Remembering Titanic - "Trapped on the Titanic"

Trapped On The Titanic by Tammy Knox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tammy Knox's YA Novel "Trapped on the Titanic" was a wonderfully fun read. Part ghost story, part mystery, part historical fiction this will appeal to a broad audience. 8th Grader Callie Elizabeth is surprised to see a photograph in the Titanic exhibit of a little girl who looks just like her. She is even more surprised when the girl in the photo begins to cry and she hears a voice begging her to help. The mystery unfolds as Callie learns that she had an ancestor who perished on the Titanic...the very same little girl in the picture...who continues to appear and lead Callie to clues about her family history and the truth about what happened to the young girl and her father who were trapped on the Titanic.

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Remembering Titanic - "The Girl Who Came Home"

The Girl Who Came Home - A Titanic Novel by Hazel Gaynor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today is the 100th anniversary of the day that the Titanic set sail. Earlier this week I began reading Hazel Gaynor's wonderful book "The Girl Who Came Home", one of three Titanic related novels I have stored on my Kindle to be enjoyed this week. The other two will be hard pressed to surpass this one.

The Girl Who Came Home is written from the perspective of Maggie Murphy who we meet as a 17 year old on the morning of April 10, 1912 in the fictional town of Ballysheen preparing to embark on her journey to America on the great ship Titanic. The story is told as a series of vignettes from the perspectives of herself, "Lucky" Harry the ship's 3rd class steward, and others who were aboard. It is intertwined with the story of her great-grandaughter, Grace, who she confides in for the first time in 70 years that she was aboard the Titanic and that she survived one of the greatest maritime disasters in history before or since.

The novel will appeal to those who enjoy memoir (it is written somewhat in that style though fictional), historical fiction and historical romance. It is a beautifully written, respectful telling of the story of Titanic from a personal perspective. It honors the memory of a group from County Mayo, Ireland known as the "Addergoole Fourteen" whose true story inspired this telling. Irish freelance journalist and blogger Hazel Gaynor has set herself a high standard in this her first novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

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Timecachers

Timecachers [Kindle Edition] by Glenn R. Petrucci
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was really excited about Timecachers being into both alternate history and geocaching and the book certainly didn't disappoint. I was surprised by the setting of the story's alternate history being the days before the beginning of the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from Georgia...known as the trail of tears. I was captured by the story and didn't want to put my kindle down until I found out what happened. I look forward to more books along this line from this author as the book would be an obvious choice for the beginning of a series.

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Stories for Demented Children

A Collection of Stories for Demented Children by John H. Carroll
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the "Stories for Demented Children" series. They were original and humorous and I believe that our black bunny, "Magic", is probably secretly an emo bunny. I can't wait to share these with my 14 year old daughter.

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The Dirt - Lori Culwell

The Dirt by Lori Culwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Lori Cullwell's "The Dirt"...the four sisters were well written and believable, especially Lucy whose voice we hear the story through. Every girl who has survived high school has known a Megan, a Lucy, a Sloan and will surely recognize someone in "The Dirt"...perhaps even themselves.

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