In high school I got hooked on some books that were historical fiction about colonial America and I really enjoyed them. I also read some stuff that I no longer remember about Henery the V111 th...please suggest some books and authors to reintroduce me to this genre. I have to get oput of sci fi and fantasy because they are all starting to sound alike to me....shhhh don;t tell Hubby....

deborah

Ah, yeah, that's the problem with some genres. You begin to read the formula in every story. :)

I think HF has the most potential to break the mold, which is why I enjoy it so much.

Can you tell us more about what you like? You said you read about colonial America. Do you remember the author/s or title/s?

Do you like a little romance with your history? How accurate do you want the history to be? Or is alternate history of interest? Is there a certain geographic region or time period that interests you?

If you really don't know where to start, I recommend a couple of classics:

1. Sharon Kay Penman, especially the Welsh trilogy beginning with Here Be Dragons (btw, her Web site mentions that she recently sold movie rights to The Sunne in Splendour.)
2. Elizabeth Chadwick, especially if you like medieval times. Try her 2 books on William Marshall, beginning with The Greatest Knight.
3. Gary Jennings, Aztec. This is a classic, written during the early 1980s, I believe. It's a very long book - about 1100 pages. I loved it. I read it twice.
4. Sho-gun by James Clavell is another classic and also a long book. This one about medieval Japan.
5. Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts. This book was written in the 1930s and is considered this author's best work. It's been made into a movie several times over. The topic is definitely American history. It's been awhile since I've read it, but I think it takes place during the 1800s.

Genie

For books set in early America, I'd recommend books by Anya Seton. Try her book, The Winthrop Woman, it's great!

Some others that I've enjoyed:

Kevin Baker's trilogy: Paradise Alley, Dreamland, and Striver's Row.

Barbara Hambly has a couple of good ones, all set in early America: The Emancipator's Wife and Patriot Hearts.

Beverly Swerling: City of Dreams, City of Glory, and Shadowbrook.

Diana Norman: A Catch of Consequence and Taking Liberties.

I loved this book about Mary Lincoln - Mary by Janis Cooke Newman

Megan Chance: Susannah Morrow - about the Salem witch trials - really enjoyed this one.

James Alexander Thom writes great books about colonial America. There are many available to order right now on PBS. Panther in the Sky was an excellent story about the life of Tecumseh. Some other good ones are From Sea to Shining Sea and Long Knife.