One of my favorite books ever. Suzanne Clark’s prose is top drawer and the story…love the story. Before reading it I would definitely have walked upon the fairy roads. Not so sure now 🙂
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Also, The Pillars of the Earth and The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. Plus the Outlander series. I could go on and on!
The Kitchen House, Glory Over Everything, The Book Thief, The Silent Companions, Beloved, The Thorn Birds, Lonesome Dove, Their Eyes Were Watching God, All the Light We Cannot See.
Where to start? Pillars of the Earth, Winds of War, War & Remembrance, The Book Thief, Mila 18, Wolf Hall, The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See.
Harvard Yard, Cape Cod, and Back Bay are all great books written by William Martin. While all those books are centered in Massachusetts history, he has others ranging from the Constitution, Wall Street, to Annapolis or the Gold Rush. Fast paced, fun reads. Kind of Dan Brown-like. Some of my favorites.
I will give you my top authors for historical fiction… Sharon Kay Penman Margret George Ken Follet John Jakes David Liss Helen Hollick Diana Gabaldon Wilbur Smith Sarah Donati Ann Weir
Starting with Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer and going on through Eloisa James and Julia Quinn at a few others Regency Romances. Years ago I read a series centered around one family and Williamsburg, Virginia but I can’t remember the author right off hand.. But it was a good view of American history from the colonial times up thru WWI
@Monica I didn’t find the name of the series on Amazon but I did find the author: Els wyth Thane. The first on is Dawn’s Early Light. And another thing in goes up to the WWII not WWI
There are so many….where do I begin? My favorite kind of reading! Ken Follett, Alison Weir, Phillipa Gregory, the Nightengale by Hannah, depends on the setting you are looking for?
I’ve read most of them. A dismal time period for the commoner in England. The gruesome jails and near starvation described in the novels is quite graphic. I also love the Outlander series, where the woman is the central character, and Jamie is the beloved.
Not thinking about it, although it was my first long novel I couldn’t put down. This was before there was the broadway musical. Now, I can’t think about it, without hearing the music playing.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of the best books I have come across. I have read it several times and find new things to love.
OOPS – You are correct I read so much of their work in the 1960’s and 70’s it is hard remember which one wrote which book. The list of historical fiction I have read is in the hundreds as a result of tackling this around age 9 or 10.
Boy, now you all have done it! Historical fiction is my favorite genre. Taking this thread to the top and getting out my paper and pencil. I am 68 and there may not be enough time for me to read all the books I want to read.?
? I am doing the same thing! I am not feeling well today so as I am listening to the Maggie Hope Series on auto books from the on line library as I make my list. The first book that got me hooked and looking for more Historical Fictions was by Tess Garritsen’s called “The Bone Garden “. It was so good!
Oliver Wiswell by Kenneth Roberts. Great book on the American Revolution from the loyalist perspective. Read it as a boy and have enjoyed it again since.
The Savannah Quartet, The Florida Trilogy, and the St. Simons Trilogy by Eugenia Price triggered my love for historical Fiction over 30 years ago. I loved every book of hers I read and they are all set in the south
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert (about the leprosy colony in Hawaii) is a wonderful novel that comes full circle. I’m so happy a coworker recommended it to me as I would have definitely missed this one!
Reading “All the Light We Cannot See” right now- it is excellent. I didn’t think I would like it based on a summary, but the structure and pace are riveting.
If you are referring to Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K Massie it is a Biography. Robert K Massie won the Pulitzer for his biography Peter the Great: His Life And Times. Massie is renowned for his History & Biography books. He won the Pulitzer because he did so much research into the records his books read almost like novels.
The Child From the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge. HF about Lucy Walter, first mistress of British King Charles II … or was she truly his lawful wife? Made me fall in love with Wales.
Outlander is historical fiction overlapping historical fiction. In my opinion, people reject it if they are unable to except the premise, of time shifting. Then, we have a male that is the love object, with the woman moving the plot. It’s what I love about it..radically different from a male point of view.
I haven’t read the rest, but my dad owns the entire collection so when I needed a historical fiction for a history class in high school he gave me the first one and I loved it! I never read the rest of them, but I’ve always meant to. By now I’d have to reread it, I barely remember it, I only remember loving it from start to finish.
@Carly yes I am ….. no issue with that at all. I create shelves on Goodreads but also create collections on my Kindle,….. have also recently started journaling where I write about a page of info on setting, characters,plot, and position in a series if applicable and of course an overall opinion of the book! I am a recently retired school teacher and may be getting carried away
The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett – about Scotland – I think he’s 14yo in the beginning of the story – he goes to many countries (4 books). The Angelique series by Sergeanne Golon (a husband/wife effort) (10 books). You may not find them easily, I read these 40 years ago.
I don’t feel I’ve read a huge amount of historical fiction so I have few options to pick from but I did love The Secret Life it Bees and am currently reading Noon at Tiffany’s, which is magnificent.
Buddha in the Attic! It’s about when America forced people of Japanese descent into camps. It’s short, but it’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. I love it!
The Maisie Dobbs series are well written, well researched and very engaging books written by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie is kinda a grown up British Nancy Drew, only better. The author focuses on WWI period, and does her research!
The help, orphan train, the underground railroad, Johnny tremaine (ya), fever 1793 (ya), Boston girl, angelas ashes, great gatsby, little women, atonement, many many others.
I haven’t read it for many years, not really sure of the name anymore. As a young teen I read it, and again in my mid to late 20’s. It was The Journeyer or The Journeyman, something like that, written by someone Jennings. Fictitious tale of a young Marco Polo traveling the Silk Road with his uncles. Story has stayed with me all my life. Way too graphic and mature for the age I first read it, but I turned out??
Leon Uris’ Exodus & The Diary of Anne Frank changed my life by altering the way i saw the world and how I would live my life by teaching tolerance and fighting prejudice.
Cane river by lalita tademy montana 1948 by Larry Watson in the time of butterflies by Julia Alvarez the kitchen boy by Robert Alexander the madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean heretic’s daughter by Kathleen Kent
Great question! This is my favorite genre by far. I’d add The Josephine Bonaporte trilogy from Sandra Gulland, Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernières, The Memoirs of Cleopatra – Margaret George, Suite Francaise – Irene Nemirovsky, The Last Days of Night – Graham Moore, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena – Anhony Mara
I also loved Pachinko,, Nicholas & Alexandra, and Homegoing.
@Kristen I loved it so much that I still think about those characters months after finishing the book. A fascinating read – I wish I could read it again for the first time
Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun and Love and Ruin. Two books about martha Jefferson Randolph: Monticello and America’s First Daughter. And of course, My Dear Hamilton
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. It’s a wonderful book. I started War and Remembrance as soon as I finished W of W but put it down half way through and never picked it up again. The treatment of the Jews was described so graphically.
War and Remembrance is a difficult read, but so worth it! I also put it down years ago, but I recently picked it back up and read it. Not a only did I learn more about World War 2 than I ever learned in school, but I enjoyed revisiting the characters from The Winds of War.
I just read The Secret Life of Mrs. London, The Mermaid, and The Game of Hope. Widely different time periods but really enjoyable. Past favorites include Scarlet Petal and The White, Mistress of Rome, Gladiatrix, Gone With The Wind, Outlander, The Book of Eleanor, Time Traveler’s Wife.
It’s usually the last one I read. I’m currently into a trilogy by Jeff Shaara, although Michael Shaara wrote the first one which is KILLER ANGELS. This isthe retelling of the battle at Gettysburg.
Andi Reads: Please help me with Pillars of the Earth. I have tried to get through it and am struggling. I find it plodding. I am only 200 pages in and trying to decide why I should continue.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Cry of the Peacock The Dovekeepers was decent. Lots of those that have already been mentioned above. Poisonwood Bible Cleopatra’s Sister
Three Sisters, Three Queens; The Constant Princess; The White Queen; and the White Princess all by Philippa Gregory or Nefertiti; The Heretic Queen; and Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran!
This thread was so fun to follow! I learned so much from other readers. I find it so interesting how varied our tastes in reading can be. I have been reading Historical Fiction since 2010 when we listened to Tess Gerritsen’s The Bone Garden on a long motorcycle trip through the west coast. I recently finished the Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy. I am now involved in the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal, and finishing the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris. These are some of my favorites that have not been mentioned in this thread: Between Shades of Gray by Ruth Sepetys, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, The Todd Family series by Kate Atkinson, The Women In The Castle by Jessica Shattuck, The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff, Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, The Leo Demidov series by Tom Rob Smith, War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan, The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure, The Girl In The Blue Coat by Monica Hesse, The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel, A Piece Of The World by Christina Baker Kline (I like all of her books), The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor, The Coughlin Series by Dennis Lehane, The Gilead Series by Marilynne Robinson, The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman, Turtle In Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm, Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford, The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa, The Stars Are Fire, Stella Bain and others by Anita Shreve, The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavrial Savit, The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan, (so good), Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin, The Great War Series by Jennifer Robson, and books Patricia Reilly Giff’s who are for girls around 10 and up, I enjoyed them too. ?
The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent. A story about the Salem witch trials told from the point of view of the daughter of Martha Carrier, one of the accused. And, fun fact: the author is a direct descendant of Martha Carrier. Incredible book! ?
