Last month, Marina Scott released her historical horror novel, The Night Guests. (It was also an Amazon First Reads selection in October.) Set in Omaha, Nebraska in 1903, it follows Nina Wilson in the wake of losing her father. Her twin brother is absent and her mother lives in a delusion that she can communicate... Continue Reading →
C. J. Cooke is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors, and her latest book is my favorite one yet. The Last Witch takes readers back to 1485, where Helena Scheuberin is a young wife trying to finally conceive a child. But just when she discovers she's pregnant, she's arrested on charges of witchcraft. She... Continue Reading →
Ever since I met my husband, I've been drawn to reading books set in his home country, Peru. Now that our family is in Lima, I'm increasingly interested in Peruvian literature. This led me to The Year of the Wind by Karina Pacheco Medrano, just released in English. It was first published in 2021; this... Continue Reading →
Happy release day to Deeper Than the Ocean by Mirta Ojito! Set between the Canary Islands and Cuba, this novel follows multiple generations of women affected by love, loss, and a fractured sense of belonging. What I Liked: Getting to know the Canary Islands. I love books set throughout Spain, but this is the first... Continue Reading →
I loved Kristen Loesch's first novel, The Last Russian Doll, so I was excited to read her newest book. The Hong Kong Widow is out today, and it is a stunning work of horror. Set between three timelines, it follows Mei from her difficult childhood, to series of séances gone wrong in her 20s, to... Continue Reading →
This week, Lorena Hughes released her fourth novel, The Night We Became Strangers. Taking inspiration from a disastrous 1949 radio broadcasting in Quito, Ecuador, this novel dives into what caused such a risky broadcast in the first place and looks at the aftermath. Two families torn apart, two kids—now young adults—left with more questions than... Continue Reading →
Since my son was born last year, I've found myself increasingly drawn to books about family, especially when a young boy is central to the story. So when I was offered a chance to read Garrett Carr's debut adult novel, The Boy from the Sea, I was immediately hooked. Set in the 1970s and 1980s... Continue Reading →
William Shakespeare is among the most important authors in history, and his works endure to this day. There has been some speculation about his authorship—a fringe theory, but one that inspires a fascinating new novel, The Shakespeare Secret by D.J. Nix. Here, it is late 1591 when three women of different social class happen to... Continue Reading →
Next week, V. E. Schwab will release her highly anticipated new novel, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Divided between three timelines—1520s and 1530s in Spain; 1827 in London; 2019 in Boston—it follows three young women craving something more in life. But there's a price to pay when seeking freedom and answers. Though I've... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow is the release of Natalie Jenner's fourth novel, Austen at Sea. While this book continues her theme of Austeneque historical fiction, it goes back farther in time, to 1865, and features people who knew Jane Austen in her lifetime. It follows two sisters who begin corresponding with Sir Francis Austen, brother of the famous... Continue Reading →
We're only three weeks away from the release of Natalie Jenner's fourth novel, Austen at Sea. While this book continues her theme of Austeneque historical fiction, this one goes back farther in time, to 1865, and features people who knew Jane Austen in her lifetime. It follows two sisters who begin corresponding with Sir Francis... Continue Reading →
Two years after releasing her first novel, Emilia Hart is back with her second book, The Sirens. Set mainly in Australia in alternating timelines between 1800, 1999, and 2019, it follows pairs of sisters grappling with what makes them different and the otherworldly rumors surrounding their communities. Why I Chose This Book: Though I haven't... Continue Reading →
Emma Donoghue has a brand new book out today: The Paris Express, set in 1895 and inspired by a shocking train crash at the Montparnasse station. With a wide cast of characters drawn from real historical figures, this book is at once a snapshot of people on one seemingly normal day of life, and a... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, Jacqueline Friedland released her new novel, Counting Backwards. Divided between the 1910s/1920s and today, it uncovers a horrific story about eugenics, forced sterilizations, and women who have little power over their reproductive health and personal lives. It's inspired by the true cases of Carrie Buck in 1924 and what's continued to go on even... Continue Reading →
One year ago, Malayna Evans released her adult debut novel, Neferura: The Pharaoh's Daughter. Set during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (1550-1292 BCE), it draws a political power struggle between pharaohs, with plenty of dark secrets and subterfuge to keep our title character guessing... and then plotting her own schemes, too. Why I Chose This... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, Victoria Purman's novel The Radio Hour got its US release (less than a year after its original publication in Australia). Set in Sydney in 1956, it follows fifty-year-old Martha Berry and her unexpected and ultimately impactful role in radio broadcasting. This novel highlights women's rights and how "it's never too late to be what... Continue Reading →
Though I haven't read Costanza Casati's debut novel, Clytemnestra, I was instantly curious about her newest release, Babylonia. That stunning cover drew me in, as did its title, evoking ancient times in Mesopotamia. The book is out today and absolutely worth picking up. Why I Chose This Book: There is so much historical fiction set... Continue Reading →
Two months ago, Gemma Liviero's new novel An Age of Winters was released. It had been on my radar for some months, and I was excited to get it as an Amazon First Reads selection. I also was lucky to get the audiobook version from NetGalley, and with winter now upon us here in the... Continue Reading →
After joining forces on their 2023 novel, The Castle Keepers, authors Aimie K. Runyan, J'nell Ciesielski, Rachel McMillan are back with another collaborative book, The Liberty Scarf. Mainly set during the final year of World War I, we follow three different women working within the war, finding love along the way, and united by a... Continue Reading →
Every fall I'm on the lookout for some good horror and thrillers to feed my spooky season cravings. One book I had been eagerly awaiting was Del Sandeen's debut novel, This Cursed House. It's summer 1962 when Jemma has faced a series of difficulties at home in Chicago. From the death of her adoptive father... Continue Reading →
Last winter, I enjoyed reading The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke, so I was excited to read more from her. This week she released her newest novel, The Book of Witching. Divided between two timelines, it deals with a mysterious group known as the Triskele on the Orkney Islands of Scotland. In 1594, Alison... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books this fall was The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley. Set in the Seattle grunge scenes of the 1990s, this dual-timeline novel is about star-crossed lovers—Elijah Hart and Jane Pyre—torn apart by fame and addiction. But when Elijah goes missing in Iceland in late 1994, Jane is forced to carry... Continue Reading →
I didn't know what to expect going into A Song to Drown Rivers, the adult debut from Ann Liang. It's a retelling of the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, though I was not familiar with that legend. This book has also been labeled as fantasy, though I would... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated novels this summer was The Naturalist's Daughter by Tea Cooper. Though it was first published in Australia in 2017, this is its first release in the United States. What initially drew me to this book is its focus on the platypus. In New South Wales, Australia in the early 1800s,... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 