10 historical "hidden gems" to take you across the world this summer

I didn’t mean to—I really didn’t—but somehow, I’m having a very historical summer. I’ve visited ancient Rome, early 20th century Japan, and 1980s NYC. Something about the history and nostalgia of it all just sucks me in, and I can’t help myself that once I finish a tour through Renaissance Italy, I need to hop over to medieval France.

If you’re looking to escape to another time and place this summer (which, apparently, is the sort of thing I’m always looking for), check out these ten books from indie presses and self-published authors on the Libby app. They might not be on the bestseller list, but they’re worth the read.

✨ Bonus: These hidden gems are less likely to have a holds list, so you might be able to start reading right away! If your library hasn’t purchased a copy yet, you can express interest by recommending a title right in the Libby app.

Rome and Italy

Tyrant by Conn Iggulden
🎧 Audiobook

This is Book 2 in Iggulden’s fantastic Nero Trilogy that started with last year’s Nero and is scheduled to conclude in April 2026 with Inferno.

The first book focused on the Emperor Nero’s mother, Agrippina, and her rise to power in Rome, ending with Nero still a little boy. This book shows Nero going from petulant child to the beginnings of his reign as a brutal emperor whose biggest mistake is that he stops listening to his brilliant, if somewhat evil, mother. In fact, he’s so fascinatingly despicable by the end of Tyrant, I’m unsurprised that he’s about to let Rome burn, and equally enthusiastic to read Iggulden’s account of this oh-so-infamous man and his end.

Florenzer by Phil Melanson

If there’s any historical time and place I love even more than ancient Rome, it’s Renaissance Florence, and Melanson’s debut novel doesn’t disappoint. It opens at the funeral of Cosimo de’ Medici, the man who brought Florence’s famous family to prominence. Then the story moves ahead to when Cosimo’s grandson, Lorenzo, takes over the family’s bank and influence of the city, just as Leonardo da Vinci begins his apprenticeship as a painter, and Francesco Salviati, from a rival family, works his way into power with the church.

If this is an era you know, Florenzer will feel delightfully familiar, and Melanson’s writing makes hearing the story again a joy. If this is new, the book will be a treat!

Japan

The Samurai of the Red Carnation by Denis Thériault, translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie

Matsuo loves nothing more than exchanging poetry with his mother. But he’s expected to carry on the family tradition and become a samurai, so he’s sent off to train as a warrior. At school, however, he’s introduced to Japan’s tradition of warrior poets and learns to appreciate how one art informs the other. But where does his true destiny lie? With sword or pen? Perhaps he will find answers at a poetry tournament, where he will have to fight for his life in more ways than one.

Truly, a beautifully written account of medieval Japan for anyone who loves words and coming-of-age stories.

Murder in the House of Omari by Taku Ashibe, translated by Bryan Karetnyk
🎧 Audiobook

Spanning the first half of the 20th century, this book opens with the mysterious disappearance of the eldest son of a successful merchant family in Osaka. Still, the family business thrives, and they adopt their son-in-law when he marries the oldest Omari daughter. But something haunts them into the war years, until one bloody night, demons seem to become real.

This twisty mystery rewards fans of golden age mystery writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, who hugely influenced the first Japanese mystery authors. Not only does Ashibe structure this novel like early Japanese mystery novelists, many of whom, like Seishi Yokomizo, are experiencing a resurgence in English, it references those classic novels as well.

England

Behold the Bird in Flight by Terri Lewis

So, I’m slightly cheating by lumping this in with the other books set in England, because it spends a lot of time in France. But much of it is the France ruled over by King John at the turn of the 13th century, where it follows the life and loves of John’s second wife, Isabelle d’Angoulême. As a girl, she is betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan, whom she loves. But he’s older and uninterested in this child. That is, until King John comes to visit and takes a strong interest in Isi on the cusp of her 12th birthday. Young, confused, without her mother or father to guide her, Isi does as best she can, but her choices will shape Europe for centuries.

If you, like me, enjoyed Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait, grab this.

The Original by Nell Stevens
🎧 Audiobook

What’s real and what’s a fake? In Stevens’ novel set in the late 19th century, this question is repeatedly asked of both artwork and people.

After Grace’s parents die, she moves to the country estate of her aunt and uncle where she first learns to paint and becomes an expert copyist. But in addition to reproducing a painting that is also something of a family curse, Grace must help unravel the claim of a man that he is her cousin Charlie, who was thought lost at sea years before. If true, his reappearance just might change everything for the family.

Copper Script by KJ Charles
🎧 Audiobook

Anybody who’s talked to me about books for more than 30 seconds likely knows Charles is my favorite historical romance author, and nothing has changed with her latest self-published effort.

Set in the early 20th century, Copper Script follows police officer, Aaron Fowler, whose professional and personal life gets upended when his cousin asks him to investigate Joel Wildsmith, a handwriting expert who took a look at a letter written by the cousin and informed his fiancé that he’s a cheater. (He's totally guilty, btw.) What Aaron and Joel don’t expect, though, is that handwriting analysis can be very useful in criminal investigations, and they really don’t expect to fall in love.

America

Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal by Samuel Marquis
🎧 Audiobook

Transitioning from England to the U.S., this wonderful biography tackles the myths and facts about the most notorious pirate in history.

Born in Colonial America, Captain William Kidd served loyally in the British navy for years, fighting the French and other enemies of the home country. He also often found himself fighting his own crew to stop them from turning to piracy. And then when he’s on a mission in the East to capture pirates, things go terribly wrong. Suddenly, the pirate hunter is accused of being the very thing he’s striving to stop.

The author, Samuel Marquis, is a descendant of Kidd, and this biography does a real service sorting out the truth in a book all Age of Sail fans will love.

Tinkertown, U.S.A. by Shane Connor

Young Tink earned his nickname because he likes tinkering with everything. One day, he sets off on a boat he built himself on the river by his house, but a storm pops up, and he’s shipwrecked on the outskirts of Dayton, Ohio. In town, he’s helped by some of the most famous word and machine tinkerers of the early 20th century—Paul Laurence Dunbar, Charles Kettering, and the Wright Brothers. Will they find and fix Tink’s boat and get him home? You’ll have to read this delightful picture book to find out, and you don’t have to be an Ohioan like me to enjoy the trip!

Bad to Blue: The True Story of a Chinatown Gangster Turned NYPD Detective by Mike Moy
🎧 Audiobook

Moy grew up in New York’s Chinatown in the 1980s, one of the most dangerous and violent times for organized crime and gang activity in the city’s history. The bullied child of Chinese immigrants, Moy found himself gravitating toward the Asian gangs for purpose and safety. But he also longed to protect the innocent from bullies, and he wondered if there might be another road for him beyond gang life. Then one day, he decided on a major change—and became a cop. His past almost ruins his future more than once, but he stayed focused, eventually becoming a decorated NYPD detective.

Compelling and direct, this is a fascinating memoir that seriously needs to be a limited run TV series.

*Title availability may vary.

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