Checkered Pasts

Katherine MacLeod #9

by Barbara E. Bull

Home. It’s a word that resonates with many meanings. For the scattered but still closely-knit MacLeod Clan, their ancestral cottage on Lake Michigan is the home they all carry in their hearts. Katherine MacLeod keeps those home fires burning, but a summer with her grand-nephew, who resents living abroad with his parents, and memories of itinerant workers on her family’s farm, reveal a different perspective on the place and people one considers home – however checkered their pasts may be.

347 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Faith Kirnberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this series.

Love the Macleod's and all their family things. This particular book in the series had such good story lines and very important topics to discuss with your children and how to "teach" important values for society living. I love how it was portrayed and taught and written about.

Being from MI I always appreciate the places written about and certainly hope to one day go to Cherry Point.

Barbara is a fantastic author with so much research written in each storyline.

Thank you once again, for a fantastic read!

[Georgia Brandenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checkered Pasts is my favorite book of the nine book series. Following the characters through out this series makes it feel like you are part of the family. Being from Muskegon it’s so fun reading a story where you can put yourself in the setting. I hope to get up to Cherry Point Farm and Market to meet Barbara this summer.
Barbara please continue to write about the MacLeod family, can’t wait until the next book comes out.
Amazing work and story.

[VerJean · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANOTHER excellent summer with the MacLeod family group at the Lake Michigan shore. The characters evolve as they continue to enjoy the wonderful beauty and many activities and grow and face some bumps in the road of a near teen grandnephew who is having difficulty coping with his family amidst their move overseas of several years ago. A summer with Aunt Katie will it work for her and for him? A mysterious beach neighbor? And much info and history of the orchard crops and the hoboes of years past and the transient workers of more recent times.
Love spending time with this "family" while I'm turning pages to see what happens next and to learn more. Excellent!

[Rita Arnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the books in the Cloud Cottage series. Barbara E. Bull includes a lot of local history around the Little Sable lighthouse area. I visited that area in August and stood there on the beach by the lighthouse wondering where Cloud Cottage would be. She really makes these books come to life.

[Heidi Dryfhout · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite MI authors! Great series.

[Beth Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love
Reading about all of Katherine’s adventures with her family. So heartwarming…and right in my backyard!!

[Patricia R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #9, This story line is about hoboes in the past and the unhoused currently.