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Historical Fiction March 2026 |
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All in Her Hands by Audrey BlakeOne woman physician. A group of talented midwives. A deadly disease spreading.1849. Dr. Nora Gibson is the only female surgeon in London. After earning her medical degree and overcoming the prejudice of those who wished to see her fail, she's finally earned her place at the Great Queen Street Hospital alongside her newlywed husband and her father, the great Dr. Horace Croft. When Nora takes up the fight to bring midwives into the medical field, her already fragile reputation comes under fire by colleagues and London society itself. And if the possibility of losing her rights to practice medicine wasn't enough, a dangerous enemy has made itself known: the deadliest cholera epidemic in over a century. It's a swift disease that wreaks havoc and tragedy across the city, especially amongst the working classes, and Nora will do anything she can to help. Soon, she finds herself on the frontlines of the disease, and as those around her begin to fall, she'll have to find the strength to stand alone and maintain her greatest oath: to save lives. Whether she'll make it through, though, is up to fate.
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The Jaguar's Roar by Micheliny VerunschkThe story of an Indigenous girl's kidnapping during a colonial expedition intertwines with a young woman's modern-day search for identity and ancestral truths. In 1817, explorers Spix and Martius returned from their three-year voyage in Brazil with not only an extensive account of their journey, but also with an Indigenous boy and girl, I e-e and Juri. Kidnapped from rival tribes as part of the colonialist trend of collecting living specimens on scientific expeditions, the two tragically perished shortly after arriving in Europe. This lyrically rich novel takes their perspective to illuminate their harrowing journey. Micheliny Verunschk's fifth novel, powerfully challenges dominant historical narratives by centering the voices of these stolen Indigenous children. Intertwining their story with a narrative set in contemporary Brazil, we meet Josefa, a young woman grappling with her own identity when she encounters I e-e's image in an exhibition. Through its poignant exploration of memory, colonialism, and belonging, this novel stands out in Brazilian literature, offering listeners a profound reflection on the enduring impact of history on personal lives.
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Lady Tremaine: Reese's Book Club Pick (a Novel)
by Rachel Hochhauser
MEET LADY TREMAINE in this spellbinding reimagining of Cinderella, as told by its iconic evil stepmother, revealing a propulsive love story about the lengths a mother will go for her children.
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| Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna EverhartIn 1940s North Carolina, unmarried 24-year-old Ruth is unjustly accused of promiscuity by the sheriff and incarcerated at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. When 15-year-old Stella is raped and gets pregnant, her parents take her to the same place. There, Superintendent Dorothy Baker reigns, forcing medical treatments and more. This moving, eye-opening novel is based on a real government program. Read-alikes: Ellen Marie Wiseman's The Lies They Told; Meagan Church's The Last Carolina Girl; Dolen Perkins-Valdez's Take My Hand. |
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| Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa JohnsonIn 1948, Philadelphian Ozzie Philips deals with racism as he enlists in the military and is sent to Europe. In 1950s Germany, an American officer's wife finds homes in the United States for the abandoned children of white German women and Black GIs. In 1965 Maryland, biracial Sophia Clark attends a prestigious formerly all-white boarding school. Inspired by real events, this well-researched novel follows these three connected lives. Try this next: The Last Thing You Surrender by Leonard Pitts, Jr. |
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| Skylark by Paula McLainWhen her father, a master dyer at Gobelin Tapestry Works, is unjustly imprisoned in 1660s Paris, teenage Alouette Voland tries to help, but is put in an asylum. In 1939, Dutch medical student Kristof Larson lives on the Rue des Gobelins near a Jewish family when the Nazis arrive in Paris. A GMA Book Club pick, this richly detailed, dual-timeline novel explores freedom, justice, and the tunnels under Paris. Try this next: Amanda Barratt's The Warsaw Sisters; Kirsty Manning's The Hidden Book. |
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| Meet the Newmans by Jennifer NivenFor over ten years, the Newmans have starred in a hit TV show based on their lives. In 1964, when dad Del is in a mysterious car accident, his wife Dinah suddenly needs to write a script for the season finale or risk their show being canceled. Meanwhile, rock star son Shep gets a girl pregnant and steady Guy hides the truth about his love life. Try this next: Christina Hammonds Reed's The Johnson Four; Anita Abriel's American Housewife. |
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| Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor ShearerIn the freezing cold of 1790s Nova Scotia, Cora tries to adapt to where the British have exiled her and several hundred other Jamaican Maroons. In the woods, she meets formerly enslaved Agnes, who uses wilderness knowledge she learned from the Mi’kmaq to hide and survive. As the two spend time together, they unexpectedly fall in love, but neither has an easy road ahead in this evocative, lyrical tale. Try this next: In the Upper Country by Kai Thomas. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Cumberland County Library System
System Headquarters Office400 Bent Creek Blvd, Suite 150
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 17050
(888) 697-0371, ext. 6175www.cumberlandcountylibraries.org/ |
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