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Historical Fiction May 2026 |
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| The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins AndersonThe Strong family farm, hunt, and make moonshine in the Ozark Mountains during Prohibition, but when tragedy strikes, the three Strong sisters move to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Because the youngest has a talent for moonshine, they try to keep the family business going despite all odds in this richly detailed novel. Try this next: Jess Montgomery's Kinship novels, starting with The Widows; Jeannette Walls' Hang the Moon. |
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| Railsong by Rahul BhattacharyaWith her mother's death, five-year-old Charu Chitol takes on domestic chores for her railway foreman father and her two brothers while India endures a labor strike and a famine. At 16, she leaves for 1970s Bombay, working as a sales assistant and attending college. Then, after her father's death in 1981, she finds work with his former employer, Northeast Frontier Railway. This moving and deeply felt coming-of-age tale carries the reader on a fascinating journey. Try this next: Alka Joshi's The Henna Artist. |
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| A Bad, Bad Place by Frances CrawfordIn 1979 Glasgow, orphaned 12-year-old Janey Devine, who lives with her nana, is out walking her dog Sid Vicious when she finds the body of college-aged Samantha Watson, daughter of the local crime boss. Janey's traumatized and there's something she can't share with anyone, though the cops keep questioning her and Samantha's grieving dad also visits. This evocative, leisurely paced debut is gritty but has threads of humor throughout. Read-alikes: Marie Tierney's Deadly Animals; Jennie Godfrey's The List of Suspicious Things. |
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| The Shock of the Light by Lori Inglis HallWorld War II separates tight-knit twins Theo and Tessa when Theo joins the Royal Air Force and French-speaking Tessa trains as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative. Afterwards, a wounded Theo mourns war casualties, hides his homosexuality since it's still illegal, and wonders about his still-missing sister. Decades later, PhD candidate Edie researches women in the SOE, leading her and Theo to team up and investigate what happened to Tessa. Try this next: Lucy Caldwell's These Days. |
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| I Hope You Find What You're Looking for by Bsrat MezghebeFlashing back to pivotal 1970s events, this thoughtful novel explores the lives of Eritrean immigrants in 1991 Alexandria, Virginia. Widowed ex-rebel fighter Elsa and her 13-year-old daughter, Lydia, host a newly arrived teenaged cousin, and he pushes Lydia learn more about her dad, who died fighting for independence. Meanwhile, an older relative ponders her last chance at marriage. For fans of: moving immigrant stories; One Blood by Denene Millner. |
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| The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley NobleIn 1915 New York, the three Applebaum sisters live together and run the rare bookshop they inherited from their dad. Olivia handles repairs, while friendly Daphne and youngest Celia run the store. But they each have secrets, including Celia's distribution of banned women's health articles. With classic literature and art also at risk due to the censorious Comstock Laws, New York's Book Row shopkeepers work together. For fans of: timely historical tales; well-researched, slow-burn novels. |
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| Evil Genius by Claire OshetskyIn 1970s San Francisco, 19-year-old Celia works at the telephone company, where an adulterous coworker has been murdered by her husband. Unhappily married to a controlling man 11 years her senior, Celia finds the sex and violence of the story tantalizing, and begins to dream of freedom and killing her spouse in this slightly surreal and darkly humorous novel. Try this next: Alex Kadis' Big Nobody. |
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| Where the Girls Were by Kate SchatzIn 1968 California, strait-laced Elizabeth Baker Phillips is a high school valedictorian who's headed to Stanford in the fall. But after falling for a guy at a party, she discovers she's pregnant. Forced by her mother to hide away at a San Francisco home for unwed mothers, she navigates her new reality. Read-alikes: Susan Wiggs' The Wayward Girls; Leila Mottley's The Girls Who Grew Big; Laura Anthony's The Women on Platform Two. |
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| Fatherland by Victoria ShorrA family is broken apart when feckless physician Martin leaves to be with his pregnant mistress. Dealing with her pain and the embarrassment of divorce in a well-to-do 1950s Ohio suburb, Martin's beautiful wife Lora adjusts to life as a single mom while her eldest, seven-year-old Josie, especially misses her dad. Focusing on Martin, Lora, and Josie over several decades, this layered novel is great for book clubs. For fans of: Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Onondaga Free Library
4840 West Seneca Tpk Syracuse, NY 13215
Hours:
Monday 9:00am-8:30pm Tuesday 9:00am-8:30pm Wednesday 9:00am-8:30pm Thursday 9:00am-8:30pm Friday 10:00am-5:00pm Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm* Sunday CLOSED*Summer Saturday Hours:
3rd Saturday in June through Labor Day Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm
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