Ep. 25: Lit Chats: A Beginner’s Guide to Romantasy/Fantasy & Historical Fiction

Join Amanda and Kelsey as they fight off post-work exhaustion to guide you through dipping your toes into new literary waters, with Amanda introducing you to historical fiction and Kelsey bringing the fantasy and romantasy heat. Get ready for passionate recommendations and delightful banter!

00:00 Welcome to Lit Vibes Only!

00:36 Social Media and Support

02:04 Chit Chat w/ Amanda & Kelsey

10:05 Kelsey's Romantasy/Fantasy Recommendations

25:16 Amanda’s Tips for Reading Historical Fiction

42:51 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Follow us on TikTok & Youtube @litvibesonlypodcast and on Instagram @litvibesonly_podcast. We'd love to hear from you!

See you on Mondays!

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Lit Vibes Only!
• 0:36 Social Media and Support
• 2:04 Chit Chat w/ Amanda & Kelsey
• 10:05 Kelsey's Romantasy/Fantasy Recommendations
• 25:16 Amanda’s Tips for Reading Historical Fiction
• 42:51 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Transcript

Ep. 24: Lit Chats: A Beginner's Guide to Romantasy/Fantasy & Historical Fiction
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[00:00:00] 

[00:00:02] Amanda: Welcome to Lit Vibes Only, where we lit the shit out of books we love and hate. I'm 

[00:00:07] Kelsey: Amanda. And I'm Kelsey, , welcome back for another episode. This is either going to be really, , high energy and great because we're so, , Enthused about our book choices. No, I was like delusional or it's going to be really tired.

[00:00:24] Kelsey: So. slow episode because we're filming, , and recording in the evening after we both had a full day of work. So yes, we are, we are here y'all. , but before we get into it, we just want to remind you, please, please, please come celebrate us and show us the love on our socials. We are on Tik Tok and YouTube.

[00:00:48] Kelsey: Oh my God. It's already 

[00:00:50] Amanda: started. It's already begun. It's all downhill from here. I don't know how I 

[00:00:54] Kelsey: got to YouTube, TikTok, the aw [00:01:00] sound, just, I don't know. And YouTube, , Libvibes only podcast. And then, , slightly different over an Instagram where it's lit vibes only underscore podcast. , we'll just add those to the Kelsey isms 

[00:01:12] Amanda: at some point.

[00:01:13] Amanda: You will get to the socials and that they're going to be a seller. I think you've done it at least once. Perfect. Maybe one time. Yeah. But 

[00:01:20] Kelsey: the other reminder we want to, , give you is if you are enjoying our podcast, please, please, please show us some love on, , The ratings and reviews, that is like the number one way that our podcast will see the light of day is if you come review us and rate us good things, positive things, because you really like us, so that other people can find us.

[00:01:46] Kelsey: Yes. So that is the other thing that we would love to see from you. Thank you. Also, you can just like 

[00:01:51] Amanda: tell people about us too. Like word of mouth is also great. So just be like, Oh my gosh, coworkers, I just found the most amazing [00:02:00] podcast you should check out. Yeah. That as well. , yeah. But as Kelsey said, we are fresh off of a, a long school day.

[00:02:08] Amanda: It's, I think people who aren't teachers or like, or who are not educators and aren't working in schools don't always quite grasp how exhausting school days can be versus like, if you're working in an office and like a cubicle, right. And doing 

[00:02:25] Kelsey: your thing. Right. It is a very different pace of life and workload.

[00:02:32] Kelsey: And I just got done being sick, you would have heard maybe two episodes ago or so, maybe three, , where I just, I was out for almost an entire week and then thinking about the workload coming back to that. Oh my God, I'm still like 200 emails deep and just trying to float, just trying to make it. Just keep your head above water.

[00:02:53] Kelsey: Yeah. That's rough. , so that is definitely a 

[00:02:55] Amanda: struggle. , I think it's another reason why like we just don't, for me as a person, we've talked about this [00:03:00] before, like sometimes it's just not worth it to take time off unless you truly are dying. Yeah. Because like trying to come back from being off of work and being away from school, it can be its own special nightmare.

[00:03:11] Amanda: Yeah. It really can. Yeah. 

[00:03:14] Kelsey: And us two crazies also adding on top of that, a podcast that we were like, yeah, well, there's no issue, whatever. But I just think we definitely have seen the realities creep in, , more recently just with life and with podcasting, you know, the reality is it is a lot of work and the biggest chunks, I think are.

[00:03:41] Kelsey: Our, I mean, like it's kind of layered because we have to read for the, podcast. So that takes time. That's either you're physically reading or like me, I listen to audio books oftentimes with your books, because I would struggle to get through them. [00:04:00] And then secondly, actually recording. So we had to adjust because I was sick and we were supposed to record.

[00:04:10] Kelsey: Now we're adjusting to the evening because that's just what we have to do to get these episodes out. Mm-hmm . And then you do all of the editing, editing of the episodes, which takes a huge chunk of time. And then we're both trying to like manage the social media piece. Mm-hmm . , which is just.

[00:04:28] Kelsey: Every day you're doing something every day you're creating content or you're, , filming videos or what have you, it is, it is a lot to keep up with 

[00:04:37] Amanda: and even more so like the additional layers that were new. So we're also like trying to brainstorm ways. And in act ways to promote ourselves on top of all of that, right?

