Having been neck-deep in all the historical research and hundreds of old black-and-white photographs I needed to write my book over the past eight months, my love of history has been refreshed. I’m now constantly craving good old TCM films; episode marathons of Downton Abbey, Vegas, and American Pickers; and as much historical fiction as I can get my hands on. I’ve become obsessed with some other history-related things, including Corsets, Cutlasses, and Candlesticks, a blog about historical fiction writing by a team of YA historical fiction authors (I look forward to their posts every Monday and Wednesday!) and Stuff You Missed in History Class, a podcast from the How Stuff Works website that is chock-full of interesting and obscure stories, legends, and shipwrecks, perfect for the daily commute. (I’ve blown through more than 100 podcasts in the past two months. They’re so good!)
If you’re into historical fiction too, I’d definitely recommend some of the ones I’ve read most recently:
5. The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe. Titanic, Boston, WWI, 1800s Shanghai, Spiritualism, opium, and crystal balls. What more could you ask for??
4. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. An alternative history, so not for the historical fiction purist, but an authentic Puritan New England feel, complete with magic and witch hunts.
3. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. This is the first in a trilogy (the second one is really good too!) set in contemporary London with a heavy bit of time travel to the eighteen century. Awesome attention to the detail of period clothes, too!
2. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. Set in 1950s Communist China. Starvation, propaganda, and a few love story plot lines–you’ll never look at a grain of rice the same way again.
1. Grave Mercy by R. L. LaFevers. Set in 1485 Brittany, this is historical fantasy at its best, complete with a convent of assassin nuns, political betrayals, a love story, and some Middle Age mysticism.
Do you have any other favorite historical fiction books to recommend?
Hannah Karena Jones 
I love anything to do with Ancient Rome. The mystery series by Ruth Downie are fantastic!
Glad to see you back after your hiatus 🙂
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Interesting, I’ve never heard of the series before. I’m going to have to look it up. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Nice book recommendations. I will definitely have to check a few of them out. Thanks.
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Hope you like them as much as I did!
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Thank you very much, I will look into them. I am reading historical fiction at the moment and really enjoying it.
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Glad to hear it! Historical fiction is definitely making a comeback. I used to to love the Dear America series, which they discontinued, and for a while I could never find historical fiction on the shelves…but now it’s increasingly popular and it’s easier to find some great books.
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I also enjoy books on ancient Rome as well as ancient Egyptian books- I am just finishing up a great historical fiction that centers around ancient Egypt, “Shadow of the Sun” by Merrie P. Wycoff- I seriously am having a difficult time putting it down. I will be so sad when it is over. I am so glad that I stumbled across your site, now I have at least 3 new books that I am definitely going to check out!
http://merriepwycoff.com/about-the-book
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Hm, I’ve never read any books about ancient Rome myself, but I guess I never got any good recommendations before! I traveled to Egypt a few years ago and would love to get my hands on some historical fiction that isn’t Cleopatra-based. Glad my recommendations found an eager reader :]
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Very jealous that you were able to travel to Egypt. It is definitely a place I plan to visit one day. I hope you have a chance to check out “Shadow of the Sun.” It is a very enjoyable book.
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I’ve recently fallen in love with the Hangman’s Daughter series and I could use more historical fiction until the next installment is released. Thanks for the title suggestions!
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I’ve heard such good things about the Hangman’s Daughter…didn’t realize it was a series though! I’m going to have to get my hands on a copy pronto!
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Yes! The Hangman’s Daughter, followed by The Dark Monk. And then another installment next year. Don’t know the name of that one yet.
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