History: United States of America

As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the 4th of July, it's no better time to study up on U.S. History. After all, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

The American Revolution by Bruce Lancaster

Chronicles the Revolutionary War, describing the making of the army, the search for allies overseas, and the roles of the military and civilians in the fight against the British.

The Radicals of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood

A grand and immensely readable synthesis of historical, political, cultural, and economic analysis that the New York Times Book Review called "the most important study of the American Revolution to appear in over twenty years."

Bury my heart at Wounded Knee : an Indian history of the American West by Dee Alexander Brown

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's eloquent, fully documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold almost four million copies and has been translated into seventeen languages. For this elegant thirtieth-anniversary hardcover edition, Brown has contributed an incisive new preface. Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows the great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them demoralized and defeated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was really won.

Lies across America : what our historic sites get wrong by James W. Loewen

Overturning the myths and misinformation that too often pass for American history. This is a one-of-a-kind examination of historic sites all over the country where history is literally written on the landscape, including historical markers, monuments, historic houses, forts, and ships.

Beyond the river: the untold story of the heroes of the Underground Railroad by Ann Hagedorn

"The decades preceding the Civil War were rife with fierce sectarian violence along the borders between slave and free states. The Ohio River was one such border. Here in the river towns of Ohio and Kentucky, abolitionists and slave chasers confronted each other during the "war before the war." Slave masters and bounty hunters chased runaway slaves from Kentucky into Ohio, hoping to catch their quarry before the slaves disappeared on the underground path to freedom. In the river town of Ripley, the slave hunters inevitably confronted John Rankin and his determined, courageous colleagues. One of the early abolitionist leaders, Rankin began his career when he wrote a series of letters denouncing his brother's recent purchase of a slave in Virginia. The letters were collected and published as Letters on American Slavery and influenced William Lloyd Garrison, among others. Rankin, a Presbyterian minister, and a farmer, bought property on a high hilltop overlooking Ripley and the Ohio River. His house was visible for miles into Kentucky, and he hung a lantern at night to help guide runaways. He and his fellow abolitionists, both black and white, formed the front line of freedom, and some of them paid a high price for it. In 1838, abolitionist John B. Mahan, a colleague of Rankin's, was lured into a trap and transported to Kentucky for one of the most celebrated trials of the era. Charged with breaking Kentucky laws, even though he had not been in the state for nearly twenty years, he was imprisoned in a windowless cell for three months, shackled at his wrists and ankles. At his trial, slaveholders tried in vain to identify and break the Ripley line "conductors." Another celebrated conductor on the Ripley line, John Parker, a former slave himself, was regarded as the most daring of the Ohio abolitionists. He made dozens of trips across the river into Kentucky to bring out slaves trying to escape, risking his life and his own freedom every time."--Jacket.

The buffalo hunters: the story of the hide men by Mari Sandoz

The destruction of the great herds of buffalo is the theme ofThe Buffalo Hunters

Conversations in black: on power, politics, and leadership by Ed Gordon

Hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and inspiring, Conversations in Black offers sage wisdom for navigating race in a radically divisive America, and, with help from his mighty team of black intelligentsia, veteran journalist Ed Gordon creates hope and a timeless new narrative on what the future of black leadership should look like and how we can get there.

American queenmaker: how Missy Meloney brought women into politics by Des Jardins, Julie

"Marie 'Missy' Mattingly Meloney was born in 1878, in an America where women couldn't vote. Yet she recognized the power that women held as consumers and family decision-makers, and persuaded male publishers and politicians to take them seriously. Over the course of her life as a journalist, magazine editor-in-chief, and political advisor, Missy created the idea of the female demographic. After the passage of the 19th Amendment, she encouraged candidates to engage with and appeal to women directly. In this role, she advised Presidents from Hoover and Coolidge to FDR. By the time she died in 1943, women were a recognized political force to be reckoned with. In this groundbreaking biography, historian Julie Des Jardins restores Missy to her rightful place in American history"-- Provided by publisher.

Driving while black: African American travel and the road to civil rights by Sorin, Gretchen Sullivan

"The ultimate symbol of independence and possibility, the automobile has shaped this country from the moment the first Model T rolled off Henry Ford's assembly line. Yet cars have always held distinct importance for African Americans, allowing black families to evade the many dangers presented by an entrenched racist society and to enjoy, in some measure, the freedom of the open road. Gretchen Sorin recovers a forgotten history of black motorists, and recounts their creation of a parallel, unseen world of travel guides, black only hotels, and informal communications networks that kept black drivers safe. At the heart of this story is Victor and Alma Green's famous Green Book, begun in 1936, which made possible that most basic American right, the family vacation, and encouraged a new method of resisting oppression. Enlivened by Sorin's personal history, Driving While Black opens an entirely new view onto the African American experience, and shows why travel was so central to the Civil Rights movement"-- Provided by publisher.

