Hi, historical fiction fans,
I’ve been struggling through an upper respiratory infection for the past week, and I’d love to say I spent the time reading, but, uh, no. It was mostly sleeping, TV, and knitting as I tried to keep my mind off the searing pain in my throat. That said, if you’re in the market for a great cozy show to watch, I highly recommend The Great Pottery Throw Down. It’s The Great British Bake Off, but for pottery.
2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!
Bookish Goods
Personalized Ex Libris Stamp from Every Stamp
This gorgeous ex-libris stamp would look at home in any book cover and what a way to make your home library collection stand out. $25
New Releases
Ours by Phillip B. Williams (February 20, 2024)
In the 1830s, a powerful conjurer destroys plantations across Arkansas and creates a magically concealed community north of St. Louis for all the people she’s helped free. Despite her best intentions, the magic and memories keeping this secret haven going begin to go awry, leaving them open to intrusions from outsiders with agendas of their own.
The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession by Jake Kendall (February 22, 2024)
This collection of short stories follows art and artists through 300 years of history, exploring Cubism, Surrealism, and Baroque styles through his inventive writing. Meet Monet, Van Gogh, and Michelangelo through their art and the lives they changed because of it, for better or for worse.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
I’ve been wanting to feature Palestinian historical fiction here in the newsletter for a while now, but was having a hard time finding the right titles until I stumbled across this excellent article on Lit Hub. I highly recommend checking it out for more great Palestinian books to read as well as this article on Palestinian fiction from Book Riot.
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
Generations of a Palestinian family are uprooted following the Six-Day War of 1967, fleeing first to Kuwait and then Beruit, Paris, and Boston when Saddam Hussein’s invasion in the 1990s displaced them again. It’s a story of family, belonging, and the heartbreak of being unable to return to the place you call home.
Passage to the Plaza by Sahar Khalifeh, translated by Sawad Hussain
Originally published during the 1987 Intifada, this book explores the experiences of women during conflict. When a house of ill repute suddenly becomes a sanctuary for those in need in Nablus, Palestine, after fighting breaks out, ideas about gender, respectability, and Palestinian identity are brought to the fore.
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 Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris. What about you?