Historical Fiction, a New Series About Books

     Hello friends!  Thank you for joining me on another Monday.  If you are here the day I post this or if it is later thank you as well.  This is my 34th post in a row!  I have decided to start another once-a-month series as I think monthly series will help me to stay consistent with my posts and also help me not write each post at the last minute.  Today I will be talking about my favorite books from the historical fiction book genre.  My plan is to write about a different genre one week out of the month, if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments.  I love books and they are a common topic on my blog however I haven't read many books from every genre, for example, therefore I won't be talking about dystopian books any time soon because I haven't read many dystopian books.  

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, I love the way the author takes a time or event in history and crafts fictional characters around it.  I love learning more history but I, like most people I assume, have never been a fan of textbooks.  I learn so much from reading historical fiction, and while I know textbooks can be valuable I think that historical fiction can be even more so.  Many authors take the time that they experienced or researched and write a story about it with fictional characters.  I think through this we can learn how life truly was for those people and not just statistics and laws etc. that I find often in textbooks.  

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, 5/5

It is so hard for me to pick favorites, especially with this selection of books and if I was asked what my favorite books were most of these would be on the list.  Having said that, I only read one of these books twice, not because I necessarily like it more and I will explain that later.  Either way, I feel like I should start with that one first!  In 2019 (or maybe it was 2018, I honestly can't remember) I listened to this book through Audible while on a car trip.  This summer I attended a costume party using a favorite character from a fictional story and I decided to dress up as Abeline Tucker, the main character from this book.  Naturally, I had to re-read the book to refresh my memory and I read all 368 pages on the day of the party!  I adore this book.  While it is set in two time periods, most of the book takes place in 1936 and follows around Abeline Tucker, a young girl who was recently sent to Manifest, the town her father grew up because he couldn't take care of her when he went to work on a railroad.  Abeline doesn't understand this, she and her father had been together, just the two of them, for so long.  After a while, a diviner in the town starts telling her long and colorful stories of the past and the secrets of the town.  The stories she tells start in the year 1918.  This book talks about the Great Depression, prohibition, World War I, the KKK, Immigration stories, hobos, morse code, Spanish influenza, and much more.  

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 5/5 

I read all of these in 2020 except for The Great Gatsby and I really wanted to include this one.  This story, set in the 1920s, follows Nick Caraway, a young man who moves into a new house that neighbors the mansion owned by local millionaire, Jay Gatsby.  It is quite a simple storyline.  It follows Nick's life as he attends parties, meets friends, and learns their stories.  And, it ends in tragedy.  A Tragedy is another genre this book falls under so that is not a spoiler.  I fully believe that his book would not be a quarter as good if it did not end the way it does.   So far, I have read The Great Gatsby and The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and this one is by far my favorite of the two.  

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, 5/5

(we have a very used copy)

It seems like such a long time ago when I read The Book Thief but it was only this January.  This is such a beautiful book filled with beautiful writing and concepts.  This story is set in 1939 Nazi-occupied Germany.  This is one of the only books I know of that uses an omniscient narrator who switches between first person and a closed third-person point of view, describing all the main characters' thoughts and emotions, as well as the narrator's own.  It follows Liesel who finds a grave diggers handbook at her brother's grave before she is taken to her foster families home.  This is her first act of book thievery.  So begins, as the book's description says, her love affair with books and words. There are so many more themes and ideas in this book, including music which I think is so beautifully written.  If you like historical fiction I don't think you would regret reading the Book Thief.  

The Steet by Ann Petry, 5/5

I had actually never heard of this book before I picked it up at the book store and I knew nothing about it but what can I say... this cover is beautiful.  I really was not expecting anything and oh, was I pleasantly surprised.  This book is incredible.  The introduction was written by Tayari Jones and I think she describes this writing the best.  She writes, "I am tempted to describe Petry as a magician for the many ways that The Street amazes, but this description cheapens her talents. A magician's tricks can all be unmasked if a person looks behind the curtain or probes the mysterious chest until she finally discovers the false bottom.  Petry is a gifted artist. There are no stunts here or sleight of hand.  This novel, like real life, is rife with seeming contradictions and layered with complex truths.  And like the human experience, this book is riddled with pain, but somehow powdered by hope."  And I agree.  This story, set in the late 1940s follows Lutie Johnson who is a mother to an eight year old boy and has recently split from her husband.   It follows her life as she lives on 116th Street.  It is a story about how a single black mother gets around in the 1940s.  She is repeatedly told there is plenty of money in 116th Street and so she believes and tries to climb from the bottom up.  It's not easy as she thinks, if not simply impossible.  

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, 5/5

This book is written in a different style than usual because it is written in the form of letters.  I don't think the story would be the same if it was not.  Set in 1946, this story follows London based writer, Juliet Ashton.  One of her books finds it's way to Guernsey Island which was held under the German occupation during the war.  She begins corresponding with the residents on the island and cultivates amazing friendships through letters.  This is an amazing, wholesome, historical fiction romance.  I think it is perfect for the time right now.  It talks about many beautiful things that happen through friendships and books, even during a time of war.  

There There by Tommy Orange 4/5

Twelve characters from Native American communities all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow and are all connected in ways that are not clear until the end.  Yes, this is a story of communities but also so very tragic.  The native American past is the definition of tragic, filled with so much sorrow and near genocide.  It is so very wrong.  This story is also about Native American people trying to hold on to the ways of the past and of their ancestors through traditions, beading, powwows, and more.  This book has lots of cursing and talks about abusive relationships and violence, but that can not be avoided because that was how it was and it shouldn't be covered up.  I wouldn't recommend a younger audience to read this book but I do think this book is really important and talks about events that many people don't know about.  

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani 5/5

(I don't have a picture of this book because I read a copy from my library earlier this year.)  

In 1947 India was freed from British rule and has split into two countries: India and Pakistan.  This book is about twelve-year-old Nisha and her family, who are Hindu, and her deceased mother who was Muslim.  Similar to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this book is written in letters, but wait it gets better.  It is also written in the second person, the letters are in a diary and each entry is addressed to her mother.  The family takes a long and hard journey to find a new home.  Since Nisha's mother was Muslim and her father Hindu she is confused about where she truly belongs.  I think this book is really unusual and beautifully written.  On top of that, there is so much WWII historical fiction, which is completely understandable, but this is the first book I read about this particular topic, and really enjoyed it.  

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 4/5

And finally, Salt to the Sea.  I don't know anyone who read this book and took longer than a week to finish it.  It is a quick read but is heartbreaking.   The book description says "The single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army.  This story follows four characters: Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks."  These four fictional characters tell this very real and tragic story.  I think the writing is beautiful and I really liked each of the points of view except for Alfred because I think his chapters were a bit irritating.  Even though I didn't enjoy those chapters, they provided an interesting point of view, one that was different from the other characters and it was interesting to see how he was really just brainwashed by Hitler and the other authorities.   

There you have it!  So far, my eight favorite historical fiction books.  Have you read any of them?  And if you have, which ones have you read and what did you think?  Comment below!  

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Thank you for reading!    

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