Do folks like historical fiction because they have an interest in history or do they read the books purely for the enjoyment of the main tale? Whatever the case, I would guess that history buffs would welcome fictional stories which contain generous bits of information about world history. As it is, when in school, I used to look for fictional stories and movies set in a particular period that would coincide with the timeline I was studying. Well, that was my reasoning for watching Once Upon a Time in China but in hindsight it is safe to say that Jet Li and the opening theme had more to do with me hoarding that movie. Coming back to the original topic, I jotted down a list of books, rich with historical detail, that proved to be a delightful read for a history buff like myself.

Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follet)

Don't worry, there's no gun fights, espionage and crime solving. That was how I used to view Follet's works and was also the reason why I shied away from his work. Pillars of the Earth was completely different from his usual stuff and proved to be a successful endeavor, don't you think? The story is essentially about a man who wants to build a magnificent cathedral. Unfortunately for him, a lot of tragic events get in the way: death, war, looting and other such horrific scenes as was common to the Middle Ages. What was most fascinating about the book was Follet's coverage of architectural development, not to mention the way he traced actual events of that particular time period (12th Century).

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

The story of this award-winning book is set in Nazi Germany and follows the tale of a young girl called Liesel Meminger. She has lost her family and her life has been turned upside down. In a weird way, perhaps trying to make sense of it all, she starts stealing books. This is the main plot around which everything else revolves or is told. Given the setting of the story, you can expect it to have a somewhat dreary atmosphere. Well, to some extent. True, there are tragic events described which were commonplace to that horrid period and at the same time, there were heart-warming moments of people helping one another which were also evident in that time.

Message from 'Nam (Danielle Steel)

I know I'm losing street cred by admitting that I read even one of her books. After all, she was popular for her somewhat mushy tales. Fair enough. But let me point out that Message from 'Nam was one of her really good books. This is because, despite the main story being about the love-life and heartache of a central character, the novel also traced a number of key events during the Vietnam War. If you are studying that particular war, it would be an interesting read to check this one out. That is, if you can ignore the occasional mushy bits.

Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie)

I wondered if it was a good idea to include this book in the list. I mean, while there are generous amounts of actual events being described in it, there are also a few moments which were made up, for the sake of the main plot. Well, keep that in mind if you do check it out. The main plot revolves around the 1947 partition of India. This was a turbulent time when there was a lot of upheaval: folks were uprooted from what was once their homes, friends started fighting one another for ethnic reasons and everything just became a bit of a blubbery mess. Not all of it: there was some order and hope coming through it all. In this case, the author has taken all these elements and mingled them in his story about a telepath.