Top 5 Historical Novels I’ve Read So Far in 2026

I read a lot of historical fiction, so I am a bit surprised that I’ve only read 5 so far this year. Here is my ranking though, from least favorite to my new favorite in the genre.

5. Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

I know this book is very popular and very much loved by many readers, but I didn’t fall in love with it enough to root for this couple. Yes, the (love) story between Haiwen and Suchi is sad and heart-wrenching at times but I think the book is a bit overhyped. It just didn’t live up to my expectations and that is why it is my least favorite historical novel I’ve read thus far this year.

4. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaleed Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on two women living in Afghanistan during the country’s bellicose and turbulent history in the 20^th century. At the core, this is a story of domestic abuse set in a harsh, inhospitable, and unstable outside world. The story of two women who find strength in each other to survive both their husband’s wrath and the war raging outside their front door. But what is more, this book paints a “hauntingly vivid picture of the lives of Afghan women today; it is not a reminder of the past, but an echo of a living reality” (Review by r/IndiansRead on Reddit.

3. The Monk by Matthew Lewis

This was a re-read for me, and I loved it just as much this second time around. It is a cornerstone of Gothic literature, and one that I think isn’t mentioned as much as it deserves. Published in 1796, this novel is the story of the pious monk Ambrosio who falls into a spiral of sin that ultimately leads to his damnation. The book explores themes such as sin, corruption, temptation and the conflict between piety and desire, a conflict that has plagued the Church for centuries.

2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Lonesome Dove is a must-read of contemporary American classics. I loved the relationship between Gus and Call. They were friends, brothers in arms, and family to one another. They are epitome of a friendship between two men. Larry McMurtry, however, never lets us forget that both of them are human. He doesn’t introduce us to two heroes beyond our grasp, but to two men who are utterly and unmistakenly human. Men who have made mistakes in the past and regret them, men who fought for their country and wonder, in their old age, if they fought for the right side; men who are coming to terms with their own mortality as they see the America of old become a new one, and wonder if they too are a thing of the past now. Men who are, despite their partnership, lonesome doves in a world that is changing before their eyes.

I highly recommend this novel.

1. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarche

This is my favorite historical fiction read of the year thus far. This novel “follows young German soldiers during World War I, focusing on the brutal reality of trench warfare and the profound disillusionment and trauma these young soldiers experience, stripping away patriotic ideals to reveal the futility and horror of war, loss of innocence, camaraderie between the men, and the psychological scars of combat.”

WWI was the first war in history where the soldiers fought in trenches. The trenches, however, were perpetually muddy and filled with sewage. Rats, feeding off unburied bodies, were a massive infestation and body lice caused trench fever. Soldiers were also affected by “trench foot”, a fungal infection that caused numbness and rot from standing too long in cold water, as well as dysentery and cholera, due to poor hygiene and proximity to decaying corpses.

The effects that all this had on soldiers is undeniable. I highly recommend this book. Though it is not a book for everyone. Trigger warning for violence and gore, death of main characters, physical dismemberment, and trauma.

That is everything on this list. Thank you for stopping by. My next post will be a ranking of the best and worst nonfiction books I’ve read thus far in 2026.