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Must Read Books
Between Shades of Gray would be my historical "must read book". This was one of my favorite reads last year and covers WWII history that I do not remember ever learning in school. It is centered around a Lithuanian family - wonderful story. When I saw this thread my mind immediately went to Outlander, but it is probably safe to assume everyone in this group has been exposed to that recommendation, lol!
Books can do different things. They can entertain you, educate you, provide some escapism etc. Sandcastle girls did so many things for me. Firstly it made me weep, it gave me nightmares, it made me really feel for all the victims and survivors of the Armenian genocide. None of the other books I’ve read about the holocaust/Rwandan genocide has affected me this deeply. This may be because some of these books were documentaries, which makes them a bit more clinical, and some of them were biographies, which makes it more difficult to see the big picture. The fact that this is a novel based on history, allowed the author to give you the big picture, as well as focus on individuals, and to keep the stories very personal. I knew nothing about this part of history and find it shocking that something like this can just be forgotten. Sandcastle girls is about more than the Armenian genocide, it also tells a beautiful love story. I think what worked very well is the fact that the author constantly switches between the two stories, as this helps with the balance of the book. If the whole book played off in 1915, I think the story would have been too morbid. This novel is exquisitely written, and I will be reading the rest of Chris Bohjalian’s titles. I strongly recommend this to anyone with an interest in history, or who loves books that really touch your heart.
Good sell, Tania!! I've added it to my TBR pile.
It's hard to name a must-read, since we have such different wants from fiction. Still, I finished this only yesterday and it's as close as I can think of. But my real reason is that the author, David Anthony Durham, now writes Fantasy, which to judge by Goodreads has more attention than his HF earnt. So if more read Pride of Carthage, we might win him back for HF. He tells the story of Hannibal Barca with an old-fashioned amplitude, with a human subtlety I love to see given to such a subject. It's a slow, full, thoughtful read, and as sad, sad, sad as the history was. It's the kind of HF I dream of, and I wept buckets because these were once real people and he made me feel them so.
HF needs him.
Very difficult to pick only a few! :-)But I guess Colleen McCullough is holding the first place on my must read list.
Her "Masters of Rome" bring this controversial period of history to life with such vividness it leaves you breathless (well, it does that to me ;-)).
I reread all the books in this series so many times, they are unreadable by now (I need to get the electronic versions, come to think of it lol :D)
Sharing the first place on this must-must-must-read list is James Clavell with his volumes of "Asian Saga", from Shōgun all the way to the Noble House. Another set of falling off pages from unreadable books upon my shelves :D
Bryn wrote: "... But my real reason is that the author, David Anthony Durham, now writes Fantasy, which to judge by Goodreads has more attention than his HF earnt. So if more read Pride of Carthage, we might win him back for HF. ..."Oh I was meaning to get to this read for ages, actually savoring the wait. I heard so many good things about Pride of Carthage!
I read many non-fictional accounts of Hannibal, admiring him greatly, that it would be a great diversion to get back to him through agood HF this time :-)
Cher wrote: " Between Shades of Gray would be my historical "must read book". This was one of my favorite reads last year and covers WWII history that I do not remember..."I've been wanting to read between Shades of Gray forever, will definitely add it to my to read in April list
Hard to say since everyone is different. I'd be more likely to say everyone interested in historical fiction should read at least one Sharon Kay Penman book.
Kathy wrote: "Another one I strongly recommend is 
, which is extremely well done.I also enjoyed Pompeii, but the ending was kind of a let down. I thought the author knew he had to finish the book where he did, but didn't quite know how to accomplish it. Otherwise, it was a great book.
Eileen wrote: "I also enjoyed Pompeii, but the ending was kind of a let down. I thought the author knew he had to finish the book where he did, but didn't quite know how to accomplish it. Otherwise, it was a great book. "Actually I did like the ending. It was surprising :-)
When you read a story about a well known event, you generally know what will happen. In this I came to terms with the knowledge that whatever happened they will not make it. And then, wow - surprise! :-)
(spoiler alert :-))
Kaki Warner was the author I crowned as my Overall Favorite of 2012. Kaki WarnerHer 3 book series "Runaway Brides" including Heartbreak Creek, Colorado Dawn and Bride of the High Country are exceptionally written and intertwined in a unique fashion I had not encountered prior. The women come from different backgrounds and all end up in Heartbreak Creek. I loved her wonderfull explainations of the wilderness that reached out and pulled me into the town myself. I was surrounded by the characters, the beauty, as if I were there watching instead of just reading. Another added bonus was the way her chracters 'speak', especially when we meet Angus Wallace from Scottland and get a hearty helping of his unique speach that put a smile on my face.
Kaki did not miss any opportunity to tell this story in the most unique and exciting and just plain FUN way.
This is Historical Fiction set in the mid 1800's in a town in Colorado.
