One Good Thing

One Good Thing
by Georgia Hunter
Pamela Dorman Books, 2025. 417 pages. Historical Fiction

Italy, 1941. Lili and Esti have been best friends since meeting at the University of Ferrara. When Esti's son Theo is born, they become as close as sisters. Mussolini's Racial Laws have deemed Lili and Esti descendants of an 'inferior' Jewish race, but life somehow goes on—until Germany invades northern Italy, and the friends find themselves in occupied territory. Esti, older and fiercely self-assured, convinces Lili to flee first to a villa in the countryside to help hide a group of young war orphans, then to a convent in Florence, where they pose as nuns and forge false identification papers for the Underground. When disaster strikes at the convent, a critically wounded Esti asks Lili to take a much bigger step: to go on the run with Theo. Protect him while Esti can't. Terrified to travel on her own, Lili sets out on an epic journey south toward Allied territory, through Nazi-occupied villages and bombed-out cities, doing everything she can to keep Theo safe.

Georgia Hunter's One Good Thing is World War II historical fiction that's going to stay with me for a while. I appreciated learning about the plight of the Italian Jewish community, and learning about the underground movement in Italy. An especially interesting piece was the inclusion of a real-life renowned Italian cyclist, who stored forged paperwork in the frame of his bicycle and worked as a runner in the underground network. Where this novel really shines, though, is in its portrayal of the bond of Lili and Esti. Esti is brave and determined, while Lili is much more afraid of consequences. It's Lili's love of both Esti and Theo that encourages Lili to overcome her fear and face terrifying situations with courage. While this book is obviously sad and tragic, I appreciated the hopeful message of the power of love that drives the novel.

If you like One Good Thing you might also like:

Our Darkest Night
by Jennifer Robson
William Morrow, 2021. 362 pages. Historical Fiction

Hiding from the Nazis in the guise of a Christian farmer's wife, a Jewish woman is met with suspicion by a Nazi official who harbors a vendetta against the former seminary student posing as her husband.

Once We Were Home
by Jennifer Rosner
Flatiron Books, 2023. 278 pages. Historical Fiction

Four Jewish individuals—Ana, Oskar, Roger, and Renata—are all trying to move on from trauma and loss of loved ones during World War II. Twenty years later, the four connect in Israel. As their stories converge in unexpected ways, they begin to question where and to whom they truly belong.

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Hemlock and Silver

Hemlock and Silver
by T. Kingfisher
Tor, 2025. 359 pages. Fantasy

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison. Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on. But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her. Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick. Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

I love T. Kingfisher's dark fantasies that make the lightest nod to fairy tales (last year she did something similar with A Sorceress Comes to Call). While Snow White is a side character in this story, the plot is a completely different tale full of mysterious creatures, dark spaces, evil villains, snarky talking cats, and light romance. I also love that the main character of this tale is a fully grown adult. This is a great choice for adults who grew up loving the magic of fairy tales, but ask for a little more from their fiction now.

If you like Hemlock and Silver you might also like:

Starling House
by Alix E. Harrow
Tor, 2023. 308 pages. Fantasy

Eden, Kentucky, is just another bad-luck town known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive 19th century author who wrote The Underland—and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. Everyone agrees that it's best to let the house—and its last heir, Arthur Starling—go to rot. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses, but a job offer at Starling House might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Soon Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she's never had: a home. As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a choice: to dig up secrets and confront their fears, or let Eden be taken over by nightmares.

The Bear and the Nightingale
by Katherine Arden
Del Rey, 2017. 322 pages. Fantasy

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift—a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.

