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Historical Fiction January 2021 |
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| Tsarina by Ellen AlpstenStarring: Catherine Alexeyevna, second wife of Russian tsar Peter the Great, who later ruled the empire in her own right as Catherine I.
Read it for: the stranger-than-fiction story of her meteoric rise from humble origins to the highest circles of imperial power.
You might also like: Kathryn Harrison's Enchantments, which tells the story of another commoner (Rasputin's daughter Masha) who gets pulled into the Romanov family's orbit. |
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Miss Benson's Beetle
by Rachel Joyce
What it's about: In 1950, middle-aged London schoolmarm Margery Benson decides to leave behind her normal life and travel to the Pacific island of New Caledonia in order to pursue her dream: finding a real specimen of the Golden Beetle, a nearly mythological insect she's been obsessed with since childhood.
Read it for: the heartwarming friendship that Margery develops with her unlikely assistant Enid, a young woman with her own dream to pursue during their unusual journey.
Reviewers say: "A delightful book filled with characters for whom readers will root" (Library Journal).
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The empire of gold
by S. A. Chakraborty
In the final installment in the critically acclaimed trilogy, Nahri and Ali are determined to save both their city and their loved ones, but when Ali seeks support in his mother’s homeland, he makes a discovery that threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith. 100,000 first printing.
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Shuggie Bain : a novel
by Douglas Stuart
A young boy growing up in a rundown 1980s Glasgow public housing facility pursues some semblance of a normal life as his older siblings move on and his mother increasingly succumbs to alcoholism. A first novel.
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The mystery of Mrs. Christie : a novel
by Marie Benedict
Claiming amnesia after going missing for more than a week in late 1926, up-and-coming mystery author Agatha Christie pens a chilling story that brashly implicates her war-hero husband. By the author of The Other Einstein.
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| Marley by Jon ClinchStarring: Jacob Marley, erstwhile friend and business partner of A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scrooge.
What happens: Friends become partners-in-crime become bitter rivals in this atmospheric novel, which traces the men's complicated relationship from their initial boyhood meeting to their dramatic falling out.
You might also like: Louis Bayard's Mr. Timothy, which imagines the post-Christmas Carol fate of Tiny Tim. |
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| Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Elizabeth MillerWhat it's about: the early days of the family of Laura Ingalls Wilder, told from the perspective of her likeable, strong, and sympathetic mother Caroline.
Why you might like it: although still full of the kind of detail and emotional resonance as the original Little House books, this story also thoughtfully portrays the hardships and privation of pioneer life, including Caroline's isolation from her extended family and the psychological strain her circumstances create. |
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| The Cassandra by Sharma ShieldsWhat it's about: the heartwrenching story of Mildred Groves who, while working as a secretary at a World War II-era military facility, struggles with her dawning awareness of the destructive capability of nuclear weapons and the failure of her colleagues to take her concerns seriously.
Inspired by: the myth of Trojan princess Kassandra, to whom Apollo gave the power of clairvoyance but also cursed to never be believed.
Read it for: the compelling parallels drawn between the looming nuclear threat and the endemic racism and sexism of Mildred's workplace. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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