[00:04:46] Amanda: Like how can we get more listeners? How can we get the word out there? You know, we're in the process of like, this is the process of like making some flyer. Like we just have, it's, it's a lot. We're glad to be here, but it's [00:05:00] God, it's a lot. It's a two person, you know, production and we don't have a team. 

[00:05:05] Kelsey: Oh my God.

[00:05:06] Kelsey: Can you imagine like, okay guys, make us really big so that we can hire somebody to the editing, we're gonna hire team. 

[00:05:13] Amanda: Honestly, that is, if we could just have someone do editing, , yeah, that would be great. It it, yeah, it takes up a great, a great chunk of time, but it's also fun for me, , to go back and like, and listen to, I'm learning a new skill and like going back and listening to our episodes is always fun.

[00:05:28] Amanda: 'cause I don't always. Like, re listen to them once we've published them. And so getting to go back and, like, hear what we got up to and be like, Oh, is that 

[00:05:34] Kelsey: what I said? You're like, Oh God, I didn't mean to say that. Didn't come out quite right, which 

[00:05:41] Amanda: is then where 

[00:05:42] Kelsey: the editing comes 

[00:05:43] Amanda: in. Yep, yep. It makes us sound so much more polished than we actually are.

[00:05:48] Amanda: Which is 

[00:05:49] Kelsey: helpful. It makes episodes flow better. It does, for sure. Just kind of wanted to give you some insight onto Behind the scenes. What we do [00:06:00] here at live vibes only. , and hope you're enjoying the content and, , the work we put into it. 

[00:06:06] Amanda: Yeah. And the feedback that we do get from folks, like it does mean so much to us, even if it's something simple.

[00:06:12] Amanda: So like we said earlier, like the ratings and comments, just knowing that folks are listening and responding and enjoying it. It takes like two seconds to let us know, and it makes us so happy. I was telling Kelsey the other day, someone, I was engaging in a conversation in the comment section, I think on TikTok, and I was like, this is so amazing!

[00:06:28] Amanda: People want to talk to us about books, what we talked about on our podcast. I get just like a giddy, so. Yeah, 

[00:06:37] Kelsey: I know the best thing is to hear from like friends or people, you know, where they're just like I picked up this book because you guys recommended it. I was like, oh my god, tell me how you, what you think of it.

[00:06:48] Kelsey: That is so fun for us. Yeah, that is like the heart of why we're doing what we're doing, , is just to increase like, Readers and the love of reading. 

[00:06:58] Amanda: Yeah. And like build community and those [00:07:00] connections with other people as well. Yeah. Like just one, one way we're all connected and we have this like shared passion and interest.

[00:07:06] Amanda: Totally. So it's so great. 

[00:07:08] Kelsey: Even though Amanda and I rip each other apart or rip each other's books apart. Our books never each other. Yeah. , it's really for the entertainment. 

[00:07:18] Amanda: And we genuinely have, we, sometimes we're just talking about like the, one of the books that Kelsey is going to have me read shortly.

[00:07:23] Amanda: She's like. I'm recommending this because I know you're going to hate it and it's going to make for such a fun episode. 

[00:07:30] Kelsey: So teaser, if you're listening to this in the future, we are going to do an episode on bride by Allie Hazelwood. And I'm so excited. I really loved it. And, , I know that Amanda is going to really hate huge aspects of it.

[00:07:44] Kelsey: I'm so excited. 

[00:07:46] Amanda: Oh, well, thankfully this one's at least short, so I will not have to suffer for a lot. It's 

[00:07:50] Kelsey: not a series. It's just a standalone. So, 

[00:07:54] Amanda: Oh, even better. Thank you so much for hearing me and responding to my [00:08:00] feedback. , but yeah, we've got a great episode for you guys today. We're so excited. This is our February lit chats episode.

[00:08:06] Amanda: And essentially Kelsey and I are going to give you all some recommendations, some like tips on, how to start reading in a genre that you might normally might not. Oh, let's try that again. That you might not normally read in. So I'm going to be giving folks some tips and advice on and recommendations to perhaps start dipping your toes into the water of historical fiction and Kelsey.

[00:08:30] Amanda: What 

[00:08:30] Kelsey: are you gonna be doing? I will be giving you recs, on how to dip your toes into romantasy slash fantasy. 

[00:08:39] Amanda: Yes. So what we've decided to do is, we're going to kind of split this episode in half in that Kelsey will do her books, her recommendations on romantasy and then I'll give you the rundown on historical fiction.

[00:08:52] Amanda: And that way, if you're like, look, I've got romanticity on lock. I can kind of skip Kelsey. I mean, not that you should skip it, but like, I, you know, I already know that world really well. [00:09:00] And you want to maybe explore something new. You can skip to my portion. , and if you're someone who's like, yeah, historical fiction is my jam.

[00:09:05] Amanda: I've been reading it forever. Don't necessarily need recommendations. You can listen to Kelsey's portion. Ideally you would listen to the whole 

[00:09:11] Kelsey: thing. Cause it's going to be great. Can listen to the whole thing because you're just like, Oh, I wonder what they recommend. Exactly. And whether or not I agree.