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Isola

Isola
by Allegra Goodman
The Dial Press, 2025. 346 pages. Historical Fiction

France, 1531. Orphaned Marguerite de la Rocque was heir to a chateau with its own village and lands. But her guardian, Jean Francois de la Rocque de Roberval, sells Marguerite's property to embark on an expedition to New France, bringing Marguerite and her maidservant with him. When Roberval discovers Marguerite has fallen for his secretary, he is furious, seeing their affection as betrayal. As punishment, Marguerite, the man she considers to be her husband, and her servant are marooned on a small island off the coast, condemned to certain death. When the weather turns and the island is blanketed in ice, survival becomes nearly impossible and Marguerite must find the inner strength to survive.

Goodman's account of the real-life survival adventure of Marguerite de la Rocque is a novel of stark contrasts. It has a lyrical and thoughtful writing style, while also depicting fast-paced moments filled with tension. Goodman takes a while to set the scene, and I appreciated the chance to immerse myself in the world of 1500s France. This depiction of Marguerite's early life in the French countryside helps show what a shock it would be to suddenly find yourself abandoned on a remote island with hardly any provisions, and no knowledge of how to fend for yourself. I also appreciated the nuances religion adds to Marguerite's life—both for good and bad. This is a book that I'll be thinking about for a while.

If you like Isola you might also like:

The Vaster Wilds
by Lauren Groff
Riverhead Books, 2023. 256 pages. Historical Fiction

Escaping from a colonial settlement in the wilderness, a servant girl, with nothing but her wits, a few possessions and some faith, is tested beyond the limits of her imagination, forcing her to question her belief of everything her own civilization taught her.

Whale Fall
by Elizabeth O'Connor
Pantheon Books, 2024. 209 pages. Historical Fiction

In 1938, when a dead whale washes up on the shores of a remote Welsh island, Manod, seeing this as a sign of things to come, is drawn to two English ethnographers who are studying their cultures, reckoning with a sensual awakening inside herself, despite her misgivings that her community is being misconstrued.

The Marriage Portrait
by Maggie O'Farrell
Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. 339 pages. Historical Fiction

In Florence during the 1550s, captivating young duchess Lucrezia de' Medici, having barely left girlhood behind, marries the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, and now, in an unfamiliar court where she has one duty—to provide an heir—fights for her very survival.

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Storybook Ending

Storybook Ending
by Moira Macdonald
Dutton, 2025. 305 pages. Fiction

Wanting to combat the isolation caused by her work-from-home setup, April, a 33-year-old Seattle tech worker, leaves a note for Westley, a cute local bookstore employee. But April's note is unknowingly intercepted by Laura, a widowed single mother who thinks Westley left the note for her. The two women form a friendship via correspondence, each thinking they're talking with someone else. Meanwhile, Westley doesn't know about his possible budding romances--he's preoccupied with the movie that's being filmed at the bookstore. It's a heartwarming web of mistaken identities, romance, friendship, and the love of books.

This new twist to the plot of You've Got Mail is a heartwarming and comical read about the power of friendship and connection. The story jumps between the points of view of April, Laura, and Westley, which keeps the story moving forward in interesting ways. As April and Laura learn to open themselves up to friendship, Westley's side story of becoming more and more involved in a film set adds an extra level of wackiness.

If you like Storybook Ending you might also like:

The Last Chance Library
by Freya Sampson
Berkley, 2021. 325 pages. Fiction

June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.

The Reading List
by Sarah Nisha Adams
William Morrow, 2021. 373 pages. Fiction

Working at the local library, Aleisha reads every book on a secret list she found, which transports her from the painful realities she's facing at home, and decides to pass the list on to a lonely widower desperate to connect with his bookworm granddaughter.

The Museum of Ordinary People
by Mike Gayle
Grand Central Publishing, 2023. 336 pages. Fiction

Tasked with cleaning out her childhood home, Jess comes across something she just can’t part with: an old set of encyclopedias. In the process of finding the books a new home, Jess discovers the Museum of Ordinary People, where she unravels heart-stirring stories that span generations and continents.

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Murder at Gulls Nest

 

Murder at Gulls Nest
by Jess Kidd
Atria Books, 2025. 324 pages. Mystery

1954: When her former novice's dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda's letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent. A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it's time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.

