30 Historical Fiction Books To Read If You Don't Really Read Historical Fiction — But Want To Start
So, you're here because maybe you want to add a bit of historical fiction to your TBR, but you don't know where to start.
Historical can be a tricky genre to get into if you normally don't read it. For me initially, historical fiction reminded me of books I was forced to read in school instead of things I was reading for fun. But there's a whole lot of incredible stuff in historical fiction, and I want to introduce you to some great ones. I've broken things up into two big categories: the first is sorted by the genres you might already be a reader of (if you like fantasy, if you like contemporary, etc.), and the second is sorted by the time period/event it takes place during.
If you normally read things set in present day, check out these books set in the 1990s for the perfect mix of reading something set in the past but still feeling recent (since, I hate to break it to you, but even the late 1990s were two decades ago),
1.Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
This prequel to The Hate U Give follows Starr's father in the late 1990s. When 17-year-old Mav finds out he's a father, his whole world changes. Seven depends on him for everything, and when he gets a chance to go straight, he takes it. But it's not so easy to walk away from dealing for the King Lords, and when a loved one is murdered, he'll have to figure out what he's willing to risk everything for.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
2.Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
The Santiago family live in a gated community in Bogotá, a protective bubble that protects 7-year-old Chula and older sister Cassandra from the upheaval of 1990s Colombia. Chula has made it her mission to understand the family's new live-in-maid, Petrona, a girl from the guerrilla-occupied slum who is struggling with the weight of providing for her family.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
3.Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
Brooklyn, 1998. After Steph is murdered, his friends Quadir and Jarrell come up with a plan to promote Steph's music. With the help of Steph's sister Jasmine, they create a demo and a new rap persona: the Architect. When that demo catches the ear of a music label rep, they must not only prove Steph's talent but also confront the truth about what really happened to Steph.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
If you're normally a fantasy reader, try branching into historical via historical fantasy!
4.Boxers/Saints by Gene Luen Yang
5.The Falconer by Elizabeth May
Edinburgh, 1844. Aileana is the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, and secretly she is the last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing fae. With her ability to sense the sìthíchean, a bloodthirsty faery race that slaughters humans, she's spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them. For Aileana is dedicated to one goal: destroying the faery who destroyed her mother.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
6.Sistersong by Lucy Holland
When the old magic of Dumnonia turns from King Cador, it calls instead to his three children, Riva, Keyne, and Sinne. When ash begins to fall from the sky, bringing with it meddler magician Myrdhin and warrior Tristan, the trio must fight to forge their own paths against the invading Saxons.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
7.The Bones of Ruin by Sarah Raughley
Iris is an African tightrope walker in Victorian England, and she has a secret: She cannot die. When she gets drawn into the circle of Adam Temple, and with him the mysterious order of the Enlightenment Committee, it seems like he could have the answers to who she really is. But the Committee claims that the world is ending, and that they are responsible for deciding who lives. To choose a leader, they are holding the Tournament of Freaks, and Adam wants Iris to be his champion.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
8.These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
In 1926 Shanghai, the blood feud between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers leaves the city helpless. In the center of it all are Juliette Cai, a former flapper and heir of the Scarlet Gang, and Roma Montagov, heir of the White Flowers, and Juliette's first love. But something bigger is threatening the city as gangsters on both sides show signs of instability — ending with them clawing their own throats out.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
If you're normally a romance reader, try these historical romance reads from some of the best historical romance authors ever!
9.Destiny's Embrace by Beverly Jenkins
If you've never read a book by Beverly Jenkins, there's no better time than now to start. Set in California in the 19th-century, Destiny's Embrace follows Logan Yates, a self-important ranch owner, as he works to confront his feelings for Mariah Cooper, his beautiful housekeeper who he can't stop bickering with. Into the midst of the sexual tension thrumming between them walks Mariah's former lover, making things even more complicated than they were before.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
10.Bombshell by Sarah MacLean
Lady Sesily Talbot is London's brightest scandal, who has embraced the freedom of no one looking twice when she lures a scoundrel away from a ballroom, even if it's not for the reason society thinks. Caleb is Sesily's brother's best friend, who has tried desperately for years to not notice her in a romantic or sexual light (something he is very bad at). And while he wonders if close proximity to her will get the wanting out of his system, both realize quickly that the other will be hard to rid themselves of.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
11.When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare
When news arrives that Captain MacKenzie, sweetheart of Miss Madeline Gracechurch, has been killed in battle, her devastation keeps her out of the pressures of London society. But when he turns up on her door, she's forced to face facts: She'd been writing letters to an imaginary sweetheart to escape the London marriage mart, but her letters had ended up in the hands of the real man, who is ready to make good on all her promises.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
If you are a big fantasy reader, and you love romance, you should check this title out!
