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The summer Chloe Davis was twelve, six girls went missing in her rural Louisiana community.

He tracks historical concerns, ways of thinking, and trends in political parties. I was particularly interested in the history of political leanings and the reasoning for the entrenched

Gideon the Ninth was also mentioned in my Greedy Reading List Six More Postapocalyptic and Dystopian

World War II historical fiction, a tough female protagonist, a mission of uncovering war criminals in #historicalfiction, #WWII, #spy, #missgrahamscoldwarcookbook 03 The Silent Companions Elsie thought she #historicalfiction, #mysterysuspense, #gothic, #dualstoryline, #silentcompanions What are you reading One spooky suspense story, one World War II historical fiction title, and one combination: a spooky historical

If you like nonfiction books, you might like the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six Compelling Nonfiction

Six More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays), and I hope the ideas here (and those to come) will help you I mentioned the music-focused book Music Is History in an earlier book gift list this season and included

If you like books with cold settings, you might like the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six Books

If you like books like this, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Magical Fairy

We Meet on Vacation, Christina Lauren's Soulmate Equation, or the books on the Greedy Reading List Six

Bridie is a strong female protagonist, and Things In Jars offers solid historical fiction details of Another book I really liked recently was A Curious Beginning, and it shares some of these elements of historical #mysterysuspense, #gothicnoir, #ghosts, #femaledetective, #historicalfiction, #mermaids, #fourstarbookreview

You might also like the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six Books with Cold, Wintry Settings to Read

If you enjoy retellings, you might also like some of the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Magical

This historical fiction story in two timelines introduces the little-known real-life figure of librarian I love a book about scrappy librarians , and Janet Skeslien Charles's historical fiction novel Miss Morgan's

Grossman's reimagined Arthurian legend gives center stage to a ragtag band of misfits, celebrates diversity, and builds a patchwork of adventures, discovery, and widened horizons culminating in a satisfying new, reimagined path forward. Collum is an instinctually gifted, strong knight who has literally fought for sword training as a lowly ward; his family has little use for him; and his heart is set upon joining King Arthur's court. But when he finally makes his way to the Round Table, only elderly, impaired, has-been knights are left, and he learns that Arthur was killed weeks earlier. But Collum refuses to believe that a life as a knight is no longer possible for him. Along with Merlin's apprentice, Nimue, he becomes determined to usher in a new age, where Excalibur will be reclaimed, Camelot will be secure from would-be usurpers, and the kingdom will be inspired again by bravery and might. I loved the twist on Arthurian legends, in which an unlikely young upstart and a ragtag group of aging, grumbling, disillusioned knights try to do right by Camelot and by their idol, Arthur. I appreciated the epic length of the book (688 pages), in which each remaining knight gets page time and a recounting of key adventures. But the many points of view and meandering stories also felt a little broad at times, and I wished for more focus on Collum, while understanding that his early-days position didn't warrant the majority of the storytelling. The Nimue-Merlin-Morgan le Fay conflicts were an intriguing side plot, and I enjoyed Grossman's unexpected take on the (misunderstood) Lancelot-Guinevere dynamic--and Guinevere's own power and promise as a leader. Grossman addresses issues of diversity in satisfying fashion; a transgender knight, a Muslim knight, and a gay knight are all represented. The full roster of knights--and the women who hold important roles in the tale--are all misfits who don't inspire great confidence, but collectively, they fight to find a path forward in a world that is changing around them. I listened to The Bright Sword  as an audiobook (it was twenty-three hours long). More from Lev Grossman Lev Grossman is also the author of the Magicians trilogy. I read the first in that series, The Magicians , for but me it was short on magic and fantastical elements and long on unsympathetic characters' entitlement and malaise.

I love Jiles's richly imagined Civil War-era historical fiction, and I'm in for her other books. This is the kind of richly imagined historical fiction I adore, and I'm in for each of Paulette Jiles's This is the third Paulette Jiles Civil War-era historical fiction book I've read.

Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith's beautiful memoir about divorce and life; Go As a River, Shelley Read's debut historical fiction set in mid-century rural Colorado; Illuminations, Mary Sharratt's historical fiction about a of Go As a River. 05 Illuminations by Mary Sharratt Sharratt's carefully researched, richly detailed historical Mary Sharratt offers an exhaustively researched, fascinating historical fiction account of the life of Mary Sharratt also wrote Revelations, historical fiction about the life of Margery of Kempe, a mother

If you like books about witches, you might like some of the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Wonderfully

Hidden Valley Road is the true story of a family with twelve children, six of whom are ultimately diagnosed One by one, six siblings develop mental illness.

loved last year's gritty, character-driven mystery-thriller Blacktop Wasteland so much that it made my Six

Allision Epstein shapes Charles Dickens's greedy criminal mastermind Jacob Fagin into a character with a rich backstory, showing him to be a man shaped by personal and societal circumstances in mid-1800s London and imagining his efforts to teach thievery to his wards as valuable survival instincts that allow for a desperate survival. Men and women pass by in the street, shadows that avert their gaze and adjust their paths. Maybe they don’t hear him. Maybe they do. Just as his survival depends on hiding his tears until it’s safe to drop them, maybe theirs depends on not taking any grief that isn’t their responsibility. Children have been orphaned before today. More will be orphaned tomorrow. It’s only to him that the pain feels unprecedented. In Allison Epstein's version of mid-nineteenth-century Dickensian London, the traditional villain of Jacob Fagin acquires a rich backstory. Jacob has been scrabbling for existence since he was a young boy. When his father was murdered as a thief in the Jewish quarter, the family's situation became increasingly desperate. His beloved mother Leah kept her son fed and supplied with books, and she worked relentlessly at menial jobs to keep them afloat--until her own untimely demise from disease. Now Jacob's options for survival are limited, and he begins to train as a pickpocket, soon eclipsing his teacher and the other thieves in the area, beginning to be known as Fagin--and gradually, driven by a measure of empathy, taking in and training young people who are also fighting for a chance in a tough world. I haven't read Oliver Twist in many years, yet Fagin has remained ingrained in my head as a selfish, greedy, detestable character. In the Dickens novel, he sings, " In this life, one thing counts / In the bank, large amounts / I'm afraid these don't grow on trees, / You've got to pick-a-pocket or two / You've got to pick-a-pocket or two, boys, / You've got to pick-a-pocket or two." Epstein's textured story imagines what shaped the figure of Fagin into a ringleader of young thieves in that place and time: personal tragedy, societal and class prejudices and limitations, and a strength of will alongside the need to eke out a living. She reworks his gleeful thievery from Dickens's original story, instead showing his emotional connection to other colorful characters living hand-to-mouth in the same slum; his acting through reluctant necessity in training and putting a roof over the heads of young boys who have no other options; and the poverty, strong will, and lack of options that drove him. In Fagin the Thief , Oliver Twist is a minor character (and an irritating, careless, selfish one who might be the undoing of them all). Fagin's motivations and character development inspire empathy for Dickens's traditionally wily, cutthroat, notorious exploiter of young children. Epstein's writing is lovely, and she skillfully evokes details of the place and time, exposes Victorian London's stark class contrasts, and presents the filthy rabbit warren of streets, alleys, and squares flanking the polluted Thames where the band of thieves scrape by, care for each other, sometimes betray one another, and live their complicated lives. More from this Author Allison Epstein is also the author of A Tip for the Hangman and Let the Dead Bury the Dead . You might also be interested in these Bossy reads that are also set in the 1800s.

Gideon the Ninth was also mentioned in my Greedy Reading List Six More Postapocalyptic and Dystopian

Sara Donati's historical fiction includes nods to Outlander and The Last of the Mohicans, considers the Regardless of its true origins, Into the Wilderness did scratch the itch of reading a combination of historical also the author of the wonderful book The Gilded Hour as well as Where the Light Enters and ten other historical

woman while stumbling into her iconic lifetime role as Princess Leia; The Invisible Woman, World War II historical independent, defiant, appealingly strong young women split by time; Hour of the Witch, Chris Bohjalian's historical book, please see The Princess Diarist. 02 The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck The Invisible Woman is historical Great Circle. 04 Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian Hour of the Witch is a thoroughly researched historical If you like stories about witches, you might like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Wonderfully

and living in Ireland, Saoirse ; and I'm reading Anna Quindlen's novel about friendship and family history Sure that it's an error, Polly digs into her family history to make sure she is who she has always thought

of essential projects—the creation of Central Park, the founding of the Met Museum and the Natural History

