I've been a little MIA lately due to illness and travel, so I'm playing catch up. I spent a fun extended weekend in Utah, though, attending the largest family history conference in the world: RootsTech by FamilySearch. Since it's not a bookish event, I wasn't going to mention it, but then I realized that a couple of the featured speakers had authored books in addition to doing whatever other cool things they do. The host, Kirby Heyborne, isn't a writer, but he is an actor, musician, comedian, motivational speaker, and an award-winning audiobook narrator. Steve Young, a retired pro football player who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, was interviewed by Kirby. He's the author of a few non-fiction books, including, most recently, The Law of Love and The Law of Love In Action. I haven't read anything by Young, but I've heard good things about both of these titles. We also heard from the incredible Tara Roberts, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, who has spent the last seven years diving with and chronicling the experiences of a Black scuba team that searches for slave shipwrecks. She's a bookworm, an editor, a content creator, and the author of a memoir I really want to read called Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home and Belonging. My favorite guests at RootsTech are not authors, but they're talented Irish dancers, the Gardiner Brothers. They were super fun to watch! 

A friend of ours owns Peach & Bee Honey. She mentioned that some of her products were for sale in the gift store at the Salt Palace, where the conference is always held, so my husband and I hied off to do pick up a little souvenier from the Beehive State. In addition to yummy honey products, the shop also had a Little Free Library! I snatched up a crisp, new-looking hardcover of The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny. It's the 19th installment in the Armand Gamache mystery series, which I love. I'm behind on the series, but I'll get to this one eventually. 

Because I was busy getting ready for my trip last week, I missed Top Ten Tuesday. The topic was a Genre Freebie. I was sorry to miss it, so that's what I'm going to do today, even though the prompt du jour is: Top Ten Book Titles Featuring Ordinal Numbers. As always, TTT is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl. 

1. Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven (published January 6)—It's 1964 and the Newman family has been the darling of American television for two decades. Although they play perfect versions of themselves on screen, each of the Newmans is struggling with maintaining their flawless image. With ratings falling, Dinah Newman—the matriarch—decides its time to bring the show to an end. Will she have the courage to go out with truth and integrity or will the family be forced to continue living a lie?

2. Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson (available February 10)—Centered on themes of race and identity, this novel tells the stories of several main characters: 

7. The Moonlight Runner by Karen Robards (available March 24)—Set in Ireland in 1918, this novel features a young nurse who treats wounded soldiers and the boy she loves, who has taken up gunrunning to support the rebellion. When Rynn hears rumors of a British offense being planned against the gunrunners, she hurries out at midnight to warn her boyfriend, only to find herself caught up in a shocking turn of events that propels her down a terrifying path that leaves her fighting for survival in a world torn apart by war.

8. The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (available May 5)—Ever since loving The Help, I've been waiting for another book to come out by this author. I'm in the middle of reading an e-ARC of The Calamity Club, and I'm enjoying it. The story moves veeerrrrryyyy slowly. Stockett's writing is colorful and engaging, so the book isn't boring, but it definitely takes its time getting anywhere. I thought my Kindle was lying to me when it said it would take me 14 hours to read this door stopper. Nope! The print version is 656 pages long.

The story is about a group of women from different walks of life who band together in 1933 Mississippi to face a host of challenges, including economical, emotional, marital, and everything in between.

9. The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung (available May 5)—It's 1950 and Chinese American journalist Ellie Chang is on a military flight headed into the mountains of North Korea to cover a battle when her plane is shot down. Surrounded by the enemy, she fears the worst. When a woman saves her by claiming Ellie is her long-lost daughter, she's relieved. Determined to get herself and her rescuers to safety, the journalist leads them on a journey south, one that will also hopefully lead the family to their real missing daughter.

10. Up From the Ashes by Sharon Cameron (available October 26)—This YA novel is based on the true story of a Jewish couple who meet and fall in love during World War II while imprisoned in Holland's Sobibor death camp. When the prisoners come up with a daring plan to escape Sobibor, the duo must decide what they're willing to risk for freedom—and for each other.

There you go, ten 2026 historical novels that I'm looking forward to reading. Have you read any of them? Which new historicals are you excited about? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

I'm a little bit late to the party today, but I didn't want to miss out on my favorite weekly blog event. This week's topic is a fun one, too: Top Ten Books With Honorifics in the Title (submitted by Joanne over at Portobello Book Blog). You don't find this trend much in my favorite genre (mystery/thriller), but it's more prevalent in my second fave (historical fiction). We'll see if I can come up with a list of ten. It's going to be a bit tough, methinks...

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce—I've already read this delightful historical novel about an advice columnist dispensing wisdom during World War II, but there are now a few sequels, the newest of which comes out in August. I need to reread this first installment and then continue with the series.  

2. A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant—The titular character of this mystery is a Jamaican nurse living in England who has many talents. She's working with a community of Black investors when a John Doe is discovered, a Bible verse the only clue as to what happened and whodunit. The discovery takes Miss Hortense back to her long-hidden past. It's up to her to solve the killing without destroying the life she's built in England in the process. 

3. Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Ella MacNeal—The first in a historical mystery series, this novel introduces Maggie Hope, a brilliant young woman who's as smart and capable as anyone in British intelligence. Because of her gender, the only job she's qualified for at No. 10 Downing Street is a typist. It's not long before her superiors recognize her real abilities and start giving her assignments that will put her and everyone she loves in grave danger.

4. The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull—In this historical novel, the heartbreaking story of Russia's royal Romanov family is told through the eyes of Olga, one of Anastasia's sisters. 

5. Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder by Catherine Lloyd—Another series opener, this book features Lady Caroline, who's left penniless after her father's suspicious murder. She takes a position as a lady's maid in an odd household where suspicious things are happening, including the murder of a family member. Along with the lady of the house, Caroline investigates the murder.

6. The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé—As indicated by its title, this novel tells the story of Madeleine Talmage Force, the 17-year-old socialite who attracted the attention of 46-year-old, recently divorced John Jacob "Jack" Astor and married him in 1911. The scandal became the talk of the town. After honeymooning in Egypt, they boarded Titanic for their journey home, only to meet with disaster...

7. The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr—Screen legend Lena Browning is known for her glamorous Hollywood roles. No one knows the truth about her past as a Polish Jew who fought with the Resistance to take down the Nazis. When someone in her present threatens to expose her, everything—and everyone—she loves comes under threat. It's up to her to protect her family and her secrets.

8. The Lady and Her Quill by Ruth A. Casie—This historical mystery/romance features two feuding authors who are competing against each other in a challenge to determine who is the more talented writer and the more skilled detective.

9. Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin—The first in a new cozy series, this mystery introduces Kausar Khan who returns to Toronto after thirty years in order to help her daughter, who has been accused of murdering her hated landlord. Kausar soon discovers that the killing is only one of a number of crimes that have occurred lately in her old neighborhood. What is going on? She's determined to find out and clear her daughter's name in the process.

10. Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray—Frances Perkins was a formiddable woman who was determined to make a difference by enacting societal change. When she met Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a young lawyer with an outsized ego, she was not impressed. Unbeknownst to both of them, the two would form a powerful, unlikely partnership, one that would take them both to the White House. This novel tells Frances' story.

I had to repeat a few honorifics, but I made it to ten. Phew! Have you read any of these? Which titles with honorifics did you feature on your list today? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.