Patron Picks : Donna Hill

*In addition to Staff Picks, I have asked a few patrons to let us feature their recommendations. If you would like your picks featured, contact Julie at jbaxter@co.franklin.tx.us or 903-537-4916

Donna's October Picks

Still Life by Louise Penny is the first in a series of mysteries involving Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec.  Ms. Penny has created an engaging set of characters, starting with Inspector Gamache.  Each book has a different, unique murder mystery to be solved by Gamache and his underlings and friends.  The books definitely should be read in order because the characters develop and change over the course of the series.  I believe there are currently 17 books featuring Inspector Gamache.

 

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is also the first in a series of British mysteries.  The heroine, Maisie Dobbs, "psychologist and investigator", is the daughter of a common laborer who rises above her humble beginnings.  Another series that needs to be read in order, the Maisie Dobbs books feature an engaging young woman who goes about solving mysteries and achieving success unusual to her time and place in society.  Ms. Winspear does an excellent job of conveying time and place, the England of post WWI and later.

 

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown is a non-fiction novel that relates the story of the eight-oar rowing crew from the University of Washington who managed to win the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics.  The story of the young men on the crew is inspiring, to say the least.  These were hard working, tough young men who grew up in families working to survive.  In a sport that was dominated by elite athletes from schools in the New England, they fought to become a skilled team that could win the Olympics.  While the author includes a lot of technical details about boat building, the real story is the grit and determination exhibited by the young men on the team.

 

The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar is an inspiring novel of the young women who joined the Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) organization during WWII.  At a time when few women worked outside the home, these intrepid women came from all over the United States to train at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX.  Having been to Sweetwater, TX I can only imagine what culture shock these women faced when they arrived from places like New York and California.  These female pilots tested aircraft, ferried aircraft, and trained other pilots.  The novel does have a love story and it’s a good one.