If you love historical fiction, try this list out for your 2026 to-read challenge: If you love opera and the canals of Venice, you’ll love ‘ Poinsettia Girl’ by Jennifer Wizbowski; If you love ‘Poinsettia Girl’ you’ll adore more Italian opera history with ‘Viva Violetta & Verdi ’ by Howard Jay Smith; For more inspiring Italian historical fiction, and if you loved ‘Viva Violetta & Verdi’, you’ll want to set your calendar for the release of Mary Thurlow’s art-inspired novel ‘