When you're not reading a mystery...

[Tiziana]

Regency mystery-romance ( so not strictly a mystery as meant here in the group ) : Confessions of a Dangerous Lord by Elisa Braden

My 3.5 stars review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read 2 short stories set in contemporary India: COVID Stories from India: Long Road Home
My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And COVID Stories from India: The Abandoned Cook My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Both books by Emmanuel Bhaskar

[Thomas]

I read Isola by Allegra Goodman It is historical fiction, set in the mid 16th century, France and New France(Canada). My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read a dark book of translated literary fiction, The Lady of the Mine by Sergei Lebedev It is set in 2014 Ukraine, during the Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine. There are flashbacks to WWII and the 1980s. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

A very nice Christmas romance, it's a short but really enjoyable story.

The Heiress Who Dared Me: A Christmas novella by Charlie Lane

Here is my 5 stars review :
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson It is historical/literary fiction, set in the present day, with flashbacks to the pre US Civil war era. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Adventure fiction set in 1944 England :

Christmas on the Home Front by Roland Moore

Here is my review :
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March and the Story of America's Largest Emancipation by Bennett Parten It covers an overlooked aspect of Sherman's March to the sea in the US Civil war. This march broke the back of the Confederate war effort. But enslaved people fleeing plantations and attaching themselves to Sherman's army played a vital role in the success of the march. My 5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Very cute and cheerful short story set in regency era:

A Fowl Christmastide by Sandra Sookoo

my 5 star review here :
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read There's No Turning Back by Alba de Céspedes My 3 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine I recommend it. My 4.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal by Matthew Goodman It is a biography of two women who did extraordinary things in WWII. I recommend it. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall It is a very good historical fiction book based upon an actual person. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read COVID Stories from India: Mother's Love by Emmanuel Bhaskar It is a short story about a pregnant woman during the Covid pandemic. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not a mystery

[Thomas]

I read The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig It is historical fiction based on an actual murder trial in 1800 NYC. My 3.5 star rounded up review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Adventure romance set in England during Civil war :

Her Rebel Heart byAlison Stuart

Here is my 3.7 ( rounded up to 4 ) star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg
It is an autobiography that is at times both sad and funny. My 4.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer by David Denby It is 4 short biographies of Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan and Mailer. I recommend to fans of any of the 4. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read My Friends by Fredrik Backman It is a coming of age literary fiction story with a depressing amount of domestic violence. My 3.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende It is historical fiction set in 1891 Chile, during a Chilean civil war. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Year God Died: Jesus and the Roman Empire in 33 AD It is not a mystery, but a revealing reexamination of Jesus and the Roman empire. Various myths connected with Jesus are dis-proven. I recommend it to history and religion fans. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Book #1 in medieval saga " The King's greatest Enemy", inspired by a real historical event : Lord Roger Mortimer's rebellion to King Edward II and his favourite Hugh Despenser.

In the Shadow of the Storm by Anna Belfrage

My 4-star review here :
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

I loved this clean romance, the plot on the back cover could sound dull and frivolous, but it's not. On the contrary it's a very sweet story.
A quick and light read but also very engaging and with deep feelings.

Unrequited by Martha Keyes.

Here is my 5-star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Just finished this proper regency romance.
Very nice read even if very short ( 30 pages only)

Her Gentleman Thief by Robyn DeHart

Here is my review :
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel My 5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recommend it to WWII history fans, anyone who saw the movie, and anyone who appreciates art.

[Tiziana]

Very nice clean romance set in regency England.
The plot is a little different from the usual and I've find it captivating from start to finish.

My Fair Gentleman by Nancy Campbell Allen

My 5 star review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Clean regency romance with a hint of mystery, set in India.

The Secret of the India Orchid by Nancy Campbell Allen

Here is my 4.5 rounded up to 5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival by Anne Sebba
It is not an easy book to read, but informative. The author was able to interview some surviving members of the orchestra. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read As Texas Goes...: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda by Gail Collins
It is not a mystery, but an explanation of how Texas damaged our nation. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tiziana]

Just finished
Whisper of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn

A short story that is the prequel of a mystery-romance novel named " City of Jasmine"

Here is my 3.5 rounded up to 4star-review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Thomas]

I read The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery by Siddharth Kara. It is the story of a slave trader ship and the murder of some of the abducted people. It is history. My 5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...