If you enjoy reading about characters living in a different time or navigating real historical events, here are some tips to help you find your next historical fiction read! Browse award winners, get recommendations from our staff, or make a selection from our list of historical fiction authors linked directly to our catalog, so you can conveniently place holds and check item availability. You might also find reading suggestions at If You Like Historical Romance.
Find award winners.
- The Walter Scott Prize recognizes historical fiction novels published in the last year. Browse the Walter Scott Prize award winners.
- The Society of American Historians awards a Prize for historical fiction every other year. View the Society of American Historians award and past winners.
- The Crime Writers’ Association awards the Historical Dagger for a historical crime novel published in the last year in the UK in English.
- Make a selection from the Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction of 2024.
Awards for Young Adult and Children’s Historical Fiction:
Get reading recommendations from library staff.
Adults:
Staff Picks 2024 – Best of Historical Fiction
Here are a few of our staff members’ favorite historical fiction selections of 2024– covering a span of hundreds of years. Read a trippy reimagining of Montezuma and Cortez’s meeting, see how an 18th century midwife handles being on trial for murder, or experience Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of James, the enslaved man at the center of the narrative. Looking for epic narratives that deal with the present as well as history? Take a peek at our Best of Fiction list.
New this year: we’ve included some recommendations at the bottom of the list that were our favorite reads from previous years. Hopefully, these will have a shorter hold list for you!
Use your Library card to access Novelist Plus.
On Novelist Plus you’ll find reading recommendations, read-alikes, series lists, reviews, and lists of award-winning books. There are several historical fiction categories to choose from including:
Subscribe to the historical fiction newsletter from NextReads.
Receive a monthly list of historical fiction books in your email. Listed books are linked to the Indianapolis Public Library catalog, so it’s easy to place a hold on anything that catches your eye. See a sample issue of the historical fiction list or sign up for NextReads newsletters.
Make a selection from one of these historical fiction authors.
Isabel Allende
Tessa Arlen
Marie Benedict
Georgie Blalock
Rhys Bowen
Pearl S. Buck
Isabel Cañas
Monica Chenault-Kilgore
Tracy Chevalier
Chanel Cleeton
Fiona Davis
Lindsey Davis
E. L. Doctorow
Shaunna J. Edwards
Louise Erdrich
Ken Follett
Diana Gabaldon
Margaret George
Philippa Gregory
Upcoming Author Talks & Book Discussions
- Event: Virtual Author Talk: Courtly Intrigue and Whispers as Weapons
- Date & Time: Wednesday, October 29, 2:00pm
- Location: Online
- Description: Coined as the “queen of British historical fiction,” Philippa Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor Court with a tale that is both timely and timeless. We invite you to sit down with us for an intriguing conversation with Gregory about her newest novel Boleyn Traitor (forthcoming October 14, 2025).
- Register Here
- Event: WitLITS Book Discussion Group
- Date & Time: Friday, October 31, 10:30am
- Location: Spades Park Branch
- Description: A read aloud group exploring classic literature in a group reading. Do you like classic American Literature? Do you enjoy listening to literature read out loud? Then consider WitLITS where our bookclub requires one thing – show up!
- No Registration Required.
- Event: BYO Book: A Different Kind of Book Club
- Date & Time: Tuesday, November 04, 6:00pm
- Location: Central Library
- Description: Join a community of readers for an evening of reading and talking about books. There is no assigned book – just bring your current read and let’s chat!
- No Registration Required.
- Event: Adult Book Discussion at Glendale – Tuesday Night Readers
- Date & Time: Tuesday, November 04, 6:30pm
- Location: Glendale Branch
- Description: The book to be discussed is “Freshwater” by Akwaeke Emezi.
- No Registration Required.
- Event: Virtual Author Talk: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity
- Date & Time: Wednesday, November 05, 2:00pm
- Location: Online
- Description: You’re invited to learn from journalist and author Joseph Lee as he chats online with us about his stirring memoir, “Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity.”
- Register Here
Need more help?
Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.