Categories
Past Tense

Authors and Old Stories Reimagined in Historical Fiction

Hi historical fiction fans!

I’ve been volunteering at a local animal shelter place recently, and 10/10, I highly recommend looking into opportunities at your local shelters. That has nothing to do with reading, but, hey, I’m sure you could listen to some great audiobooks while you walk dogs if you wanted.

Have you checked out The Deep Dive yet? Book Riot’s editorial team writes for casual and power readers alike in this newsletter. During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, plus five mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

Postcards featuring artwork and test from Shakespeare's first folios.

First Folio Postcards from First Folio Cards

Send notes to your friends and family in style with these postcards printed with images and text from Shakespeare’s First Folios. $9

New Releases

Undiscovered book cover

Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Julia Sanches (September 26, 2023)

Blending together fact and fiction, Peruvian journalist Gabriela Wiener confronts her family’s complicated history as colonized and colonizer. Though Wiener sees herself in the Indigenous sculptures at a pre-Columbian exhibition, her great-great-grandfather was responsible for their plundering.

Death and the Sisters book cover

Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond (September 26, 2023)

A young Mary Godwin (later Shelley), her stepsister Jane, and Percy Shelley become entangled in a murder investigation when a dead body appears downstairs after a dinner party. The growing attraction both Mary and Jane feel for Percy, though, threatens to derail their quest for answers.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our  New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Death and the Sisters isn’t exactly a retelling, but it does reimagine a literary icon into a new story. These two historical fiction novels do the same with a Chinese classic and the author of The Scarlet Letter.

Cover of The Water Outlaws by SL Huang

The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang

In this retelling of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin, a group of bandits whose progressive ideas the Empire would like to destroy push back against the norms of society. When an expert arms instructor is betrayed and disgraced, she joins the Liangshan Bandits. Together, these powerful outlaws could bring down an empire.

Hester Book Cover

Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

A Scottish seamstress recently immigrated from Scotland, and a young Nathaniel Hawthorne find themselves drawn to each other after Isobel Gamble’s husband abandons her. Nathaniel is still haunted by the women his ancestors condemned to the gallows in Salem. Isobel is a young immigrant, both talented and troubled. Both must contend with what it means to be a “real” American in a time when the Underground Railroad is still in its early days.

That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.

If you’d like to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen by Alison Weir. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

Queens of Historical Fiction

Hi historical fiction fans!

In my determination to finally start feeling like it’s fall here in the Southern U.S., I’m writing this newsletter to you from outside. Unfortunately, it’s still in the mid-80s here, so it’s a somewhat sweaty experience. If only a crisp autumn breeze would come my way!

Deciding whether to read the books we’re talking about this week, however, should be no sweat at all. In addition to two great new releases, I’m sharing some “herstory,” (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) about queens of the past. Calling all my pals who went through a phase of reading all about the Tudors in middle school with those Royal Diaries books. This one’s for you.

If that’s not enough books for you, check out The Deep Dive, where Book Riot’s editorial team writes for casual and power readers alike. During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

A spread of colorful Shakespeare postcards featuring large quotes from Shakespeare.

Shakespeare Postcards from BookishlyUK

Keep up with your bookish friends with these lovely Shakespeare postcards that would double as fun wall art. $14.26

New Releases

All You Have To Do Is Call Book Cover

All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher (September 19, 2023)

In the early 1970s, a secret women’s health organization defied the laws attempting to control women’s rights and bodies. Three women, two working as Janes and one who is only beginning to feel that her life as a housewife is no longer fulfilling, grapple with the mental dissonance of the lives they lead. A historical novel that is, unfortunately, timely once more.

The Phoenix Crown Book Cover

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (September 19, 2023)

The lives of four women living in San Francisco at the turn of the 20th century were forever changed by the 1906 Earthquake and the disappearance of a railroad magnate with a collection of priceless Chinese artifacts. Six years later, one of those artifacts—the Phoenix Crown—is being worn at Versailles—and someone is determined to get it back.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our  New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I went to see the musical Six last week, and I’m pretty sure it’s reignited my preteen fixation on the Tudors. But the Tudor queens aren’t the only ones to have made a profound mark upon history. Here are three fascinating queens you should definitely be reading about:

Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen Book Cover

Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen by Alison Weir

First up is one of the books I’m eyeing as I embark on a Tudor reading marathon. Alison Weir has written numerous books about the Tudors, Plantagenets, and other royals, including this book about Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife, who starts off this series about the six wives of King Henry.

cover of Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley; illustration of a Black woman in fancy dress

Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley

The queen of a newly free Haiti, Marie-Louise Christophe, rules alongside her husband for 10 years before he is overthrown, leaving Marie-Louise and their daughters on their own. Forced to flee to Europe, Marie-Louise must redefine herself and her daughters to prove they are every bit the equal of their royal peers. Even in exile, she knows she is a queen. It’s ensuring everyone else knows it, too; that’s the real battle.

