Top Ten Tuesday | If I Cannot Travel Through Time, Then I Will Read Instead

This is a weekly list meme hosted by the wonderful bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. 

First of all, here is a little disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of historical fiction. I do read it from time to time, but it is not my area of expertise. At the moment, my head is too stuck in fantasy and science-fiction worlds for me to attempt to get back into historical reality. 

But, today's topic will helpfully get both me and you into the mood to try some historical fiction. I am going to describe my favorite historical settings that I would love to read about. 

Tudor England

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I have a slight obsession with King Henry VIII. I try not to proclaim it to the world since it is slightly creepy that I have such a fascination with a man who broke his whole country off from the Church just so he could dump his wife, but the stories of his wives are such too interesting. There is even a rhyme to help you remember the fates of his six wives "Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived." Isn't that nice?

I just find it fascinating that women kept marrying him after what happened to his other wives. I mean, I can ignore a lot, but five dismissed wives is not something I can easily forget.

If you are like me and you enjoy the macabre history of King Henry VIII, here are some reading suggestions.

Gilt by Katherine Longshore (My Review)
The Other Boleyn Girl (I have not personally read this one, but I have been meaning to)

Ancient Greece

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Greek mythology. That is all I have to say, right? 

I have read so many amazing books with Greek mythology is today's world but, surprising, I have never read a YA book set in the time period of Greek mythology. I have been a dedicated fan of anything involving Greek (or even Roman) mythology ever since the Percy Jackson series. I would love to read a historical YA book that is set in the time period where people actually believed in the gods and their powers. 

The World Wars

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This is one of the most common historical fiction time periods that I have come across. Fortunately, it is also one of my favorites. There is just something intriguing about the realities of war and how so many different people were affected in so many different ways. 

I would recommend:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld, even though it is more steampunk/alternate history than historical fiction (My Review)

Medieval Times

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Princes, princesses, balls, dragons and lack of proper sanitation. What else could you want from a time period?

Prehistoric

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I would pay an author a hefty amount of money to write a YA novel set in the prehistoric time period. Just imagine the protagonist running around with DINOSAURS! It would be difficult to pull off, and even harder to make it realistic/historically accurate, but I would love to give it a chance. Plus DINOSAURS!

I do know that Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh is set in the Ice Age time period, which is close enough for me!

Industrial Revolution

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This might be cheating a little bit since it is not true historical fiction, but I love steampunk novels. Most of the time, they are set in the era of the Industrial Revolution (American or British) and have some historical accuracy. This is a time period of transition and new ideas and inventions, which always piques my interest. The Industrial Revolution was full of adventure and new experiences and contagious curiosity. 

I would recommend:

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (Please note that there is also a little bit of paranormal stuff in here as well.)

Wild West

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I cannot remember ever reading a YA book set in the good old days of the American Wild West. I know that there are some out there, but none of them have really caught my eye yet. But, I am very interested in giving the time period a chance, especially if it involves cowboys, bandits, dusty old taverns, and midday shoot-outs. 

What are your favorite time periods to read about? Do you have any recommendations? Have you ever read a YA book with dinosaurs? If so, please enlighten me!