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We all know about the Yearly Reading Goal Challenge that Goodreads has been hosting for ever. This year, they added a couple of new challenges. One of them is the Community Favorites Challenge where you can earn a virtual bookmark. For this first round, you have until April 30 to collect the 6 bookmarks. the catch is that you have to read a book from the curated list. All of us here are Goodreads love historical fiction so we have reviewed a lot of the books on the list for the Era Explorer biomarker. In case, you still need a earn that bookmark, here are our recommendations.
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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
If you haven't read this book yet, it is fabulous. Apple TV+ made the book into a miniseries in 2023. I haven't seen it but I listened to audiobook last year. I had to wait 4 months for my hold to come in at the digital library and it was so worth the wait.
It is about a woman in the 1950s who wanted to be a chemist while the world wanted her to be a housewife. She doesn't let that get in the way of her dreams but the path to her dream was filled with a few unexpected twists.
Lessons in Chemistry comes out in paperback on April 1. Check it out on Goodreads.
Buy Lessons in Chemistry at Amazon
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Susan reviewed this book when it first came out in 2019. She said it was a fun read and an interesting look at life in the 1970s. It was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick. In 2023 it was turned into a miniseries on Amazon Prime Video.
Daisy is a teenager in L.A. who gets wrapped up in the music scene in the 1960s. She finally gets noticed in her 20s. This book chronicles the ups and downs of the rock and roll band The Six. Check our Daisy Jones & The Six at Goodreads.
Buy Daisy Jones & The Six at Amazon
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Susan and I both reviewed The Four Winds back in 2021. It is set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and follows one woman as she tries to make the best life she can for herself and her children.
Susan wrote that it was full of unforgettable characters in her review. Whereas, in my review, I noted the rich writing that brought the Dustbowl and Depression era to life. Learn more about the book at Goodreads.
Buy The Four Winds at Amazon
The Women by Kristin Hannah
It is unsurprising that a second book by Kristin Hannah made the list. She's a popular author of historical fiction. Last year, Susan and I both reviewed this book about an Army Nurse serving during the Vietnam War.
I don't read a lot of books set during the Vietnam War so, as I mentioned in my review, there were several eye-opening moments. Susan lived through this era so she had a different perspective on the book. In her review, she wrote, "It was so real and so emotional that my words can't do it justice."
It just came out in paperback this year. If you are a paperback reader, now is the time to pick up this novel. Add it to your Goodreads shelf.
Buy The Women at Amazon
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
This book is based on a true story of the Pack Horse Library Project that began during the Great Depression to provide access to books in rural communities of Appalachia.
Susan noted in her review that the book features strong women. Check it out on Goodreads.
Buy The Giver of Stars at Amazon
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
This is another book featuring the Pack Horse Library Project that began during the Great Depression. Susan highly recommends this book.
Cassy is 19-years-old when she gets a job as a librarian who takes books to the rural areas in Kentucky. She is lonely but is able to connect with the people she delivers to.
If you enjoy books where you learn about things you've never heard about, then this is the book for you. Casey is one of the blue people of Kentucky, also known as Blue Fugates.
Learn more about the book at Goodreads. And if you enjoy this book, be sure to also check out the sequel The Book Woman's Daughter.
Buy The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek at Amazon
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
If historical fiction isn't quite your jam, then try this book of magical realism. MK reviewed this "engrossing" novel in 2021.
The Lost Apothecary features different timelines, each narrated by a different female character. MK loved how the various timelines dovetailed. The story involves an 18th-century apothecary and a series of murders. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy The Lost Apothecary at Amazon
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Another popular author of historical fiction, Kate Quinn has a couple of books on the list. The Rose Code is set in 1947 with flashbacks to WWII. It features real women who worked at Bletchley Park which was the site of a clandestine code-breaking operation. The 1947 storyline is when Prince Philip was preparing to marry soon-to-be Queen Elizabeth.
I read this book the week that Prince Philip died so it was a bit surreal as I was hearing about his life in the news while reading this biographical novel. I should warn you, this isn't a short book - it's over 650 pages! I recommend this book to people looking for untold stories of women in history. Susan gave this book a glowing review. She's read several of Quinn's book, including the next one featured on the list.
Buy The Rose Code at Amazon
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
This is another WWII novel based on a true story. It is set in Ukraine so if you'd like to get a historical perspective on a country that is in the news a lot these days, this would be a good book to pick up. Susan thought it was a deeply-research, well-written book.