One of my absolute favorite historical fiction works recently has been The Invisible Bridge--honestly, just one of those novels that sucked me in and refused to let me go. Essentially my family lost me for the week that I spent reading it (!) The novel follows a family of Hungarian Jews who begin WWII as students abroad in Paris, and follows them through the gradual but inevitable process of dehumanization that took place in Hungary over the course of the war, their survival and eventual triumph. I felt a slight slowing of the tension as the novel reached it conclusion ---but to be honest, Orringer had more than earned it by that point, in my opinion!
Kathy wrote: "I thought that 
was absolutely brilliant. People have expressed varying opinions of some of his books but this one I think is his best work."LondonI enjoyed it, too, although I wouldn't say it was brilliant. It did give a nice overview of the history of the city throughout the centuries. Similar to James Michener's books.
I also have his book Russka in a stack of to be read books at home. I'm not sure when I will get to it, though.
Another WWII book but set in the Pacific: A Pledge of Silence
. It is about the women nurses who were stationed in the Philippines during WWII. It covers their time in in the open-air hospitals on Bataan, living in the Malinta Tunnel, and being taken prisoners-of-war by the Japanese. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. You can tell the author did a lot of research plus it is beautifully written.
I have to add The Book Thief. I bought it because a fellow writer recommended it, avoided it for months because I don't like to read about Nazi Germany, then started it out of boredom on a Christmas vacation and was not seen again for three days....The book is narrated by Death. That makes perfect sense. What more need I say?
Kathy wrote: "I thought that was absolutely brilliant. People have expressed varying opinions of some of his books but this one I think is his best work."For me, it's between Sarum: The Novel of England and London.
C.P. wrote: "I have to add The Book Thief. I bought it because a fellow writer recommended it, avoided it for months because I don't like to read about Nazi Germany, then started it out of boredom on a Christma..."I agree! Absolutely one of my favorite books. I burned a pot of water because I couldn't stop reading...I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put
by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It was probably the first adult historical fiction book I read and I still have very fond memories of it. I think it also contributed to the over abundance of Katherines/Kates/Katies in today's population.Another must read would be Herman Wouk's
. He did a masterful job of telling the story of WWII from the point of view of the people experiencing it. A remarkable achievement.For a more recent must read, I think Philippa Gregory's
was incredible. As much history as I already knew of the Tudor era, none ever gave me a sense of what it must have felt like to live at the court of Henry VIII as this one did. Truly an excellent book.Of course, there are many others (some of which have been mentioned above), but I thought I would stop here.
Eileen wrote: "Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It was probably the first adult historical fiction book I read and I still have..."I kind of doubt that - the name Katherine has always been common throughout history but it actually saw some decline in popularity in the mid to late 50s around the time I think the book was first released (see behindthename.com for stats).
Almost anything by Conn Iggulden...definitely "Wolf of the Plains"
Robin wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It was probably the first adult historical fiction book I read a..."I loved this book.
Robin wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It was probably the first adult historical fiction book I read a..."LOL! I know the name's been around for centuries, and there were a fair number of Kathys when I was growing up, but my daughter (Katie, by the way) had a class in high school where she was 1 of 6 Katies!
I was 1 of 6 Jamie's in my elementary school and junior high and 1 of 8 in high school. When I went to summer camp I was 1 of 12 Jamies in a camp of 300 girls. One of the Jamie's was a dog.
In the 1940's the US government asked a leading author to write a short propaganda novel to encourage resistance to the Nazi invasions in Europe. The result - The Moon is Down - wasn't exactly what the government wanted, but went on to become translated into hundreds of dialects, staged as a Broadway play and carried a death sentence when possessed. A short and very powerful novel, with a wonderful introduction.
Eileen wrote: "LOL! I know the name's been around for centuries, and there were a fair number of Kathys when I was growing up, but my daughter (Katie, by the way) had a class in high school where she was 1 of 6 Katies!"Yeah, it's a very common name but I just don't see how that relates to the book.
Eileen wrote: "... Another must read would be Herman Wouk's. He did a masterful job of telling the story of WWII from the point of view of the people experiencing it. A remarkable achievement...."I second The Winds of War (and
War and Remembrance) wholeheartedly. The most thorough account of WWII, that is told from every point of view possible!
And such an engaging read at that :-)
Having just read this article in The New York Times, I jumped on Amazon and ordered the kindle edition($8.98)http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/boo...
I know a couple of people who knew the evil racist ex=sheriff of Lake County Florida (Willis McCall), and many, many who know OF him.
Can't wait to lay hands on this one. Author Gilbert King just won Pulitzer Prize.
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Robin wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It was probably the first adult historical fiction..."I agree about Katherine. Loved that book, too.
Diane wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Robin wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It was probably th..."I agree with everyone. A lovely book.
This may be over done as I seem to read more fantasy now days than HF but I loved The Red Tent this book touched my soul I listened to it in the car while driving to and from school about an hour a day and I remember just tearing up and smiling all at the sametime. What a dangerous driver I was then LOL.
