Happy New Year! What better way to start the new year than a bookshelf (or Kindle) full of new books? And you can make a New Year’s Resolution to read authors new to you. To help you with all of that, here are my picks for the best in each category of new historical fiction titles for the first month of the year.

BEST COVER

The Mandeville Curse by Callie Langridge (England 1937, January 9)

“Highly recommended. Light enough to move through quickly, but emotional enough to have me cry a few tears.” ~ reader review

I love the swirling colors of The Legend of Meneka. The girl on a girder set against a soft pastel city draws me to Grace of the Empire State. Babylonia and The Storyteller’s Daughter both draw me with the stylized floral design. My favorite of these covers, though, has to be The Mandeville Curse. The large building seen through a torn piece of floral paper intrigues me. This is the fourth in a series of mysteries by this author.

Grace of the Empire State by Gemma Tizzard (New York, 1928, January 28)

Babylonia by Costanza Casati (Ancient, January 14)

The Storyteller’s Daughter by Victoria Scott (England 1940/2008, January 15)

The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao (Hindu mythology, January 21)

BEST TITLE

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn (January 28)

“A timely story about the dangers of propaganda and the life-or-death fight for truth, The Girls of the Glimmer Factory exposes a little-known aspect of WWII that will enthrall readers. Coburn delivers a heartfelt story of courage where two women film-makers use their talents to take their destinies, and the lives of millions of innocents, into their own hands. Gripping!” ~ Heather Webb, USA Today and international bestselling author of Queens of London

I love stories about bookshops, and I’m intrigued by A Quest for God and Spices as well as Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. I had to include Frankie because that’s my grandson’s name! The best title, though, is The Girls of the Glimmer Factory, probably because of its cover as well. I don’t think of World War II as having a glimmer factory, whatever that is.

A Quest for God and Spices by Dean Cycon (Jerusalem, 1200, January 21)

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (Florida, 1970, January 14)

Frankie by Graham Norton (post-war Ireland to 1960s New York, January 14)

A New Chapter at the Little Penguin Bookshop by Joanna Toye (WWII, January 16)

 

MOST ANTICIPATED

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis (January 7)

“Alluring…The action-packed novel brims with Davis’s customary meticulous research and adds insight to debates over whether artifacts should remain in their country of origin. There’s plenty of substance to this rousing adventure.” ~ Publishers Weekly

Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors, so this was easy. Even more compelling, it’s about Egypt, one of my favorite settings. It’s also dual timeline, from Egypt in 1936 to New York in 1978, and it contains a curse. Wow.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory by Jennifer Coburn (January 28)

Boudicca by P. C. Cast (Roman-occupied Britain, January 21)

Unruly Human Hearts by Barbara Southard (Gilded Age New York, January 28)

The Family Behind the Walls by Shari J. Ryan (Germany, 1943, January 27)

---

Need more historical fiction on your TBR? See more new release titles at Historical Novel Society.

“This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thanks.”