I finished only 3 in June, when I usually manage 4-6, so I have fewer to choose from and none of them was really anything to write home about, unfortunately. Hopefully July will be better. What about you?

Do you prefer stories centred on major historical events with significant historical figures as major characters? Or do you lean more towards stories about more 'ordinary' people who lived in the past? What's a favourite book that falls into the category you prefer?

We do have a rule against self-promotion in this community. (Thank you, everyone, for sticking to it and helping to make this community great. It's much appreciated!) But I thought we could have the *occasional* post where members can share their stuff, whatever it may be. So have at it! Comment on this post (and only on this post!) and share your website, social media, Skool community, links to your books, Substack, etc... whatever you like! It doesn't have to be HF-related. Two requirements: (1) Tell people what to expect. So if you post your Substack newsletter or your IG or your Skool community, tell us what it's about. Don't expect people to have to go look at your link to find out. Let them know if they might be interested. If it's about cooking, writing memoir, travel, makeup, business, photography, reviewing horror novels, whatever... tell us what it's about. (2) Don't just drop a comment and run. Check out other people's stuff. Read through the other comments, like them, and — if you're interested in the description — check out their links. Enjoy 😊

I'm reading Mirrors & Smoke by our member @Adrienne Stevenson for fiction. It's about a herbalist and midwife in Niagara, Upper Canada, before and during the War of 1812. For non-fiction, I'm re-reading The Pinks by Chris Enss. It's about the first women detectives in the Pinkerton Detective Agency in the 19th century. Do you read outside when the weather's nice? I always like the *idea* of it, but rarely do it these days, even though I used to love reading in parks when I was a student.

I'm in a Facebook group that does this with literary fiction, and I think it's kinda fun. Even well-loved, super-popular, award-winning books have their serious haters! 😂 This is historical fiction. All guesses are encouraged (no googling, though!). This is meant to be fun. Don't be dismayed if you disagree with the review. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors were copied directly from the review. I’ll post the correct answer tomorrow (6th May 2026). ⭐ A glimpse into [Main Character]’s life and also the lives of her friends, family and neighbors. [Main Character] is a midwife in 1789 and is privy to the town’s secrets. Things are about to get salty. Oh, my. Everyone loves this book and it’s an understatement to say I did not. I’m still cringing and rolling my eyes. The weird thing is I’m a feminist and a liberal, but this is sadly over the top. I dislike being preached to, and there are 432 pages of that here. Maybe there are people out there who need to be told what’s right from wrong. I’m not one of them. The pacing is glacial at best and the writing felt a little lazy and immature. The murder mystery being solved by this caped crusader is so very slow. The main character is overly preachy and although the story takes place in 1789, she miraculously has command of a 2024 vernacular. 🙄 ⭐ What do think? What's the book? (In this case, if you can think of only the title, but not the author, that's ok!)