Now Read This! October 2021: Historical Fiction Recommendations

Our Now Read This! newsletters offer suggestions for your next favorite read, from hidden gems to the latest hot pick. Available in six genres, these newsletters include:

  • a featured book of the month
  • a special event worth checking out
  • a curated selection of newly acquired and upcoming titles
  • booklists for further reading

Whether you prefer reading about World War II or the Crusades, your friendly BPL Reader Services Librarians have recommendations for every reader.

Answer the questions and follow the arrows in the flowchart below to get a reading recommendation from this month's Historical Fiction newsletter. Sign up for our newsletters here.

Q1: Set In the United States or Abroad? -> United States -> Q2: Multigenerational Saga or 1950s? → Multigenerational Saga: The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers / 1950s: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles | Abroad -> Q3: Europe or North Africa? -> Europe: Matrix by Lauren Groff​ / North Africa: In the Country of Others by Leila Slimani.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois

In this multigenerational saga, a young Black girl engages with her family's past in an attempt to come to terms with her own identity. Longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award.

The Lincoln Highway

In this latest novel from the bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow, it is 1954, and two young brothers embark on a fateful 10-day road trip from their home in Nebraska to the city of New York.

Matrix

Groff reconstructs life in a medieval English abbey in this feminist novel based on the real 12th century poet and abbess Marie de France.

In the Country of Others

After marrying a handsome Moroccan soldier during World War II and settling in the country, a young Frenchwoman is torn as tension mounts between the locals and the French colonists.