Tag Archives: historical fiction

Train Dreams

Posted on January 1, 2026 by smellincoffee

My first movie for 2026 was Train Dreams, a beautiful but tragic story of a man who found happiness, then saw it ripped away from him, and then was forced to grapple for meaning like Job. After dealing with an … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dominus

Posted on September 17, 2025 by smellincoffee

Di immortales, it’s been a while since I read any Steven Saylor! For those who don’t know the name, Saylor is an author of Roman historical fiction; I found him in college, and devoured a long series starring “Gordianus the … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Stars & Stripes Forever

Posted on August 29, 2025 by smellincoffee

The War between the States is nearly a year old, but Abraham Lincoln now has a bigger problem.    Last November, a Navy ship intercepted a British mail packet on suspicion that it was carrying Confederate diplomats bound for Europe; … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Bittersweet

Posted on July 30, 2025 by smellincoffee

Recently I was looking for the author Nevada Barr, who has a series about a female park ranger who works across the United States. The library didn’t have the early ones in stock, so I grabbed this one without really … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday & Teaser Tuesday

Posted on July 22, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is books set in _______, so I’m going to fill in the blank with….the American Civil War! “I have even made attempts to see if I could finance a psychiatrist, not because I really do think I am … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

The Highwayman read a western! Plus, game wardening in Maine

Posted on May 2, 2025 by smellincoffee

I’m going to short-round a bunch of Paul Doiron books and just comment on them in general, since the quality is fairly consistent from book to book. But first, on Willie Nelson’s birthday, I searched his name in Audible just … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shots Fired

Posted on April 24, 2025 by smellincoffee

Shots Fired is a bit of a stray on the CJ Box book ranch, a collection of short stories rather than a Pickett novel – and some of the stories don’t even involve Joe!  Interestingly, there’s also a bit of … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Professionals

Posted on April 10, 2025 by smellincoffee

Since 1915,  Martin Falconer has been flying birds above France in His Majesty’s Royal Flying Corps,  but  as the days pass he’s beginning to wonder how much longer he can buck the odds.  The aerial carnage has gotten especially bad … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Half-Blood Heir

Posted on February 28, 2025 by smellincoffee

Nathaniel Perry survived the Battle of Waterloo, despite the odds: two thirds of his unit have answered the last post and call, but he got through with just a bullet through the calf. Newly promoted to Major, he’s contemplating his … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sword Brethren

Posted on January 7, 2025 by smellincoffee

Richard Fitz Simmons is a young lad who has just lost everything. After he narrowly defends himself against some highwaymen he arrives home to find that his father has accidentally died in a hunting accident and his uncle is taking … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments