Mazywood (publication day September 22, 2026) by Tananarive Due scared me so much one evening I had to stop reading it until daytime! With two timelines–beginning in the Golden Age of Hollywood, it follows Mazelle Washington, a child star when films were still silent, through her lifetime, and alternates with a present day timeline followingContinue reading “Mazywood”
Tag Archives: historical fiction
A Deadly Entanglement
A Deadly Entanglement (publication day September 15, 2026) by Cathy Pegau is a satisfying next installment in the Harriman & Mancini series set around 1912-1913 in New York City, following A Murderous Business published (and reviewed) in 2025. Margot Harriman runs the family business–a canning operation–that was the subject of the first book. A DeadlyContinue reading “A Deadly Entanglement”
The Will Darling Adventures–Slippery Creatures, The Sugared Game, and Subtle Blood
I’ve been easing my way through the K.J. Charles books that I haven’t yet read, in an attempt to savor them, knowing I have more to look forward to. Over the last couple of weeks I started and finished the Will Darling Trilogy of Slippery Creatures (2020), The Sugared Game (2020) and Subtle Blood (2021).Continue reading “The Will Darling Adventures–Slippery Creatures, The Sugared Game, and Subtle Blood”
The Immortal King Rao
The Immortal King Rao (2022) by Vauhini Vara was a finalist for several literary awards that year, and I can see why. It’s a fascinating story to listen to. Following King Rao, born a Dalit in India in the 1950s, on his family’s coconut farm, through his emigration to the United States and the techContinue reading “The Immortal King Rao”
The Gods Will Sing Our Song
The Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn Krause (publication day September 1, 2026) is Krause’s fourth published novel–I’m definitely checking out her backlist! Krause identifies as a triracial author–she is of Japanese, Mexican, and white heritage, and in The Gods Will Sing Our Song, she fictionalizes some of her family history and adds fantasyContinue reading “The Gods Will Sing Our Song”
How To Fake It In Society
I will always be thrilled when K.J. Charles (among many others, Death in the Spires, All of Us Murderers) publishes a new novel, which she did in April 2026 with How to Fake It in Society. It’s 1821, and watercolor paint creator Titus Pilcrow has just been told by his landlord (a former lover) thatContinue reading “How To Fake It In Society”
The Twilight Garden
I was a big fan of Sara Nisha Adams’ The Reading List (2021) and so when I saw she had a new book, The Twilight Garden (2023), I knew that I had to read it, and I was glad that I did. Sometimes you just want a book that takes you somewhere else into someoneContinue reading “The Twilight Garden”
Long Island Girls
Long Island Girls (publication day June 23, 2026) is Gabrielle Korn’s first foray into historical / literary fiction from her previous two novels, The Shutouts and Yours for the Taking, which were speculative, near-future, fiction. The novel primarily follows 17-year old Susan, beginning in 2005, where she and her best friend Katie live on LongContinue reading “Long Island Girls”
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years (2024) is Shubnum Khan’s first novel published in the U.S., but she also has published an earlier novel and a memoir. Set along the coast of South Africa among the Muslim Indian community there, The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is delicious, heartbreaking, gothic historical literary fiction that hasContinue reading “The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years”
Our Sister’s Keeper
Our Sister’s Keeper (publication day June 9, 2026) by historian Jasmine Holmes is a superb historical fantasy/ horror novel set in a fictional 1920s Mississippi town called East Cobb. East Cobb is the black sister to the white town of West Cobb, and it’s different than most–it’s thriving and everyone seems happy. Thea and herContinue reading “Our Sister’s Keeper”
Reading While Fat 