November 2016 Genre Study Discussion Help

[kio]

Historical Fiction is defined by the dictionary as a genre of literature comprising narratives that take place in the past and are characterized chiefly by an imaginative reconstruction of historical events and personages. Most librarians consider it to be 50 years in the past, but we won't get too technical, if it's around past events or has a historical feel, it probably works.

For our purposes, this can crossover into most genres. Fantasy, science fiction, etc., because they tend to have similar elements. Some popular picks include:

1. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (Napoleonic War alternate history fantasy with dragons)

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (YA historical novel set during Nazi-Occupied Germany. Was a movie)

3. Any Shakespeare plays

4. Phillipa Gregory novels

5. Most westerns fall in this category (ex. Louis L'amour)

6. Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (set during french revolution. A swashbuckling mystery adventure with a little romance

7. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

8. George Washington's Socks (kids book about a group of kids who travel back in time to the time when George is crossing the Delaware River during the American Revolution)

Some further suggestions can be found on onlinebookclub forums or on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/historical-fiction

[Heidi M Simone]

Ooo...I love historical fiction. I'll have to think if I've read any this month. If not, I hope I have time to read one before the month is over!

[kio]

Ooo...I love historical fiction. I'll have to think if I've read any this month. If not, I hope I have time to read one before the month is over!

If you don't mind Children's Fiction,Pie by Sarah Weeks. It is a quick, more recent time period-wise, historical fiction read that's really popular at my library. "When Alice's Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice."

[elivia05]

The Book Thief by Marc Zusak is one of my all-time favorite books. I am so glad that you used this book as an example!