I will have to read that one next. I just discovered Alice Hoffman a year or so ago. I could easily binge read her books but I have been trying to behave and not read them all at once. LOL
Trilogy written by Ken Follett “Winter of the World” is one of them. The books are truly incredible. The characters are so real and close to you, when you finish the book, you miss them and think about them as tho they were real. The story has been carefully researched for accuracy. You realize what your parents, grandparents, etc., went through during the World Wars.
I must have picked up my hard copy of this book at a library or yard sale, I can’t remember, but I keep seeing it on my shelf and thinking I really should read it!
I love them! It started with Gone With the Wind when I was in high school, but now I am into WWII with Lilac Girls, War Brides, The Race to Paris, Nightengale…..and the list goes on.
Any book by Edward Rutherfurd…especially ‘New York’ which actually gave me a clue to my family tree within the first sixty pages! I love all his historical novels! http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/new-york
I just saw a trade paperback copy of this in great condition at the yard sale for a quarter and I snatched it up so fast! Now if I could only stay out of the library long enough to read what I actually buy! ?
Anything written by Michener also, The Nightingale, Poldark series, Children of the Earth series that sent me to the Museum of Man and other sites to learn more about pre-historic man. There are so many, I love history and historical fiction.
Rutherfurd, Philippa Gregory, Wolf Hall and Bring Out the Bodies, Pillars of the Earth and World Withput End, the Alice Network, the nightingale, the passion of artemisia, pope joan, the red tent…I’m sure I’ll think of more later….
I remember some good books by Anya Seton. The are not available for download from my library. I sure hope they still have the books in tHe library. I want to read them again!
The Covenant by James Michener. I read it decades ago but when I traveled to South Africa 3 years ago, I found I remembered so much that it informed my understanding of what happened there especially in relation to Apartheid and the British occupiers as well. I could go on and on. It’s a remarkable book. I lived most of my adult life in Alaska but grew up in Colorado. Michener got both states right.
Mary, Called Magdalene; Cain River; Ragtime; Yellow Crocus; The Kitchen House; Cold Sassy Tree; Cry to Heaven; People of the Book; The Nightingale–I love historical fiction!!!
Dear Mrs. Bird, The Chillbury Ladies Choir, Radio Girls, The Summer Before The War, Calling Me Home, Echo, Salt to the Sea, The Help, The Secret Lives of Bees, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, When We Meet Again, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand…oh so many good ones!!!
I just finished America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie. I love historical fiction. What good insight to what it was to be a woman in those times, and a look at Thomas Jefferson’s life.
The Nightingale, Gone with the Wind, Longbourn by Jo Baker, Memoirs of a Giesha, Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn, The Girl From the Paradise Ballroom. I’m sure I have more…
I am totally enjoying listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—I hope I got the name correct. The movie was cute. The novel is wonderful.
Water for Elephants was great, so is: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick.
@Viola, Kite Runner and all his books are very powerful aren’t they? There is a second part of Unbroken coming out in a video. It’s telling the next part of his journey.
@Kelly A Thousand Splendid Suns was also wonderful, I haven’t read his most recent books. Thanks for the head up about the video sequel to Unbroken. I will put Sea Prayer on my list.
Powerful! Disturbing! Haunting! I had to take a break from it a couple of times but was able to finish it. WOW what a story. It was several weeks before I could start another book!
@Carol thank you for the correction I actually knew that but for reason typed John Irving (one of my favorite authors) must have more coffee enjoy your day!
We loved his Honor Bound Series. ? We listened to it on audiobooks and it was exciting and so very funny. I will have to make sure I listen to his other books too. ?
Thoroughly enjoyed Doc & Epitaph (two separate books) by Mary Daria Russell-a most detailed & accurate retelling of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral saga. She turned a real-life brief shootout into a captivating read.
@Cathleen Hi, I’m glad that you are a fan of Taylor Caldwell, However, the Taylor Caldwell I was speaking of is a woman writer, born in England and immigrated to America, unfortunately passed on from cancer. My favorite novel of hers is “Dear and Glorious Physician” another is “Dialogues with the Devil”. I must say that I love your memories of your mother’s service, they would make a great story full of romance and adventure and I would love to read about her.
@Cathleen A lot of great writers WWII era. If you know what ship your mom served on, maybe you could track down the writer that your mum knew from the crew manifest. Again, sounds like a great story! Perhaps, your memories are your cue to write it!
I read Jackie as Editor–it was absolutely incredible! she was an incredibly talented, kind, generous, brilliant woman! Did you read this one? I really recommend it!
I just gave my Sharon Kay Penman books to my sister. I don’t know that I have had any by the rest. I have John Jakes, some Grisham. and a lot of biographies.
Red River Story by Alfred Silver, is out of print but a great read. Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, The Sunne in Splendor….by Sharon Kay Penman and Mists of Avalon, Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley all good reads.
I think I read more historical fiction as a kid. Anne of Green Gables and Where the Red Fern Grows were two favorites. I also like reading historical fiction about different cultures–to learn their history that maybe wasn’t covered in our textbooks. Two that are YA but very good for any age are Esperanza Rising and When We Were Free.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys- fantastic read for teens and adults alike. It‘s set toward the end of WWII and is partly based on an event in the author’s family and an event covered up by the German and Russian governments.
Melissa Mahoney, I really liked the ones that have to do with life in China and then moving to US. The parts during the Mao years are very intense and sad.
A few I’ve really enjoyed are: A Marriage of Opposites, the Dovekeepers, Circling the Sun, Loving Frank, and Mary Coin. I am sure there are more, but those were the 1st to come to mind. I also enjoyed the Outlander series.
Purchased a copy for my branch library when it came out. Thought I and some of the Italian community might enjoy it. We were delighted when it hit the NYT best seller list.
@Bea l read the whole text last year and loved it…but an abridged edition would be good for someone who wishes to read the story of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Éponine, Marius, etc. without all the filler such as several pages devoted to the history of cheese making in France that has little to do with the story. I enjoy the details, but l know some that would find the unabridged edition too daunting.
The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Started reading it when it 1st came out & have re- read it at least 6x’s & the series on STARZ is Fantastic too !!
Thank goodness I had retired when I saw the first episode of Outlander on STARZ. I started reading and didn’t stop until I had finished all of them including the Lord John books and stories. Then, I started over.
@Marcia, got my husband hooked to, we listen to to audio books in the car, even on shot trips. Must have listened to to each book about 5 times. Now reading companion 2.
Ignore the side story of the granddaughter going to Spain to discover her grandmother’s story…The main story is the one told by the old bar keep (?) who knew the family during the Spanish Civil War. This well-researched novel was very healing for survivors of this tragic time period in Spain.
The Samurai’s Wife by Laura Joh Rowland. It’s a series set in medieval Japan: Bundori, Red Chrysanthemum, Snow Empress, Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria, Concubine’s Tatoo. etc.
SO so many! I LOVE Oscar de Muriel’s historical fiction set in Edinburgh. Atmospheric with a dash of Scottish humour and he’s originally from Mexico! A great mix
The Montmoray Journals series, the Flavia deluce mysteries, the Clifton Chronicles, Kane and abel series, cemetery of forgotten books series, all the light we cannot see, the thirteenth tale, the Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society
So many. All of James Michener. Gone with the Wind, Outlander , The President’s Daughter Martha Jefferson., The Tulip Eaters, Message from Nam, The Book Thief, The Nightingale,.Letters from Rifka. Oh I could go on and on. ….enough said ?
The Kent Family Chronicles, starting with The Bastard. Also WEB Griffin’s series about the military starting with The Lieutenants. Really enjoyed The Other Einstein too.
The Outlander series, by far!
Outlander.
Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Chronicles.
Robert McCammon’s Matthew Corbett series (SPEAKS THE NIGHTBIRD)
CJ Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series (DISSOLUTION)
Hild. It’s fantastic!
The Veronica Speedwell series!!
Haven’t heard of these books before! Put them on my TBR list! Sounds good!
They are amazing!
American’s First Daughter, and My Dear Hamilton.
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
Yes!
All the Light we Cannot See. The Book Thief. Lonesome Dove. Cold Mountain.
Phillipa Gregory books are well loved. One of them is coming to Starz this year.
Which one? I saw The White Queen a few years ago on I think Starz. Love her books.
@Ellen I think The Spanish Princess is coming this year, but they also are planning to do the Cousins series if I read the notice correctly.
F
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Widow of the South.
Oh I’m so glad you said this! I’ve been wanting to read it forever!!!
That was a great story!
I’ve only read one, but it was great. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Suzanne Clark
One of my favorite books ever. Suzanne Clark’s prose is top drawer and the story…love the story. Before reading it I would definitely have walked upon the fairy roads. Not so sure now 🙂
Books by Michelle Moran
And Allison Pataki
Loved Marie Antoinette by Michelle Moran as well as her Egyptian queen books.
Added to my TBR list’
Mrs. Tom Thumb
Widow of the South is very good. Salt to the Sea, also.
The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard
This year, it’s Varina by Charles Frazier.
Les Mes
The Tudor series and the cousin war series, both Phillippa Gregory, she s the reason why I fell in love with historical fiction!!!!
The entire Outlander series by Ms Gabaldon!
The Alice Network by @Kate
My Dear Hamilton
Currently reading.
Exodus by Leon Uris
All his books are fantastic. I’m partial to Trinity. Must be my Irish ☘️ ancestry.
Following
The Swan Thief
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.
Reading that now for my book club.
@Christa It’s a great story. Enjoy!
Loved it! Sad but good story. Really liked it! Read it on my own and liked it so much that I selected it for my book group this year!
@Ellen Very sad but well worth the read.
