Open Books Challenge 2025: A Book Set in the Victorian Era (1837-1901)

Updated December 31, 2024
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Open Books Challenge 2025: A Book Set in the Victorian Era (1837-1901)

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Don't want you like a best friend : a novel
Alban, Emma R.
Paper Book
A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other--the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed! Gwen has a brilliant...
Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire
Baird, Julia.
Audiobook
When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe's monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public's expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was...
The Wildes : a novel in five acts
Bayard, Louis
Paper Book
In this singularly powerful novel, bestselling author Louis Bayard brings Oscar Wilde's wife Constance and two sons out from the shadows of history and creates a vivid and poignant story of secrets, loss, and love.   In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his...
My dear Henry : a Jekyll & Hyde remix
Bayron, Kalynn
Paper Book
A young man searches for the reason behind his best friend's disappearance and the arrival of a magnetic stranger in this haunting retelling of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson and Mexican Gothic. "Addressing invisibility, power, and...
A lady's guide to marvels and misadventure
Bell, Angela
Paper Book
Named a Booklist Top 10 Romance Debut Miss Clara Marie Stanton's family may be eccentric, but they certainly aren't insane. London, England, 1860When Clara's ex-fiancé begins to spread rumors that her family suffers from hereditary insanity,...
The stolen book of Evelyn Aubrey
Burdick, Serena
Paper Book
What if you could write a new ending for yourself? England, 1898. When Evelyn first married the famous novelist William Aubrey, she was dazzled by his brilliance. But their newlywed bliss is brief when William is gripped by writer's block, and he becomes...
Midnight rooms : a novel
Coles, Donyae
Paper Book
"An immersive horror fairy tale marrying Crimson Peak to Pan's Labyrinth upon strange foundations. You're never really safe here, with Midnight Rooms wondrously defying expectation and refusing obedience. Donyae Coles leads us into a house of sinister magic, full of corners for...
The silence factory : a novel
Collins, Bridget
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "A delicately woven novel with an utterly original premise, it ensnared me from the very first page." -- Emilia Hart, bestselling author of Weyward From the acclaimed author of the #1 international bestseller The Binding--a captivating story of...
Dinosaurs at the dinner party : how an eccentric group of Victorians discovered prehistoric creatures and accidentally upended the world
Dolnick, Edward
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Clockwork Universe and The Writing of the Gods, an "utterly delightful...hugely entertaining" (Air Mail) book about the eccentric Victorians who discovered dinosaur bones, leading to a whole new understanding of human history.
The clockwork crow
Fisher, Catherine
Paper Book
Evoking the classic fantasy adventures of Joan Aiken and Eva Ibbotson, this darkly delightful new novel from New York Times best-selling author Catherine Fisher glimmers with winter magic. Orphan Seren Rhys is on her way to a new life at the remote country mansion of Plas...
Of gold and shadows
Griep, Michelle
Paper Book
In 1888 Victorian England, Ami Dalton navigates a clandestine dual life. By day, she strives to establish herself as a respected Egyptologist, overcoming the gender biases that permeate academia. But with a heart for rescuing black-market artifacts, she is most often disguised as her alter ego, the...
Bookshop cinderella
Guhrke, Laura Lee
Paper Book
Fans of Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn will adore this opposites-attract romance featuring a dashing duke, a shy bookshop owner, and a wager that will change their lives forever. Evie Harlow runs a quaint little bookshop in London, which is the biggest adventure an...
Of manners and murder
Hastings, Anastasia
Paper Book
Of Manners and Murder is the first in the delightful new Dear Miss Hermione mystery series from Anastasia Hastings. "Evokes the shocking revelations of Wilkie Collins, the social acuity of Jane Austen and the comic melodrama of Oscar Wilde."--Wall Street...
The ornithologist's field guide to love
Holton, India
Paper Book
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER! "So riotously clever it almost defies description...an alchemy of romantic elements held in perfect harmony."--NPR Rival ornithologists hunt through England for a rare magical bird in this historical-fantasy rom-com reminiscent of...
The Mayfair dagger : a novel
January, Ava
Paper Book
London, 1894. Albertine Honeycombe never wanted a husband, and certainly not the one with fifteen children that her cousin, Aubrey, is trying to marry her off to. She reinvents herself as Countess Von Dagga, a private detective aiding the upper echelons of women in society. As the Countess, she is a...
The case of the murderous Dr. Cream : the hunt for a Victorian era serial killer
Jobb, Dean
Paper Book
A true crime page-turner about a Victorian doctor, a serial killer ahead of his time, using poison for an international murder spree that kept ahead of the burgeoning field of forensics. "A tour de force of storytelling." --Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author...
Ana Mari?a and the fox
De la Rosa, Liana
Paper Book
Ana Maria Luna Valdes has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So when Ana Maria is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom...
Fearless world traveler : adventures of Marianne North, botanical artist
Lawlor, Laurie
Paper Book