Though a scholar and a mother, Mila is given a rifle when Hitler's army invades Ukraine and she becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy The Diamond's Eye at Amazon
Weyward by Emilia Hart
If you enjoy women's fiction and a little bit of magic, then you will want to try this book. Susan "highly recommends" this "beautifully written story." The story is told by three women in the Weyard family. One lives in 1619, one lives in 1942, and the third woman lives in 2019. Check it out on Goodreads.
Buy Weyward at Amazon
(Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the ebook for free)
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
MK wrote in her review, "Although the story spans decades, it doesn't feel like it at all. I was drawn into the family story from the start." Black Cake is Wilkerson's debut novel. It has already been made into a television show, which aired on Hulu in 2023.
It a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names can shape relationships and history. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy Black Cake at Amazon
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
A World War II novel published in 2019. It is a dual-timeline story in which Alice learns about her grandmother's past in Poland during the war.
"The book was well written and very well researched with characters that I really cared about and that I cried with during the book," wrote Susan in her review.
Buy The Things We Cannot Say at Amazon
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
If you like magical realism, MK thought it was a powerful novel to read. The main character Hiram was born into bondage. When his mother is sold, Hiram is robbed of all memory of her—but is gifted with a mysterious power. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy The Water Dancer at Amazon
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate is one of Susan's favorite authors. In her review, she mentioned she learned a lot by reading this book.
The book brings to life stories from actual "Lost Friends" advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold off. Check it out at Goodreads.
Buy The Book of Lost Friends at Amazon
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
Another WWII novel inspired by true events. In the last few year, stories of female secret agents have been surfacing. They are fascinating and I'm so glad that their stories are being told. Susan has read several of Pam Jenoff's books. She thought it was "a wonderful, well-written, well-researched historical fiction novel about strong women in adverse conditions." Learn more about the book at Goodreads.
Buy The Lost Girls of Paris at Amazon
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Did you know that Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days? No one really knows what happened (even Christie herself might not know if the rumors of amnesia are to be believed). There are several books that have speculated about these days and The Christie Affair is one of those. I read this book right after watching a movie that also tried to fill in the gaps. I reviewed them together.
This wasn't as much biographical fiction as I was expecting. it focuses a lot on Christie's husband's mistress. He had a real-life mistress but de Gramont created a fictional character based on her. It was an interesting book. Check it out at Goodreads.
Buy The Christie Affair at Amazon
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
After reading Room I was very much looking forward to reading another book by Emma Donoghue. I chose to read this one in 2020 because it dealt with the 1918 flu epidemic. It was different from Room but still a very interesting read. I listened to the audiobook as I did with Room.
It is set in Ireland where the main character is a midwife. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy The Pull of the Stars at Amazon
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel
Harmel is one of the top authors of WWII fiction. I keep thinking I've read this book, but I haven't. Susan has and she loves her books. She called this book powerful in her review.
A young woman uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jews escape Nazi Germany. It is based on a true story. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy The Forest of Vanishing Stars at Amazon
The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel
Because she is such a popular author of WWII fiction, it is no wonder that there is a second book on the list by Kristin Harmel. This dual timeline novel is set in 1940 France and NYC in 2019. Harmel is a masterful storyteller according to Susan's review.
Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy The Winemaker's Wife at Amazon
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
When the paperback came out at the end of last year and there was a lot of buzz about this supsensful read. Susan missed it when it first came out in 2023 but when she finally did get to read it, she loved it.
It's 1962 and a family from Nova Scotia is in Maine to pick the berries when their four-year-old daughter vanishes. Find it at Goodreads.
Buy The Berry Pickers at Amazon
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
Diane Chamberlain has been publishing novels for more than 30 years and is one of Susan's favorite authors. Susan was certain that it would be one of the top novels of 2020.
It is a dual-timeline novel with one timeline in 1940 and the other rin 2018. There is a quite a bit of suspense in this novel (it kept Susan up way too late). Check it out on Goodreads.
Buy Big Lies in a Small Town at Amazon
Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon
I read this after reading Susan's review and now it is my most-recommended book to read. It is an impressive novel that I had trouble putting down. I compare all female spy novels to this one.
It is based on a true person. Nancy Wake was an Australian living in Paris when the war broke out. She is married to a French industralist who she is a madly in love with. As impressive as the novel is, it is also heartbreaking. War is terrible and sometimes hard sacrifices have to be made to do the right thing. Learn more at Goodreads.
Buy Code Name Hélène at Goodreads
I knew we read a lot of historical fiction. I didn't realize we had read 22 books on the Goodreads list. Did you find a book to read for this challenge? Tell me about it in the comments!
Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.
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