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New and recommended historical fiction titles.
Updated February 8, 2024
RPL Staff
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Every rising sun : a novel
Ahmed, Jamila
Paper Book
Named one of NPR's Books We Love In this riveting take on One Thousand and One Nights, Shaherazade, at the center of her own story, uses wit and political mastery to navigate opulent palaces brimming with treachery and the perils of the Third...
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The wind knows my name : a novel
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "The lives of a Jewish boy escaping Nazi-occupied Europe and a mother and daughter fleeing twenty-first-century El Salvador intersect in this ambitious, intricate novel about war and immigration" (People), from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea and...
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Shrines of gaiety : a novel
Atkinson, Kate
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The award-winning author of Life after Life transports us to a restless London in the wake of the Great War--a city bursting with money, glamour, and corruption--in this spellbinding tale of seduction and betrayal. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:...
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The first ladies
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. She marches on as an activist and an educator, and as her reputation grows she becomes a celebrity, revered by titans of business and recognized by U.S. Presidents....
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Hour of the witch : a novel
Bohjalian, Chris
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the acclaimed author of The Flight Attendant: "Historical fiction at its best.... The book is a thriller in structure, and a real page-turner, the ending both unexpected and satisfying" (Diana Gabaldon, bestselling author of the...
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The porcelain moon : a novel of France, the Great War, and forbidden love
Chang, Janie
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of The Library of Legends comes a vividly rendered novel set in WWI France about two young women--one Chinese, one French--whose lives intersect with unexpected, potentially dangerous consequences. "East meets West in World War I...
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The secret lives of country gentlemen
Charles, KJ
Paper Book
Gothic scandal meets Bridgerton intrigue in this swashbuckling Regency romance from celebrated author KJ Charles. Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls...
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Our last days in Barcelona
Cleeton, Chanel
Paper Book
Barcelona, 1964. Following their exile from Cuba after the revolution, Isabel Perez goes to Spain in search of her sister Beatriz who's disappeared in Barcelona. Barcelona, 1936. Alicia Perez weathers the unrest brewing in Spain with her daughter Isabel after a difficult voyage from their home in...
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The spectacular : a novel
Davis, Fiona
Paper Book
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall's glamorous precision dancing troupe. It's an honour to perform in the world's most spectacular theatre, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well...
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Beyond the door of no return
Diop, David
Paper Book
A Finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature | Longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award One of The Atlantic's 10 Best Books of 2023 A Financial Times Best Book of 2023 | Named a best book of the year by...
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Learned by heart
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
"A wrenching love story" (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of...
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Booth : a novel
Fowler, Karen Joy
Paper Book
Best Book of the Year Real Simple * AARP * USA Today * NPR * Virginia Living Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize From the Man Booker finalist and bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves comes an epic...
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Of women and salt
Garcia, Gabriela
Paper Book
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The heiress : privileged, protected, poisoned? : the untold life of Miss Anne de Bourgh
Greeley, Molly
Paper Book
**An Oprah Magazine Most Anticipated Historical Novel of 2021** **A Buzzfeed 'Book You're Going to Love in 2021'** 'With stunningly lyrical writing, Greeley elevates Austen-inspired fiction onto a whole new plane.' - Natalie Jenner,...
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Tidelands
Gregory, Philippa
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times Bestselling AuthorThe Fairmile Series (Book 1)On Midsummer's Eve, 1648, England is in the grip of a civil war between a renegade king and a rebellious parliament. The struggle reaches even the remote, marshy Tidelands of the south coast. There, Alinor, a descendant of wisewomen,...
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The vaster wilds
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others "Part historical, part...
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This other Eden : a novel
Harding, Paul
Paper Book
In 1792, formerly enslaved Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife, Patience, discover an island where they can make a life together. Over a century later, the Honeys' descendants and a diverse group of neighbors are desperately poor, isolated, and often hungry, but nevertheless protected from the...
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The Paris daughter
Harmel, Kristin
Paper Book
Instant New York Times bestseller! From the bestselling author of the "heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism" (People) The Book of Lost Names comes a gripping historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of the...
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Weyward : a novel
Hart, Emilia
Paper Book
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Never fall for your fiance?e
Heath, Virginia
Paper Book
"Filled with fabulously British banter, wit, and heart, this delightful book is one of my must-read rom coms of the year." - Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Portrait of a Scotsman "Virginia Heath's fun characters and situations will have you...
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The world and all that it holds
Hemon, Aleksandar
Paper Book
The World and All That It Holds--in all its hilarious, heartbreaking, erotic, philosophical glory--showcases Aleksandar Hemon's celebrated talent at its pinnacle. It is a grand, tender, sweeping story that spans decades and continents. It cements Hemon as one of the boldest voices in...
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A Caribbean heiress in Paris
Herrera, Adriana (Romance author)
Paper Book
"A romp-filled and refreshingly diverse historical romance."--Buzzfeed Paris, 1889 The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe...including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Caña Brava rum empire. ...
