A Novel Idea: The Library of Lost Dollhouses

The Library of Lost Dollhouses - Elise Hooper
William Morrow
320 Pages

Sometimes I pull books from the shelves at the Lockport Public Library and have no real intention of taking them home. Sometimes, I just pull them off the shelf to get an inkling of where the publishing world is at that moment. When I first grabbed The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper, I had no intention of checking it out. It was one of the newest books on the shelves when I saw it. So, of course, I had to give it a quick summary read, like I do with all the books that have been released since my last visit. I shrugged when I read the back cover, thinking that it was a solid maybe if I didn’t find anything else in my search. Thankfully, I ended up taking it home with me.

Bacon Presidential Library Vol. 38: John Adams Party of One

John Adams: Party of One - James Grant
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
544 Pages

In the wake of David McCullough’s seminal John Adams, other books about our second president quickly hit the shelves. There were some claims that this book, John Adams: Party of One by James Grant, was a “medium” compared to McCullough’s “large.” I did not see that at all after reading this book. I would put it on par with that other work. In fact, in some places, I would even daresay that it was better.

A Novel Idea: To Try Men's Souls

To Try Men’s Souls - Newt Gingrich & William Forstchen
Thomas Dunne Books
345 Pages

As I read the books about the Presidents, I ran across some historical fiction that pertains to the lives of our first President, George Washington. Newt Gingrich, long time politician and now historical fiction writer, along with thriller author, William Forstchen, team up to write the story of the Battle of Trenton during the American Revolution. Considering my reading project and that I’m researching the Revolution as part of my observation of its 250th anniversary, this seemed like the perfect book to throw onto the pile when I was at the Lockport Public Library.