My FAVORITE Historical Fiction Books of all time! | They are weird and simply the best. 📕📗📘📙📖

[@Akila-s]

Love when I find these fun small/er channels ♥️ I love historical fiction but I don't I ever read a "weird historical fiction" definitely gonna check them out !

[@Shellyish]

Awe! Thank you! That means so much to me!

[@thoroughlyenjoyedbooks8565]

I just made a 'these books will self descruct' video that included The Luminaries. I've had it on my shelf for TEN YEARS and I'm so glad you talked about it because now I'm actually more excited!

[@Shellyish]

Wonderful! :)

[@depressedtv]

Now i have to read the Thomas Cromwell series and The Luminaries!... And Son of the Century!

[@Shellyish]

All amazing!!

[@sevsuk2011]

Just discovered your channel. Great content. The Pillars of the Earth is a tome and a masterpiece in equal measure in writing to Lonessome Dove (I read LD at xmas incredible writing and storytelling).

[@Shellyish]

Thank you for the recommendations! I've meant to read Pillars of the Earth.

[@starlasell5698]

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent was so good. The book is also interspersed with actual documents but is told more from the viewpoint of Agnes, who was convicted of a vicious murder in the 1800's in Iceland. The events were well researched and the authors perspective kept me thinking about the book for a long time.

[@Shellyish]

Definitely adding Burial Rites to my TBR! Thank you!! :) :)

[@starlasell5698]

@@Shellyish I hope you like it as much as I did!

[@dhauri1958]

Some of my favorites: Shogun by James Clavell The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon Have you read any of these? The Luminaries is on my TBR list.

[@Shellyish]

I have read none. That’s kind of exciting. ☺️☺️

[@misterfuzzyflippers]

The Things They Carried is my favorite I can think of that could be described as historical fiction. Very strong storytelling to a degree where it felt like a very true retelling of war stories I would also put Slaughterhouse Five in there, but I'm unsure if it could be considered historical fiction. While it takes place initially during WW2 it slowly becomes a Sci-Fi metafiction.

[@Shellyish]

I have The Things They Carried and MUST read it soon. Thank you! :)

[@depressedtv]

Lonesome Dove is so good

[@Shellyish]

Yeeesss!

[@finehowareyou]

oh my gosh yes!!!

[@MsPixieD]

"The guy he calls to break a few kneecaps," haha, that really paints a picture 😄 That trilogy is on my tbr for sure! I'm also adding The Luminaries to my tbr thanks to your review 💛

[@Shellyish]

It's so good!

[@binglamb2176]

My choice for weird (and good IMHO) historical fiction is a trilogy by Niklas Natt och Dag that I found courtesy of Mark at Book Time with Elvis. The trilogy is a series of historical murder mysteries combined with nordic noir sensibility. Imagine Dickensian levels of squalor combined with gruesome and disturbing murders in 1790s Stockholm. The first book is 1793 The Wolf and the Watchman.

[@Shellyish]

I've wanted to read the gruesome and disturbing Natt och Dag series since Mark told me about it about a year ago. It's definitely on my TBR. :)

[@award112]

Have you tried Margaret George books? Nero might be what you are looking for but my favorite is Cleopatra

[@Shellyish]

Thank you! I’ve not read Elizabeth George yet.

[@Dezarc]

just watched the tv adaptation of wolf hall with my dad the other month and he keeps suggesting i pick up the books, so i guess i've got one more reason to quit procrastinating that

[@Shellyish]

They are great!

[@eiketske]

Historical fiction is my favorite genre. Wolf Hall is so good! I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t like it. I still haven’t read M. I am gonna read it in dutch, which will help me better understand it, I think 😊 I love the Dorothy Dunnett Niccolo and Lymond series and her stand alone King Hereafter about the historical MacBeth. I think it would classify as ´weird’ historical fiction 😁 This year my only reading goal is reading the complete Lymond series. Finished #1 and #2, only 4 more to go 😂

[@Shellyish]

Dorothy Dunnett is on my list to-read sooner rather than later. I feel like I'll really love her books! :)

[@patriciawolfram6109]

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver

[@hellobookworm]

Oh my gosh, Shelly, I love your beetle broach! 😍🪲

[@Shellyish]

Thank you! 😊

[@eiketske]

Oh and one of my favorite historical fiction books is In a dark wood wandering, written by Hella Haasse, about the live of Charles d’Orleans.

[@Shellyish]

I immediately added Haasse's book to my TBR. Thank you!

[@hartereads]

I read M after hearing you talk about it and I still think about it. Scurati really succeeds in showing how fascism can start. I also can't wait for the second book!

[@Shellyish]

Same! I just looked up possible book 2 publication dates: no new yet.

