2023 Reading Challenge Crossover Books

CHALLENGES
*Read Around the USA - NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
Decades - 1935 (and other decades)
Book Voyage - ISLAND

by Max Allan Collins

One of the leading theories about the disappearance of Amelia Earnhart involves her crashing near the Northern Mariana islands.

In this historical mystery, detective Nathan Heller had been hired as Amelia’s bodyguard in 1935, two years before her infamous trip around the world. At that point, she had already been the subject of death threats, leading Nathan to believe there was more to her disappearance than a simple flying accident.

During WWII, Nathan was hired to help search for her in Japanese waters, but failed. Over twenty years later, in 1970, he travels back to Saipan determined to find the truth and looking for revenge for his earlier attempt.

The Book Girls Say… While this is the 9th book in the Nathan Heller series, it does read as a stand-alone. Don’t miss the appendix at the back of this book that clarifies which points of the book are historically accurate and which are speculation or fictional to enhance the novel. If you're interested in reading a non-fiction book about the theory that Amelia Earhart ended up on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands after her 1937 disapperance, pick up Amelia Earheart: The Truth at Last by Mike Campbell.

Heads Up: This book was originally published in 1998 and some readers mention that it contains both racist and sexist language.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 3/13/23.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1930s
Book Voyage - CUBA (partially set on the island)

by Chanel Cleeton

Three women's stories intertwine in the Florida Keys as the powerful hurricane approaches over Labor Day weekend of 1935.

Key West native Helen Berner yearns to escape her abusive husband. Elizabeth Preston has traveled down from New York in search of a veteran of the Great War. Mirta Perez's family suffered great losses in Cuban Revolution of 1933, and now they have arranged her marriage to a man in a dangerous business, followed by a honeymoon in Key West.

The approaching storm is not the only danger that these women face as their paths unexpectedly cross.

The Book Girls Say... Some of our readers have reported not loving the audiobook narrator, so consider listening to a sample before choosing this format.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
89% Would Recommend to a Friend

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage - MULTIPLE ISLANDS
Read Around the USA - PUERTO RICO

by Trish Doller

Float Plan takes you to the sunny Caribbean with Anna as she sets off on the boat that she inherited after the loss of her fiancé. While Anna initially begins her adventure alone, she quickly realizes that she’s in over her head. She hires Keane, a professional sailor who is dealing with his own struggles as he faces a future that looks much different than what he had planned.

This book is both an enjoyable beach read and ultimately an uplifting story about grief and second chances. Anna originally intends to follow the exact sailing route that she and her fiancé had planned to take together, sailing first to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then down through the British Virgin Islands. Along the way, however, she discovers that she’ll have to chart her own course - both aboard the boat and in her life. Likewise, Keane is navigating rough waters both aboard Anna’s boat, and as he struggles to put his life back on the course he had mapped out for himself.

The Book Girls Say... We both love a good beach read, but this book really took Angela by surprise because it has so much more depth than she expected. Both main characters are authentic, flawed, and well-developed.

Throughout the book, the author paints vivid descriptions of the islands visited with attention paid to what makes each island unique, rather than just generalizing the entire region as nothing more than a tourist playground. There's an excellent map on the author's website that shows the sailing route and all of the islands visited.

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage - CUBA (Island)
Decades - Late 1930s

by Ruth Behar

As WW2 began, Jewish families in Poland were trying to flee to safer countries outside of Hilter’s reach. In this story, Esther’s father has gone ahead of the family to Cuba, and Esther is the first family member to join him. She’s devasted to be separated from her sister, so documents her new life in Cuba to share her experiences in writing until her sister can join her.

Her writings include both the kindness of the Cuban people and the unfortunate reality that Nazism has reached Cuba.

The Book Girls Say… This historical fiction novel is based on the author’s family history.

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage - GHANA
Read Around the USA - ALABAMA (and New York City)
Decades - 1920s (spans multiple decades)

by Yaa Gyasi

This multi-generation epic follows the divergent paths of two half-sisters born in 18th century Ghana and their descendants over 300 years. Effia marries a wealthy Englishman and lives in a castle, but she doesn’t know Esi is imprisoned in the dungeon below. Esi is sold in the slave trade and shipped to America, where she, her children, and her grandchildren are raised in slavery.

