American Historical Fiction discussion
Introductions
My name is Jackie and I'm a stay-at-home of 3. I love to read and enjoy all types of genres, but gravitate to historical fiction. I use goodreads as my library list and am looking forward to reading all of your recommendations.
I joined this the other day, but should probably say my hellos. :)I'm Erin and I'm an incurable bookworm. Probably my two greatest loves (genre-wise) are fantasy and historical-fiction, with a sprinkling of non-fiction thrown in. I'll admit that most of the HR is European, but I do like American-based stories, as well. I'd love to find some good books that feature Native Americans, but most of what I come up with seem to cast them in the role of villain. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be thankful for them.
Beyond that, I'm just going to go browse the threads, so I'll catch you all later!
Hi Erin,Have you tried Orson Scott Card's series about Alvin Maker? It's alternate history and fantasy with NAs. The first one is titled Seventh Son.
The first two books of my series, Paper Woman and The Blacksmith's Daughter, have NA characters (Creek) who aren't villains.
Suzanne Adair
Hi, I'm Karen Lynn Allen, author of Beaufort 1849, a novel of antebellum South Carolina, published last month by Cabbages and Kings Press. I'll put more about the book under the Civil War thread for those that might be interested. I'm glad to see so many fans of American historical fiction!
Hi!! My name is Anette and I live in Dallas, TX. I am 42, married and have a dog. I love to read, especially historical fiction. I am hoping to get some recommendations about different authors.
Mod
d.k. - I honeymooned in Niagara Falls and your book sounds great!
Karen - South Carolina is my home away from home! Do you live in Beaufort?
Jenny,No, I live on the other coast, but in researching my book I spent quite a bit of time in Beaufort. Such a lovely place. In fact, I was just in the lowcountry the week before last promoting my book. (Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, Johns Island and Charleston.) A lot of fun.
Suzanne wrote: "Hi Erin,Have you tried Orson Scott Card's series about Alvin Maker? It's alternate history and fantasy with NAs. The first one is titled Seventh Son."
I think I remember reading that years and years ago. Maybe it's time to give it another look-see. Thanks!
Hello! My name is Nichelle. I am an avid reader and a teacher. My dream is to teach history (my major in college) but alas, I'm still teaching English (which I also love as it is my second major too- and there are more opportunities to teach it). I love reading as much historical fiction as I can, when I can (meaning during the summer) so I'm hoping to get a lot of great book ideas from this group :) Nice to meet ya!
Hi all -- I am new to the group -- and to Good reads as well - so I'm looking forward to hearing about what everyone is reading. I am an avid reader of many different genres, but historical fiction is my #1 choice. Tracy Chevalier and Edward Rutherfurd, in my opinion, have been particularly successful in mastering the art. Looking forward to swapping ideas with you guys and hope to hear more about your reading interests.
Mod
Nichelle wrote: "Hello! My name is Nichelle. I am an avid reader and a teacher. My dream is to teach history (my major in college) but alas, I'm still teaching English (which I also love as it is my second major to..."Hi Nichelle. I'm a teacher as well. You might be interested in reading my historical novel, "Sophie Paraskova." It is the story of a beautiful young Jewish woman who flees Russia in the 1880's and arrives on NYC's Lower East Side where she falls in love with an anarchist and, under his influence, become a revolutionist herself. The book illustrates the life of the Jewish immigrant and explores the anarchist movement. It tackles the social and political issues of the era, many of which remain relevant today. The book is available in paperback and on Kindle at Amazon.com.
Hi I'm Katie I'm from Massachusetts and I'm 23. I love reading about history. The period I'm into the most is the Civil War. I look forward to discussing more with all of you.
Katie wrote: "Hi I'm Katie I'm from Massachusetts and I'm 23. I love reading about history. The period I'm into the most is the Civil War. I look forward to discussing more with all of you."Katie, if you enjoy the Civil War period, you would probably like James Lee Burke's White Doves at Morning : A Novel.
Megan wrote: "Katie wrote: "Hi I'm Katie I'm from Massachusetts and I'm 23. I love reading about history. The period I'm into the most is the Civil War. I look forward to discussing more with all of you."
Katie..."
Thank You I will look into it.
Katie..."
Thank You I will look into it.
