Reading Recommendations: Roy and Lillie, A Love Story, Loren D. Estleman

Roy was Judge roy Bean, the infamous, notorious real-life jurist whose life has been the source of biographies, novels, plays, and films. Lillie was Lillie Langtry, the celebrated "Jersey Lily" of the British stage. Roy and Lillie never met, but near the end of the nineteenth century, they corresponded avidly for more than twenty years. From vastly different backgrounds, living dramatically different lives, separated by an ocean and most of a continent, these two unforgettable people shared a unique bond.

For many years, Bean, the cantankerous self-styled arbiter of rough frontier justice, wrote fan letters to the beautiful actress across the sea; Lillie, the object of adoration by English society, painted by Whistler, written for by Oscar Wilde, and involved in an infamous affair with the Prince of Wales, wrote back. Roy's regard for her went so far that he even renamed the town in which he lived, Langtry, in her honor. And Lillie, after years of this strange but poignant correspondence, finally kept her promise to visit her strange admirer.

These two remarkable people, each the object of popular fascination far more than a century, were, despite their utterly disparate lives, kindred spirits united only by the narrative of their correspondence and their isolation among the crowds surrounding them.

In this story of letters lost, Loren D. Estleman, with all the nuance and narrative skill that have won him multiple Spur Awards, brings to life an untold chapter of transatlantic love that is both tender and unique.

Sixteen Brides,

Attractive Widows

April 7, 1871, Another cargo of war widows arrived in Plum Grove last Thursday morning. Sixteen in number and filed upon claims adjacent to town. This was decidedly the best lot of widows that has arrived thus far.

When sixteen potential brides step off the train in Plum Grove, Nebraska, the town may never be the same again! Join Stephanie Grace Whitson for this spirited tale of courageous women who risk everything for the dream of owning land and finding love on the prairies of Nebraska.

The Wisdom of Sam

The Wisdom of Sam

After a near fatal accident rendered him paralyzed, Daniel Gottlieb came to understand the importance of patience, acceptance, gratitude and hope, qualities he sought to teach his young grandson, Sam. Yet when Gottlieb least expected it, their roles reversed and the student became the teacher. San's observations on his experiences, everything from grieving the loss of a beloved pet to facing the first night away from home, provide simple yet profound lessons on life, death, courage, fun, uncertainty and joy. These lessons are gentle reminders of what he once knew, what we often take for granted, and what matters most.

The deep emotional connection between "Pop" and Sam serves as a springboard for wonderful moments of reflection, understanding and humor. Touching memories from Gottlieb's personal and professional life as a family therapist and peppered with keen, candid observations from Sam's vantage point. Readers from all ages will be inspired, as was I!

See you at Rylander.

celebrates the precious gifts of life and the innocence of childhood. At the books heart is the story of a grandfather and his remarkable grandson, who share an indelible bond. Each one faces a unique set of challenges, quadriplegia and autism. But the differences in ages, outlook, and experience soon vanish as this extraordinary pair share universal truths about empathy, compassion and forgiveness., Observations on Life From An Uncommon Child, Daniel Gottlieb, PH.D. Stephanie Grace Whitson