Any Rand, Ken Follett, Nelson DeMille
Wolf hall – by Hilary Mantel
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
That entire series !
I haven’t read it yet but on my TBR list!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Also, The Pillars of the Earth and The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett. Plus the Outlander series. I could go on and on!
All my favorites, too! Have you read the Bronze Horseman series by Pauline Simmons?
Also, Jeffrey Archer
No, I haven’t! I’ll look those up now. Thanks!
Hadn’t heard of him! Books look good! added to my TBR list.
Jeffrey Archer The Clifton series
@Gina absolutely love love love the Bronze Horseman series!!!
These among others
Reading Beneath A Scarlet Sky now. Added The Thief of Auschwitz to my TBR list. Have read the other two and really liked them! Great choices!
The Kitchen House, Glory Over Everything, The Book Thief, The Silent Companions, Beloved, The Thorn Birds, Lonesome Dove, Their Eyes Were Watching God, All the Light We Cannot See.
GWTW, Brendan Chronicles, The Nightingale, Beneath the Scarlet Sky
GWTW started me reading books about that historical time.
Katherine by Anya Seton. A truly great book: plague, murder, love, betrayal, redemption, etc.
I used to love Anya Seton books!
I loved that book. Would love to read it again.
@Christa I’ve read it 6 times over the decades!
I read all the Anya Seton books I could get my hands on as a teenager!
Added it to my TBR!
@Ellen I hope you can find it cuz I believe it’s outta print.
@Kay I am so excited. Found it on Amazon in Kindle version. ?
@Christa good to know!
Where to start? Pillars of the Earth, Winds of War, War & Remembrance, The Book Thief, Mila 18, Wolf Hall, The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
All soooo good!
The Nightingale and Sarah’s Key were both such amazing books!❤️ I have not yet read The Alice Network but will add it to my list!
@Melissa Definitely read The Alice Network!!!!
Katherine is a great book. Allison Weir wrote an in depth study of her life that is excellent also
Just added her books to my TBR list!
Susannah Kearsley books!
Vera Cruz by Rosalind Wright
The Book Thief, Things Fall Apart, Lonesome Dove
Harvard Yard, Cape Cod, and Back Bay are all great books written by William Martin. While all those books are centered in Massachusetts history, he has others ranging from the Constitution, Wall Street, to Annapolis or the Gold Rush. Fast paced, fun reads. Kind of Dan Brown-like. Some of my favorites.
Bernard Cromwell’s Sharpe Series and most Regency Novels by Georgette Heyer.
Dear and Glorious Physician , Taylor Caldwell
I like Alison Weir’s stuff a lot and the ne I enjoyed most was, “The Lady Elizabeth.” I’ve read other of Weir’s works and like her style a lot.
Jamie Guidry, The Six Wives of Henry VIII is one of the very best books I have ever read.
I will give you my top authors for historical fiction…
Sharon Kay Penman
Margret George
Ken Follet
John Jakes
David Liss
Helen Hollick
Diana Gabaldon
Wilbur Smith
Sarah Donati
Ann Weir
All are wonderful?
Sharon Kay Penman awesome. I was trying to see if it was on the list. 🙂
Patricia Vander Laan
Loved every one of her books… Here
be Dragons!
Yes, my aunt introduced me to her, and I read everything she had written at that point. Love her work.
@Patricia
Forgot …
James Clavell (shogun series).
Mount Vernon Love Story
Tale of Two Cities; The Book Thief; Grapes of Wrath; Slaughter House 5; The Bible
The Paris Wife.
Phillipa Gregory’s books. All of them 🙂
All the Light I Cannot See
Jack Whyte’s series ‘A dream of eagles’
Thanks. Getting from the library. So many books, so little time
Wolf Hall
Gone to Soldiers by Marge Percy
Anything by Jennifer Donnely. Her Tea Rose series is very good.
Adelsverein Trilogy
The Terror.
The Terror was so great!
Yes! I loved both the book and AMC’s adaptation.?
Time and again by jack finney
My faves- Sussana Kearsley, Ken Follett, Diana Galbadon there are more but these are my top 3.
Before We Were Yours, The Stars are FIre, Home for Unwanted Girls, the Alice Network.
Starting with Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer and going on through Eloisa James and Julia Quinn at a few others Regency Romances. Years ago I read a series centered around one family and Williamsburg, Virginia but I can’t remember the author right off hand.. But it was a good view of American history from the colonial times up thru WWI
Was it the John Jake series?
@Monica I didn’t find the name of the series on Amazon but I did find the author: Els wyth Thane. The first on is Dawn’s Early Light. And another thing in goes up to the WWII not WWI
Loving Frank, The Paris Wife, The Other Einstein.
Lauraine Snelling book series…..read in order!
I love the Brooch series by Katherine Lowery Logan. Also pillars of the earth by Ken Follet.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Jan Westcott’s The Tower and the Dream
Before We Were Yours by L. Wingate and The House of Velvet and Glass by K. Howe are two of my recent favorites.
Phillipa Greggory
Ken Follet Pillars of the Earth series; Sara Donati Wilderness series
The Tea Planter’s Wife and Lilac Girls
Beneath a scarlet sky, Rebecca s key.
Pillars of the Earth!
Love and other consolation prizes
Anya Seton, THE WINTHROP WOMAN. DEVIL WATER.
Devil in the White CIty
Awesome read! It’s nonfiction that reads like fiction
The other Boylen Girl, The Miniaturist, The Underground Railrood, The Muse
There are so many….where do I begin? My favorite kind of reading! Ken Follett, Alison Weir, Phillipa Gregory, the Nightengale by Hannah, depends on the setting you are looking for?
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Regeneration by Pat Barker
The Moreland series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. There are a bunch of them.
Trinity or anything else by Leon Uris
Trinity was excellent
French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
The Far Pavilions by MM Kaye. I was so sad when it ended because I wanted it to go on forever…
And her Shadow of the Moon was awesome as well!
Les Miserables!!!! Oh my… it is long… read it in stages, but it is so very worth it!
Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin novels.
J.G. Farrell’s Siege of Krishnapur
Frans G. Bengtsson’s The Long Ships
Ken Follett
One Thousand White Women, The Nightingale, The Alice Project, The Dove Keepers.
I loved the Dove Keepers
One thousand white women very good
Chris Bohaljian has quite a few: Sandcastle Girls, the Light in the Ruins.
Lonesome Dove
Irving Stone, Jane Austen, Khaled Hosseini, The Story Teller-Picoult, Those Who Save Us-Blum, Lisa See, Leon Uris
Just picked up The Story Teller at Half Priced Books!
Poldark series of book’s
I’ve read most of them. A dismal time period for the commoner in England. The gruesome jails and near starvation described in the novels is quite graphic. I also love the Outlander series, where the woman is the central character, and Jamie is the beloved.
@Catherine I’ve read both series, love them both!
Savannah series by Eugenia @Price
Queen Elizabeth I. What a bad ass!
Shaara, McMurtry, Mitchener, Plaidy…some authors to check out!
How can folks not be saying Les Mis? I know, I know, it’s long…. but so worth it!
Not thinking about it, although it was my first long novel I couldn’t put down. This was before there was the broadway musical. Now, I can’t think about it, without hearing the music playing.
@Catherine it is one of those books that grabbed me on so many levels. It just speaks to my soul.
Sublime. When I finished Les Mis, all I could do was walk from one room to another, sobbing. No other book has so affected me.
@JD same here…. and every time I see the movie or play.
Ken Follett
Ahab’s Wife, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Fever 1793 (young adult), The Year of the Hangman (young adult alternate history)
And of course Ken Follet
Guernsey Lit… Great book. A must read.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of the best books I have come across. I have read it several times and find new things to love.
That’s one I’m looking forward to reading!
Not All Bastards are From Vienna by Andrea Molesini
Herman Wouk
Lonesome Dove
Kate Morton books
Have read all of them and she has a new one coming out Later this year if I am not mistaken
@Susie yes!!?
I recently read The House at Riverton, and loved it
@Joan , my kids no longer ask what I want for Christmas….. Amazon gift card is a “ no brainer”?
@Susie aw yes!!! The PERFECT gift?
The Historian by Elizabeth Kastova. Nefertiti, and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran, and anything by Phillipa Gregory
The Historian was an excellent book!!
Belva Plain…”Evergreen.”
Herman Wouk wrote the best!
Mila 18 by Leon Uris
The Covenant by James Michener
Two books that started me reading a wave of HF throughout my life. A favorite genre for me………
I love Léon Uris!!
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
One of my all-time favorites
I almost forgot about this one! Excellent!!!
One of my favorite books ever!
Please let me know if anyone has a recommendation that compares.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Taylor Caldwell – correction Irving Stone – so long ago!
Irving Stone wrote The Agony and The Ecstasy
OOPS – You are correct I read so much of their work in the 1960’s and 70’s it is hard remember which one wrote which book. The list of historical fiction I have read is in the hundreds as a result of tackling this around age 9 or 10.
Reading Leon Uris in the 9th grade started me down an informative and enlightening path of HF books throughout my life.
Boy, now you all have done it! Historical fiction is my favorite genre. Taking this thread to the top and getting out my paper and pencil. I am 68 and there may not be enough time for me to read all the books I want to read.?
Will always be mine!
? I am doing the same thing! I am not feeling well today so as I am listening to the Maggie Hope Series on auto books from the on line library as I make my list. The first book that got me hooked and looking for more Historical Fictions was by Tess Garritsen’s called “The Bone Garden “. It was so good!
