Historical Fiction
February 2026

Recent Releases
The Bookbinder's Secret
by A.D. Bell

In this "stellar debut" (Publishers Weekly), apprentice bookbinder Lily Delaney works at her widowed father's failing bookshop in 1901 Oxford, England. After a customer gives her a burned book, she finds a cryptic 50-year-old love letter hidden in the binding that speaks of murder. Drawn into the mystery, Lily looks for other books by the obscure author, discovering she's not the only one after them. Read-alike: Jess Armstrong's Ruby Vaughn mysteries, starting with The Curse of Penryth Hall.
Book of Forbidden Words by Louise Fein
Book of Forbidden Words
by Louise Fein

1552, PARIS: The print­ing press is quickly spreading new ideas across Europe, threatening the power of church and state and unleashing a wave of book burning and heretic hunting. When frightened ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives at Charlotte Guillard's famous printing shop with her manuscript, neither woman knows just how far the powerful elite will go to prevent the spread of Lysbette's audacious ideas. 1952, NEW YORK: Milly Bennett is a lonely housewife struggling to find her way in her new neighborhood amidst the paranoid clamors of McCarthy's America. She finds her life taking an unexpected turn when a relic from her past presents her with a 400-year-old manuscript to decipher, pulling her into a vortex of danger that threatens to shatter her world.From the risky backstreets of sixteenth-century Paris to the unpredictable suburbs of mid-twentieth century New York, the stakes couldn't be higher when, 400 years apart, Milly, Lysbette, and Charlotte each face a reality where the spread of ideas are feared and every effort is made to suppress them.Dramatic and affecting, and inspired by the real-life encrypted Voynich manuscript, Book of Forbidden Words is both an engrossing story about a timeless struggle that echoes through the ages and a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who dare to let their words be heard.
Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson
Keeper of Lost Children
by Sadeqa Johnson

In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman's vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way. Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American Officer, is living in Occupied Germany in the 1950s. After discovering a local orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed-race children of German women and Black American GI's, Ethel feels compelled to help find these children homes. Philadelphia born Ozzie Phillips volunteers for the recently desegregated army in 1948, eager to make his mark in the world. While serving in Manheim, Germany, he meets a local woman, Jelka, and the two embark on a relationship that will impact their lives forever. In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents. While at the school, she discovers a secret that upends her world and sends her on a quest to unravel her own identity. Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman's vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms--familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self--can be transcendent.
Canticle
by Janet Rich Edwards

Set in medieval Bruges, this atmospheric debut follows devout teenager Aleys as she runs away from home to avoid an arranged marriage and joins a group of secular women supporting the church. Her time there isn't without incident, however, as corrupt religious officials abound and others are suspicious of her ability to read books and her supernatural healing talent. For fans of: Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken; Matrix by Lauren Groff.
The List of Suspicious Things
by Jennie Godfrey

In 1979, 12-year-old Miv lives with her lonely father, her opinionated Aunty Jean, and her mother, who had a breakdown and no longer speaks. With the (real-life) Yorkshire Ripper terrorizing the area, curious Miv investigates with her loyal best friend. Though steeped in crime, this isn't as much a traditional mystery as an atmospheric coming-of-age tale. Great for book clubs, it explores friendship, community, prejudice, and loss. Read-alike: Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney.
Call Me Ishmaelle
by Xiaolu Guo

After her family dies, young Ishmaelle dresses as a cabin boy, leaving Kent, England, to travel the world. In the 1860s, she joins a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man haunted by the past. Amidst the violence of whaling, she finds friends and discovers a strange bond between herself and the white whale who claimed Seneca's leg. This compelling take on American classic Moby Dick by a Chinese British writer is "a rich addition to Melvilliana" (Kirkus Reviews).
Rules of the Heart
by Janice Hadlow

At 33, Lady Harriet Bessborough is unhappily married and the mother of four. So when she's pursued by a charming younger man, she begins an affair. This isn't unusual in her circle, but she must follow the rules: don't embarrass your husband, be discrete, and don't fall in love. The affair lasts for years, but Harriet doesn't follow the last rule, resulting in heartbreak. For fans of: well-researched historical novels starring real people; leisurely paced, emotional tales of love.
With Love from Harlem
by ReShonda Tate

In 1943 Harlem, beloved jazz pianist Hazel Scott is at the top of her game, performing in front of Langston Hughes and others, when she meets married pastor and councilman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., leading to an exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changes the course of her life. For fans of: well-researched biographical novels starring Black artists; Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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