Imperfect union: how Jessie and John Frémont mapped the West, invented celebrity and helped cause the Civil War by Inskeep, Steve

"Steve Inskeep tells the riveting story of John and Jessie Frémont, the husband and wife team who in the 1800s were instrumental in the westward expansion of the United States, and thus became America's first great political couple John Frémont grew up amid family tragedy and shame. Born out of wedlock in 1813, he went to work at age thirteen to help support his family in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a nobody. Yet, by the 1840s, he rose to become one of the most acclaimed people of the age -- known as a wilderness explorer, bestselling writer, gallant army officer, and latter-day conquistador, who in 1846 began the United States' takeover of California from Mexico. He was a celebrity who personified the country's westward expansion. Mountains, towns, ships, and streets were named after him. How did he climb so far? A vital factor was his wife, Jessie Benton Frémont, the daughter of a powerful United States senator. Jessie wanted to play roles in politics and exploration, which were then reserved for men. Frustrated, she threw her skill and passion into promoting her husband. Ordered by the US Army to map the Oregon Trail, John traveled thousands of miles on horseback, indifferent to his safety and that of the other members of his expeditions. When he returned home, Jessie helped him to shape dramatic reports of his adventures, which were reprinted in newspapers and bound as popular books. Jessie became his political adviser and a power player in her own right. In 1856, the famous couple strategized as John became the first-ever presidential nominee of the newly established Republican Party. The party had been founded in opposition to slavery, and though both Frémonts were Southerners they became symbols of the cause. With rare detail and in consummate style, Steve Inskeep tells the story of a couple whose joint ambitions and talents intertwined with those of the nascent United States itself. Americans linked the Frémonts with not one but three great social movements of the time -- westward settlement, women's rights, and opposition to slavery. Theirs is a surprisingly modern story of ambition and fame; they lived in a time of globalization, technological disruption, and divisive politics that foreshadowed our own. The Frémonts' adventures amount to nothing less than a tour of the early American soul"-- Provided by publisher.

Additional Links:

Societal Impacts of the American Revolution

Revolutionary War

Wounded Knee Massacre,

The Underground Railroad

Where the Buffalo No Longer Roamed

A brief history of women in American politics

Civil Rights Movement

Causes Of The Civil War

Revolutionary Reads

I have consumed a lot of fiction in my life but, outside of school, I can't seem to remember ever reading any historical fiction that centers around the Revolutionary War. With all the historical romances I read, one would think there had to have been some, but all I can recall is Westerns, Civil War, and the Regency Period. The Fourth of July is coming up and this lack of Revolution Fiction in my life needs rectifying, and in case anyone else is feeling the same, here's a list of Revolutionary reads to check out.

The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton

1773: The Massachusetts colony is torn between patriots who want independence and loyalists who support the King. At the center is the educated and beautiful Abigail Adams -- wife of John Adams, the leader of the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization opposing the Crown. When a murder occurs in the home of their friend and fellow patriot, John is accused and Abby must uncover a conspiracy that could cost them their freedom.

The Whiskey Rebel by David List

Ethan Saunders, a former spy for George Washington, is recruited by Alexander Hamilton to find his ex-fiancee's missing husband. Meanwhile, Joan Maycott and her veteran husband, amid hardship and deprivation on the western Pennsylvania frontier, find unlikely friendship and a chance for prosperity with a new method of distilling whiskey. The Maycotts' success however attracts the brutal attention of men in Hamilton's orbit, men who threaten to destroy all Joan holds dear. As their causes intertwine, Joan and Saunders--both patriots in their own way--find themselves on opposing sides of a daring scheme that will forever change their lives and their new country.

Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara

More than a powerful portrait of the people and purpose of the American Revolution, "Rise to Rebellion" is a fictionalized account of history's most pivotal events: The Boston Tea Party, the battle of Concord, and of Bunker Hill. The author of the bestselling "Gods and Generals" and "The Last Full Measure" reveals with new immediacy how philosophers became fighters and how a scattered group of colonies became the United States of America.