The book continues to follow each generation of both Effia and Esi all the way to the present day and includes a range of historical time periods, including the American Civil War and the Jazz Age.

The Book Girls Say… Despite this long history, the book is only 305 pages, so not a traditional epic with extensive storylines for each generation. Instead, each chapter introduces a new character, and the book reads more like a series of short stories. Some readers are disappointed that not every chapter/chapter has a full arc and conclusion.

Author Yaa Gyasi was born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama.

We also found a second book that spans both Ghana and Alabama called The Scent of Burnt Flowers. The description sounds fascinating, but the reviews are a bit lower than we hoped (although a few of our readers have reported really liking it).

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1924
Read Around the USA - Branchville, SOUTH CAROLINA

by Deb Spera

Set in Branchville, South Carolina, in 1924 - shortly after the Boll Weevil Infestation that devastated southern cotton fields - this historical fiction novel tells the story of motherhood and womanhood. The story centers around three women at a crossroad - Gertrude, Retta, and Annie.

Gertrude, a mother of four, must make a difficult decision to save her daughters. Retta is a first-generation freed slave who comes to Gertrude's aid. And Annie, the matriarch of the influential Coles family, offers Gertrude a job.

Despite having seemingly nothing in common, these three women unite to stand up to injustices long plaguing the small town. This book is a timeless story about the power of family, community, and the ferocity of motherhood.

Warning: Be aware that this book includes some potentially triggering topics, including domestic abuse and child sexual abuse. Additionally, this book includes some racially insensitive language reflective of the era in which it's set.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage - SUDAN
Read Around the USA - Atlanta, GEORGIA

by Dave Eggers

This epic novel is based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, one of thousands of Sudanese children — the so-called Lost Boys — who were forced to leave their villages in Sudan. At the age of seven, Valentino was separated from his family and trekked hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom. When Valentino ultimately immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia under the Lost Boys of Sudan program, he found a life full of promise, but also heartache and myriad new challenges.

Dave Eggers is an American author who has had many non-fiction, biographical successes. For this work, Eggers and Valentino spent many years collaborating to tell the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan. Valentino shared everything that he could remember, and from that material Eggers initially set out to write a conventional biography. Ultimately, however, he determined he could best tell the story by blending non-fictional and fictional elements. By classifying the book a novel, Eggers tells the Washington Post, it allowed him to "re-create conversations, streamline complex relationships, add relevant detail and manipulate time and space in helpful ways -- all while maintaining the essential truthfulness of the storytelling."

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1920
Read Around the USA - TENNESSEE

In 1920, after a seven-decade crusade for the right of women to vote, thirty-five states had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, twelve have rejected or refused to vote, and one last state - Tennessee is needed. The suffragists face vicious opposition from politicians, clergy, corporations, racists who don't want black women to vote, and even the "Antis" - women who oppose enfranchisement, fearing the nation's moral collapse.

The Book Girls Say... Following a handful of remarkable women who led the charge, this is the gripping non-fiction story of how America's women won their own freedom.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

CHALLENGES
*Read Around the USA - Bound, SOUTH CAROLINA
Decades - 1929 & 1980s

Judith Kratt is an affluent 75-year-old woman living in her family's grand, but aging, mansion in South Carolina. It's the home she's known all of her life, and one she hasn't left since 1929. It's now the 1980s, and Judith and Olva, the old family maid, spend long, slow afternoons rocking on the front porch.

When Judith learns that her sister, Rosemarie, is coming for a visit for the first time in 60 years, she decides it's time to take inventory of the home. This includes everything she inherited from the Kratt family - the cut-glass letter opener, the pie safe, the copper clock, and the murder that no one talks about.

As Judith catalogs her possessions, the story is interwoven with chilling flashbacks from the fateful night in 1929 that changed everything. Through her list-making, she begins to piece together her family's influence on their small cotton town and to acknowledge the devastating effects of their dark family secrets.

