Episode 604: Historical Fiction

Episode 604 Reading with Libraries logo

Thank you for joining us on SEASON SIX of Reading With Libraries! It’s a new season with new genres to discuss (and some we’ll revisit, like we’re doing this week) and we’re so glad you’re here to join us. This is our book group podcast, so we are here to share beverages and books!

We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange. At CMLE, we work with all types of libraries. So books are important to us.

And this week we’re welcoming back Stephanie Todd from the St. Cloud Technical and Community College Library! We’re so glad you could join us again. 

We started this podcast to provide information for our library community doing Reader’s Advisory work. It’s hard to be an expert on ALL of the great books out there! So we pick a new genre each week to chat about and hopefully provide you with some insight into what may be an unfamiliar area for you!

This week we are excited to revisit the genre of Historical Fiction!

We discussed this genre WAY back in an earlier season (Episode 114 to be exact, and you can listen to it here) but there are so many fantastic historical fiction books out there, we knew we’d have to return to it soon!

Beverages:

Each week we like to connect the theme of our books with our beverages. This week, our beverages and recipes come from this very interesting article about common drinks from Colonial America. Apparently, many subscribed to the Old World belief that drinking fermented beverages was safer than drinking water. 

Flip:

  • Fill a pitcher with two beaten eggs, two ounces of rum and a tablespoon of superfine sugar (or molasses) and beat to combine. In a saucepan, heat eight to 10 ounces of brown ale over a low flame until it begins to steam. Slowly pour the warm beer into the rum-egg mixture, then pour the drink back and forth between vessels until blended. Decant into a pint glass, shave some nutmeg over the top, and serve—it’s sort of like drinking liquified earth, but it has its charms.

Sangaree:

  • Sangaree was the colonial-era precursor of sangria, the Spanish wine-based drink. 
  • This wine-based punch drew on fortified wine such as port. Combined with lemon juice, sugar, and nutmeg, it was served singly in its own glass, rather than from a communal bowl. Using fortified wine lends the drink a slightly more brooding quality than sangria.


Rattle-skull:

  • Although this term was English slang for a chatty person, the name of the drink was probably more descriptive of what one could do to your brain. 
  • Three to four ounces of hard liquor (usually an equal split between rum and brandy) are dropped into a pint of strong porter, tarted up with the juice of half a lime and then showered with shaved nutmeg.

Genre Discussion:

Alright, so we have our beverages, let’s talk a little more about today’s genre!

Celadon Books has this detailed article that discusses the genre of historical fiction. 

“Historical Fiction is one of those sub-genres of literature that takes many forms. It’s most important feature, though, is that it’s set in the past, with every element of the story conforming to the norms of the day. 

The idea is to take readers out of the events of their lifetime. Most book lovers agree that Historical Fiction is the closest we’ll get to actual time travel.

Historical Fiction is set in a real place, during a culturally recognizable time. The details and the action in the story can be a mix of actual events and ones from the author’s imagination as they fill in the gaps. 

Characters can be pure fiction or based on real people (often, it’s both). But everything about them — their attitudes and look, the way they speak, and problems they face — should match the era. 

Of course the key to an author getting all of this right is research. Authors are always allowed artistic license, but the most satisfying works of Historical Fiction have been researched down to every scent, button, turn of phrase, and cloud in the sky.”

Suggested Reading Resources:

Our Book Discussion

We have our beverages, we are familiar with this week’s genre, let’s get to the book discussion!

Conclusion:

Thank you so much for joining us on Reading With Libraries! And a special thanks to our Guest Host Stephanie Todd, we’re so happy you were able to join us today!

Join us next Thursday with another genre, more guest hosts for our book group, and more books to share and discuss. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss a single episode! And if you want to hear more about the work we do in libraries or expand your library skills, check out our podcast Linking Our Libraries!

Bring your book ideas, bring your beverages, and join us back here on Thursday!