The Eight by Katherine Neville!

I *loved* The Passage by Justin Cronin. Couldn't put it down. And the sequel The Twelve.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
by Katherine Howe. I have not read this, but my English major SIL liked it a lot.

I have read The Historian and really liked it.

Oh, Thank you! I'm surprised anyone had a suggestion. Will look them all up.

Those books look great! Just looking on Amazon.....

Glad I could offer some suggestions! None of them are exactly like The Historian, but they all share the same kind of feel. I've read The Witching Hour probably a half dozen times. There's just so much to it. And I can't say enough about The Passage. Vampires, yes, but its not blood and gore, but a post-apocalyptic tale.

Yes, I'm not looking for a supernatural theme, per say, only books with the same overall depth, it's hard to describe. In the Historian, I felt the vampire theme could have been replaced with another element as it was only a vehicle.
I also loved King Rat which is a war prison camp drama.

Poisonwood Bible is one of my all time favorites. Have you read Cane River?

Thanks Bestyears! Really!!
I haven't read it but of my list, Poisonwood Bible is the most incongruous. However, I will read it although it seems realistically "gritty" from Amazon reviews.
I read fast and have a hard time finding books I Iove ..so I'll read a bunch of books I dislike then give up...again and not read new books again until the feeling passes.

We don't all have the same tastes in reading, The Kitchen House is beloved but I didn't like it at all ( sorry Sue!) and I really disliked the "letter" aspect of the Guernsey Potato book. It was unsatisfying and annoying.
I thought I would like Game of Thrones saga, yet, again, I hated it.
Love McCalls #1 Ladies Detective Series.

Not sure how much Amazon covered, but Cane River was written by a woman who had retired young from a high tech company, and with time on her hands decided to trace her ancestry. Since she was descended from slaves, the only real way to trace her lineage was through the mothers. She learned everything she could about her own history, and then decided to take this amazingly rich story, fill in the holes with best guesses and make it into a novel. This book is written from the perspective of her mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, etc. It truly expanded my understanding of that part of our history....

I'm mostly a mystery/thriller type reader so this one fit into that genre, but it is one that has stayed with me. Be careful when reading reviews though as some might give it away.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

I did read The Historian, and enjoyed it. Another book I read years ago that has stuck with me is Aztec by Gary Jennings. Hard to read sometimes due to the subject matter, but I found it so interesting.

Thanks lyfia and tex! I will add those to my list.
Bestyears, I'm going to give Cane River a shot for sure.

I am reading Frederick Forsyth right now and coming to the end of his books, sob.

Stephen King's 11-22-63. I don't like sci-fi, fantasy, apocalyptic, or time travel, never ever read it, but decided,even though I've never read Stephen King, to try this book, because of the Amazon reviews. It knocked my socks off, threw me for a loop, left me wanting something else just like it; I did not want to leave the characters. It's about a man who time travels back to try to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It's packed with history, the details and flavor of the era, terrific characters, and a great conclusion.

Quite a few critics have remarked that this is not an ordinary Stephen King book.

Very highly recommended for grown-ups!

I own almost every Stephen King book ever written, including some signed, so I like your suggestion, sable!

11/22/63 is different than his other books in that it's historical fiction but the style is very much Stephen King. His work has evolved over the years from the ghost and monster scary stories to the "what if this happened?" stories. But there's usually always a supernatural element.

He's also the author of the stories that were turned into the movies "Stand by Me" and "Shawshank Redemption".

My all-time favorite SK is the Gunslinger series.

We have very similar tastes in books. Try "The Book Thief". Don't be put off by the young adult genre--one of the best books I have read. Richly woven and powerful. Google it for reviews

Jo

I also loved The Eight by Katherine Neville-- I read it many years ago and still hold it dear. I didnt enjoy her other books as much though.

Also loved Poisonwood Bible.

I have the Book Thief waiting.. thanks for the reminder!

I have read 11-22-63, probably when it was mentioned on another book thread here. I liked it, didn't love it, I think it could have been more edited in the middle where it bogged down. But I did read it! If I don't like a book I won't finish it at all.

I read most everything SK wrote up until the mid 2000's then I got tired of him and that genre didn't interest me anymore.

The Dark Tower saga is my favorite too geokid! And Night Shift.

Jo, I have read the Book Thief! I am not at all put off by YA books but gulp, I didn't like it! I know it's Very, very well loved too. Made me sad that I couldn't get in to it. I didn't like Shadow of the Wind either...