Mount Vernon Love Story by Mary Higgins Clark

The role of the leader came naturally to George Washington, the first president of the United States, and the man revered as the father of his country. But when it came to the social aspects of life in the mid 18th century, he was both awkward and insecure, and finally it was only through the love of a woman that he found happiness.

The Fort by Bernard Cornwell

After the British establish a fort on the Penobscot River, the Massachusetts patriots--among them General Peleg Wadsworth and Colonel Paul Revere--mount an expedition to oust the redcoats.

Burr: A Novel by Gore Vidal

Burr is the opening volume in Gore Vidal's great fictional chronicle of American history, each of which is being republished in the Modern Library. Re-creates the American political scene of the early 1800s, seen through the memoirs of Aaron Burr.

The Story of Land and Sea by Katy Simpson Smith

Set in a small coastal town in North Carolina during the waning years of the American Revolution, this debut novel follows three generations of family--fathers and daughters, mother and son, master and slave, characters who yearn for redemption amidst a heady brew of war, kidnapping, slavery, and love.

Charleston by John Jakes

From the "New York Times" bestselling author who "makes history come brilliantly alive" ("The Washington Post Book World") comes a novel that spans decades and generations--from the American Revolution through the downfall of the Confederacy--in Jakes's most ambitious work yet.

My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray

Tells the story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Tells not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal - but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.-- Provided by publisher.

Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati

A judge's daughter elopes with a white adventurer in Colonial America. Elizabeth arrived from England to marry a doctor but is smitten by Nathaniel, a man raised by the Mohawks. The doctor, however, refuses to give her up and pursues them.

"Summer" Reads

It's officially Summer! Time for sandals, barbeque, pools, and in my case, avoiding the heat by camping out in the a/c. It's also a great time to check out some Summer Reads.

Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner

Ruth Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her retirement, renting the perfect waterfront cottage while she searches for her forever home. After years of hard work and making peace with life's disappointments, Ruth is looking forward to a carefree summer of solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the close-knit community. The appearance of the mystery baby has an emotional ripple effect through the women in town, including Amelia Cabral, the matriarch who lost her own child decades earlier; Elise Douglas, owner of the tea shop who gave up her dream of becoming a mother; and teenage local Jaci Barros who feels trapped by her parents' expectations. Ruth, caring for a baby for the first time in thirty years, finally reaches out to her own estranged daughter, Olivia, summoning her to Provincetown in hopes of a reconciliation. As summer unfolds and friends and family care for the infant, alliances are made, relationships are tested, and secrets are uncovered. But the unconditional love for a child in need just might bring Ruth and the women of Provincetown exactly what they have been longing for themselves."--Provided by publisher.

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Four siblings experience the drama, intrigue, and upheaval of a summer when everything changed, in New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand's first historical novel. Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same: Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country. In her first historical novel, rich with the details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea, Elin Hilderbrand once again earns her title as queen of the summer novel.

The Summer House by James Patterson

"When seven murder victims are found in a small town, the homicide investigation shakes a small-town sheriff to her core"-- Provided by publisher.

Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway

After her father goes to jail, Cady Bennett, twelve, is taken from foster care to spend a summer with her estranged Aunt Michelle, trying to save her failing pie shop.

The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis

Brynn heads back home for a fresh start and to lick her wounds. Kinsey, her long-time frenemy, has her own battles and secrets she's keeping from Brynn. Eli, Kinsey's best friend and Brynn's childhood crush, is funny and sexy and has a proposition for Brynn. As the long days of summer wind down, the three of them must discover if forgiveness is enough to grasp the unconditional love that's right in front of them.

Magnolia Summer by Melanie Dickerson

"Truett Beverly's hometown needed a doctor, so after finishing medical school, he returned to Bethel Springs. Fighting a secret war with a corrupt lawman wasn't in his plans, but Sheriff Suggs thinks he's above the law and can lynch anyone who crosses him. When Suggs threatens his childhood friend, Truett dons a cape and hood and becomes the Hooded Horseman--becoming the sheriff's 'most wanted' enemy in the process. Celia Wilcox arrives in Bethel Springs, Alabama, in June of 1880. She's come from Nashville to help her sister care for their younger siblings. She hopes only to be on the small farm for the summer, just until her mother recovers from the shock of Celia's father's death. She must return to Nashville if she hopes to fulfill her dream of opening her own dress shop. The lovely Celia catches Truett's eye, and he finds himself wanting to impress her. But she flatly refuses to flirt with him or to fall for his--if he does say so himself--considerable charm. Celia's attraction and admiration for Dr. Beverly terrifies her. What will happen when Sheriff Suggs discovers Truett is the Hooded Horseman? Will Celia's greatest fears come true? Or will she be able to prevent the sheriff from carrying out one last lynching?" -- Amazon.com.