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Tracy Chavelier- esp The Girl with the Pearl Earring & Remarkable Creatures.
James Michenor
Diana Galbadon
Leon Uris
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks!
Outlander
I love this genre!
The Other Einstein, The Alice Network, The Designer, The Address, and A Gentleman in Moscow
I have read everyone of these books and they are all good
Oliver Wiswell by Kenneth Roberts. Great book on the American Revolution from the loyalist perspective. Read it as a boy and have enjoyed it again since.
The Savannah Quartet, The Florida Trilogy, and the St. Simons Trilogy by Eugenia Price triggered my love for historical Fiction over 30 years ago. I loved every book of hers I read and they are all set in the south
The nightingale
When I was a teen I read a lot of what were called Gothic Romances. Mary Steward wrote quite a few.
The Nightingale…The Alice Network….series about all of the Tudor wives of Henry 8th…..
Pillars of the Earth series…I forgot…
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert (about the leprosy colony in Hawaii) is a wonderful novel that comes full circle. I’m so happy a coworker recommended it to me as I would have definitely missed this one!
You should check out The Samurai’s Garden. I loved this book so much I literally hugged it.
@Felice ….i will definitely check it out….cuz I sure could use a hug-worthy book right now!
Outlander
Reading “All the Light We Cannot See” right now- it is excellent. I didn’t think I would like it based on a summary, but the structure and pace are riveting.
In my top 5 🙂
Nicholas and Alexandra about the last Russian Tsar.
Read this in high school when it first came out and have read everything non-fiction I could about this time period since then!
@Linda – I did the same!! I continue to read everything I can find about them. Such a fascinating, but tragic, time in history.
If you are referring to Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K Massie it is a Biography. Robert K Massie won the Pulitzer for his biography Peter the Great: His Life And Times. Massie is renowned for his History & Biography books. He won the Pulitzer because he did so much research into the records his books read almost like novels.
The Wall by John Hersey about the Warsaw ghetto. I couldn’t believe that it was fiction though it was based on truth. All of Leon Uris is great
The Child From the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge. HF about Lucy Walter, first mistress of British King Charles II … or was she truly his lawful wife? Made me fall in love with Wales.
The Other Boleyn Girl
Fortunes daughter by Isabella Allende. A Fine balance by Rohinton Mistry.
A Fine Balance was amazing!
Sharon Kay Penman
Wolf Hall and sequel by Hilary Mantel
Lost in Shangri-La
Rocket Girl
The Telling Room
Remarkable Creatures
Outlander
Outlander is historical fiction overlapping historical fiction. In my opinion, people reject it if they are unable to except the premise, of time shifting. Then, we have a male that is the love object, with the woman moving the plot. It’s what I love about it..radically different from a male point of view.
So true! My favorite by far
Almost anything by Bernard Cornwell
Books by Sharon Kay Penman, particularly her Welsh princes trilogy. Personal favorite is When Christ and all his Saints Slept.
The Red Tent is really good
Eugenia Price’s “Savannah” quartet.
Outlander
Love this book!
Yes! I read this years ago and still remember the feeling I had when I had finished it. It was a great book!
Ken Follett ‘ s series
America’s First Daughter, about Thomas Jefferson’s daughter Patsy.
And My Dear Hamilton
Yes, I just started it 🙂
@Amber , Will make you realize that dirty politics is not just a recent phenomenon
Which they don’t teach you in school
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
So good
Lonesome Dove, Hanta Yo, Tai Pan…too many to list!
The Rule of Four
Anything by Karen Kingsbury . She writes Christian fiction. Also Tracie Peterson is great too
Lavender girl by Natasha Boyd. Fantastic read!
The Red Heart is a favorite. The Sixth Wife is another good one.
The Red Heart is great!
It’s one of my favorites
Agree with Killer Angels, but would add April Morning for young teens.
Maurice Druon’s The Accursed Kings (Les Rois Maudit) series; it is sort of a Games of Thrones as straight history.
Gone With The Wind
The Bastard by John Jakes
That whole series is a good read along with the north and south trilogy
I haven’t read the rest, but my dad owns the entire collection so when I needed a historical fiction for a history class in high school he gave me the first one and I loved it! I never read the rest of them, but I’ve always meant to. By now I’d have to reread it, I barely remember it, I only remember loving it from start to finish.
@Frances read it. You won’t be sorry. I loved this series.
This year – Next Year In Havana (goes back and forth present to past)
on my list to read
it’s good!!
The Nightingale
The winter garden
Kristin Hannah… The great alone, the Nightingale, Winter Garden, Firefly Lane
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Pillars Of the Earth series, and the 20th Century series, both by Ken Follett.
Cutting for Stone and Year of Wonders and People of the Book
Yes! How could I have forgotten Year of Wonders?
and I forgot In the Garden of the Beast. However it’s nonfiction
@Beth and if we’re mentioning non-fiction(&why not?) then Killers of the Flower Moon, which reads like a novel.
Winds of War and War and Remembrance
following
Enemy Woman…. (the US civil war)….Lonesome Dove.
Gentleman in Moscow.
A partial list of my books set in Asia
And the rest
Such a great collection! Wow!
@Susie Are you on goodreads? I would love to follow you, if that’s not too creepy 🙂
@Carly yes I am ….. no issue with that at all. I create shelves on Goodreads but also create collections on my Kindle,….. have also recently started journaling where I write about a page of info on setting, characters,plot, and position in a series if applicable and of course an overall opinion of the book! I am a recently retired school teacher and may be getting carried away
@Susie Oh my goodness, that is terrific! I wish I had time to journal like that.
Carly Friedman Texas resident Washington County
Devil in the white city
Was that book mostly fact or fiction. I never got to finish it.
@Maryann blend of botb
My library has it shelved as non-fiction.
a series by Miriam Grace Monfredo, takes place from about the 1840’s-civil war in Central NYS and beyond; also several books by Jennifer Chiaverini.
Great suggestions!
The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett – about Scotland – I think he’s 14yo in the beginning of the story – he goes to many countries (4 books). The Angelique series by Sergeanne Golon (a husband/wife effort) (10 books). You may not find them easily, I read these 40 years ago.
I don’t feel I’ve read a huge amount of historical fiction so I have few options to pick from but I did love The Secret Life it Bees and am currently reading Noon at Tiffany’s, which is magnificent.
Eugenia Price Books!
Far Pavilions!
Both of these are oldies but popped into my head.
The Devil in the White City, The Radium Girls
Both are excellent, but they’re also narrative non-fiction.
The Other Boleyn Girl
A Tale of Two Cities, but I have hundreds of “favorites”.
The Kent Family Chronicles.
The Secret Wife by Gill Paul. This is a fictional story of the Romanovs. Great story.
Book Thief
texas city love amid the ruins
I just finished Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. New York 1747. Excellent.
The Summer Before the War
Lilac Girls Philippa Gregory books, Night, Patrick O’Brian books. Historical Fiction is my favorite genre. Thanks for question Carolina!
Buddha in the Attic! It’s about when America forced people of Japanese descent into camps. It’s short, but it’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. I love it!
Our book club read for October here in Texas….. camp in South Texas near the border with Mexico during WWII
I’ll add this one to my pile!
Our book club read The Train to Crystal City and everyone loved it!!!!!! Me too!!!
“The Sandcastle Girls” by Chris Bohjalian.
Earth’s Children series; Pillars in the Earth
To be fair, Earth’s Children is a “Pre-historical“ fiction novel series. 😉
The Widow’s War by Sally Gunning. It’s the first in a trilogy. Early pre-revolutinary time frame in the northeast of the “soon to be” USA.
The Maisie Dobbs series are well written, well researched and very engaging books written by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie is kinda a grown up British Nancy Drew, only better. The author focuses on WWI period, and does her research!
That is on my list as well. I am working on the Maggie Hope series and finishing the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series. They are both very good.
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Outlander series !!
First Man in Rome. So good. In fact I might see if I can find a copy just to reread it.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Loved all the Poldark books !!
Outlander
The Red Tent
Lady Macbeth by Susan Fraser King
The Nightengale
Here’s one you might not hve heard of: I, Claudius by Robert Graves.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan.
Any book by Phillipa Gregory.
All the Light We Cannot See
Loved that book!
The Thornbirds
The Known World by Edward P. Jones. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Book Thief
The Traitors Wife
Trinity
Outlander
Outlander
Tracy Chevalier’s books are excellent.
I’m thinking nine.
I forgot to add her!
Freeman by Leonard Pitts
I loved John Jakes’ Civil War Trilogy. North and South was the first book, I believe.
Outlander!!!
Far too many great ones to pick a favorite, especially since it’s my go-to genre!
Right! I usually go with the favorite “right now. ” ?
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham, The Obituary Writer
Memoir of a geisha. Shogun. Last of the Breed
Too many to mention including all that have been listed, but I would also add one of my favorites, The Invention of Wings.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie @Ford
Gore Vidal’s Lincoln. Also been years since I read them & maybe as an adult would feel differently but both The Agony & the Ecstasy & The Robe
The Agony and the Ecstasy is incredible!
These is my words
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Pachinko
The Maisie Dobbs series is my favorite. I will also add Forever Amber which I read many, many years ago.
The Nightingale
So many! Sarah’s Key, Pillars Of The Earth, And The Mountains Echoed, The Thornbirds….. I can go on and on.
Into the Woods series by Sara Donati.
