At first glance, The Pillars of the Earth doesn’t seem like a love story. But this historical mini-series tells many tales: the love of a man for a woman, a people for their God, and the love of power that vilely corrupts. A beautiful series and a tale well told!
Dr. Faraday is fascinated by the thriving past of Hundreds Hall. Faraday is drawn into the lives of its three residents and its mysteries. The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters, is a gothic glimpse of a country estate (a la Downton Abbey) following the changes of the world wars.
We understand that not everyone is interested in books that win important literary prizes. Sometimes you just want to find a thrilling new story in your favorite category. If you can relate, be sure to check out the recent winners and nominees of the The Reading List, which honors the best in genre fiction. These must-reads are selected by librarians who know which titles not only have the best buzz but also live up to the hype. See below for the winners and click here for readalikes and the runners-up.
Adrenaline: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Fantasy: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Historical Fiction: Doc by Mary Doria Russell
Horror: The Ridge by Michael Koryta
Mystery: The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
Romance: Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase
Science Fiction: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Women’s Fiction: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Justin Alastair makes a habit of depravity. He’s also the Duke of Avon. While walking home late one night from some indiscretion or other, a street urchin stumbles across his path. This youth has fiery red hair, dark brows and bares a suspicious likeness to the Duke’s arch-nemesis, the Comte de Saint Vire. The Duke buys the child, Leon, from an innkeeper with revenge in mind. If Leon is Saint Vire’s long lost son, Justin plans on helping restore the child’s birthright after parading him around as his page. If you want swordfights, duels, love and mystery in the Georgian era, try Georgette Heyer’s wickedly funny These Old Shades.
It is a legend that a pirate, about to be hanged, was asked if he repented. The pirate said, “Yes, I do heartily repent. I repent I had not done more mischief.”
If you’re looking for mischief and romance with swashbuckling, open-shirted, adventuresome pirates, click here.
When you think of Southern plantations in popular culture, the first is bound to be Tara from Gone with the Wind. But there is so much more to historical Southern fiction than that!
Frankly, Scarlett, if you want books and movies with palatial Antebellum architecture, un-relenting hospitality, curious hauntings, Southern belles and a sight of the societal effects of the Civil War in the South, click here.
If you enjoy British period series, try Downton Abbey! See life from both sides; that of the aristocratic Crawley family, who seek to preserve their way of life, their mansion and its land, and the lives of the household staff who serve them. It’s better than Upstairs, Downstairs! Check it out!
Jean-Baptiste was born without any personal scent and has been shunned most of his life for it. Because of his unnatural nature, Jean-Baptiste becomes obsessed with finding the most perfect smells in the world to blend into a divine perfume. Unfortunately, this makes Jean-Baptiste a dangerous man to beautiful, virginal women – their scents being the penultimate in purity – and Jean-Baptiste must kill thirteen to create his ideal fragrance. The sense of smell becomes a character equal on the page to Jean-Baptiste in Perfume, by Patrick Süskind. Perfume is a disturbingly stunning novel that has been made into an equally eloquent movie starring Ben Wishaw, Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman.
