Hi historical fiction fans!
And Happy Pride Month! I’m trying to especially focus my reading this month on books by LGBTQ authors and about LGBTQ stories. And I’m sharing a few recommendations below to help you do the same!
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Bookish Goods
You Are Safe With Me Enamel Book Pin from Good Good Cat
Keep this adorable pin close to let LGBTQ folks around you know you are an ally. $11
New Releases
The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor (June 13, 2023)
When a boat carrying British children to safety from WWII is torpedoed, two women divided by the sea — one a bookish schoolteacher and one a mother relying on a risky last-ditch effort to save her children — become the last hope for safety with a single lifeboat left adrift.
A Right Worthy Woman by Ruth P. Watson (June 13, 2023)
After seeing firsthand the difference between the affluent white clients of her mother’s laundry service and the Black ones, Maggie Lena Walker vows to make a secure future for herself and for any others who want it. It’s this determination that takes her from schoolteacher to the first Black woman to establish and run a bank in the United States.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Continuing on with our Pride Month celebrations, this week let’s look at some historical fiction novels featuring transgender characters. Because as with all LGBTQ+ people, trans folks have always existed and they deserve to have their stories told.
How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
One of my all-time favorite historical fiction books, How Much of These Hills is Gold follows two young siblings as they search for a place in the world of the rough and tumble American West following the death of their father. The novel follows a non-linear timeline as it slowly unravels the complicated history of racism, violence, and misfortune that led the family up to this point. It’s an absolutely unforgettable read told through a stunning narratorial voice.
The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis
After moving to Buenos Aires from Italy, a woman binds her chest and changes her name in order to pursue her love of music, knowing she could never perform in public as herself. But the longer Leda lives as Dante, the more the lines between the two begin to blur. Where does Leda end and Dante begin? And perhaps more importantly, does it even matter anymore?
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 @rachelsbrittain on Instagram, Goodreads, Litsy, and occasionally Twitter.
Right now I’m reading A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. What about you?