Meg's Picks: October 2018, part 1

Historical fiction is on tap next month, and I am so excited!

In the House in the Dark of the Woods, by Laird Hunt. I am a huge fan of Laird Hunt's work--his 2014 novel Neverhome remains one of my favorite historical novels to date. His latest, a horror tale set in colonial New England, should make for perfect reading on a chilly October night. A law-abiding Puritan woman goes missing. Has she fled her family? Been kidnapped? A story of a bewitching, a betrayal, anger and redemption, will the evil she fears turn out to be within her all along? Hunt's prose is lyrical and evocative, so this should be prime atmospheric reading.

A Well-Behaved Woman, by Therese Fowler. Fowler's last novel, 2013's Z, focused on the turbulent life of Zelda Fitzgerald to excellent effect. Her second is the fascinating story of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her family as they rule in New York during the Golden Age. Alva Smith, from a Southern family left destitute by the Civil War, married into the newly wealthy but socially ostracized Vanderbilt clan. Defying convention, Alma was not only a suffragette, but also went on to build 9 mansions, hosted grand balls, and arranged for her daughter to marry a duke. Those with an interest in The Golden Age should make it a point to pick this up.

The Kennedy Debutante, by Kerri Maher. Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy seems to be the Kennedy that history forgot, but not any longer, thanks to Maher's debut. Kick Kennedy moves in swank circles in 1938 London, thanks to her father's appointment as ambassador. Eager to slip away from the drama and responsibilities of her high-powered clan, Kick is ready for a life of her own and falls for Billy Harrington, the future Duke of Devonshire. But romance is rarely easy, and their families, hers Catholic and his Protestant, would never approve the match. When war breaks out and the Kennedys retreat to America, Kick begins to hunt for a way to return to England and her love. For fans of Adriana Trigiani and Beatriz Williams, this is a natural choice.