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The story explores cycles and links through history, considering how each of us may live on after we're

Harrow, with imperfect characters, a noble, messy quest, layers of history, and a captivating end.

I mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year.

Now she must delve into the darkness of her history to try to save her mother--and uncover her own true women discover strange, unique powers as they rely on each other and attempt to unravel their shared history grave danger--and unlock remarkable freedom for each of the women long plagued by their complicated histories

Certain elements of Strike's past, his family history, and his volatile relationships are resolved in

natural world, she explores three timelines of women connected through the ages by power and by society's historical

protagonist, a jazz pianist, is tasked with saving humanity; and I'm listening to This Other Eden, historical

that play with time and alternate realities, you might also like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six

Despite their history, her breathless reactions to Wes didn't feel built upon factors I could believe

#historicalfiction, #oldnewyork, #fourstarbookreview

If you like short stories, check out The Office of Historical Corrections--a very different short story

oneself. 03 Evil Eye by Etaf Rum Yara is put on probation at the college where she is an assistant art history

The janitor is a cultural outsider with a complicated history, and what he lacks in training he makes

Adjei-Brenyah offers glimpses of characters' histories and their lives before the tragedies that led

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading A Restless Truth, the second book in Freya Marske's historical

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Horse, the newest historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks; owner becomes obsessed with the mid-nineteenth-century painting; and 2019 Washington, DC, when two historians

is desperate to find her missing son--even if it means facing the painful truth of her own traumatic history

review of Nobody Will Tell You This But Me. 07 Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams ​Williams's historical In Beatriz Williams's historical fiction, Our Woman in Moscow, it's 1948, and Iris Digby, her American The Rose Code is a wonderfully spun historical fiction story of three very different women who answer War II story about strong women making a difference, but I admit that I was curious as to how even a historical

Anyway, here are my six favorite (and varied!) reads of the first month of 2023.

ICYMI: Wiley Cash's The Last Ballad explores race relations and the fight for dignity in a 1929 North Carolina mill camp community. “There is an old saying that every story, even your own, is either happy or sad depending on where you stop telling it.” Cash provides rich details of life in a mill camp in 1929 North Carolina. The Last Ballad explores race relations and complicated relationships within a largely segregated living but racially mixed working arrangement. An individual tragic end also serves as a heroic sacrifice within a larger and extremely important fight for the dignity and conditions afforded by a union. This heart-wrenching struggle for survival and for dignity was at the heart of the book. It took me a little time to get into Cash's Last Ballad. It was a slow build but worth riding Cash's wave to an affecting middle of the story and a powerful sequence of final events. I really wish I’d read the final author’s note about Cash's personal links to the story before reading the book--the information there was fascinating, and I think would have lent even more power to my reading experience. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I read The Last Ballad with my book club, and this week I reviewed When Ghosts Come Home, Wiley Cash's character-driven mystery set in 1980s Eastern North Carolina. Next I want to read Cash's A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy. Have you read either of these? Wiley Cash's writing reminds me somewhat of that of Ron Rash, another wonderful North Carolina author.

Towles crafts a solid historical fiction adventure for his young-men protagonists, balancing weighty

Russell has also written Children of God (The Sparrow, #2); the character-driven historical fiction book about Doc Holliday), which I really liked; and other books set in the American West (such as Epitaph); historical

Wilkerson is exceptional at laying out absurdities, horrors, disturbing historical events, shocking trends

I learned about Deaf history, culture, and the politics that have disrupted and damaged those in the

When William's painful history resurfaces, it shakes the entire family with its repercussions.

