The Six Best Historical Fiction Books That I Read This Year

I have been making it my goal to read more historical fiction books this year. And that has led to me reading some of my favorite novels of all time. Keep reading to find out the six best historical fiction books that I read this year!

With so many genres and subgenre out there, it can be hard to focus on one genre. But I have made it a mission to read more historical fiction novels and I am happy that I did. Because I have read some of the best books ever as a result.

This is a genre that has a variety of books and I am always learning a lot. As a history buff, I am always eager to learn about different places and going down rabbit holes on the web to find out more.

I have been selecting books that have been showing up a lot in my feed and these books surpassed all of my expectations. You can see the full list below!

The Six Best Historical Fiction Books That I Read This Year

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah 
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange 
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

One Hundred Years of Solitude

I finally got around to reading was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez and I loved every second of it. This is an amazing novel that will make you feel tons of emotions and wonder where you would place it on your list of favorite historical fiction novels.

García Márquez’s novel is a magical realist style novel and tells the story of the Buendía family over seven generations in the fictional town of Mocando. What follows is one of the best stories you will ever read. You won’t ever guess where the novel is going and it will have you hooked!

A Gentleman in Moscow

Trying to describe A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles to someone who has never read it is almost impossible. The plot of the novel doesn’t do it justice and only by reading it can you understand why this novel is beloved my millions of people. 

Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to house arrest and must stay at Hotel Metropol. It is there he watches the world from his prison. The writing and the plot are brilliant and you’ll fall in love with the Count like many other readers. This is a novel that you have to read to understand the hype.

The Great Alone

If you are new to this website, then you probably don’y know how much of a fan I am of Kristin Hannah. All her works are must reads in my opinion and I was happy when she got the recognition she deserved after releasing The Women in 2025.

But we will be talking about one of her other novels that I loved and would recommend to anyone who loves beautiful writing and words that will make you feel every sentence in the book. The Great Alone is a novel about love and abuse and ultimately of resilience and showcases the brilliance of Hannah’s writing. 

The Nickel Boys

We all have had that moment where we discover a new author and have to binge read all their books. After reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, I knew I was going to read anything he released going forward and I am glad I did.

The Nickel Boys is a novel about Elwood Curtis, a young black boy who is wrongly sentenced to Nickel Academy, a juvenile reform school that is supposed to turn them straight. But the school takes advantage of the boys and is filled with racism and abuse. Elwood and every black boy have to fight and survive to see the next day because is not guaranteed in this reform school.

This novel is based on actual events and if it wasn’t for this novel, few people would know about this horrible event. Like many tragedies, it was buried and forgotten but people like Whitehead know how powerful a story can be. 

You will be angry and shocked and throughout it all, you will appreciate what Whitehead was able to accomplish with this novel.

Wandering Stars

Everyone says don’t judge a book by its cover but that might not be true for Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. This is one of my favorite book covers and the book is even better somehow.

Orange tells a harrowing tale of racism and trauma that haunts a family for generations. The book tells the story of Native Americans suffering for over a century and the importance of identity and home.

The plight of Native Americans is forgotten or neglected in this country. Their identity is constantly under attack and their history has been buried deep. But Tommy Orange’s novel brings it back into the spotlight and tells their story, while also writing one of the best novels of 2024.

Pride and Prejudice

Lastly, I finally got around and read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I enjoyed the novel a lot more than I thought I would and can see why Austen is as popular as she is today. 

Elizabeth Bennett is one of five daughters and the novel follows her and Mr. Darcy, who moves near the Bennetts. Elizabeth’s older sister Jane falls in love with Bingley who is a close friends with Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth interact at a party and while Mr. Darcy falls for Elizabeth, she insults him after he is rude to her. Jane and Bingley seem like they are made for each other but suddenly, things go awry. Elizabeth guesses that somebody doesn’t want them to get married.

A turn of events scares the Bennett family and Elizabeth turns to Mr. Darcy to help. Will Jane and Bingley get married? And how does Elizabeth feel about Mr. Darcy? Jane Austen spins a tale like no other that has remained relevant centuries later and is considered one of the best historical fiction books ever written.

Conclusion

These are the six best historical fiction books that I read this year and what a list it is. I have been lucky enough to read these amazing novels and it has made this an amazing year as a result.

That is all for this list and I will continue reading historical fiction novels and share them soon. Right now, I am focusing on horror novels and will be releasing more lists for Halloween. How many of these books have you read? Let us know in the comments on the below!

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