Nonfiction November, 2025 - week 3

thecontentreader
Nov 11, 2025
2 min read

Week 3 (11/10-11/16) Book Pairings: This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. Maybe it's a historical novel and the real history in a nonfiction version, or a memoir and a novel, or a fiction book you’ve read and you would like recommendations for background reading. Or maybe it’s just two books you feel have a link, whatever they might be. You can be as creative as you like!

This week is hosted by Liz at Adventures in reading, running and working from home.

I always find this week difficult. Although I do enjoy reading a nonfiction book when I have read a historical fiction novel. I am eager to see how the author handled historical sources.

Many years ago I read the book series of Angelique by Sergeanne Golon. It made my fascination for Louis XIV and France history. This year I read Ludvig XIV (Louis XIV) by Andreas Marklund, but I have read several nonfiction books about the Sun King. Always fascinating reading.

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris is another book I read recently. Robert Harris has turned out to be one of my favourite authors. He so well captures historical events in his fiction. The novel is about Charles I's killers and how his son, Charles II, pursued the people who signed the death warrant for his father. After having read Harris I am eager to read the historical facts and found two books that covers the lives of Edward Whalley and William Goffe, who managed to escape to America.
Charles I's Killers in America: The Lives and Afterlives of Edward Whalley and William Goffe by Matthew Jenkinson
The Great Escape of Edward Whalley and William Goffe: Smuggled Through Connecticut by Christopher Pagliuco

8 Comments

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

Nov 12, 2025

When there is a choice of history or historical fiction, I always prefer the history.

thecontentreader

Nov 13, 2025

Replying to

I love historical fiction since the authors take you into the times, environment and politics. Of couse, in the end we get the views on how things were through the author. That is why I like to read about the historical characters as well.

Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out

Thanks for sharing your pairings!

Lisbeth @ The Content Reader

Thank you Shelleyrae for looking into my blog.

Guest

Nov 11, 2025

I only know the barest details of Charles I and II. These books sound fascinating.

Hello guest, I am into history so have read a little bit about this time and what happened, although I am not a specialist. I was not aware that they pursued the people who signed the death warrant in such a way. Robert Harris is skilled, and although I was not entirely taken in by the story, once startin to read, I was totally thrilled by the story.

Liz Dexter

I used to find this one so hard, then I took it on as "my" week on purpose and I manage to find enough now. These are all fascinating, if Robert Harris is the author who wrote Enigma, that was an amazingly good work of historical fiction.

He did write Enigma. I have not read that one, but are eager to read more by him. I did read An Office and a Spy about the Dreyfus affair and it was great. He also wrote The Conclave. He is well researched in his historical fiction so a pleasure to read.