Believe it or not, this YA reading and Romance loving reader had a first love, and that first love was Historical Fiction. I grew up loving history and reading all of the Dear America books and their European counterparts. I loved learning about these real characters in a very relatable way and it fueled my love for historical reads. I want to share a few of my favorites, starting with some easy ones to get into and ending with a behemoth of a book!
First up, My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows. This is the most recent book by this group of ladies and it was fantastic! You could easily read this first (as it covers the story of Mary Queen of the Scots) OR you could also start by reading My Lady Jane. Both of these books, though they have elements of Historical Fiction to them, they also have some moments of magic! If you have been doubting whether you could get into history, check these out and give it a go!
The next book is actually my current read! The Grace Kelly Dress is a lovely book that spans 3 generations of a family and a dress. It spans the time when Grace Kelly’s dress was originally made, the 1980’s and then current day. I am thouroughly enjoying the journey of the dress and the families! If you want another way to get into some fun historical fiction this is it! It takes the legend of this dress to a whole new level and connects a family through fabric.
If you are looking for another step up in the Historical Fiction world, check out The Taster. This was one of my favorite historical reads of the year. I loved this book and how it approached the topic of WWII. It shed light on the fact that not everyone in Germany was complacent with the Nazi regime. This book showed how people, though fictional people, fought back against Hitler and his cronies. I loved the story so much and I love that it was inspired by the story of an elderly German woman.
Last but certainly not least is my favorite Historical Fiction and series is Fall of Giants, part of the Century Trilogy. Ken Follett is a master of words and this book is possibly the most masterfully written I have ever read. This book follows a family from the UK, Russia and the US during WWI. What I love about this book (and series) is that it follows these families through not just WWI but WWII, the Korean/Vietnamese Wars and the 60’s (all the way up to the 2000’s). How Ken crafts these family’s stories together is unreal. This book is not for the faint of heart though, as it’s thousands of pages and weighs as much as a small child!
Whether you like Historical Fiction or not I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you pick up a Historical, or slightly Historical Fiction book today! One of these are great, or honestly any book would be great, the point is that you should read!
Happy reading!
Joyfully Jacquie 