Carolyn Morgan

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book reviews 2026 3/n 📚💙
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
1984. Catastrophe on the Space Station. Joan must talk sole survivor & fellow astronaut Vanessa through a safe return to Earth. Dramatic tale of pioneering women fighting for acceptance in macho NASA.
carolyn-morgan.com/blog/reading...

Shortlist Historical Novel Society The Sailor and the Suffragette by Carolyn Morgan

Delighted that the opening of my second novel - The Sailor and the Suffragette - has been shortlisted by @histnovsoc.bsky.social in the Historical Adventure Category 📚💙 ⏳📚
Now I better get on with that second draft..

Pelican Girls by Julia Malye

Book reviews 2026 2/n 📚💙
Pelican Girls by Julia Malye
1720. Three Frenchwomen are shipped to Louisiana as wives for settlers & separated. Navigating fevers, childbirth, abusive men & colonial wars, they learn to survive & find each other. Lyrical, dream-like prose.
carolyn-morgan.com/blog/reading...

Researching my next novel in New Zealand. Inspiring day at Okains Bay museum. Colonial settler and traditional Māori buildings so atmospheric. 📚💙

I read about thirty novels last year and these were my top ten. It’s a personal choice of course but I’d recommend these ten to my friends :)

My top 10 historical novels of 2025

My top 10 #historicalnovels of 2025
📚💙⏳📚
Ten historical novels I read in 2025 that I would heartily recommend to my bookish friends.
Which of these have you read and enjoyed?
carolyn-morgan.com/blog/reading...

I loved it. Some friends thought the first half was too slow but I enjoyed the period detail and felt for Rita and Bill. PS the pace picks up in the second half

Lila Cain is pen name of writing duo @mhut25.bsky.social and @kateagriffin.bsky.social
Published by @simonschusteruk.bsky.social

The Blackbirds of St Giles by Lila Cain

Bookreviews 2026 1/n 📚💙
The Blackbirds of St Giles by Lila Cain
1782. Soldier & former slave Daniel fights to protect sister Pearl from Elias, criminal head of underground Rookery in St Giles. Corrupt aristos, pro fighters, fierce women & anti-slavery campaigners in Black Georgian London thriller.

Like their foundling mother Rose, Nina & Walter are resilient survivors, even when Zeppelins bomb London and Walter faces carnage on the Western Front. Can they find a route to pursue their art and follow their hearts once peace is restored? 💙📚

Dance of The Earth by Anna M Holmes

2025 #bookreview 26/26 💙📚 ⏳📚
Dance of the Earth by @annamholmes.bsky.social
In 1900s London & Europe, talented theatrical twins Nina & Walter seek paths to creativity & love, through ballet & music. A performer's life is precarious when WW1 halts Ballets Russes & severs cherished relationships.

Blackbirds of St Giles, Pelican Girls, Dance of the Earth

My December #TBR so far 📚💙

Blackbirds of St Giles by Lila Cain (Black Georgian London) @kateagriffin.bsky.social @mhut25.bsky.social
Pelican Girls by Julia Mayle (Frenchwomen shipped to New Orleans)
Dance of the Earth by @annamholmes.bsky.social (Ballets Russes to WW1)

Reviews in the New Year
⏳📚

Crooked Cross by Sally Carson

2025 #bookreview 25/n 💙📚 ⏳📚
Crooked Cross by Sally Carson
Munich, 1933. Lexa is engaged to Moritz but her brothers are unemployed. The Nazi party offers them work & purpose, but encourages hatred of Jews, so Moritz loses his job. Lexa is torn between her true love & her family with tragic results.

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller

2025 #bookreview 24/n 💙📚 ⏳📚
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
A doctor, a farmer plus their expectant wives are isolated in 1962's wintry countryside, where help is elusive & emotions spiral. Tension mounts in an authentic, constrained world where all struggle to escape the trauma of wartime.