Sisi Empress on Her Own Book Cover

Sisi: Empress on Her Own by Allison Pataki

Before Megan Markle or Princess Di, there was Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, beloved by her people and known by the endearment, “Sisi.” But as monarchies fall, Sisi’s own marriage crumbles, and World War I approaches, will Sisi be able to save her family and her empire without losing herself?

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 Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan.

Categories
Past Tense

Shakespeare in Historical Fiction

Hi historical fiction fans!

All this talk of pumpkin spice lately is making me wish summer could last just a little longer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m well and truly ready to be done with the heat, but how could it possibly be time for fall? I guess I’ll just have to enjoy these last few weeks even as the rest of the world pretends it’s already pumpkin season.

Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

Woman wearing a forest green sweatshirt with white outlined text reading "Bookish"

Bookish Sweatshirt from Ladyish Creative

I love a good bookish wardrobe staple, and this one is perfect for fall which is fast approaching. $37

New Releases

The Two Tailed Snake Book Cover

The Two-Tailed Snake
by Nod Ghosh (September 14, 2023)

A girl in Northeast India is forced to quit school when her father disappears without a trace in 1945. Joya takes up work at a garment factory where she hears rumors of growing unrest and corruption. Could this have anything to do with her father’s disappearance, and what does any of it have to do with a mysterious figure called the “two-tailed snake?”

Fair Rosaline Book Cover

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons (September 12, 2023)

A prequel to the Romeo and Juliet story that you know, Fair Rosaline follows the jilted first-love of Romeo who must watch as her thirteen-year-old cousin is taken in by the lothario’s thrall. With mere days before she’s to be sent off to a nunnery, will Rosaline be able to save her cousin from heartbreak and ruin before it’s too late?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

From retellings to reimagined histories, Shakespeare inspires fiction in so many ways. Let’s explore a few.

Hamnet book cover

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

This fictional account of Shakespeare’s marriage and the son he and his wife lost to the plague at only 11 is not only the story of a family, a death, and a woman mostly lost to history, but also of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, a story of madness and loss written only four years after Hamnet’s death.

Desdemona Book Cover

Desdemona by Toni Morrison

In this play from the author of Beloved, the story of Othello is reimagined as a dialogue of words and music between Desdemona and her African nurse Barbary. Desdemona gives voice to the overlooked women at the heart of this Shakespeare play, and it explores the complexities of race, gender, and love, reimagining them as befits a modern audience.

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, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

Formidable Grandmothers in Historical Fiction

Hi historical fiction fans!

Books, books, and more books. That’s what you’re here for, right? This week we’ve got family sagas, historical fiction based on real trials from history, and grandmothers you can’t help but love.

Want to read more about great books AND get a chance to win free books?

Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!

Bookish Goods

Picture of three white books lined up next to a clear acrylic vase in the shape of a book with green flowers sticking out of it.

Acrylic Book Vase from Novel Vases

If you love books and plants as much as I do, a book vase is clearly a must-have. $33

New Releases

The Fraud Book Cover

The Fraud by Zadie Smith (September 5, 2023)

Housekeeper and cousin to a once-famous novelist, Mrs. Eliza Touchet is captivated by a trial with a lower-class Australian butcher claiming to be the rightful heir of a title and estate many suspect him of fraudulently trying to take as his own. Andrew Bogle, who grew up enslaved in Jamaica, knows his future depends on telling the story people want to hear as a witness in the “Tichborne Trial.” But what story is it? And what will it say about British society itself?

One Blood Book Cover

One Blood by Denene Millner (September 5, 2023)

Three generations of women reckon with the secrets and relationships that tie them together in this story of hope, ambition, and the Great Migration. The choices two girls make when they move north resonate through the years when a daughter discovers she’s adopted and sets herself to uncovering the secrets her mothers and grandmothers set in motion that led her here.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I lost my grandmother last week to Alzheimer’s. The stories of incredible grandmothers I’m sharing this week are in honor of her.

