Tuesday, September 10, 2024

This month’s best new historical fiction

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month's Best New Historical Fiction
Each month, Readworthy highlights the best, most acclaimed new releases in your categories! Questions or suggestions? Let us know.
 
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Book cover for By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Literary icon Jodi Picoult asks: What if a woman really wrote Shakespeare's plays?
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Follows two unforgettable women playwrights whose lives are intertwined four centuries apart
  • An ideal book club pick that debuted at the top of the New York Times bestsellers list
  • Glowing praise from Kristin Hannah, Jojo Moyes, and Chris Whitaker
FEATURED IN:
Good Morning America, People, The Washington Post, Elle, Parade, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey and Leslie Jamison
Follow Peggy Guggenheim's transformation into a legendary art collector
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • When she's 14, Peggy's father dies on the Titanic — prompting her to seek a life of passion and independence
  • Filled "with keenly drawn characters based on real-life figures and a vivid and illuminating historical context" (Booklist)
  • The final book from an award-winning author, finished by her friend after her passing in 2022
FEATURED IN:
The New Yorker, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Financial Times, Town & Country, Los Angeles Times, The Times, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Booklist
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Book cover for The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera
In an Indigenous community on a volcano, a girl is taken by a rising dictator to be his oracle
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Hallucinatory magical realism in 1920s El Salvador
  • Two sisters meet, are torn apart, and find each other again
  • Hailed as "an epic story" and "a remarkable achievement" by The New York Times
FEATURED IN:
The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, People, Vulture, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, BookPage, Electric Literature, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Hera by Jennifer Saint
The story of a notorious Greek goddess like you've never heard it before
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "The gods of Olympus deliver Real Housewives–level drama in this juicy interpretation of Greek myth" (Publishers Weekly)
  • After Hera becomes Zeus's queen, she considers what it would take to create a better world…
  • A must-read for fans of Circe
FEATURED IN:
Book of the Month, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Parade, Paste, Publishers Weekly
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Book cover for There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
Across centuries and continents, three characters are bound together by a single drop of water
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In an ancient Mesopotamian city, a king's library is torn down alongside his reign — but water will tie his legacy to the generations that follow
  • Lyrical, breathtaking prose from a Booker Prize finalist
  • "An odyssey, an epic, a lament, and a tale of redemption… A masterpiece" (Ruth Ozeki)
FEATURED IN:
The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Financial Times, Parade, The Guardian, The Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
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Book cover for A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson
You might not have heard of Bessie Coleman — but after reading this novel, you'll never forget her
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • A pioneering Black aviator forges her own path despite the obstacles in her way
  • "Hopson shines a welcome light on her indomitable and unsung heroine" (Publishers Weekly)
  • Penned by a real-life pilot
FEATURED IN:
NPR, The Washington Post, Essence, Chicago Tribune, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist
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Book cover for The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable
How did an Italian orphan become one of the greatest violinists of the 18th century?
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Based on the true story of a little-known musical prodigy — and Antonio Vivaldi's muse
  • The glittering city of Venice is a character in its own right
  • "A fascinating story of music, ambition, and womanhood" (Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake)
FEATURED IN:
NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, Harper's Bazaar, The Guardian, The Times, Publishers Weekly, Electric Literature
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Book cover for Our Narrow Hiding Places by Kristopher Jansma
An 80-year-old widow reveals the harrowing truth about her fight for survival in Nazi-occupied Holland
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See
  • A "complex, compassionate tale of human resilience" (Alice McDermott)
  • Long-hidden family secrets reverberate across generations
FEATURED IN:
NPR, CBS Mornings, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Book cover for The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins
A rare silk, a powerful family, and a dark secret waiting to be unraveled
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In 1820, a woman arrives with her husband on a remote Greek island — where she makes a discovery with lasting consequences
  • "A delicately woven novel with an utterly original premise" (Emilia Hart, author of Weyward)
  • From the author of The Binding, a #1 international bestseller
FEATURED IN:
Good Housekeeping, Publishers Weekly, Literary Hub
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Book cover for The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods
Three women join forces to unmask one of America's first serial killers
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "You will be on the edge of your seat… Haunting, atmospheric, and thrilling" (Adriana Trigiani)
  • Historical fiction and true crime converge in this novel based on a real-life scandal
  • Set at a Midwestern home for unwed mothers in 1894
FEATURED IN:
Parade, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
 
  

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