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    5 Comments

    1. sparkybird1750 on

      Symphony for the City of the Dead by M. T. Anderson- biography of Shostakovich, a composer who worked throughout Stalin’s regime. It’s fascinating and reads like a thriller- you get a lot of insight into the Social Realism art movement, the general history of the time, and especially Shosty’s 7th Symphony and the role it played in the Siege of Leningrad (the longest siege in recorded history). Ironically, the motivations of Shostakovich himself were often unclear because his life and work were so tragically and intimately entertwined with propaganda and the goverment, which provides a ton of food for thought throughout. It sounds complicated but is actually a very accessible and informative read.

      Probably more information than you needed, but I genuinely could go on about this hyper specific niche area all day 🙂

    2. Diligent-Mirror-1799 on

      I’m hyperfixating on Medieval religious horror. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman got me hooked. Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror by Mitchell Lüthi was great and scary. I’m starting Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh. Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff is adjacent to genre, fantasy instead of historical. Slewfoot by Brom is on my tbr, even though its after the Medieval era but it fits the vibe.

    3. Consistent-Dingo-101 on

      Not a history, but fairly niche nonfiction: I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong – a fascinating look at the human microbiome. Plus Yong is a tremendous writer!

    4. Ilona Andrews Innkeeper Chronicles –A magic Inn, space werewolves and vampires, a lot of really unique aliens, mystery, romance, action, a fun and humorous series

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