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A lady's guide to fortune-hunting
Irwin, Sophie
Paper Book
"Bridgerton fans will swoon over this entertaining romp through Britain's Regency-era high society." --People "A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting is a sharp, modern, and absolutely delicious take on the marriage plot. Sophie Irwin's debut is one of the most...
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Loot
James, Tania
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A spellbinding historical novel set in the eighteenth century: a hero's quest, a love story, the story of a young artist coming of age, and an exuberant heist adventure that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across two continents and...
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The love songs of W.E.B. Du Bois : a novel
Jeffers, HonoreÌe Fanonne
Paper Book
An instant New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today Bestseller * AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB SELECTION * ONE OF THE ATLANTIC'S "GREAT AMERICAN NOVELS" * BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2021 * WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: New York...
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Yellow wife : a novel
Johnson, Sadeqa
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of House of Eve--a 2023 Reese's Book Club Pick! *A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Christian Science Monitor* Called "wholly engrossing" by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this...
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The prophets
Jones, Robert, Jr.
Paper Book
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The vanished days
Kearsley, Susanna
Paper Book
A sweeping love story set against the Jacobite revolution from much-loved author Susanna Kearsley There are many who believe they know what happened, but they do not know the whole of it. The rumours spread, and grow, and take their hold, and so to end them I have been...
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No one prayed over their graves
Khal fah, Kh lid
Paper Book
Longlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Fiction | One of The Washington Post's 50 best works of fiction of 2023 "Gorgeous . . . Lush, elegiac [and] Márquezian . . . A novel of abundance and generosity." --Sarah Cypher, The Washington Post<...
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The river we remember : a novel
Krueger, William Kent
Paper Book
AN EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by a shocking murder, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling novel, an instant New York Times bestseller and "a work of art" (The Denver Post). On Memorial Day...
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The maniac
Labatut, Benjami?n
Paper Book
Named One of the 10 Best Books of 2023 by The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly * One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2023 * A National Bestseller * A New York Times Editor's Choice pick * Nominated for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction ...
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All you have to do is call
Maher, Kerri
Paper Book
Chicago, early 1970s: Who does a woman call when she needs help? Jane. The best-known secret in the city, Jane is an underground women's health organisation composed entirely of women helping women, empowering them to live lives free from the expectations of society by offering reproductive...
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Up with the sun
Mallon, Thomas
Paper Book
A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * Through the curious life of Dick Kallman--a real-life celebrity striver, poisonously charming actor, and eventual murder victim--the unforgiving worlds of postwar showbiz and down-low gay sexuality are thrown into stark relief in this "page...
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The torqued man : a novel
Mann, Peter
Paper Book
"A damn good read."--Alan Furst A brilliant debut novel, at once teasing literary thriller and a darkly comic blend of history and invention, The Torqued Man is set in wartime Berlin and propelled by two very different but equally mesmerizing voices: a German spy handler and his Irish...
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The keeper of hidden books : a novel
Martin, Madeline
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER--for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz! A BookBub Pick for Best Historical Fiction of Summer 2023 A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true...
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The siren of Sussex
Matthews, Mimi
Paper Book
As an incurable bluestocking from a family tumbling swiftly toward ruin, Evelyn knows she'll never make a match in a ballroom. Her only hope is to distinguish herself by making the biggest splash in the one sphere she excels: on horseback. In haute couture. But to truly capture London's attention...
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The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
McBride, James
Paper Book
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the...
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Our hideous progeny : a novel
McGill, C. E.
Paper Book
"A gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue." -- Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship "An immersive blend of historical and science fiction brims with surprises and dark delights. . . . An incisive exploration of women's rights within the field of science....
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Alchemy of a blackbird : a novel
McMillan, Claire
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot For fans of The Age of Light and Z comes a "beguiling novel of artistic ambition, perseverance, and friendship" (Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author) based on the true story of the 20th-century...
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Death and the conjuror
Mead, Tom
Paper Book
In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study, and there seems to be no way that a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective...
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Velvet was the night
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK * From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a simmering historical noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of the missing woman they're both desperate to find. ONE OF...
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All her little secrets
Morris, Wanda M.
Paper Book
"All Her Little Secrets is a brilliantly nuanced but powerhouse exploration of race, the legal system, and the crushing pressure of keeping secrets. Morris brings a vibrant and welcome new voice to the thriller space." --Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international...
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The ship of brides : a novel
Moyes, Jojo
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars and Someone Else's Shoes, a post-WWII story of the war brides who crossed the seas by the thousands to face their unknown futures. 1946. World War II has ended and all over the world, young...
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Dust child : a novel
Nguye??n, Phan Que?? Mai
Paper Book
Finalist for the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. From the bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a richly poetic and suspenseful saga about two Vietnamese sisters, an American veteran, and an Amerasian man whose lives intersect in surprising ways, set during and after the...
