2026 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 Rose Code by Kate Quinn I finally read my first Kate Quinn book (The Briar Club) for Everyday Reading Book Club and was so enthralled that I knew I needed to read another one! I immediately downloaded The Rose Code, about three women recruited to be codebreakers during WWII. I was all in on this one. My summer reading list is basically just her whole backlist.
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
This crazy popular mystery series follows Maisie Dobbs who worked on the French front as a nurse during WWI and is now trying to put her life back together after the war, working as a private investigator. You couldn’t ask for a better heroine to cheer on and if you love the first one, there are 17 more to keep you in a good book all summer long!
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
If you’ve been burned out on WWII historical fiction, this one feels completely fresh and had me GRIPPED! Told in dual timelines (WWII Paris and the present day) it follows Colette from Nazi Resistance thief to an older woman in Boston still chasing the truth about a missing bracelet, as everything slowly comes together.
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
Susan Meissner writes fantastic historical fiction and I really enjoyed this one set during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 that follows Sophie Whalen who answers a newspaper ad for a mail-order bride. She’s happy to leave behind her New York City tenement and her new situtation seems pretty good – a warm home, plenty of food, and a child to take care of – but her new husband is absolutely keeping secrets.