Category Archives: historical fiction

My December Reading Log

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo is horror, a genre I read only rarely, but I was completely gripped by the 1930s rural setting. Leslie Bruin, a trans man and veteran nurse of World War One, now works … Continue reading →

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My November Reading Log

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb is about finding meaning and purpose in life, and discovering one’s identity. Little Ash is a Jewish demon with hardly any magic, whose Talmud study partner is a genderless … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Celebration!

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey features several celebrations including a wedding, a royal visit, and Christmas in Singapore. This book was delightful. In tone, it reminded me very much of Dorothy Gilman’s work; I felt I was in … Continue reading →

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My October Reading Log

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Copper Script by K.J. Charles was a delightful historical romance, set in 1920s London, in which a closeted policeman, Aaron, encounters Joel, a graphologist who lost his dominant hand in World War One. Despite attraction, neither trusts the other … Continue reading →

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My September Reading Log

Posted on October 17, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree will be out in November. It takes a different path from Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust; rattkin bookseller Fern is reunited with the orc coffeeshop proprietor Viv in her new life, … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Do the Hustle: The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Content warning: this book has past harm to a dog (but it did not die). The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson would today be considered Middle Grade, I think. It’s set in 1908 Austria. Infant Annika is found abandoned … Continue reading →

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My June Reading Log

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Fiction: Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld by Catherine Lloyd turned out to be second in a historical mystery series set in 1830s England. The author managed the excellent trick of giving me enough hints of book one’s … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Back in My Day…: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo is fantasy set in 1930s Hollywood. The nameless first person narrator, whose Chinese immigrant father owns a laundry, first sees silent films by selling an inch of her hair; later, she plays the roles of … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Location, Location, Location: White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

White Sands, Red Menace by Ellen Klages follows The Green Glass Sea, a middle grade book about a lonely young girl, Dewey, whose father is working on the Manhattan Project. In 1946, World War II has ended; Dewey and her … Continue reading →

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#TBR Challenge – Rizz: The Gentleman’s Book of Vices by Jess Everlee

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

The Gentleman’s Book of Vices by Jess Everlee was very fun and I will definitely seek out more of this author’s work. It’s a male/male romance set in 1883 London. Extrovert Charlie Price is embedded in a small community of … Continue reading →

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