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Genres
11genres
327books sorted
Have a favorite genre you like to read? Every book I've reviewed in it is consolidated here, grouped by the rating I gave it — so you can start with the five-star shelf and work down, rather than scrolling a whole year to find the thrillers.
Historical Fiction
14 reviewed · 4.1 avg rating★★★★★Five stars
4 books
Book
Rating
Genre
The Pirate Queen
Ariel Lawhon#1 of 2026
★★★★★#1 of 2026
Like an Irish version of Braveheart, at sea, with a badass woman at the helm, it reimagines the life of Ireland's legendary pirate queen Grace O'Malley.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction
Lady Tremaine
Rachel Hochhauser#3 of 2026Audiobook
★★★★★#3 of 2026Audiobook
A brilliant retelling of Cinderella from the "wicked" stepmother's perspective, this witty, inventive historical drama completely reimagines a classic villain.
★★★★★
Literature & Fiction Historical Fiction
Atmosphere
Taylor Jenkins ReidBEST OF2025#4 of 2025Audiobook
★★★★★BEST OF2025#4 of 2025Audiobook
Filled with tragedy, perseverance, and love, the novel focuses on the fictional first women in the NASA space program in the early 1980s.
★★★★★
Literature & Fiction Historical Fiction
The Calamity Club
Kathryn Stockett#14 of 2026Audiobook
★★★★★#14 of 2026Audiobook
In her first book since The Help, Kathryn Stockett transports us to 1933 Mississippi where a female-driven cast exposes the misogynistic society of the time.
★★★★★
Literature & Fiction Historical Fiction
★★★★★Four stars
7 books
Book
Rating
Genre
The Frozen River
Ariel Lawhon#18 of 2024
★★★★★#18 of 2024
Inspired by historical events, a midwife in 1789 finds herself in the middle of both a murder and a rape investigation in her town.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction Mystery and Thriller
Kin
Tayari Jones#25 of 2026Audiobook
★★★★★#25 of 2026Audiobook
Bound as cradle friends after both losing their mothers, two girls grow into wildly different adult lives—one of privilege, one chasing reunion.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction
Buckeye
Patrick Ryan#35 of 2025
★★★★★#35 of 2025
A generational character study centered on the intertwined lives of two families in a small Ohio town, focused mostly on identity and the impact of war.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction
The Amateur
Chris Bohjalian#47 of 2026Audiobook
★★★★★#47 of 2026Audiobook
A golf prodigy's stray practice shot kills a teenage caddie, and the legal and societal fallout snowballs until she finds herself on trial for involuntary manslaughter.
★★★★★
Mystery and Thriller Historical Fiction
Daikon
Samuel Hawley#57 of 2025
★★★★★#57 of 2025
A speculative historical novel that imagines what might have happened if Japan gained possession of an atomic bomb near the end of World War II.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction
Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate#58 of 2025
★★★★★#58 of 2025
Two lives unexpectedly intertwine as a Senator's daughter connects with an elderly woman who might be secretly connected to the young woman's family.
★★★★★
Literature & Fiction Historical Fiction
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
Helen Simonson
★★★★★
Set at the end of WWI, a novel about a group of British women and their shifting roles following the return of men from the war.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction
★★★★★Three stars
3 books
Book
Rating
Genre
The Familiar
Leigh Bardugo#58 of 2024
★★★★★#58 of 2024
A rare ho-hum effort from an author I enjoy, Bardugo's novel of 16th century Spain struggles to blend history, fantasy, and romance.
★★★★★
Historical Fiction Fantasy Romance
Lake Effect
Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney#63 of 2026Audiobook
★★★★★#63 of 2026Audiobook
An exploration of the fallout of a 1977 affair and divorce over several decades. Despite nuanced characters, this family drama mostly missed the mark for me.
★★★★★
Literature & Fiction Historical Fiction
Frankie
Graham Norton#78 of 2025Audiobook
★★★★★#78 of 2025Audiobook
A recounting of the fictional life of Frankie Howe, from Ireland to London to America and back, spanning the 1950s to today.
★★★★★
Literature & Fiction Historical Fiction
Why this page isn't a single ranking
Each book's rank is its position within the year I read it. That makes it directional, not absolute: the best book of a thin year and the fifth-best of a strong one can't be stacked against each other honestly. So these are grouped by the rating I gave them, which is comparable across years, and ordered within each group by how they placed in their own year. Where I have ranked an author's books against each other, that list says so and shows the numbers.
Want more like these?
One email on the first of every month with a summary and rating of each book reviewed over the past 30 days, and a look at where the year's ranking stands.