National Network for Equitable Library Service

In 1835, London is awash with new ingredients, but no one knows how to use them. Eliza Acton hires young Ann Kirby to help her write a cookbook. They break class boundaries while creating new ways of writing recipes.

Though her name is synonymous with elegance and chic, the iconic Coco Chanel had a complicated dark side, and in late August 1944, she was arrested and interrogated on charges of treason to France.

Told through three unique interwoven narratives, this novel reimagines a chapter in the life of Sylvia Plath, telling the story behind the creation of her classic, semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar.

Antonio Scurati tells the story of fascism from within the mind of its founder, the man known to his followers as Il Duce. Steeped in historical detail and interspersed with period documents and sources, this novel explores the seductive power of nationalism and idolatry, revealing how authoritarianism took hold and a nation bent to the will of one ruthless strongman.

1768. Charlotte, daughter of the Habsburg Empress, arrives in Naples to marry a man she has never met. Her sister Antoine is sent to France, and in the mirrored corridors of Versailles they rename her Marie Antoinette. When they were only children, the sisters discovered a book of spells that work with dark and unpredictable consequences. In a time of vicious court politics, they use the book to take control of their lives. But every spell requires a sacrifice. And as love between the sisters turns to rivalry, they will send Europe spiraling into revolution.

This novel tells the story of Jennie Jerome Churchill, mother of Winston Churchill, a New York born heiress who always lived life on her own terms.

Sharp-eyed, stubborn, and passionate, Jindan was known for her beauty. When she caught the eye of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, she was elevated to royalty, becoming his youngest and last queen, and his favorite. And when her son, barely six years old, unexpectedly inherited the throne, Jindan assumed the regency. She transformed herself from pampered wife to warrior ruler, determined to protect her people and her son's birthright from the encroaching British Empire.

In Poland in 1891, Marie Curie was engaged to a budding mathematician, Kazimierz Zorawski. But when his mother insisted she was too poor and not good enough, he broke off the engagement. A heartbroken Marie left Poland for Paris, where she would attend the Sorbonne to study chemistry and physics. But what if she had made a different choice?

“A stunning, spellbinding, poetic triumph." — Toronto Star   From Giller-shortlisted author Kathleen Winter (author of the bestseller Annabel ): A stunning novel reimagining the lost years of misunderstood Romantic Era genius Dorothy Wordsworth. When young James Dixon, a local jack-of-all-trades recently returned from the Battle of Waterloo, meets Dorothy Wordsworth, he quickly realizes he’s never met another woman anything like her. In her early thirties, Dorothy has already lived a wildly unconventional life.

From Irish PEN award-winning author Joseph O'Connor, Shadowplay explores the characters whose loves and lives inspired Dracula. 1878. The Lyceum Theatre, London. Three extraordinary people begin their life together. Henry Irving, the Chief, is the volcanic leading man and impresario; Ellen Terry is the most lauded and desired actress of her generation; and ever following along behind them in the shadows is the unremarkable theatre manager, Bram Stoker. Bram is wrestling with dark demons in a new city, in a new marriage, and with his own literary aspirations.