“I believe that women’s history and women’s stories are still under-told, which means that there’s a hunger for them.” – Bestselling author of THE RED TENT, Anita Diamant.

I agree, Anita, and I aim to do something about that hunger with my #31titleswomeninhistory literary citizenship program—a curated list of thirty-one titles, chosen to educate and inspire as a celebration during Women’s History Month in March. The list also celebrates the women authors who found these women and told their stories through historical fiction. Through their exhaustive research, they’ve combined facts with fiction to include imagined emotional responses of the woman/women in history as they strode forward with dreams in their minds and hopes in their hearts. These novels strike a chord in delivering a reader’s desire for life-long learning. In the words of T. Ailshire, a respondent to a survey I fielded about the popularity and importance of historical fiction: “Well-researched historical fiction teaches me more than any history book. Then it intrigues my brain to see how individuals comport themselves within the constraints of the times and the imagination of the author.”

The subjects of the titles on the 2025 list range from pioneering women doctors in my second novel, THE PATH BENEATH HER FEET, to African American female aviatrix Bessie Coleman, who predates Amelia Earhart in Carole Hopson’s debut novel, A PAIR OF WINGS, to SOLITARY WALKER by Nancy Mastro to tell the story of Mary Wollstonecraft, the 18th-century British philosopher, to the trials of the U.S. Army Medical Corps nurses who served during the Vietnam War in Kristin Hannah’s epic bestseller, THE WOMEN, plus twenty-seven other titles.

The list spans eras in history from the first century with the story of Princess Selene, daughter of Cleopatra, in Stephanie Dray’s LILY OF THE NILE, to the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s with female writers breaking barriers to write “racy, sexy” novels in SCANDALOUS WOMEN by Gill Paul. From ancient Asian steppes and the Amazon warriors found in AKMARAL by Judith Lindbergh to a meandering, 1907 drive through New England in with KATHARINE’S REMARKABLE ROAD TRIP by Gail Ward Olmsted, women in history are well represented thanks to the authors who wrote their stories.

This is the third list I’ve compiled; my initial list released in 2023. My ultimate goal is to create a list of 365 titles curated from my library and with recommendations from other avid readers of historical fiction. To develop the lists, I use a defined set of criteria:

1. Historical fiction genre which appeals to a wider readership
2. Women authors only
3. Diversity in author—cultural, as well as type of publishing and name recognition
4. Diversity in subject matter—cultural, setting, field of recognition
5. Goodreads ratings

As Anita Diamant said, there’s a hunger for the stories of women in history. Historical fiction authors like me have tuned into that need and have worked tirelessly to discover, research and tell these stories. In developing these lists, I hope the appeal of historical fiction will lead more readers to discover, learn, celebrate, and share the stories of these women. They’ve been invisible for too long. A challenge remains, however, in elevating awareness for many of them, especially by lesser-known authors. To expand the reach of the list, I am grateful many other authors on the list have embraced the program by sharing through their networks.

A summary sheet of the full list of books can be downloaded from my website.

Which titles have you read? Which ones have you added to your To Be Read list? Share your picks by using the #31titleswomeninhistory hashtag. You can also add your picks to my survey, along with suggestions for 2026. Readers also have the chance to win a copy of one of the books on their TBR list through the survey. Entries close April 15, 2025. U.S. addresses only due to shipping costs.

Throughout the month, I will present an overview of #31titleswomeninhistory through interactive events hosted by several local libraries and community groups, in-person and over Zoom. Come join me to learn and to be inspired – and even win some prizes with my Bingo game of “Which books have you added to your TBR list?”