Happy Monday!
I’m honored to be guest hosting this week for Literacy Musing Mondays — a fun, regular link-up I’ve enjoyed over at the internet homes of Mary Hill, Ashley Hales, Leslie, and Tami!
While I’m only guest hosting this week, you can join them every Monday with a literacy-related post by clicking here!
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Confession: I’m not a history lover. I’m terrible with remembering dates and details and who fits where.
I don’t love history, but I’ve grown to love historical fiction.
Why? It makes history come alive. It picks me up and plonks me down in the middle of a different era, and gives me eyes to see.
Rather than viewing historical events as an outsider looking in, historical fiction invites me to step into the scene and become part of it. It paints color into an otherwise black and white page.
Writers of historical fiction hold tremendous power. They possess the ability to carry me back in time and make the past come alive. The otherwise flat records are rounded out and given new dimension with the portrayal of warring emotions, complex conflicts and imperfect resolutions.
Best of all, historical fiction helps me remember. It sews details together and wraps me in the finished garment.
As a homeschooler, I love the way historical fiction draws my kids in. They learn so much and refer back to books time and time again as reference points relating to certain historical periods and events.
I’m so grateful to the authors who work so hard to research and animate history for the benefit of readers like me.
My two favorite historical fiction authors are Susan Meissner and Lynn Austin.
Some of my favorite Susan Meissner books:
Stars Over Sunset Boulevard (Read my review here.)
Secrets of a Charmed Life (Read my review here.)
A Fall of Marigolds
Lady in Waiting
Some of my favorite Lynn Austin books:
Gods and Kings (and the entire Chronicles of the Kings series)
Candle in the Darkness (and the entire Refiner’s Fire series) (Get the first book in this series FREE on Kindle by clicking here!)
While We’re Far Apart
Here are some of my favorite historical fiction chapter books I’ve read aloud to my kids:
The Golden Goblet
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Great Wheel
Now let’s ….
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Great list of books. I loved the Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was a teen. Thanks for joining us this week on Literacy Musing Mondays. 😉
Oh I can so relate to this. I too am not a history lover (at al), but do love this genre for the very same reason.
Will certainly be checking out some of these books. Thank you so much for the recommendation.
Oh I can so relate to this. I too am not a history lover (at all), but do love this genre for the very same reason.
Will certainly be checking out some of these books. Thank you so much for the recommendations.
I used to love historical fiction and have not read this genre in years. You have a great list here. I might need to start exploring this genre again.
Hope you are doing well friend! I miss you!!!
I love historical fiction for all the reasons you mentioned! I am reading John Jakes “Homeland”, the first book in the Crown Family Saga now. Great stuff about Chicago, immigrants, photography & labor in the late 19th century, I am going to pin your recommendations for future good books.
I loved the Gods and Kings series, too! Thanks for guest posting on #LMMLinkup.