The Book Girls Say... This book is a great choice for fans of southern fiction! Judith is an unreliable, and, at times unlikeable, narrator - just the way the author wants it. Some readers find that the story starts a bit slow since you may not connect with the characters immediately. But once it draws you in, you'll be hooked. This is not a mystery novel in the sense that, thanks to clever writing and foreshadowing, you'll likely unravel some of the family secrets before the characters unveil them - but this feels intentional and adds to the reading experience rather than detracting from it.

CHALLENGES
*Read Around the USA - FLORIDA
Decades - 1920s

by Christopher Knowlton

In the 1920s, cities began to rise up from the Florida wetlands, from Coral Gables and Boca Raton to Miami Beach. The cities were developed with artistic vision and featured grand hotels that played host to the glitz and excess of the Roaring Twenties. Gambling was condoned and prohibition was not enforced, attracting tycoons, crooks, and celebrities alike. This rapid development also spawned a new subdivision civilization. The decade saw the largest human migration in human history - far exceeding the settlement of the west - as millions flocked to this new American frontier in the sunshine.

This non-fiction book examines the social, economic, and environmental impacts of this boom. It also shows how the decisions of three real estate moguls, combined with a once-in-a-century hurricane, triggered the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression.

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage - KENYA
Decades - 1920s (spans multiple decades)

by Paula McClain

If you haven’t heard of Beryl Markham, then let this historical fiction novel introduce you to the fascinating life of this remarkable woman who became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean for east to west.

Born in England in 1902, at the age of four Beryl moved to Kenya (which was then referred to as “British East Africa” by the British colonizers). Her mother abandoned her and she was raised by both her alcoholic father and the native Kipsigis tribe. She was a bold child with a love for all things wild (even after being attacked by a lion), and became Kenya’s first and only licensed female horse trainer.

Throughout her adult life, she had a string of disastrous relationships before eventually meeting pilot Denys Finch Hatton who ignited her ambition to fly. She joined the Kenyan liberation movement and flew planes as part of their anti-colonial efforts, as well as working as a bush pilot on safaris.

Eventually, she sets her sights on the goal of becoming the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, non-stop, from east to west (a feat more challenging than the west to east crossing because it requires flying against the wind). This novel focuses primarily on her life in her twenties (throughout the 1920s) and tells her story from the cockpit of her airplane during her record-breaking flight in 1936.

The Book Girls Say… American author Paula McClain is also well known for her novelized memoir, The Paris Wife. Reviewers praise McClain for addressing the issue of colonialism without romanticizing it, as is too often the case in historical fiction novels set in Africa and written by non-native authors.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1929 & 2019
Read Around the USA - Birmingham, ALABAMA (and Detroit)

by Cheryl A. Head

In 1929, Robert has moved to Birmingham, Alabama for a new job opportunity as a master carpenter. The city was booming, and his young family enjoyed the busy markets and nightlife. However, his success and snazzy car combined with his light-skinned wife makes him concerned about attention from the Klan, which is also booming in the region.

Ninety years later, Meghan is the youngest reporter for the Detroit Free Press. She decides to use her position to investigate the murder of her great-grandfather. His body was never found, and no one knows what happened to him. Spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement, Meghan travels to Birmingham to uncover the past. However, revealing secrets that span cities and decades may put her own life at risk.

The Book Girls Say… Time’s Undoing is based on true events. While the topics and some events are difficult, the book is also an uplifting story about the community of friends and supporters that rallied together to help with Meghan’s search and to fight together for change.

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage - ETHIOPIA
Decades - 1927-1935

by Elizabeth Wein

From the author of Code Name Verity, this YA historical fiction is told in diary format from the point of view of two teenagers - Emilia and Teo. When a bird strike brings down the plane that their stunt pilot mothers were flying, Teo's mom is killed, but Emilia's mom survives. Em's mom, a white woman, takes Teo in, but she is concerned about the racism he will face in the American south because of the color of his skin.

She decides to raise Em and Teo in Ethiopia, the birthplace of Teo's father, and soon all three of them fall in love with the beautiful and peaceful country. But WWII shatters that peace when, in 1935, Italy invades Ethiopia, and Em and Teo are drawn into the conflict.