If you love cozy mysteries with quirky characters and mysterious pasts, this is the book for you. Nora Breen is an unexpected amateur sleuth who solves crimes mostly by brazenly asking questions others don't dare to ask. I fell in love with her the moment she winks at a guy who catcalls her! While at first Nora is only investigating the disappearance of her friend, the more she gets to know about the residents at Gulls Nest, the more mysteries appear. Setting the book in 1950s England also adds an interesting element to the story, since characters are still dealing with the after-effects of World War II in subtle and not-so subtle ways. All in all, this is a great cozy mystery readers are sure to enjoy.

If you like Murder at Gulls Nest you might also like:

The Marlow Murder Club
by Robert Thorogood
Poisoned Pen Press, 2021. 282 pages. Mystery

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don't believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local vicar. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club. When another body turns up, they realize they have a real-life serial killer on their hands.

Lavender House
by Lev AC Rosen
Forge, 2022. 274 pages. Mystery

While investigating the mysterious death of matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of a famous soap empire, Andy Mills is seduced by the safety and freedom found in Lavender House, where a queer family lives honestly and openly, until he becomes a pawn in their deadly game.

 

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My Friends

My Friends
by Fredrik Backman
Atria Books, 2025. 436 pages. Fiction

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. But eighteen-year-old Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures, especially after the artist bequeaths the painting to her in his will. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. Louisa embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it.

I love how Fredrik Backman infuses compassion and gentle humor into stories that could otherwise be full of tragedy. This book is no exception. Louisa is a foster child who is trying to make it on her own. The artist and his friends have also had some equally bleak experiences. But the story of how unlikely people come together and support each other is life-affirming and moving. This is one of my very favorite Backman novels.

If you like My Friends you might also like:

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
by Marianne Cronin
Harper, 2021. 326 pages. Fiction

Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Joining the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel. Both are determined to leave their mark on the world. Lenni and Margot devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived—stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy.

Tom Lake
by Ann Patchett
Harper, 2023. 309 pages. Fiction

In the Spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.

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Sisters in Science

Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escape Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History
by Olivia Campbell
Park Row Books, 2024. 384 pages. Nonfiction

In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments. Their harrowing journey out of Germany became a life-and-death situation that required herculean efforts of friends and other prominent scientists. No matter their destination, each woman revolutionized the field of physics when all odds were stacked against them, galvanizing young women to do the same.

This book was a fascinating combination of some of my favorite types of nonfiction: it's a history book, an approachable science book, and the stories of real-life people all rolled into one. The combination of subjects gave me a new perspective on European history of the 1930s and 1940s, and helped me see how the rise of Nazism affected both the lives of real-life people, and the fate of scientific study. Those who enjoy well-told histories and biographies will find a lot to appreciate in this book.

If you like Sisters in Science you might also like:

The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science
by Dava Sobel
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2024. 318 pages. Nonfiction

A luminous chronicle of the most famous woman in the history of science, and the untold story of the many remarkable young women trained in her laboratory who were launched into stellar scientific careers of their own.

The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts
by Loren Grush
Scribner, 2023. 422 pages. Nonfiction

When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots--a group then made up exclusively of men--had the right stuff. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978--Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.

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All the Water in the World

All the Water in the World
by Eiren Caffall
St. Martin's Press, 2025. 294 pages. Fiction

In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister, her parents, and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (Amen for short). The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city's flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality, but they remain determined to build a new world that honors what they’ve saved.

This book has a very unique tone, mixing lyrical, meditative writing with the urgency of a survival novel. The story is told in flashbacks, covering both the family's early days of making Amen a home, and following them as they search for a new home once Amen is destroyed. As the narrator, Nonie starts the story as a young girl with a childlike sense of wonder, but she spends most of it as a teenager coming to grips with the dualities of reality. While the overarching story is dark, the themes of the importance of both found family and the value of knowledge help brighten the message. This is a book that will stick with me for a long time.

If you like All the Water in the World you might also like:

After the Flood
by Kassandra Montag
William Morrow, 2019. 417 pages. Fiction

After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated much of America, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Artic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and her youngest daughter Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there. On their journey, Myra and Pearl join forces with a larger ship and Myra finds herself bonding with her fellow seekers who hope to build a safe haven together in this dangerous new world.

The Dog Stars
by Peter Heller
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. 319 pages. Fiction

Surviving a pandemic that has killed everyone he knows, a pilot establishes a shelter in an abandoned airport hangar before hearing a random radio transmission that compels him to risk his life to seek out other survivors.

 

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All We Were Promised

All We Were Promised
by Ashton Lattimore
Ballantine Books, 2024. 357 pages. Fiction

Philadelphia, 1837. When nineteen-year-old Charlotte escaped from the deteriorating White Oaks plantation four years ago, she'd expected freedom to look completely different from her former life as an enslaved housemaid. Instead, she's locked away playing servant to her white-passing father, hiding their past and identities to protect themselves from slavecatchers who would destroy their new lives. Pennsylvania is a free state, yet abolitionists are struggling to establish a permanent home for the anti-slavery movement, as southern sympathizers incite violence against free Black people, and white vigilantes stalk the streets.

Undeterred, Charlotte sneaks out and forges an unlikely friendship with Nell, a member of one of Philadelphia's wealthiest Black families. When Evie, Charlotte's enslaved friend from White Oaks, shows up in the city, Charlotte and Nell conspire to help her flee North. Yet Charlotte's plans to help her friend threatens her own freedom as well.

I really appreciated the perspectives this story offers. It's not often that you read about how the slavery was perpetuated in the "free" states, and this book exhibits this with a great sense of time and place. Lattimore has written an engrossing, complex story where each character has interesting, and sometimes conflicting, desires and needs. This means that while this book offers a history lesson, readers are also equally invested in each character and in their friendship, making this book one that stands out in multiple ways.

If you like All We Were Promised you might also like:

The Thread Collectors
by Shaunna J. Edwards
Graydon House, 2022. 384 pages. Fiction

In 1863, an ingenious young Black woman, who embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army, crosses paths with a Jewish seamstress who helps her discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us.

 

American Daughters
by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
One World, 2024. 285 pages. Fiction

When Ady, who is enslaved to a businessman in the French Quarter of New Orleans, is separated from her mother, she meets Lenore, a free Black woman who invites her to join a clandestine society of spies called the Daughters, setting her on a journey toward liberation and imagining a new future.

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What Happened to Nina?

What Happened to Nina?
by Dervla McTiernan
William Morrow, 2024. 322 pages. Fiction

Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun, and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family's cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home. Simon's explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn't add up. Nina's parents push the police for answers, and Simon's parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign. Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fueled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina's social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive "fans." Out-gunned by Simon's wealthy, powerful family, Nina's parents recognize that if playing by the rules won't get them anywhere, it's time to break them.

This interesting twist on a suspense novel kept me hooked with its similarities to the Gabby Petito case. While all of the characters question, "What happened to Nina?" the driving focus of the story is the experience of the family members left with unanswered questions, debating how far they'll go in order to find closure. The book shifts perspective between a number of characters, giving the reader insight into what each character knows, what their motivations are, and how their actions affect others. I found this novel to be both fascinating and heartbreaking. Fans of missing persons stories will appreciate the nuances portrayed here.

If you like What Happened to Nina? you might also like:

Finding Sophie
by Imran Mahmood
Bantam Books, 2024. 339 pages. Fiction

For the last seventeen years, everything Harry and Zara King have done has been for their only daughter, Sophie. When she goes missing, Harry and Zara will stop at nothing to find her. Someone knows what happened. The police have no leads, and as the weeks pass there's little news. Harry and Zara's suspicion of a neighbor and his involvement in Sophie's disappearance quickly becomes an obsession—and they'll do anything to get the answers to their questions. When the neighbor is found dead in his apartment, Harry and Zara are arrested and charged with murder. They deny everything. Meanwhile, their precious daughter is still missing.