Scientist. Artist. Rule-breaker. The vibrant and daring life of Marianne North by the award-winning author of Super Women and Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World. In 1882, Marianne North showed the gray city of London paintings of jaw-dropping greenery...
Never blow a kiss
Lovise, Lindsay
Paper Book
The utterly charming Emily Leverton has a dark past and is determined to leave it behind in her respectable new role as a governess. But when she is recruited by a secret network of governesses who spy on the ton, it may just be a way to redeem the dark secrets of her past. ...
A shore thing
Lowell, Joanna
Paper Book
Former painter and unreformed rake Kit Griffith is forging a new life in Cornwall, choosing freedom over an identity that didn't fit. He knew that leaving his Sisterhood of women artists might mean forfeiting artistic community forever. He didn't realize he would lose his ability to paint altogether...
Stalking Jack the Ripper
Maniscalco, Kerri
Paper Book
This #1 New York Times bestseller and deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege...
The nightingale affair : a novel
Mason, Timothy
Paper Book
In this twisty Victorian detective thriller from the author of The Darwin Affair, Inspector Charles Field hunts a serial killer with a sinister signature targeting Florence Nightingale's nurses in Crimea and women in London.  Who is stalking...
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...
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....
Mist
Palazzesi, Marta
Paper Book
Winner of the Bologna Strega Ragazzi Prize 2020 "A not-to-be-missed tale of courage and compassion."-Katherine Applegate The incredible story of a boy's quest to give the ultimate gift to a caged wild animal: freedom. London, 1880, 13-year-old Clay is a mud lark,...
The London Séance Society
Penner, Sarah
Paper Book
Don't miss THE AMALFI CURSE! Sarah's next spellbinding book to unearth a centuries-old curse, powerful witchcraft, and perilous love on the high seas.  "An atmospheric and evocative whodunnit steeped in suspense, mystery, and illusion." --Nita Prose, #1...
Maude Horton's glorious revenge
Pook, Lizzie
Paper Book
A young woman searches for the truth about her sister, who boarded a ship headed to the frozen Arctic and never returned in this "engrossing historical mystery" (The Washington Post). Twenty-year-old Constance Horton has run away from her life in Victorian London,...
The bones of ruin
Raughley, Sarah
Paper Book
An African tightrope walker who can't die gets embroiled in a secret society's deadly gladiatorial tournament in this "bloodily spectacular" (Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights) historical fantasy set in an alternate 1880s London, perfect for...
The midnight hour
Read, Benjamin (Children's story writer)
Paper Book
For fans of portal fantasies like Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor, Colin Meloy's Wildwood, and The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, and unlike so many other fantasies that introduce readers to a world of enchantment and wonder, The Midnight Hour is one...
The Five The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Rubenhold, Hallie.
Paper Book
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and of the Goodreads Choice Award for History & Biography The award-winning, best-selling book that changes the narrative of the "Ripper" murders forever Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and...
The library thief : a novel
Shenjé, Kuchenga
Paper Book
A strikingly original and absorbing mystery about a white-passing bookbinder in Victorian England and the secrets lurking on the estate where we she works, for fans of Fingersmith and The Confessions of Frannie Langton The library is under lock and...
The fraud
Smith, Zadie
Paper Book
The New York Times bestseller * One of the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year * One of NPR's Best Books of the Year * Named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly and BookPage * One of Oprah Daily's Best Novels of 2023 "[A] brilliant...
The case of the missing marquess : an Enola Holmes mystery
Springer, Nancy.
Paper Book
The dress diary : secrets from a Victorian woman's wardrobe
Strasdin, Kate
Ebook
A revealing and unique portrait of Victorian life as told through the discovery of one woman's textile scrapbook. In 1838, a young woman was given a diary on her wedding day. Collecting snippets of fabric from a range of garments - some her own, others donated by family and...
The tumbling girl
Walsh, Bridget
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA JOHN CREASEY DAGGER AWARD 'Splendid' Wall Street Journal 'A wry, warm and proper rib-tickling slice of dirty Victorian gothic'...
Queen Victoria's bathing machine
Whelan, Gloria
Paper Book
Prince Albert comes up with a royally creative solution to Queen Victoria's modesty concerns in this true story that reveals an overlooked splash of history. Poor Queen Victoria! She loves to swim, but can't quite figure out how to get to the water without her devoted subjects...
The spirit bares its teeth
White, Andrew Joseph
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! A Stonewall Honor Book in Young Adult Literature! A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White...
Where the dead wait
Wilkes, Ally
Paper Book
"Haunting...Ominous." --The New York Times Book Review A "wonderfully chilling" (Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author) polar gothic about a Victorian explorer in search of his lost shipmate-and redemption-from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of...
Murder in postscript
Winters, Mary
Paper Book
Amelia Amesbury - widow, mother, and countess - is bored, crushingly so. In an attempt to fill the days, Amelia becomes an 'agony aunt' for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners. But when a lady's maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her...
Find this list online: https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/776.1139/list/4995

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