If you ask me (Sara) what my favorite genre of books is I will always say, “romance.” While not for everyone, romance is the most popular genre of books. Many enjoy reading about the blossoming love between two characters. Romance is a broad category, so for this genre starter list I will provide a list of some of the best historical romance books. I love recommending romance books to people, so buckle up! Here we go.
Most people, especially on Union’s campus, are familiar with Francine Rivers as an author. While she specializes in Christian romance, she started out as a secular romance author. Her expertise as a romance author shows most clearly in some of her historical Christian romance novels. You may be familiar with some of her Western romance novels, which take place during the gold rush era. Examples include Redeeming Love and The Lady’s Mine. As someone who has read both novels, I highly recommend both.
What you may not know is that Francine Rivers also wrote a romance novel that takes place during the 1950s in Hollywood. Bridge to Haven is about Abra Matthews who is running away from her past and is quicky becoming Hollywood’s biggest rising star using the name Lena Scott. As she realizes Hollywood is not as great as she thought it would be, she falls in love while also making her way back to God.
Another popular author among the Union community is C.S. Lewis. He had a short, but captivating, romance with his wife Joy. While they were only married for four years before her death, her influence stayed with him. You can read a novel about their romance in Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry. While based on true events, this novel is considered historical fiction.
If you prefer action with your romance, you might enjoy reading The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson. This is a loose re-imagining of the story of Mulan (which also happens to be my favorite Disney movie). If you are not familiar with the story of Mulan, it takes place sometime between the 4th to 6th Century in China. Mulan disguises herself as a man to take her aging father’s place in the army to fight a war. In this novel, when a handsome soldier –who happens to be the son of a duke– discovers that Mulan is a woman, he is determined to protect her.
If you enjoy stories about star-crossed lovers, you might enjoy reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Set in 1932 in the circus world, Jacob cares for the circus animals, including Rosie the elephant. When Jacob meets Marlena, the beautiful star of the equestrian act, he is determined to save her from her abusive husband who trains the animals.
Did you know there are more babies born on September 9th than any other day of the year? September babies may also have a leg up on their fellow classmates by most likely being the oldest students in their classes (fun facts about September babies). Among these amazing September babies are several authors we want to celebrate. Check out some of the books written by these author September babies and let us know what you think about their work.
Malcom Gladwell was featured on the library’s Instagram with Rachel reading a passage from Outliers. Gladwell was born on September 3, 1963. Apart from Outliers, Gladwell is known for Blink, Tipping Point, and What the Dog Saw.
Leo Tolstoy was born September 9, 1828. Tolstoy was a Russian writer known for War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He is also known for his non-violent approach to resistance; his writings on this topic influenced people like Martin Luther King, Jr.
O. Henry, born as William Sidney Porter was born September 11, 1862. O. Henry is known for his witty short stories, particularly “The Gift of the Magi.” You can find collections of his work in our library.
William Golding, the English novelist and Nobel Prize laureate, was born September 19, 1911. You may recognize his name as the author of Lord of the Flies.
Fannie Flagg was also highlighted on Instagram to celebrate her September 21, 1944 birth. Flagg is an author, actress, and comedian. You may have seen her book-turned movie, Fried Green Tomatoes. Sara shared an excerpt from Standing in the Rainbow. Some of her other books include The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, A Redbird Christmas,and Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven.
September 25 seems to be another popular birthdate for authors such as bell hooks, Kristin Hannah, Shel Silverstein, and William Faulkner who were all born on this date. bell hooks is known for her works as a feminist and social activist writing more than 30 books on the topics. Hannah is the author of many popular fiction novels like Firefly Lane, Four Winds, and The Nightingale. Silverstein is the beloved poet of numerous funny children’s books like A Giraffe in a Half, The Giving Tree, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Faulkner was a Nobel Prize laureate and an important writer of American Southern Literature, writing novels like As I Lay Dying, Absalom, Absalom!, and Intruder in the Dust.
