Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by the feelings stories can evoke in readers since I cried over Bridge to Terabithia in middle school. From the time I was twelve, I’ve sought snapshots in time that ooze with a strong sense of place and flawed characters to capture my heart when reading. I’ve found well-researched historic Gothic family sagas to be the most consistent in delivering that raw emotional bond between the setting/characters and reader. As a writer, I strive to recreate what I crave when reading. The historic Gothic family sagas I’ve chosen represent an array of characters you will love—or love to hate—and cry over.


I wrote

Perilous Confessions

By Carrie Dalby,

Book cover of Perilous Confessions

What is my book about?

Lucy Easton, an aspiring novelist, will do anything to boost her chances at publication—including betraying her family. But when she…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Crescent Carnival

Carrie Dalby Why did I love this book?

The ultimate in historical Southern Gothic family saga is Crescent Carnival. Keyes was a bestselling author in the mid-twentieth century because of her in-depth sagas. This epic tome covers three generations of high-society New Orleans characters through their scandals and secrets from the 1890-1940s. I had to remember not to get bogged down by the historical information which showed how grounded it is in facts that enriched my knowledge about the city, state, and Mardi Gras. Instead, I focused on the characters I was rooting for—no matter if I agreed with them or not. The last quarter of the book was binge read worthy, and I used a lot of tissues.

By Frances Parkinson Keyes,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Crescent Carnival as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first of Keyes' novels set in Louisiana was Crescent Carnival, which tells the story of three generations of two intertwined families. The Breckenridges are Protestants, while the Fontaines are Catholic Louisiana Creoles. The plot hinges on the way that pride and misfortune conspire with cultural and political differences to keep prospective lovers from marrying. The cycle of failure only ends when two people have the courage to defy the odds and accept their love for each other. Carnival celebrations and Mardi Gras parades form the backdrop of many scenes. Captures the social mores, Carnival season, and the French Quarter…


Book cover of The Vines of Yarrabee

Carrie Dalby Why did I love this book?

Dorothy Eden was well-known as a Gothic/Thriller Romance author fifty-plus years ago, but her family sagas are where her skills really shine. The Vines of Yarrabee had me scared to keep reading because I knew tragedy was coming, but I couldn’t stop reading because I was invested in the less-than-perfect characters—most of whom I was angry over for much of the story. These fictional humans are tucked in a rich setting I could see, hear, feel, smell, and taste. I learned a lot about Australia and its settlers in the 1800s, but it’s the people in the story that I still carry with me, several years after reading it.

By Dorothy Eden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Vines of Yarrabee as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SYNOPSIS: "Eugenia was a cultivated, aristocratic English woman who married Gilbert, the plantation and vineyard owner. But Eugenia had trouble adjusting to many aspects of plantation life that her husband takes in enthusiastic stride - the convict slave laborers, the ever-present danger of vengeful escapes, the suffocating summer heat, and the merciless winters. Both husband and wife find outside satisfaction - him from the attractive downstairs maid and Eugenia from the itinerant artist, who will alter the existence of all those at Yarrabee."


Book cover of Captains and the Kings

Carrie Dalby Why did I love this book?

Caldwell opened my eyes not only to aspects of American history I wasn’t familiar with, but current politics with this heavy saga. Captains and the Kings highlighted the plight of Irish immigrants in the mid-1800s and then widened the scope to show the follies of the social classes, political corruption, and greed into the new century. True events and historical figures are woven into this fictional tapestry with such skill that everything seems plausible. I ended the read fearful for our future, like I’d typically get from reading a dystopian novel. It’s an intense read needing tissues, a search engine for looking up historical tidbits you might not be familiar with, and possibly a dictionary. The book haunts me to this day—in a good, though horrific, way.


By Taylor Caldwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Captains and the Kings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Bestseller: Sweeping from the 1850s through the early 1920s, this towering family saga examines the price of ambition and power.

Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh is twelve years old when he gets his first glimpse of the promised land of America through a dirty porthole in steerage on an Irish immigrant ship. His long voyage, dogged by tragedy, ends not in the great city of New York but in the bigoted, small town of Winfield, Pennsylvania, where his younger brother, Sean, and his infant sister, Regina, are sent to an orphanage. Joseph toils at whatever work will pay…


Book cover of The Thorn Birds

Carrie Dalby Why did I love this book?

Setting is a looming character in Gothic stories of all types, and the harsh Australian landscape of the early 1900s featured in The Thorn Birds is no exception. While reading, I often felt the need to shower to clean the dust, smoke, and grime that the characters were experiencing off of me. Characters in sagas are like family: you don’t have to like them to care about them. While I couldn’t personally relate to any of the main players, I was invested in their drama until the end. And, yes, I cried for them as well. All the feels!

By Colleen McCullough,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Thorn Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A phenomenal worldwide bestseller since 1977 THE THORN BIRDS is a robust, romantic saga of three generations. It begins in the early years of this century when Paddy Cleary moves his wife and seven children to Drogheda, an Australian sheep station, owned by his autocratic and childless older sister. For more than half a century we follow their fates, particularly those of Meggie, the only Cleary daughter, and the one man she truly loves, Ralph de Bricassart - stunningly handsome, ambitious, and a priest. As background to the Cleary family's lives there is the land itself: relentless in its demands,…


Book cover of The Prince of Eden

Carrie Dalby Why did I love this book?

The seven-book saga featuring the Eden family by Marilyn Harris is an amazing read, but I found The Prince of Eden to be the most moving. Not only is Edward Eden the most likable (though still questionable) of the men in the family, the book sheds light on an era of British history I wasn’t very familiar with, the 1830s-50s. I became a spectator of the social unrest, opium dens, and more within these pages. The fictional characters move alongside historical people and events, leaving their own footprints in the world of possibility within this emotional read.

By Marilyn Harris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Prince of Eden as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Young Edward Eden, maverick and social reformer who befriends the lowly of London, greatly disturbs his family by selling off parts of the Eden estate to help his friends and by seeking comfort for his personal sorrow in opium


Explore my book 😀

Perilous Confessions

By Carrie Dalby,

Book cover of Perilous Confessions

What is my book about?

Lucy Easton, an aspiring novelist, will do anything to boost her chances at publication—including betraying her family. But when she crosses paths with the charismatic Alexander Melling, her aspiration for success pales in comparison to the attraction she feels towards him.

Alexander is a young lawyer from a powerful family, striving to free himself from his father’s shadow. The more time he spends with Lucy, the more desperate he becomes to shed the secrets of his past—a past that can destroy both himself and the woman he’s falling in love with. From gossip magazines to gleaming Mardi Gras balls, Lucy and Alex navigate the Edwardian era in the Deep South with both passion and guilt.

Book cover of Crescent Carnival
Book cover of The Vines of Yarrabee
Book cover of Captains and the Kings

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Book cover of Edge of the Known World

Sheri T. Joseph Author Of Edge of the Known World

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Sheri's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Edge of the Known World is a near-future love and adventure story about a brilliant young refugee caught in era when genetic screening tests like 23AndMe make it impossible to hide a secret identity. The novel is distributed by Simon & Schuster. It is a USA Today Bestseller and 2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in multiple categories, including Best New Fiction, Political Thriller, and Science Fiction: General.

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By Sheri T. Joseph,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Edge of the Known World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fans of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake will be swept away by this riveting speculative fiction adventure and love story about family, genetic privacy, and the onrushing future of surveillance technology.

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