bookshelf | cplesley

A brown-haired woman in a bright blue 18th-century style dress, seen from the back, holds a basket of ripe fruit and stands in a meadow, facing a city on a hill; cover of Stephanie Dray's and Laura Kamoie's A Founding Mother

Bookshelf, Spring 2026

Novels on my bookshelf in the spring of 2026, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, Shana Galen, April Howells, Kristen Perrin, Caitlin Shetterly, and Marian Yee

cplesley

Apr 33 min read

Drawing of old-fashioned sailing ships on a river against a background of wooden houses and a vast, cloudy sky; cover of Sandra Freels, Anneke Jans in the New World

New Books Network Interview: Sandra Freels

New Books Network interview with Sandra Freels, whose debut novel, Anneke Jans in the New World, came out in January 2026 from She Writes Press

cplesley

Feb 202 min read

A young woman with short, blonde hair, dressed in rose pink, holds a jar of daffodils while another woman pushes a pram in the garden outside; cover of Rhys Bowen's From Cradle to Grave

Historical Mysteries, Part 3

Historical mystery series I love, part 3, featuring novels by Rhys Bowen, Dianne Freeman, Alison Goodman, Darcie Wilde, and P. Srigley

cplesley

Feb 64 min read

A hand holding a green leather-bound book, with a visible white cuff against a black background. The title The Story of Stories: The Million-Year History of a Uniquely Human Art appears above, and the author's name, Kevin Ashton is written below.

Stories and Storytellers

Thoughts on stories and storytelling inspired by Kevin Ashton's nonfiction book "The Story of Stories," due out in March 2026 from Harper.

cplesley

Jan 303 min read

A woman in Elizabethan dress, including a large ruff and cut off above the nose; cover of Jennifer Ashley's Eloise and the Queen

Bookshelf, Winter 2026

Novels, mostly historical fiction, on my Winter 2026 bookshelf, by Jennifer Ashley, Janie Chang, Sandra Freels, Kaoru Mori, Casey Scieszka, and Linda Wilgus

cplesley

Jan 24 min read

Drawing of a tomb with a large vial of poison in place of a door, surrounded by flowers, skulls, and a sword hilt; cover of Christina Dodd's A Daughter of Fair Verona

Historical Mysteries, Part 2

More historical mysteries I love, including series by Christina Dodd, Vanessa Kelly, Heather Redmond, Katie Tietjen, and Mary Winters

cplesley

Dec 5, 20253 min read

A drawing of an idyllic scene with fields and mountains; an ivied building to one side and a pair of bikes at the front; cover of Ann Claire, A Cyclist's Guide to Crime and Croissants

Contemporary Mystery Series I Love

Contemporary mystery series I love, by Ann Claire, Krista Davis, Uzma Jalaluddin, Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, and Claudia H. Long

cplesley

Oct 24, 20254 min read

An old-fashioned typewriter, three keys, and a tipped bottle of poison against a blue background featuring a handwritten document; cover of Colleen Cambridge's Murder at Mallowan Hall

Historical Mysteries, Part I

Historical mysteries I love, featuring series by Colleen Cambridge, Irina Shapiro, Catherine Lloyd, C.M. Rawlins, and Clara McKenna

cplesley

Oct 17, 20254 min read

A drawing of a black-haired woman in sunglasses and a blue dress, holding a camera and a bag with the letters ER II and with a corgi on either side; cover of S.J. Bennett, The Queen Who Came in from the Cold

Bookshelf, Fall 2025

Fall 2025 Bookshelf featuring new novels by S.J. Bennett, Mimi Matthews, Mirta Ojito, Andrea Penrose, and Katie Tietjen

cplesley

Sep 26, 20254 min read

An old-fashioned two-sail boat on a golden river against a backdrop of desert, palms, pyramids, and a night-time sky with a full moon; cover of Rachel Louise Driscoll's The House of Two Sisters

Bookshelf, Summer 2025

Novels on my bookshelf, Summer 2025, historical fiction by Rachel Louise Driscoll, Kathleen Kaufman, Kate Khavari, Laurie R. King, Sarah Landenwich, and David Lewis

cplesley

Jun 20, 20255 min read