The Mountains Sing book cover

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

A grandmother and granddaughter face the intergenerational trauma of displacement and war when first, the family is forced to flee during the Land Reform of the growing Communist movement and later again, when the Việt Nam War tears the family apart. Amidst it all, it is the love and hope of a family that keep them together.

Shark Dialogues Book Cover

Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport

The matriarch of an interracial Hawaiian family helps her four granddaughters come to terms with their complicated heritage and history in this novel about survival amidst the backdrop of colonization. It’s a family epic interwoven with the lore, legends, and history of the Pacific.

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch Book Cover

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

When the mother of famed mathematician Johannes Kepler is accused of being a witch, Katharina tells her side of the story to her neighbor, a widower with secrets of his own. Katharina may be doing herself no favors with the way she talks about her accusers, but she’s certainly a formidable woman and grandmother caught up in the religious hysteria of her time.

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, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

Harlem Historical Fiction

Hi historical fiction fans!

Boy, do I have some treats in store for you this week! We’ve got some gorgeous book coasters, wonderful new releases, and historical fiction set in Harlem. What more could you ask for?

But before we get into all that:

Have you ever wanted to be as up-to-date on new releases as the contributors here at Book Riot? Well, we might have just the thing you need. Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days. Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

Wooden Coasters carved and printed to look like book covers such as Jane Eyre.

Wooden Book Coasters from Cutting Boredom

Bring your love of books to the table with these coasters designed to look like your favorite novels. $20

New Releases

learned by heart book cover

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue (August 29, 2023)

The heartbreaking true story of Anne Lister, Eliza Raine, and their teen love story set at an English boarding school in the early 1800s. It’s an intense relationship that will change them both forever. In typical Donoghue style, Learned by Heart is meticulously researched and full of beautiful prose.

Harlem After Midnight Book Cover

Harlem After Midnight by Louise Hare (August 29, 2023)

From the author of Miss Aldridge Regrets comes a new 1930s Harlem mystery. A London transplant with dreams of Broadway finds herself falling too fast for the musician who offered her a place to stay after her father’s passing. Not only that, the stories her father told her seem to be missing some pieces–big pieces. Can Lena figure out the truth of these two men before she’s caught up in something she won’t be able to escape?

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Hoping for even more historical fiction set in Harlem? I’ve got you.

Dead Dead Girls Book Cover

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia

In 1920s Harlem, a woman running from her past by spending nights at the finest speakeasy Harlem has to offer finds herself involved in solving a string of murders after she’s arrested. The police give her two options: help them figure out who’s killing local Black girls or spend her days in a jail cell. It might seem like an easy choice, but given her past and the dangerous killer she now stalks, it might just prove the death of her.

Harlem Shuffle Book Cover

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

An upstanding furniture salesman with a criminal history is drawn back into the world of crime when his cousin is brought in on a plan to rob the Hotel Theresa. Now, Ray is working as a fence for crooks and shady cops while trying to keep up his family man façade. Whitehead provides us with an insider look into life in 1960s Harlem with this novel of heists, hopes, and family.

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 Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

Vampires, Shipwrecks, and Natural Disasters

Hi historical fiction fans!

The coffee shops may be bringing back pumpkin spice early this year, but let’s not get it twisted: we’re not to fall quite yet. Considering we’re talking about vampires this week, I felt the need to remind you. But these new releases and recommendations are perfect for any time, trust me.

Have you ever wanted to be as up-to-date on new releases as the contributors here at Book Riot? Well, we might have just the thing you need. Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days. Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

Green, blue, or purple bookmark with tassels and color-coded ombre sticky tabs for annotations

Annotation Bookmarks from Aethereal Books

These neat annotation bookmarks are perfect for readers who make a lot of notes while they read. Now you don’t need to worry about having sticky tabs handy — they’re right there on your bookmark! $10

New Releases

Vampires of El Norte Book Cover

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (August 15, 2023)

Isabel Cañas wrote one of my favorite historical fiction novels last year, so I’m thrilled to see she’s back with another. In this supernatural western, a curandera and a vaquero are brought back together when the United States attacked Mexico in 1846. Though their reunion — and the causes for it — are shocking, it’s the creatures haunting the cavalry by night that truly plague them. Only if they can work through their past will they be able to come together to vanquish these creatures of the night.

