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In 1500s Joseon (modern day Korea), Iseul and her sister are living under a brutal tyrant, King Yeonsan. The king has murdered all those he considers political enemies, which included their parents. The King commandeers land from his people and kidnaps young girls across the country. When Iseul's sister becomes one of the kidnapped girls, Iseul embarks on a dangerous journey, determined to bring her home. She believes the key to getting her sister back is to solve a series of murders the King has offered a great reward for.

I love dogs and have always taken an interest in the British royal family, so when I saw The Queen’s Faithful Companion: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Beloved Corgi, Susan (2024) on the new books shelf, I knew I needed to read it right away! The story is told from three perspectives: Princess and soon-to-be Queen Elizabeth, Susan the Corgi, and Hanna Penwyck, a fictionalized keeper of the royal dogs.

Stella Gibbons wrote 32 books over the course of her life, but she is most known for her first novel, Cold Comfort Farm (1932). Published in 1932, when Gibbons was still in her twenties, Cold Comfort Farm became wildly popular, received stellar reviews, and some very prestigious prizes.

The Sicilian Inheritance (2024) by Jo Piazza transports you to past and present-day Sicily as a woman tries to solve the mystery of her great-grandmother's murder, inspired by the author’s own family lore.

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.