Is Historical Fiction Growing in Popularity?

[bookowlie]

I've noticed that more historical fiction books are getting "buzz" in the past year or so. Are readers becoming more interested in this genre? Are writers becoming more interesting in this genre? I know I am starting to read more of this genre than I used to.

-- 26 Apr 2015, 09:50 --

Oops, sorry for the typo!.....I meant to write "becoming more interested". Of course, writers are becoming more interesting, too. LOL LOL

[Fran]

It's always been one of my favourite genres & no doubt series like The Tudors & Downton Abbey have helped.

[bookowlie]

I agree! I am a big Downton Abbey fan. I've learned a lot about the culture of that era from watching it. One nice thing about historical fiction is I always feel smarter after reading a book set in a certain period. It's great to learn something about different time periods, especially ones I know very little about.

[glittermomma81]

I have loved history since my days in school as it was my favorite subject. But I definitely do thing as of late that historical books are becoming more and more popular due to movies and hit tv shows as well as the social media and sites. There is more of a backboard now a days where others can share their opinions of as well as all the marketing stuff on some sites that see what your reading and give you suggestions.

[Ealasaid]

I have always loved historical fiction so I am glad to see the genre getting a boost, so to speak. It is kind of ironic that such things as TV shows and social media can make reading certain books more popular.

[Krizelle101]

Historical fiction books have always been one of my favorite genres. Most of my books are of this type. I have always been curious about how people lived their daily lives back in those days. One of the things that caught my interest was England particularly its architecture, the customs of its people and their fashion which was always spectacular and grand. Although reading books of this genre have recently lost its magic for me. Maybe it's because of the predictability of the stories or the lack of variety in the books that I read.

[jhforres]

I think that human history has always been an engaging subject. As a society we are often tethered to our past, no matter how hard we try to convince others (and at times our selves) that we are only looking ahead. I love historical fiction. It is my most favorite literary genera. I devour anything and everything remotely related to historical fiction that I can get my hands on.

[Briana Fitzpatrick]

I have ALWAYS loved historical fiction novels. They make reading so much more imaginative because, if it is written well, you find yourself wishing you lived in that time period rather than the world now!:) Honestly, I really do hope that historical fiction becomes more frequent on bookshelves because they are truly so incredible!

[avid reader28]

Yes, I strongly believe so

[AnnaReads11]

From the point of view as a high school student, I feel as if all the author I read (I read a lot of Ya book) have taken historical event and changed them the make the there own! For Example; The Hunger Games I feel would be the life we live if America hadn't won the revolutionary war! Not sure if that was a good example but hopefully yall get the point! But as a highschoolee I read a lot of historical fiction!

[Hcollins1221]

I have always loved historical fiction, especially novels set in World War II era. As students become less interested in history taught in schools, historical fiction provides a wonderful alternative to learn history outside of the classroom. I think it is growing in popularity and will become more common in the education system.

[ALynnPowers]

If you think abou it, the potential for a historical setting increases as each day goes by. 50 years from now, people will be writing historical fiction set in the time of the War on Terrorism or whatever. I kind of cringe at the fact that I just wrote those words, but well... it's true, I think.

[bookowlie]

If you think abou it, the potential for a historical setting increases as each day goes by. 50 years from now, people will be writing historical fiction set in the time of the War on Terrorism or whatever. I kind of cringe at the fact that I just wrote those words, but well... it's true, I think.

Strange but true. I look back at the September 11th attacks and think this subject will be in historical fiction years from now.

[ALynnPowers]

If you think abou it, the potential for a historical setting increases as each day goes by. 50 years from now, people will be writing historical fiction set in the time of the War on Terrorism or whatever. I kind of cringe at the fact that I just wrote those words, but well... it's true, I think.

Strange but true. I look back at the September 11th attacks and think this subject will be in historical fiction years from now.

Exactly. And that was already 14 years ago (almost)! Technically it's already a historic event!

[Ealasaid]

If you think abou it, the potential for a historical setting increases as each day goes by. 50 years from now, people will be writing historical fiction set in the time of the War on Terrorism or whatever. I kind of cringe at the fact that I just wrote those words, but well... it's true, I think.

Strange but true. I look back at the September 11th attacks and think this subject will be in historical fiction years from now.

Exactly. And that was already 14 years ago (almost)! Technically it's already a historic event!

It's a historic even to my kids. My 12-year-old was born a year after September 11th. To them, it is an event in history that their parents witnessed. We talk about it when the anniversary comes, because my husband and I still remember the horror and sadness of that day, but I can tell that it is not "real" to them.

In a similar way, that is how I viewed things that my parents witnessed. Like the Vietnam War or JFK's assassination.

Very interesting thought, ALynn.