I've reviewed lately include Sarahland by Sam Cohen, Half Wild by Robin MacArthur, and The Office of Historical

The Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, atmosphere of Shoulder Season was a standout element, but the characters' interactions and some of the transitions within the book felt jarring. Beautiful, sleepy Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in 1981 feels like an unlikely setting for a Playboy resort. But for small-town teen orphan Sherri Taylor, the resort is an open door to a life of excitement and opportunity, an appealing shift from the dead-end, broke life path she'd be on without it. With plenty of youthful explorations of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, plus young women striving to strike the seemingly impossible balance of femininity and control within the male-controlled power structures of the time, Shoulder Season spans forty years, an important love triangle, and the course of a woman's life, from a modest Midwestern start to new beginnings in the California desert. I found some of the transitions and conversations in the book jarring, and I wasn't always clear about Sherri's internal motivations; some interactions between characters--and therefore their relationships--didn't ring true to me. I didn't really buy into Sherri having deep feelings for either of the men in her sights. I ultimately wished the story had ended with more about Sherri than her reactions to various men and their sometimes disappointing or shocking decisions. I very much enjoyed her vulnerability as a young woman and especially the glimpses we got into her self-assured modern-day self. The standouts of Shoulder Season for me were the atmospheric setting, the training and strict rules surrounding Bunnies' behavior (and even their allowed body movements), and the women's bonds and rivalries with each other. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Clancy's first novel, The Second Home, was published last year, when the author was 52. Shoulder Season was inspired by the actual Playboy resort (which predated what is now the Grand Geneva) that was once in the area, and she interviewed workers and guests from the Midwestern hub where hit musicians, family vacationers, single men, and Bunnies all came together for the promise of something bigger--or at least an escape from the expected.

by William Faulkner‘s story The Old Man and is set at the beginning of the worst flood in American history

Bookworm 01 This Book Is a Planetarium by Kelli Anderson This unusual, usable, interactive book turns into six

Lucinda Williams's gritty, frank memoir about music, love, and life; The Trackers, wonderfully detailed historical In The Trackers, Cold Mountain author Charles Frazier offers historical fiction featuring a Great Depression-era

to avoid coping with the difficulties of life; and I'm listening to The Librarian Spy, World War II historical

#historicalfiction, #fantasyscifi, #LGBTQ, #series, #fourstarbookreview

McLain had me hooked on the vivid Northern California setting, imperfect Anna's rich and rocky history McLain had me completely hooked on the vivid setting, Anna's rich and rocky history, her search for answers

#historicalfiction, #WWII, #fourstarbookreview

#historicalfiction, #Western, #series, #threestarbookreview

#historicalfiction, #WWII

#mysterysuspense, #series, #historicalfiction, #london, #fourstarbookreview

#fantasyscifi, #oldnewyork, #magic, #historicalfiction, #timetravel, #threestarbookreview

#fantasyscifi, #historicalfiction, #siblings, #youngadult, #comingofage, #threestarbookreview

As Emily digs into the villa's complicated and dark history and delves into the past, the growing tensions

In Out Front the Following Sea, new historical fiction by Leah Angstman, it's 1689 and King William's Leah Angstman is a historian who meticulously researched the time period of this book.

of indigenous tradition into Daunis's everyday life, pivotal moments, and her personal and cultural history of indigenous tradition into Daunis's everyday life, pivotal moments, and her personal and cultural history

I've got historical fiction/fantasy, royal historical fiction, and a compelling nonfiction story that

sometimes poignant, with short sections that are easily digested separately and in small doses. 04 Music Is History In Music Is History, Questlove examines the last half century of music, providing context in the form For example, in the Falling Out of History section, he sets the scene for the concept of forgotten songs

