This summer has brought us some of the most amazing reads that I've seen in a while and August is no different. While I am usually a fan of historical fiction, there are books from other genres here that have really caught my eye and I cannot wait to expand my reading horizons. All cover art links to the book's Goodreads page.
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Historical Noir
Pages: 304
Publication Date: Aug. 17, 2021
Publisher: Del Rey
The first thing that caught my eye was this absolutely gorgeous cover combined with the coloring and font of the text. The next item that grabbed my attention was the author clearly noting on its Goodreads page that she considers the book a historical noir, a genre I have never heard of let alone read.
When Maite's next-door neighbor disappears under very suspicious circumstances, she and a known criminal go searching for her and she slowly becomes the obsession of the criminal named Elvis. Once these two characters meet, they slowly come to realize how much trouble they are actually in.
Author: Nicola Harrison
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 10, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
I love this cover and the time period that it is covering. There have been few books I read that covered this time period and the Ziegfield girls. I have not read anything by Nicola Harrison so I am very excited to add it to my list.
Olive McCormick leaves her Midwest home with the dream of becoming a Ziegfield girl and star in the Ziegfield Follies. She is a talented singer and dancer with the confidence she needs to make her dreams come true. During the course of the story, Olive meets Archie Carmichael, who quickly becomes the love of her life. While he seems to accept her modern thinking and living, once he proposes he begins to change his expectations of her.
Author: Shana Abe
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 352
Publication Date: Aug. 31, 2021
Publisher: Kensington
This is a book I have been looking forward to this book for quite some time. I first become aware of John Astor's second wife during a momentary mention in the movie Titanic as Kate tells Jack the gossip of those around them.
The Second Mrs. Astor tells the story of John Astor & Madeline Force. The story is told through their headline-making courtship through their disastrous honeymoon aboard the Titanic. After a whirlwind romance, Madeline finds herself pregnant with their first child, when they take an ill-fated trip home to America on the luxury liner that is forever engrained in history.
Author: Natasha Lester
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 480
Publication Date: Aug. 31, 2021
Publisher: Forever
As any good historical fiction does, this story is told in two timelines, during World War II and the current day with the two stories intertwining at just the right moment.
The Nazis believe that Eliane is a simple French girl cataloging art hanging in the Louvre but they are very wrong. Eliane is working for the Resistance and is decoding messages and sharing what she has learned to defeat the Nazis.
In the present day, Remy is bequeathed a home on the Riviera. While at home and working on her own dream, Remy finds a list of the art stolen from the Louvre and realizes that one of the pieces listed hung in her family home. She now has to discover how that came to be and look into long-held family secrets.
Author: Georgie Blalock
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 384
Publication Date: Aug. 24, 2021
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
The time period directly before World War II is always of interest due to the underlying tension of what could possibly happen. It will be great to read the perspective of a class that is not usually detailed in other historical fiction.
Valerie de Vere Cole is the last of her kind, a young woman coming out into English society before World War II. Despite being the niece of a Prime Minister, Valerie has never had a true place in society and feels out of place because of her father's standing as a joke. Valerie's maneuvering through society is tainted by the stress caused by the shadow of war.
Author: Michelle Gable
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 17, 2021
Publisher: Graydon House
I love learning about women who did whatever they could to fight the Nazis, whether it was passing messages to the Resistance or were recruited as spies to gather information for the Allies. I had never heard of Nancy Mitford but am looking forward to reading more about her.
The fictionalized account of Nancy Mitford, a socialite turned novelist during World War II who became a bookstore owner as a front to help the Resistance. The underlying mystery surrounds a missing Mitford manuscript.
Author: Major General Mari K. Eder
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 400
Publication Date: Aug. 3, 2021
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Any book that emphasizes the stories of women who stepped up to the plate during World War II to do anything they could yet are largely unknown will always capture my eye. The fact that this book was written by a woman who attained the title of Major General adds to the allure of the stories being told.
This book details 15 women who served during WWII and did what they could to help those affected by the Nazis. Their acts of bravery included everything from smuggling jewels out with which to sponsor refugees and being taken captive and taking care of Anne Frank in her last days at Bergen-Belsen. These women are heroes whose stories are finally being told.
Author: Richard Chizmar
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 336
Publication Date: Aug. 17, 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books
I love a good thriller and even more so when it involves a serial killer. I have read so many amazing reviews about this book that I will be purchasing it as soon as it comes out.
Described as part memoir part fiction, this book takes place in 1988 and the mutilated bodies of missing girls are turning up in a small Maryland town. While some believe that the killer is not human, the police believe it is a madman pulling the strings of the investigation. While this is happening Richard returns home to live with his parents until his wedding and gets pulled into the investigation as he never thought possible.
Author: Naomi Hirahara
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 336
Publication Date: Aug. 17, 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books
A dark period in American history was when Japanese-Americans were detained in internment camps and then released far from home. I have not been able to find many historical fictions based on this time period. This story is based on true events which make it even more intriguing.
The Ito family is released from Manzanar, the internment camp in which they were held following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The family is uprooted from their lives in California and dropped into a Japanese neighborhood in Chicago where their daughter/sister has mysteriously died the night before their arrival.