[00:09:19] Amanda: Yeah, you might be like, Oh, I read that book and I actually wouldn't recommend that for other people. So we welcome all feedback. , let us know your thoughts. So yeah, let's, let's 

[00:09:28] Kelsey: get this show on the road. Oh my God. I'm so excited. I don't, I'm not sure where to start, but I think, , I was telling Amanda, I was like, I like love all of these books that I'm recommending 

[00:09:41] Amanda: for mine.

[00:09:43] Kelsey: So beyond the moon about them. , and some of them, one of them we have already reviewed together. , and then. Oh, actually two. And then, , I have recommended one other one to you, Amanda. And then another one you will [00:10:00] be reading soon. So there will be an upcoming episode. , so to start out fantasy.

[00:10:08] Kelsey: Is about being in a make believe world and it's about stepping into, a world that is not really related to our current reality and modern reality. So oftentimes we'll find books that are most often supposedly, like in the past where there's not really technology you know, thinking about computers or cell phones, , 

[00:10:30] Kelsey: oftentimes though, in a fantasy world, you'll see like a magic system, , where certain people have powers and sometimes people don't have powers. , and so I'm kind of going to give you, , a wide. range of options Then there's also a step below fantasy where it's kind of like this magical realism where you have a Foot in like this real world like our human world, but there's some magical [00:11:00] piece to Some part of the story.

[00:11:02] Kelsey: Okay, so I have two books kind of like that and that's where I would start Someone who's just trying to see if they're interested in fantasy. Okay, so I do have some of the books with me I don't have all of them. But one of them is I'll start with the one that is most heavily like magical realism.

[00:11:21] Kelsey: And that is Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. PTSD 

[00:11:27] Amanda: from that 

[00:11:28] Kelsey: book. Oh my gosh. So Amanda really hated this book and that's okay. But I still, I would reread this book. Actually. I would reread this just to be like, Oh, Hey Kai. Oh, not, it's, it's not Kai. It's Iris and Roman. Hey, Iris and Roman. So Divine Rivals is really set in , a period where these characters are, going through war and, , there are two writers, the two main characters, and that's how they know each other is through, , their writing.

[00:11:58] Kelsey: And where they work but then [00:12:00] they kind of are propelled into the story of this war between these two gods that run, , , not run the world, but have, , heavy influence into their world. And so they are humans, but they have access to these magical typewriters. And, , they are able to, , write one another.

[00:12:22] Kelsey: Through this magic system of the magical typewriters. While they're human, it's still like. A toe into fantasy and, Kit and Roman, do you have a love story embedded in the story? Oh, Iris and Roman. My God. I don't know where Kit, it's like Roman, Kit or something. Yeah, that's his last name.

[00:12:42] Kelsey: Yeah. , Iris and Roman have their own love. story embedded into this series. And this is a completed, that's the other reason to, to, , recommend this. This is a completed duology. So we have the first book and then you will see Ruthless [00:13:00] Vows as the second book in the final book of this series. , so that was my first.

[00:13:06] Kelsey: recommendation. Also, just 

[00:13:08] Amanda: quick little plug, we did do an episode on this, just in case you weren't completely clear on that. So if you go back, scroll back and our episodes, you can find one that we did last fall where I, we got into it. So go read this book. Yes. And then go 

[00:13:22] Kelsey: listen to our episode if you want to hear us battling it out about who thinks it's Who thinks they're right.

[00:13:29] Kelsey: And then let us know whether or not you're team Kelsey or team Amanda. 

[00:13:33] Amanda: We really want, I really want to know. 

[00:13:35] Kelsey: Yeah. , and so my second recommendation, which is actually a book that Amanda really liked. 

[00:13:42] Amanda: I loved this book actually. We did not, 

[00:13:45] Kelsey: , we did not do an episode on it. , but. This, , one, Lobi Sona by, , Romina Garber, this is also, well, I've heard two different things that it was supposed to be three books because you read [00:14:00] Casa Dora, right?

[00:14:01] Kelsey: No, it's on my list. I'm going to. Oh, okay. Okay. It, to me, it ends on a cliffhanger, but Romina Garber has been saying that, Oh, that it is a duology. And so I'm a little confused about, , whether or not it's completed, but it is still worth reading and, , enjoying the characters and the world. So this one is a step slightly further from divine rivals where, , there is some magical realism, but there also is like a separate world that Manu, the main character ends up.

[00:14:35] Kelsey: , going to and being part of so basically, , this book is set in Florida in specifically Miami near the Everglades. Is that what it's called? , and Manu finds herself, , as an undocumented immigrant from Argentina and doesn't really know a lot about her past or her father. Her mother has kept a lot of [00:15:00] secrets from her and, , she ends up finding out that she's, , has some.

[00:15:06] Kelsey: family heritage that, , causes her to, , be sort of magically gifted in a way. I don't want to spoil anything, so I don't want to like be too specific. , so she's kind of magically gifted and then gets introduced to this other world where there's other magically gifted beings and people. And, . , goes through a whole journey of self like identity and, , able to find some found family and really great friends and understand herself like more of her who she is and, , and where she comes from really.

[00:15:43] Kelsey: And so that is the story essentially the other reason why I love this book is because it also touches on issues of like feminism, identity, immigration laws, like Romina really put it all out there in this book, and I love it when books do [00:16:00] that when they , pair, a fantasy world with real world problems and kind of like parallel them, , and having some commentary on that.

[00:16:08] Kelsey: And so, , this is really worth getting into. That would be my step up from like Divine Rivals.

