| The Burning Chambers by Kate MosseWhat it is: A swashbuckling saga set in 1562 Carcassonne against the backdrop of France's Wars of Religion.
Starring: Minou Joubert, a bookseller's daughter who receives an anonymous message containing a warning; fugitive Huguenot Piet Reydon, who protects Minou while fleeing his pursuers.
Read it for: secrets, star-crossed lovers, stolen relics, and the Inquisition. |
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Tiffany blues : a novel
by M. J. Rose
What it is: The New York Times bestselling author of The Library of Light and Shadow crafts a dazzling Jazz Age jewel - a novel of ambition, betrayal, and passion about a young painter whose traumatic past threatens to derail her career at a prestigious summer artists' colony run by Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. fame.
Reviewers say: "[M.J. Rose] transports the reader into the past better than a time machine could accomplish" (The Associated Press).
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Woman 99 : a novel
by Greer Macallister
What it is: She's only a number now. When Charlotte Smith's wealthy parents commit her beloved sister Phoebe to the infamous Goldengrove Asylum, Charlotte knows there's more to the story than madness. She risks everything and follows her sister inside, surrendering her real identity as a privileged young lady of San Francisco society to become a nameless inmate, Woman 99. The longer she stays, the more she realises that many of the women of Goldengrove aren't insane, merely inconvenient and that her search for the truth threatens to dig up secrets that some very powerful people would do anything to keep. An historical thriller rich in detail, deception, and revelation, Woman 99 honours the fierce women of the past, born into a world that denied them power but underestimated their strength.
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Annelies
by David R. Gillham
What it is: An empowering reimagining of Anne Frank as a Holocaust survivor traces her endurance of terrible losses, her struggles to forgive, and her development into a highly skilled writer. By the New York Times bestselling author of City of Women.
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| The Electric Hotel by Dominic SmithIntroducing: French film director Claude Ballard, a pioneer of cinema who once worked with the Lumière brothers and now, in 1962, languishes in obscurity as a resident of Hollywood's Knickerbocker Hotel.
His masterpiece? The Electric Hotel, a film that he made with the help of an Australian stuntman, a seductive French actress, and a theater owner turned movie producer.
Reviewers say: "an irresistible and dizzying international tale of early cinema" (The Washington Post). |
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Dear George, Dear Mary
by Mary Calvi
What it is: A debut novel based on hundreds of historical accounts, letters, and personal journals reimagines the unrequited love affair between a young George Washington and controversial New York heiress Mary Philipse as a catalyst for the American Revolution.
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| The Last Tudor by Philippa GregoryStarring: Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Katherine and Mary, all potential heirs to the disputed throne of England.
For fans of: Susan Higginbotham's Her Highness, the Traitor, which also depicts the political drama of the succession crisis caused by Henry VIII's death.
Should you start here? Although it's the 7th installment of the Cousins' War series, The Last Tudor can be read and enjoyed on its own. |
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| Cleopatra's Shadows: A Fall of Egypt Novel by Emily HollemanIntroducing: Arsinoe and Berenice, the half-sisters of Cleopatra.
What happens: After their father is deposed in a palace coup, 12-year-old Berenice declares herself ruler, setting the stage for a bloody conflict that will pit sister against sister.
Try this next: The Drowning King, which is book 2 in this series; or Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra, a biography of the iconic ruler that also delves into dynastic dysfunction. |
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| The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai RandelThe situation: Concubine Mei's beauty, wit, and charm have helped her win the love of Pheasant, the new emperor -- as well as the undying emnity of his wife, Empress Wang, who seeks to destroy her.
Why you might like it: Set in Tang Dynasty China, this historical novel follows the life of the woman who would become Empress Wu, a saga that began with The Moon in the Palace. |
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Empress
by Shan Sa
What it is: A spellbinding historical novel by the author of The Girl Who Played Go chronicles the life and times of China's only female emperor, Empress Wu, who rose from a humble clan and position of concubine to brave the intrigues, treason, betrayal, and violence of the court to become the first Empress of China during the great Tang dynasty in seventh-century China.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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