New and Recently Released! Agincourt - by Bernard Cornwell Publisher: HarperCollins Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2009 ISBN: 9780061578915 ISBN-10: 0061578916 As one of the most famous military victories in English history, the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 saw Henry V's outnumbered soldiers rout French forces and change the course of the Hundred Years War. Now, bestselling author Bernard Cornwell brings the conflict to life in this rousing historical novel. Outlaw longbowman Nicholas Hook joins the army to escape the hangman's noose and soon finds himself in France. While fighting for his country, he rescues and falls in love with a French woman--a potentially treasonous situation whose outcome could mean death for the brave archer. Booklist calls Agincourt "a must-read for fans of authentically detailed historical fiction." Sashenka - by Simon Montefiore Publisher: Simon & Schuster Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/11/2008 ISBN: 9781416595540 ISBN-10: 1416595546 In 1916 Russia, privileged schoolgirl Sashenka Zeitlin rebels against her bourgeois Jewish upbringing by becoming a Bolshevik--and promptly gets arrested by the tsarist secret police. Sashenka's experiences lead to her becoming a double agent, and later, as the Revolution changes the political landscape of the nation, Lenin's secretary. By the 1930s, she's a model wife and mother, married to a Communist official and upholding the party's ideals--until her affair with a Jewish writer results in her arrest and torture at the hands of the NKVD. Author Simon Montefiore's "command of Russian history makes the novel's details especially vibrant" (Booklist). Table of Contents First Chapter The Book of Unholy Mischief: A Novel - by Elle Newmark Publisher: Atria Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/30/2008 ISBN: 9781416590545 ISBN-10: 1416590544 In 15th-century Venice, starving street urchin Luciano steals a pomegranate from a market stall and, in a strange twist of fate, becomes the apprentice of the Maestro Ferraro, the chef at the Doge's Palace. As Luciano settles into his new life, he soon discovers that the Doge is searching for a legendary book, rumored to contain ancient alchemical lore that will enable whoever possesses it to achieve immortality. What's more, it seems that his beloved master and teacher is somehow involved. Renaissance Italy comes to life in this exciting tale of adventure and intrigue. City of God: A Novel of Passion and Wonder in New York City - by Beverly Swerling Publisher: Simon & Schuster Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/9/2008 ISBN: 9781416549215 ISBN-10: 1416549218 Beverly Swerling's 4th book in her epic Old New York series (after City of Glory) follows the ever-changing fortunes of two families: the Turners and the Devreys. Merchant Samuel Devrey marries heiress Carolina Randolf to gain status...and continues to visit his Chinese mistress Mei-Hua on the side. Meanwhile, surgeon Nick Turner pioneers both the use of ether as anesthesia and the sterilization of instruments as he attempts to provide poor immigrants with proper health care. Beginning in the 1830s and leading up to the Civil War, this absorbing saga unfolds against a backdrop of industrialization, religious fervor, political corruption, and the growing divide between rich and poor. Focus on: Wives and Daughters The River Wife - by Jonis Agee Publisher: Random House Inc Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/27/2008 ISBN: 9780812977196 ISBN-10: 081297719X In 1811 Missouri, French fur trapper and river pirate Jacques Ducharme rescues (and marries) Annie Lark after the catastrophic New Madrid earthquake. While their love quickly turns sour and their marriage ends in tragedy, Annie's residence at Jacques' Landing sets the stage for generations of "river wives," including Jacques' second wife Laura, their daughter Maddie, and Hedie Rails, the bride of Maddie's son Clement. It is 17-year-old Hedie who, in 1930, uncovers the hidden history of Jacques' Landing while attempting to discover the truth about Clement's nocturnal disappearances. Containing "lush historical detail, a plot brimming with danger, love and betrayal, and a magnificent cast" (Publishers Weekly), this family saga is a must-read. First Chapter Rasputin's Daughter - by Robert Alexander Publisher: Penguin Books Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/26/2006 ISBN: 9780143038658 ISBN-10: 0143038656 Author Robert Alexander follows up his acclaimed first novel The Kitchen Boy with another spellbinding journey to revolutionary Russia, this time to tell the story of the notorious "Mad Monk" Rasputin. Grigori Rasputin, despite his powerful influence over the Tsar's court as a mystic and healer, is an enigma--even to his 18-year-old daughter, Maria, who narrates the story. Is he a visionary or a charlatan? As Maria attempts to reconcile the public image of her father with her private experiences of the man, she finds herself at the center of a plot to destroy Rasputin, the royal family, and even herself. Daughter of Fortune - by Isabel Allende Publisher: Harpercollins Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/1/2008 ISBN: 9780061565335 ISBN-10: 0061565334 Isabelle Allende's acclaimed historical novel begins in 19th century Valparaiso, Chile, where expatriate English siblings Rose and Jeremy Sommers find an infant girl abandoned on their doorstep. Naming her Eliza, they raise her to be an upper-class lady, but their hopes are dashed when Eliza falls in love with aspiring revolutionary Joaquin Andieta. Eliza gets pregnant, and Joaquin abandons her for the California gold fields. However, determined to get her lover back, Eliza stows away aboard a ship bound for California, where she befriends kindly physician Tao Chi'en. Arriving in San Francisco, the pair find that their paths keep crossing in this story about history, destiny, and family ties. First Chapter The Fugitive Wife - by Peter C. Brown Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc. Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2007 ISBN: 9780393329759 ISBN-10: 0393329755 On the run from her abusive husband, midwestern farm girl Essie Crummey flees to Nome, Alaska, in 1900, just as the Alaska Gold Rush is taking off. After helping out in the aftermath of a dockside accident, she is hired by the Cape Nome Company and forms a close bond with mining foreman Nate Deaton. Between her work and her budding romance with Nate, Essie begins to make a new life for herself in Alaska. But will her jealous husband (who's hot on her trail) ruin her chance at happiness? Read this first novel to find out. The Alchemist's Daughter - by Katharine McMahon Publisher: Random House Inc. Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/24/2006 ISBN: 9780307335852 ISBN-10: 0307335852 Raised by her eccentric father (a chemist who also dabbles in alchemy), Emilie Selden is an accomplished scientist in her own right--an unusual occupation for an 18th-century Englishwoman. Having assisted the elder Selden since childhood, Emilie knows more about chemistry, physics, and alchemy than almost anyone. Yet she knows almost nothing of the world outside her own doorstep--until handsome Robert Aislabie shows up and steals her heart. When their secret affair leads to Emilie's pregnancy, her father disowns her and she marries Ainslabie. However, her new husband is not what he seems and Emilie must decide to whom--and to what--her heart really belongs. First Chapter Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-Gazer - by Sena Jeter Naslund Publisher: HarperCollins Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/13/2005 ISBN: 9780060838744 ISBN-10: 0060838744 Revealing that the whale-obsessed seafarer "was neither my first husband nor my last," the wife of Moby-Dick's Captain Ahab (who is referred to exactly once in Melville's novel) tells her life story. Born on a farm in Kentucky, Una Spenser goes to live with relatives in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as a child. At 16, she disguises herself as a boy and goes to sea, surviving a horrific shipwreck before being rescued by the Pequod. After the death of her first husband, Una marries Ahab and settles down to a happy domestic life--until Ahab's encounter with the legendary white whale causes him to become obsessed with seeking vengeance. Whether or not you've read Moby-Dick, you'll enjoy this sweeping adventure. First Chapter