Top Ten Tuesday (3-13-12)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's 

topic is:

Top Historical Books (fiction and nonfiction)

1) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - one of the best books that I have ever read, this is following a World War II pilot who is shot down over the Pacific. A great piece of narrative nonfiction.

2) The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin - a delightful book following around Mrs. Tom Thumb. While she made her way in the world by being a circus sideshow, she also was a smart woman.

3) The Very Thought of You by Rosie Allen - another World War II novel (my favorite time period). A greeat book that takes place at a home for children in the English countryside. It shows how devastating war can be, not only for those who can serve, but those who want but cannot.

4) The Help by Kathryn Stockett - set during the 1960s in Mississippi, detailing two black maids and a young white girl's efforts to write a book, from the point of view of the help. Wonderful story.

5) Snow In August by Pete Hamill - set in Brooklyn right after the end of WWII, Hamill writes of a young boy who befriends a rabbi. A moving story with a little mysticism thrown in.

6) In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson - another wonderful piece of narrative nonfiction. Exploring the American ambassador to Berlin in the mid-1930s, it's a fascinating story to see what an American government official made of all that was unfolding in Germany.

7) Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran - a novel about the French Revolution that isn't told from the perspective of Marie Antoinette or someone working within the royal palace at the time! A great read and one that I think anyone who doesn't like hsitorical fiction would probably enjoy.

8) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - told from Hadley's point of view, a look into Ernest Hemmingway's early years, following his exploits in Paris. A wonderful story and interesting to learn more about Hemmingway's personal life.

9) First Family: Abigail and John Adams by John Ellis - exploring the relationship between one of America's founding fathers and his wife. Ellis based most of his book on the letters between the two, since most of their married life was spent away from one another. A great look at one of the founding fathers and the woman who was there for him.

One short of ten this week, but there are so many great historical fiction books that I can't think of! So, what genre did you choose? Let me know!