2025 Summer Reading Guide: Historical Fiction
I’ve loved historical fiction books my whole life – it’s such an engaging way to learn about a different time period and take a trip back in time without leaving your living room couch!
The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower
I started this series after countless rave reviews and after several stalled attempts, I finally gave it another shot. It’s a slower start, but trust me: it’s so worth it. It took about five books for me to be fully hooked (although everything after book 2 was delightful) and then I loved it so much I read the entire series again start to finish (something I haven’t done in YEARS!) Set in London in 1883, it follows Emma through her odd, delightful life via her journal. The books are clever, charming, and full of depth, with one of the best casts of characters I’ve ever read. I recommend this series to everyone.
James by Percival Everett
This book was so buzzy, especially after it became a Pulitzer Prize finalist – it’s the same story from Huckleberry Finn, just told from Jim’s point of view. I BLEW through it! Even without a complete background knowledge of the source text, it is a really engrossing read and so engrossing to read a well-known story from a different vantage point (absolutely listen to the audio of this!)
To Charm a Lady by Joanna Barker
You know those books where you just immediately want to spend EVERY WAKING MOMENT reading that book? This book was that for me! While attending a house party, Cora is under strict instructions by her mother to find a husband, but will she pursue a man her mother would approve of, or a longtime crush she has never gotten over. (It is the 2nd book in this regency romance series, but it completely stands alone and when I went back and read the first book, it wasn’t as good as this one.)
A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon
I’ve been so impressed by Amy Harmon’s books and this one is terrific. Set during the Revolutionary War, it follows real-life heroine Deborah Samson, who disguises herself as a young man to enlist in the Continental Army. I was completely hooked! (Note that although Deborah Samson was a real person, this book takes some major liberties with her story which reeeeeally infuriated some readers. I still loved it but proceed with caution if you think that’ll annoy you).