[00:16:14] Amanda: So I'll just jump in and say, as a non fantasy reader, 

[00:16:19] Kelsey: I 

[00:16:19] Amanda: can vouch for this book. I found it very accessible. I. thoroughly enjoyed it. And so I'll just add that little extra like, yes, go check it out.

[00:16:27] Kelsey: Yeah. And I would say I would categorize both of these books as YA. So they're more YA where they don't have like spicy scenes. There might be some kissing, but it's nothing beyond that. And so that's the other reason why I'm recommending these two, because they're kind of like soft romanticy. , we'll get.

[00:16:45] Kelsey: A little further as we go along, but, , then my third recommendation would be powerless by Lauren Roberts. For many reasons. So now [00:17:00] we are moving from like heavier plot to a huge focus on the romance in the novel. And so that, essentially, is like, the, , , main plot point the main focus is the romance between Kai and Paden and Paden. And so, yeah, here's Kai.

[00:17:24] Kelsey: Kai is one of my absolute favorite book boyfriends, , , hands down. I don't know how I will recover once this series is through. Okay. I'll have to go back and reread them again. I've already read Powerless and then the second book is Reckless twice already. Oh my gosh. Yes. And the third one You know, if you get into these books, a third one is coming out this April, which is when I'm having Amanda read power.

[00:17:55] Kelsey: So if you are wondering if you're a romance girly or [00:18:00] guy, , this is a great book to test that, , whether or not you would be entertained with that or enjoy that. Not only that, it does, this book has like its own map. So we're introducing like maps. Loves maps. And, , it is a completely different world from our human world.

[00:18:21] Kelsey: And so you do have to learn like the, the power system. So there are powerless and then there are elite and so you have both of these people, , and you get to understand, , their magic system and, , how things run in this world. , but it's very accessible, I will say still, , To a new fantasy reader, so it's not super complex magic system, but it is a magic system, , where some people are have and some people are have not, , it also takes place within a kingdom.

[00:18:54] Kelsey: And so, , you have to understand like the hierarchy of people, . And while that's [00:19:00] not the main point, , that is part of the plot. , and yeah, this is just one of my favorite reads, , when it comes to romanticy. , but it is considered still YA. , there is some kissing, but there is no spice.

[00:19:16] Kelsey: Really? There might be, though, in Fearless. Who knows? We will see in April. , but yeah, it is quite tame on the spice. Now, final recommendation to just get your toes into the waters of romanticy fantasy. , Is, I could not create this list without a court of thorns and roses. Of course. , yeah, Amanda didn't know what my list was, so.

[00:19:43] Kelsey: I did not. This is, I'm just hearing about this for the first time. We also did an episode on this. We did do an episode on this and you didn't hate it as much as you thought you would. I didn't hate it as much. I certainly liked it a lot more than 

[00:19:54] Amanda: Divine Rival, 

[00:19:54] Kelsey: so 

[00:19:55] Amanda: there's that. 

[00:19:56] Kelsey: Yeah, , this is going to be a series [00:20:00] that is unfinished.

[00:20:01] Kelsey: However, the first three books could be a standalone. And then all of the books after, so we have five books currently. The books after that, , are extensions of the first three books. So If you were like, Oh, I just want to read a series. Like you could stop there. If you are interested in romanticy.

[00:20:23] Kelsey: I don't think you will stop there, but if you wanted to, if I gave Amanda the option to, she would, 

[00:20:32] Kelsey: , 

[00:20:32] Kelsey: but. The reason why I want to recommend this one is like, it is widely popular. If you are getting into romanticy, it's like having the current gateway to all romanticy. Yeah.

[00:20:45] Kelsey: And so I would say these books, like are the beginning to the gateway and then this is the gateway. , Everyone who loves romanticy has. Or at has picked up this book or knows about this book. And [00:21:00] so it's just great to how that background, , when you're getting into romance, see, and so the other thing about this, this will have a map as well.

[00:21:07] Kelsey: It has different kingdoms and, , has a magical system and a completely new kingdom that you're learning about. I would say that this book is a little slower than the next book. , And the other books in the series, but it is mainly because it is a world building book, which you don't necessarily get as much of in the other books that I've mentioned, but this one will be heavier on the lore and the magic system.

[00:21:36] Kelsey: And, , things like that. And so if you're wanting to see if you're interested or want to handle the details of like a complex fantasy world, , this is definitely that book to start with. And , the other thing I'll say about, , this book is that, , , what's her name? Sarah J. Maas, Sarah J.

[00:21:57] Kelsey: Maas, , also known as SJM. [00:22:00] She, , is a. Great writer. Okay. She knows what she's doing when she's creating a fantasy world and there are very few like plot holes that you'll come across when you're reading these and when you're reading them. There are also a lot of like Easter eggs inside 

[00:22:18] Kelsey: minimal lines like these small lines that you think are inconsequential, but there are tons of Easter eggs to figure out the, , you know, the foreshadowing of the series and books and so that can also be really fun for people. . And so those four will conclude my recommendations for how to start reading fantasy, , and dipping your toes in just a little bit.

[00:22:42] Kelsey: , and then, oh, the last thing I'll say too about Akhtar, also known as Akhtar. There is spice in this book. It's fairly minimal, but there is spice in this book. And there is quite a bit more spice , in the series, , after this book. And so keeping that in mind, , [00:23:00] that is definitely a great place to start if you're like, do I like spice?

