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Historical Fiction June 2026 |
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The Last Woman of Warsaw by Judy BatalionIt's 1938 and Fanny Zelshinsky is a modern daughter of the city's Jewish elite who just wants to be recognized as a legitimate artist by her family, the professor she idolizes, and the world at large. Meanwhile, Zosia Dror has left behind her small religious family in the wake of violence. All she wants is to not get distracted by the glitz of the city--or by the keen eyes of a certain comrade. When legendary artist Wanda Petrovsky goes missing, the two young women are thrown together in pursuit of the artist. Is Wanda simply hiding, or is her disappearance connected to the rise in antisemitic laws and university practices? Fanny and Zosia may be unlikely allies, but they must bridge their differences to help someone they both care for---and dodge the danger mounting around them in the process.
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The Bird of Bedford Manor by Michelle GriepJuliet Finch's poaching career is cut short when landowner Henry Russell catches her illegally hunting on his land. To atone for her sins, he puts her on the hunt for his sister's stalker, but Juliet may just become the prey herself.
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| Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung HanGenerations of a Korean family have special abilities (a sister can take the form of a tiger and a mother can make people tell the truth), but these abilities don't stop war and violence from invading their lives. This book centers on Young-Ja, who can infuse food with her emotions. This powerful and sometimes disturbing debut follows Young-Ja during the turbulent 1930s and 1940s and in later years. For fans of powerful, and thought-provoking books. Also try Yu Miri's The End of August. |
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| The Foursome by Christina Baker KlineUsing their tour earnings, famous cojoined twins Eng and Chang Bunker settle in 1839 North Carolina, buying land and enslaved people and making powerful local friends. Sarah and Adelaide Yates, sisters from a once-prominent family, become their wives and collectively they have 21 children. Told from Sarah's perspective over the course of several decades, this "remarkable" (Publishers Weekly) novel is based on the author's family history. Try this next: Elizabeth Weiss' The Sisters Sweet. |
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| The Lost Girl of Craven County by Emily MatcharDuring the Great Depression in 1939, unmarried 25-year-old Millicent Green lives in New Bern, North Carolina's small Jewish community with her disapproving mother and older brother and grieves for her beloved younger brother. After finding an injured young woman one hot summer day, Millie takes the unidentified woman home and eventually learns her disturbing story. This book presents a moving look at loss, friendship, and injustice. You may also like Donna Everhart's Women of a Promiscuous Nature. |
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| The Original by Priya ParmarAfter a successful screen test, strong-willed 21-year-old Katharine Hepburn heads to 1930s Hollywood, and she's positioned as a star as part of the studio system. But this position means hiding a marriage, her romantic relationships with women, and more, while making friends with David and Irene Selznick, George Cukor, Cary Grant, John Ford, and Howard Hughes. This book focuses on the Hepburn's early career, and provides an "immersive portrait" (Publishers Weekly). You may also like Ginny Kubitz Moyer's A Golden Life. |
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| Mrs. Benedict Arnold by Emma ParryIn 1770s Philadelphia, young socialite Peggy Shippen becomes close to Captain John André, a rising star in the British Army. When the colonists take the city and the Brits and the Captain flee, Peggy quickly takes up with General Benedict Arnold, trading Loyalist parties for Patriot salons. In marrying Arnold, she schemes to end the war to help her own family, leading to a stunning act of treason. For fans of Hamilton and other stories about the American Revolution. |
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| The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele RichardsonPack-horse librarian Cussy marries for love, but she's a Blue (caused by methemoglobinemia) and her husband is white, so in 1953 both are thrown into Kentucky prisons for miscegenation. Cussy works her way to a prison librarian position, but incarceration holds many dangers. Newcomers can start here, but fans of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which begins Cussy's story, will best enjoy this atmospheric, well-researched novel. You may also like Brianna Labuskes' The Boxcar Librarian. |
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| Lidie by Jane SmileyAfter her abolitionist husband's murder in Kansas Territory, Lidie Newton is back in Quincy, Illinois, in December 1857. Though she is grieving, Lidie is happy to chaperone her niece Annie, who is just a year younger than herself, as she travels to Liverpool, England, to be an actress. Working for Annie's wealthy sponsor, Lidie adjusts to a new country and a new life. This book appeals to fans of smart, courageous women and richly detailed writing. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Forsyth County Public Library
585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, Georgia 30040
770-781-9840ForsythPL.org |
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