Playing Nice
by J.P. Delaney
Ballantine Books, 2020. 402 pages. Fiction

Pete Riley answers the door one morning and lets in a parent's worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, a stranger who breaks the devastating news that Pete's son, Theo, isn't actually his son; he is the Lamberts', switched at birth by an understaffed hospital, while their real son was sent home with Miles and his wife Lucy. For Pete and his family, life will never be the same again. The two families, reeling from the shock, take comfort in shared good intentions, eagerly entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern family. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an official investigation that unearths some disturbing questions. How much can they trust the other parents or even each other? Stretched to the breaking point, Pete and Maddie discover they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe. They are done playing nice.

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The Wedding People

The Wedding People
by Alison Espach
Henry Holt and Company, 2024. 367 pages. Fiction

It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. After several disappointments in her life, Phoebe has decided to splash out for one night at an exclusive hotel before she kills herself. But she's surprised to discover that the hotel has been rented out for a wedding, and she's immediately mistaken as one of the guests. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield, except for Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising that the two women can't stop confiding in each other, altering Phoebe's plans in unexpected ways.

This book handles so many difficult topics with both tenderness and an unexpected wit. The beginning of this book was a bit hard to read since that's when Phoebe is at her lowest point, but it was so nice to see Phoebe slowly choose to take each day a moment at a time and start to see the bright spots that make life worth living. It also helped that the wedding depicted was an extravagant one filled with interesting characters, which balanced out the heavy feelings without writing them off as unimportant. This is a great choice for lovers of character-driven books that cover the range of human emotions and have a satisfying ending.

If you like The Wedding People you might also like:

Lovers and Liars
by Amanda Eyre Ward
Ballantine Books, 2024. 288 pages. Fiction

Once upon a time, the Peacock sisters were incredibly close. But decades of secrets have led them to separate lives. Now, Sylvie is getting married to Simon, a mysterious, wealthy man from Northern England. Cleo, a criminal defense lawyer, is convinced that Simon is not the man he seems to be. And Emma is living a lie, hoping her husband and sons don't find out. When the sisters come together for Sylvie's destination wedding, they must overcome their differences and find the courage to make new choices.

Sorrow and Bliss
by Meg Mason
Harper, 2021. 337 pages. Fiction

Martha Friel just turned forty. Once, she worked at Vogue and planned to write a novel. Now, she has nowhere to go except her childhood home: a bohemian (dilapidated) townhouse in a romantic (rundown) part of London—to live with her mother, a minorly important sculptor (and major drinker) and her father, a famous poet (though unpublished) and try to survive without the devoted, potty-mouthed sister who made all the chaos bearable, and is now too busy or too fed up to deal with her. But maybe by starting over Martha will get to write a better ending for herself--and she'll find out that she's not quite finished after all.

A Man Called Ove
by Fredrick Backman
Atria Books, 2014. 337 pages. Fiction

A curmudgeon hides a terrible personal loss beneath a cranky and short-tempered exterior while clashing with new neighbors, a boisterous family whose chattiness and habits lead to unexpected friendship.

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A Sorceress Comes to Call

A Sorceress Comes to Call
by T. Kingfisher
Tor, 2024. 325 pages. Fantasy

Cordelia knows her mother Evangeline is overbearing. Their house doesn't have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don't force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren't evil sorcerers. When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. With Hester's help, Cordelia must figure out a way to thwart her mother's plans before things go terribly wrong.