This wonderfully creepy lesbian vampire story is largely about female empowerment, but also about love, discovery, reinvention, and revenge. I loved each time period and the evolution of each strong female character. Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow and water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth. Schwab's lesbian vampire tale spans centuries, beginning in 1532 Santo Domingo de la Calzada as a young woman named Maria makes choices to shield her from being a man's pawn and vessel for children until her death--then enters into a future she never could have imagined. In 1827 London, naive young Charlotte lives a sheltered, lovely pastoral life, until an indiscretion results in her banishment to London society. There she encounters an intriguing widow with promises of freedom with deep repercussions. And in 2019 Boston, Alice is trying to break out of her shell at college, and a one-night stand feels like a daring start. But the evening leaves her forever changed, and she's bent on finding answers--and revenge. She reaches out and runs her fingers through the ash. Knows she should feel horrified. But as she rises to her feet, all she feels is hungry. I loved that the women of each time insist upon creating situations in which they have autonomy and agency. For some, this means becoming a vampire and escaping men's foolishness, cruelty, or simply male-dominated societal control. Within the female-focused vampirism of the story, women demand even more from their lives, refusing to be limited by other women, by expectations, or by fear. They create their own versions of freedom, however unorthodox they may be. I enjoyed spending time in each time period. The storyline threading the three timelines together is deliciously intriguing, and a character that was initially a wilting flower finds her strength, her purpose, and her desire for vengeance, all of which is satisfying to witness. The pacing didn't flag, and this was a fast 535-page read. More Love for V. E. Schwab Schwab is also the author of The Fragile Threads of Power , Vengeful , and the wonderful Invisible Life of Addie LaRue , as well as the Shades of Magic series. (The first two books in that series are A Darker Shade of Magic  and A Gathering of Shadows , each of which I gave four Bossy stars. You can check out my review of book 3, A Conjuring of Light , here .)

This book is listed in the upcoming Greedy Reading List Six Book Club Books I Loved Last Year, to be

This book was listed in the Greedy Reading List Six More Great Fiction Titles I Loved This Year.

This short novel explores an alternate-history, near-future, post-war San Francisco in which robots come I love a science-fiction story in which elements of humanity are explored, I love an alternate-history

of Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) and The Lost Man, which I mentioned in my Greedy Reading List The Six

I listed the Queen's Thief series in the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series,

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Molly Aitken's historical fiction novel set in 13th-century Ireland 01 Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken Molly Aitken's historical fiction Bright I Burn is based on the true

You can find my review of Blake Crouch's Recursion (mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Riveting

Davies's slim, luminous, heartbreaking novel sets a story of isolation and human connection against the brutal removal of impoverished citizens from the land in mid-19th century Scotland. He found himself wishing he could go back and start again and do everything differently. But time was the worst thing; time, it seemed to him now, was the only thing you couldn't change; whatever you did, it kept coming. Davies sets her slim, stark, beautiful, and heartrending story Clear  against the backdrop of the Scottish Clearances of the 19th century, in which impoverished citizens were driven off their land. John Ferguson, a minister in need of funds for his new church accepts the job (against the advice of his wife) of evicting Ivar, the sole inhabitant of a remote island off the northern coast of Scotland in 1843. A series of events leads from disaster to recovery, to connection and secrets, to a surprising set of revelations. After a terrible fall on the cliffs of the island, John Ferguson wakes to find himself being tended by a gentle giant in Ivar. Specifically, he is knitting red replacement sleeves for John's ruined coat. The men have no common language, and John, at first fearful of his vulnerability, then overtaken with cowardice, does not attempt to explain why he is present on the island. Instead, John attempts to learn and document Ivar's language and to learn about the island, dreading the day the boat returns to pick him up--and, unbeknownst to Ivar, permanently remove him from the only home he has ever known. The men develop a tender, heartwarming friendship separate from class, background, intellect, and societal expectations. John, at a distance from worries about his congregation and the future of Presbyterianism, as well as from his kind wife, sinks into Ivar's daily rhythm of working on the land, caring for animals, and finding wonder in nature. I have the cliffs and the skerries and the birds. I have the white bill and the round bill and the peaked hill. I have the clear spring water and the rich good pasture that covers the tilted top of the island like a blanket. I have the old black cow and the sweet grass that grows between the rocks, I have my great chair and my sturdy house. I have my spinning wheel and I have the teapot and I have Pegi, and now, amazingly, I have John Ferguson too. This is a slim book that is beautifully balanced between the tension of John's secret, Ivar's misplaced trust (and of the looming time when explanations will be forced) and the paused push of the outside world's pressures, as weather and basic human needs take precedence. Time passes as though in a vacuum, and the men's need for human connection overshadows all else. By the time John's wife appears--fresh from a rough sea journey, inspired to travel by a sense that John was in danger--the resolution feels heartbreaking, heartwarming, and utterly surprising in its generosity and departure from societal norms. I listened to Clear as an audiobook. More about Carys Davies Carys Davies is also the author of the novels West  and The Mission House , as well as two collections of short stories,  Some New Ambush  and  The Redemption of Galen Pike .