Speaking of Summer by Kali Buckhanonsha

"On a cold December evening, Autumn Spencer's twin sister Summer walks to the roof of their shared Harlem brownstone and is never seen again, the door to the roof is locked, and no footsteps are found. Faced with authorities indifferent to another missing woman, Autumn must pursue answers on her own, all while grieving her mother's recent death. With her friends and neighbors, Autumn pretends to hold up through the crisis. She falls into an affair with Summer's boyfriend to cope with the disappearance of a woman they both loved. But the loss becomes too great, the mystery too inexplicable, and Autumn starts to unravel, all the while becoming obsessed with murdered women and the men who kill them."-- Provided by publisher.

The Last Summer of Ada Bloom by Martine Murray

A big-hearted story of a family filled with secrets, and the ways they grow up--and apart--over the course of a single, life-altering summer.

Summerlings by Lisa Howorth

A powerful testament to love and friendship amid uncertain times--a Cold War coming-of-age story in which three best friends confront their fears of the Bomb, Russian spies, bullies, and their role in the tragic event that ushers them into adulthood.hood.

Lake of the Ozarks : my surreal summers in a vanishing America by William Geist

"Before there was 'tourism' or 'leisure time;' before souvenir ashtrays became 'camp' and 'kitsch;' before Goofy Golf became an 'attraction' and today's colossal theme parks could even be imagined, there was 'Beautiful Lake of the Ozarks -- Family Vacationland,' where to this day the ashtrays remain devoid of irony. It was here, at Arrowhead Lodge at Lake of the Ozarks, where Bill Geist spent his summers between high school and college working at this tacky resort. What may have seemed 'just a summer job' became, upon reflection, a transformative era where a cast of eccentric, small-town characters and experiences would make Bill the man he is today. Bill realized it was this time in his life that would shape his sensibilities, his humor, his writing, and ultimately a career searching the world for other such untamed characters for The Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. In Lake of the Ozarks, two-time Emmy Award-winning CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Bill Geist reflects on his coming of age in the American heartland of the Midwest and traces his evolution as a man and a writer, in the summers between high school and college, before he went off to Vietnam and the country went to Hell. Written with Geistian warmth and quirky humor, Lake of the Ozarks takes readers back to a bygone era, and shows how you can find inspiration in the most unexpected places"-- Provided by publisher.

Author Interview with Ruth Downie

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down and penning an email to Ruth Downie, author of the Medicus Investigation series, who was gracious enough to answer my questions.  

Me: I hope this email finds you well.  My name is Jenni Vogenthaler, I write the blog for the Dixon Public Library.   I know that Antony has been in touch with you about an interview and that you agreed.  I first want to say how excited I am to reach out.   I have to say that I am new to your books, but I just finished Medicus and I absolutely loved it, and I'm ready to begin Terra Incognita.

Ruth: Thank you, Jenni! It’s a pleasure to be in touch. Good luck with the blog! Our library, like yours, is closed to visitors at the moment, and it’s great to see the imaginative ways staff are finding to connect with library users over the Internet.

Me: I was reading about your inspiration coming from Hadrian's Wall, and how the Roman soldiers were not allowed to marry the local women but could have relationships with them.  I was wondering if you have always been interested in the history of Ancient Rome, in particular their occupation of Britain?

Ruth: No, not at all - even though I went to school in Colchester, which Rome initially chose as the capital of Britannia. Colchester was also the first target of Boudica’s rebel warriors, who burned it down and massacred many of the residents before heading off to do the same thing to Roman London. Somehow, despite the school bus taking us past the Roman walls every morning, this all passed me by completely. I don’t remember anybody ever mentioning it in school Latin lessons, but perhaps I wasn’t listening.

Me: Along with that, I was wondering what sources you use for your research, and what are some of the more interesting things you have learned?

Ruth: Well as you’ll have gathered, I started from a position of almost complete ignorance! I began with the local library, taking out all the relevant books I could find and then putting in requests for the titles in the “further reading” lists at the end. Large chunks of what I read made little sense to me because I didn’t have the background knowledge that most of the writers assumed (it would have saved me a lot of confusion if somebody had explained that Octavian and Augustus were one person, while Pliny was two people) but there was enough that was interesting to keep me going.  

