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I recently mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List Six Newish Young Adult Mysteries I Want to

Morris's historical fiction novel, set in 11th century Scotland with events surrounding the imagined

case, a former priest and the Lady--an investigator searching for information in the convicts' past histories

romantic life, career, and his future at an East London commune; Revelations, Mary Sarratt's immersive historical In Revelations, Sharratt offers an immersive historical fiction novel that includes thoroughly researched

Copperfield; and I'm reading Rachel Hawkins's upcoming mystery set in an Italian villa with a sinister history But Emily digs into the villa's complicated and dark history, and as she delves into the past, the growing

You might also like the list Six Illuminating Memoirs I've Read This Year.

How much of what we consider fact and truth is skewed by our histories, our prejudices, our privilege

novel, set in Yellowstone National Park, The Ranger; and I'm listening to the second in an irresistible historical

; the messy bonds of commitment and partnership; the precious building of inside jokes and a unique history

The first book in Marske's duology is full of Edwardian England detail, gay love, mystery, magic, wonderful dialogue and banter, and plenty of heart. I adored it. A Marvellous Light, the first in Freya Marske's Last Binding duology, starts with a devastating ending (the demise of a character, caused by nefarious magicians) and a less-than-promising beginning (Robin Blyth's first day in his civil service job, for which he doesn't feel remotely qualified nor interested). Robin is trying to keep the household afloat after the deaths of his parents, to support his bright, ambitious younger sister, and to date some handsome men along the way. He soon realizes that (a) magic exists (!), (b) he's mistakenly been assigned the job of liaison to a secret magical society, (c) his office has been ransacked and a curse has been placed on him, (d) his curmudgeonly, book-smart coworker Edwin may be the key to saving them all, and (e) maybe he's falling for Edwin just the tiniest bit, despite himself. Marske offers immersive Edwardian England detail in this adorable, captivating, magical, queer book. Robin and Edwin's love is romantic and sweet and heartbreaking and sexy; the mystery at the heart of the book seems only to be solvable by the biggest book nerd in existence; and the story's magical details are fascinating and odd. I was completely hooked by A Marvellous Light, and I tried to slow down my reading to make it last. The amount of heart in this book was exquisite. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I didn't see a mention anywhere in the book of a sequel, and some aspects felt tantalizingly unresolved, so I was relieved to find out that another book is coming. The second and final book in Marske's duology, A Restless Truth, is scheduled for publication in November.

Juhea Kim's looping story of Korea, courtesans, pickpockets, and the powerful figures complicating and shaping all of their lives involves love triangles, superstition, heartbreak, and a complicated, shifting interconnectedness that spans decades. In a snowy forest in 1917 Korea, an unlikely moment of kindness shared by a Korean hunter toward a Japanese officer creates a connection that binds the fates of the two men forever. Meanwhile Jade, a young girl who has been sold to a courtesan, befriends JungHo, a young orphan boy in Seoul. JungHo grows older and becomes involved in the fight for independence, while Jade finds an unlikely romantic interest. Beasts of a Little Land tracks Jade's schooling, found family, artistic expression, and her social position as a courtesan within the culture, while following JungHo as he sets sights on more than pickpocketing and scrambling to find enough to eat one day at a time. Conflicts between Korea and Japan and war and occupation swirl around them and those within their orbits--Jade's adoptive family members Lotus, Luna, Dani, and Silver; JungHo's childhood clan all grown up; each of their loves; and the wealthy and influential men pulling strings on all sides. In Beasts of a Little Land, Juhea Kim explores friendship, enemies, trust, possibility, heroes, and beasts of all kinds. The story is looping and cyclical, with interconnected webs of interaction, power, and love. Some of what various characters cling to in hopes of saving themselves or securing their futures ends up being their undoing. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Beasts of a Little Land is Juhea Kim's debut work. Kim is donating a portion of the proceeds of the book to the Phoenix Fund, a conservation nonprofit working to protect the Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard.

backgrounds of her notable, famous, wealthy family members, their personalities, quirks, shortcomings, key histories

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

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Natasha Pulley's The Kingdoms, which involves historical fiction Natasha Pulley is also the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, another historical fiction story

01 Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams In Beatriz Williams's historical fiction, Our Woman in Moscow In Williams's historical fiction mystery, four years later, Iris's twin sister Ruth finally receives

finder of missing girls from Erin Kate Ryan; and I'm listening to Dawnie Wilton's fictional musical history Ryan explores various alternate histories and life tracks for Paula Jean while "Mary" digs more deeply Sunny Shelton shapes an oral history of her two idols, tracing their family lives, youthful experiences

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Amy Harmon's Revolutionary War-set historical fiction about a young

inspirations, influences, approach, pushing the limits, and storytelling through song; The Last Green Valley, historical life-and-death period in the life of an ethnically German family at the end of World War II in this historical Sullivan built this historical fiction around the true story of an ethnically German family running from Mark Sullivan also wrote Beneath a Scarlet Sky, another historical fiction book based upon a real person

Females are overshadowed, abused, and generally wronged throughout the book, a reflection of realistic, historic

Yara is put on probation at the college where she is an assistant art history teacher after calling out

Under, as well as two books about the English language, Mother Tongue and Made in America, and A Short History of Nearly Everything and A Really Short History of Nearly Everything.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#historicalfiction, #oldnewyork, #fourstarbookreview

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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