The Book Girls Say… The majority of this book is set in Ethiopia in 1935, but portions of the book set in the US take place in the late 1920s.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
95% Would Recommend to a Friend

CHALLENGES
*Read Around the USA - ARIZONA
Decades - first half of 20th century

by Jeannette Walls

Lily Casey was born in Texas in 1901 and learned about ranching from her father. By the age of six she was helping to break horses. And at the age of just 15 she left home and rode over 500 miles alone on her pony to take a job as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Arizona.

Lily married and raised two children on a vast Arizona ranch, but she never lost her adventurous spirit. She learned to repair cars and how to fly a plane. She survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and great personal tragedy. She pushed back against any kind of prejudice - whether it be against women, Native Americans, or any one else who didn’t fit the expected mold.

The Book Girls Say… Author Jeannette Walls is most well-known for her memoir, The Glass Castle. Half Broke Horses is a novelistic re-creation of her maternal grandmother’s life. Although she wrote The Glass Castle first, if you haven’t already read it, we recommend reading Half Broke Horses first because it provides so much context for how Jeannette’s mother, Rosemary, came to be the woman she was.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1907
Read Around the USA - ARIZONA TERRITORY

by Nancy E Turner

Mary Pearl and her sister pass the time during the scorching hot summer in the Arizona Territory by reading banned Jane Austen novels from their aunt’s bookshelf and dreaming of their own Mr. Darcy. Mary Pearl’s wish seems to come true when Aubrey Hanna begins courting her - he’s old-fashioned, comes from old-money, and promises her a life of high society and a rich estate. But the courtship creates tension among the three generations of women in Mary Pearl’s family.

As fall nears, however, Mary Pearl receives an acceptance letter to a prestigious northern college that causes her to question her marriage plans. She is immersed in a sophisticated new world that transforms her into a feminist a century ahead of her time.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1907
Read Around the USA - COLORADO

by Kate Manning

Moonstone, Colorado is dominated by the Padgett family’s marble-mining company. Sylvie’s father works for them, and she knows the workers are discontent with how they are treated. When she leaves her mountain cabin to work for the Padgetts in their manor, she’s in awe of the luxury they live in.

While the Padgetts express lofty philosophical ideals, Sylvie is aware of the contrast between the talk and the real-life labor practices that created the Padgett fortune. Their servants, the Gradys, are formerly enslaved people who are also aware of the hypocrisy. The Gradys are planning to form a new utopian community on the prairie.

Outside the manor, labor leader Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, is stirring up the quarry workers. The newspaper editor is also involved and publishing unflattering accounts of the Padgett Company. Sylvie is stuck in the middle, with conflicting loyalties, until she is forced to choose sides.

The Book Girls Say… This historical fiction is filled with true stories of Colorado in the early 1900s, including tales of the real labor activist “Mother Jones”. The Financial Panic of 1907 is also covered.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1918
Read Around the USA - COLORADO

by Sandra Dallas

While the first world war is raging in 1918, the world is also fighting a second battle against the Spanish Flu. In Denver, schools have been turned into hospitals, and horse-drawn wagons must continually collect corpses from the streets. Sisters Helen and Lutie are new Denver residents, moving after the death of their parents in Iowa.

Nurse Helen has found a new beau who is a doctor, and Lutie is in advertising at a chic store. To help make ends meet, they have a tenant in the basement of their tidy home. However, when she passes from the flu, they find themselves unexpected caretakers for her young daughter, Dorothy. Their lives take another turn when Lutie arrives home from work to find Dorothy’s father dead in their kitchen. Worse, Helen is standing over him with an ice pick.

The sisters come up with a plan to leave him in the street and hope he’s mistaken for yet another flu victim.

The Book Girls Say… Reviewers say the author transports you directly to 1918 Denver and the constant challenges endured by women of the time. This historical fiction also has threads of mystery and romance.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1911
Book Voyage - FRANCE

by Calia Imrie

Marcella has been married three years and has two young children. Her once charming husband. Michael has revealed his true, cruel nature, and she’s determined to divorce him. While Michael’s waiting for a judge in France to award custody of their children, he receives shocking news.

Margaret is a fun-loving New York socialite who is touring Europe with friends. When she begins to feel restless, she decides to return home aboard a celebrated new steamer ship, the Titanic.