She doesn’t get enough recognition.
@Jeanne Totally agree!
Love is Eternal by Irving Stone.
I love Phillipa Gregory and Margaret George
Outlander!!
Outlander series
Angela’s Ashes
Anne Perry’s Victorian era mysteries. Outlander.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Outlander’s not considered true historical fiction. It’s a mix of historical fiction, science fiction (due to time travel element), & romance.
Shadow of the Wind & The Red Tent
Yes, how’d I forget those?!
The Lilac Girls
Outlander
The help, orphan train, the underground railroad, Johnny tremaine (ya), fever 1793 (ya), Boston girl, angelas ashes, great gatsby, little women, atonement, many many others.
Flashman novels
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Nightengale by Kristin Hannah
agreed!
Just finished Caleb’s Crossing. Good history almost 150 years before American Revolution.
I like Geraldine Brooks. Have you read Year of Wonders?
I like her too and Year of Wonders is my favorite.
My favorite of Brooks’ is People of the Book
@Connie I loved that one, too!
Loved Year of Wonders and Caleb’s Crossing.
The Fool’s Guild Series by Alan Gordon & Sister Fidelma Murder Mysteries by Peter Tremayne
Michener novels
Somewhere in France
Yes. GREAT BOOK
Shanandoah Sisters series followed by Carolina Cousins series. Author is Michael R Phillips
The Secret Book of Grazzi de Rossi
The White Queen
I haven’t read it for many years, not really sure of the name anymore. As a young teen I read it, and again in my mid to late 20’s. It was The Journeyer or The Journeyman, something like that, written by someone Jennings. Fictitious tale of a young Marco Polo traveling the Silk Road with his uncles. Story has stayed with me all my life. Way too graphic and mature for the age I first read it, but I turned out??
Dickens wrote a lot of historical fiction.
Before We Were Yours by Wingate, Against the Tide by Camden
Any Leon Iris
Leon Uris’ Exodus & The Diary of Anne Frank changed my life by altering the way i saw the world and how I would live my life by teaching tolerance and fighting prejudice.
The Haj
Uris
Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.
The Bronze Horseman
YES
Cane river by lalita tademy montana 1948 by Larry Watson in the time of butterflies by Julia Alvarez the kitchen boy by Robert Alexander the madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean heretic’s daughter by Kathleen Kent
♡ julie alvarez
have 1948 on my to read shelf
Outlander, hands down.
Just started the tv series. Looks promising.
The Muralist BA Shapiro
The Guilded Hour by Sara Donati
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick, Katherine by Anya Seton, and Outlander
Anything by Alexander Dumas
Moloka’i and Honolulu by Alan Brennert.
I’m putting both of these on my goodreads list –thank you!
Brennert will be coming out with a sequel in 2-2019 A daughter of Moloka’i
Thank you!
Great question! This is my favorite genre by far. I’d add The Josephine Bonaporte trilogy from Sandra Gulland,
Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernières,
The Memoirs of Cleopatra – Margaret George,
Suite Francaise – Irene Nemirovsky,
The Last Days of Night – Graham Moore,
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena – Anhony Mara
I also loved Pachinko,, Nicholas & Alexandra, and Homegoing.
I’m on the hold list for Pachinko. I’ve heard it’s amazing!
@Kristen I loved it so much that I still think about those characters months after finishing the book. A fascinating read – I wish I could read it again for the first time
@Kelly can’t wait to read it!
@Kristen it is! Also check out Cutting for Stone if you haven’t read it.
Lilac Girls
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Lots of books, but two authors I love are Edward Rutherford and Dorothy Dunnett
An amazing book.
Pillars Of The Earth Grapes If Wrath
Lilac Girls
Rome series by McCullough
F
Out of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys
The Last Town on Earth
Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel
Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun and Love and Ruin. Two books about martha Jefferson Randolph: Monticello and America’s First Daughter. And of course, My Dear Hamilton
I loved Circling the Sun!
@Michele, you should read the other too, I bet you would enjoy them!
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.
Reading it now!
Kenneth Roberts. All of the Hornblower books.
The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa.
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. It’s a wonderful book. I started War and Remembrance as soon as I finished W of W but put it down half way through and never picked it up again. The treatment of the Jews was described so graphically.
my favorite also. i fell so in love with the characters
War and Remembrance is a difficult read, but so worth it! I also put it down years ago, but I recently picked it back up and read it. Not a only did I learn more about World War 2 than I ever learned in school, but I enjoyed revisiting the characters from The Winds of War.
@Sheri yes!
A Gentleman in Moscow
I just read The Secret Life of Mrs. London, The Mermaid, and The Game of Hope. Widely different time periods but really enjoyable. Past favorites include Scarlet Petal and The White, Mistress of Rome, Gladiatrix, Gone With The Wind, Outlander, The Book of Eleanor, Time Traveler’s Wife.
Poldark
It’s usually the last one I read. I’m currently into a trilogy by Jeff Shaara, although Michael Shaara wrote the first one which is KILLER ANGELS. This isthe retelling of the battle at Gettysburg.
Very good writer. Read them a few summers ago.
Pillars of the Earth, The Book Thief, Outlander, From Sand and Ash, The Nightingale… I have a lot of favorites in this genre.
Andi Reads: Please help me with Pillars of the Earth. I have tried to get through it and am struggling. I find it plodding. I am only 200 pages in and trying to decide why I should continue.
The Fire by Night and the Alice Network.
Walk in My Soul by Lucia St.Clair Robson, about Sam Houston’s life with the Cherokees.
Sounds good. I like books about Native Americans
Beneath a Scarlet Sky.
read. And when I do have time to read, how do I decide on which wonderful book to read?
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.
Has anyone else read any of James Alexander Thom’s books? I love everything I have read by him.
Outlander
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Cry of the Peacock
The Dovekeepers was decent.
Lots of those that have already been mentioned above.
Poisonwood Bible
Cleopatra’s Sister
Reading A Tree grows in Brooklyn now.
@Jennifer One of the few books I have read numerous times! Hope you enjoy. <3
Alisa Rosado Swissa loving it!!!
The Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.
Great books
Great books! But they’re nonfiction.
I loved Devil in the White City, but didn’t care for Garden of Beasts
@Angela I forgot to mention Thunderstruck also by Erik Larson.
Pillars of the Earth, followed by the Sand Castle Girls. Molokai, and The book Thief
War and Peace, Pillars of the Earth
The Jungle
Outlander; all 8
books!
Anything by Phillipa Gregory or Alison Weir
The Nightingale, All the Light You Cannot See, Lilac Girls, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, Daughters of the Dragon.
Trapeze and Tightrope by Simon Mawer. One is a sequel to the other!
I love Margaret George’s and Edward Rutherford’s historical fiction.
The Right Stuff
Great Non-Fiction Book & wonderful film directed by Philip Kaufman starring Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, & Scott Glenn.
I also recently read Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America. Loved this too.
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.
I just got this. Can’t wait to read.
I read this. It’s good
Three Sisters, Three Queens; The Constant Princess; The White Queen; and the White Princess all by Philippa Gregory or Nefertiti; The Heretic Queen; and Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran!
October Sky
The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki
All the Light We Cannot See
Beneath a Scarlet Sky and Lilac Girls
The Lilac Girls
Your picks my choices too.
The civil war brides
The Underground Railroad
I loved the combination of history & magical realism.
Grapes of Wrath
A Gentleman in Moscow, The Night Soldiers Series, . . . And Ladies of the Club, The Outlander Series
Oh yes…And Ladies of the Club! So good!
Grapes of Wrath. All the Light We Cannot See
Island Under the Sea
Lilac Girls!
All of Edward Rutherford’s and Susan Howatch and Sharon Kay Penman, too.
Green Darkness by Anya Seaton
Centennial and Pillars of the Earth. Also Mists of Avalon.
I just finished A Very Long Engagement. Quite the ensemble of characters.
A terrific book. It is special to me because it was the last book I read in french.
This thread was so fun to follow! I learned so much from other readers. I find it so interesting how varied our tastes in reading can be. I have been reading Historical Fiction since 2010 when we listened to Tess Gerritsen’s The Bone Garden on a long motorcycle trip through the west coast. I recently finished the Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy. I am now involved in the Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal, and finishing the Dr. Thomas Silkstone series by Tessa Harris. These are some of my favorites that have not been mentioned in this thread: Between Shades of Gray by Ruth Sepetys, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, The Todd Family series by Kate Atkinson, The Women In The Castle by Jessica Shattuck, The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff, Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, The Leo Demidov series by Tom Rob Smith, War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan, The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure, The Girl In The Blue Coat by Monica Hesse, The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel, A Piece Of The World by Christina Baker Kline (I like all of her books), The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor, The Coughlin Series by Dennis Lehane, The Gilead Series by Marilynne Robinson, The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman, Turtle In Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm, Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford, The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa, The Stars Are Fire, Stella Bain and others by Anita Shreve, The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavrial Savit, The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan, (so good), Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin, The Great War Series by Jennifer Robson, and books Patricia Reilly Giff’s who are for girls around 10 and up, I enjoyed them too. ?
Peggy thank you for this list Wow
Are you on Goodreads??? I would love to follow you.
How long dod it take you to write this? ? lots of good favorites in there.
Ethan you you for this extensive list
@Kelly yes
@Kimberly not long, I had a day of rest yesterday so I sat outside and had fun chatting with everyone. ?
@Kelly how do we do that? I can try to look for you.
@Peggy I’ll send you a private message. ?
