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: The Search for Truth and the Persistence of Love Across Time
- Date & Time: Thursday, November 13, 7:00pm
- Location: Online
- Description: Join us in an online conversation with acclaimed writer Amanda Peters as we discuss her instant bestselling novel, “The Berry Pickers,” as well as her tender short fiction collection, “Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories”.
- Register Here
- Event: Soulful Pages Book Club
- Date & Time: Monday, November 17, 6:00pm
- Location: Central Library
- Description: Are you ready to dive into the powerful stories that shape our world? We invite you to join the Soulful Pages Book Club as we come together to explore this month’s featured novel: “Universality” by Natasha Brown.
- Register Here
- Event: Adult Book Discussion at Irvington
- Date & Time: Monday, November 17, 6:30pm
- Location: Irvington Branch
- Description: The book to be discussed is “Bewilderment” by Richard Powers. Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program that is free and open to everyone!
- No Registration Required.
- Event: Adult Book Discussion at Lawrence
- Date & Time: Tuesday, November 18, 10:30am
- Location: Lawrence Branch
- Description: Adults are invited to this monthly book discussion program. The title for November is “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See.
- Register Here
- Event: Virtual Author Talk: Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
- Date & Time: Tuesday, November 18, 2:00pm
- Location: Online
- Description: Prepare for the holiday season and join us for an online conversation you won’t want to miss! Charles Duhigg presents the ultimate guide on how to communicate and connect with anyone at work, home, and in life in his latest work, “Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection”.
- 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.