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I always enjoy seeing what books other readers are excited about. Recent posts about the most popular books on Book Riot in July 2024 and all of 2023 really intrigued me. That, and I always love seeing what books are trending on Goodreads. It’s a fun way to find a new read. Or, more often, add a hundred books to my already ridiculous TBR. I’d say that’s something I don’t need help with, especially with as much time as I spend on Netgalley (a site where book professionals and book reviewers can easily access advanced reader’s copies to request, read, and review). Then again, I’m not exactly complaining about having too many books to read.
Even on Netgalley, you can find sections showcasing the most requested books in any given category. Sometimes, those selections are in line with what I’ve been requesting and reading, but sometimes, I find hidden gems I might’ve overlooked otherwise. The most requested historical fiction is no exception. Even scouring historical fiction releases every week for this newsletter, I sometimes find new titles that surprise me.
If your TBR is perfect as-is and you don’t want to find any great new books to read, it’s probably best for you to stop here. I’d hate to be the reason anyone’s TBR toppled over like a game of Jenga that’s run its course. That would be just terrible. I’d never want that for any of you, never. Don’t mind me or my Cheshire Cat grin over here. I’m just an innocent book recommender.
Bookish Goods
Bookworm Sweatshirt from Wordy and Wild
Cozy up for fall in this “bookworm” sweatshirt from Etsy. $72
New Releases
The Wildes by Louis Bayard
Release date: September 17, 2024
This is the story of Oscar Wilde’s wife and son in the years before and after his infamous trial for homosexuality. During an idyllic holiday in the English countryside, Oscar Wilde develops a strong attachment with a young poet and Constance begins to suspect her husband’s affections lie elsewhere. When the truth (or some part of it) is exposed, Constance and her sons are left in ruin, forced to hide their identities in exile. As the years go by, and one son enlists in WWI while the other searches for answers about his family, they all must come to terms with what they lost and who they want to be.
Temptress by Jade Lee
Release date: September 21, 2024
A woman vies to become the wife of the Emperor in this thrilling historical romance set in China’s Forbidden City. Chen Ji Yue knows the courtly games she must play if she wants to become the Emperor’s wife. She must remain chaste while outlasting her rivals and bribing all the necessary officials. But she wasn’t expecting the Master of the Festivity, the one man she must impress to be put before the Emperor, to make her question everything she’s ever wanted.
Riot Recommendations
According to Netgalley, these are some of the most requested ARCs set to come out this fall. Request them at your library, pre-order them, or add the titles to your TBR.
Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris
Release date: October
In turn of the twentieth century Paris, the daughter of Dracula’s killer works as a researcher at the Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. But no one knows Samantha herself is abnormal—a fact that could help solve a string of gruesome murders plaguing Paris or get her thrown in an asylum. Now, assigned to a case with Dr. Helena Moriarty, the detective daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ famed nemesis, Samantha might just get her chance to crack the case.
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zi, translated by Lin King
Release date: November 12, 2024
Framed as a found text, Taiwan Travelogue follows a young Japanese novelist who travels from her home of Nagasaki to Taiwan in the late 1930s, hoping to experience island life and eat as much authentic Taiwanese food as possible. She’s paired up with an interpreter who shepherds her all across Taiwan and proves to be an excellent cook. Despite the growing attraction between the two, Chizuru, the translator, keeps her distance. It’s only later, once they’ve been separated, that Chizuko begins to understand why.
The Story of the Forest by Linda Grant
Release date: November 12, 2024
Based on the author’s family history, The Story of the Forest follows a Jewish family in the lead-up to WWI and pre-WWII Europe. A brother takes his young sister to England after an encounter with a group of Bolsheviks in the woods. But their hope for a new start is soon disrupted by the start of the Great War. Their family has survived war and pogroms, but as anti-Jewish sentiment grows in the twentieth century, will they be able to learn new ways to adapt and survive?
Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat
Release date: December 3, 2024
In 1968, Nettie Boileau is a Haitian student in Oakland swept up in the idea of revolution when her friend introduces her to the free health clinics operated by the Black Panthers. Soon, she’s head over heels in love with a Party Defense Captain, pregnant, and moving to Chicago. But the segregation and police surveillance here is unlike anything she’s seen before, and her faith in love is shaken by Melvin’s affairs. Nettie will have to rediscover what it means to be herself even as she continues to search for ways to stay true to her roots and fight for the revolution.
I selected four titles I found particularly interesting from the most requested historical fiction titles on Netgalley. You can peruse the full list here.
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on most social media, including Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy.
Right now I’m reading Madness, a nonfiction book about the history of one of the last segregated asylums in the United States.
