I Love History!

History was always one of my favorite subjects in school and that has translated into a love of historical fiction, although I am especially drawn to two periods in history - Elizabeth I and WWII. In that spirit, here are some books that will entertain you, and you just might learn something too.

The first book is one that I read for the first time so long ago and may be what originally started my obsession with Elizabeth I. It's Legacy by Susan Kay and although she takes some liberties mixing history with imagination, it is a very entertaining read. Sensationalistic, yes, but entertaining nonetheless. The second is Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn. This novel traces the history and success of two queens who ruled in male dominated societies and although the two cousins never met, their lives were incredibly interconnected. If you want others in this genre, I can also recommend I, Elizabeth (Rosalind Miles), Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles (Margaret George) and The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory).

Along the WWII theme, I can recommend several books. The first, Skeletons at the Feast (Chris Bohjalian) tells the story of a Germany family who flees across Germany with a Scottish POW. Along the way they join forces with a Jewish escapee from an Auschwitz-bound train and are hoping to reach the Allied forces before being overtaken by the dreaded Russians. The next is A Thread of Grace (Mary Doria Russell) about a group of Jewish refugees who are escorted into a small Italian town for safe keeping, only to discover that Mussolini has surrendered Italy to Hilter, putting them into danger once again. The story tells us of a little known group of Italian citizens who sheltered over 40,000 Jews from work camps or execution. And some others you may enjoy are The Reader (Bernard Schlink), The Resistance (Anita Shreve) or The Key to Rebecca, Hornet Flight or Jackdaws (Ken Follett).

The rest of these have nothing to do with WWII or Elizabeth I but are great reads in their own right and will introduce you to other places and times. The first is the Into the Wilderness Series by Sara Donati. These are kind of similar to the Outlander series, only these take place primarily in United States post-Revolutionary War. There are several novels in this series and it traces one family, the Bonners, throughout their lives and the lives of their children. The next is James Clavell's Shogun - a story about Japan in the late 16th century and the English "barbarians" who washed ashore one day. The descriptions of the Japanese society and culture of the time are amazing and almost breathtaking; it's really eye opening to read about the differences between the Westerners and the Japanese. The final recommendation is another series - the Earth Children series by Jean M. Auel. There are five books in the series and they tell the story of the dawn of modern humans in Ayla, a cro-magnon girl growing up in the ice age, whose family is lost in an earthquake. She is picked up by a traveling clan of neanderthals looking for a new home and thus her story and struggle begin.