Welcome to this month’s post on all things historical fiction!

First of all, congratulations to Alice Jolly, who has won this year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. The winner was announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland yesterday, chosen from a shortlist of five books.

The winning novel, The Matchbox Girl, is one of the shortlisted titles that I haven’t read yet. It tells the story of Adelheid Brunner, a mute autistic patient of Dr Hans Asperger in the Vienna Children’s Hospital during the 1930s, while the city is occupied by the Nazis. I’m not sure if I’ll like it as it seems to be written in an unusual style, but I do have a copy of it and will try to get to it soon.

Moving on, last December I posted a list of upcoming historical fiction being published in 2026. Now that we’re halfway through the year, more titles have been announced so I thought I would post an updated list below for the rest of the year. This is simply a selection of books that have caught my attention for one reason or another – some are review copies I’ve received, some are new books by authors I’ve previously enjoyed and others just sounded interesting.

Dates provided are for the UK and were correct at the time of posting.

JULY

The Scandalous Ladies Football Club by Frances Quinn (2nd July 2026)

Venus, Vanishing by Rebecca Birrell (16th July 2026)

The Forever Summer by Lulu Taylor (30th July 2026)

The Valley of Ravens by Barbara Erskine (30th July 2026)

AUGUST

Little Spark by Jess Kidd (13th August 2026)

Henrietta by Sophie Irwin (13th August 2026)

Agrippa by Robert Harris (27th August 2026)

SEPTEMBER

The Snow Witch by Kirsty Ferry (3rd September 2026)

Cold Sunset by William Boyd (3rd September 2026)

The Newer World by Sebastian Barry (8th September 2026)

The Midnight Guests by Alex Hay (10th September 2026)

Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson (10th September 2026)

The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain (17th September 2026)

The Wine-Dark Sea by Victoria Hislop (24th September 2026)

OCTOBER

The Weight of Angels by John Boyne (1st October 2026)

The Puffin by Michelle Lovric (8th October 2026)

Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory (20th October 2026)

NOVEMBER

The Bells of Fortune by Leonora Nattrass (5th November 2026)

The Christmas Tree Murders by Katie Lumsden (5th November 2026)

Orlando by Harry Whittaker (5th November 2026)

Numb Were the Beadsman’s Fingers by Alan Bradley (5th November 2026)

Thorns in the Hollow by Laura Purcell (26th November 2026)

DECEMBER

Domain of Darkness by Marisa Linton (3rd December 2026)

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Are you interested in reading any of these? Which other historical novels should I be looking out for before the year of the year? And what do you think of Alice Jolly winning the Walter Scott Prize?