12.A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Robin has just been named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society...by mistake. A clerical error has brought the Edwardian gentleman to the world of magic, as well as introduced him to Edwin, his quite grumpy counterpart in the magical bureaucracy who reluctantly assists Robin in searching for the answer to why his predecessor disappeared.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
If you're super into mysteries, or are very intrigued by noir, check out these titles!
13.A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
A Curious Beginning is the first in the Veronica Speedwell series and begins in 1877 London. After our adventuress protagonist thwarts her own kidnapping, with the help of a German baron, she ends up finding sanctuary with a friend of the barons — a natural historian named Stoker. And then, naturally, the baron gets murdered before he can tell them anything and Veronica and Stoker have to go on the run.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
14.A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
The Spanish influenza is rippling through New York, but with a high amount of victims in her circle, young socialite Allene begins to notice that they appear to have instead been poisoned. Recruiting her long-lost friends Jasper and Birdie, and searching for answers amidst the mysterious notes left at the scene of each death, the trio begins to question everything they know...even each other.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
15.Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia
1926, Harlem. When a dead girl turns up in front of Maggie's Café, where Louise works during the day, she is faced with a harrowing fact: Several local Black girls have been murdered over the last few weeks. And when an altercation leads to her arrest, she's given an ultimatum that ends in her choosing to help solve the case.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
16.Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Maite lives in Mexico City in the 1970s, working as a secretary and living for the latest issue of Secret Romance. When her next-door neighbor Leonora disappears under mysterious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the woman who seems to live the life she covets. But she is not the only one searching for the missing woman, as Elvis, an eccentric criminal, observes Maite from a distance.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
Maybe you want to explore a new, dynamic version of a story you already know. In that case, check out these two masterpieces!
17.A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee
1826. Xiang is desperate to prove herself to the mother that never has enough time for her. She unexpectedly gets a chance at adventure when her pendant, the one memento of her father who died at sea before she was born, is stolen by a mysterious girl named Anh. But Anh returns after realizing there is a tiny map scroll hidden inside that she needs Xiang to help decode, and the two set off on a journey toward fabled treasure and her father's secrets.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
18.So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow
The March sisters live in the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island, a haven for the recently emancipated in 1863. Meg, the oldest, dreams of love and a family of her own. Jo writes nonfiction about being Black in America and is questioning the stipulations of a publishing offer. Beth is a seamstress, searching for a purpose and dealing with a mysterious illness. And the youngest, Amy, is a dancer, wanting to explore life outside their home. But no matter what the future holds, they will face it all together.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
Interested in particular events or portions of history? Here are some of my favorites set in the 20th century!
