Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Historical Fiction Authors
It's top ten Tuesday again! Yay! This time the girls at The Broke and the Bookish asked us to list ten of our favorite authors from a certain genre. I am a big fan of historical fiction, so I wernt with my top ten historical fiction authors. (and frankly, I am going to cheat a little and throw in some non-fiction too)
1. Philippa Gregory: I love her accounts of English life. The first book I read by her was Wideacre though, and that book is seriously cray cray. But I still read all the books in the series. 
2. Morgan Llywelyn: Like a lot of Americans, I am obsessed with my heritage. I am partly of Irish descent, and I found Llywelyn's books and just dove right in. I love them!
3. Alison Weir: I like to picture Henry the VIII as Jonthan Rhys-Meyers. Weir brought the wives alive in her book, The Six Wives of Henry the VIII. 
4. Margaret George: I love her books, especially Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles, and The Memoirs of Cleopatra. I knew Mary Queen of Scots' fate before I read this book, however it didn't stop me from bawling my eyes out at the end.
5. Diana Gabaldon: A bit of a different take on historical fiction, but I love this series.
6. Sharon Kay Penman: I loved the Welsh Princes series - I felt more knowledgeable when reading The Raven Boys because Penman had me all interested in Wales at one point in my life.
7. Alan Brennert: My hubby is Hawaiian, and I picked up the book Molokai since that is where his family was at one time. I fell in love with his writing and these books.
8. Tracy Chevalier: Such a cool concept for her books, based on works of art. My favorite is The Lady and The Unicorn, but I also really liked Girl with a Pearl Earring.
9. Karen Cushman: Cushman writes kids books, but what fabulous books they are. I think its important for children to read about history; its not usually the most popular subject, and books make it more interesting for them.
10. Robert Newton Peck: I loved his books when I was younger;the stories were so much different than what I could relate to everyday that I was fascinated. A Day No Pigs Would Die killed me too. I read it and was greatly disturbed, like it was an anti-Charlotte's Web. It had some seriously graphic and sad scenes in it. It is definitely a book that shaped my life, one of the books that put me on the path to vegetarianism and animal rescue. This book was so powerful, and that was something I understood at 8 or whatever I was. Young. The Shaker way of life, the stern practicality and the fact that his father would not be beholden to anyone ever and his way of living his life- a certain kind of pride. I gave it to my dad to read, after I read it, and it has stuck with him as well. I know this book is on the banned list, and I almost read this book again as part of Sheila's Banned Book Week, but I didn't think I could face it. I was devastated by this book as a kid, but I don't think it should be banned. It changed my life, and anything else that bothered me I discussed with my parents.
Have you read Alison Weir's historical fiction then? Does it read like her non-fiction works, like the Six Wives yous how there? I have a couple of her HF books under the bed, but since her NF is slow going for me, I've not rushed it.
ReplyDeleteHow would you compare Greggory's older stuff to her newer stuff? I've not read anything before The Other Boleyn Girl, but I'm 50/50 on her newer stuff. Maybe I should go back to her earlier stuff.
I have a few by some of the other authors. I think I need to dig some of them out.
I took a little liberty with my authors on this post. ;) I have read most of her non-fiction, and of her fiction, The Lady Elizabeth, which was just as good, in my opinion. I am getting ready to read A Dangerous Inheritance, as soon as I can get it. :) I guess I am being a little misleading. :)
DeleteI can be really hit or miss with Gregory too. Some of them I love, but some are bleh. I started reading her again because another blog I like, Running off the Reeses, loves her. I haven't read her newest, but have heard it is great and it is on my list to read this winter. :)
My favorite on this list is probably Llywelyn. :)
I think I have one of Llywelyn's books. living in the box with Lady Elizabeth. Was curious, tis all. I've seen one too many non-fiction books reviewed as fiction books
DeleteWhat a great list! Unfortunately, you've managed to grow my TBR yet again. Well, okay, ?I actually love that - who am I foolin'?
ReplyDeleteLol! I am glad I could help. ;) They are all so good. I don't think you would enjoy Wideacre too much, but the rest of Gregory's books are not like that series. Wideacre makes me think of Scarlett O'Hara if she was a nympho-psycho, if she went a little bit further over the edge.
DeleteGreat list! Fabulous choices. Historical fiction used to be my favorite genre as well.
ReplyDeleteI can't read it consistently, I just get too stuck in my own head if that makes sense. But I definitely intersperse it here and there in my reading. :)
DeleteI agree with Belle, there goes my tbr pile! I love historical stuff, fiction and non. I just checked a book out from the library that you might be interested in. I haven't read it yet but I'm looking forward to it! http://www.gaellenquinn.com/books/the-last-aloha/why-i-wrote-the-last-aloha.php
ReplyDeleteThat book sounds amazing! I will definitely have to read it. I don't know if Billy's family has any "star" names, but he does have a second cousin named Atomic. :)
DeleteWell, I don't know about that book now. I'm around 70 pages in and it's not doing it for me. It seems "okay" but not a smashing read. Just so you know!
DeleteI like Philippa Gregory's Tudors series :) and Diana Gabaldon is great. I need to pick up her series soon.
ReplyDeleteTTT fairytales authors @thedailyprophecy.