T. Kingfisher has written a fascinating fantasy novel set in Regency England. Although the sorceress Evangeline is a formidable foe, Cordelia finds solid allies in Hester and her friends. This means that while the book contains some dark themes and menacing elements, the story is sprinkled with moments of lightness and camaraderie as well. This book takes some inspiration from Brothers Grimm fairy tale The Goose Girl, but you don't need to know the fairy tale in order to enjoy this book. I highly recommend this novel!

If you like A Sorceress Comes to Call you might also like: 

Spinning Silver
by Naomi Novik
Del Rey, 2018. 466 pages. Fantasy

This retelling of Rumpelstiltskin focuses on Miryem, whose father is a moneylender. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again.

The Familiar
by Leah Bardugo
Flatiron Books, 2024. 385 pages. Fantasy

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the servant in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain.

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I'll Be Waiting

I'll Be Waiting
by Kelley Armstrong
St. Martin's Press, 2024. 324 pages. Horror

A year ago, Nicola Laughton's life turned upside down when her husband Anton died in a car crash. Images of the crash, featuring a light hovering over Nicola as she cradled Anton's body, went viral when bystanders swore they heard Anton's voice saying "I'll be waiting for you" after he died. Convinced to put the rumors to bed and move on with her life, Nicola and her nearest friends rent a cottage on the shore of Lake Erie. They hope to create the ideal conditions to hold a seance to see if Anton really has any last words for Nicola. But what starts out as a fairly normal seance turns into something more dangerous.

This ghost story/haunted house novel has just the right spooky vibes for some Halloween pleasure reading. While the main story focuses on Nicola's attempts to contact Anton, other elements also add to the atmosphere, including the very strange behavior of the local bugs, Nicola's reflections on a teen prank gone wrong, and a neighbor searching for her missing son. All of these elements combine to slowly ramp up the tension to a truly terrifying, somewhat gruesome, fully satisfying finale.

If you like I'll Be Waiting you might also like:

The Return
by Rachel Harrison
Berkley, 2020. 296 pages. Horror

Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she's been or what happened to her. Happy to have her back, Julie's friends arrange a reunion at the eccentric, remote Red Honey Inn. But the second her friends see Julie, they know something is wrong—she's emaciated, with sallow skin, chipped teeth and odd appetites. When bad weather traps them inside the hotel, tensions flare. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back.

Home Before Dark
by Riley Sager
Dutton, 2020. 384 pages. Horror

Twenty-five years after her father published a wildly popular non-fiction book based on her family's rushed exit from a haunted Victorian estate, naysayer Maggie inherits the house and begins renovations only to make a number of disturbing discoveries.

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Nicked

Nicked

by M.T. Anderson

Pantheon Books, 2024. 220 pages. Historical Fiction

The year is 1087, and a pox is sweeping through the Italian port city of Bari. When a lowly monk, Nicephorus, is visited by Saint Nicholas in his dreams, he interprets the vision as a call to action. But his superiors, and the power brokers they serve, have different plans. Enter Tyun, a charismatic treasure hunter renowned for "liberating" holy relics from their tombs. The seven-hundred-year-old bones of Saint Nicholas rest in distant Myra, Tyun explains, and they're rumored to weep a mysterious liquid that can heal the sick. For the humble price of a small fortune, Tyun will steal the bones and deliver them to Bari, curing the plague and restoring glory to the fallen city. And Nicephorus, the "dreamer," will be his guide. What follows is a heist for the ages, as Nicephorus is swept away on strange tides—and alongside even stranger bedfellows—to commit an act of sacrilege.

Perhaps due to his roots as an award-wining YA author, Anderson does a great job of balancing what could be dark topics with a light-hearted tone. This is a book about a heist, after all! There's also a sense of light magic and mysticism about the book. For example, one of the characters is a dog-headed man. While the time and setting are distant enough that I couldn't understand everything that was going on—especially the short mentions of church rituals and political intrigues of the 11th Century—the light tone and fast pacing allowed me to go along for the ride. This was refreshing historical fiction read.

