Mad & Bad, REal Heroines of the Regency by Bea Koch, 261 pages

 Regency England is a world immortalized by Jane Austen and Lord Byron in their beloved novels and poems. The popular image of the Regency continues to be mythologized by the hundreds of romance novels set in the period, which focus almost exclusively on wealthy, white, Christian members of the upper classes.

But there are hundreds of fascinating women who don't fit history books limited perception of what was historically accurate for early 19th century England. Women like Dido Elizabeth Belle, whose mother was a slave but was raised by her white father's family in England, Caroline Herschel, who acted as her brother's assistant as he hunted the heavens for comets, and ended up discovering eight on her own, Anne Lister, who lived on her own terms with her common-law wife at Shibden Hall, and Judith Montefiore, a Jewish woman who wrote the first English language Kosher cookbook.

As one of the owners of the successful romance-only bookstore The Ripped Bodice, Bea Koch has had a front row seat to controversies surrounding what is accepted as "historically accurate" for the wildly popular Regency period. Following in the popular footsteps of books like Ann Shen's Bad Girls Throughout History, Koch takes the Regency, one of the most loved and idealized historical time periods and a huge inspiration for American pop culture, and reveals the independent-minded, standard-breaking real historical women who lived life on their terms. She also examines broader questions of culture in chapters that focus on the LGBTQ and Jewish communities, the lives of women of color in the Regency, and women who broke barriers in fields like astronomy and paleontology. In Mad and Bad, we look beyond popular perception of the Regency into the even more vibrant, diverse, and fascinating historical truth. 

A Little House Sampler by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane and William Anderson, 243 pages

 Beloved by generations of readers for the books that inspired the popular television series Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder was the mother of Rose Wilder Lane, famous in the 1920s and '30s and now being rediscovered as the author of such novels as Free Land and Old Home Town. It was Rose who encouraged Laura to begin her writing career when she was in her sixties. William T. Anderson has brought together dozens of their autobiographical writings from old newspapers and magazines, and has included some material never before published, in A Little House Sampler. Arranged chronologically, with introductions by Anderson, these articles, short stories, essays, and poems tell the story of Laura's life from her pioneer girlhood in Wisconsin to her old age, when admirers beat a path to the door of her Missouri farmhouse. Rose's life unfolds in these pages as she describes her early memories of Dakota Territory, her departure from the family farm in the Ozarks to pursue a big-city career, and her later literary use of the old home place. As the generations pass in the Sampler, the topics change from log cabins to English-style Ozark cottages, from covered wagons to Buicks, from feeding chickens to writing for the Country Gentleman — but always they reveal the individual viewpoints of two strong-minded, high-spirited women.

So You Think You're a Bookworm? by Jo Hoare, 64 pages

 From The Book Thief and The Binger to The Scholar and The Sci-Fi Lover—read all about over 20 different types of bookworm.

Ever find yourself mainlining coffee at work in an effort to stay awake after a late night with a page-turner you just couldn’t put down? Does the thought of being stuck on a train/plane/bus without a book fill you with more existential angst than a Camus novel? Were you too traumatized to leave your bed for days after finishing The Time Traveler’s Wife? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then chances are you’re a book lover, but what kind of bibliophile are you? Perhaps you’re The Cryer, who doesn’t enjoy a story until at least a pint of real tears have been shed. Or maybe you’re The Adulterer, who struggles to commit and never has less than four books on the go, or The Abuser, whose “treat ’em mean” attitude leads to turned-down corners, broken spines, and water-damaged pages. With over 20 hilarious bookworm profiles, you’re sure to spot a good few character traits that any member of the literati will recognize. While we won’t claim it’s as funny as a Philip Roth novel, So You Think You’re a Bookworm? will definitely raise a smile or two.

Evil Women: Deadlier Than the Male by John Marlowe, 303 pages

 Many people find it impossible to believe women are capable of committing brutal murders just like men, but this book shows otherwise. Katherine Knight donned a black negligee before stabbing her lover John Price 37 times, then serving up his corpse for dinner with baked potatoes, pumpkin and all the trimmings. Sue Basso became supermarket packer Buddy Musso's 'lady love', but his dreams of happiness were shredded when she and her friends tortured him to death for a paltry $15,000 life insurance policy. Shelly Michael injected her husband with a drug that led to death by slow suffocation, then she set their house on fire. Each of the cases documented here makes for a chilling read, proving that the female really can be deadlier than the male.

Supernatural Serial Killers: Chilling Cases of Paranormal Bloodlust and Deranged Fantasy by Samantha Lyon & Dr. Daphne Tan, 304 pages

 Albert Fish held the genuine belief that the murders he committed were upon instruction from God. Peter Stumpp, who started practising the "wicked arts from twelve years of age," was convinced he was a werewolf. There are many more murderous individuals like them. Supernatural Serial Killers explores the association between serial killers and the supernatural. The crimes committed by these men and women usually involved sexual deviance, cannibalism and violence toward children. In sixteenth century Europe, the problem became so significant that 'Werewolf Witch Trials' were conducted many have no idea that it was possible to be tried and convicted for the crime of being a Werewolf, but Lycanthropy was a serious and major social concern in the 1500s. In this book, approximately twenty supernatural serial killers are discussed, including their background, crimes, trials and defences. Using the latest scientific research, this book explains such phenomena as blood drinking, sadomasochism, the borrowing of other people s identities, how killers come to believe they are supernatural beings and much besides. 

A Rare Benedictine by Ellis Peters, 150 pages

 Peters has gained worldwide praise for her meticulous re-creations of 12th-century monastic life. Here, her chronicles continue with a Christmas story, a tale of robbery and attempted murder, and a narrative of Brother Cadfael's early years.

The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes, 382 pages

 Inspired by the true story of a daring deception that plunges a courageous young woman deep into the horrors of a Nazi POW camp to be with the man she loves.

In the dead of night, a Czech farm girl and a British soldier travel through the countryside. Izabela and prisoner of war Bill have secretly married and are on the run, with Izzy dressed as a man. The young husband and wife evade capture for as long as possible--until they are cornered by Nazi soldiers with tracking dogs.

Izzy's disguise works. The couple are assumed to be escaped British soldiers and transported to a POW camp. However, their ordeal has just begun, as they face appalling living conditions and the constant fear of Izzy's exposure. But in the midst of danger and deprivation comes hope, for the young couple are befriended by a small group of fellow prisoners. These men become their new family, willing to jeopardize their lives to save Izzy from being discovered and shot.

The Prisoner's Wife tells of an incredible risk, and of how our deepest bonds are tested in desperate times. Bill and Izzy's story is one of love and survival against the darkest odds.