By now you probably know that historical fiction is my favorite genre, but every now and then I stray and pick up something from a different genre. My feeling when I do this? Well, I usually enjoy the book, but not quite as much as I enjoy my historical fiction. I think some of this has to do with the fact that, very broadly speaking, historical fiction tends to be a little cleaner of a read than your average book. I find that there tends to be more foul language and more adult content in the books I’ve picked up outside of the historical fiction genre than I typically come across in historical fiction. That being said, I still found the following titles to be gripping reads with convoluted plots that kept me guessing so if you are looking for a few more titles to add to your reading list, check out the ones I am listing below.
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The Hundred Year House by Rebecca Makkai
I read a description of this book that said that we aren’t sure if the house was haunted or if the residents within the house were haunting it. … I did not think there was much of anything about the house being haunted but there were lots of pieces that keep me guessing, puzzling out how everything fits together until the very last page—and even then there were a few things that made me wonder. The Hundred Year House begins in 1999, right before we flip over to the new millennia; then we are transported back in time. We become acquainted with the current residents of the house. We are then transported back to the 1950s, and the people who lived there at that time and the tragedy that happens. Next we are transported to the 1920s when the house was a retreat for artists. Lastly, we visit the house at its conception in 1900 when the house’s tragic history all began.
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
This book is young adult fiction and is a retelling of Lady Jane Gray’s story—until the authors decide to take a different route than the actual history—with a bit of fantasy tossed in. I have to say fantasy is really not my thing … at all! However, I really enjoyed this book! It was written by three different authors which I think always makes for good plot twists and great humor. This book made me laugh out loud a few times! If you are looking for a twist on history with some quirky characters and a lighthearted read, you’ll enjoy this one!
The People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
Rarely do I ever read contemporary romance; I just want more going on in my book than a love story, especially because, how many love stories have you ever read in which you couldn’t guess the ending? But, the joy is in the journey. … The people we meet on vacation is a story about two friends, Poppy and Alex, who have been best friends since their freshman year of college. Every year since then they have taken a summer vacation together until one year something happens and their friendship falls apart. Two years later Poppy wants to rekindle their friendship but they haven’t spoken in two years. She decides to contact Alex to see if Alex would go on one more vacation with her as her date to her brother’s wedding. Alex agrees but will this vacation be a dream come true or a nightmare? Will they be able to save their friendship or will things only turn out worse?
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Maybe it was because I read this book at the perfect time of year (early fall when the weather is just starting to turn cool and makes you want to curl up with a cozy mystery) but I really enjoyed this murder mystery set in present day England. Marianna Andros is a group therapist with troubles of her own. She becomes even more troubled when her niece’s friend is murdered at the college where her niece (Zoe) is attending and where Marianna herself attended. She gets hooked into trying to solve the murder and is becoming increasingly convinced that one of her niece’s teachers may be to blame. Things get even worse when another one of her niece’s friends ends up dead—killed in exactly the same manner as the other. Will Marinna be able to put the pieces together before something happens to her niece or herself?
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