The new year brings on resolutions, goals, and dreams. It is time to think about how the next year will be and what accomplishments will be made. One of my resolutions for 2021 was to broaden my horizons when it came to reading, and I did that. I read new genres and found some interesting stories along the way. One genre that I have been focusing on lately is historical fiction.
I was never much of a fan of history. It was my least favorite subject in school. However, I have always loved learning new things. I adore watching the Discovery Channel and the Travel channel, learning about new discoveries from around the world.
So, last year I had decided that I wanted to read some historical fiction. If I loved watching that type of content, it is a safe bet that I will love reading it as well. So I started by adding a couple historical fiction books to my TBR.
But I never got around to reading most of them! I’ll be honest, historical fiction is intimidating. I love escaping into my books and forgetting the outside world. Sometimes, reading historical fiction reminds me too much of reading a textbook. It is harder to escape into these types of stories for me.
However, I am convinced that is because I haven’t tried to read the right one. So, I am adding a couple more historical fiction books to my TBR for this coming year, 2022. And I am creating this post to hold myself accountable, although that hasn’t worked for me in the past…
But I will come back to this post at the end of next year having read each book on this list! Hopefully! At least one of them!
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Historical Fiction Books I Did Read This Year
1. How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
This book came to me through the Literati book club and I was a little nervous. It wasn’t a book I would have picked up for myself and it wasn’t about a subject I was particularly interested in. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised. I ended up giving this book 4 stars. You can see my full review of How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang here. You can learn more about the Literati book club here.
2. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
One of my favorite reads this year was The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. This book is a historical fiction/fantasy based around The Rape of Nanjing. This story completely blew me away. The characterization was top notch and the story was intriguing. One of my favorites.
Although this is categorized as historical fiction, it is about fictional places that were influenced by real history. You can read my full review of this book here!
3. We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly is a historical fiction novel written for a middle-grade audience. It is written about students who are living during the time when the Challenger spaceship launched. This was a really interesting look at what was happening for kids when this tragedy happened. Because it was middle-grade, it was easier to digest, which made it a great start into the genre.
What Historical Fiction Books Do I Want to Read in 2022
1. The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by
This book is about an Appalachian woman who braved dangerous roads to deliver books to people who needed them. Of course, I am interested in someone who cares about books so much that they will travel miles just to deliver them. I also love reading any stories with “book” in the title. I’m easy.
2. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Sticking with the same theme, I would love to read The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This book is about Belle da Costa Greene, who was J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian. This sounds like such an interesting read about a piece of history I didn’t even know I was missing.
3. The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath
This book is a YA historical fiction set in 1904 Norway, where three people are on a journey to be who they are despite opposition from their town. This book sounds like such a powerful and intriguing story. I will never get over how amazing it is that young people get to read stories like this. I wish I had something like this when I was younger. Based on reviews, this book has disabled, queer, and mental illness representation.
Also… that COVER!
You know what? Looking back, the fact that I read three historical fiction books is not bad for someone who thought she read zero. I’m okay with how this year went in regards to historical fiction!
The books I have on my TBR for this coming year look so interesting, and I have the desire to read something real this year. Something with historical backing to it. Hopefully, I will find some more favorites in 2021.
What is your favorite historical fiction? Let me know in the comments below! I would love some more recommendations.