Hello my friends! Are you a reader of historical fiction? It’s one of my favourite genres and usually clocks in high on my most-read genres for each year. So I thought today would be a great time to take a peep at the top 5 Historical fiction novels on my TBR I’m really excited to get to!

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Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

I’m very much so hoping to get to this one quite soon! This is a steampunk retelling of WWI, which is such a fun concept! I have a gorgeous hardback edition of this and it has the loveliest illustrated map inside.

I’m curious to see how the change of genre for this historical event will shake things up, and what fun things the author will introduce!

The Dust That Falls From Dreams by Louis de Bernières

This has been on my radar for many moons – in fact I counted, I’ve been wanting to read this since 2015 (7 years ago!) and finally got a copy of it last year.

This one is set at the turn of the 20th century and follows into the Great War. It’s a story about a woman who’s trying to navigate the normal conundrums of a young life and romance but against the backdrop of war.

Front Lines by Michael Grant

This is a retelling of WWII where women were conscripted to fight. On that premise alone I’ve been excited to get into this book – and it’s one of my TBR veterans having been on the shelf since 2016!

I’ve seen a lot of praise for Grant’s other books but haven’t heard too much about this one itself. I am a sucker for reimaginings of the world wars, they always make for such tricky plots and great adventures!

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

Having had great fun with several of Stevenson’s other books, I’m now super excited to read The Black Arrow. I bought this a while back, after deciding that Stevenson was a classic author I thoroughly enjoyed.

Amazingly, I’ve actually had this since 2016 (there seem to be a lot of books from 2016 lingering on my shelves 🧐) and I hadn’t realised I’d had it for that long! This is set way back when during the War of the Roses – a time I want to read more about!

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

Another book that has been on my radar for quite some time. I first discovered this book in 2017, four years after its release, and added it to my shelves last year in 2021.

This is about a character who is hired to design a secret hiding place for Jews during WWII for a large sum of money. I’m so interested to see what happens in this story, I love the intrigue of it!

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Here’s another title I’ve been eyeing off for a long time! I remember seeing this on the bookstore shelves when I was in an airport, flying from America back home to Australia. I dithered in the bookstore between Lilac Girls and The Nightingale. In the end, I chose the latter.

Five years later here we are and Lilac Girls takes its place on my shelves! Unsurprisingly, this is another WWII novel featuring the strength of women, set in New York City. And I’ve heard so many good things!

The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbe

I am a huge fan of Antonio Iturbe after reading The Librarian of Auschwitz! That book was beautiful and I vowed I needed to read more of his writing since.

The Prince of the Skies was released in 2021 and I desperately wanted to get my hands on a copy. This year I managed to snag a copy at a second hand bookstore where I traded in some unwanted books for it! Win!

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Doesn’t this just have one of those titles that makes you fall in love with it instantly?! This is a newish release, having come out mid-2021 and I adore the cover.

It definitely reminds me of a lot of other similar books, but I can’t go past the romanticised idea of a struggling bookshop (why is that romantic?) This explores the story of one such bookshop battling to survive the Blitz (so yes, more WWII fiction).

The Zookeeper of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh

I think the premise for this book is SO sweet! Plus it reminds me of that film with a similar name (the Zookeeper’s Wife?). This is about a Zookeeper trying to keep an elephant in her care safe during the bombing of Belfast during…yep you guessed it, WWII.

Do you think people can tell that I’m a history nerd for WWII? It think it’s subtle, totally not making up the majority of this list. Anyway! The Zookeeper of Belfast came out in 2021, so it’s fresh on the shelves and I’m eager to dive in.

The Eighth Wonder by Tania Farrelly

Hold your hats ladles and jellyspoons, this book is about the suffragette movement in the USA – not WWII! Amazing, I know. This was a wild card to me, as it was gifted to me for Christmas by my boyfriend and I’m so intrigued.

The fact that the circus has a role to play in this setting fascinates me. I have no idea if it’s fictitious, but I can’t wait to see how the circus and the suffragettes mesh together in this story.

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Have you read any of these novels? Tell me about some historical fiction books that you’ve really enjoyed, I always loved suggestions!