

Review of Beneath a Starless Sky by Tessa Harris
Harris's action-packed World War II story moves between the terrors of 1930s Germany and the glamour of Hollywood, and it details the...
Dec 13, 2021


Six Books about Brave Female Spies
Tough women, secrets and smarts, and sneaky spying! I love a peek at a secret world, and each of these books offers that very thing. Only...
Mar 12, 2021


Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series
01 The Conquerer’s Saga series by Kiersten White White's And I Darken, the first book in her Conquerer's Saga series, has a cover that to...
Feb 26, 2021


Three Books I'm Reading Now, 2/24/21 Edition
01 Machinehood by S.B. Divya In her debut novel, Divya offers a society set in 2095. Humanity is reliant on homemade and commercially...
Feb 24, 2021


Review of Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The interconnectedness of the characters and the details of household life and power structures of the time period were wonderful and the...
Feb 3, 2021


Review of City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Young Vivian's carousing in 1940s New York City is entertaining, sexy, and an interesting burst of feminism and freedom in the era. In...
Jan 13, 2021


Review of The Empress by Laura Martinez-Belli
In the story of tragic Carlota, each turn of events was more ill-fated and darker than the next, all barreling toward ruin and...
Dec 28, 2020


Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved in the Past Year
01 The Huntress by Kate Quinn I'm in for World War II-set books with tough, brave female protagonists, and I loved this book. Nina...
Dec 18, 2020


Review of The Course of All Treasons: An Elizabethan Spy Mystery by Suzanne M. Wolfe
Nick is an appealing character, I adored the detailed setting, and the mystery's resolution makes sense without seeming too easy. I'm...
Dec 8, 2020


Three Books I'm Reading Now, 11/25/20 Edition
01 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren Christina Lauren is the pen name for Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who write as a team....
Nov 25, 2020


Review of The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy
Valpy's detailed Scottish setting and character development are wonderful, and I was equally invested in and engaged by both of the...
Nov 23, 2020


Review of Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
This is an appealingly cozy and old-fashioned mystery, with the flavors, sights, and sounds of colonial India underlying everything. It's...
Nov 16, 2020


Review of How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
Zhang's detail was wonderful, and her characters make noble sacrifices and face impossible choices. The book's frequent heartbreak was a...
Nov 4, 2020


Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You
I love an intersection of historical fiction and mystery, two genres I love. Some of the books listed here also have supernatural elements.
Oct 30, 2020


Review of The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
Many of her characters find themselves in despairingly difficult situations, but Kline offers glimmers of hope as well.
Oct 28, 2020


Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved This Year
01 Apeirogon: A Novel This is beautiful, powerful, illuminating, and heart-wrenching. The first part felt a little slow, but I'm so very...
Oct 16, 2020


Review of Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees
Rees does an excellent job of taking us through Edith's amateur spy struggle and provides fascinating details of life in WWII Germany.
Oct 5, 2020


Review of The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
This is a spooky, atmospheric, gothic Victorian ghost story perfect for the season.
Sep 30, 2020


Review of The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Donoghue immersed me so fully in this world that everything else fell away for me. Set in Ireland in 1918, The Pull of the Stars follows...
Sep 25, 2020


Three Books I'm Reading Now, 9/16/20 Edition
01 The Pull of the Stars Set in Ireland in 1918, The Pull of the Stars follows a nurse, Julia, doctor, Kathleen, and a young volunteer,...
Sep 16, 2020
