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The Best Historical Fiction Books

While time travel will probably never happen, we’ll always have the next best thing: historical fiction novels. Through the magic of fiction (and authors’ dedication to researching endless incredible details), readers can feel as though they’ve been everywhere and every time, from Ancient Greece to colonial Asia to the American Revolution. If you’re a fiction lover who wants to learn more about the past but isn’t sure about diving into the world of history books, it’s the best of both worlds. 

Another reason to love historical fiction is that it can be crossed with any other genre. From historical mysteries to steamy historical romance to hilarious historical fiction, whatever genre you enjoy can be placed in another period.

Clearly, this is a genre that truly has something for everyone. Whether you prefer novels that bring you to times of war and terror or more whimsical stories set in the past; historical fiction that is surprisingly accurate or tales that take creative license with their settings, you'll find endless books to add to your TBR pile in the lists below.

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The Calling of the Grave
The Calling of the Grave
by Simon Beckett
The Lonely Polygamist
The Lonely Polygamist
by Brady Udall
Lucky
Lucky
by Jackie Collins
Baking Imperfect
Baking Imperfect
by Lottie Bedlow
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Run Time
Run Time
by Catherine Ryan Howard
Bewilderment
Bewilderment
by Richard Powers
The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here
The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here
by Hope Jahren
The Distant Echo
The Distant Echo
by Val McDermid
Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs
Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs
by National Geographic Kids
The Woman Before Wallis
The Woman Before Wallis
by Bryn Turnbull
The Scarecrow of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
Kiss My Asterisk
Kiss My Asterisk
by Jenny Baranick
The Battle for Christmas
The Battle for Christmas
by Stephen Nissenbaum
World Travel
World Travel
by Anthony Bourdain
Tender is the Night
Tender is the Night
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Forever Amber
Forever Amber
by Kathleen Winsor
The Gastronomical Me
The Gastronomical Me
by MFK Fisher
My Life in France
My Life in France
by Julia Child
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
by Sally Bedell Smith
The Circle
The Circle
by Dave Eggers
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
by Gertrude Stein
Exterminate All the Brutes
Exterminate All the Brutes
by Sven Lindqvist
Unsheltered
Unsheltered
by Barbara Kingsolver
Why Did I Ever
Why Did I Ever
by Mary Robison
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Greatest Game Ever Played
by Mark Frost
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Fore!: 7 Books About Golf
The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp
by John Irving
Sex & World Peace
Sex & World Peace
by Valerie M. Hudson
My Reading Life
My Reading Life
by Pat Conroy
Adventures in the Screen Trade
Adventures in the Screen Trade
by William Goldman
The Future is History
The Future is History
by Masha Gessen
Locking Up Our Own
Locking Up Our Own
by James Forman Jr.
The Last Thing He Wanted
The Last Thing He Wanted
by Joan Didion
The Boys from Brazil
The Boys from Brazil
by Ira Levin
The Exorcist
The Exorcist
by William Peter Blatty
A Date with Murder
A Date with Murder
by Jessica Fletcher, Donald Bain, and Jon Land
Fear of Dying
Fear of Dying
by Erica Jong
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Literature’s Sexual Rebels
Nothing Can Hurt You
Nothing Can Hurt You
by Nicola May Goldberg
The Silver Coin
The Silver Coin
by Andrea Kane
A Beautiful Poison
A Beautiful Poison
by Lydia Kang
I, Tituba
I, Tituba
by Maryse Condé
Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise
by Peter O'Donnell
The Library of Lost and Found
The Library of Lost and Found
by Phaedra Patrick
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
by Alice Munro
Only Child
Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin
The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations
The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations
by Oprah Winfrey
The Hidden Light of Northern Fires, Daren Wang
The Hidden Light of Northern Fires, Daren Wang
by Daren Wang
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
by Stuart Turton
The Snow Leopard
The Snow Leopard
by Peter Matthiessen
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Historical fiction is a genre where a fictional plot is set in a real historical setting or uses real historical characters. While there can be a mix of real and fictional events in the plot, historical fiction focuses on its fictional plot-points. 

The goal of historical fiction is to transport readers to another time. To do that, you’ll need to make the details of your story believable, even though it’s fiction. You want to focus on time period significance, historical accuracy, and detailed descriptions of characters and settings. 

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth is often considered the first historical fiction novel.