Coates took his time building the story, and I felt as though he deliberately kept us in a plodding pace to emphasize the unwavering, repetitive misery of The Tasked. Coates's The Water Dancer explores the relentless oppression and hopelessness of slavery, the resigned existence of the imprisoned, masters' willful brutality--although the horrors here are largely slow builds rather than violently wrought--and the spark to escape that persists. The Water Dancer traces the life of Hiram Walker, a "Tasked" man (the word "slavery" is rarely used in the book) living and working on a Virginia plantation. His mother died when he was young, and he has no memory of her. But the white master of the plantation is Hiram's biological father, and composed young Hiram is set up as a companion to his foolish white half-brother (his father's heir). Hiram's lineage is acknowledged, and he shows himself to be far more intelligent and capable than his white brother--as well as preferred company for his father--yet racial barriers are rigid and clear. He may not inherit, nor may he rise above his station as owned and commanded by his white master. Coates intersperses bursts of magical realism that promise an unexpected path to freedom, but in order to take advantage of these, Hiram must learn to understand and master his mysterious powers that allow for shifts in time and space. The Underground wishes to use his powers toward their own ends--which often coincide with Hiram's--but when their desired paths diverge, he must take ownership of his abilities for himself, reckoning with consequences and his own secure conscience. The white savior character of Corinne is faulted and imperfect, yet I found myself bristling at her presence in the story. The weight put upon Hiram's inability to remember early moments with his mother felt unfair and its resolution felt too convenient. The book was a slow mover; Coates took his time building the story, and I felt as though he deliberately kept us in a plodding pace to emphasize the unwavering, repetitive misery of The Tasked. There's a lot of thinking and considering and talking with short bursts of change or brief moments in which plans are enacted. The pacing suited the situation being explored, of the trapped and enslaved, but it was a struggle to read at times and made me impatient. The brief author's note mentions Coates's inspiration of the real-life Still family for the family portrayed in The Water Dancer but refers the reader to other sources for more information. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I listened to this as an audiobook, and Joe Morton's narration was excellent. Ta-Nehisi Coates also wrote the memoir Between the World and Me. I mentioned this book (along with The Plot and Forgotten Kingdom) in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 5/10/21 Edition.

Shipstead has created two independent, defiant, appealingly strong young women split by time. I was hooked on both story lines and just loved this. Great Circle spans the wilds of Prohibition-era Montana, the blustery Pacific Northwest, the unforgiving chill of Alaska, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and the movie-making business, and the stark, brutal dangers of Antarctica, from the early twentieth century to modern day. In interconnected stories--which felt equally compelling to me--Shipstead brings to life these disparate places and times and focuses on various colorful characters within them. Great Circle traces events starting with a sinking ocean liner in 1914 and the introduction of Marian and James, twin babies rescued from that tragedy; it follows the path of the twins' lives as they grow up; the story tracks young Marian's ignited passion for aviation and her adventures; and the book injects a modern-day story line in which a famous young actress takes on the role of Marian for a film. Shipstead has created two independent, defiant, appealingly strong young women split by time (and, secondarily, the complex male characters they each love as family or romantic partners). Both of the main characters are orphans, both were raised by indulgent, imperfect uncles, and both are constantly reinventing themselves as they aim to live fulfilling lives, but otherwise their situations are altogether different. Shipstead is a wonderful writer, and I loved every word of this. Both of the timelines had me hooked. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 4/28/21 Edition. I received a prepublication copy of Great Circle courtesy of Knopf Publishing Group and NetGalley. Shipstead is also the author of Astonish Me and Seating Arrangements.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin, charming historical