Rage the Night Book Cover

Rage the Night by Donna Morrissey (August 29, 2023)

Based upon a tragedy that took place in Newfoundland in 1914, Rage the Night follows the story of a man searching for answers about his birth after a deathbed confession upends everything he thought he knew about himself. When his journey takes him across Newfoundland and aboard a rickety ship, his tale intersects with that of a historical disaster that still resonates to this day.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Speaking of historical disasters, here are two books that feature the immense strength and community required to weather natural disasters.

The Children's Blizzard book cover

The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin

When a freak blizzard traps the unprepared schoolchildren of a Dakota territory schoolhouse, school teachers barely older than the children themselves are left to make terrifying decisions that will decide their fates. It’s a story of hardship, courage, and survival based on the accounts of survivors.

Outrun the Moon book cover

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

A girl attempting to fight her way out of poverty in Chinatown through admittance to an elite girl’s school finds herself trapped in a makeshift encampment after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake levels her home and school. What’s left of the city is on fire as girls wait to be collected by their families. But Mercy isn’t one for waiting. Even if she’s just a girl up against a natural disaster, she’s determined to do something to help.

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 Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

Presidents, Pasts, and Family Secrets

Hi historical fiction fans!

This week we’ve got books about the incredible lives and accomplishments of First Ladies, adventurers, and families filled with secrets. I think you’re really going to enjoy them.

But first! Ever wanted to be as up-to-date on new releases as the contributors here at Book Riot? Well, we might have just the thing you need. Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days. Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

TBR game cards with book spines on the front and prompts such as "read a book you most recently hauled" and "read the last book on the bottom of your shelf."

TBR Game Cards from The Cozy Commune

I absolutely love this idea for gamifying your TBR! $22

New Releases

The President's Wife Book Cover

The President’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood (August 15, 2023)

Independent socialite Edith Bolling isn’t looking for a husband when President Woodrow Wilson comes courting, but she soon finds herself a new husband and a new role as First Lady. She encrypts top-secret messages during the First World War and becomes an indispensable advisor to the president. But when he suffers a debilitating health setback, Edith does what she must to hide his true condition while ensuring that the peace and progress they’ve both worked so hard for come to fruition.

The Romantic Book Cover

The Romantic by William Boyd

Born at the end of the 18th century, Cashel Greville Ross travels the world and seeks his fortune across countries, continents, and varied professions. From soldier to farmer to felon and writer, Ross experiences the breadth and magnitude of life itself, and eventually learns that to live and love life is the greatest accomplishment of all.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

Family secrets abound in these two historical fiction novels about the complicated relationships between siblings and parents.

Did you hear about kitty karr Book Cover

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

When a young Black starlet inherits the wealth of a late movie star, speculation runs wild in the press. But the true story of the connection between Kitty Karr Tate and the St. John family stretches back much farther than anyone realizes. And the truth, when Elise St. John learns it, changes everything she thought she knew about her family forever.

How Much of These Hills is Gold Book Cover

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang

After their Ba dies, two siblings living in the American West find the divide between them growing as they search for someplace to lay their father to rest. But the story of how they came to be here, told out of order through lyrical prose, reveals a complicated history that ties their family together.

That’s it for now, folks. Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear!

If you’d like to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.

Right now I’m reading Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

California Dreaming in Historical Fiction

Hi historical fiction fans!

Who else is looking for a brief escape from reality? I know I am. The books we’re talking about today should help with that, from titles on women working during WWI to surf culture in 1960s California. Let’s escape into the page for just a minute or two!

Ever wanted to be as up-to-date on new releases as the contributors here at Book Riot? Well, we might have just the thing you need. Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days. Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

Pastel pink bookmarks designed to look like a carnival ticket with "admit one" on the sides that reads "Book Lovers Club" in red bubble font and features a quote from Virginia Woolf.

Book Lovers Club Bookmarks by Fleurs on Sunday

I love a good bookmark and these ones made to look like carnival tickets for book lovers are just too cute. $6

New Releases

cover of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (August 8, 2023)

A broken-down neighborhood that has long been a haven for Jewish immigrants and African Americans is rocked by the discovery of a body at the bottom of a well. The residents of Chicken Hill know all too well who it is and how it wound up there, but the story of how these neighbors had to come together to protect each other from white, Christian America is far more complicated.