I am an American that made the big step to Europe almost forty years ago. I have always been a collector. It must be embedded in my gene-pool as I have never been able to shake the need to collect or the fascination I have with a vast collection of similar objects. When I was in grade school, we could earn reading certificates and gold seals for the number of books you could read in a single school year. I started with small, short books with lots of pictures; short of long, a book was a book. In the summer before entering the fifth grade I happened upon a book by Zane Gray. I can still remember the title, Fighting Caravans. The book was about a wagon train heading west and the book didn't have a single illustration or picture. That book brought me into a world I never knew existed. Since that first introduction, I have never tired of either the journey or the world of the novel. When I read, my daily life with its problems, joys and worries, fade to background nothingness and I enter a world far removed from reality. I have attended several universities but have learned more through reading than I ever did or could in those hallowed- halls of learning. Looking back, what could be better? I had a perfect match of obsessions to start my library. This is, in short, how I became me. Opposites attract. That is one of the basic laws of nature. People react in much the same way. Most of my closest friends actually pride themselves in the fact that they've not touched (much less read) a book since school. I can't convince them of what they are missing so we've agreed to disagree. This is where you come in....... In this age of cyber communication why should I enjoy my passion alone? I hope that some (if not all) of you are similarly minded and would enjoy commenting and reviewing books, authors and genres.
Mod
I have a degree in history and I've never regretted it. Historical novels can cover a large area. I just read that one of the members recently read George Orwell's 1984. When it was written it was classed as science fiction (long before 1984), now I suppose it could easily fall under history. I agree with you that everything in the past could be shelved as history. I am currently reading Patriots by Steve Sohmer. It is a story about the end of the Cold War. I'm not reading it because it is historical but because I picked it up and started reading. I have read the Kent Family Chronicles (8 volumes) by John Jakes and would recommend them to anyone that would like a birds-eye view of our country's birth and growth to the only remaining world power. I tend to hop on the band wagon of any author that grabs my imagination and read everything they write. John Jakes is one of those band wagons.
Thom, you may also enjoy reading Bernard Cornwell's fiction. His style reminds me of Jakes's style. Cornwell is the author of the famous Sharpe books (Peninsular War) that were turned into a mini-series starring Sean Bean. But he's also written Redcoat, set in the American Revolution. And there's my series, also set during the Revolution, and beginning with Paper Woman.Suzanne Adair
Thanks for the tip Suzanne, I will certainly try him out. I'm always looking for my next favorite author.
The Fort looks interesting, Jenny. Thanks for mentioning it. Plenty of people don't want to read about the Patriots' crash-and-burn failures. Thus the story of the Penobscot Expedition, with Paul Revere as a leader, hasn't received much press. Revere came up for courts martial because of the disaster. Gee, anyone want to guess why stories like that don't make it into our high school history books?Suzanne Adair
YAY!! I am very excited to find this group! Love historical novels from anywhere, but I think this will be a great place to discuss and find new-to-me American fiction. Once again I have to say, Goodreads rocks!!!
Mod
I have just started Battle Cry by Leon Uris. It has been in my library for a few years now and has finally caught my eye. I've read The Angry Hills, Exodus, QB VII, Topaz and my favorite Mila 18. I feel sure Battle Cry will be well worth the read.
Hello, I'm Kathleen and am an avid reader. I especially love novels set around the turn of the twentieth century but there aren't many periods I don't find fascinating. I loved Caleb Carr's books. Because I used to live in Salem, MA I've also read quite a lot of books from that period.
Mod
Jenny wrote: "Hi Kathleen! If you get a chance, check out the New England thread and list some of your recommendations for us!"Thanks -- I'll see if I can find it.
Kathleen wrote: I especially love novels set around the turn of the twentieth century.Then you'll want to check out Rhys Bowen's mystery series about Molly Murphy, a young Irishwoman in NYC. The first one is Murphy's Law.
Suzanne Adair
Suzanne wrote: "Kathleen wrote: I especially love novels set around the turn of the twentieth century.Then you'll want to check out Rhys Bowen's mystery series about Molly Murphy, a young Irishwo..."
Thanks! I will.
Hello,I'm Krissi and I love to read about history. Anything History! Right now, I'm reading Tom Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation" (as well as another book) and just love it. I'm excited to hear other suggestions and am glad to find others who love to read as much as I do. Thanks everyone!
hey all! just found a website I love at first sight - fantastic fiction! it's UK based sowww.fantasticfiction.co.uk
check it out
Hello,This is my first month on this site and I really like it. I do wish there was a 'live' chat or something like that though. I gave up on "Jane Eyre" for now and and am reading the 'the outsiders' and 'Elizabeth street' as well as some others. I like to read several books at once. I was born and raised in NJ where I still live. thank you.
I just checked out your recommended web site and must admit it looks very complete and informative. Thanks for the tip!
