What’s your favorite time period to read about, and why do you think it appeals to you?
I gotta say, I’m a sucker for any book that takes place in Victorian-era London. I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to it. It might be because one of my earliest heroes was Sherlock Holmes, so I developed an affinity for the period early in life.
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I have no idea why, but I love Gilded Age novels. There is something so decadent about some of the characters. The hero protagonists always speak to me. But mostly I enjoy the setting and can easily fall into that era. I actually like all the late 19thc and early 20th c. eras. Lots of political corruption, then a push back to a correction, social justice issues, etc. Lately I’ve been liking the early Cold War era 1950’s. And then there are the 60s-70’s which speak to my youth! I guess I am pretty easy to please from mid-19thc to mid-20th c.
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This is really hard to pin down. The first thing that came to mind was the 19th century which covers the era of Americans (and others) enslaving people, the Civil War era and Victorian London. Then, I began to think about the Biblical scholarship I’ve been reading which sets my clock back to 1400 BCE through 200 CE. That covers historical fiction and non-fiction. Then there’s the mystery novels I enjoy with most set in a roughly contemporaneous time period.
I go in spurts of likes. I’ve been hooked on sci/fi/fan trilogies (or longer) and want to read them exclusively for the whole story. Then that genre is dropped like a mic. On to something else. Sometimes I’m influenced by news events, too, especially if they deal with history. Variety is nice.
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I agree with Robin_G. I love reading about the Civil War. It was the era I first was enthralled with as a kid in high school. I read about slavery, the war, Abe Lincoln. I could not get enough.It is what inspired me to go into teaching history. We must learn the past to know who we are! No excuses, no qualifications. What happened ,happened!
The Old West, both fiction and nonfiction. Growing up in rural Western Kansas I was exposed to our history at a young age. Staying up late one Saturday night (a real treat) at age 12 and watching the totally inaccurate black and white movie, They Died with Their Boots On starring Errol Flynn as George Armstrong Custer, clinched it. Even though I abhor what Custer represented, I still can’t hear Garry Owen without misting up.
Admire everyone who has a time period they like to read. I guess I’m a “dabbler” with fiction time periods, a little Civil War, some 1940s - 1970 ish.
I’m do not seek out historical fiction. Contemporary settings are what I gravitate to. But books like The Frozen River are fascinating and balance historical learning with timeless themes that are as relevant today as they were in the past.
And, I find that scholarship today is bringing us so much more of the story.
I just love historical fiction and particularly if there are strong women characters. I also love WWII in Europe. I try to read a variety, but keep going back to these genres.