It’s an excellent time of year for a little escapist reading. Here are a few historical fiction titles that take place in times and places you may not have tried.

The Exiles, Christina Baker Kline. 1840’s Australia. Australia was colonized by convicts from England, and The Exiles explores several women and how their lives’ trajectories were determined by this practice. I read mostly read the eBook, but the audio came in on my library app in time for me to listen to a few sections towards the end of the book. My mental narrator doesn’t do an Aussie accent, so I appreciated the audio’s narration: In the brief section I listened to, I counted not less than four different accents.

Fountains of Silence, by Ruta Sepetys. Late 1950’s, Madrid. Francisco Franco is in charge, and locals find life in Spain very different from the American tourists’ experience. I read the paper book, switching to the audio on and off when I needed to multitask. The audiobook was really helpful for getting the accents and pronunciations right in my head. Sympathetic characters and sensual descriptions made this a great read.

A Christmas Escape, by Anne Perry. Early 1900’s, a volcanic island off the coast of Italy. A mystery novel, but more than that, it’s a lovely story with a small, interesting cast of characters. This book got around my general dislike of the mystery genre with its historical setting, and by being wonderful, layered, and not solely about solving a crime.

The Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo. 1930’s Colonial Malaysia. A suspenseful tale that weaves superstition, mythology, and historical events into a tapestry of patterns and destiny. While the story features British characters, local people are the stars. A bonus? Sumptuous descriptions of meals that will send you searching for Malay food joints near you.

The Bear and The Nightingale, by Katherine Arden. Medieval Northern Rus’. This is another delightfully moody and immersive story that mixes its historical setting with local mythology. What is real? What is fairy tale? A whirling world of fall and winter with brief flickers of summertime enriched by the food, culture, and family life, and clothing of 15th century Eastern Europe. Take thee to the internet for beautiful depictions of traditional dress from this time and region, but for other references, hasten to the glossary at the back of the book. I didn’t discover it until I reached the end of the story. It has the answers you need to all the unfamiliar words and cultural references