I’m snowed in this week which means lots of hot chai lattes and watching my dog frolic and shove her face into the snow. (For some reason, that’s her favorite.) If I wasn’t also battling a migraine, it would pretty much be perfect! But I guess we can’t have it all, can we?
If you’re on the lookout for the perfect Valentine’s gift for your bookish sweetheart, be sure to check out Book Riot’s Tailored Book Recommendations. Our host of professional book nerds will take a look at what your sweetheart loves to read and what they don’t, what their reading goals are, and what they need more of in their bookish life. Then, our Bibliologists go to work selecting books just for them. TBR has plans for every budget. Surprise your favorite book nerd with Tailored Book Recommendations this Valentine’s and visit mytbr.co/gift.
Bookish Goods
Hanging Houseplant Bookmark
This silver houseplant bookmark is so pretty it might as well be jewelry for your book. Get it from Another Studio on Etsy. $9
New Releases
The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz (January 31, 2023)
A Polish woman with a love of science longs to become a doctor, but WWII and life in an unforgiving Siberian work camp change the course of her life forever. As the end of her life approaches on a farm in Wales, she reflects on the choices that brought her here and tries to make peace with all that her life was — and wasn’t.
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (January 31, 2023)
Following the Emancipation Act of 1834, a woman escapes from a plantation in Barbados and sets out on a arduous journey to find the children that were taken from her and sold into slavery.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
I finally got around to watching The Wonder on Netflix last week, and as heartbreaking as it was I loved it. Donoghue’s stories often have a leisurely, atmospheric feeling to them that really draws readers in. The slow pace might be too sedate for some (I saw this complaint about the movie), but I think there’s something really special about an author who can keep your attention even when a story is more quietly contemplative than action-packed. Emma Donoghue does that so well.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
In an Irish hospital wracked by the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, a nurse in the overworked maternity ward is placed in charge of keeping her patients alive and seeing them through birth. But it’s the arrival of an inexperienced, young assistant with no training and an enthusiastic spirit that help her get through the horror, heartbreak, and joy of her work.
Haven by Emma Donoghue
A priest and two monks set off to find an island sent to them in a vision from God in seventeenth century Ireland, determined to found a new monastery. They eventually come to an island inhabited only by birds, now known as Skellig Michael, and claim it for God. But what will it take to survive in such an isolated place, with only their faith to guide them?
Donoghue’s other historical fiction titles include Frog Music, Slammerkin, and her short story collections Astray and The Woman Who Gave Birth To Rabbits.
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 The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. What about you?