The Cassatt Sisters by Lisa Groen

2025 #bookreview 23/n 💙📚
The Cassatt Sisters by Lisa Groen
Mary Cassatt joins the bohemian world of the Impressionists in Belle Epoque Paris. Driven to improve her art, she endures criticism and heartbreak to achieve critical success. Illustrated with paintings & the story behind their creation.

Book is set in 1992 soon after the soviet empire collapsed so maybe there was more mingling of Russian and Ukrainian folklore then

That's a good question - I am not the author, just a reader who enjoyed it. Worth asking @judithheneghan.bsky.social who wrote the book.

Unsettling insight into Ukraine society post Chernobyl and after Berlin Wall came down where locals have secrets and regard expats with suspicion

Snegurochka by Judith Heneghan

2025 #bookreview 22/n 💙📚
Snegurochka by @judithheneghan.bsky.social
Ukraine 1991. Anxious expat wife & new mother Rachel, surrounded by unfamiliar language, culture & dark history fears for her baby's safety. Her husband's colleagues & neighbours all harbour deep secrets in a troubled, corrupt city

A Theory in Vienna In 1847, Dr Ignaz Semmelweis discovers how to save countless women from deadly childbirth infections — but his revolutionary idea is mocked. A Theory in Vienna...

I'm relieved to live in modern times when doctors don't tolerate one woman in ten dying after childbirth. Salutary reminder of how establishments resist change. Based on the true story of Semmelweis. bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/his...

A Theory in Vienna by Heidi Gallaher

2025 #bookreview 21/n 💙📚⏳📚
A Theory in Vienna by Heidi Gallacher
Vienna 1847: motherhood is a deadly minefield. Earnest medic Ignaz is desperate to know why. But his colleagues block his discoveries, driving him to despair. Vividly depicts a medical establishment opposed to change & tragic results.

Long Island by Colm Toibin

2025 #bookreview 20/n 💙📚
Long Island by Colm Toibin
Outmanoeuvred by her Italian American in-laws, Eilish visits her native Ireland, disrupts the fragile balance of a close-knit community & presents her first love Jim with a fateful choice. Gentle prose deepens the anguish of all three characters.

My (British) book club discussed this last night, concluding that it has more resonance to Americans who consumed Huckleberry Finn at school. Now on my TBR!

I’d love that. I already have a world map in the spare bedroom which is perfect for understanding geopolitics…

James by Percival Everett

2025 #bookreview 19/n 💙📚 ⏳📚
James by Percival Everett
Runaway slave James dodges danger along Mississippi & protects Huck Finn, encountering shocking racism & unexpected friendship. Amid darkness & despair, James remains resilient, but angry. Breathless action & a subtle dive into language as code

The early chapters from young Peggy's POV are vivid & sensual, with a strong theme of art & painting. Her beloved yet flawed parents are well-drawn and Molly's "episodes" are heart-rending. A light touch of satire on self-regarding Bath society. By contrast Meg's story was visceral & compelling.

The Painters Daughters by Emily Howes

2025 #bookreview 18/n 💙📚 ⏳📚
The Painters Daughters by @emilyhowes.bsky.social
Peggy Gainsborough fears losing her sister if her strange behaviour is discovered. Quirks of Bath society seen vividly through eyes of young girl, till marriage separates the sisters and a family secret brings catastrophe

Born in Watford (NW London) but have lived in Kentish Town the last seven years within walking distance of Hampstead so it is my favourite reading location :)

Thank you! I like to photograph my books in the wild. I was reading this in strong sunshine on Hampstead Heath.

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

2025 #bookreview 17/n 💙📚 ⏳📚
Sea of Poppies by @amitav.bsky.social
Calcutta 1837. A French orphan, accidental sailor, deposed Raja, opium widow & boatman collide on former slave ship to Mauritius. Rollicking saga spiced with lascar lingo & colonial hubris amid the amoral collusion of opium trade