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My father's house
O'Connor, Joseph
Paper Book
From best-selling author Joseph O'Connor comes a gripping and atmospheric World War II literary thriller set in occupied Rome. A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WALTER SCOTT PRIZE Inspired by the true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty,...
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Hamnet : a novel of the plague
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
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A history of burning
Oza, Janika
Paper Book
This epic, sweeping historical novel full of "wondrous complexity" spans continents and a century, and reveals how one act of survival can reverberate through generations (Rachel Khong, author of Goodbye, Vitamin). One of the New York Times<...
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Did you hear about Kitty Karr? : a novel
Paul, Crystal Smith
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK BOOK OF THE MONTH PICK A multigenerational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths...
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The London Séance Society
Penner, Sarah
Paper Book
"An atmospheric and evocative whodunnit steeped in suspense, mystery, and illusion." --Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the author of the sensational...
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The diamond eye : a novel
Quinn, Kate
Paper Book
Don't miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th! New York Times Bestseller The bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based...
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The last rose of Shanghai
Randel, Weina Dai
Paper Book
In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and the freedom of music... 1940. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out...
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Go as a river
Read, Shelley
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * 2024 High Plains Book Award Winner * 2023 Reading the West Book Award Winner * Finalist for Goodreads Choice Award * Colorado Public Radio 2023 Books We Love * Set amid Colorado's wild beauty, the heartbreaking coming-of-age story of a...
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The queen of Dirt Island
Ryan, Donal
Paper Book
"From its opening pages, this book exerts a quiet, propulsive hold over its reader. The three generations of Aylward women will break your heart and then put it back together again." -Maggie O'Farrell "This is a generous mosaic of a novel about the staying...
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The roaring days of Zora Lily
Salazar, Noelle
Paper Book
"Noelle Salazar captures the hazy, liquor-soaked days of the Jazz Age in this mesmerizing tale . . . of family, ambition, love, and self-discovery." --Entertainment Weekly "Beautifully written and vividly drawn . . . [a] dazzling and sexy, dangerous and inspiring journey...
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After Sappho
Schwartz, Selby Wynn
Paper Book
What did we want? To begin with, we wanted what half the population had got by just being born. It's 1895. Amid laundry and bruises, Rina Pierangeli Faccio gives birth to the child of the man who raped her-the man she has been forced to marry. Unbroken, she determines to change...
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Loyalty
Scottoline, Lisa
Paper Book
#1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline presents Loyalty, an emotional, action-packed epic of love and justice, set during the rise of the Mafia in Sicily. Loyalty can save a soul--or destroy one. Franco Fiorvanti is a handsome...
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The queer principles of Kit Webb :
Sebastian, Cat
Digital file
Critically acclaimed author Cat Sebastian makes her trade paperback debut in a stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart. Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee...
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Lady Tan's circle of women : a novel
See, Lisa
Paper Book
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!* From "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of...
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Beyond that, the sea
Spence-Ash, Laura
Paper Book
"Spence-Ash has written the novel in eight points of view, but each character is utterly three-dimensional and distinct. This debut novel captivated me from start to finish." --Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton Series A sweeping, tenderhearted love story,...
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Memphis : a novel
Stringfellow, Tara M.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY * A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter's discovery that she has the power to change her family's legacy. "A rhapsodic hymn to...
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The house of doors
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book
The third novel from the Booker-shortlisted author exploring love, betrayal and morality in 1920s Penang
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The brightest star : a novel
Tsukiyama, Gail
Paper Book
A LIBRARYREADS PICK AND BEST BOOK CLUB PICK OF 2023 "A writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling."--Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay "A beautiful, haunting book."--Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times...
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Good night, Irene
Urrea, Luis Alberto
Paper Book
This New York Times bestselling novel tells an exhilarating World War II epic that chronicles an extraordinary young woman's heroic frontline service in the Red Cross. "Urrea's touch is sure, his exuberance carries you through . . . He is a generous writer, not just in his...
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The covenant of water : a novel
Verghese, Abraham
Paper Book
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in...
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Hang the moon : a novel
Walls, Jeannette
Paper Book
"A rollicking tale." --The Washington Post *"Propulsive." --Associated Press * "Wild, smart, energetic." --Los Angeles Times * "Brilliant and effervescent." --NPR From the #1 bestselling author of The Glass Castle, the instant New York Times bestseller a...
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Let us descend : a novel
Ward, Jesmyn
Paper Book
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * Instant New York Times Bestseller * Named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe, Time, The New Yorker, and more. "Nothing short of epic,...
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Book Club kete. Black cake
Wilkerson, Charmaine
Paper Book
Crossing continents and juggling lives, Black Cake is a powerful story of love and loss, kinship and separation, heartache and hope, spanning sixty years in the life of one family THE INSTANT NO. 2 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **Featured on Barack...
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Our woman in Moscow : a novel
Williams, Beatriz
Paper Book
"A captivating Cold War page-turner." -- Real Simple The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion. In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her...
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