[00:23:04] Kelsey: If you like that book, you probably do and then you can move on to the other ones and I just wanted to mention like the ones that have more complex like you would read after all of these books because, , they have many booksin their series like throne of glass is huge, huge fantasy, but has like eight books, right?

[00:23:22] Kelsey: And then, Yeah. And then spark of the ever flame. That is also a more complex, , world and, , is an unfinished series. , and then fourth wing, I would actually say I'm reading Onyx storm right now. And I would say that's a more complex world than ACOTAR even. , I'm in the third book and I was like, Wait, I don't understand this like literally I've been seeing that 

[00:23:44] Amanda: response to so many people.

[00:23:46] Amanda: Yeah. Wait, I'm so confused. What's happening. This information dove deep 

[00:23:50] Kelsey: into like lore and, , like the world. So yeah, I wouldn't say fourth wing is an entry book. And then, , when the moon hatched, definitely not an entry book, but like if you're [00:24:00] serious into fantasy, all of those are great reads. , once you realize whether or not like where you're at, like where you're at with fantasy and romance and all of those have.

[00:24:09] Kelsey: Spice. 

[00:24:11] Amanda: And I would say two things to as a, again, non romantic fantasy reader is that, , one thing I wish folks had told me before I read A Court of Thorns and Roses, Akatar, is that it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, because for me personally, I do love fairy tales. And so just want to like let folks know that there is that element.

[00:24:27] Amanda: And so if fairy tales are something you're into, but maybe not necessarily like fantasy, you might enjoy it for that reason. And then the second thing that I'll say is that, , I've also read fourth wing. I'll be reading iron flame soon. , I didn't find fourth wing the first book to be super complex. I thought it was roughly on the same level as books like ACOTAR, but it does get more complicated or so I've heard.

[00:24:49] Amanda: But, , if you want to dip your toes in the water again with that book, read something that's got dragons in it. So it has like a different element. It could be a good, a good place to start as well. Super fun. Awesome. Well, [00:25:00] thank you, Kelsey. , I, yeah, I think a lot of those books, except for Divine Rivals, would be a great way to like, as we've been saying, to just like test the waters and see if that's a direction like to go with your reading.

[00:25:13] Amanda: Totally. All right. Oh, now we're going to like do a 180 and, well, maybe not even 180, just, we're just going to go down a different path. Different genre. Yeah, and talk a little bit. Different lifestyles. Different choices. And talk a little bit about one of my favorite genres, which is historical fiction. I love history so much, and I love learning about it, , through books, whether it's non fiction or fiction, , but I love the artistic and creative license that someone can take, at least a little bit, with reimagining history in a fictional, historical book.

[00:25:48] Amanda: So I have chosen, how I've structured my portion, is I've chosen kind of four different, Access points or four pieces of advice that I can give you to find a way into historical fiction [00:26:00] that might feel, again, more accessible for you based on your current reading habits. And within each of those, gateways, access points, etc.

[00:26:08] Amanda: I'll give you a couple of book recommendations. , I do have a couple more books than Kelsey had, so I'm not going to be diving into like a synopsis of the plot for these. I really am just going to give you a blurb, a little teaser, give you a general idea of what the book is about, and then very much encourage you to, you know, go check it on Goodreads and, and more depth and see if this is something you'd like to try.

[00:26:29] Amanda: So my first piece of advice for folks who want to dive into historical fiction is to choose a historical fiction book that is a hybrid of genres. So for example, if you like romance, then it would make sense to perhaps find a book that is more along the lines of historical romance. So the setting is historical, , you know, time and place.

[00:26:53] Amanda: But the focus of the story isn't so much about like retelling history. It's about the relationship of the two people in that [00:27:00] particular time period. So my first recommendation that has to do with romance for my romance readers would be Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. And I actually have two of her books on my list because she's great.

[00:27:09] Amanda: And, , the reason why I chose this is because It focuses on the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles, so it is, , a gay love story and it takes place, like retells the story of the Trojan War and kind of follows Achilles and Patroclus as, I hope I'm saying that right, , as like their exploits during the war and of course the romantic relationship.

[00:27:31] Amanda: , it has a 4. 32 rating on Goodreads, so very well reviewed. And again, if you're like, oh, I don't want to like slog through. Like some dry historical text. 

Yeah. 

[00:27:42] Amanda: Trust and believe this is not a dry text. It's definitely spicy. And, , interesting. There are elements of mythology in it as well. So for my romanticy readers, right, you're getting romance, you're getting a little bit of that element of fantasy because of the mythological aspect.

[00:27:57] Amanda: , cause the backdrop is kind of Greek mythology. , [00:28:00] so first recommendation. highly recommend. You're kind of getting your, you're getting your romance, you're getting your spice, you're just changing the backdrop and like the setting. , for those of you who are really into like mystery and thriller and like true crime, which again, another one of my genres that I love, I would recommend to you Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll.

[00:28:22] Amanda: , this book was nominated for the reader's favorite mystery and thrillers on Goodreads in 2023. It essentially tells the story of the real life murders of Ted Bundy, , focusing specifically on The sorority that he attacked down in Florida back in the day.

