Now, I’m not saying historical fiction books need to be long to qualify as historical fiction. They really just need to be set at some point in the past, and that unique time and place has to be a significant part of the appeal of the book. But I’ll say there’s a special pleasure to sinking into a chunky novel that allows you to live in that time and place for at least a couple of weeks. I mean, I can’t be the only person who joyfully remembers sitting with Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth for the first time as that glorious cathedral is being built. I marveled, I swooned, I cried and I loved every second of those 1,000-some-odd pages.

But books that can double as doorstops are not for everyone, and neither is medieval England. Which is fine. The most borrowed historical fiction books in the Libby app are listed here, and one of them is sure to suit even the pickiest reader.

Perhaps the family saga Pachinko by Min Jin Lee about Korean immigrants in Japan at the turn of the 20th century is for you. The book has everything—love, crime and, naturally, pachinko parlors.

Or travel to 18th century Ghana in Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and follow two half-sisters and their descendants up to the modern day, seeing how a twist of fate determines the lives of generations.

Or if you just can’t get enough of all things Scotland, and you do enjoy especially long novels, keep yourself occupied for months with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, currently comprising 8 long novels and many short stories about a mid-20th-century time traveler who lands in the 18th-century Highlands.

But whatever your specific time and place tastes, historical fiction is undeniably hot - as was discussed recently in Esquire. I particularly love this explanation for the appeal of historicals: “We become not only invested in [the characters’] personal histories, but in their place in the history we all share. Seeing them live through pasts we are familiar with adds another layer of recognition and heightens the books’ emotional resonance.”

“We become not only invested in [the characters’] personal histories, but in their place in the history we all share.”

Which sounds awfully cool to me! So, dive into another time with authors Anthony Doerr, Jacqueline Winspear, Kate Quinn, Kristin Hannah, Marie Benedict, Markus Zusak and more and explore the most borrowed historical fiction of all time in Libby with a mix of titles for all ages.

*Title availability may vary by region.