19.Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee
1912, The Sinking of the Titanic
British Chinese teen Valora Luck has smuggled herself onboard the Titanic and talked her way into first class, where she hopes to reunite with her twin brother, Jamie, who is with fellow Chinese laborers in third class. Not long after trying to convince a part owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus to take them on as acrobats, the ship hits an iceberg, and it quickly becomes a fight for survival.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
20.Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink
1921, The Tulsa Race Massacre
Angel of Greenwood follows two teens, Angel and Isaiah, in 1921 in the days leading up to the Greenwood Massacre. Up until their English teacher offers them a job on her mobile library — a bike with three wheels and two seats — Angel and Isaiah hadn't spent much time alone together. As the days pass, they grow closer, but when May 31 arrives, and with it a vicious white mob, Angel and Isaiah will have to band together with their community as the town is destroyed and the residents are displaced.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
21.Two Roads by Joseph Bruchac
1932, During the Great Depression
Since losing their farm, 12-year-old Cal has been riding the rails with his Pop. When Pop has to go to DC, and Cal can't go with him, Pop reveals that he is a Creek Indian, and he's sending Cal off to the Challagi School, a government boarding school for Native Americans in Oklahoma. While there, despite the miserable conditions, he is taken under the wings of the other Creek boys, and begins to learn more about his people's history and heritage.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
22.We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
1940s, World War II, Internment of Japanese Americans
Fourteen teens from Japantown, San Francisco, have their lives torn apart when those with Japanese ancestry are thrown into internment camps. Though they start out together at the Topaz camp in Utah, they're separated into a few different places — some join the military, some are relocated to a different camp, and some are allowed to resettle elsewhere. Following their journeys of uncertainty, anger, fear, family, friends, and love, these 14 voices (told in varying formats) tell the story of a dark part of US history.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
23.White Rose by Kip Wilson
1940s, World War II
White Rose tells the story of Sophie Scholl, a young activist in Nazi Germany, through the use of verse. Alongside her brother, Hans, and other students, Sophie helps form the White Rose, a protest group that distributed resistance leaflets across Germany and inspired citizens to fight back against oppression.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
24.Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell
1957, During the Civil Rights Movement
All Regina has ever known is life on the Grand Ronde reservation, but after the federal government signs a bill saying her tribe no longer exists, her family gets relocated to Los Angeles. For the first time, she's faced with racism, both toward herself and toward some of her new friends, but thankfully she still has her family with her, especially her grandmother, Chich, and her stories that connect her to her community.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
25.In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
1960, Lives and Assassination of the Mirabal Sisters
Patria, Minerva, and María Theresa were sisters who opposed the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic and became involved in the revolution against it. This book tells the story of the three sisters, their lives, and the events leading up to their assassinations, as well as the story of their other sister, Dede, who survived.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
26.The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
1969, Kuala Lumpur Race Riots
Melati Ahmad, a Malaysian 16-year-old, has OCD, but doesn't have the words for it. Instead, she believes there is a djinn inside her, and unless she adheres to a ritual of counting and tapping, she's threatened with images of her mother's death. In May 1969, racial tensions in Kuala Lumpur boil over into riots between the Chinese and the Malays, and Melati is separated from her mother. Desperate to track down her mom, Melati can only rely on the strength and courage inside of herself (and a wee bit of help from a Chinese boy named Vincent) to reunite.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
27.Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
1977, New York City
Nora's summer is truly one for the record books. Not only is her city dealing with arson and a blackout, but her brother is growing more uncontrollable by the day, and their super is breathing down her mother's neck for overdue rent. And despite the fact that there's a cute guy now working with her at the deli, there's a serial killer on the loose who likes to pick off couples out too late, so dating doesn't seem worth the risk.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
These three reads cover multiple time periods, whether generational stories or stories of a character's past and present.
28.The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez by Rudy Ruiz
Among the discord of 1950s La Frontera, Fulgencio, the son of impoverished immigrants, and Carolina, the daughter of the local pharmacist, fall in love. Three decades after the unfortunate unraveling of their relationship, Fulgencio discovers while reading the local obituaries that Carolina's husband has died. Weaving through past, present, borders, and family curses, Fulgencio must try to win back his love.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
29.A Play for the End of the World by Jai Chakrabarti
1972, NYC. Just as Jaryk is beginning to fall for Southerner Lucy, he gets word that his oldest friend has died under mysterious circumstances. Traveling to a rural village in eastern India to collect his friend's ashes, Jaryk ends up immersed in both the local politics as well as efforts to stage a play in protest of the government. A play Jaryk performed as a child in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
30.Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Homegoing begins with two half sisters in 18th-century Ghana. Effia lives in comfort in Cape Coast Castle, married off to an Englishman and ignorant of the fact that Esi is imprisoned in the castle dungeons. The story then follows Esi and her children as she is sold into the Gold Coast's slave trade and shipped to America, and Effia and her descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana.
Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie via Indiebound here.
