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In this compelling historical adventure, siblings Lizzie (14) and Jakob (19) contribute to the war effort in 1940s England while also investigating what happened to their mother. Told in alternating points of view, reserved Jakob and precocious Lizzie share how they arrived at Bletchley Park, the epicenter of Allied codebreaking efforts to unlock the German Enigma machine (hint: one was recruited at school and the other evaded efforts to send her to America).

Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory (2023) is a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece of historical fiction that lingers in your soul long after the final page. Set against the backdrop of a racially segregated South in 1930s Florida, the novel is both a riveting exploration of systemic injustice and a hallucinatory journey into the supernatural.

The Murderess (2024) by Laurie Notaro is a historical true crime novel based on notorious “trunk murderess” Winnie Ruth Judd. In October 1931, Judd arrives from Phoenix at the Los Angeles train station and her trunks soon attract attention from the station porters, as there appears to be blood oozing from them.

For anyone looking for a mix of 'We need to defeat the evil overlord to free our world' and 'I was bored so I decided to join up with the hero and save the world', look no further!

Amanda Peters is a Canadian writer of Mi’kmaq and settler descent, who lives in Nova Scotia. The Berry Pickers (2023), her first novel, was inspired by stories of her father's family, who, like so many other First Nations' people, faced hardships and challenges as they struggled to survive within a larger post-colonial culture.

Signe Pike’s third installment of the The Lost Queen Series, The Shadowed Land (2024), is a wonderfully researched story based on the real people from the time of King Arthur.

I really enjoyed listening to Whale Fall (2024) by Elizabeth O’Connor, and at just 4 hours, you can finish it one afternoon or on a weekend road trip!

Author Bridget Collins writes highly atmospheric gothic historical fiction with a splash of fantasy. Her books are always unique and otherworldly. The Silence Factory (2024) is no exception.

North Woods (2023) is the first work of fiction I’ve read by author Daniel Mason. It won’t be the last. Vivid, compelling, and historically resonant, this collection of interlinked stories, or this novel, if you prefer, revolves around a particular dwelling built in northwestern Massachusetts during the early years of the colonial era.

In 1500s Joseon (modern day Korea), Iseul and her sister are living under a brutal tyrant, King Yeonsan. The king has murdered all those he considers political enemies, which included their parents. The King commandeers land from his people and kidnaps young girls across the country. When Iseul's sister becomes one of the kidnapped girls, Iseul embarks on a dangerous journey, determined to bring her home. She believes the key to getting her sister back is to solve a series of murders the King has offered a great reward for.

I love dogs and have always taken an interest in the British royal family, so when I saw The Queen’s Faithful Companion: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II and Her Beloved Corgi, Susan (2024) on the new books shelf, I knew I needed to read it right away! The story is told from three perspectives: Princess and soon-to-be Queen Elizabeth, Susan the Corgi, and Hanna Penwyck, a fictionalized keeper of the royal dogs.

Stella Gibbons wrote 32 books over the course of her life, but she is most known for her first novel, Cold Comfort Farm (1932). Published in 1932, when Gibbons was still in her twenties, Cold Comfort Farm became wildly popular, received stellar reviews, and some very prestigious prizes.