Task 19: Read a historical fiction with a POC or LGBTQ+ protagonist

[Book Riot]

Use this space to discuss books you're reading or that might fit the 19th Read Harder task.

[Katie]

Very excited to read The Book of Salt as it has been on my TBR and fits perfectly.

[Stephanie]

The Shadow of the Wind Would this work?

[Elizabeth]

Forbidding myself from reading any KJ Charles for this one, since it would be too easy... I'll still probably end up with a historical romance though.

The Liberators of Willow Run by Marianne K. Martin
How to Talk to Nice English Girls by Gretchen Evans
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
Joseph Chapman: My Molly Life by James Lovejoy

[Kari]

Most of what Sarah Waters has written would be great for this prompt, my favorite being The Night Watch.

[Ilana]

Going with Marlon James’ The Book of Night Women. I love his writing

[Nat]

The Kite Runner has been on my tbr

[Serendipity]

I read The Last Thing You Surrender by Leonard Pitts Jnr this year. It would work really well for this prompt. Set during WW II and race relations was a major theme. Many Black characters.

[Tanu]

Catherine Jinks’ Pagan series is brilliant (YA). I can’t recommend it enough. Kindred is a great read, too.

[Rachel]

I'm going to read The Emperor's Babe by Bernardine Evaristo.

[Bonnie G.]

I am deciding between
Life Mask
Fingersmith and
Orlando

[Karen]

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste - so many possibilities for this, but an army of women in the Ethiopian/Italian colonial wars sounds good.

[Victoria]

I'm thinking about reading All Boys Aren't Blue, just wondering if it fits this category.
This is my first Read Harder Challenge

[Tiffany]

Victoria wrote: "I'm thinking about reading All Boys Aren't Blue, just wondering if it fits this category.
This is my first Read Harder Challenge"

This wouldn't fit because it is a memoir (non-fiction). The challenge says to pick a historical fiction.
And welcome to the challenge!

[Marie]

A few that I've read and enjoyed:
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice Virtue and by Mackenzi Lee
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk

I will probably go with
The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles as it has been on my to-reads list for awhile and a friend recommended it.

[L Y N N]

Bonnie G. wrote: "I am deciding between
Life Mask
Fingersmith and
Orlando"

I've been wanting to read Life Mask and had no idea it would work for this prompt!

[Bonnie G.]

Lynn wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "I am deciding between
Life Mask
Fingersmith and
Orlando"

I've been wanting to read Life Mask and had no idea it would work for this prompt!"

I am told lesbians abound :)

[Kelly]

Haven't read it yet but from the tags The Man Who Saw Everything fits the bill

[L Y N N]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "I am deciding between
Life Mask
Fingersmith and
Orlando"

I've been wanting to read Life Mask and had no idea it would work for this prompt!"

I am told lesbians abound :)"

Cool! :)

[Sara]

I was told by my mother that has a bisexual main character. So I'll probably try that.

[Ashley]

Not sure what I'm going to read yet, but I read Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis last year and it would be a perfect fit for this challenge.

[Jessica]

Scrolling through my historical fiction to-read shelf, I have lots that would fit - all falling under the BIPOC part, as the LGBTQ is a little less evident in book descriptions:

Beloved (which I've been meaning to read forever)
Anything by Lisa See (I enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and really want to read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane)
The Book of Negroes
The Heretic Queen
The Valley of Amazement (and others by Amy Tan)
Washington Black (and others by Esi Edugyan)
Homegoing
The Night Tiger
The Shadow King

[Tanu]

I just finished Dread Nation - highly recommend this one. A fun YA adventure.

Ownvoices and by a BIPOC author too, and fits the Set in the Midwest prompt

[Amy]

The Company Daughters
Great book, fits the category

[Erika]

I knew I wanted to read something with an LGBTQ+ protagonist, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay looks interesting (though it's a beast at over 600 pages)

[Bonnie G.]

