| Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite ClaytonAmid McCarthyism in 1957, Isabella Giori dreams of being Alfred Hitchcock's favorite blonde actress. While temporarily staying at a Carmel-by-the-Sea cottage, she becomes friends with blacklisted writer Leo, which changes both of their lives. In 2018, Leo's granddaughter clears out his cottage after his death, meets his neighbor Isabella, and finds secrets in his safe. Read-alikes include Susan Meissner's A Map to Paradise; Sarah Jane Stratford's Red Letter Days. |
|
| How to Dodge a Cannonball by Dennard DayleVolunteering for the Union Army to escape his abusive mother, wily 15-year-old flag bearer Anders changes sides when he's captured. But after surviving the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, the white teen passes as biracial and joins an all-Black Union regiment. Satirical and offbeat, this debut novel is "an American Candide...[and] channels the absurdity of Catch-22" (Publishers Weekly). For fans of The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. |
|
| The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin HarmelIn Nazi-occupied France, Colette Marceau's mother is executed while her four-year-old sister disappears and is later found dead. Trained by her mother, Colette becomes a jewel thief, targeting the bad to give to the good. Many years later in 2018 Boston, Colette is still working when a special bracelet linked to her sister appears in a museum. Elderly Colette seeks answers, hoping to finally learn what happened decades ago in this sweeping dual-timeline tale. You may also like Pam Jenoff's Last Twilight in Paris. |
|
| Days of Light by Megan HunterOn Easter Sunday, 1938, 19-year-old Ivy is questioning her path in life when her older brother goes missing while swimming at their English estate. His loss reshapes her world. The story takes place on this and five other significant days in Ivy's life. The novel follows her as she grows close to her brother's fiancée, marries, has children, and makes changes in her later years. Read-alikes include Yael van der Wouden's The Safekeep; Virginia Woolf's novels. |
|
| Tyrant by Conn IgguldenIn 50 CE Rome, Agrippina has skillfully maneuvered her way to power by becoming Emperor Claudius' fourth wife. She then works to ensure her position and that of her son, Nero, by manipulating Claudius into adopting him. This cinematic, action-packed second book in a trilogy follows last year's Nero. The final book, Inferno, is due out in April 2026. Also try Margaret George's Nero novels and Steven Saylor's historical fiction. |
|
| Angel Down by Daniel KrausAfter intense fighting in France's Argonne Forest during World War I, American Cyril Bagger is ordered along with four other misfits to "silence" the soldier stuck in No Man's Land producing unearthly screams. Upon investigation they find an injured angel wrapped in barbed wire, whom they agree to protect. With a compelling and innovative structure and story, this book is the buzzy latest by the author of Whalefall. You may also like Chigozie Obioma's The Road to the Country. |
|
| The Great Mann by Kyra Davis LurieThis evocative take on The Great Gatsby is set in 1945 Los Angeles and finds Charlie Trammell back from the war and trying to find a place that won't judge people by the color of their skin as much as the South. Pulled into the glamourous neighborhood of Sugar Hill where his married cousin Margie lives, Charlie meets an enigmatic man called James Mann. Meanwhile, the wealthy Black enclave is threatened by a lawsuit by white homeowners. Read-alikes include Gayl Jones' The Unicorn Woman; Percival Everett's James. |
|
| The Lost Masterpiece by B.A. ShapiroIn late 1800s France, painters Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot meet and become lovers, resulting in Party on the Seine, a painting featuring Berthe. In modern-day Boston, Morisot's lone descendent, executive Tamara Rubin, learns that the Nazi-stolen work has been found. This find leads to legal challenges and romance in this suspenseful multi-timeline novel with hints of the supernatural. For fans of Robin Oliveira's I Always Loved You. |
|
| Wayward Girls by Susan WiggsThis moving novel of survival, friendship, and redemption follows six teenage girls at an abusive Catholic reform school in 1968 Buffalo, New York. The girls have been sent there due to pregnancy, lesbianism, or for protection from family members. Based on a real place, this character-driven novel also revisits the girls in later years. For fans of Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These; Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys; V.S. Alexander's The Magdalen Girls. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|