Hi, historical fiction fans, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
I got to spend the week with friends at AWP, which I’ll admit involved more good food and hanging out than conferencing. I did pick up some literary magazines from the book fair, and I am particularly excited to read F(r)iction Arcana and the Rainbow Issue of Fairy Tale Review. Good reading and good times.
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Bookish Goods
Valentine’s Book Hearts Sweatshirt from Studio Esme Rose
Okay, this sweatshirt may sell itself as Valentine’s specific, but let’s be real—it would be perfect for any time of the year. $47
New Releases
Neighbors and Other Stories by Diane Oliver (February 13, 2024)
In this posthumous short story collection, Diane Oliver brings stories of the Jim Crow era to life in 1950s and ’60s America. From haunting portraits of integration and interracial relationships to parents willing to do the unthinkable to protect their children, these stories are a rediscovered gem of American literature.
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo (February 13, 2024)
A fox woman seeking revenge against the man who murdered her daughter and a detective hunting down clues about a series of dead women trek across Manchuria and Japan in search of the answers they’re looking for. As their stories intersect, the complicated relationship between humans and fox spirits—and between justice and revenge—slowly comes to light.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Happy Valentine’s Day, historical fiction fans! Here are two historical romance novels to celebrate.
To Catch a Raven by Beverly Jenkins
The feelings in a fake marriage become all too real for a grifter tasked with spying on a former Confederate official who may have stolen the Declaration of Independence. Raven and Braxton each have their reasons for taking on this job, but what they’ll get out of it is more than they ever could’ve imagined.
Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J. McAvoy
Aphrodite Du Bell may live up to the goddess of beauty she was named after, but that didn’t stop the man she loved from marrying another woman. The Duke of Everly has his own complicated reasons for rejecting Aphrodite, but now that he’s a widower free to marry again, will he be able to win back her trust? Or will the reasons they were torn apart in the first place come back to haunt them?
That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.
Right now, I’m reading Uranians by Theodore McCombs. What about you?