Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It is by Janina Ramirez. A nonfiction look at women who have been left out of the history of the Middle Ages - from a slightly woke feminist point of view.
Ratings: Adult - 6 out of 10.
The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship With Our Wild Neighbors is by Erika Howsare. An interesting nonfiction look at the history of our interactions with deer.
Ratings: 12th grade - 7 out of 10.
The Black God's Drums is by P. Djeli Clark. A alternate history fantasy set in Civil War New Orleans. A young orphan thief named Creeper discovers a plot to use an ancient weapon to destroy New Orleans. She and a airship captain who can channel two African orishas must band together with their orishas to save New Orleans and get the weapon back.
Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10.
The Sittaford Mystery is by Agatha Christie. A stand alone historical fiction mystery by the Queen of Mysteries. In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, a group of people decide to hold a seance for fun after dinner. Only a message comes through that Captain Trevelyan has been murdered - and when one of the dinner party goes to check; he has been. When a young man is arrested for the murder, his girlfriend and a reporter decide to prove the police have the wrong man. A fun romp Christie fans will enjoy.
Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10.
Cordelia's Honor is by Lois McMaster Bujold. A combination of two of Bujold's science fiction books into one volume. Cordelia is the captain of a survey ship from Beta colony. On a routine survey her team is attacked by soldiers from Barrayar, Cordelia orders her crew to leave her and escape; she then meets the Barrayaran leader and discovers the attack on her crew was really a mutiny to kill the leader of the Barrayarn's named Vorkosigan. Cordelia and Vorkosigan survive and she helps him kill the mutineers and he helps her get back to Beta. Once there she discovers a war has broken out and she leads a mission to defeat the Barrayan fleet, only to be captured. She is rescued by Vorkosigan and she helps him defeat a political rival. Upon her return to Beta she discovers she is considered a Barrayaran spy, so she flees to Barrayar and marries Vorkosigan, who she loves. When Vorkosigan is made regent at the death of the current Emperor, Cordelia finds herself in the middle of a civil war. I am not a huge fan of science fiction, except for anything by Martha Wells, but I really enjoyed these books. More action and political intrigue than heavy science fiction.
Ratings: 12th grade - 8 out of 10 - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence).
What the Vicar Saw is by Benedict Brown. The ninth book in the historical fiction Lord Edgington Investigates mystery series. Christopher's family goes to visit his paternal grandmother so she can meet his brother's fiancée. As they are attending church they notice the absence of the vicar for the sermon, only to find him murdered. Now Christopher must convince the police, and his grandfather, that the man arrested for the crime is innocent. Fans of the series will love this installment as well. Christopher really comes into his own in this one.
Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.
The Snows of Weston Moor is by Benedict Brown. The 8th installment of the Lord Edgington Investigates mystery series. Lord Edgington and Christopher head out to visit family for Christmas, but find themselves in trouble when their car crashes in a blizzard on a barren moor. Seeing a light they find themselves at the remote manor house of Weston Moor, but once there they find themselves in the middle of a murder. Fans of the series will love this latest chapter in the series.
Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.