[00:28:40] Amanda: And the purpose of this story is, for these women, the survivors, to kind of reclaim the narrative and tell the story from their perspective, to empower them, to give them a voice. Cause they really didn't have one when all of this was unfolding. And then they also kind of spend the rest of the novel, like hunting him down and making sure that he is brought to justice.[00:29:00] 

[00:29:00] Amanda: So again, it very much has that true crime mystery. kind of thriller element, but also has themes of feminism and female empowerment and kind of reclaiming our narrative when often we're just seen as like these helpless victims. And, you know, Ted Bundy ultimately was seen. As this handsome charismatic, even, you know, as he was like on trial and getting sentenced, there were like all of these women who were just obsessed with him.

[00:29:25] Amanda: , and so kind of showing us how and why that's problematic. And then my third recommendation for genre mixing is if you are. a fantasy person. And again, this is where my next Madeline Miller book comes in. She wrote another book called Circe. It actually won, get this, it won the Goodreads Reader's Favorite Fantasy Award in 2018.

[00:29:46] Amanda: So it's very much a fantasy book. , and so I think using mythology as a way to access history. Is a really great way to dip your toes in the water because [00:30:00] yes, we know mythology. These are not factual events happening per se, but these are the stories and the characters and the gods that people of that time were talking about where they believed in them and felt very much like they were governing their world and their lives.

[00:30:16] Amanda: And so you can still learn a lot about, , ancient Greece. Oh my goodness. Ancient Greece, , from engaging with their mythology and it gives you insights into their beliefs and their worldviews and their relationships with each other. And for those outside of, , Greece, this also has a 4.

[00:30:32] Amanda: 23 rating. on Goodreads. So again, I think all of the books actually I'm recommending today are for or higher. You'll also see as I go through this list, and this was not intentional, but almost all of these books either were nominated for or won , the Goodreads Readers Choice Awards.

[00:30:49] Kelsey: , so. Oh, yeah. I was just going to say that, , Circe, I've seen that novel, , and I've seen it recommended. So I 

[00:30:55] Amanda: think you would like it actually. And maybe I'll have you, Ooh, 

[00:30:58] Kelsey: maybe 

[00:30:58] Amanda: this will be a future [00:31:00] recommendation because I do think you would like it. You know, Circe is this, which she shows up in the Odyssey, if you've read Homer's the Odyssey, maybe in school.

[00:31:08] Amanda: And so, yeah. There's a lot of 

[00:31:10] Kelsey: fantasy elements, fantastical elements. I actually do like the Odyssey and, yeah, it's great. 

[00:31:14] Amanda: Exactly. So again, if you're like, Ooh, I love mythology, use that as like your, your way into the world of historical fiction. So my second piece of advice, my second little gateway for you is if you're trying to figure out which historical fiction book to start with, think about a particular either like Historical period or historical event that you're already fascinated with.

[00:31:37] Amanda: I don't know what that is for you, dear listeners, but the two books that I'm recommending, , one of them is focused on a time period and then one of them is focused on a particular event. So the first book that I'm recommending, and this is a hugely popular book, so you've probably. Heard of it before is all the light.

[00:31:53] Amanda: We cannot see by Anthony door It won the Reader's Favorite Historical Fiction Award in 2014 on Goodreads [00:32:00] has a 4. 3 when Goodreads rating and I'm actually gonna read the this little blurb that I pulled directly from Goodreads because I think it summarizes the story pretty well in The sentence and it essentially says that the story is about a blind French girl and a German boy Whose paths collide in occupied France as both tried to survive the devastation of world war two.

[00:32:18] Amanda: And that's, an, in a nutshell, again, I'm not going to get into all of the nitty gritty details. , this fun fact, this was also recently, fairly recently met made into a Netflix mini series. So if you're someone who. Very much enjoys like books being made into series or books being made into films and that's kind of an additional motivation to get you to read This one has a mini series that is based on the book and it is just such a beautifully written book I remember just being so moved by it because he's such a skilled writer and Yeah, I can't say enough good things about it.

[00:32:52] Amanda: So yeah, if you're like, oh, yeah I love you know learning about World War two right that could be a great choice for you. If you're someone who's like, Oh, I want to know more [00:33:00] about like a particular event. My second book, , by Geraldine Brooks, who I know Kelsey does not particularly care for. Yes. But this was, I believe, this was, I believe my first Geraldine Brooks book.

[00:33:13] Amanda: And it's what kind of made me love her. It is year of wonders. And it tells the story of this village in England in 1666 and the way in which they were impacted by the bubonic plague. So this is going a little bit further back in history than World War II. , it has a 4. 01 Goodreads rating and it is based on, it's inspired by the true story of this English village.

[00:33:41] Amanda: , I don't know how to pronounce it. It's spelled E Y A M. It looks like E Y A M. . , and I personally, when I am reading historical fiction, I am more drawn to historical fiction that is connected to real events that happened. And so the, the author doesn't have to quite take as many creative liberties in crafting an entirely [00:34:00] new story.

[00:34:00] Amanda: It's very much steeped in something that actually happened. And this book very much is that. So if you want to get into, again, a specific decade or a time period or an event, and you know that's something that fascinates you, find books that, you know, tell that story and give you a bit more information about that time period.

[00:34:17] Amanda: What was the name of that book again? A Year of Wonders. Oh, 

[00:34:20] Kelsey: year. Oh, Year of Wonders. Oh, Year of Wonders. 