T. S. Eliot was born September 26, 1888. You can find collections of Eliot’s letters and poetry in the library’s collection.
We will close out September by noting Ta-Nehisi Coates and Truman Capote’s birthday of September 30. Coates is an author and journalist for The Atlantic. He wrote Between the World and Me and the Black Panther series for Marvel Comics. Capote was an American author known for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood. Many of his novels and writings are used as the basis for films and television shows.
We hope you will celebrate some of these authors by grabbing your sweater and one of their books from the library. Books that you are interested in reading but not available at Union’s library can be requested through Interlibrary Loan. Follow us on Instagram to watch our author birthday read a-louds and stay tuned for next month’s author birthday celebration!
For this month’s library staff book club meeting, we decided to take a break from what we normally do and have everyone read a book of their choice. Book club members shared the books they read and their general thoughts and feelings about it. Check out the books they read below and feel free to add any to your “To Be Read” list!
Sarah Blevins, Circulation Associate: I read The Nightingaleby Kristin Hannah. This isn’t my usual type of read, but I’m still glad I read it in an effort to branch out. I liked the dynamic between the two sisters, even though their relationship became strained in some parts of the novel. It was also interesting to read a book from the point of view of women in continental Europe during World War II. Content warning: the book does deal with a lot of heavy themes and includes some scenes of violence and assault.
Rachel Bloomingburg, Circulation Manager: I read The Tale of Despereauxby Kate DiCamillo. If you’re looking for a feel-good story, this may be the book for you. It is broken into four shorter stories within the longer story. Despereaux is smaller than the average mouse, but the size of his heart makes up the difference. He shows bravery and kindness, despite the difficulties in his life. Throughout the story, it speaks to you as the reader, and it encourages you to focus on and look for the light in your life. This was one of those books that filled me with joy and helped me remember the power of a story. There were a couple of characters that I hoped would have a few more good things happen to them, but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.
Esperanza Gonzalez, Director of Disability Services, Student Life: I read The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life by Robin Sharma. It’s a fiction story about 4 main characters who learn the secrets to success through good habits. The book teaches us that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things once we create a routine of building good habits and getting out of our comfort zone. Human beings embrace comfort, so getting out of the comfort zone by becoming an early riser is a good way to begin building extraordinarily good habits. “Everyone dreams of being a legend until it comes time to do the work that legends do.”
*Students, faculty, and staff can get The 5AM Club through Interlibrary Loan.
Sara Hand, Circulation Associate and Administrative Secretary: I read Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. It’s a stand-alone young adult fantasy novel about a 16-year-old girl named Elisabeth who has grown up as an orphan in one of the Great Libraries of Austermeer. The libraries contain the tools of sorcery, such as grimoires that speak and have unique personalities. Elisabeth has been taught her whole life that sorcery is dangerous, and she should stay away from it. But when the library where she lives is attacked by a sorcerer, she must reluctantly partner with another sorcerer named Nathaniel Thorn, and his demon servant to save the other Great Libraries of Austermeer. Sorcery of Thorns is full of humor, action, and a smattering of romance. Parts of it reminded me of Harry Potter, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast.
Melissa Moore, Library Director: I read two books…
12-year-old Olive Martin has been homeschooled her whole life in Wildwood, Tennessee, which has allowed her to pursue her love of birding, writing poetry and plays, spending time with her eclectic family, and healing when needed – for Olive has osteogenesis imperfecta (aka brittle bone disease) and spends most of her time in a wheelchair. But she doesn’t want OI to define her, and she really, really wants to go to Macklemore Middle School and find her BFF. Successfully convincing her parents to let her try middle school, Olive quickly enters the ups and downs of 6th grade, makes a few friends, discovers the theater, and gets caught up in the excitement around the legend of The Hummingbird, which really becomes the center of the novel. The magical hummingbird is supposed to return to Wildwood on May Day, and those it chooses will have their wish granted if they can figure out the riddle. Humming with magic and wonder, this novel is beautiful and honest, exploring themes of friendship, self-discovery, and confronting one’s fears. Just stellar.
