Stuck in a reading rut? Want to expand your reading horizons in 2026? You’re in luck! Every month this year, we will be delving deep into popular genres at the library. If you’re already a fan, find readalike suggestions for popular authors and ideas for similar genres to explore. If you’re brand new to the genre in question, you will find a helpful explanation of the hallmarks of the genre, a breakdown of its most common subgenres, and explanations of what readers find so appealing about the most popular authors writing those types of books. Let’s explore historical fiction for July as we’re making history moving to our new library!
Continue reading “Exploring Genres: Historical Fiction”Category: historical fiction (books)
Book Buzz: Summer Reading Edition
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For June, we’re looking at a compelling read set in 1990s Hawaii, closed-door Edwardian romance, contemporary romance inspired by Jane Austen, gripping suspense about a disappearing husband, two entertaining mysteries, literary folklore not-vampire historical horror, domestic suspense about inconvenient exes, and a plethora of nonfiction.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Summer Reading Edition”Book Buzz: Southern Ghosts, Child Stars, National Parks, Birding Societies, Bookbinders, Fun Jane Austen Fanfiction, Mysteries Near and Far, Fantastical Ferries, Rock Bands, and Real-Life Mysteries
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For April, we’re looking at a heartwarming new women’s fiction book with a side order of ghosts; a heartfelt story about a fictional child star; a pair of dual-timeline Christian romances; historical fiction set in early 20th century Oxford; an anthology of short stories about Jane Austen’s supporting characters; mysteries set in places as far-flung as Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Iceland; an unusual new fantasy; an audiobook about a fictional band; and nonfiction about Amy Semple McPherson and the Kuehn family.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Southern Ghosts, Child Stars, National Parks, Birding Societies, Bookbinders, Fun Jane Austen Fanfiction, Mysteries Near and Far, Fantastical Ferries, Rock Bands, and Real-Life Mysteries”Book Buzz: Sweet Rom-Coms, New Mysteries, Classic Thrillers, Horse Diving, Mountain Men, Dragon Horror, and Nonfiction for Everyone
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For March, we’re looking at funny Christian romances, an eerie new mystery about family secrets, a series about a young Ojibwe woman who finds herself in the middle of crime cases in the 1970s Midwest, a classic thriller that may be new to you, historical fiction about 1920s carnivals, a Western series that follows a mountain man and his adventures, dragon fantasy horror, and nonfiction that ranges from celebrity memoir to true crime to constitutional history to self-help.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Sweet Rom-Coms, New Mysteries, Classic Thrillers, Horse Diving, Mountain Men, Dragon Horror, and Nonfiction for Everyone”Andrew Miller’s The Land in Winter
This is a powerful and quietly devastating historical novel that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize late last year. I was immediately intrigued when I read the description so requested it be added to our system. Thanks so much to Julie for purchasing it! I am so glad that she added it and that I had (and others will have) the chance to read it.
Continue reading “Andrew Miller’s The Land in Winter”Book Buzz: Romance in Time for Valentine’s Day, Family Drama in Italy, Funny Spy Thrillers, Western Action, Atmospheric Mysteries, 18th Century Silver Mines, Stonehenge, Food Nonfiction, and Butler Memoirs
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For February, we’re looking at a summery closed-door romance, a romantasy, a literary novel about a family unraveling family secrets, a comedic spy thriller, a Western based on an amazing true story, two newer mysteries with a strong sense of place, new historical fiction, and nonfiction centering on food and/or royal service.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Romance in Time for Valentine’s Day, Family Drama in Italy, Funny Spy Thrillers, Western Action, Atmospheric Mysteries, 18th Century Silver Mines, Stonehenge, Food Nonfiction, and Butler Memoirs”Book Buzz: Contentious Divorces, Tribal Elections, Obituary Writers, Science Fiction Espionage Thrillers, Tiger Castles, Gangsters, the Cherokee, and Rogers
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For November, we’re looking at rich people behaving badly, a heated tribal election on a Anishinaabe reservation, the humorous tale of an obituary writer falsely declared deceased, new science fiction and fantasy releases, a novel on audiobook about the infamous Virginia Hill, a history of the Cherokee Nation, and nonfiction about Rogers, Arkansas, just the next county over.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Contentious Divorces, Tribal Elections, Obituary Writers, Science Fiction Espionage Thrillers, Tiger Castles, Gangsters, the Cherokee, and Rogers”Jo Harkin’s The Pretender
Thanks so much to Julie for kindly adding this book to the collection at my request! It is an unusual and compelling novel that I highly recommend for fans of historical fiction, particularly the early Tudor period! If you know your history, you probably see the word Tudor and think of Queen Elizabeth I or her father Henry VIII and his six wives. And you’d be right, but if you really know your history, you may also think of Henry’s father, Henry VII. This novel is set during Henry VII’s reign and the late War of the Roses and focuses on Lambeth Simnel, a little-known claimant to the throne.
Continue reading “Jo Harkin’s The Pretender”Book Buzz: Horror, Historical Fiction, Eleanor Roosevelt, Picasso, Montana, Experimental Suspense, The Prairie, Hawaii, Spinach, and a Safari Gone Wrong
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For October, we’re looking at vampire horror, historical fiction spanning the 1800s and 1900s, literary fiction, a twisty new suspense novel with an unusual premise, ecologically themed nonfiction, a story of a spinach empire, and an audiobook about a safari that takes a murderous turn.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Horror, Historical Fiction, Eleanor Roosevelt, Picasso, Montana, Experimental Suspense, The Prairie, Hawaii, Spinach, and a Safari Gone Wrong”Book Buzz: Espionage, Curses, Romance, Surreal Historical Mystery Sequels, Contemporary Mystery Debuts, Audiobooks, and Healthy Nonfiction Reads
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For September, we’re looking at a new-ish contemporary espionage thriller series, this year’s If All Arkansas Read the Same Book pick, romances and mysteries–both historical and contemporary, audiobooks in a range of genres, and nonfiction on healthy living.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Espionage, Curses, Romance, Surreal Historical Mystery Sequels, Contemporary Mystery Debuts, Audiobooks, and Healthy Nonfiction Reads”
Berryville Book Buzz 