I write and read historical fiction and have a lot of favourites across all age ranges! I'll update as I find new favourites.
Sections
6
Pre-WWI
WWI
1920s
1930s
WWII
Post-War through 1980s
Pre-WWI
At first I wasn't sure if I'd like this one, but it quickly grabbed me.
The Phoenix Crown
One of the most hauntingly beautiful books I have ever read.
Burial Rites
WWI
One of the few WWI histfic books I truly love and recommend lavishly.
The Skylarks' War
This feels like an Elizabeth Gaskell novel and I am here for it.
The Summer Before the War
Snogging, Scotsmen, and spies, oh my.
The Alice Network
I wrote the WWI book I wanted to read.
The War in Our Hearts
Greatly enjoyed this tale based on the real-life Women's Battalion of Death.
Open Fire
1920s
Very few books make me cry. This one did.
Glittering Hour
1925 story of a girl, a boy, and closets full of family skeletons.
The Summer I Found Home (George and Louise Book 1)
“I want to fly. My mother says it’s dangerous and not very ladylike. My best friend George doesn’t care about the ladylike bit, but he also says it’s dangerous, and likes to point out to me every time the papers report another aviation-related accide...
Shadows From the Sky (George and Louise Book 2)
1930s
Continuing saga of George and Louise.
Believe In Me (George and Louise Book 3)
I adore this entire series. Max is probably one of my all-time favourite characters in fiction, ever. “I'M NOT TRYING TO CHARM YOU, I'M CHARMING! THERE'S A DIFFERENCE!”
Coming Apart: A Novel (Ava and Claire, Book 1)
👀
Coming Closer: A Novel of 1930s Philadelphia (Ava and Claire, Book 2)
in which i continue to be utterly in love with Max
Coming Together: A Novel of Philadelphia (Book 3)
This one is a contemporary novel in which kids at this weird remote boarding school are trying to solve a mystery from the 1930s. It was so much fun (I've only read the first three of the series so far)
Truly Devious: A Mystery
1930s Ethiopia - an underrated gem!
Black Dove White Raven
WWII
In the north of Scotland, three young people - a pilot, a carer, and a driver - work together with a stolen Enigma machine to beat the Germans at their own game.
The Enigma Game
A sweet, sad story of a Japanese-American girl imprisoned during WWII.
Paper Wishes
Graphic novel memoir of actor George Takei's time in concentration camps during WWII.
They Called Us Enemy
Excellent as per usual with Kate Quinn! This one's about a Russian sharpshooter.
Diamond Eye Novel Kate Quinn
This book absolutely broke me.
All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel
A wonderful story of two Japanese young people dealing with the war.
The Blossom and the Firefly
A girl with a stammer finds a way to survive in Nazi Germany.
The Last Hawk
This story follows two British children and two German children in the years leading up to the war and how the war brings them together. I cannot say enough good things about it.
The Swallows' Flight
I am a diehard Tommy and Tuppence stan and this, the third book of five about them, is so much fun.
N or M?
A great story of family and friendship as a German boy deconstructs the reality of Hitler versus what he previously believed.
My Brother's Secret
SO good. The suspense is upped massively by knowing from page one who the villain is.
The Huntress
Yeah, I wrote it, but it's good and I love it and lots of other people do too.
This Great Wilderness
The book that changed my life.
Code Name Verity
A group of refugees is trying to get the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises to get them to safety elsewhere. It's poetic and one of my all-time favourite novels.
Salt to the Sea
My all-time favourite Elizabeth Wein book. I've read it at least a dozen times. Easy read, no, but it means the world to me.
Rose Under Fire
A wonderful story of a brother and sister evacuated from London during the Blitz. Especially recommend the audiobook version!
The War that Saved My Life
A Black girl passes as white to join the WASP. I absolutely loved this story and its emotional handling of identity and ambitions in a Jim Crow world.
Flygirl
This was one of my children's favourites and I love it too.
Number the Stars
A Lithuanian family is taken to a Siberian prison camp during WWII.
Between Shades of Gray
Post-War through 1980s
Flavia de Luce is a delight, and this one has a B plot involving stamps, so of course I'm all over that.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Romania under communism was an incredibly un-fun place to be, but this book is amazing.
I Must Betray You
Survival in Alaska in more ways than just physical survival. I loved this one. It takes its time getting where it wants to go, which usually drives me crazy, but somehow this one time I didn't mind.
The Great Alone
Christmastime, murder, weird film star drama. I love revisiting this during the holidays.
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, and learned a lot of stuff about Chinese immigration in the process!
The Puzzle of the Paper Daughter
Another fantastic work by Quinn!!
The Briar Club
My third-favourite in the FdL series.
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
Fictional story set during a real-life hurricane in the early 50s. This was one of my favourites as a child and I still love it.
Flood Friday
A Berlin family gets split - father and brother on the west side of the wall; sister, brother, and mother on the east side.
