Ann H. Gabhart

Dear Readers,

There are not many times that I get really frustrated when a book goes out of print.  I wish they could all stay available forever, but that is just not practical.  But when Ann H. Gabhart’s book Scent of Lilacs and the following two in the series went out I was upset.

There was something about this wonderful series that just made me feel right at home with everyone in the book.  It's set in the summer of 1964 and Jocie is 13 and on the cusp of womanhood.  She is beginning to wonder about this secret that everyone she knows seems to be in on, except her.  The summertime seems like a good time to see if she can discover what it is.   She just didn’t know what she was going to find.

This story was a wonderful delight to read.  I fell in love with the characters, the storyline itself was one that felt like I was there in the middle of the story, and I didn’t want this story to end, even after three books.

I am so happy to say that Scent of Lilacs is on shelves now with book two, Orchard of Hope coming in October and Summer of Joy to soon follow.  If you haven’t read these already you are in for a treat.  If you have read them, let everyone know so they can join the fun.

Happy Reading.

Ann H. Gabhart

Dear Readers,

Does any of this sound familiar?  Political parties accusing each other of destroying the country, worry about immigrants and how they are taking jobs from "real" Americans, news medias taking sides and trying to further the way of their own pet projects.  They all sound like headlines and activities from modern times.  They are actually the setting for Anne Gabhart's new book, Words Spoken True. 

The book is set in Louisville in 1855.  The city was in the midst of a struggle between the Irish Catholics and those that saw themselves as the "native" Americans because they were born here.  The Know Nothings (what a great political party name) saw the Catholics and immigrants in general as a threat to the real way of life in America. They thought the immigrants were bringing the beliefs etc. from their original countries here and were unwilling to change to fit the mold.

Adriene only wants to help run her father's paper.  She was practically raised at the newspaper office and loves everything that has to do with getting a paper out.  The only problem is she is a woman, and being a woman reporter is unheard of and her father just wants her to marry well and raise a family. 

Blake wants to start over and a chance to be the editor of a failing paper in Louisville looks like the opportunity he has been looking for.  The problem is, the owner of his paper wants him to take out the Tribune. Now that he has met Adriane, he is not sure he still wants to do whatever it takes to beat them to the story.   

When Irish girls start turning up dead, the city gets more and more on edge.  The police department doesn’t seem to be interested in solving the mystery; after all they are not ladies and probably deserved it.  But it leads to one more stick in the tinder box of the city until it all explodes on August 6. 

Now don’t panic, that information is at the front of the book and is really part of history.  On August 6^th, 22 people were killed in the riots that have become known as Bloody Monday. I guess that is part of why I really do like this book.  It is an interesting mixture of history and fiction.  Ann is very good at mixing the two.

This is one of those books that it was just fun to read.  It is about a time in USA history that I haven't read that much about.  It is amazing to me how many parallels there were between modern news stories and the ones from this era.   I guess it just goes to show, history does repeat itself. 

I really like Ann’s books.  She writes these books that have lots of history in them without it sounding like a history book.  Her characters are easy to love or hate, depending on who they are.   She doesn’t always include a mystery, but I really do like her rich storylines.

Ann H.Gabhart

Dear Readers,

Angel Sister by Ann Gabhart lived up to my expectations.  It is a wonderful story set during the Depression about a 14 year old girl who is trying to keep her family together. Ann has such a rich and pleasent writing style that it is just a great reading experience.  I know that sounds a bit over the top, but I so enjoy reading her.  I looked forward to reading this book from the minute I heard about it.  I first fell in love with her writing when I read her 3 book series set in the 60's.  I hate to say it is out of print now, but you can still pick up the series in our used book department.

Kate's father is slipping away from his family as he becomes more and more dependent on alcohol.  He is fighting nightmares of World War I and the feeling of never measuring up to his family.  Kate herself is trying to do everything in her power, including prayer, to make her father want to come home at the end of the day instead of going out drinking. 

When Kate finds a little girl abandoned on the church steps, she thinks maybe things are turning around.  Lorena believes that Kate is the angel that God sent to take care of her until her mother comes back for her.  Kate knows better, but decides that if God wanted her to take care of Lorena then she will.  There are forces in town that don't think she should though, mostly both of her grandfathers.  How does a 14 year old fight against the two guys who run their little town?  With a lot of grit and gumption.

I found myself rooting for Kate the whole way through out this book.  She is a very likable character and has more spunk than most of us have our entire life.  She sees everything in black and white and doesn't completely understand the adult world yet, but she is learning fast as things in her family and town force her to grow up fast.  She is just one of the kids you wish you had been when you were younger. 

The story itself is very satisfying when you get to the end of it.  Because of being on vacation and my foot in a big boot I read this book in one day.  Which of course is probably the best way to read it, but I also know that it isn't always realistic.  You can take longer to read it, but read it you should, with a wonderful cup of coffee.

Happy Reading

Ann H. Gabhart

Dear Readers,
The Outsider is a very different book for Ann. Her three books before this were all set in 1964. A very turbulent time to say the least. This time she takes on 1812 and a Shaker village.

Gabrielle Hope joined the Shaker community, with her mother, 5 years earlier. She is very content and happy with her life. She loves teaching the young sisters, she loves working with the other sisters and isn't worried about commiting matrimony. She doesn't really question the things that are done or why. She believes that Mother Ann was sent from God and they need to follow what she taught. That is until the night of the fire. Enter the handsome Doctor, Brice Scott. Suddenly everything Gabrielle believes and knows is turned upside down.

I enjoyed this story. It is a very simple, gentle love story. It starts just before the war of 1812. It uses that as part of the story and even points out a problem with the "lets be seperate from the world" thinking of the Shaker community. Including the Shaker community really makes this story different and interesting. I am sure there are other fiction books on the Shakers, but I can't think of any off the top of my head.

I knew very little about the Shakers going into this story, but I did learn a lot from this story. In fact I talked to someone who has studied the Shakers a bit and she said that the research on the community is very well done. The information included in the book reflects a lot of what went on in those communities. Let me tell you I would not have been able to survive in them for very long. To many rules and not enough fun. :-)

If you are looking for a light historical novel, this is a great choice.

Happy Reading