Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Hey guys, my teachers at school i think hate me.. *Sigh* I have to read two Historical Fiction books. Does anybody know of any good ones? I dont really like gory or horror books.. I'm more like fantasy and romance.. I mean my favorite series right now is the gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter.. Anyways, do any of yall know of any good historical fiction books that wont give me the heebee jeebees?

Devri, nearly impossible to give you suggestions with only the vague "historical fiction", especially if for school reading. Technically, any fiction which isn't timed to current times (century for me, but others use generation) is considered "historical".

I can't believe your teacher(s) didn't give some general guidelines or requirements. For example, for which class(es)? Ask only because reading US history doesn't make sense for English lit. Also, must characters or events be based on real life events? Are historical romances acceptable? And so on...

ETA: soon wrote: "Devri, nearly impossible to give you suggestions with only the vague "historical fiction", especially if for school reading. Technically, any fiction which isn't timed to current times (century fo..."

It's for my reading class. I dont think i have any guide lines, as long as it is considered Historical Fiction.

How about "Gone With the Wind,"historical and a sort-of romance?

Devri wrote: "... It's for my reading class. I dont think i have any guide lines, as long as it is considered Historical Fiction."

OK...so how about some idea of your personal likes/dislikes? Or what you've already read and liked? Because I can recommend a lot to you off the top of my head but I don't want to give you "the heebee jeebees". [apologies but I'm not familiar with the Gallagher Girl series]

Easiest way to start is (1) romance, yes or no?, and (2) which part of the world? Any particular country or time period interest you?

ETA: soon wrote: "Devri wrote: "... It's for my reading class. I dont think i have any guide lines, as long as it is considered Historical Fiction."

OK...so how about some idea of your personal likes/dislikes? Or w..."

Romance Yes please and I am like in love with the king Arthur Time

Alexes wrote: "How about "Gone With the Wind,"historical and a sort-of romance?"

Thank you for the suggestion.

I read a lot of Historical Fiction and one of the best one's i've read is

The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory,
It was brilliant, it's got a lot of romance and such interesting history all combined in a brilliant plot of England's History. I'm sure you'd like it.

Devri wrote: "... Romance Yes please and I am like in love with the king Arthur Time"

Whooboy! Good girl! I had a mental list going but Dark Ages much further than I had expected! OK, I'll see what I have and get back in a bit.

In the meantime, agree with Alex about Phillipa Gregory's bio-fiction (fyi, she wrote The Other Boleyn Girl which was made into a movie). Another comparable writer is Anne O'Brien (I won't opine as to who is better; people go back and forth).

Alex wrote: "I read a lot of Historical Fiction and one of the best one's i've read is

The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory,
It was brilliant, it's got a lot of romance and s..."
Thank i Will check it out.

ETA: soon wrote: "Devri wrote: "... Romance Yes please and I am like in love with the king Arthur Time"

Whooboy! Good girl! I had a mental list going but Dark Ages much further than I had expected! OK, I'll see w..."

Thank you So much I appreicate your help soooo much!!

Devri, sorry it took so long. FF froze, then PC crashed. Apparently still having lingering problems with last FF security update, even tho I rolled back.

Anyway...well, turns out I don't have as many suggestions because I took a leap and assumed that [deleted] which carved out a lot more of my books than I had expected.

OK, so you're [deleted]... So here are some revised suggestions covering a wide range and periods.