Just sent my details to you
The Other Boylen Girl
Poldark series of 12? books. I doubt the Masterpiece series will do all of them but I’m looking forward to this next season.
Also Nightingale by Kirsten Hannah and The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.
Nancy. My favorite
Bregdan Chronicles by Ginny Dye
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer
I just watched that movie
The Killer Angels
Refiner’s Fire series by Lynn Austin.
The Girl in the Blue Beret
hadn’t heard of this book. now on my to read list!
The Boy on the Box
The Bicentennial Series by John @Jakes
All the Light We Cannot See
The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent. A story about the Salem witch trials told from the point of view of the daughter of Martha Carrier, one of the accused. And, fun fact: the author is a direct descendant of Martha Carrier. Incredible book! ?
This one is a true story, but reads like fiction.
? non fiction would be true
Janie Arndt sorry, spell check. I fixed it. Thx!
Any thing by Geraldine Brooks, or Eric Larsen
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and, of course, Gone with the Wind.
Anything by Geraldine Brooks! Absolutely loved March and People of the Book!
And Year of Wonders.
@Carol, YES!! So good
@Carol Year of Wonders was so good!
I loved all of the books by Susan Meissner
Anything by Ruta Sepetys
A Column of Fire by Ken Follett
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
Pillars of the Earth
Elizabeth Chadwick’s trilogy about Eleanor of Aquitaine
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Poldark series
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
I remember this from a few years ago. The chapter titled Principles of Devotion haunts me still.
I agree! Alice Hoffman is an amazing writer for sure! The blackbird house is another favorite of mine.
@Tina Yes. I love that one too. And of course Practical Magic.
I will have to read that one next. I just discovered Alice Hoffman a year or so ago. I could easily binge read her books but I have been trying to behave and not read them all at once. LOL
The Nightingale!
Mary Stewart
Jack Whyte
Killer Angels
Pillers of the Earth… The Russians series by Judith Pella
North and South, Savannah,
The Orphan Train
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb.
The Invention of Wings, Centennial, Nightingale
The Captains and the Kings
At the Edge of the Orchard
The Invention of Wings, The Kitchen House
Fall on your knees and Fortunes rocks and legacy of secrets and cane and Abel
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Based on a true event. Best book I read this year because it was SO WELL WRITTEN!
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Too many to name! I love historical fiction!
I agree my very favorite genre?
Outlander
Gone With The Wind.
Anything and everything by John Jakes.
Lonesome dove
The Century Trilogy!
Trilogy written by Ken Follett “Winter of the World” is one of them. The books are truly incredible. The characters are so real and close to you, when you finish the book, you miss them and think about them as tho they were real. The story has been carefully researched for accuracy. You realize what your parents, grandparents, etc., went through during the World Wars.
Connie Willis’s Doomsday book. Historical novel wrapped in sci-fi/fantasy packaging.
Outlander Series
I really enjoyed “One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd” by Jim Fergus.
Oh yes, my favorite book!!
Yes ! Very interesting ??
Outlander and The Princes of Ireland.
The Romanov Prophecy
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
A surprisingly good read. Grahame-Smith did a great job weaving his supernatural plot into the historical record.
The movie was terrible tho.
@Mike fun read. Didn’t bother with the movie.
Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay, too, but made significant changes from his own book. It was very disappointing, much squandered potential.
I forgot Killer Angels, which I read twice. The film “Gettysburg” was based on this book.
The Book Thief
“Gone With The Wind”
Cleopatra’s Daughter
I must have picked up my hard copy of this book at a library or yard sale, I can’t remember, but I keep seeing it on my shelf and thinking I really should read it!
@Natsukashii, who is the author, there are a few books with this title?
Anything Anna Seeton or Daphne DuMaurier
The Bregdan Chronicles
OUTLANDER!
“Angela’s Ashes”….
The Alienist and Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Any of the ones set during the WWII era–The Nightingale, The Women in the Castle, All the Light We Cannot See.
Forever Amber.
Oh, that was so much fun
My 96 year old Dad’s favorite book!
I love them! It started with Gone With the Wind when I was in high school, but now I am into WWII with Lilac Girls, War Brides, The Race to Paris, Nightengale…..and the list goes on.
Forgot Lilac Girls in my response above. Loved it, too!
I like Margaret George.
Unbroken isn’t fiction but was so good. Also liked the nightingale
Any book by Edward Rutherfurd…especially ‘New York’ which actually gave me a clue to my family tree within the first sixty pages! I love all his historical novels! http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/new-york
Pillars of Earth
Great book!
I just saw a trade paperback copy of this in great condition at the yard sale for a quarter and I snatched it up so fast! Now if I could only stay out of the library long enough to read what I actually buy! ?
Death Comes for the Archbishop
I, Claudius. How to survive fascist dictators 101.
The Nightingale
Anything by James Michener
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
Love The Nightingale
Anything written by Michener also, The Nightingale, Poldark series, Children of the Earth series that sent me to the Museum of Man and other sites to learn more about pre-historic man. There are so many, I love history and historical fiction.
The Pachinko taken place in 1920s-1960s narrated in Korean perspectives in living Japan.
Unsung Heroine
Based in a True Story of Perseverance
James Michener The Source
Outlander
Rutherfurd, Philippa Gregory, Wolf Hall and Bring Out the Bodies, Pillars of the Earth and World Withput End, the Alice Network, the nightingale, the passion of artemisia, pope joan, the red tent…I’m sure I’ll think of more later….
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
Pachinko
Outlander
Pearl Buck
Standing at the scratch line by Guy Johnson
Winter of the World – Ken Follett
World without End – Follett
Shogun – Clavell
I remember some good books by Anya Seton. The are not available for download from my library. I sure hope they still have the books in tHe library. I want to read them again!
Isabel Allende
Cold Mountain.
I need to make a list of these titles! Lots that I’ve read. Lots that I havent!
The evolution of Calpurnia Tate
The Boys in the Boat
Reading it now
Too many to list
The Nightingale , All the Light we Cannot See, The Birth of Venus.
LOVED The Nightingale
@Cynthia it was the book of my summer♥️
Follett
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Outlander
Lauren Willig spy series
Zion series by Thoene
The Covenant by James Michener. I read it decades ago but when I traveled to South Africa 3 years ago, I found I remembered so much that it informed my understanding of what happened there especially in relation to Apartheid and the British occupiers as well. I could go on and on. It’s a remarkable book. I lived most of my adult life in Alaska but grew up in Colorado. Michener got both states right.
Maggie Hope series, Clifton Chronicles
Really loved The Clifton Chronicles
@Cynthia Iam on book 5
Geraldine Brooks
Loved The People of the Book!
Lonesome Dove
War and Peace.
Yep
Barbara Cartland is my favorite historical fiction author!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Mary, Called Magdalene; Cain River; Ragtime; Yellow Crocus; The Kitchen House; Cold Sassy Tree; Cry to Heaven; People of the Book; The Nightingale–I love historical fiction!!!
I loved the Cold Sassy Tree–almost forgot that one. Also Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe–it was excellent–much better than the movie.
@Cynthia Cold Sassy Tree is a top ten favorite for me.
.
The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien
That book stunned me. I think it should be required reading.
-The Nightingale
-All the light we cannot See
-the bronze horseman
All the Light We Cannot See is amazing!
I forgot that one! Love it!
Yes to all of these ❤️
Snow Flower and the secret fan
John Jakes series.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre. So many of my favorite books are listed here!!
Winds of War
Just ordered that off of eBay on recommendation from a fellow reader
The Grail Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell
Quo Vadis by far my favorite historical fiction!
Beneath A Scarlet Sky
The Baker’s Secret
A Tangled Mercy
The Book Thief
Finding Rebecca
Salt to the Sea!! ??
The Plum Tree
The historical fiction books by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Red Tent
Outlander
A Farewell to Arms
The People of the Book
Outlander <3
Hamlet, The Iliad and Huckleberry Finn
A World bt the Ear
True Sisters by Sandra Dallas
Outlander!!
While We’re Far Place and A Women’s Place both by Lynn Austin
Wolf Hall
Kate Mosse books
The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton.
outlander
The Alice Network
First Daughter
A Land Remembered
All Books by Deeanne Gist
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Historian
Loved the book.
Wolf Hall, All The Light We Cannot See, Underground Railroad, the Maisie Dobbs series.
Centennial by James Mitchner
Last Town On Earth. Riveting
The Nightingale, by Kristen Hannah.
The Stars are Fire
Atomic City Girls
House Girl
Underground Railroad
Underground on my list !
“The Expatriates” by Janice Y.K Lee it is a WONDERFUL book!!
To many I like; I cannot just put one down.
The Nightingale
Reading it now!
Fingersmith.
Too many to list!
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Before we were yours, secrets of a charmed life, Alice Network, the girl you left behind, the invention of wings
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi really moved me.
Love that book. Add it to my list, as well.
Katherine by Anya Seyton
Omg Donna ! Me too♥️
My mother was an avid reader . After she died , I found all her Seyton books♥️
Anything by Dave Barry
For historical fiction?????
@Anne lol – I meant Steve Berry. Start with The Amber Room
My Antonia and Oh Pioneers by Willa Cather haven’t been mentioned.
I love O Pioneers!
My faves!!
The Whiskey Rebels
Out of the Dust, Grapes of Wrath, Years
Too many to mention…lol.
The Lilac Girls
The Hearts Invisible Furies, Shogun and News of the World.
