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Historical Fiction April 2026
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| Daughter of Egypt by Marie BenedictLady Evelyn Herbert defies societal expectations in 1919 and accompanies her father, Lord Carnarvon, and archeologist Howard Carter on digs in Egypt, where she seeks the tomb of Hatshepsut. In 1400s BCE, Hatshepsut becomes pharaoh against the odds. Following the lives of two women whom history almost forgot, this evocative novel is the latest from acclaimed author Marie Benedict. Read-alikes: Gill Paul's The Collector's Daughter; Saara El-Arifi's Cleopatra. |
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| Mule Boy by Andrew KrivakIn 1929, 13-year-old Ondro Prach begins work as mule boy in the coal mines where his father died. When an accident kills everyone on his crew except him, he's left with trauma and survivor's guilt. He drinks, goes to prison as a conscientious objector during World War II, and is ready to talk years later when the miners' families ask him about the men who were lost that day. "This is flawless," raves Publishers Weekly. Try this next: Anne Michaels' Held; Nathaniel Ian Miller's The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven. |
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The Moonlight Runner
by Karen Robards
Rynn Carmichael is suddenly pulled into the Irish rebellion when Donal O'Reilly, the boy she has loved for most of her life, takes up gunrunning in support of the rebellion. Raised in a small Irish village on the shores of Donegal Bay, Rynn is working as a nurse in a convalescent home when she overhears a British officer gloating over the trap that has been set for IRA members bringing a boat full of smuggled arms ashore. Knowing that Donal must be involved, she rushes out at midnight to warn the incoming boat, only to find herself caught up in a terrifying and tragic series of events that take her from the glittering ballrooms of London to the narrow back alleys of Dublin as she and those she loves fight for their lives and their country.
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Ruby Falls
by Gin Phillips
A tense, claustrophobic historical mystery set almost entirely underground at the onset of the Great Depression about the discovery of a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain, the unthinkable crime that happens in its caves, and a woman who's never felt more alive. Ruby Falls is both a unique twist on the locked-room mystery and an exploration of loss and what it means to start over. It's a heart-racing story of survival and a testament to the threads that bind strangers together. Set against the true story of the discovery of Ruby Falls, the novel also draws on the memoirs of Katie Stabler, a female guide at Wind Caves in South Dakota.
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| A Far-Flung Life by M.L. StedmanOn a vast sheep station in 1958 Western Australia, a fatal accident changes the lives of the MacBrides. Left behind are injured teenager Matt, his older sister Rose, and his grief-stricken mom Lorna, who are eventually joined by a bright young boy. Exploring how loss and secrets reverberate for decades, this emotional family saga is the long-awaited sophomore novel from M.L. Stedman (The Light Between Oceans). Try next: Michelle Huneven's Bug Hollow. |
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Wait for Me
by Amy Jo Burns
When young folk singer Elle Harlow reaches the height of her prowess in 1973, she has two wildly beloved albums to her name and a hidden history of impossible heartbreak. After she sets foot on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage, a far cry from the mountain that raised her, Elle gives the biggest performance of her life. Then, to the dismay of shocked fans, her producer, and the man who still loves her, she vanishes. "Weaving together themes of artistic sacrifice, heartbreak, and the power of familial legacy, Burns captures rural Appalachia and Nashville's country music scene in vivid detail." (Booklist)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Winfield, IL 60190
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