Sometimes I feel like the only person I know who finds reading history fascinating. It’s so full of amazing-yet-true stories of people driven to the edge and how they reacted to it. I keep telling friends that a good history book (as opposed to some of those textbooks in school that are all lists and dates) does everything a good novel does–it grips you with real characters doing amazing things.
Am I REALLY the only person who feels this way? When is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL.
I cannot say, as a history major (hangs her head in shame) that I have ever (besides textbooks) read historical nonfiction... I may have unknowingly... I know, I know! For someone who LOVES history, I have found the few historical non-fictions that I have read were dry as dog bones! So...I stopped!
Historical Fictions, on the other hand, are a completely different story! I have to force myself, sometimes, to read something other than HF... my family was about ready to run an intervention on me. So this year, I have taken a challenge to read something other than HF. I love a well-researched HF! It is enjoyable to learn while reading... a strange concept, I'm sure!
Some that have stood out are:
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James
The Josephine Bonaparte Collection by Sandra Gulland
A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander - not based on any particular historical person, but the details were amazing!
So..I am looking forward to what you think... Is history 'fun'...can it be entertaining? Yes it can... in the right writer's hands. Now... I will have to find out others' favorite historical NONfictions, and give those a try! Let me know what your favorite is!
