.JPG)
Last year I started sharing statistics each month for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, and my plan is to continue to do this again this year. I find it interesting to see what are the books that people are reading and reviewing! This month I have been around and visited most of the reviews and added several books to my TBR list.
In terms of the books, it was another really good month for reviews with 88 reviews linked up for the challenge, shared by 25 participants. This is 12 more than for the same month last year. There were 85 individual titles reviewed, written by 83 different authors. There were 8 reviewers who reviewed 5 or more books each. Thank you to everyone who shared their links whether it be 7 or just 1.
Let's move onto the books. There were three books that were reviewed twice during March.
The first is Goodnight from Paris by Jane Healey which was enthusiastically reviewed by Davida at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review and by Susan at Reading World
The next book to be reviewed twice is Strangers in the Night by Heather Webb which was also reviewed by Davida as well as at Laura's Reviews. This book is the story of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner's tempestuous relationship.
The third book to be reviewed twice was The Book Spy by Alan Hlad. I have requested this one from my library based on the reviews I read at Laura's Reviews and also Becky's Reviews. WWII librarians who are spies sound like my kind of read!
There are two authors who both had two books reviewed being Lauraine Snelling and Trish MacEnulty. Barbara from Stray Thoughts reviewed 2 books which actually comprise 5 novellas, all set in North Dakota in the early 1900s and featuring Norwegian immigrants. The first collection comprised 3 novellas called Dakota Dream, Dakota Dream and Dakota Dusk. The second collection is the final 2 novellas called Dakota December and Dakota Destiny.
Yvonne from A Darn Good Read reviewed two books by Trish MacEnulty which are the first two books in the Delafield and Malloy Investigations historical mystery series. The first book is The Whispering Women and the second is The Burning Bride.
.png)
Recently the shortlist for the Sir Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for 2023 was announced, so I thought I would share the books from the longlist which have been reviewed for the challenge so far. I have noted the books which have made the shortlist
The Romantic by Willian Boyd
These Days by Lucy Caldwell (Shorlisted)
My Name is Yip by Paddy Crewe
The Geometer Lobachevsky by Adrian Duncan (Shortlisted)
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (Shortlisted)
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry (Shortlisted)
The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk
The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane (Shortlisted)
Ancestry by Simon Mower (Shortlisted)
I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnanbalam (Shortlisted)
The Settlement by Jock Serong
The Settlement by Jock Serong
Cathy from What Cathy Read Next has read several of the listed books including The Romantic, I am Not Your Eve and The Settlement.
Is anyone else planning to read any of short or longlisted books for the Prize?
It's not too late to join the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. The sign up post is here, and you can find the March linky to add your reviews here.
I am also sharing this post with Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
This is the first I've heard of the Walter Scott Prize. The Romantic looks intriguing. I think I'll take a second look at it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll see what I can find out about Good Night from Paris.
Good Night from Paris does sound good doesn't it Deb!
DeleteI've grown to appreciate historical fiction because my book club chooses them often. Now I'm always on the lookout for new titles so thanks for sharing a few for my list!
ReplyDeleteThere's lots of great historical fiction being shared through the challenge!
DeleteI have some good suggestions fro your post for upcoming reading!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them if you get to read them.
DeleteI'm usually not a big historical fiction reader, but sometimes I do read them and they become some of my favorites. The books you mentioned sound really good and I'm going to add them to my list. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteGlad they sound good to you Yvonne!
DeleteI love Historical Fiction and always like to see the "new" ones around. I've seen Strangers in the Night and I think it can be a good read. The Book Spy is definitely my type of read!
ReplyDeleteHave a good week Marg!
I am looking forward to The Book Spy Mareli!
DeleteI didn't know about the Walter Scott Prize. That's cool that challenge participants have already read some of the books.
ReplyDeleteIt's been going for a while now Joy!
DeleteWow your post is a treasure trove. I've not heard of the Scott Book Award. Now I am going to do some investigations. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am contemplating some kind of mini challenge for the Walter Scott prize but I haven't quite worked it out yet.
DeleteLots of great books read in March.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Mark!
DeleteI'd like to read The Sun Walks Down and The Romantic. Do you plan to read those? The Prize list looks interesting and I wonder what will win.
ReplyDeleteThe Romantic is one that is calling to me!
DeleteThere's several titles on the Walter Scott Prize lust that have caught my eye! Thanks for sharing this info
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Stephanie Jane.
DeleteThanks for the mention! The book about the librarian spy sounds intriguing. I worked in a library through college. I had not heard of the Sir Walter Scott Prize. I enjoy historical fiction not only for the stories, but because I learn so much about certain eras in history by reading them. I was not much interested in history growing up, because it seemed like meaningless dates and names. But my college freshman history professor made it come alive. Unfortunately, that was my last history course. But historical fiction helps you live in those time periods.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done any formal history study but I do love historical fiction because of what I can learn from it!
DeleteI love the stats and thank-you for the shout-out! I loved The Librarian Spy! I need to look into the books on the Sir Walter Scott Prize List.
ReplyDelete