fiction Evolution series where I discuss my love for the genre and how it has changed over the past 20 years.

Click the links below to check out the first two posts in this series.

To recap:

Part 1: My introduction to historical fiction in elementary school with Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.

Part 2: Historical fiction close to home with Booky: A Trilogy by Bernice Thurman Hunter and Guest of War Trilogy by Kit Pearson.

After learning about the terrible lasting effects of the atom bomb in Japan and the hardships of those during Great Depression and World War II Toronto, my historical fiction evolution was about to delve even deeper.  

It was my grade 7 teacher who introduced me to the horrors of the Holocaust, when my class watched the film Life is Beautiful. Click below to watch the movies trailer.

This film follows a Jewish man and his son as they are sent to a concentration camp during World War II. The atrocities the Jewish people faced absolutely horrified me, but it also made me want to learn more.

So naturally I turned to my newfound love of history and historical fiction. This would also mark the first time I would read non-fiction.

Now you are probably expecting me to mention The Diary of aYoung Girl by Anne Frank, however I admit that this wasn’t one of my favourite books. Instead I will focus on the following middle grade and young adult books set during this time period:

Surviving Hitler

Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps by AndreaWarren gives the true account of a holocaust survivor as he recounts his harrowing tale. This book is chalk full of pictures, many of which were extremely hard to look at. These pictures made the time period come alive for me.

My Canary Yellow Star 

My Canary Yellow Star by Eva Wiseman was a book I was given in high school by my mom who met the author. Like Surviving Hitler, it follows a young Jewish person (in this case a girl named Marta) as their rights are stripped away by the Nazi regime and sent to a concentration camp.

I have reread both of these books several times over the years (and will continue to do so), but their horrors and message of hope will never dull. It is with books like these that the people whose lives were tragically cut short are remembered. They are also a great learning tool for the youth of today.

Stay tuned for part 4 in my series where my evolution in historical fiction continues.

Are there any books set during the holocaust that you would recommend? Leave me a message in the comments. 

If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin

If You're Gone

By: Brittany Goodwin

Published: June 2016

Published By: Edge of 22 Publishing

Format Read: eBook

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Mystery

Rating: 3.5/5

🌟🌟🌟.5

I was sent a copy of If You’re Gone by Brittany Goodwin by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Lillian White never would have imagined that she would fall in love with the school bad boy, but a chance encounter with neighbour Brad Lee would change everything. After 6 months of bliss, Brad finally tells Lillian that he loves her on the night of his high school graduation. The next morning she awakes to a frantic message from Brad’s mother saying that he has gone missing without a trace.

Brittany Goodwin’s If You’re Gone is a short story that shines the light on missing youth. Instead of focusing on the details of the investigation into Brad’s disappearance, it follows the hardships Lillian, their friends and families faced. This character driven plot sets this story apart from other mysteries that I have read in the past, which tend to be plot driven.

Although naive characters like Lillian aren’t my favourite, I found that I was able to relate to her love for Brad and their relationship was similar to my own. While her family and friends dealt with her grief in different ways, I was able to understand why she was feeling the way she did and how it affected her. The author did a good job of fitting all the details into such a short story. It was quite an emotional read for me and I flew through the pages.

For those who are interested in learning how Lillian fared in the years after If You’re Gone, they are encouraged to visit Brittany Goodwin’s website where she has posted a hidden chapter.

I would recommend this short story to fans of young adult contemporary fiction. 

Visit Brittany Goodwin's website at the link: http://www.brittanygoodwin.com