Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is a genre freebie. I’m going to choose the Top Ten Historical Fiction books that I’ve reviewed on this blog. I’ve really got about a Top 20 in no particular order and there are so many to choose from that I’ll probably do this again later and choose another top ten. Historical Fiction is my go-to, and a natural for this list. If you click on each cover, it will take you to my review. Here are my choices.
A Catalogue of Catastrophe is a mix of historical fiction and science fiction about a group of time-traveling historicans. It is book 13 of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series.
Songbird is the first book of the Jax Diamond series by Gail Meath. This is a cozy mystery series about a 1920s detective and his German Shepherd partner.
A peculiar combination by Ashley Weaver is the first book in the Electra McDonnel series about a family of criminal safecrackers turned spies to help the Allies during WWII.
Set on a Colorado peach farm and surrounding wilderness in the 1960s, this is the story of a young woman’s fight for survival in the midst of racism and hatred.
Faby Gauthier lives in a small town in Vermont in the 1920’s. She is bored with small town living and fascinated by Vaudeville and the showbiz life. When she meets Slim White, a dancer in a traveling Vaudeville show, she quickly gets pregnant and caught up in a marriage that happens before she knows it. We follow Faby on the Vaudeville circuit, travel with her on uncomfortable train trips, and stay with her in cheap hotels as we learn about the less glamorous side of showbiz.
This is a mashup of historical fiction and the paranormal. In Chicago, 1928, Ruby is the popular daughter of the State’s Attorney. But she is also a mind reader who can spot dangerous murderers before they commit their crimes.
In the Prohibition Era, Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of the charismatic, wealthy Duke Kincaid, head of a powerful family dynasty. Her mother has died, and when her father remarries and has a son, she begins to fade into the background and is eventually cast aside. This is her coming-of-age story.
Forced out of her job as a riveter in Los Angeles in post WWII, Hazel finds herself in Laguna Beach, working as an assistant to a brilliant but complicated artist.
In London in 1860, Amelia Amesbury is a countess and widow, having lost her husband to illness after a short marriage. She also has a secret. She writes an advice column for a London paper under the name Lady Agony, doling out clever answers to readers’ questions about romance, family, fashion, and more.
Tabitha, a former “Rosie the Riveter” in Detroit, moves to Paris to stay with her wealthy “Grandpere” after she loses her job to men returning from war. She is fortunate to be living next door to Paul and Julia Child. Paul is a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy and Julia is taking classes at the famous cooking school, Le Cordon Bleu. When a woman is murdered behind their building, the murder weapon is found to be Julia’s own chef’s knife. Knowing that someone at a party in Julia’s apartment during the night of the murder had to be the killer, Tabitha begins to investigate.
How about you? What is your favorite genre?
Historical fiction isn’t a genre I read often, but I do enjoy it from time to time. I’ve not read any of these that you’ve shared, but Hotel Laguna sounds interesting.
Yes I really enjoyed that one, especially the way it incorporates Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters into the book.
Thank you, Bonnie! A great variety of books!
You’re welcome! Songbird is a wonderful book.
Great list with a very nice variety of Historical Fiction, Bonnie. I read and enjoyed A Peculiar Combination a bit ago, and just finished Go As A River yesterday. I absolutely loved it! There are a couple more on this list I want to check out.
Thanks Carla. Go As A River is such an emotional book. I loved it too.
I don’t think I have read any of these.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2023/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-fantasy-books-i-havent-read/
Thanks for visiting!
Thank you for sharing some of your favorite historical fiction novels.
Thanks Deb.
I haven’t read any of these, but I also looked at historical fiction this week:
https://franlaniado.wordpress.com/2023/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-historical-fiction-about-real-people/
Some of these look great. I’ve had Chronicles of St. Mary’s on my TBR for a while. I’ve just been procrastinating another long series…
I love the St. Mary’s books. My absolute favorite. I would say try the first one and see what you think.
That’s what I’m planning to do!
I read HF every once in a while. That Hotel Laguna book has been calling to me. I need to read it. Waiting on my library.
I really, really enjoyed it. I love HF based around art.
Murder from the modern girl is in my autumn tbr, sounds so good
It’s really different for historical fiction, but I love mashups.
Nice idea for a Top Ten. I’m enjoying seeing all the different topics people have chosen this week. I chose Scottish Historical Fiction this week.
I’ll have to check that out.
Great list! I love the historical fiction / cozy mystery mashups, so there are a few from your list that I need to add to my TBR right away! Murder for the Modern Girl looks particularly interesting.
My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2023/08/22/top-ten-tuesday-urban-fantasy-thats-not-secretly-pnr/
I hope you enjoy it if you pick it up.
Thanks! Though my TBR is long enough that sadly “if” is accurate…
This is a great list of historical fiction books. Thanks, Bonnie. 🙂
Great list! I haven’t read any of these but I really like a good historical so I’ll keep them in mind!
Thanks Louise!
Thanks Tim!
I read more Historical Fiction than I used to. There seems to be so much more out there. Thanks for sharing some of your favorites, so many pretty covers here. Have a great week!
Thanks Cindy! You have a great week too!
I’m thrilled to see Telling Sonny on your list, Bonnie. Thank you! My genre of choice is literary fiction, although in some quarters it no longer exists as a distinct genre. I also enjoy historical fiction, mysteries, and the occasional psychological thriller.
I think Telling Sonny is both literary fiction and historical fiction.
I think so too, although I didn’t realize it while I was writing it.
OOh nice picks! These are all new to me ones! Usually if I pick up something that’s close to historical fiction, it’s coupled with paranormal or fantasy elements. So probably not that much historical fiction, but a blend of the two! Lol.
Thanks for visiting my TTT!
You would like Murder for the Modern Girl probably.
Very good list of books! I love Historical fiction. I’ll have to check some of these books out. 😀
Thanks Nicole!
Historical fiction tends to be one of my favorite genres. Add a bit of mystery, and I’m a sucker! I read The Mastering Art of French Murder earlier this year and can’t wait to read more in the series. Another historical mystery I enjoyed reading is Die Before Sundown by Mark Pryor. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/visit-michigan-in-ten-books/
I loved Mastering the Art of French Murder. Julia Child had a big personality and that shines through in this book.
I love historical mysteries and it looks like you have a few on this list. Excellent post!
Thanks! My favorite mysteries on the list this time are the Jax Diamond series (Book 1 Songbird) by Gail Meath and Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge.
I love historical fiction, too! My list today is about historical mysteries and some of your picks fit into that category (yay!). I actually haven’t read any of these yet, so thanks for the recs. I’ll definitely be checking some of them out.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Enjoy the mysteries!
These look wonderful. Telling Sonny is on my Kindle and moving up.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre, so thanks for the recommendations!