I have two titles I'm eager to tell you about, both of them 20th century. One is by Jenna Blum, Those Who Save Us. It's one of those that bounces between generations, 1930s and 1990s, which I generally don't like, but this time it works. The 1930s story is about a young German woman, Aryan, who falls in love with a Jew and hides him from the Nazis. Eventually he's taken, she has a baby, starving, scared, and so on. Then an SS officer takes her as his mistress. The inner conflicts, the hidden hatred, the realistic choices of feeding the child and submitting vs. starvation or execution are very well done. I recommend it. Other book, separate post.
The other book is The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss.It is indeed about horses. Set in Idaho during WWI, a young woman comes to the valley to train horses. She's of the whispering variety, not the breaking variety. I don't know a thing about horses, not part of my life at all, yet I loved every page. A very rural, limited life, yet so very rich. I recommend this one, too.
Hello, I'm Donna. I read lots of historical fiction. I love American history and spent several months last year reading just Civil War books. My Name is Mary Sutter is one of my favorits. I'm looking forward to many good book recommendatons and discussions here!
Hi, my name is Judy; I live in Wisconsin and am an avid reader. I love historical fiction, especially the "classics" by all the authors we were supposed to write reports on in high school. We hated those books then, perhaps, but now at 60+, I can't get enough. I have a Kindle that I received for a recent birthday, and was excited to see that many of these wonderful classic novels are free for downloading. There are so many books that I am going to try to catch up on...and I am looking forward to seeing what others are reading, and to enjoy discussions on favorites.I love tales from New England, stories about the Civil War (GWTW is on my top 10 list). Currently reading Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Nice to be a part of this group.
Hi Judy, welcome to the group! I've read Gone with the Wind and enjoyed it very much. Much later a sequel was written (condoned by the Margaret Mitchell estate) entitled Scarlet. Although it started where the first left off, it explained the happily ever after ending in a little more detail. It was well written and takes the reader into a new time and a different part of the world as Mitchell's main character, Scarlet O' hare undergoes the further metamorphosis of maturing. I highly recommend both books for any reading and/or American History buff.
Donna wrote: "Hello, I'm Donna. I read lots of historical fiction. I love American history and spent several months last year reading just Civil War books. My Name is Mary Sutter is one of my ..."Hi I am Lucy and just joined this group. I read My Name is Mary Sutter and also loved it. Have you read The Widow's War?
Hi Lucy, The Widow's War is new to me. I'll look into that one - thanks.
Hey y'all,My name is Debye & I'm a librarian in Texas. Next to SciFi/Fantasy, Historical Fiction (from all over), they are my favorites. But I do read widely. Looking forward to discussion on this forum. Is there a particular book being read right now? (that I missed mention of?)
Hi Debye, it is always a pleasure to welcome a Texas librarian. There is a particular book you should be reading.....it is that particular book that finds its way into your hand and heart.
Hello all. my name is John. I'm an accountant in Oklahoma and have grown to really enjoy historical fiction. I haven't read too much yet, but have enjoyed the authors I have read so far.Mainly:
John Jakes (I enjoy his American historical fiction...although, I think his stories have too much "romance book" in them sometimes). Of Jakes, I have read 'On Secret Service', the Kent family series, and Savannah.
James Michener - have read Mexico and Alaska
Edward Rutherfurd - have read Sarum and Russka.
(of Michener and Rutherfurd, I actually prefer Rutherfurd)
I have also read Jeffrey Archer's Paths of Glory, which I really enjoyed and Michael Shaara's Killer Angels...another one I really enjoyed.
Look forward to getting some great ideas for future reads!
Welcome John! If you are an Edward Rutherfurd fan I highly recommend that you read London as it is one of his best. I would also like to suggest Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth as it is a very moving story.
London is next on my list...might try to get to it this year....and thanks for the note about Ken Follett.
Hi all: David R. Gross here. I read almost anything about the Mountain Man era. Favorites are The Lewis and Clark journals, especially the volumes edited by Elliott Coues, Distant Horizon edited by Gary Noy, all of Bernard DeVoto's books dealing with the era, and for light reading "A Rendezvous Reader", edited by Maguire, Wild and Barclay. Just finished "El Gringo, New Mexico and Her People" by W.W.H.Davis, a first person account of New Mexico shortly after the Mexican-American War. Washington Irving's "Astoria" is a must read.I am currently working on a novel about the Espinosas who robbed and killed throughout northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in the 1850's and the man that hunted them down and killed them.
American Historical Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
Fortitude (other topics)Black City Demon (other topics)
Black City Saint (other topics)
Bridget, A Father's Daughter (other topics)
The Winds of War (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
J. Arthur Moore (other topics)Robert Krenzel (other topics)
Robert Krenzel (other topics)
Roy Underhill (other topics)
John Jakes (other topics)
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Suzanne Adair