The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat and Joanna Cacao
Christina has started middle school (7th grade), and while she has her friend Megan to hang with at lunch and every weekend, she feels the stress of adjustment. She is aware of her father’s Thai heritage and deals with some bullying from classmates related to her ethnicity. Everyone seems to be into sports, so she and Megan decide to try out for the cheerleading squad. But what if only one of them makes the squad? Will it ruin their friendship? This heartfelt graphic novel gets everything right – new friends, social stressors, the thrill of competition, and the reality of life – while avoiding easy answers. This graphic novel is rooted in the author’s (A Wish in the Dark, All Thirteen) own experiences in Texas as a middle schooler. I am not a huge fan of graphic novels, but this one is spot on.
Rembrandt is in the Wind is a series of art history essays written by a pastor whose storytelling and thoughts on art, community, and the artistic process are extremely engaging. The publisher describes the book as “part art history, part biblical study, part philosophy, and part analysis of the human experience; but it’s all story.” I had heard a few lectures by Russ Ramsey on The Hutchmoot Podcast that were fantastic, so when I found out he was writing a whole book I knew I would want to read it. I wasn’t disappointed. Ramsey’s writing is not only great storytelling and art history, but also prompts the reader to think more deeply on the importance of beauty, the ways God works in the lives of believers, the role of community, brokenness, calling, relationships, technological innovation, and even race. The titular chapter is a good example of Ramsey’s storytelling prowess, weaving together Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, the biblical account of that storm, a Boston art museum and its founder, the story of the widow of Nain, and an unsolved art heist into a moving and thought-provoking commentary on the nature of this broken world.
Because Rembrandt is in the Wind is written as a series of roughly chronological essays, a reader could plausibly jump in with whichever chapter sounds most interesting to them (although I would certainly recommend reading the book in its entirety). The book also includes several full-color prints of the pieces being discussed, as well as helpful appendices such as “How to Visit an Art Museum” and “How to Look at a Work of Art.” As someone who has long been wanting to appreciate visual art more deeply, I enjoyed this book immensely. Perhaps you will too!
Micah Rhodes, Cataloging Associate: A Wizard of Earthseaby Ursula K. Le Guin is a familiar yet refreshing telling of a coming-of-age hero’s journey. Whereas many of these stories are set in a great conflict of good-versus-evil, A Wizard of Earthsea takes a more introspective, intimate approach. The protagonist, Ged, is a young man with a particular affinity for the magical arts. While studying to become a great wizard, he attempts to demonstrate his ability to a rival but ends up unleashing a dark entity that proceeds to pursue him. Ged must reclaim his confidence and his honor by finding a way to dispel this dark specter. His travels take him across a fantastic world of isolated islands, oceanic travel, and a defined magic system more akin to the Taoist-inspired Force in Star Wars than the whimsy of Harry Potter. I found A Wizard of Earthsea to be a thoughtful, wholesome, and quick read, suited to any age.
Amber Wessies, Instruction Librarian: I read two books…
I don’t think I have a negative thing to say about this book. The Hiding Place is the biography of Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker who helped Jews during WWII. The book starts when she was a child and follows her through her experiences in concentration camps until after her release. Corrie and her sister, Betsy’s, faith is so encouraging and convicting. They trusted and praised God even in the horrible conditions. They were thankful for every little thing, including fleas, and they continually shared the gospel with the other prisoners during their time.
This book is about Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with epilepsy, and the experiences her parents had with Western medicine. The parents feel the doctors are making Lia worse by giving her too much medicine and the doctors think the parents are making her worse by not giving her the medicine as prescribed. Lia’s life is an example of cultural differences and the need to understand differences in order to be successful. Fadiman also weaves in the history of the Hmong people that is most likely not widely known.
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