[@carlabrown6849]

Hi Shelly, I just finished The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. It was such an interesting book and different than any other historical fiction that I've read. It is the story of generations of a Dakota family in Minnesota, from 1862 to modern day, and also how nature and the seeds connect the generations and point to a future. I realized very soon into the story that I was pretty uneducated about the significant historical events that this book included, so I took a deep dive reading history. However, the reader does not HAVE to do this because the book will explain what you need to know, but it was very interesting to me, considering I grew up very close to where these events happened. Anyway, I highly recommend it. thanks for your fun video Shelly :)

[@Shellyish]

I'm adding this to my TBR immediately. Sounds wonderful! Thank you, Carla! :)

[@socaltoobie8984]

Is that the 🪲 pin one of your students gave you? It looks amazing on a white shirt! 🤩

[@Shellyish]

Yes it is! Thank you!!!

[@spreadbookjoy]

I initially was struggling to grasp what you meant by 'weird histroical fiction' but I think I get it now. My recommendation for you is Captain Correlli's Mandolin - the awful Nicholas Cage film really damaged the reputation of what is an amazing book. And definitely falls into this category in its structure. I would also say The Poisonwood Bible but I remember that you read that!

[@Shellyish]

I'm adding Captain Correlli's Mandolin to my TBR. :) I've read the Poisonwood Bible and liked it, but preferred Demon Copperhead.

[@spreadbookjoy]

@@Shellyish what made me think of it was as when you mentioned Mussolini - but will say no more so you can discover it for yourself!

[@chynakat]

I was going to suggest this book, but you beat me to it. This is a great book and one of my all-time favorites

[@spreadbookjoy]

@@chynakat oh good! Glad I wasn’t the only one to think of it!

[@sharonlarson5331]

I've read and enjoyed some of these and am interested in the Mussolini book. One of my favorite authors is C. J. Sansom who wrote a series of books set in Tudor England. His main character is a lawyer who is employed at times by Thomas Cromwell, and brings to life many historical characters. I feel that I am there with him, smelling the smells (ugh) and seeing the people and places. His first book is Dissolution which is about Henry abolishing the monasteries and the grab for those properties and treasures by the wealthy,

[@Shellyish]

I love CJ Sansom too! I've read the first two in his Shardlake series which I found immensely charming. Thank you for bringing it up.

[@zachreads]

My all time fav historical fiction is The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave 5☆+5♡ Some wierder ones I love -The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell -Lovely War by Julie Berry -The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton -Picnic !t Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay - The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton -Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer -Burial Rites by Hannah Kent One on my tbr I feel like mentioning is "Gould's book of Fish: a novel in twelve fish" by Richard Flanagan, it sounds delightfully insane!

[@Shellyish]

Thank you! I've added all of these to my TBR! Weirdly I don't own any! :)

[@Dinadoesyoga]

This is such an interesting topic. Unfortunately, this is a genre I've yet to explore, but Im very intrigued. The only book I can think of that I read in this category (maybe) would be Atonement. It had a surreal quality to it, which I'm loving more and more these days.

[@Shellyish]

I feel like Atonement is a book I should've read, but still have yet to.

[@Dinadoesyoga]

@@Shellyish I didn't believe the hype for many years, but I finally read it last year and was like, wow, I get why everyone loves this. Wolf Hall is now on my tbr thanks to your video!

[@eiketske]

Quick question: the book Lonesome Dove you showed is it only Lonesome dove or does it also contain the other books in the series?

[@Shellyish]

Just Lonesome Dove since it’s the only one I’ve read of the series.

[@BookwormAdventureGirl]

I have read some of these as you know. I think I like my historical fiction to be less historical and more fictional - if that makes sense. 😊💙

[@Shellyish]

I love the way you put that! I like my historical fiction just the opposite - a bit more historical than fiction.

[@edgarmarroquin4793]

Awesome, my favorite genre 🥹

[@Shellyish]

Mine too!

[@AmalijaKomar]

Think we should mention that both Mantel and Catton win a Booker for those books. Read Beloved and love it. That is a complex story and inspires me to try to understand other people's situations better. It is disturbing. Try to find a book about M in translation. Familiar with Italian history, thanks to Visconti , Fellini, Bertoluci, and many other directors, writers and, of course, painters. Love your video.

[@Shellyish]

Thank you so much! :)

[@bottledmesses7075]

Is James Cavell's Shogun historical fiction? 😅

[@Shellyish]

It is! :)

[@bottledmesses7075]

Do you review adaptations again? 😂

[@Shellyish]

I do not. I mostly don't watch TV. 🙈

[@bottledmesses7075]

How to get to know one piece in just five or six movies... Bakuman (Live-action) Episode of East Blue Strong World 3d2y Ace no sho wo koete Stampede Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl How to get the one piece experience without actually following one piece... Robinson Crusoe Gulliver's Travells James Clavell's Shogun Alice's adventures in wonderland The adventures of Tom Sawyer Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the dawn Treader Keigo kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKaWc31mZbqhqbMsi=JbdyJigPi2StVUtM. Onward for the New Treasure Island ☠️ Yosh! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJDPnq2Aa82csNEsi=RbcinXlq4rgyNCB9

[@Shellyish]

Awe! THANK YOU!