Hi, historical fiction friends!
Do you ever talk to people about books in real life who read such different genres than you that you don’t even know how to explain to them what you’re reading? I have that experience a lot, especially when people find out I write about books professionally. How exactly am I supposed to explain to them that I’m currently juggling a sapphic selkie fairy tale retelling and a story about a shape- and gender-shifting alien that uses dating apps to hunt their prey? I can tell you these kinds of answers are never what they’re expecting.
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Bookish Goods
Reading Rainbow Sweatshirt from Stella Vita Studio
Here’s one for all the former Reading Rainbow kids out there! $54
New Releases
1666 by Lora Chilton (April 2, 2024)
In Colonial Virginia, the Patawomeck Tribe faced a massacre, where their men were murdered, and the women and children marched south to board a slave ship headed to Barbados. But thanks to three brave women, whose story has been passed down among the Patawomeck people for generations, they were able to perform a harrowing escape and make their way back to Virginia, ensuring the preservation of their tribe.
The Titanic Survivors Book Club by Timothy Schaffert (April 2, 2024)
A book club for people who were meant to be on the Titanic’s fateful voyage brings together a bookshop owner named Yorick and a quirky group of other almost Titanic passengers. But even as they grow closer, the Great War looms on the horizon, threatening to destroy all the peace they’ve created with one another.
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Riot Recommendations
With Ramadan having started at the end of March and lasting through the first week of April, it seems like the perfect time to feature some great Islamic historical fiction.
To Keep the Sun Alive by Rabeah Ghaffari
In 1979, the Islamic Revolution in Iran is fast approaching, as is a solar eclipse. For a couple living on an orchard in the small town of Naishapur, life goes on even as it changes. Over long terrace lunches, they discuss life and politics, and we watch a large cast of characters fight for, embrace, or avoid the future.
Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
This retelling of One Thousand and One Nights puts Shaherazade at the center of the story. In 12th century Persia, Shaherazade tries to save the man she loves—and her people—by telling the Malik a new story every night to stave off his violence. But his rage runs too deep, and Shaherazade conspires with her father to persuade him to set off for the ongoing Crusades, all the while trying to entrance the Malik with her stories and navigate the complicated intricacies of courtly life.
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 most social media, including Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.
Right now I’m reading Walking Practice by Dolki Min, translated by Victoria Caudle.