Yesterday saw the release of Diana Biller's third novel, Hotel of Secrets, one of my most anticipated books this month. Set in Vienna in 1878, this historical romance combines a love story with mystery, danger, and action, all set against a season of balls and celebrations. It's an original and engrossing novel for anyone who... Continue Reading →
Are you ever compelled to read a book simply by its name alone? That was the case for me when I came across White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link. This collection of seven short stories reimagines French lore, Scottish ballads, and the Brothers Grimm, making each classic tale fresh and utterly original. Special thanks... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, the English translation of The Woman Beyond the Sea by Sarit Yishai-Levi hit shelves. The book was first published in Hebrew in 2019, and the new translation was done by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann. This historical fiction novel, set primarily in Israel, follows a mother and daughter and their difficult relationship, their tumultuous lives, and the... Continue Reading →
Three years ago, I loved Kiran Millwood Hargrave's historical novel The Mercies, and I've looked forward to reading more from her since. This week, she releases her second adult novel, The Dance Tree. This one goes back even farther in time than its predecessor, taking readers to Strasbourg in 1518, amidst the dancing plague that... Continue Reading →
Sometimes, a beautiful cover and an intriguing title are all it takes to pique my interest in a book. Such was the case with The Last Russian Doll, the debut novel by Kristen Loesch. My knowledge of Russia, its history, and its culture are fairly limited. Of course, I know the major musical and literary... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow, Off the Map by Trish Doller hits shelves everywhere, and I was excited to get an early copy of it. This is actually the third installment in her Beck Sisters series, and I admittedly haven't read the first two books yet. I've been reading romance series out of order more and more lately... not... Continue Reading →
Last summer, J. J. McAvoy released Aphrodite and the Duke, the first book in her new Regency romance series, the DuBells. Like the Netflix adaptation of Bridgerton, this series features people of color in aristocratic roles in a society void of racism. I've been looking forward to reading Aphrodite and the Duke, and now felt... Continue Reading →
One of the debut novels I've been looking forward to this year has been Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow. Set in the Scottish Highlands, it was giving me Outlander vibes... minus the time travel and historical setting, of course! Instead, it follows an American woman who's ready for a career change. She quits... Continue Reading →
Following her first book, The Taste of Ginger, Mansi Shah is back with her second novel, The Direction of the Wind. I admit that I went into this book blind (something I've been doing more frequently lately), but I was instantly absorbed into this beautiful and impactful story. Following a mother and daughter traveling from... Continue Reading →
One of my most anticipated books of 2023 has been Maame, the debut novel by Jessica George. It follows Maddie, a self-described "late bloomer," who, at 25, is moving out for the first time. She'll experience some exciting and rocky firsts, but she'll also face tragedy, and these will lead her to uncovering her path... Continue Reading →
In the last couple of years, the Secret Scientists of London series by Elizabeth Everett has emerged as a standout among historical romances. These are smart books highlighting women who fit within the STEM label (and STEMinist label), except it's the 1840s and they're facing even more career pushback than women today. I've been meaning... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I was excited to learn that Armando Lucas Correa had a new novel on the horizon, The Night Travelers. A few years ago I had picked up his debut novel, The German Girl, and his latest release returns to the same themes of escaping 1930s Germany on the St. Louis, a ship bound... Continue Reading →
I always love a book that I can escape into and be transported to another country. Paris is near the top of my destination wish list, so I was looking forward to Samantha Vérant's new novel, The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique. Set against the opening of a new Parisian bistro, this is an enemies-to-lovers... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, Camilla Läckberg released The Golden Cage, a psychological thriller with a feminist plot and a noir vibe. I just got the audiobook this month and decided to listen to it as part of my Northern and Eastern Europe reading challenge. The book was translated from Swedish by Neil Smith, and the audiobook... Continue Reading →
I was recently perusing audiobooks when I came across Girl at War by Sara Nović. Its setting in an event I knew little about—the Croatian War of Independence—captured my interest, and I immediately bought the book. It was only then that I noticed I already have another book by the author, True Biz, which just... Continue Reading →
My November reading challenge was to read books set in Northern or Eastern Europe, and one that was high on my list was The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson. This nordic noir, set in a remote village in Iceland in the 1980s, combines a haunting ghost story with a realistic thriller mystery. It was... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year I was happy to read Gurzil by I, Anonymous. The first in the Wars of Wrath series, it ended on a cliffhanger, so I was eager to see what would happen next. The second installment is Badon Hill, a transitional book that sets up what is sure to be an exciting end.... Continue Reading →
I always enjoy reading historical fiction about real-life figures, and especially about the people adjacent to someone more famous, so I was excited to read Godmersham Park by Gill Hornby. It follows the years that Anne Sharp worked as a governess for the Austen family at their home in Kent. While there, she met her... Continue Reading →
T. Kingfisher is an author I've been meaning to get into. Her 2020 novel The Hollow Places is on my bookshelf, eyeing me impatiently, and I have an ever-growing list of her other books I'd like to read. This year, I decided to finally start with a novella that's been all the rage: What Moves... Continue Reading →
Last year, one of my favorite romances was Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia Heath. The first in a trilogy, I could hardly wait for the next installment, so I was excited to get an ARC of book #2, Never Rescue a Rogue. Much as I loved its predecessor, Never Rescue a Rogue may be... Continue Reading →
More and more lately, I've enjoyed reading about historical figures who are adjacent to someone who is more famous or remembered. I've read about the lesser known Mozart composer, then Marie Antoinette's older sister, and now Queen Victoria's daughter, Louise. Heather B. Moore's latest novel, In the Shadow of a Queen, highlights the princess who... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I adored The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews, the first in her Belles of London series. Ever since, I'd been looking forward to the next book, The Belle of Belgrave Square. Happily, I was able to read an advanced copy of the novel, and it not only lived up to my lofty... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of Haven by Emma Donoghue, due out in two weeks. Set in Ireland, it takes readers back in time to about 600 C.E., onto small, isolated rock of an island. It follows a trio of monks as they attempt to make this harsh island... Continue Reading →
In late 2020, I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It was part of a book club I was in, and all of us loved the novel. So I was excited to learn of his newest novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, and even more thrilled when I was approved... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 