Lake Geneva Public Library Director Emily Kornak shares some of her favorite winter reads with local ties.
THE KING OF CONFIDENCE: A TALE OF UTOPIAN DREAMERS, FRONTIER SCHEMERS, TRUE BELIEVERS, FALSE PROPHETS, AND THE MURDER OF AN AMERICAN MONARCH BY MILES HARVEY
A nonfiction account of the sensational and dramatic life of the 19th century self-professed Mormon prophet James Jesse Strang, who originally established a settlement east of Lake Geneva before moving his community of believers further north. An entertaining true tale of grift, miracles, controversy and murder.
MAILBOAT BY DANIELLE LINCOLN HANNA
Montana author Hanna has set her murder mystery series locally, on Lake Geneva Cruise Line’s famous “Mailboat.” The premise: What if one of the mail jumpers happened to discover a body in the lake? Told from rotating perspectives, this book is a page-turner and the author’s diligent research in Lake Geneva shows. Readers who enjoy this one will be happy to learn there are several more books that follow in this series.
SHOPPING, SEDUCTION & MR. SELFRIDGE BY LINDY WOODHEAD
Immerse yourself in the early 1900s when self-made Harry Selfridge opened the first department store, Selfridge’s, in London. Before moving to England, the Wisconsin-born Harry and his wife, Rose, summered
in Lake Geneva at their lakefront estate, Harrose Hall. This book shares details of the opulent acres of retail at Selfridge’s and the extravagant lifestyle of Harry Selfridge himself. For fans of “Masterpiece Theater,” “Downton Abbey” or general biography.
BLACK POINT BY JEROME T. BURKE
In this time-travel romance, a present-day lawyer stranded a century before his time contends with saving a woman from an impending boat disaster. Not to be confused with Black Point Estate and Gardens, this historical fiction novel, set in Lake Geneva, takes place in Harry Selfridge’s era, with Chicago’s Pullman Strike as a backdrop. Great for descriptions of Lake Geneva circa 1895, or for fans of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and “The Devil in the White City.”
