“Don’t know much biology.”

Unfortunately, I don’t have any biology books to recommend to you, but how about some historical fiction? Here are some of the top historical fiction novels from the last two years, all available at your favorite local library!

Check ‘em out:

“Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate

Set in Memphis in 1939, this story focuses on a family of five children who are thrown into an orphanage and is based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals — in which the director of an adoption organization kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country.

“See What I Have Done” by Sarah Schmidt

A fictional reimagination of the Lizzie Borden ax murders, this book tells of a father with an explosive temper, a spiteful stepmother and two spinster sisters with a bond stronger than blood. The narration shifts between the perspectives of Lizzie, her older sister Emma, the housemaid Bridget and an enigmatic stranger as the events of that fateful day are slowly revealed.

“Varina” by Charles Frazier

Based on the real life of Varina Jefferson, this novel explores her marriage to president of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis, which places her at the center of one of the darkest moments in American history. With the country divided, Varina and her children must escape Richmond and travel south on their own as fugitives with bounties on their heads.

“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah

Ernt Allbright comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man, and impulsively decides to move his wife and daughter to a wild, remote corner of Alaska. As winter approaches and darkness descends, his fragile mental state continues to deteriorate and his family must learn to survive on their own.

“The Atomic City Girls” by Janet Beard

Like the popular “Hidden Figures,” this book is based on the everyday people who worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. In 1944, June boards an unmarked bus destined for Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. All they know is that they are helping to win the war and must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders. When the bombing of Hiroshima reveals the truth, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism and war itself.

Jen Pace Dickenson is the youth services librarian for Polk County Public Libraries. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit polklibrary.org or call 828-894-8721.