historical fiction with a twist Archives

Book Review: The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Oct 8, 2019 | RESIST: Social Justice

We know Ta-Nehisi Coates for his nonfiction, but his fictional debut, The Water Dancer, is just as stupendous as his previous books. He builds the details of his world drop by drop, layer by layer. By the end, I felt fully immersed, although in some ways I was...

Book Review: The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston (Found Things #1)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Apr 20, 2019 | RELAX: Historical Fiction

In the first of a new series from Paula Brackston, Xanthe Westlake and her mother Flora move to small town Marlborough to rebuild their lives. Flora bought the property and stock from a now-deceased fellow antiques dealer and retailer. He left the place in a pretty...

Book Review: The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Mar 29, 2019 | RELAX: Historical Fiction

I’ve been a big fan of Susanna Kearsley for several years. I discovered her not long after I powered my way through the Outlander books. And I felt like her writing had a similar vibe—what I call historical fiction with a twist. In the case of The Firebird, the twist...

Book Review: Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Feb 3, 2019 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Christopher Moore is a master of the humor-filled, historical fiction with a fantasy twist novel. How’s that for a sub-genre? Sacré Bleu was my favorite read this January. BTW, you should know that the French expression “sacrebleu” is used to convey surprise,...