If you like Nicked you might also like:

The Familiar

by Leigh Bardugo

Flatiron Books, 2024. 385 pages. Historical Fantasy

In the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family's social position. Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath.

Baudolino

by Umberto Ecco

Harcourt, 2002. 522 pages. Historical Fiction

Born a simple peasant in northern Italy, Baudolino narrates the story of his life, from his adoption by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and his education in Paris to his arrival in Constantinople during the turmoil of the Fourth Crusade.

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The Murder of Mr. Ma

The Murder of Mr. Ma

by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan

Soho Crime, 2024. 300 pages. Mystery

London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his quiet life abruptly turns from books and lectures to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he'd known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up. Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?

This modern twist on a Sherlock Holmes-type novel has a lot to enjoy. As our Watson, Lao is loveable and smart, if a little oblivious. Our Sherlock, Dee, is enigmatic and clever and willing to have a little fun at others' expense, while also determined to do right by his fellow soldiers and countrymen. What makes this duo even better is that the characters of Lao and Dee are based on real-life people, although they didn't live during the same time.

The mystery itself is fast-paced, with new suspects and motivations frequently introduced. And the fight scenes in this book were actually choreographed by a kung fu master! This book will be a refreshing read for those who enjoy modern takes on classic mysteries.

If you like The Murder of Mr. Ma you might also like:

The Bangalore Detectives Club

by Harinni Nagendra

Pegasus Crime, 2022. 287 pages. Mystery

When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore in 1921 to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life. But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet—and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene. When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, leading her into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways.

Dead Dead Girls

by Nekesa Afia

Berkley Prime Crime, 2021. 317 pages. Mystery

Harlem, 1926. Following a harrowing kidnapping ordeal when she was in her teens, Louise is doing everything she can to maintain a normal life. She spends her days working at Maggie's Café and her nights at the Zodiac, Harlem's hottest speakeasy. When a girl turns up dead in front of the café, Louise is forced to confront something she's been trying to ignore—two other local black girls have been murdered over the past few weeks. After an altercation with a police officer gets her arrested, Louise is given an ultimatum: She can either help solve the case or wind up in a jail cell. Louise has no choice but to investigate and soon finds herself toe-to-toe with a murderous mastermind hell-bent on taking more lives, maybe even her own.

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The Return of Ellie Black

The Return of Ellie Black

by Emiko Jean

Simon & Schuster, 2024. 299 pages. Fiction

It's been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun's sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she's been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey's line of work. So when local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, is found alive in the woods of Washington State, Chelsey is determined to track Ellie's kidnapper down. But something is not right with Ellie. She won't say where she's been, or who she's protecting, and it's up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken.

This fast-paced novel keeps the suspense high while also taking time to explore the motivations of each character. Jean does this by jumping between perspectives and timelines a bit, in order to help the reader understand the background stories of both Ellie and Chelsey. This means the story depicts some of Ellie's time with her abuser, which some readers might be uncomfortable reading, although the point of these sections is not to glorify Ellie's situation, and isn't overly graphic. I found myself entirely invested in the story, hoping that the kidnapper would be caught and that both Chelsey and Ellie could move on to leading happier lives. This is a gripping page-turner of a missing person novel.

If you like The Return of Ellie Black you might also like:

When the Stars Go Dark

by Paula McLain

Ballantine Books, 2021. 370 pages. Fiction

Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When unspeakable tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino. The day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. Anna is in no condition to become involved with the search—until the village sheriff pleads for her help. Then, just days later, a twelve-year-old girl is abducted from her home. As Anna investigates the cases, she slowly realizes that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.

Long Time Gone

by Charlie Donlea

Kensington Publishing Corp., 2024. 344 pages. Fiction

When DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to the mysterious disappearance of a famous baby from nearly three decades ago, a woman's search for answers draws her to an ominous small town in Nevada and a dangerous web of corruption, power, and lies.

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