Hi historical fiction fans!
I’m traveling this week to celebrate a friend’s graduation. It’s been a hectic month of travel, family, and very little free time. I’m not complaining because it’s all been good stuff, but without audiobooks and my Kindle I’m really not sure how much reading I would’ve gotten done. Technology can be frustrating and intrusive sometimes, but boy, does it have its advantages.
If you want to even more bookish goodness in your life, subscribe to BookRiot’s newest podcast, First Edition. BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wonderful world of books through interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more. Recent episodes feature Book Riot editors Kelly and Vanessa discussing the legacy of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and trying to pin down the “it” book of April. Subscribe to First Edition on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your podcatcher of choice.
Bookish Goods
Shakespearean Cat Sticker from Sombrenes Society
What’s more iconic than a grumpy cat quoting Shakespeare? Nothing, obviously. $4
New Releases
Savage Beasts by Rani Selvarajah (May 25, 2023)
Calcutta is on the brink of war against the East India Company when the daughter of the Nawab — Viceroy — falls for the nephew of the East India Company’s terrifying leader. Peter is unlike any of the other white men Meena has met before, and soon the two young lovers find themselves fleeing Calcutta with blood on their hands. Suddenly finding herself in a foreign land, Meena will have to decide what sacrifices love is worth.
After Anne by Logan Steiner (May 30, 2023)
Lucy Maud Montgomery created one of the literary world’s most beloved characters: Anne of Green Gables. But while Anne is an irrepressible optimist, Lucy’s own life was filled with a darkness she hid behind a smile. And her marriage to a minister whose religious mania threatens her own dreams of writing Anne’s stories sets her down a path of destruction.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter
Riot Recommendations
I love a good story about old Hollywood, and these two are particularly great.
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul
When Kitty Karr Tate dies and bequeaths her estate to the St. John Sisters — three wealthy young Black women — no one is quite sure why she did it. Elise St. John is a star herself and has no interest in dealing with questions from the press. She has no idea why Kitty Karr did what she did either. But when shocking revelations in her journal unveil the truth behind Kitty’s stardom, it has the potential to unravel the lives and careers these women have worked so hard for.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
An aging star of 1950s Hollywood, whose illustrious life and many husbands has long sparked rumor, finally agrees to give a tell-all interview. But why did she pick an unknown magazine writer to write her long sought after biography? Monique isn’t sure, but she’s determined to figure it out along with the biggest question on everyone’s mind: who was Evelyn Hugo’s true love?
That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelbrittain on Instagram, Goodreads, Litsy, and occasionally Twitter.
Right now I’m reading Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh. What about you?