In Case You Missed It: Backlist Book Love (27 December)
Time to spend those gift cards!
It’s time for some book recommendations! This is the feature where I tell you to check out some books that weren’t published this year, because authors should not have to live and die by a book’s first week of performance. Check out the first installment for the full explanation!
Links in this post are affiliate links to Bookshop; if you buy a book using them, then I get a little somethin’-somethin’ from Bookshop, which I will then use to… buy more books.
Daughters of Rome, Kate Quinn
Published April 2011
The Year of Four Emperors from the viewpoints of four women! We see the change from Galba to Otho to Vitellius to Vespasian through their eyes, and even if you know the history of the politics, the twists and turns of the book remain surprising, because it’s not really about the political facts — it’s entirely about the four female lives. The characters are all dynamic, and wonderfully so, and it makes for some wonderful surprises. (You can also definitely see this book in the DNA of the Aven Cycle).
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, Olivia Waite
Published July 2020
In the mood for some slow burn sapphism? Enjoy historical romance that actually engages the “history” part? Get this book! There are many reasons to love it, but I gotta say, as a print culture dork myself, I love that one of the main characters is a printer and we get to see her business.
A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine
Published March 2019
Part intergalactic political thriller, part murder mystery, this book does absolutely astonishing things with language. I need to read this one again, actually, and actually read it, because I did it on audio the first time. This book is intricate and so incredibly well-crafted. The diplomacy, the technology, the cultures… it’s all so wonderfully built.
Now go forth and read!
