Hi, historical fiction fans!
As we draw ever closer to the end of the year, and questions like “How?” and “Wasn’t it 2020 just a few weeks ago??” plague us all, the inundation of Best Of lists begins. I’m sure you’ve already seen Book Riot’s list of the Best Books of 2023, but this week, I want to talk about the best historical fiction of 2023. This is by no means a definitive list, merely a sampling of a few of my favorites this year.
Are you looking for the perfect gift for that bookish special someone in your life this holiday season? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! Here at TBR, we pair our customers with a professional book nerd (aka bibliologist) who just gets them. They fill out a survey and then sit back and relax as we pick books just for them. We’ve got three levels — recs-only, paperback, and hardcover — and you can gift a full year or one time, so there are options for every budget! Get all the details at mybtro.com/gift.
Bookish Goods
Wooden Book Holder from COLwoodcraft
If you can never find a bookmark or remember what page you stopped on the night before, this triangular wooden book holder is for you. $47.50
Riot Recommendations
There’s always a real dearth of new releases in December, so instead of covering new books this week, I’m going to share four of my favorite historical fiction books published in 2023.
The Bookbinder by Pip Williams
I adored Pip William’s book about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, The Dictionary of Lost Words, so I was so excited to find out she was writing another historical fiction book set in England during WWI, this time following the bookbinders of Oxford. It lived up to my expectations and then some.
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul
I love a good dual-time-line historical fiction novel with a mystery, and while I clued into what was going on in this one pretty quickly, it didn’t make the journey any less enjoyable. When the daughters of a famous—and wealthy—Black family are named as the heirs for Kitty Karr, a late White movie star who was always close with the family, rumors swirl. Do they really deserve to have even more money? And why would Kitty leave her money to them in the first place?
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
Isabel Cañas writes wonderful supernatural historical gothic fiction, and Vampires of El Norte lives up to its predecessor, The Hacienda. When childhood sweethearts are reunited after years apart, violence—and vampires—threaten to ruin their second chance at love.
The Glutton by A.K. Blakemore
This historical account of what an infamous 18th century Frenchman’s life might have looked like, from his inauspicious birth to the accident that Blakemore imagines gave him his famously insatiable appetite. It’s a fascinating read based on true events.
That’s it for now, folks! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.
If you want to talk books, historical or otherwise, you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy, my favorite bookish social media.
Right now, I’m reading The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. What about you?