The Wilder Years by Wendy McClure. Reviewed by Lisa H

    Those of you who love Little House on the Praire, either the books or the T.V. shows, will definately need to read this book.  The author of this story is quite possibly the biggest fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the book revolves around her attempts to actually be Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book is the authors true life adventure to visit Lauras log cabins and farms.  As the author traces the Ingalls travels from one state to another, she discovers many things, including the fact that the Little House books may actually be fiction.  The author also attempts to churn butter, make bread and remember the "vanity cakes" that Laura had on her birthday? She makes those too! Reading The Wilder Years took me back to my own childhood and I love remembering those books.  She makes wonderful references to the Little House books that just make me smile.  While her visits to the different places that Laura lived didn't all turn out the sunny way she imagined, the way she describes the details, makes it seem like she enjoyed herself anyway.  The author has a wonderful sense of humor and I think you needed it if you were going to live like Laura Ingalls. 

The Confession of Katherine Howard 05-12-11 reviewed by Lisa H

The Confession of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn, is a fictional account about the 5th wife of Henry the VIII.  I am so interested in everything that has to do with the Tudors, but I find alot of the books are hard to understand.  This book was easy to comprehend and easy to read.  The book begins when "Kate" is queen and flips back and forth into the past, revealing a fictional account of her youth. The story is told from Kates childhood friends point of view, and while we all know the eventual outcome of her short life, it is fascinating to think about what her life prior to being queen might have been like.  I know some of the book is based on fact,  but I enjoy picturing what they all looked like and how they lived.  Suzannah Dunn has written 3 other books on the wives of Henry the VIII, all of which I will be reading.