9 Enchanting Books That Alternate Between Past & Present

Dual-Time Historical Fiction: Our 9 Picks

10 Great Historical Films

1. Schindler's List (1993)
2. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
3. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
4. Milk (2008)
5. Braveheart (1995)
6. Lincoln (2012)
7. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
8. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
9. The King's Speech (2010)
10. All the President's Men (1976)

Is There a Difference Between History and The Past?

In Depth

Some stories are so epic, they need to span multiple generations. From romances that cover centuries to haunting stories of past regrets, some of the best books weave together past and present plot lines. Here, in no particular order, are some of the finest reads in this time-jumping genre.

At #1, we find Justin Go's "The Steady Running of the Hour." When Tristan gets a fateful notice telling him he's the heir to a mountaineer's untouched estate, he doesn't know what hit him. The more he learns about the mysterious Ashley Walsingham and his tragic turn-of-the-century love story with Imogen Soames-Andersson, the more he questions what his role is in all this. He'll have to travel across Europe to glimpse the truth about the couple's past and learn the secrets of his family line.

In the #2 slot is "Girl Through Glass" by Sari Wilson. In the world of professional ballet, you're either 110% committed, or you're slacking off. Mira is only eleven years old, but she knows that dancing is her passion. In 1977, she meets Maurice, a man who takes her under his wing to teach her the tools of the trade for the next three years, helping her reach heights she never thought possible. Meanwhile, Kate, a present-day dance professor, struggles to make a new life for herself. But she'll soon learn that the ghosts of the past never quite leave us.

But she'll soon learn that the ghosts of the past never quite leave us.

At #3 is Bradford Morrow's "The Prague Sonata." Musicologist Meta wanted to be a musician, but a terrible accident laid those dreams to rest forever. When she discovers the authentic manuscript of an unknown 18th-century sonata, she knows she has her hands on something incredible. Possessed by the need to learn the identity of its composer and by the desire to fulfill their wish for the work to be returned to its original owner, Meta embarks on a quest that takes her to Prague where she learns the full, sweeping tale of the mysterious work.

For #4 we have "A Reunion of Ghosts" by Judith Claire Mitchell. In 1999, as the clock ticks closer to midnight on New Year's Eve, three sisters make plans to take their own lives. But their joint suicide note isn't just any ordinary list of reasons why. The Alter sisters have a historical motive for their actions. To understand this self-destructive act, readers must learn the full story of the tragic, cursed Alter family and the part it played in some of the most horrific events of the 20th century.

Coming in at #5 is Ann Packer's "The Children's Crusade." Five decades pass by quickly in the life of the Blair family. From patriarch Bill Blair's spur-of-the-moment purchase of a large swath of rural land near San Francisco to the Blair children's painful reckoning with their genealogical past, "Crusade" tells the tale of a family struggling to feel connected to their history, and to each other.

Five decades pass by quickly in the life of the Blair family.

At #6 is "A Place at the Table" by Susan Rebecca White. Bobby, Amelia, and Alice might not seem to have much in common at first, but they all have their own burdens to bear, from Alice's journey growing up in the racist climate of the South to Bobby's reckoning with AIDS-stricken 1980s New York to Amelia's stifling marriage. When they meet each other by chance at a bustling cafe in Manhattan, their pasts converge in ways that leave all three lives changed forever.

For #7 we find "The Last Watchman of Old Cairo" by Michael David Lukas. Joseph is half Jewish and half Muslim, with ancestral ties to the legendary Ibn Ezra Synagogue of Cairo, the place where Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter. As Joseph dives into his personal history, he discovers a long line of Muslim watchmen who devoted their lives to protecting the holy place, many of whom fell under the spell of an enchanted scroll.

Joseph wants answers, and the only place he can find them is Cambridge, where the story of a pair of long-dead twin sisters on a quest to protect the disappearing scripture may lead him to the information he so desperately seeks.

Joseph wants answers, and the only place he can find them is Cambridge, where the story of a pair of long-dead twin sisters on a quest to protect the disappearing scripture may lead him to the information he so desperately seeks.

At #8 is Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's "June." In her family's decrepit Ohio mansion, Cassie sits and mourns the loss of her beloved grandmother, until an unexpected visitor comes calling. When Cassie learns that she's the sole inheritor of a silent film legend's estate, she's full of questions. How is she connected to the famous Jack Montgomery and his legacy? To find out the answer, she'll have to go on a quest to learn more about her grandmother's life and gain insight into the complex, extraordinary woman she knew only as June.

Finally, at #9, is Belinda Alexandra's "Sapphire Skies." When Soviet pilot and pin-up girl Natalya Azarova goes down with her plane during World War II, no one seems to believe she's really dead, least of all her lover, a celebrated Russian general. In the present, an Australian woman named Lily lands in Moscow to try to start her life over.

After meeting a mysterious old woman who promises to tell her what really happened to Natalya, Lily is all ears. She soon becomes obsessed with the incredible story, as the woman weaves a tale of betrayal, trickery, and an epic love spanning across the ages.