River of Doubt
The Winds of War/War and Remembrance
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
The Nightengale
Anything by Sandra Dallas
Ken Follett’s Century trilogy. I loved those books!
Me too
Sooooo many… Most of the above. New of the World, for sure. All of Mitchners work. Just finished Summer Queen.
Maisie Dobbs
@Colleen, The Finest Hat in the Whole World.
The Bronze Horseman, Outlander, The Other Boleyn Girl
The Marriage of Opposites
The Nightingale
So many
The Nightingsle
Williamsburg Series by Elswyth Thane
A Wilder Rose
Dear Mrs. Bird, The Chillbury Ladies Choir, Radio Girls, The Summer Before The War, Calling Me Home, Echo, Salt to the Sea, The Help, The Secret Lives of Bees, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, When We Meet Again, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand…oh so many good ones!!!
Absolutely……so many!!!!
Major Pettigrew! I forgot him–good book! Did you read Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English—PRECIOUS book.
Between Shades of Gray
Once we were brothers. Or the nightingale. Loved both.
The entire Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
I just read The Invention of Wings, and right now it’s my favorite.
For anyone interested, I read The Hate U Give right before, and it’s a really powerful combination.
Too many to list!
Maisie Dobbs series is great too!
Fantastic read <3
The Other Boleyn Girl. I know it’s got a few miles on it, but that book really is the best HF I’ve read.
The Book Thief, Echo
Red tent twentieth wife
Gone with the Wind!
The Fig Eater
Celia Garth by Anne Bristow.
The novels of Geraldine Brooks. I loved March set during the Civil War (about the father in Alcott’s Little Women)
People of the Book was excellent!
War and Peace
I have a few….Thornbirds, We Were the Lucky Ones, and All the Lights We Cannot See.
Recently read this. Quite a read.
@Donna definitely!!!
Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
The Other Boleyn Girl
I just finished America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie. I love historical fiction. What good insight to what it was to be a woman in those times, and a look at Thomas Jefferson’s life.
I enjoyed that book, also.
News of the World
Sharon Kaye Penman Edward Rutherfurd Outlander
Outlander
The bronze horseman series ❤️
The Invention of Wings, Gone With the Wind.
Ken Follett trilogy
Outlander series!!!
Little House on the Prairie
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; Sacagawea
Loved Hotel…
I enjoyed this book. It started out a little slow, but then I could not put it down.
Ruta Septys “Between Shades of Grey”, Sarah’s Key (have tissues nearby), Water for Elephants.
The Jester by James Patterson or Pillars of the Earth by Ken Folliet.
I agree
Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow
The Summer Before The War by Helen Simonson….A Star For Mrs. Blake by April Smith…Christine Falls by Benjamin Black….
Trinity by Leon Uris
The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver. More fiction than historical, but interesting, nonetheless
The Wilderness series by Sara Donati! Into the Wilderness is the first book of 7, and they’re spectacular. Love love love these books!
Devil in the White City
Actually more fact than fiction, but a great book, I agree.
Katherine by Anya Seton.
The Paris Architect
I am a Tudor junkie.. love anything written about them
Too many to list
“Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald”
John Jake’s. The Kent Family Chronicles.
I’ve read all of them…twice. Starting with The Bastard…so captivating.
I love his North and South series too.
@Kristin, Me too! I have a degree in US History, and John Jake’s books made it all come alive for me!
Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull
Dorothy Dunnett and if you haven’t heard of her check out Game of Kings, incredibly rich and wonderful historical fiction
Hands down” All the Light We Cannot See”
The Stolen Marriage
The Nightingale, Gone with the Wind, Longbourn by Jo Baker, Memoirs of a Giesha, Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn, The Girl From the Paradise Ballroom. I’m sure I have more…
I am totally enjoying listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—I hope I got the name correct. The movie was cute. The novel is wonderful.
Book Thief, Sarah’s Key, beneath a Scarlet sky, Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet, Devil in the White City, Water for Elephants. And many more
These are great! I especially liked ‘Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet’
That was a good book, @Kelly
Water for Elephants was great, so is: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick.
@Viola, Kite Runner and all his books are very powerful aren’t they? There is a second part of Unbroken coming out in a video. It’s telling the next part of his journey.
@Kelly Yes they are. Hosseini has a new one coming out on Sept 18th called _Sea Prayer_!
@Deborah, yup I have it in my queue!
@Kelly A Thousand Splendid Suns was also wonderful, I haven’t read his most recent books. Thanks for the head up about the video sequel to Unbroken. I will put Sea Prayer on my list.
People of The Book.
Many, but one of the first that came to mind was _The Agony and Ecstasy_.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Clan of the Cavebear, Thornbirds, Lonesome Dove
The Son by Philip Meyer
Books by Edna Ferber.
Edna’s books were great. I think she wrote so big and giant. Great!
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Care and Management of Lies, Invention of Wings, Winds of War
Invention of Wings in my top 10 favorite books of any genre!?
Sula
Myk: Prince of the Vends (726 action-packed pages!)
The Orphan Masters Son
Powerful! Disturbing! Haunting! I had to take a break from it a couple of times but was able to finish it. WOW what a story. It was several weeks before I could start another book!
@Theresa exactly!!
I, Claudius
The Historian
The Agony and Ecstasy by John Irving re Michelangelo
Actually was written by Irving Stone, one of my favorite authors.
@Carol thank you for the correction I actually knew that but for reason typed John Irving (one of my favorite authors) must have more coffee enjoy your day!
Clan of the Cave Bears… Series!
The Philippa Gregory series!!!
Boy in the striped pajamas
Outlander!!
Brother Cadfael Series by Ellis Peters;
Clan of the Cave Bear Series by Jane Auel.
W.E.B Griffens many series
We loved his Honor Bound Series. ? We listened to it on audiobooks and it was exciting and so very funny. I will have to make sure I listen to his other books too. ?
The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Outlander series, anything by Bernard Cornwell, Anne Perry, Larry McMurtry, Herman Wouk…how many do you need?
And the Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmeyer
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostovo
I just put “And The Ladies of the Club” on my good reads list. Looking forward–thank you Mags K!
Boys in the boat
A fabulous non-fiction book.
Ragtime
Phillipa Gregory! ?
Outlander.
But I have a ton of authors from this genre that I enjoy.
Yes!
Thoroughly enjoyed Doc & Epitaph (two separate books) by Mary Daria Russell-a most detailed & accurate retelling of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral saga. She turned a real-life brief shootout into a captivating read.
The Memoirs of Cleopatra.
Just about anything by Taylor Caldwell.
@Cathleen Hi, I’m glad that you are a fan of Taylor Caldwell, However, the Taylor Caldwell I was speaking of is a woman writer, born in England and immigrated to America, unfortunately passed on from cancer. My favorite novel of hers is “Dear and Glorious Physician” another is “Dialogues with the Devil”. I must say that I love your memories of your mother’s service, they would make a great story full of romance and adventure and I would love to read about her.
@Jennie, You know, now I’m unsure if I have this memory correct or not.
@Cathleen A lot of great writers WWII era. If you know what ship your mom served on, maybe you could track down the writer that your mum knew from the crew manifest. Again, sounds like a great story! Perhaps, your memories are your cue to write it!
Lucinda Reilly, Alyson Richman, The Nightingale, Alice Network, Phillippa Gregory, etc….
Loved The Nightingale and love anything by Phillippa Gregory.
Same here!
Stephen King, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ken Follett, Larry McMurty, Alfred Silver, Pearl Buck, Charles Frazier.
Any and ALL books on Jackie Kennedy and all other members of the family
I read Jackie as Editor–it was absolutely incredible! she was an incredibly talented, kind, generous, brilliant woman! Did you read this one? I really recommend it!
Anything by Leon Uris.
All of Gore Vidal’s, especially Lincoln and Burr.
Loved both of these!
I agree – I loved Lincoln. I read it many years ago – I need to read it again.
America’s First Daughter
Any books by Edward Rutherfurd, Margaret George, Anya Seton, or Sharon Kay Penman.
Chesapeake
Michenor? My Hub loved him!
I just gave my Sharon Kay Penman books to my sister. I don’t know that I have had any by the rest. I have John Jakes, some Grisham. and a lot of biographies.
I Claudius by Robert Graves!
Queen
The Book Thief.
Anything by Phillippa Gregory.
I love her books!
Chesapeake by Michner
Red River Story by Alfred Silver, is out of print but a great read. Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, The Sunne in Splendor….by Sharon Kay Penman and Mists of Avalon, Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley all good reads.
Grapes of Wrath.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
I think I read more historical fiction as a kid. Anne of Green Gables and Where the Red Fern Grows were two favorites. I also like reading historical fiction about different cultures–to learn their history that maybe wasn’t covered in our textbooks. Two that are YA but very good for any age are Esperanza Rising and When We Were Free.
Centennial by Michener. Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel. All the Light You Cannot See by Doerr.
All great books!
Read EVERYTHING Mitchner wrote. An amazing storyteller, this man.
The Paris Wife
Next up, Circling the Sun and Love and Ruin ?
@Marie I loved Circling the Sun!
The killer angels
Such a perspective on war. Brilliant, poignant
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Read it as a preteen and it remains a fav
The Book Thief, Pachinko, The Miniaturist
The Book Thief is awesome
The book thief is GREAT!
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys- fantastic read for teens and adults alike. It‘s set toward the end of WWII and is partly based on an event in the author’s family and an event covered up by the German and Russian governments.
I know it’s a little anti intellectual but I love the outlander series!