[00:34:23] Amanda: Yeah. Oh, okay. So, and I feel like, I know historical fiction's not your jam. I don't know that you would like the book, Kelsey, but you would not have the problems with it that you had with Horse. I will say that.

[00:34:35] Amanda: We did an episode on one of her books. 

[00:34:38] Kelsey: Go check it out. You don't even need to read it though. Don't read it. 

[00:34:42] Amanda: I mean, you'll understand more of what's going on in the episode if you do, but, , Kelsey did not care for it. , so we'll just, we'll just leave that right there. Okay. So I've got two more, two more, , pieces of advice for you.

[00:34:54] Amanda: So the third little gateway, this. Third access point for historical fiction. I've tried to do this with Kelsey. That's [00:35:00] actually why I recommended horse is if you struggle with, if you struggle with books that are firmly squarely situated in the past, , because for whatever reason that doesn't appeal to you, , Choosing a book that has multiple timelines where you're switching back and forth between the past and present, which does happen in horse, , or a book that starts in the past and leads up to the present might be a good fit for you.

[00:35:23] Amanda: So I have two different books, one that's a past to present book and one that's a past and present book that switches back and forth. So, the first one, I loved this book, I would have given it 10 stars if I could have, is Homegoing by Yai Gyasi, and it, , was again nominated for favorite historical fiction on Goodreads back in 2016, it has a 4.

[00:35:46] Amanda: 47 Goodreads rating, and essentially, it's really high. That's really high. It's real high. It's really high. So like, don't take my word for it, take all of the reviews from Goodreads word for it. , and essentially in a nutshell, [00:36:00] it, it, it takes place over the course of 300 years. So it's pretty ambitious, but with that said, it's not an insanely long book, right?

[00:36:06] Amanda: It's like this thousand page tome at all. Like my books. Yes. It's not like one of Kelsey's like wildly long fantasy books. , and it tells the story of these two Ghanian, Ghanaian? They're from Ghana. I've actually never said this. I think it's Ghanaian. Is it Ghanaian? I feel like that might be right. I think so.

[00:36:24] Amanda: I've never said that word out loud before actually. So, Ghanaian. Ghanaian or Ghanian. I think it's Ghanaian. Anyhow, they're from Ghana. They're two sisters. They're two half sisters. And essentially what the book does is it traces their lives and the lives of their descendants over 300 years. And the really cool thing is that one of the sisters ends up, you know, staying in Ghana and, and having her family and her, her descendants all, you know, grow up.

[00:36:51] Amanda: and live in Ghana. And you are following kind of the history of Ghana as a country and all of its different stages and phases. But then the other sister, [00:37:00] unfortunately, is captured and sold into slavery and sent to America. And so then you have this whole other branch of the family that experiences slavery and, you know, the civil war and the civil rights movement.

[00:37:11] Amanda: And so we're seeing these two separate, , , stories play out that are parallel to each other, but they're having very different experiences based on the continent that they live on. So it was just fascinating to see. And especially as someone like myself who identifies as black, just, you know, pondering like how my life could have been different depending on, you know, What happened or did not happen to my own ancestors.

[00:37:35] Amanda: , so highly recommend that book. And again, it goes from, from the past until you end the story, , in, in the present, 

[00:37:43] Kelsey: the 

[00:37:44] Amanda: other book, however. Again, throughout the text, you're shifting between the 1950s and 1960s and then modern day. And in this book, modern day isn't quite 2024, it is the 1990s. So this book, and I believe Kelsey has read this book as [00:38:00] well, is The Vanishing Half.

[00:38:02] Amanda: By, , did you, I think you, did you read it on your list? You did read it. No, I did read that one. Okay. Okay. I thought you mentioned it recently. , so it's the vanishing half by Brit Bennett and, , it essentially again tells the story of two sisters. They're twins. , Desiree. That's very similar. Yeah. , Desiree and Stella, and again, it's, this features two, , black female, , main characters and it traces.

[00:38:24] Amanda: Their lives and then the lives of their daughters as well and They were kind of interwoven again as there's flipping back and forth between the timelines It definitely touches on issues of race obviously But there's also issues of gender as one of the characters is trans And this book actually won the Reader's Favorite Historical Fiction Award on Goodreads in 2020.

[00:38:48] Amanda: , has a 4. 14 Goodreads rating, and I actually read this as part of my book club, , a while ago. And, , Again, I think it's a great choice if you're like, Oh, I can't commit to staying in the past for the [00:39:00] entire book. This could be helpful with that. And I personally love to see the connections between past and present, right?

[00:39:06] Amanda: We're all the result of choices and decisions that were made before us. , and so I think that's also just really important to consider. And last, but certainly not least, again, this kind of ties to like the previous gateway that I just mentioned, and that again, if historical fiction, I think a lot of people, as you mentioned in the horse episode, see it as like dry or pompous or super academic and not necessarily as a form of escapism or entertainment, which I get because they can often be dealing with heavier topics, 

[00:39:34] Amanda: , 

[00:39:34] Amanda: Sometimes exploring books, again, that are a bit closer to us time wise can be helpful.

[00:39:40] Amanda: And so the two books I'm going to recommend for this section where it's just Choose books that are perhaps taking place in the mid to late 20th century versus 300 400 years ago. The first book, which again, loved, loved, loved, was recommended this by one of my good friends [00:40:00] is Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

[00:40:03] Amanda: Super popular book. , it did win favorite historical fiction on Goodreads and 2019 has a 4. 2 Goodreads rating. And this, unlike a lot of the other books that I just recommended, isn't necessarily dealing with some like super weighty, heavy historical topic. And essentially it's a coming of age story for this young woman named Daisy Jones.