Canary Girls Book Cover

Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini (August 8, 2023)

As men enlisted for WWI in droves, the factories supplying ammunition were left empty. It’s women and girls who take up the call to “Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun.” Even as they work in dangerous conditions and suffer from strange maladies, the women work to hasten the end of the war. But it’s only on the football pitch, as part of the arsenal ladies’ football club, that they can truly leave their worries behind.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

One of the new releases on my radar this week is first up for my recommendations, and it got me thinking about other books set in California. Here are three that explore different eras of California history, from the good, the bad, and the ugly.

California Golden Book Cover

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Two daughters of a legendary surfer pushing to make a place for herself in a male-dominated sport vie for their mother’s time and affection in this book about California surf culture of the 1960s. As one daughter becomes a celebrity surfer in her own right, the other finds herself swept up in the counter-culture movement full of drugs and cults. But through it all, Mindy and Ginger are connected by the trauma of their unorthodox childhood.

Frog Music Book Cover

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue

When her friend is shot through the window of a saloon, burlesque dancer Blanche risks everything to bring her murderer to justice. Inspired by a forgotten cold case in San Francisco’s storied history, Frog Music is a tale of notorious women, dangerous men, free-loving bohemians, and murder.

China Dolls Book Cover

China Dolls by Lisa See

Set in the years leading up to WWII in San Francisco, three girls compete for a role in an exclusive “Oriental” nightclub, the Forbidden City. Grace and Helen are both Chinese American, but Ruby is only passing as Chinese. Her friends both know all too well she’s actually Japanese. So when America enters the war and begins interring innocent Japanese citizens, Ruby will be left wondering: which of her friends betrayed her?

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 Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media app.

Right now I’m reading The Bookbinder by Pip Williams. What about you?

Categories
Past Tense

Historical Fiction to Follow Up Oppenheimer

Hi historical fiction fans!

How is everyone weathering the heat and being post-Barbenheimer? I’ve been staying indoors as much as possible and enjoying all my houseplants that make me feel a little bit closer to nature when it’s pushing 100 degrees outside. Speaking of Oppenheimer, though, we’ve got some books on the Manhattan Project and Hiroshima this week in addition to our usual parcel of new releases. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, I think you’re really going to appreciate these books.

Ever wanted to be as up-to-date on new releases as the contributors here at Book Riot? Well, we might have just the thing you need. Book Riot’s New Release Index will keep you in the know about all the latest books. New books for days. Subscribe today — you won’t be able to read them all, but it’s fun to try! 

Bookish Goods

Enamel pin designed to look like a name tag that reads "Hello I'm a bookworm."

Hello I’m a Bookworm Enamel Pin from Peanut Butter Taco

Introduce yourself in the best way possible with these bookworm name tag pins from Etsy. $11

New Releases

Evergreen Book Cover

Evergreen by Naomi Hirahara

In this follow up to Clark and Division, Aki Ito and her family continue to navigate life after WWII and their time in the Manzanar detention center alongside other Japanese Americans. Finally allowed to return to California, though with no house or belongings to return to, she finds work as a nurse’s aide at the Japanese Hospital in Boyle Heights. But when a possible case of elder abuse forces her to question her husband’s closest friend, she must look for answers before her husband becomes ensnared in a murder investigation.

The Keeper of Hidden Books Book Cover

The Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline Martin

A clandestine book club in the midst of Nazi-occupied Warsaw brings comfort to Zofia and her friend Janina who are trying to save whatever books they can from destruction. But it’s not only books, but people and culture they must secret away and try to save, especially when Janina herself is forced into a ghetto.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

As I was thinking about what books to cover for this week’s newsletter, I remembered some of the reviews of Oppenheimer I’ve seen coming in. Although I haven’t seen the movie, the history of the atomic bomb and the bombings are something well worth preserving and remembering, lest history repeat itself. These three historical fiction books give a glimpse into both the leadup and aftermath of the Manhattan Project and its outcome.

The Atomic City Girls Book Cover

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard

Oak Ridge, Tennessee is a city that doesn’t officially exist. There, in a city that has been created in the course of months, young women like June work massive machines that they know play some role in the war effort. But what exactly they’re doing, they don’t know. Security is everywhere. Secrecy is paramount. It’s only when the bombs fall in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that June will realize the role she’s played. Now, confronted with the truth, she’ll have to reckon with the costs of unquestioned patriotism and war.

