History is fascinating.  Time travel is equally exciting.  So, combine my love for history with books that explore the essence of time and I am so there.

It is similar to the show “Timeless” on NBC.  A group of people from our time hurtle back into explosive moments in history.  In the show, they usually have to prevent something catastrophic from happening, ultimately changing the course of history in the future.  Sometimes they succeed, some times they fail….and *spoiler alert* lose family members in the future.

Anyway, to books.

A book that I just finished is going to be made into a feature staring Benedict Cumberbatch.  While not about time travel, it does introduce a character who has lived through many era’s and historical time periods.  How that affects his future is sometimes murky.

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Born in the 1500’s, the man known in this time as Tom Hazard has lived a crazy life.  He witnesses his mother tried for witchcraft, worked with Shakespeare, and even confronted the plague in England.  After joining a mysterious group known as the Albatross Society, he learns more about his condition, and stumbles upon a secret of the group that could change his life forever.  The book jumps between present day and Tom’s past lives.  I loved the historical aspects….who doesn’t love learning about every day life in years past.  The “condition” he has is never fully explained, but it’s nice to sort of wonder about who and what it affects.  The movie should be fascinating.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Time travel, with maps!  And a ship!  And pirates!  And Hawaii!  And mythical beasts!  Yeah, so all that happens.  Nix is the daughter of the Captain, who uses a term called “Navigating” to transverse time.  Using maps, he can sail his ship anywhere in the world at anytime, even fantastical worlds. The team collects items along the way to be used as bartering materials in future missions, or to be used on the ship as they “go over the edge” of maps.  The Captain is obsessed with finding a map that could take him back to the time where he met Nix’s mother.  Nix on the other hand is worried that if her mother lives in a map that means Nix herself would cease to exist.  In his madness for the map, her father commits to something illegal and unsavory in order to obtain the “true” map.  Nix must decide whether to stay along her father, or use her own talents to travel on her own.  The second book in the series arrives at my house today, and I can’t wait to read about Nix’s continuing story.

And finally….

Just One Damned Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St. Mary’s Book One (The Chronicles of St Mary’s 1) by Jodi Taylor

This series has like a million books.  And I love it!  It is the most similar to the show “Timeless”.  ST. Mary’s is a time travel institute in which it sends historians back to observe and report on events.  Almost to just verify things happen like they did in the history books.  Of course, there are always stumbling blocks, and it comes in the form of a man who has a grudge with the institute itself.  As our intrepid heroine and her friends traipse through time, they are confronted in a multitude of ways by danger, and they are not always happy endings.  I’m not gonna lie, one tragic end actually got me teary.  They are quick, fun reads, and I enjoy the historical aspect a bunch.

And on a side note….I hope to be sending out some exciting news in the next few days…so stay tuned here or on my twitter @nanazlyn

 

I’m not quite sure how I stumbled on Susan Dennard’s Blog/email list “Misfits and Daydreamers” but stumble I did and now I’m obsessed!  It provides a real life view of a writer’s life and also provides a bunch of great tips for writers.  Plus, she seems really nice.  I then started following her on Instagram and heard her mention her Witchlands series.  Now, I just recently started getting into Fantasy books lately, and as soon as I picked up her first book in the series, Truthwitch, I was hooked.

 

The best part of this series?  The two main characters, Safi and Iseult.  Safi is a Truthwitch and is in high demand among the leaders of the worlds if her secret got out.  Her best friend, Iseult is a Threadwitch and can read the lines around her.  They compliment each other’s personality and must rely on one another when danger comes to their lands.  With the help of a Windwitch (Prince Merik) they traverse lands trying to get out of trouble.

The next book in the series, Windwitch, continues the story of the three as they are separated and must find their own strength.

While we wait for the next book in the series, about the Bloodwitch, Dennard released Sightwitch.  It’s essentially a prequel, and follows the story of one of the most interesting side characters of the earlier books.  Ryber is seen several times in the earlier books, but in this new book, we find out about her early life and how she ended up a member of Merik’s crew.  I finished the book in a day.  It’s so easy to get sucked in by Dennards characters and world building.  I can picture everything in the book and it also provides illustrations as the reader learns more about Sightwitches and their convent.

I am so in to it.  Can’t wait to read more!