Me too. Read the whole thing 5 times
@Susan, I’m obsessed with the tv show tio
@Betsy books are better but like the series as well
@Betsy yessssssss amazing books, and so historically accurate!
I love historical fiction that also has a love story ❤️
@Melissa totally, great characters, well written.
Amelia Peabody series, Mary Russell series, Maisie Dobbs series, Charles Todd’s books, hmmmm….I know I’m forgetting a bunch!
I love Amelia Peabody and family!
I may have said this here before but Lisa See has written a number of excellent books about the Chinese both in China and here in the US.
@Nancy I have The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane on my reading list, have you read it already? If so, do you recommend it or prefer another better? ?
As has Amy Tan!
Gail Tsukiyama too!!
My favorite Lisa See book is _Snow Flower and the Secret Fan_!
@Melissa yes, I liked it very much.
Melissa Mahoney, I really liked the ones that have to do with life in China and then moving to US. The parts during the Mao years are very intense and sad.
And I’ve enjoyed each of her books I’ve read! (Lisa See)
Snow Falling on Cedars
Good one!
Blood on the River
Older book. But I love everything by John Jakes
My favorite is “These is my words” by Nancy E Turner
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane was a wonderful book
Sunne in Splendor
It’s somewhat embarrassing, but…Outlander.
Never ever be embarrassed about Outlander!! ????????⚔️? it’s also my fave!!
I love Outlander!
Nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s one of my all time favorite Series and they have TV show made from it. ?
It’s historical romance but… Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Cold Mountain
Terrific!
Really good read. I have Varina on my to read list.
A few I’ve really enjoyed are: A Marriage of Opposites, the Dovekeepers, Circling the Sun, Loving Frank, and Mary Coin. I am sure there are more, but those were the 1st to come to mind. I also enjoyed the Outlander series.
11-22-63
@Dawn I love that book!
Anything by Isabelle Allende.
Outlander series
The Scarlet Letter
James Michener’s The Source
My Hub’s favorite book!
The Kitchen Boy by Alexander, Russian beautifully told
The Crucible
The Killer Angels (Michael Shaara). While it is based on factual events, it is really a novel.
Just picked up several of his, but haven’t read any yet. Actually, I guess only one is by Micheal,the others are by Jeffrey, his father I think.
On Thousand White Women
*One Thousand
This was a very good book
Loving Frank, The Nightingale, City of Thieves, The Light in Ruins, anything by Eric Larson, Sarah’s Key, A Gentleman in Moscow……my favorite genre!!!
Ken Follet’s Century Trilogy and Sara Donati’s Wilderness Series.
Sarah Plain and Tall
Poldark series!!
Anything by Miçhener
“The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco. A challenging read, but well worth the effort. Plan on rereading soon.
Have you seen the movie?
@Carolyn Yes…years ago. I thought it was okay and Sean Connery was great. As usual, the book was better and l’m glad l read it first.
@Jennifer yes, that is a great book! A fun movie, too, with Sean Connery 🙂
Challenging but definitely worth it!
Purchased a copy for my branch library when it came out. Thought I and some of the Italian community might enjoy it. We were delighted when it hit the NYT best seller list.
Les Miserables
Les Miserables is a great choice. However, maybe Hugo could have told the story in about 200 fewer pages!
@Jo There are abridged versions available that are about 600 (rather than 1000+) pages long.
@Jennifer You’ll miss out if you don’t read the whole text!
@Bea l read the whole text last year and loved it…but an abridged edition would be good for someone who wishes to read the story of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Éponine, Marius, etc. without all the filler such as several pages devoted to the history of cheese making in France that has little to do with the story. I enjoy the details, but l know some that would find the unabridged edition too daunting.
The Pillars of the Earth
The Count of Montecristo
@Natsukashii got very bored about halfway through. Setting it aside for now but hope to finish some day.
@Eliza Is worth it!
All Anne Perry’s books
Other Boleyn Girl
Listening to it now❤️
The Red Tent
Always and forever a fave.
The Book Thief
Memoir of a Geisha
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
All the Light You Cannot See. It’s beautiful
The title itself is lovely!
I absolutely loved it. Best book I read all summer!
When was that on?
Gone With the Wind and Jane Eyre.
Outlander series.
I really enjoyed On Folly Beach by Karen White – haven’t heard that mentioned.
@Kris ,I loved that book and we’ve been to Folly Beach several times. A lot of what’s in this book is true.
I loved her book Flight Patterns. Thank you for the recommendation
if you can find anything by Parke Godwin or Morgan Llewellyn you’ll be lost to your contemporaries for the duration
Anything by Tessa Dare
The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Started reading it when it 1st came out & have re- read it at least 6x’s & the series on STARZ is Fantastic too !!
@Jan my favorite!
I have read all the side Novels and her other short stories as well
Thank goodness I had retired when I saw the first episode of Outlander on STARZ. I started reading and didn’t stop until I had finished all of them including the Lord John books and stories. Then, I started over.
all books by James Clavell
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcot and TransAtlantic by Colum McCann.
I have The Dressmaker on my TBR list. I want to watch it on Prime! Too many good books,tv shows, and movies!
Think the one Prime is not based on the Kate Alcot book?
@Katherine , you may be correct. I think I have read Kate Alcot’s twice! I wanted to compare it to something. Wasn’t it about The Titanic?
Yes the Dressmaker was on the Titanic…
Way back I read Trinity. Not sure if I would like it as much today. The other one I remember is Hawaii
I loved Trinity and have re-read it a couple of times.
I loved Trinity!
Trinity is great.
I loved both of those!
Outlander series
@Judy The BEST!
@Marcia, got my husband hooked to, we listen to to audio books in the car, even on shot trips. Must have listened to to each book about 5 times. Now reading companion 2.
@Judy I love the show as well.
Is there anything else about Claire’s genealogy in Companion 2? I don’t have that one yet.
@Catherine, just started it
I have a love/hate relationship with Gabaldon!! The wordiest woman on the planet. Terrific books!
Following
_The Dovekeepers_ by Alice Hoffman was good.
I love her!
So very many great historical fictions ! My Dear Hamilton was awesome.
The Return, by Victoria Hislop
Ignore the side story of the granddaughter going to Spain to discover her grandmother’s story…The main story is the one told by the old bar keep (?) who knew the family during the Spanish Civil War. This well-researched novel was very healing for survivors of this tragic time period in Spain.
Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Devils Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Helter Skelter… seriously. I sat next to Vincent Bugliosi at a dinner party years ago and he was the most fascinating person I’ve ever met.
@Paula
Must have been a great dinner! HS is a best selling true crime book, i.e. non-fiction.
Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
The Samurai’s Wife by Laura Joh Rowland. It’s a series set in medieval Japan: Bundori, Red Chrysanthemum, Snow Empress, Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria, Concubine’s Tatoo. etc.
Lincoln Gore Vidal
Is it fiction? Or a biography?
Also Burr by Vidal.
F
I enjoyed North and South, Love and War, also Jeff Sharra has some great titles.
Great Series!!!
The Bastard Series by John Jakes
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
Just heard about this historical novel on a podcast today. https://www.amazon.com/Washington-Black-novel-Esi-Edugyan/dp/0525521429/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537734098&sr=1-1&keywords=washington+black+a+novel+by+esi+edugya
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Gives insight into the lives of two abolitionist sisters from South Carolina.
SO so many! I LOVE Oscar de Muriel’s historical fiction set in Edinburgh. Atmospheric with a dash of Scottish humour and he’s originally from Mexico! A great mix
Outlander. Dystopian combines (not exactly) accurate history.
The Kingsbridge series by Ken Follett
“The Last Runaway”
Anything by E. L. Doctorow
The March
Billy Bathgate
World’s Fair
The Waterworks
Recently? My Dear Hamilton and The Nightengale.
Ahab’s Wife
The Montmoray Journals series, the Flavia deluce mysteries, the Clifton Chronicles, Kane and abel series, cemetery of forgotten books series, all the light we cannot see, the thirteenth tale, the Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society
Caleb’s Crossing – almost anything by Geraldine Brooks.
So many. All of James Michener. Gone with the Wind, Outlander , The President’s Daughter Martha Jefferson., The Tulip Eaters, Message from Nam, The Book Thief, The Nightingale,.Letters from Rifka. Oh I could go on and on. ….enough said ?
The Nightingale
The Seamstress
The Nightingale! !!!!
The Minaturist
I agree and I felt it was so rushed it missed the pivotal moments from the book
The Midwife’s Revolt
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
This book popped up as I was looking at my library site. Looked qyite good.
The Kent Family Chronicles, starting with The Bastard. Also WEB Griffin’s series about the military starting with The Lieutenants. Really enjoyed The Other Einstein too.
All by Phillipa Gregory’s! Couldn’t put them down.
Gone with the Wind
One of my all-time favorites!
The Once and Future King. Sort of fits this category.
The Big Sky by A.B. Gutherie
Lonesome Dove
The Forgotten Garden! It’s simply awesome!
Love Kate Morton’s books!
The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin, a fictional biography of Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth series anything by him actually! He is my all time favorite for Historical Fiction.
Most recently, A Gentleman from Moscow and Manhattan Beach
Most recently, A Gentleman from Moscow and Manhattan Beach. And The Alienist.
Most recently, A Gentleman from Moscow and Manhattan Beach. And The Alienist.
Devil in the White City.
The Glass Castle
A Thousand White Women
The Outlander series by Diana Gabledon