I also joined a local archaeology group,  and for many years I was part of a team excavating a Roman villa in the English midlands. I still wield a trowel when I get the chance. I loved helping to reveal the rooms of an ancient bath-house (still with much of its underfloor heating system intact!) and seeing little hints of forgotten lives - finger-marks in pottery, or the pawprints of a dog who ran across a new roof-tile before the clay had hardened. But for me, the real revelation was how “Roman” and native ways combined. That smart modern villa was built with the native-style roundhouse still standing very close by. The Romans and their culture were received very differently in different parts of Britain and it certainly wasn’t always a case of “them and us”. 

These days the Internet has made research very much easier, but I still don’t think there’s any substitute for exploring locations on foot, visiting real sites and museums, and seeing things in context. 

The other rich sources of knowledge are re-enactors and experimental archaeologists. It’s all very well knowing what Roman soldiers’ armour looked like but the only way to appreciate how ridiculously heavy it was is to get your hands on a modern reproduction.  Illustrations of legionaries on the march don’t give you the relentless rhythm of the tramping boots and the jingle of the belt-straps. Meanwhile, away from the army, realizing how many hours it takes to spin just one fleece on a simple “drop spindle” demonstrates just how precious clothing would have been to ordinary people. And my favourite little gem of knowledge is that while the remains of many  “grain dryer” buildings have been found on rural Romano-British sites, when some archaeologists tried to recreate one they found it was rubbish at drying grain—but it made a very good malting-floor, producing the key ingredient for brewing beer. 

Re-enactors at the Eboracum Roman Festival

Me: Covid-19 has had a huge impact on all of us, and has disrupted our daily lives; has it impacted your writing or reading habits in any way?  Is there something you are currently working on?

Ruth: When the lockdown started, I fondly imagined that having no outside commitments meant I would get far more writing done—but apart from “Authors Without Borders” (of which more in a moment), it doesn’t seem to have happened. I’ve heard the same from several other writers and I’m beginning to wonder if we only have a limited ration of imagination each day. Or perhaps it’s a limited ration of willpower!

I’m currently working on a new “Medicus” novel and I’d really like to go and revisit some of the locations and check a few things. As that’s out of the question, Google Street View has become my new best friend. Still, I’m very lucky: as I’ve worked from home for years, I’ve had to adapt far less than many other people. 

In terms of reading, I’ve been bingeing on audiobooks (free audiobooks from the local library are a godsend!) but have found myself losing interest in anything excessively glum or gruesome. There’s enough of that in the real world at the moment.

Me: I saw that a couple of your books are collaborations and I was curious how collaborations worked if you found it to be an enjoyable experience, (the pros and cons)?

Ruth: I was one of seven members of the History 360  ( https://www.facebook.com/History360Presents/ ) group who wrote “A Year of Ravens,” a novel about Boudica’s rebellion, and Simon (SJA) Turney and I published a long-ish short story together called “The Bear and the Wolf” about one of the Roman incursions into Scotland. 

By the time “A Year of Ravens” came along, some of the team had already put together a novel about Pompeii (“A Day of Fire”) and they were very well organized. Each of the main characters was allotted to a different writer. We all then wrote our own short stories from our characters’ points of view, but of course, many of the characters carried through from one tale to the next and in the end, the episodes combined to make an overarching story from start to finish. As you can imagine, this involved a huge challenge of co-ordination with online meetings and reading and critiquing each other’s drafts. Then we all threatened to lock Kate Quinn in a cellar and not let her out until she had edited the whole thing together. 

It’s hard to imagine a traditional publisher having the flexibility to accommodate this sort of approach, but because we were publishing ourselves, we could do whatever we jointly decided to do. Of course, this meant we had to share out all the back-room jobs as well, and my role was Fact-Checker. Or more accurately, Chief Nitpicker. My greatest (possibly my only) achievement here was to stop the Roman army setting off down the wrong river and changing the course of history by drowning in a sea that the author hadn’t realized would be there. 

“The Bear and the Wolf” was originally written as a gift for the Saturday evening dinner guests at the Alderney Literary Festival, where Simon Turney and I led opposing sides on a “Romans versus Britons” debate. I wrote the beginning and Simon wrote the end, but there were a lot of discussions. Simon is a joy to work with because he’s endlessly inventive and flexible and has lots of technical skills that I don’t have, but he has a strange reluctance to admit that Britons are best. 

I saw that you have contributed to Authors without Borders; could you share a bit on what that is all about and your experience with the project?

Ruth: Authors without Borders was originally the idea of fellow-novelist Ben Kane. Back in March, he gathered a group of writers who all agreed to write stories in installments on their Facebook pages as a way of keeping readers entertained during the lockdown. 

