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Past Tense

Jolabokaflod, Book Swaps, and Historical Novellas

Hi historical fiction fans!

Happy December! I’m in full holiday mode with decorations going up and Christmas music playing nonstop. I love holiday traditions and my sister and I have decided to try out a new one this year. Jolabokaflod (which I actually first learned about on the bookish app Litsy) is an Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition where you swap books and spend the evening reading. It’s going to be extra special since we won’t be together this Christmas and are both devoted readers. Hopefully it will become a Christmas tradition we’ll cherish for years to come.

And speaking of traditions, we have one here at Book Riot called the Read Harder Challenge. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge is in its ninth year. Through a series of 24 tasks / prompts, Read Harder invites readers to expand their worldview through books. Read one book per task, or do some multi-tasking by counting one book for multiple tasks. We’re easygoing! The point of the challenge is to push yourself to expand your horizons. Thank you to Thriftbooks for sponsoring Read Harder 2023.

To find the tasks and subscribe to our newsletter for tips and recommendations, visit Read Harder 2023.

Bookish Goods

Jane Austen 'I Would Rather Have Nothing But Tea' Mug from Books and Bards on Etsy, a white mug with black tea leaves

Jane Austen Tea Mug

If you too would “rather have nothing but tea” then this mug from Books and Bards on Etsy is for you. $22.

New Releases

A Dangerous Business Book Cover

A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley (December 6, 2022)

This mystery set during the California Gold Rush follows two best friends who have gained financial independence through sex work and set out to find who is responsible for a trail of missing girls — and dead bodies.

The Circus Train Book Cover

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh (December 6, 2022)

A young girl raised in one of Europe’s most magnificent travelling circuses longs for the real-world wonders of science and medicine despite her father’s headlining role as the circus’s lead illusionist. Her friendship with an orphaned boy who becomes her father’s new apprentice brings fresh excitement to her world. But as World War II escalates, Lena is separated from the two men she loves and must find the courage to believe in herself.

For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!

Riot Recommendations

For Jolabokaflod this year, my sister and I are exchanging novellas so we’ll have a read that we can enjoy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without feeling overwhelmed by a doorstopper. Inspired by that idea, I thought I’d recommend a couple of historical fiction novellas and short stories for anyone wanting to start up a similar tradition.

Astray Book Cover

Astray by Emma Donoghue

In this novella-length book of short fiction, the author of The Wonder and The Pull of the Stars follows four centuries of wanderers from puritan Massachusetts to antebellum Louisiana. The stories feature emigrants and runaways, gold miners and drifters. And all of them explore the history of restless times.

We Are Bone and Earth Book Cover

We Are Bone and Earth by Esi Edugyan

The acclaimed author of Washington Black brings her talent to a short tale of a West African girl who’s gift for languages is used for the advantage of her English enslavers. But it’s the guilt she still harbors for losing her younger brother that helps her find her own voice.

That’s it for now, folx! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.

If you want to talk books (historical or otherwise), you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Instagram, Goodreads, Litsy, and occasionally Twitter.

Right now I’m reading In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune and Strike the Zither by Joan He. What about you?