Historical Fiction - Recommendations

While I respect non-fiction. I'm a big lover of fiction books. As I find less and less time to read, I realize that time spent reading should probably be spenT reading something with an additional ”value”. So I look for and read books on history. While sometimes dry, they are filled with many amazing wow moments, and fascinating facts. That being said, I find myself working to turn each page as I don’t always have an immediate draw (character development/plot twist) to read the next chapter.

Thus, my passion for the genre of historical fiction developed! Fictional characters and their stories, set in the back drop of real historical events in real places (though any mix of real and made-up can be a historical fiction). These books are often very well researched, and take great pride in getting the little details of the time correct.

 So what are my TOP 3 PICKS!

1. Shōgun (by James Clavell) – Depicting the advancement of the Shogunate in feudal Japan under a fictional version of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The story is primarily through the eyes of a washed up (literally) English sailor. Also check out Tai-Pan by same author.
2. Imperium (by Robert Harris) – First in the trilogy of books, written together as a fictional biography of Cicero, by his slave Tiro. A great, well researched story telling of how Rome, Caesar and a lost Republic.
3. The Pillars of the Earth (by Ken Follett) – Tells of the construction of a fictional Cathedral in 12^thCentury England. With a huge cast of characters, I can honestly say this is my favourite book of all time. (Also apparently, it became a miniseries...)

Happy reading!