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates's novel about slavery, with magical realism that offers a possible path to freedom; I'm reading The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz's upcoming novel about a has-been writer who steals a plot idea and emerges a bestselling author haunted by his secret; and I'm reading The Forgotten Kingdom, the second in Signe Pike's fantastic series set in sixth century Scotland (The Lost Queen is the first). Which books are you reading and enjoying these days, bookworms? 01 The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates Coates's The Water Dancer explores the relentless oppression and hopelessness of slavery, the resigned, broken existence of the imprisoned, the masters' willful brutality, and the spark to fight that persists in some who have been hurt and pushed down for generations. The Water Dancer traces the life of Hiram Walker, a "Tasked" man (the word "slavery" is rarely used in the book) living and working on a Virginia plantation. His mother died when he was young, and he has no memory of her. But the white master of the plantation is Hiram's biological father, and composed young Hiram is set up as a companion to his foolish white half-brother (his father's heir). Hiram's lineage is acknowledged, and he shows himself to be far more intelligent and capable than his white brother, yet racial barriers are rigid and clear. He may not inherit, nor may he rise above his station. Coates intersperses bursts of magical realism that promise an unexpected path to freedom, but in order to take advantage of these, Hiram must learn to understand and master his mysterious powers that allow for shifts in time and space. I'm listening to this as an audiobook and this is a slow mover so far; Coates is taking his time building the story. The author also wrote the memoir Between the World and Me. 02 The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz This book is making me verrry nervous so far. Jacob Finch Bonner (he added the "Finch" himself once his aspirations to become a writer became all-encompassing) wrote a well-received first book, but now his career has fizzled. He teaches writing at a third-tier university and isn't even working on anything new--not that any agents or publishers are interested. An obnoxiously confident student cagey about what he feels is a slam-dunk bestseller book idea confides in Bonner about his plot. When the student abruptly dies soon afterward, Bonner banks on the probability that he hadn't trusted anyone else with details about his book. He decides to take a risk: he'll use his student's concept and aim to create a bestseller of his own. You can't copyright a plot anyway, right? RIGHT? Do you think this terrible decision-making comes back to haunt Jacob Finch Bonner? Yes, bookworms. YES, IT DOES. I received a prepublication copy of this book, to be published May 11, 2021, courtesy of NetGalley and Celadon Books. 03 The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike This is Pike's second book in The Lost Queen trilogy. Set in sixth century Scotland, The Forgotten Kingdom traces the story of Languoreth, a strong, imprisoned queen; her twin brother Lailoken (the inspiration for the character of Merlin); and the complicating factors of bloodthirsty vengeance and war between Languoreth's husband and his allies and Lailoken's master and his own allies. Family is pitted against family; those who worship the old gods clash against those who embrace Christianity; and political alliances falter and reform in unexpected patterns. The details of life at the time are wonderful, and some characters wield magic and hold mysterious powers. This is epic. I loved Pike's first novel in this series, The Lost Queen, and so far this book is reminding me of The Mists of Avalon and Outlander.

In this gothic Victorian tale, Waters offers a slow build to heartbreak, twists and double twists, hesitant attempts at love, and, finally, clarity and satisfying revenge. Sue Trinder is a teenage orphan, the daughter of a hanged murderess who tries to live up to her fearless mother's bravery and strength. She's being raised in a household of cheats, thieves, and generally crooked characters. Yet she's been largely sheltered from the evils of the underbelly of Victorian London by her unofficial, doting adoptive mother, Mrs. Sucksby. But when one of their group, Gentleman, comes up with a large-scale con, suddenly the makeshift family's potential fortune depends heavily on Sue. She's asked to play the role of maid to an unassuming, wealthy young woman in a dastardly plot to take the woman's inheritance and leave her to rot in an insane asylum. When Sue meets Maud and begins dressing her, caring for her, and trying to manipulate her into the con, what seemed like a simple plan becomes more complicated and fraught. Meanwhile, Maud's bristly uncle, a strict man of books who has raised his niece primarily to assist him in his research and work, is at the center of a widespread web of debauchery. Maud's unusual upbringing--an emotionally cold life, steeped in lascivious writings--has left her both innocent to the workings of the outside world and also closely acquainted with the details of intimacies with which most young ladies of the time would likely be unfamiliar. Fingersmith is a delightfully dark, often menacing Victorian-era gothic tale. I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was such a slow build, I was both eager for it to ramp up in pacing and very hesitant about finding out where things were going. There's a descent-into-madness aspect that's made more powerful by Waters's measured, sometimes sluggish tempo. I was on the verge of becoming impatient, but Waters masterfully draws out the sinister threads of the story until they're taut and ready to snap, and ultimately I was in for it. I wasn't certain how Waters would resolve the layers of deceit, secrets, and desires for revenge at play here. The story offers heartbreak, twists and double twists, hesitant attempts at unorthodox love (I recall one reader referring to this as "lesbian Dickens," but it wasn't quite that to me), and, finally, clarity and satisfying revenge. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Waters is also the author of Tipping the Velvet, Affinity, and The Night Watch. I'm eager to read these as well. I wasn't as big a fan of Waters's The Paying Guests as I was of Fingersmith.

This is the third Paulette Jiles Civil War-era historical fiction book I've read and adored. #historicalfiction, #civilwar, #southern, #fourstarbookreview, #thecoloroflightning