Shirley Jackson wrote six novels, including We Have Always Lived in the Castle, two memoirs, and the

you're interested in immigrant stories, you might want to check out the books on the Greedy Reading List Six

Paulette Jiles also wrote two other Civil War-era historical fiction books I loved, News of the World #historicalfiction, #civilwar What are you reading now? Concurrently reading a young adult LGBTQ mystery, a comedian's memoir, and a historical fiction story

French is the author of six books in the Dublin Murder Squad series: In the Woods, The Likeness (my absolute

This book is on my Greedy Reading List Six Fantastic Dystopian and Postapocalyptic Novels.

For other light fiction books I've enjoyed, check out the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories

If you're in the mood for more light fiction, you might try the titles on the Greedy Reading List Six

They're from other times in history. protagonist's focus in her work is Commander Graham Gore (a character based upon a real figure from history Their common disjointedness brings them together, and the mashup of personalities and histories was fantastic

This book is listed in the Greedy Reading List Six Captivating Nordic Stories.

French is the author of six books in the Dublin Murder Squad series: In the Woods, The Likeness (my absolute

Whitehead, inspired by a real-life reform school that abused and terrorized boys for over a century, shares a tale of racial injustice, abuse and horrors, terrible fear, and the very real threat of death at the hands of openly, willfully cruel white men. We must believe in our souls that we are somebody, that we are significant, that we are worthful, and we must walk the streets of life every day with this sense of dignity and this sense of somebody-ness. Elwood Curtis is a promising young man in 1960s Tallahassee. But when he hitchhikes with the wrong guy to his first day of scholarship university classes, he's unfairly sent to a boys' reform school, The Nickel Academy. The "Nickel Boys" endure endless injustices, abuse, and horrors, including the looming threat of being "disappeared" out back, never to be heard from again. But as naive as it may be, Elwood persists in pursuing justice and clinging to the moral high road just like his idol Martin Luther King, Jr., and he is unwavering in his ideals regardless of the dangers. His best friend Turner is more savvy, careful, and jaded, while loyal to Elwood. If everyone looked the other way, then everybody was in on it. If he looked the other way, he was as implicated as the rest. That's how he saw it, how he'd always seen things. In the midst of becoming pawns in the crooked trading away of the school's supplies to line the pockets of the corrupt men in charge, Elwood and Turner form a friendship that has repercussions for the rest of their lives. The Nickel Academy is based on a real-life reform school that, horrifyingly, abused boys for 111 years. The Nickel Boys doesn't shy away from infuriating, relentless, insidious, damaging, often deadly racial injustice and cruelties. I felt a little manipulated regarding the "twist" Whitehead introduces late in the book, but the living out of an identity and living into an envisioned future is a powerful element. I listened to The Nickel Boys  as an audiobook. For more fiction and nonfiction books about race Colson Whitehead is also the author of The Underground Railroad . For other titles that center around race, please check out the books at this link . For more nonfiction titles that focus on race, please click here .

builds the pool of potential culprits for Nathan to examine in this story of uncovering truths, family history I listed this book in the Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading The Goddess of Warsaw, Lisa Barr's dual-timeline historical fiction 01 The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr In Lisa Barr's newest historical fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Go as a River, historical fiction from Shelley Read; I'm listening version of Mary Otis's Burst, a story about a mother and daughter; and I'm reading Mary Sharratt's historical Mary Sharratt offers an exhaustively researched, fascinating historical fiction account of the life of

Their settlement is on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, and they hunt and gather in with her parents' researcher friends, her family helps try to save and further the exhibits of human history Nonie and her group carry a book holding precious history, and on their journey they encounter various

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Emma Donoghue's newest historical fiction, Learned by Heart, set series, One of Us Is Back; and I'm listening to Niall Howell's debut, Only Pretty Damned, which is noir historical Pretty Damned by Niall Howell I'm listening to Niall Howell's debut, Only Pretty Damned, which is noir historical