DARK AGES/Romance: sorry, got nuttin' age/content appropriate :)
***********
MEDIEVAL: sorry, got nuttin' age/content appropriate, unless you get your mum's permission :)

***********
TUDOR: "The Constant Princess" by Philippa Gregory (about Katherine of Aragon, aka "the Spanish Infanta"; I have a thing for reading about historical strong/influential women)

In different vein is "Katherine" by Anya Seton (first published in 1954; may a bit too dry for you but it's about the well-documented love affair between Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (3rd son of Edward III). They end up becoming the ancestors of most of the British royal family.
***********
Then you've got literary classics such as "Little Women" (American) and Jane Austen's work (English). (for your sake, I wouldn't recommend "War and Peace" and Anna Karenina" just yet)
***********
There's also "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" by Robert K. Massie (technically non-fiction but I think it would count and NYT bestseller).
***********
As for Arthurian times/legends, here's what I got:
"Dawn of Avalon" (2010) is a prequel (short so not sure if it would count for you) to "Twilight of Avalon" by Anna Elliott. Prequel is about young Merlin and Morgan le Fay before they became enemies (was a Smashwords freebie but not sure about now). I haven't read either yet so hoping I'm right in thinking that it's more YA.

Doozy would be "The Mammoth Book of King Arthur" by Mike Ashley (full title = The Mammoth Book of King Arthur: Reality and Legend, the Beginning and the End; Ashley analyzes and explicates the line between the real Arthurian world and the legends that surround it) but...over 700 pgs. Maybe this can count as your 2 books?

Less meaty would be "The Mammoth Book of Merlin" by Mike Ashley (this one is an anthology; probably much easier to read than the first Ashley book)

I hope this helps you some. Check them out and good luck!

[last book on Vikings deleted]

Devri wrote: "...elective course for [deleted]..."

YIKES! I'm editing my post and doing some more deleting!!! (please don't be offended)

Devri, if you haven't already, see also http://www.historicalnovels.info/Youn... and http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/y...

(with compliments from my niece, a huge history buff)

Jaq wrote: "Looking at your likes, I'll second the suggestion for Gone With The Wind. It's a little long but moves fast and reads smoothly, plus is considered a classic so your teacher will be happy. ..."

Huh, guess my personal issue with GWTW still lingers. Had problems with that book from a historical perspective. But then again, it was meant to be a romance ;-)

I wanted to say thank you to all of you. I'm going to the library and half price books today so I should find something I like.. Again it's hard to keep me in books. I read 8,000 minutes in two months and finished over 200 chapters all ranging from 300-800 page books. So again thank you for helping me and find some things that got my gears working.

Devri wrote: "Hey guys, my teachers at school i think hate me.. *Sigh* I have to read two Historical Fiction books. Does anybody know of any good ones? I dont really like gory or horror books.. I'm more like fan..."

Your question is kind of vague. What era? Ancient? Modern (WWII to 1960)? Tudor? What country/culture?

I write historical fiction, but it has some erotic elements that would make it inappropriate for readers under age 18. If you would like a few recommendations, please feel free to PM me with the answers to those questions and I'll help you out. I am a judge in the historical fiction category for the Global eBook Awards; I've seen some great stuff out there.

EXCALIBUR, Bernard Cornwell; THE CRYSTAL CAVE, Mary Stewart; A CONNECTICUTT YANKEE IN KING ARTHHUR'S COURT, Mark Twain; THE ONNCE AND FUTURE KING, Jack Whyte; (all King Arthur books)
8
THE AXE! THE SHIELD AND THE HALIG
ROOD, James Hockey; THE FAR
PAVILIONS, M.M. Kaye; THE BIRTH OF AN
EMPIRE, Conn Iggulden.

Devri, I made this list for you. They are my favorites. Let me know if you read any of them and if you liked what you read. Linda

For me, HF only works if it deals with a period and subject I have an interest in -- I mean, you don't go blindly into HF just for light entertainment. At its best, it carries a strong educational component. Nothing wrong with learning something new, or something different. In many ways, HF is a better teacher than rote history, anyway. So try to stick with titles that answer questions you already have. Since I'm so interested in Celtic culture, pre-christian Europe and Irish history, I can recommend Bending the Boyne by J.S.Dunn.
Bending the Boyne
I was absolutely taken with Eric Larson's book The Devil in the White City about the 1890 Chicago World's Fair murders and his book Thunderstruck about the Tesla v. Marconi battle to create Radio Transmissions.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Thunderstruck
If you like tales from the California Gold Rush days, try Steve Bartholomew's book, Gold, or his book about the Ghost Dance and the Paiute Prophet Wovoka, The Woodcutter

