Historical fiction has always been one of my favorite genres — right alongside romance, it’s what brought me back to reading as an adult. There’s something magical about books that transport you not just to another place, but to another moment in time. I’ve always been especially drawn to World War II novels because they helped me connect with my grandparents’ experiences, but this month I wanted to take a different approach. Since March includes several days celebrating librarians and booksellers, I thought it would be fun to center our reading challenge on the people who guide us toward the stories we end up treasuring. And yes, I’ve created a playlist to set the mood.
As a longtime historical fiction fan, many of my earliest Goodreads additions came straight from this genre — Black Cake, The Brighter the Light, and a whole lineup of books by Kristin Harmel and Patti Callahan Henry. It’s been fun to see what everyone else is gravitating toward too, so here are a few of the top picks showing up in our StoryGraph challenges:
- The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Marie Bostwick
- The Briar Club, Kate Quinn
- The Little Paris Bookshop, Nina George
- Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
- The Queens of Crime, Marie Benedict
- The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- Where the Lost Wander, Amy Harmon
- The Wondrous Lives and Loves of Nella Carter, Brionni Nwosu
Historical fiction branches out in countless directions, and while I used to reach almost exclusively for WWII dramas, I’ve recently fallen for family stories and dual‑timeline plots. There’s just so much variety to explore. What would you add to the list?
Coming up with mainstream songs for this prompt was harder than I expected, and when I searched “historical fiction songs,” I was met with a wall of Broadway hits — which honestly made me laugh because it’s so fitting. From Hamilton to Ragtime to Annie Get Your Gun, many of my favorite musicals are really just historical fiction with great choreography. I tossed in a few book pairings too, since they line up perfectly with this month’s prompts.
Grab the April reading playlist here.
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Bufalino, Charles Bufalino
- Current audio book: The Lions of Fifth Avenue, Fiona Davis
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Pretty Dead Things, Kelsey Cox
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