Reading Recommendations

If You Like Historical Fiction

08/17/25 If You Like

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.

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:

Reading Recommendations from Library Staff

Adults:

Kids:

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!

NoveList Plus

Use your Library card to login to NoveList Plus to find recommendations, read-alikes, series lists, reviews, and lists of award-winning books.

There are several historical fiction categories to choose from including:

NextReads

You can choose to receive recommendations via email from categories including mysteries, audiobooks, urban fiction, graphic novels, biographies, history, kids’ books, Spanish, and so much more. Sign up for as many collection newsletters as you want. It’s FREE! Subscribe to the categories you’d like on NextReads today!

Historical Fiction Authors

Author Talks & Book Discussions

Event: Book Pairings: Classic & Contemporary
Date & Time: Monday, August 03, 1:30pm
Location: College Avenue Branch
Description: Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion on the first Monday* of the month from 1:30 – 3 p.m. New members are always welcome! For the second half of 2026, we will read “pairings”: a classic novel, followed by a modern novel that explore similar themes. See below for the dates and pairings!
No Registration Required.

Event: Adult Book Discussion at Franklin Road
Date & Time: Monday, August 03, 6:30pm
Location: Franklin Road Branch
Description: Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program. The title for August is “The Forgotten 500 The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II” by Gregory A. Freeman.
No Registration Required.

Event: Adult Book Discussion at Wayne – First Monday Book Club
Date & Time: Monday, August 03, 6:30pm
Location: Wayne Branch
Description: The book to be discussed is “Welcome to the Monkey House” by Kurt Vonnegut. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program, which is free and open to everyone!
No Registration Required.

Event: Virtual Author Talk: The Legacy of Julia Child’s Kitchen
Date & Time: Tuesday, August 04, 2:00pm
Location: Online
Description: Join us for a conversation that’s sure to warm your heart and make your stomach rumble as we delve into the legacy of cooking icon Julia Child with Smithsonian curator and public historian Paula J. Johnson, author of Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic Space.
Register Here

Need 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.

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