At the time we thought we might publish them later as a collection to raise money for charity. Since then some of them have turned into full-length novels, so it’s going to be a mightily long collection.  Luckily a kind web designer created a site for us, so all the stories are there with links to our chosen charities if anyone wants to donate. (https://authorswithoutborders.org)

I must admit I was apprehensive about this project. Partly because I’m a terribly slow writer, and partly because we were writing “on the hoof” and publishing as we went, so there was no chance to go back and change anything if we had a better idea later.  This is especially challenging, I think if you’re writing a crime plot. The clues and the culprit have to be in place early on if the ending is to make any sense. Fortunately, it seems to have worked. But it’s left me with an even deeper admiration for Dickens, who did this sort of thing all the time.

Me: Lastly, what are your future goals with your writing?

Ruth: The next Medicus novel is about one-third done, so finishing it and knocking it into shape will keep me busy for the next few months. After that—well if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the current world crisis, it’s that making predictions is very unwise.  

www.ruthdownie.com

Dixon Public Library - Ruth Downie Collection

Medicus by Ruth Downie

Divorced and down on his luck, Gaius Petreius Ruso has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. In a moment of weakness, after a straight thirty-six hour sift at the army hospital, he succumbs to compassion and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner. Now he has a new problem: a slave that won't talk, can't cook, and drags trouble in her wake. Before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar. Now Ruso must summon all his forensic knowledge to find a killer who may be after him next.

Audobook Month

In 1878, Thomas Edison recorded the words "Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow" on a phonograph. In 1931, The Talking Book Project was created and in the 1970s libraries began circulating audiobooks. Welcome to audiobook month.

History of Audiobooks

Audiobooks: The rise and rise of the books you don’t read

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

"In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in her furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history"--Web page.

Treason by Stuart Woods

Upon returning to New York City after a whirlwind British excursion, Stone Barrington is notified of a delicate situation within the country's administration. A close friend requires his expertise and subtlety to eradicate a destructive presence in a classified agency, only it soon becomes clear that this renegade was sent by a rival Stone has encountered before.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement ...

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

Falling in love with a wounded former patient and accompanying him on a cycling trip to Vietnam, an emergency-room doctor uncovers a bizarre series of deceptions that culminate in her boyfriend's unexplained disappearance.

The first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in his arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. As Alexis grapples with this bewildering loss, navigating the FBI, Austin's prickly family, and her colleagues at the hospital, Alexis uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in?

House on Fire by Joseph Finder

Nick Heller, a private spy, exposes secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. At the funeral of his good friend Sean, an army buddy who once saved Nick's life and had struggled with an opioid addiction since returning wounded from the war, a stranger approaches Nick with a job. The woman is a member of the Rhodes family, whose immense fortune was built on opiates. Now she wants to become a whistleblower, exposing evidence that Rhodes Pharmaceutical knew its biggest money-maker drug, Oxydone, was dangerously addictive and led directly to the overdoses and deaths of people like Sean.

Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams

When a collection of unusual bones and the remains of a very old book are unearthed during Storyton Halls renovations, resulting in an unexpected historical mystery and a murder, manager Jane Steward investigates.

Ali Cross by James Patterson

Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, former detective and FBI agent Alex Cross. While solving some of the nation's most challenging crimes, his father always kept his head and did the right thing. Can Ali have the same strength and resolve? When Ali's best friend Abraham is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood and even his own house. With his father on trial for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Ali to search for clues and find his friend.

Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber

Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager. Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart--and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer. Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven--and the man-she's come to call home.

Clock Dance by Anne Tyler

Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life. In 1967, she is a schoolgirl coping with her mother's sudden disappearance. In 1977, she is a college coed considering a marriage proposal. In 1997, she is a young widow trying to piece her life back together. And in 2017, she yearns to be a grandmother but isn't sure she ever will be. Then, one day, Willa receives a startling phone call from a stranger. Without fully understanding why, she flies across the country to Baltimore to look after a young woman she's never met, her nine-year-old daughter, and their dog, Airplane. This impulsive decision will lead Willa into uncharted territory--surrounded by eccentric neighbors who treat each other like family, she finds solace and fulfillment in unexpected places. A bewitching novel of hope, self-discovery, and second chances, Clock Dance gives us Anne Tyler at the height of her powers.

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, a CIA analyst uncovers a dangerous secret that will test her loyalty to the agency--and to her family.