As the ship sets sail for America, the paths of Marcella, Michael, and Margaret become forever intertwined. This historical fiction novel is based on a true story.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1917
Book Voyage - FRANCE

by Jennifer Chiaverini

When General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe, he quickly identified the lack of communication with soldiers in the field as a major barrier. Although women were not allowed to enlist at the time, the Army Signal Corps needed to recruit experienced telephone operators.

More than 7600 women responded to the call, like Grace, a Barnard grad, Marie, the French aspiring opera singer, and Valerie, the young telephone operator from LA hoping to do her part. When the women arrived, they could connect a call in ten seconds compared to the full minute it took the men they replaced.

The job was dangerous and included time near the front lines. This historical fiction novel shows the essential role the brave women of the US Army Signal Corps played in WW1.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1918
Book Voyage - IRELAND

by Emma Donoghue

In 1918, Ireland was ravaged by both war and disease. Julia is a nurse working in an understaffed hospital caring for pregnant women who have been quarantined after contracting a terrible new flu that would come to be known as the Spanish Flu.

Two newcomers to the hospital ward will change everything over the course of three days. One is Doctor Katleen Lynn, who is rumored to be a Rebel on the run from the police. The other is Bridie, a young volunteer.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1918
Book Voyage - BELGIUM and Canada

by Genevieve Graham

Detroit museum curator Cassie loves solving mysteries from the past, especially when the stories involve the Detroit River rumrunners from the Prohibition days. When a home renovation uncovers a cache of Bailey Brothers Best whisky, she hopes it’s the missing piece she needs to understand the truth about the bootleggers.

In 1918, Corporal Jeremiah Baily is wounded as part of his job planting mines under enemy trenches. As he recovers at a Belgium hospital, he’s cared for by nurse Adele, one of the Canadian “Bluebirds”. The connection between Jerry and Adele is strong as they’re from a similar area along the Detroit River. But when Jerry is sent back to the front, he’s not sure he’ll ever see Adele again.

When Jerry and Adele unexpectedly cross paths after the war, they have a chance for a fresh start, but both carry baggage from what they saw overseas. Prohibition is in full swing, and it brings them both opportunity and the threat of destroying everything they’ve worked for.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1912
Book Voyage - ENGLAND

by Hazel Gaynor

For years, Mr. Shaw’s Home for Watercress and Flower Girls in London has watched over London’s flower girls, as they are known. These orphaned and disabled children survive on the streets by selling posies of violets and watercress. In 1912, Twenty-year-old Tilly Harper left her native Lake District and moved to London to become an assistant housemother at the home.

Tilly discovers the diary of a young woman named Florrie with dried flowers pressed between the pages, and a heartbreaking tale of her separation from her sister, Rosie. Drawn into their story from the 1870s, Tilly hopes to find out what happened to Rosie.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1915 & 1947
Book Voyage - FRANCE

by Kate Quinn

Two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during WWI and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.

The Book Girls Say... Angela and Melissa both rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. Angela found the story of the WWI Alice Network fascinating and enjoyed the writing style that intertwined the stories of the two women. Unlike many other stories told from two perspectives in two different time periods, Angela liked that the two female protagonists were together in the later time period forming a unique relationship, which added another layer to the story.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1912
Book Voyage - ENGLAND and aboard Titanic

by Walter Lord

A Night to Remember is still considered the best book written about the Titanic. It's a riveting account of Titanic's fatal collision - including what was happening with passengers and staff before, during, and after the iceberg.

While this non-fiction book is a true account written based on interviews and news reports, it reads like a historical fiction novel.

The Book Girls Say... Melissa rated this one a solid four stars and recommends it to anyone with even a slight interest in the Titanic. Although it's an older book, it's a page-turner full of interesting tidbits, and at under 200 pages, it's a very quick read.

This book is currently included with Kindle Unlimited as of January 2023.

CHALLENGES
Decades - 1896-1914
*Book Voyage - SWITZERLAND

Mitza Marić was the only female studying physics at a prestigious university in Zurich, Switzerland when she met her classmate and future husband - Albert Einstein.

The Other Einstein is a fictionalized story of their tumultuous relationship and places Mitza as the originator of some works credited to him. While not a biography, the book still highlights accurate depictions of life in Western Europe at the time, including rampant classism and sexism.