K&C is one of my favorite books of all time. Great choice! It didn't feel long at all.

[AJ]

Dread Nation is so so good, but I read it already for another challenge. So it's a good thing the sequel - Deathless Divide came out this year and I havent read it yet!!!!

[Patience]

I’m thinking of going with Last Night at the Telegraph Club it’s set to come out January 2021 and looks really good!

[Bonnie G.]

Thanks Patience, that looks great!

[Bonnie G.]

Argh, my list keeps getting longer. I am next in line on Overdrive for How Much of These Hills Is Gold and it fulfills the prompt. That said, I still want to read all the other books I identified for this prompt. Decisions decisions.

[Tanu]

Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Miranda Riwoe would also fit this prompt! Aussie, BIPOC author.

[Judith]

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale would fit this prompt - I read it this year and really enjoyed it.

[Mandi]

First thing I thought of was Alyssa Cole's Loyal League series, although I'm waiting to finish her contemporary romance series before I get into that.


She's also in the anthology, Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances, where two of the three stories fit this prompt.


For my challenge I'm planning on reading Dead Dead Girls once it comes out in June. It's the first in a new mystery series set in 1920s Harlem.

[Rebecca]

I'm finally going to read Homegoing for this prompt.

[Reade]

Does anyone know if The Vanishing Half would work?

[Milena]

Reade wrote: "Does anyone know if The Vanishing Half would work?"

Yes, it won the historical fiction category in the Goodreads Choice Awards.

[Reade]

Milena wrote: "Reade wrote: "Does anyone know if The Vanishing Half would work?"

Yes, it won the historical fiction category in the Goodreads Choice Awards."

Perfect!

[Fran]

Reade wrote: "Does anyone know if The Vanishing Half would work?"
This is the one I am thinking about, as well. It certainly seems like it should.

[Milena]

Fran wrote: "Reade wrote: "Does anyone know if The Vanishing Half would work?"
This is the one I am thinking about, as well. It certainly seems like it should."

Yes, it works.

[Fran]

Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller is a classic of lesbian fiction and would fit this prompt well - but it's apparently now quite rare and the cost on Amazon is outrageous! :(

[Sarah]

Marie wrote: "A few that I've read and enjoyed:
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice Virtue and by Mackenzi Lee
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by [author:Mack..."

I LOVE a Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. There are not enough true bisexual characters out there and Monty is the perfect example of bisexuality rather than others who always have a "type" and that type is always one gender.

[[deleted user]]

I'm thinking of reading These Violent Delights for this one. Anyone think that it wouldn't work?

[Christopher]

I am trying to decide between Deacon King Kong by James McBride or The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates for this one. Which one do you think I should read?

[Sheri]

Ooh, so many good ones! I just ordered The Vanishing Half. I could go for A Brief History of Seven Killings, which could double as my intimidating book. I also have The Water Dancer by Coates. What to choose... I love James McBride and my husband enjoyed Deacon King Kong.

[Blake]

Audra (Unabridged Chick) wrote: "Okay, I can recommend:

POC

A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby
Mexican Gothic
The Ship Beyond Time



LGBTQ

Arctic Summer
The Conqu..."</i>

I don't think [book:Mexican Gothic is historical fiction. It's a gothic horror novel, and is really good!

The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great looks right up my alley, but my library doesn't have it :(

[The Bookish Austin]

Thoughts on Swimming in the Dark set in Poland in the 1980's? :)

[Maggie]

Sara wrote: "I was told by my mother that has a bisexual main character. So I'll probably try that."

Omg I loved the Huntress. And yes, it has a bi main character. That's a great option.

[Blake]

I am wondering if The Mercies would work. I just started it, and some reviews mention a lesbian main character.

[Cassidy]

I just finished The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan, and it is a historical romance with two main characters who are Chinese (well one is half Chinese).

[Altan]

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle L Gomez would be a good fit for this! Recently read for a book club and it was fantastic :)