Books are just great, aren’t they? At CMLE Headquarters, we love books!
On our weekly podcast, Linking Our Libraries, we always have a book segment so we can share some of the books we read. This is always popular with our listeners, so we are expanding that into other formats including a second podcast, Books and Beverages, coming out this fall (in just a few weeks, to be exact!)
We are also building this series of Book Suggestions. You can submit books that you like! Just write up a few reasons you liked a book and send it in to us; we will edit and add links – and we can all enjoy it! Don’t be shy, share your favorites!
Instead of sharing a book I’m currently reading or recently finished (they are all good books but a little on the sad side) I’d like to suggest a great series I am excited to continue reading! This series is about a young woman named Maisie Dobbs who is a private investigator in London after the first World War. The first book tells the story of Maisie’s early life as a maid who managed to attend Cambridge, and then became a nurse during the war. Maisie is easy to root for because she’s intelligent, hardworking, and brave, especially when she becomes a nurse in the field during the war. Through flashbacks we learn about her lost love and how she was trained to become a private investigator. I really enjoy historical fiction because you get to experience life in a different time and place from what you are used to. Plus, there’s mystery and a little romance involved, which is always welcome! Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the fourteen book series, and I am excited to read more of them!
Check out the next several books in the series:
I used to teach this book with 9th graders when they were learning about WWI in Social Studies! It was a great pairing!
I agree!
Several years ago I discovered Maisie Dobbs by listening to the review linked below, celebrating the 10 year publication anniversary of the first book of the series. Since that time several close family members and friends have read books in this series. We have been pleased to find common themes and a deeper understanding of the similar historic time period also covered in the Downton Abbey series, Good Night Mr. Wodehouse by Minnesota’s own Faith Sullivan, and The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty (soon to be a PBS/Masterpiece film).
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/10/329568667/10-years-later-mystery-heroine-maisie-dobbs-gains-new-life