The Book Girls Say... This book takes place between 1896, when Marić and Einstein met while studying physics in Zurich, and the time of their divorce in 1914, making it a great crossover pick for those also participating in the Decades Challenge this month (1900s-1919). It's important to keep in mind that this is a fictionalized version of events. Audiobook listeners have noted that the narrator was a bit too monotone, so this one is more enjoyable to read than to listen to.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1910
Book Voyage - Yorkshire, ENGLAND

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden is often considered one of the best children's books of the twentieth century, but it appeals to both young and old alike. Mary lives in India with her uncaring parents when they are both killed in a cholera epidemic. She is sent to live with an uncle at his house in England, where she meets and helps her uncle's sickly son, Colin, recover his health.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1906
Read Around the USA - ARIZONA and San Francisco

by Susan Meissner

In the early 1900s, Irish immigrant Sophie was desperate to get out of a New York tenement. She answered a mail-order bride ad and agreed to marry a man named Martin Hocking in San Francisco. Martin is an aloof but handsome widower with a silent five-year-old daughter.

One evening, a young pregnant woman arrives on their doorstep. Sophie also learns of another woman, hundreds of miles away in Arizona, grieving the loss of everything she once loved. The fates of these three women become intertwined on the eve of the devastating San Francisco earthquake.

The Book Girls Say… One of three women in this book is living in Arizona, but having not yet had a chance to read the book ourselves, we’re not sure how much of the story is set there, or whether that setting is well described.

CHALLENGES
*Read Around the USA - RHODE ISLAND
Decades - 1899

by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Spanning the Gilded Age to the present day in three different timelines, this novel is set among the summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island.

In the present day, you’ll meet Andie, the producer of a reality show called Mansion Makeover. She’s in Newport to renovate the once fabulous, but now slowly crumbling Sprague Hall. However, she has more than construction problems. The mansion comes with a reclusive heiress who still lives in the house, but insists that no one speaks to her and that no one touches the boathouse.

In 1958, you’ll meet Lucia, aka Lucky, Sprague, who fled Mussolini’s Italy with her grandmother. They return to her Nana’s Newport house, which she hasn’t seen since 1899. One night in the boathouse, she uncovers a shocking truth that changes everything she thought she knew.

In 1899, mining heiress Maybelle Sprague was taking singing lessons from Ellen, who had been hired to help polish Maybelle for her entrance into society. Maybelle's stepbrother has just purchased a home among Newport’s elite and hopes to marry Maybelle off to an Italian prince. However, Ellen has a checkered past that the family doesn’t know about.

CHALLENGES:
*Decades: 1889
Read Around the USA: Boston, Massachusetts

by Connie Hertzberg Mayo

Life in late nineteenth-century Boston is tough, and Aiden and Charles struggle each day to earn enough money to feed themselves (and in Aiden's case, also his mother and sister). The two adolescent boys survive the wicked Boston streets by forming an alliance. Together, they rob drunken sailors in the brothel district, but things go wrong one night. They accidentally kill their target.

To avoid arrest, the boys flee the city and con their way into the Boston Farm School. In 1889, this school only accepted boys with squeaky-clean pasts (certainly not those with criminal records), which made it the perfect hiding place for Aiden and Charles. But soon, they struggle to keep their stories straight. The pressure damages their friendship and puts their futures at risk.

CHALLENGES
*Decades - 1880s
Read Around the USA - NYC / RHODE ISLAND

by Edith Wharton

At the end of the 19th century, Newland Archer is preparing to marry the beautiful and conventional May Welland. But when Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York, fresh out of a disastrous marriage, Archer falls madly in love with her. He is torn between expectations and passion as he struggles to make a decision. The consequences of his choice could either define his life, or destroy it.

This book won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for its vivid portrait of the Golden Age of Old New York. The wealthy families also summer in Newport, Rhode Island, giving us a glimpse of Gilded Age life outside of the city.

The Book Girls Say… One of our readers recently noted that this book, like many classics, is slow going at times, but that the end wraps the story up nicely in a way that makes everything clear.

This edition is available with Kindle Unlimited (including audio) as of 11/21/22.