Richard, I agree with your statements. HF is not mindless entertainment. I sometimes read an encyclopedic account of the HF subject just to know the straight facts about the book: which characters are fictional; what history was made before and after the book subject; where, on the map, events occurred. Of the marriages that are made in HF, I want those characters to be real. More to think about, but I have said enough today. Linda

Richard wrote: "For me, HF only works if it deals with a period and subject I have an interest in -- I mean, you don't go blindly into HF just for light entertainment. At its best, it carries a strong educational component. Nothing wrong with learning something new, or something different. In many ways, HF is a better teacher than rote history, anyway. ..."

My sentiments exactly! And Linda, I can relate to your comment because I tend to do the same thing after reading HF, even if it's a quick wiki check. Learned (and probably retained) a lot more that way than from reading school textbooks.

Alas, the post header's wording and getting better sense of Devri's age severely limited suggestions. I tried to entice her by throwing in Ashley's book on King Arthur (appeal to interest in Arthurian times) and Massie's "Catherine the Great" (appeal to gender and exotic Russia) but no joy. But given everything, I could see that her ultimate choice made perfect sense for her :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I just attended a lecture in San Francisco today that featured these two books: The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile and Equal of the Sun. I bought both because they sounded fascinating. Both deal with historical figures, starting from the time that they are young women. Perhaps something like these books would be up your alley?

Sharon, don't think Devri is with us any more. See Msg #16 saying she went to buy books.

Hi guys! I wanted to say THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! Okay ignore that those are in capitals. Anyways I ended up going with "The Luxe" By Anna Godbersen. It is quite amazing.. I'm glad that I'm not falling asleep reading it. I have one chapter left, so again thank you for all the suggestions. It's really means a lot. I really hate that the teachers are like telling me what I can and can't read when I choose to take it. Ugh they annoy me.

Alex wrote: "I read a lot of Historical Fiction and one of the best one's i've read is

The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory,
It was brilliant, it's got a lot of romance and s..."

Oh yes Phillipa Gregory is good.
The Other Boleyn Girl might be a good one.

Oh hahaha too slow:)

The Killer Angels http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68... is a classic and may be the best book ever about the Civil War.

Ted MagnusonTed Magnuson Some great epochs listed here. I've read Jeff Sharra, almost more history than fiction. I see Sharon cuts history off at 1960. Interesting. I can't quibble with that, though I would also pose the case for a 1985 cut off date. I realize that's only 27 years ago. It was just about the time the PC started coming on the scene. Does anyone even remember anymore when fax machines and rotary dial phones and TVs were the norm?

For others who might happen upon this thread, you might try the author Ellis Peters and her Brother Cadfael mysteries. They're fairly short, historically accurate and are very easy to read. The series begins with . They were made into a series for PBS and the films stick to the books fairly closely.

Ted wrote: "Ted MagnusonTed Magnuson Some great epochs listed here. I've read Jeff Sharra, almost more history than fiction. I see Sharon cuts history off at 1960. Interesting. I can't quibble with that, thou..."

It's the period considered to be "modern historical fiction" (WWII to 1960). I guess I'm so damned old at this point that I consider 1987 to still be contemporary in the grand scheme of history. I remember getting the first stand-alone PC in my office and not having to connect to the mainframe anymore; it was like a miracle. (I worked for the DoD.)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roman-Woman-E...

This is a story but it is historically pretty good.
I read this a while back for my diploma.

I agree with the Cadfael recommendation too. Also http://www.amazon.co.uk/Badgers-Siste.... I read this one a while back- similar to Cadfael but ancient Irish.

"Rise to Rebellion" by Jeff Shaara.

Historical fiction about the American Revolution. It's an easy read, and you already know the characters. Entertaining and educational and really humanizes American History.