[00:40:24] Amanda: And it follows her journey as she essentially like joins, she becomes a huge, like, music sensation, becomes part of this band called Daisy Jones and the Six, and it becomes like this huge band in the 1970s, and tells their story and then what transpired after. And it set up the way that the story is set up, you very much believe that this is an actual event, like this is true history, when in fact it's just informed by those decades, because it's set up as a series of like interviews of people recalling, they're all grown.

[00:40:57] Amanda: , grown up now and they're all older and like the members of the band, [00:41:00] right. And like the, you know, the, the, I'm trying to think of the different people who are involved in it, like the producer and all of those folks are reflecting back on their time. And so it does very much read like it, it's, , actual history, but it is fictionalized.

[00:41:13] Amanda: , very, very much enjoyed it. And then again, there is an Amazon original series that came out, I believe like two years ago, maybe last year. It's so good. Oh my gosh. I loved the book and I loved the show. So two great reasons to check this out. Both the book and the series are phenomenal. And then lastly, my final recommendation, , is this is a bit.

[00:41:37] Amanda: heavier and sadder in nature, but it's the Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. It was also nominated again for historical fiction. The historical fiction reader's favorite award and Goodreads in 2019 has a 4. 26 on Goodreads and was recently this past fall made into a feature length. film, which I've yet to see, but I want to.

[00:41:57] Amanda: , and it essentially tells the story of [00:42:00] this young black man who, you know, had his whole life ahead of them. It takes place in the 1960s and, , through a series of unfortunate events ends up in this reform school in Florida. And the whole point of Colson Whitehead writing the story was to document and unpack the horrors that happened in this reform school in Florida and other reform schools like it because it is based on an actual school.

[00:42:25] Amanda: So very enlightening, very informative, but it is, it's, it's heavy. So you got to brace yourself for the content. But again, it's not taking place in the like far distant past, you know, it's, it's the 1960s. And so again, perhaps a bit more accessible for folks who don't want to read about life in the 1830s, , or the 1640s.

[00:42:46] Amanda: So those are all of my recommendations. , hopefully something in there, like jumped out at you and like grabbed your attention. If you read any of them or if you have read them and want to chat with me about them, please do, because these are all like well [00:43:00] loved. Well loved books by you and I would love to chat more with you about them.

[00:43:08] Kelsey: Like really glad we did this because I don't think I've ever seen anyone give, like the how to's of historical fiction. , so that was insightful for me. , Did I convince 

[00:43:20] Amanda: you to read something on my list? Kelsey, maybe 

[00:43:23] Kelsey: the one about the, , girls from Ghana. Oh yeah. Oh my God. Yes. Yeah, that's like, it's so good.

[00:43:29] Kelsey: That sounds really interesting. . Yeah. But yeah, 

[00:43:32] Amanda: and there's, yeah. 

[00:43:32] Kelsey: , so much there. But no matter where you're at, , we hope you enjoyed hearing from both of us about our favorite reads and, , how to again, dip your toes into this world that we love so much. Yes. And 

[00:43:47] Amanda: yeah, that's what we're all about on this podcast, right?

[00:43:50] Amanda: Like at the, at the core of what we're doing is to just expand our reading and try new things and engage with people who have different tastes than we do. [00:44:00] And so. Yeah. Instead of just writing off an entire genre, perhaps you can find something within it to really love. Yeah. As, as we have, as we've already done on this podcast, we've both found books that we've liked that the other person has recommended and hopefully that will happen even more as we continue.

[00:44:20] Amanda: But not without 

[00:44:20] Kelsey: the drama. 

[00:44:22] Amanda: Of course. We need a little drama. We need our own spice. 

[00:44:27] Kelsey: Oh my god. To keep folks hooked. we'll have to come up with some term. We will. With like, that indicates drama, but using spice, it, yeah, we'll, we'll figure that Well, 

[00:44:39] Amanda: doesn't spice already imply 

[00:44:42] Kelsey: drama? But when I say spice about books, it means smut.

[00:44:47] Kelsey: Yeah. So like, not even. That's fair. And like, if you say PG 13 Spice, that's like, oh, that's YA. So like, what could even be before, what's just drama? Spice is drama. [00:45:00] 

[00:45:01] Amanda: And yeah, we'll, we'll, we'll take it to the, what is it, the drawing board and we'll come back. Yes. We'll come back with a, with a lovely little catchphrase for y'all.

[00:45:09] Amanda: But, , as we're wrapping things up, since Kelsey did socials at the beginning, I'll just remind y'all one more time. YouTube. , you can find us on TikTok and YouTube. Yes. At Lit Vibes Only podcast. You can watch this recording on, , YouTube if you would prefer to do that instead of just listen to it.

[00:45:27] Amanda: Mm-hmm . And then you can find us on Instagram at lit vibes only under. podcast. Please come chat with us. Check out more recommendations and don't forget to rate and comment and review wherever you listen to your podcast. Let us know what you think. Let us know how much you're enjoying these episodes and we'll see you next Monday.

[00:45:51] Amanda: See you next Monday. Bye. [00:46:00]