History class making you think the past is dusty and dull? Make history come alive with a little help from the historical fiction reading lists!
In Historical Fiction: 20th Century and Onward, explore the Turn of the Century, the Great Depression, WWII, the Civil Rights Movement, plus much more!
Chasing Charity: Texas Fortunes Trilogy, Book 2 by Marcia Gruver
In this second book of the Texas Fortunes series, Charity Bloom is left stranded at the altar after her best friend takes off with her fiance. How will she ever show her face in town again? After Buddy Pierce discovers oil on the Bloom property, he realizes the real treasure may be above ground-in the form of Charity Bloom. Can he strike it rich in Charity? When her ex-fiance decides he wants her back, whom will Charity choose--the handsome roughneck or the deceitful rogue?
Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist
It's 1894, the year of Essie's thirtieth birthday, and she decides the Lord has more important things to do than provide her a husband. If she wants one, she needs to catch him herself. So, she writes down the names of all the eligible bachelors in her small Texas town, makes a list of their attributes and drawbacks, closes her eyes, twirls her finger, and...picks one.
Kaspar the Titanic Cat written by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman
When Kaspar the cat first arrived at London’s Savoy Hotel, it was Johnny Trott who carried him in. But when tragedy befalls the Countess during her stay, Kaspar becomes more than Johnny’s responsibility: Kaspar is Johnny’s new cat, and his new best friend.
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Living in Germany during World War II, young Liesel Meminger scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist --- books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids.
Countdown by Deborah Wiles
It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Amidst the pervasive threat of nuclear war, Franny must face the tension between herself and her younger brother, figure out where she fits in with her family, and look beyond outward appearances.
Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood
As much as Glory wants to turn 12, sometimes she wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Her sister Jesslyn no longer has the time of day for her now that she’s entering high school. Things have always been so easy with her best friend Frankie, but now suddenly they aren’t. And then there’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.
More books like the ones on this list »
History class making you think the past is dusty and dull? Make history come alive with a little help from the historical fiction reading lists!
In Historical Fiction: Before the 20th Century, explore the Medieval age, Salem Witch Trials, moving to the Western Frontier and the Civil War, plus much more!
To see historical fiction books from the 20th century and onward, click here.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
As the Revolutionary War begins, 13-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
More books like the ones on this list »
Editorial Content for Stolen in Death
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Reviewer (text)
Lt. Eve Dallas and her team from the Homicide Division of the New York Police and Security Department return in this 62nd installment of J. D. Robb’s popular futuristic thriller series. Read More
Teaser
A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead --- while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’ husband, Roarke, recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing. Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father --- and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.
Promo
A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead --- while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’ husband, Roarke, recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing. Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father --- and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.
About the Book
A violent death and a vault of stolen treasures has Eve Dallas struggling to solve crimes old and new in the next thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead --- while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’ husband, Roarke --- who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief --- recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.
Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father --- and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.
By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father --- he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed --- and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.
Audiobook available, read by Susan Ericksen
Editorial Content for Half His Age
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Reviewer (text)
Jennette McCurdy, one of the stars of Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat,” wrote a memoir in 2022 that garnered a lot of praise. I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED was about her awful pushy mom and their myriad issues as she became a teen star with great comedic chops. However, behind the scenes, she was the victim of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Read More
Teaser
Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does.
Promo
Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does.
About the Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED comes a sad, funny and thrilling novel about sex, consumerism, class, desire, loneliness, the internet, rage, intimacy, power, and the (oftentimes misguided) lengths we’ll go to in order to get what we want.
Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch.
She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does.
Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny and keenly poignant, HALF HIS AGE is a rich character study of a yearning 17-year-old who disregards all obstacles --- or attempts to overcome them --- in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved.
Audiobook available, read by Jennette McCurdy
Editorial Content for In Her Defense
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Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In her striking debut, Philippa Malicka shocks readers with IN HER DEFENSE, an immersive psychological thriller involving manipulated relationships. Read More
Teaser
The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter’s therapist, Jean Guest, of brainwashing her daughter, Mary, for her own financial gain. Jean insists that Mary’s traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome --- wounds only Jean’s therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it’s Augusta “Gus” Bird, Anna’s former employee --- a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody --- who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit. What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can’t be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement?
Promo
The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter’s therapist, Jean Guest, of brainwashing her daughter, Mary, for her own financial gain. Jean insists that Mary’s traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome --- wounds only Jean’s therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it’s Augusta “Gus” Bird, Anna’s former employee --- a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody --- who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit. What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can’t be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement?
About the Book
As a sensational celebrity libel trial unfolds, a young woman at the periphery secretly wields the power to make or break the case. But with her own hidden past, will she dare to speak up?
Everyone is watching. Only one person knows the truth.
The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter’s therapist, Jean Guest, of brainwashing her daughter, Mary, for her own financial gain. Jean insists that Mary’s traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome --- wounds only Jean’s therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it’s Augusta “Gus” Bird, Anna’s former employee --- a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody --- who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit.
What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can’t be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement? Twisty and propulsive, IN HER DEFENSE is a compulsively readable debut for fans of Lucy Foley and Laura Dave.
Audiobook available, read by Anna Popplewell
