Nonfiction by Ellen Hunter Ulken
This book briefly profiles the short lives of six twentieth century female singers, all of whom died before reaching age 35. Five of the women were known to me.
It was a good overview and it's interesting to see the similarities and differences in the women's lives.
Nonfiction by Karen Tongsen
I got this book (along with several others about the late singer Karen Carpenter) because I'm kind of researching the Carpenters for a possible musical revue performance. I read a biography of her years ago before I started logging my books --I think it was Little Girl Blue by Randy Schmidt-- and I wanted a little refresher course.
This book was a bit colored by the author's own take. The author herself was named after the singer, and her home country of the Philippines apparently has a special affinity for Karen Carpenter. It was a pretty good short read.
Fiction by Diane Chamberlain
In this story, Rachel Huber returns to Reflection, Pennsylvania, to care for her aging grandmother; however, the little town is not much inclined to welcome her back. Over twenty years ago, a tragic accident had claimed ten young lives, and many townspeople think Rachel was to blame. Can she uncover the truth about what really happened?
This was good story with great characters. I did feel like the twists were a little over the top, although it was a very enjoyable book.
Fiction by Brendan Slocumb
Dr. Bern Hendricks is a musician and a historian, and his specialty is early 20th century composer Frederick Delaney. So when the Delaney Foundation calls him to say they have found documents needing review, he jumps at the chance to fly to New York and study them. After all, there is still some mystery surrounding Delany's work, and Bern longs to be the one to find out the truth. He enlists help from his friend Eboni Washington, a computer tech expert who had helped him with his Delaney dissertation some years before.
But soon Bern gets the feeling that the Delaney Foundation may not be interested in the truth. Or is it just because he and Eboni are the only Black scholars working with the all-white Foundation members that makes him uneasy? The reader knows something more is definitely going on! Then the book makes a time shift back to the early 1900's and the real Frederick Delaney's life and the plot thickens.
This was a really good book, a blend of historical and mystery fiction with interesting musical and cultural aspects as well. I highly recommend it!
I also read by this author: The Violin Conspiracy