CHALLENGES
*Read Around the USA: CUSHING, MAINE
Decades: 1893-1940s

by Christina Baker Kline

This atmospheric novel takes place in a small coastal town in Maine, and is inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting, Christina’s World.

Christina Olson was born in 1893 at the austere home on a barren hill in Cushing, Maine that her family had inhabited for generations. After nearly dying as a child and being incapacitated by ongoing illness, Christina could never venture beyond her small community. an austere house on a barren hill in Cushing, Maine.

For twenty years, the farm played host to painter Andrew Wyeth during the summers. Many of his paintings feature the family’s farm, but Christina herself would inspire his most iconic painting.

While Wyeth makes some appearances in the novel, this historical fiction focuses on Christina as it vividly imagines her life on the farm through the changing Maine seasons.

The Book Girls Say… Our readers have loved several of the author’s other novels, including Orphan Train and The Exiles, so we’re excited to add this to our TBRs.

Crossover Note: Christina was born in 1893, but her childhood is only discussed for the first 30 pages or so of the book, so this isn't a complete crossover with the Decades Challenge. But since a small portion of the book does overlap the 1890s, we wanted to note it for your consideration.

CHALLENGES
*Decades: 1885
Book Voyage: Alaska

by Eowyn Ivey

Newly married Colonel Allen Forrester has received the commission of a lifetime. He is being sent to lead a small group of men to navigate Arctic Alaska’s Wolverine River. Finding a way to pass the river is the key to opening Alaska to the outside world, but previous attempts have been fatal.

Sophie is pregnant and not excited about being relegated to a year in the military barracks away from her husband while he attempts the impossible. She’s worried about her pregnancy and what will happen while apart from Allen.

The Book Girls Say… Melissa loved this author’s descriptions of Alaska in The Snow Child, so she can't wait to pick up this 2016 Goodreads Nominee for Best Historical Fiction. Like The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey weaves a thread of magical realism throughout this epistolary novel.

CHALLENGES
*Decades: 1897
Book Voyage: Yukon Territory

by Genevieve Graham

The Peterson family, including Lisa, have a store in Vancouver, but an opportunity to make a fortune if they move to Dawson City, the only established town in the Yukon, which is located just 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Constable Ben Turner, a new recruit for the North-West Mounted Police, is also headed to Dawson City, but instead of looking for riches, he is looking to bring integrity to a town overrun with guns, liquor, prostitutes, and thieves.

The journey over icy mountains and whitewater rapids is more treacherous than Liza or Ben imagined. When a tragedy strikes near the mountain's peak, Lisa must continue without her family. Ben is wracked with guilt over the accident and looking for an opportunity to make things right.

This historical fiction is a mix of romance and adventure as two brave people try to survive extreme terrain and let go of their past.

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage: Alaska
Decades: 1899 & present-day

by Mark Adams

In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organized an epic trip. He converted a steamship into a luxury “floating university” and invited some of the brightest scientists and writers to join him on a journey through Alaska’s beauty.

Author Mark Adams retraced this journey more than 100 years later. He traveled three thousand miles, following the itinerary north through Wrangell, Juneau, and Glacier Bay, then continuing west into the colder and stranger regions of the Aleutians and the Arctic Circle.

Along the way, several unusual characters are encountered, and Adams examines how lessons learned in 1899 could apply today. While this non-fiction travelogue is often humorous, it’s also a realistic look at how Alaska’s resources are being depleted and endangered.

CHALLENGES
*Book Voyage: Antarctica
Decades: 1897

by Julian Sancton

In 1897, a polar expedition went terribly wrong. The crew of the Belgica was ready for adventure when they set sail on a three-year expedition to uncharted Antarctica and the magnetic South Pole. However, they hadn’t even cleared South America yet when everything seemed to be going wrong. But they pushed forward into freezing water, chasing glory for Belgium.

That decision led to the Belgica and her crew becoming stuck in the ice for an entire sunless Arctic winter and being driven to the brink of madness. The author tells this compelling non-fiction tale with extra detail thanks to exclusive access to the ship's logbook.

The Book Girls Say… In 2021, this book was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History & Biography. One of our most trusted readers selected it last year for Antarctica month and rated it 10/10.