Mariella Hunt
Author
My name is Mariella Hunt. Books fascinate me. In 2025, I set a reading challenge: I want to read about American history from the viewpoints of the Presidents in chronological order. I’ll write essays as I go. Join me here!
Category: Book Reviews
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The Post Office became a much-needed social spot. Men and women went to gather their mail, enjoying chats with neighbors in the process.
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This year, I was beckoned by the book 1776 by David McCullough. I remember purchasing it long ago, soon after it was published. I purchased it in the spirit of “Everyone is buying it. Therefore, it must also be on my shelf.”
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I finished reading this last night. I had started in October but became sidetracked due to life things; I’m glad I came back to it during the Christmas season, because it is a perfect book to read during Advent. George is a sickly child who is aware that he won’t live to adulthood. He finds…
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In many aspects, George Washington is a mystery to us, despite the many books that have been written about him. He hadn’t even died yet before myths began to emerge surrounding him. His Excellency by Joseph J. Ellis is a concise biography of a man who has had volumes dedicated to him since the founding…
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We see a sad, sweet girl isolated with an old woman on a lonely moor, and a poor, besotted dwarf who wants to save her. Despite falling far short of the stereotypical fairy tale hero, as his body is weak and his tongue has been kept mute for as long as he can remember, this dwarf…
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When I saw the beautiful book cover for A Tempest of Tea, I would never have guessed that there were vampires in the story. I confess that the word tea is what convinced me ultimately to give this novel a try. Since it had been popping up on my Instagram feed so much, I was…
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My first read for September is A Match for a Bookish Bride, which is the first proper novel in the Ella Pointe series. It takes place on Whale Island, a seaside town described so beautifully that it reminded me, many times, of Avonlea in Anne of Green Gables. The characters had an echo of L.M.…
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There’s something about Cass’ writing—I really think it is the “color” she adds to her characters—but the book made me nostalgic. It felt like I was listening to Love Story for the first time, as I was introduced to Annika and Lennox.
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In order to write about a wood witch, I sought to read books about witches who are unafraid of what they are or who are only just discovering it.
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Set in New Orleans, The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a love letter to that noble city. It teases from the historical woodwork elements of magic so convincing that one could believe Nola is actually like that.
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Echoes of Dickens shimmer between the lines of this epic tale set during the time of the French Revolution. Maximilien Robespierre is introduced to us as, not only a talented speaker, but a man who had a special gift which contributed to his ability to draw large crowds and win their support for his cause.
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When Emily is taken by this faerie in form of thanks—thanks or a kidnapping?—she finds herself in a cold place where she has no notion of time. She knows nothing except that the faerie plans to marry her in order to thank her for having released him.
Mariella Hunt 