The Last Cherry Blossom Book Cover

The Last Cherry Blossom by Kathleen Burkinshaw

This is a book for middle grade readers, but I wanted to include it both because I’m a firm believer that good books transcend their target audience and also because it tells an important story, from a perspective often lacking in historical fiction. Loosely based on the memories of her mother, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, Burkinshaw shares a glimpse into Japanese culture and life during WWII as well as the horrors that befell Hiroshima and Nagasaki through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl.

Black Rain Book Cover

Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse, translated by John Bester

First serialized in 1965, Black Rain recounts the devastation of the atomic bombs through the eyes of historical accounts. Told through the eyes of an uncle worrying about his niece’s prospects one year after the bombings, Shigematsu sets out to disprove the rumors she was in Hiroshima on the day the nuclear bomb was dropped on the city. Her diaries from those days, recounting the horrors of the explosion and nuclear fallout, will either cement her prospects or ruin her chances of marriage forever.

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 Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy (my favorite bookish social media).

Right now I’m reading Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang, who wrote one of my all time favorite historical fiction books, How Much of These Hills is Gold. What about you?

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Past Tense

Upcoming Historical Fiction By Authors You Love

Hi historical fiction fans!

Another week, another newsletter. If you’re hoping to hear about some really great historical fiction, then do I have good news for you! (Don’t I always?) We’re talking new releases this week, as well as upcoming historical fiction by well-loved authors. I know I can’t wait to read some of these books, and I bet a lot of you are going to feel the same.

First, though, what do S.A. Cosby, Khaled Hosseini, Sarah Bakewell, and Yahdon Israel have in common? They’ve been guests on Book Riot’s newest podcast, First Edition, where BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O’Neal explores the wide bookish world.  Subscribe to hear them and stay to hear Book Riot’s editors pick the “it” book of the month.

Bookish Goods

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Library Card Coasters from iGotCrafts

Who wouldn’t want to rest their morning coffee or tea on a library card coaster? $24

New Releases

The Bookbinder Book Cover

The Bookbinder by Pip Williams (July 25, 2023)

Twin sisters living on a river boat and working at a book bindery in Oxford find their lives upended by the first World War. Though Maude is happy to spend her days folding paper and binding books, Peggy longs for a life filled with books she can read for herself. When she falls for a Belgian soldier, she must weigh her desire for her own ambitions versus her responsibility to the man she loves.

The Woman in the Castello Book Cover

The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James (July 25, 2023)

When the movie that brought her to Italy is abruptly canceled, Silvia Whitford seeks out her estranged aunt instead. There, in her aunt’s castello, located on the edge of a volcanic lake, she finds another chance at stardom when a movie set to film there cast her as the leading lady. But when Silvia’s aunt goes missing, the horror movie starts to seep into her real life — especially when she learns the truth about Gabriella’s past.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words, so I was thrilled to see that Pip Williams is coming out with another book, The Bookbinder, featured in the New Releases above. That got me thinking about what other exciting new releases from well-known authors might be coming out this year that I didn’t know about. Here are a few I think should be on your book radar:

The Fraud Book Cover

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith sets her sights and talents on a legal trial that divided Victorian England. When an Australian butcher claims to be the heir to a sizable estate, the Tichborne Trial aims to determine whether he is a fraud or the real thing. One Scottish housekeeper who is nobody’s fool and a formerly enslaved Jamaican man who finds himself acting as star witness are drawn deeper and deeper into a case that questions who has the right to tell their story.

Learned By Heart Book Cover

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue

From the author of The Wonder, Room, and The Pull of Stars comes a new historical history novel about two young girls who fall in love at a 19th century boarding school. Drawing on the real-life secret diaries of Anne Lister, Learned by Heart is the story of a young tomboy (Anne) and an orphaned heiress sent to England from India. It’s a love story full of secrets and danger, passion and heartbreak. And it’s sure to stick with you long after you’re done reading.

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store Book Cover

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

The acclaimed author of Deacon King Kong and The Good Lord Bird returns for a story about a small town full of secrets. A dilapidated neighborhood in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, known as Chicken Hill, where Jewish immigrants and African Americans live side by side, is rocked by the discovery of a skeleton at the bottom of a well. The residents know all too well who is buried there, alongside all the secrets and choices they’ve had to make to survive. Here, neighbors will do whatever it takes to keep each other safe because they know no one else is going to.

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, and Litsy (my favorite bookish social media).

Right now, I’m reading An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera. What about you?