One day at the library I randomly picked up a book, The Angel Makers. I thought the cover was aestetically pleasing, so of course I read it. It is one of my top 5 reads for 2012. It is about the women in a hungarian village during WWI. When all the men leave for war, the women are left to their own devices and they learn to love their freedom. But when the men start returning after wars end, the women aren't ready to lose their independence.Another top pick from last year was Alice I Have Been. Now I have never read the alice books or really been a huge fan so the premise of this book did not bother me. However, if you are a huge fan of Lewis Carroll this books might leave a bad taste in your mouth.
The reason that both of these books left an impression on me is because they elicited such emotion. I was genuinely hartbroken at the end of one of them. It took several days for me to get back to normal. Any book that makes me feel so strongly, be it ecstatically happy or profoundly sad, is a definite top rated read for me!
My favorite has always been Tai Pan by James Clavell. I have always been drawn to history, but this story made me feel like I was living it. Great read as are his other books, Shogun, The Noble House, King Rat and Whirlwind.
~Brandy~ wrote: "One day at the library I randomly picked up a book, The Angel Makers. I thought the cover was aestetically pleasing, so of course I read it. It is one of my top 5 reads for 2012. It is about the wo..."Alice I Have Been was excellent!!!
I would have to recommend "The Officer's Code" by Lyn Alexander. I read it late last year and absolutely fell in love. It's a historical fiction based around a English/German soldier in World War 1.
C.P. wrote: "I have to add The Book Thief. I bought it because a fellow writer recommended it, avoided it for months because I don't like to read about Nazi Germany, then started it out of boredom on a Christma..."Excellent book.
Victoria_Grossack wrote: "I would recommend the classic, Rebecca by , as a genuine masterpiece. By Daphne du Maurier."That was a great book. I don't know if I would consider it historical fiction, though.
Anything by Geraldine Brooks. She is a terrific storyteller, her historical topics are fascinating and she is an extremely "literary" writer.
Laura wrote: "Kathy wrote: "I thought that was absolutely brilliant. People have expressed varying opinions of some of his books but this one I think is his best work."
For me, it's bet..."
I have to say Sarum is my favorite but I am looking forward to reading Paris
was absolutely brilliant. People have expressed varying opinions of some of his books but this one I think is his best work."For me, it's bet..."
I have to say Sarum is my favorite but I am looking forward to reading Paris
Pam wrote: "Diane wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Robin wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Looking at classic historical fiction, I would put by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It w..."
I loved this book
by Anya Seton at the top of the list. It w..."I loved this book
My recommendation would be my favorite R.F. Delderfield novel To Serve Them All My Days. Tells the story of David Powlett-Jones, a WWI vetern who becomes a teacher in an English "public" school (here in America this would be a private school). A sweeping, heartwarming and heartbreaking story with wonderful, memorable characters. It was also made into a great mini-series which was shown on PBS in the early 80's. I'm looking forward to reading it again as I now have it on my Kindle!
The Master of Rome series by Colleen McCullough
I love Colleen McCullough, although I haven't read this one.
I think anything by Collen McCollough or Sharon Kay Penman is outstanding. Both women bring a love of history, research and story telling to their writing. Penman's most recent book, Lionheart presents Richard II in a completely different manner than normally portrayed. This Richard is not only a great military commander but an admirable person. When I read this book, I felt like I was there witnessing the action. It was hard to put it down which is my highest compliment.
Anything by Taylor Caldwell would be outstanding. I recently reread her The Wide House and found it a gripping portrait of America just before and in the beginning of the Civil War. Not only does she excellently depict the relationships and conflicts between her characters, she paints an ugly picture of a United States that is falling apart. I also want to read Answer as a Man and reread Testimony of Two Men, Captains and the Kings, Never Victorious, Never Defeated, and other books I've read by her.
Tammy wrote: "Laura wrote: "Kathy wrote: "I thought that was absolutely brilliant. People have expressed varying opinions of some of his books but this one I think is his best work."Fo..."
Sarum is my own favorite as well, though I loved London and The Forest. I call them my expensive books because every time I read one I have to go see the places. Three books - three trips to England - so far. The tour guide in Salisbury Cathedral asked the group how many of us were there because of the book and my hand shot up with many others.
Olivia wrote: "Anything by Taylor Caldwell would be outstanding. I recently reread her The Wide House and found it a gripping portrait of America just before and in the beginning of the Civil War. Not only does s..."My favorite Taylor Caldwell book was Captains and the Kings. Reminded me a bit of the Kennedy family.
Historical Fictionistas
Books mentioned in this topic
The Unknown Soldier (other topics)Purge (other topics)
The Egyptian (other topics)
Under the North Star (other topics)
Etiquette & Espionage (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Edward Rutherfurd (other topics)James A. Michener (other topics)
Edward Rutherfurd (other topics)
James A. Michener (other topics)
Edward Rutherfurd (other topics)
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