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What’s better than a regular-sized historical fiction book? A short historical fiction book that you can finish in the span of a weekend. That’s just math. All of these historical fiction books under 300 pages are short, sweet, and to the point. They’re not going to drag you along for dozens upon dozens of pages on side tangents about the Napoleonic wars (looking at you Victor Hugo). Instead, these books set the historical scene and get straight to the story. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
So for all those moments when a doorstopper is too daunting, when a never-ending series seems like too much, these 10 short historical fiction books are there for you. Whether your attention span is wavering or you’re looking to meet a TBR goal in a hurry, these are the types of books you need.
Half of the books are around 200 pages or less while the others are on the slightly longer side, sitting somewhere in the 200s. I can’t guarantee reading all these books will help you meet your reading goals, but it certainly can’t hurt. Not to mention, you’ll get to read some great new books along the way. That’s a win-win if you ask me.
The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho
Pages: 81
For writer Jade Yeo, the twenties are going just fine until she writes a scathing review of London’s favorite author. Jade has always gotten by—and gotten ahead—by protecting her heart. But when she meets Sebastian Hardie, who’s more intrigued than infuriated by her review, their connection is electric. Soon, their growing closeness becomes an education in rebellion for Jade, and it reminds her of the importance of following her heart.
At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop
Pages: 145
A Senegalese soldier fighting for France in WWI begins to lose touch with himself and with reality after his childhood friend dies beside him on the battlefield. Mademba Diop begs Alfa Ndiaye to kill him and spare him the long-suffering death that awaits him, but Alfa finds he can’t. Now, Mademba’s cries haunt him, and he leaves each night to kill a soldier behind enemy lines and bring back his severed hand. His superiors think he’s mad. His fellow soldiers believe he may be a demon. In reality, he’s haunted. But how far will he go to make amends to the friend he couldn’t save?
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
Pages: 158
Originally published as part of Hamilton’s Battalion: A Trio of Romances, That Could Be Enough is romance icon Alyssa Cole’s historical novella about two women finding new hope and meaning in their lives after the Revolutionary War. Mercy Alston works as a maid and assistant to Eliza Hamilton, helping in her efforts to preserve her late husband’s memory. She knows all too well what love can cost you. But when Andromeda Stiel shows up at the Hamiltons’ doorstep for an interview, she turns Mercy’s beliefs—and world—upside down.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Pages: 192
In Jacqueline Woodson’s gorgeous exploration of girlhood and friendship, a run-in with a childhood friend brings back a series of memories for August. In 1970s Brooklyn, August and her friends could see a whole wide world ahead of them. They were young and beautiful and brilliant and everything was perfect. Except just beneath the surface, it wasn’t. This happy, hopeful world and a darker reality lived side by side for the girls in adolescence. But at least they always had each other.
Bibliolepsy by Gina Apostol
Pages: 201
A young woman obsessed with books growing up under the harsh rule of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines finds solace and escape in the pages of books and the arms of their authors. For Primi, the growing unrest means more writers gathering and more opportunities to fall into bed with them. She may not be able to escape the things going on around her, but Primi is determined to save herself in her own unique fashion.
The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes, translated by Zoë Perry
Pages: 220
When the Flores women are shunned because of a supposed curse making them unlucky in love, they turn to the art of lacemaking to save themselves. Soon, they develop codes that can be secreted into the patterns of the lace, communicating without suspicion with other women. The lace they make connects generations of women, leaving behind a legacy that brings with it as many questions as answers.
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer
Pages: 240
In this stunning reimagining of the conquistadors arrival in Tenoxitilan in the 1500s, Enrigue explores how things might have gone. Following a large cast of characters and the complicated courtly machinations of Moctezuma and others, You Dreamed of Empires follows close to history before deviating in important ways. It’s a story you won’t be able to put down and won’t soon forget.
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Pages: 260
A girl cast out of the French royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine and sent to England to become the new prioress of a rundown abbey finds her new home lacking. The nuns are starving and the abbey is beset with disease. Marie soon finds comfort and purpose in her newly found sisterhood. Descended from a long line of warrior women, Marie is determined to chart a bold new path for the women now under her care. She believes in her vision, even if the Church does not.
The Secret Keeper of Main Street by Trisha R. Thomas
Pages: 289
A dressmaker in a 1950s Oklahoma town made rich from oil accidentally becomes witness to a shocking crime. Bailey is a dressmaker for the wives and daughters of local oil barons, making a good living for herself and keeping her special talent for glimpsing the lives of anyone she touches to herself. But when she foresees a horrible future for a bride-to-be just before the son of a prominent family turns up dead, Bailey finds herself at the center of local controversy that might just drag her down with it if she’s not careful.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Pages: 295
In the 1910s, the Great War wasn’t the only tragedy decimating Europe. A devastating influenza was sweeping across the battlefields and home fronts, taking the lives of even the strong and healthy. Julia Power is a nurse at an understaffed hospital in Ireland, where the double losses of war and illness have left the population reeling. In a ward for expectant mothers who’ve come down with the virus, Julia tries to bring hope and new life into the world even as heartbreak after heartbreak comes to her patients. But it’s a tireless volunteer with unfailing optimism who brings light back into the ward for Julia and all her patients.
Stack your TBR with more short reads, and you’ll knock all your reading goals out of the park:
The Best Books Under 200 Pages
20 Must-Read Short Books
5 Shorter Novels From Around the World
10 Short, Fast-Paced Books
