I am still devouring historical fiction that shines a light on women who have so often been underrepresented or underappreciated. I am especially grateful for audio books and for access through our library’s Libby app, as well as libro.fm which lets me support Turning the Tide, a local independent bookstore! (Full disclosure: if you use the link below to check it out, I may receive a free book!)
https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm928963
Here’s what I enjoyed the most recently:
The Friday Night Club tells the fascinating story about Hilda af Klint, a visionary artist ahead of her time. It explores the challenges she faced as a female painter and mystic in the early 1900s. Authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose also weave in the modern-day story of curators preparing the Guggenheim exhibit 50 years after her death.
The Paris Bookseller brings to life Sylvia Beach, the real-life founder of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. Through her eyes, I stepped into the vibrant literary world of the early 1900s, encountering James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot (and somewhat less eagerly, Gertrude Stein). As the Boston Globe describes it, the novel is ‘a love letter to bookstores and libraries.”
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen is based on the remarkable true story of a freed African American woman who at the onset of the Civil war, courageously served as a Union spy in the Confederate South. Leveen combines fascinating facts and imagination to craft a historical novel of slavery and resilience, that had me experiencing the Civil War in a totally new way.
The Phoenix Crown a collaboration between bestselling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, is a memorable narrative about the intersecting lives of several forward thinking women around the time of the 1908 San Fransisco earthquake.
I also ventured into other Genre’s:
Virginia Evans debut novel, The Correspondent, was unputdownable and unforgettable. Told entirely through letters and emails, it follows the life of 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerpen’s exchanges with her friends, family, foes, and literary idols.
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green is a compelling timely read. Green weaves together the personal, cultural and historical impact of Tuberculous, highlighting its relevance to today’s world. I highly recommend this book.
I’d love to hear what you are reading.
I delight in sharing my thoughts, such as these, in a newsletter, typically every few months. And now and then, ideas show up our Facebook page. Always love to hear from you via email.
