Hi Everyone,
5 Books That...is a feature on my blog where I talk about five books that have something in common or can be grouped together for a certain reason. I usually do about one a month but there is no fixed schedule.
Welcome to my second 5 books that... post! In this instalment, I want to share my favourite historical fiction books. It is a genre I adore and hopefully you can all find a book in this post that appeals to you! It was very hard to narrow it down to just five books but I think I have chosen...I can always do a part two another time! All of these I've already reviewed so there are links to previous posts but I hope this will be interesting none the less.
In Darkling Wood by Emma Carroll
This was my first Emma Carroll book and I loved it! I picked it up entirely by chance as the cover looked so mysterious and the plot sounded like something I would like. I ended up loving it so much and wrote a whole post about Emma Carroll after reading more of her books. You can see it here with my top three picks from 2019 post too. In Darkling Wood is written from the perspective of two girls. One is living with her gran after a middle of the night phone call brings news that could save her brother's life. The other is waiting for her brother to return safely from the front after WW1. Both have a beautiful forest at the bottom of their garden, made even more special if you believe in fairies...
Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo
This is one of my favourite Michael Morpurgo books and I think everyone can enjoy it. I actually did a post a long time ago now all about my favourite Michael Morpurgo books and you can view it here! A lot of people think Michael Morpurgo books are strictly about war but in fact he has many books such as Alone On A Wide Wide Sea that are completely separate. This is one of the war ones but surrounding a topic that not so many people talk about. This is about the people of Slapton who were evacuated so that the army could rehearse. This meant the devastation was from the allies as they practiced landing on the beach using real equipment. It is a really powerful book that I just love. This book also has a rather special place in my heart as I read it for the first time with my old headteacher on our residential when I was in Year 3. We went to Slapton and learnt all about the history there and read the book at the same time. Whenever I read it I can almost hear his voice reading it aloud to my class. I highly recommend this for a light but historically interesting book.
Old Baggage by Lisa Evans
I did a review for this a while ago like with both the books above so you can view it here! This is a suffragette historical fiction and one I thought was just amazing! This is actually set after the campaign for the vote and the main character is looking for a new purpose. So she comes up with what sounds like a great idea...until it gets out of hand and connections to her past do her no favours. It was emotional, funny and inspiring so if you are interested in the suffragettes and want to learn more about the time just after the vote then I think this is perfect for you.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is a very intimidating book because of it's size and a lot of people love it. I did really enjoy it, maybe not as much as some but it was enjoyable and just the kind of thing I love. If you are unfamiliar with the plot, this is about Liesl Meminger who goes on an incredible war-time journey narrated by Death. She goes to live with adoptive parents and that is the beginning of her passion for stealing. I also wrote a review of this as part of my 2020 summer reading wrap up. I really enjoyed the narration of Death and it was so emotional. At the time I wrote:
" When her Papa learns she is illiterate, he teaches her at night after her nightmares. These midnight classes are a refuge for Liesl but when she gets to a point she wants to read books, she brings out the first book she stole when her brother died, The Gravedigger's Handbook, not exactly an easy first book to read! But her family can't afford to buy books for her all the time, only Christmas and birthdays, so she resorts to stealing. She makes friends and in the end not only steals books but fruit too.
The bombings are more regular and parades of Jews on their way to concentration camps fill the streets. Among them Liesl searches for the Jew. Her refuge is books. Stealing them and reading them, everything to do with them. And with her best friend Rudy by her side she is finally happy. But it isn't to last and a bombing tears apart everyone she met, knew and loved. But one day she has a surprise awaiting her. And another day she shall die but with a family of her own and her soul sitting up... "
There is so much packed into this book so I can't remember that much which is sad but hopefully one day I will re-read it and discover it once more. It is a beautiful book and if you want to know more about the Holocaust in general then I highly recommend.
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
This is a book I read recently and reviewed here. This is such a powerful novel again set in the Holocaust. This was a topic I knew little about and I think everyone can learn something from this book. Cilka is a side character in The Tattooist Of Auschwitz and this is set after the war when Cilka is sent to another camp in Russia, charged with collaborating with the Germans. She suffers many hardships horribly familiar to Auschwitz. She passes on her knowledge to the other women and they keep fighting together, showing an incredible strength of mind and determination to survive. Cilka also works at the camp hospital and makes friends- an enemies. She showed an indescribable resilience to all that she faced and I might even have preferred this to The Tattooist Of Auschwitz. As I mention in my post about it, I think you should read The Tattooist Of Auschwitz because some of the references will definately make more sense. This is probably my favourite book from this post so if you read any of these then definately consider this one!
Thank you so much for reading this post all about my historical fiction books I love. Happy Reading!
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