The Books I'm Reading Now
I'm reading Maddalena and the Dark, Julia Fine's upcoming novel about young friends and musicians in 1700s Vienna; I'm reading Beyond That, the Sea, Julia Spence-Ash's historical fiction novel about a young girl straddling two lives during and after World War II; and I'm reading J.R. Dawson's upcoming novel about a magical circus and time travel, The First Bright Thing.
What are you reading these days, bookworms?
01 Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine
It's early 1700s Vienna at a prestigious music school, the Ospedale della Pietà , and Luisa has always aimed to be the best at the violin. She wants to join the famed girls' orchestra and become a protégé of Antonio Vivaldi.
Maddalena is sent to the Pietà after scandal threatens to ruin her family's reputation in a last-ditch attempt to preserve her marriage prospects.
Luisa and Maddalena become fast friends--and hatch a plan where each of them helps the other achieve their secret dream.
I received a prepublication version of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Flatiron Books. Maddalena and the Dark is scheduled for publication June 13.
02 Beyond That, the Sea by Julia Spence-Ash
Beyond That, the Sea tells the story of two families on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean during World War II.
British parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: to send their eleven-year-old daughter Beatrix to America for her safety.
The Gregorys pull Beatrix into the heart of their Boston family and their New England life. Beatrix settles in, and soon her American family and life feel more familiar than the parents she left behind.
Beyond That, the Sea follows Beatrix as she navigates both worlds, returning to postwar London but never forgetting the family that took her in as one of their own.
03 The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
Rin flits from moment to moment in time while her wife Odette soars high above on the trapeze of their magical circus, the Circus of the Fantasticals.
World War I is still fresh in everyone's minds, and the circus travels the United States lightening moods and offering escapism.
A new war looms over the group and Rin's past threatens to catch up with her.
A dark circus enters the scene, with a ringmaster ruling his crew with dark powers--and someone who's after what the Circus of the Fantasticals has going.
I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Tor Books. The First Bright Thing is scheduled for publication June 13.
If this book sounds intriguing, you might also be interested in the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Riveting Time-Travel Stories to Explore, Six Second-Chance, Do-Over, Reliving-Life Stories, and Six More Riveting Time-Travel Stories to Explore.