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The Book of Thorns (2024) by Hester Fox is an historical fiction tale of two sisters, separated as children, who are linked through the magic of language of flowers and a locket that they both wear. Set in 19th-century New England, Cornelia was raised by a cruel uncle who wants to marry her off and Lisbeth was raised as a servant.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke, PBS Mysteries, offers a captivating blend of mystery, intrigue, and Victorian-era charm that will keep you intrigued throughout the series. Set in 19th century London, the series follows the fearless Eliza Scarlet, who defies societal norms to become London's first female private detective.

Lauren Groff’s The Vaster Wilds (2023) transports the reader back to a horrifying and fascinating time in American colonial history known as the “starving time” at the Jamestown colony in 1609.

I enjoyed Good Taste (2023) by Caroline Scott for its blend of history, romance, and foodie fiction. Set in England during the Great Depression, the story begins with author Stella Douglas looking for her next writing project, which will hopefully sell better than her last book.

A wonderful mix of folktale, mystery, romance and historical fiction, The Fox Wife (2024) checks all the boxes for a fascinating read. Set in China and Japan in the early 1900s, author Yangsze Choo brings to life the folklore of the fox spirits; beautiful young men and women who can transform into foxes, bewilder and trick people and feed off the life force of humans.

With her most recent novel, The Book of Goose (2022), author Yiyun Li gives us a coming of age story that explores the fraught friendship of two girls growing up in an impoverished village in rural France during the aftermath of World War II.

If you enjoy sweeping historical novels then you may want to dig into A Long Petal of the Sea (2020), one of the most recent books by the prolific Chilean-American author Isabel Allende. And if you especially appreciate books that shed light on dramatic past events less likely to be on our reading radar than, say, World War II, A Long Petal of the Sea just might be calling your name.

Everyone in this historical fiction novel seems to have a secret. The expats living in Malaysia in the early 1900s live a life reminiscent of The Great Gatsby; parties, illicit love affairs, murder and an added touch of revolution. When the author, W.

It’s impossible to do justice to The Water Dancer (2019) in a book review. The story is powerful and haunting, the characters are expertly and thoughtfully portrayed throughout, and the time period and settings are drawn such that I felt that I was viewing the horrors of slavery on a Virginia plantation and experiencing the terrifying dangers of the flight to freedom.

Lone Women (2023) by Victor LaValle is a historical slow burn horror set in 1915 Montana. After losing her parents, Adelaide Henry travels alone from California to settle a claim of land in Montana supplied with very little - namely the heavy burden she has carried all her life.

Due to the encouragement of Kazuo Ishiguro, author of such contemporary works as The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, I spent some days in August reading R.C.