What are you guys reading to get inspired? I'm guessing many of you are history nerds like me. If you're at all interested in the history of the British isles, I cannot recommend Ian Mortimer's "Time Traveler's Guide" books enough. He's good at architecture and technology and agriculture, and all those little details that make good slice-of-life stuff. We're of course going to be tweaking things in the world, but a lot of this is still going to be quite useful.
Tell me what you're reading. I need to fluff out my TBR list.
For non-fiction, I recommend:
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew, by Daniel Pool
Bitch in a Bonnet, by Robert Rodi
The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After, by Elizabeth Kantor.
For fiction, I recommend:
Jane Austen's novels (I like Mansfield Park especially for getting a sense of societal expectations, what was considered scandalous, etc)
The Fearless Fairwells series by Augustine Lang (I'm not a romance genre fan, but I love her novels)
The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik (historical fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars)
The Jane Austen Mysteries series by Stephanie Barron
Austenland by Shannon Hale is a fun one, though set in modern day
For more recs and reads, I'd refer you to my friend Misty's blog (she ran an annual Austen in August celebration of regency-flavored lit and history for many years): http://www.thebookrat.com/search/label/jane%20austen
Also throwing in a rec for the webseries adaptations of Jane Austen's work, if you haven't watched them, especially From Mansfield With Love and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (both on YouTube).
I used to love Audible for trashy gay regency novel but now you can only search by title or author. “Categories“ are far too broad.
but google is my friend! I was fond of this one serie by K.J. Charles called “Sins in the City”. It was really affirming and beautifu.
I don't yet have helpful book suggestions, but I just want to say that I'm finally becoming acquainted with Jane Austen's books, and am finding that I empathize painfully well with Lizzie and Jane Bennett, both on Elaine's behalf and my own. 😬
I took the opportunity to get back into Georgette Heyer, the OG Regency Queen. They aren't exactly the Regency Romances that your mother kept in her nightstand, but they are meticulously researched and lovingly cultivated.
So, if you're a fan of the genre who hasn't experienced a Heyer novel, I strongly recommend The Quiet Gentleman.
Though some of them will be considered too fanciful or too anachronistic for a true Regency experience, I am partial to cheesy historical romance novels! These will not fall under the umbrella of complete accuracy for the real period or our alt-history but they are very enjoyable nonetheless!
Julia Quinn, a classic Regency romance author, behind the Bridgertons
Suggestion: "The Sum of All Kisses" -My first ever cheesy Regency read, with a thoughtful heroine
with relatable flaws and feelings, sister bonding, and a moody
mathematician who permanently injured his leg in a duel. Amanda Quick, combines romance with mystery and supernatural elements
Suggestion: "I Thee Wed" -An absolute romp between a paid companion and famed author,
with arcane potions, dastardly villains, and a crime to solve!
Cat Sebastian, the premier LGBT+ Regency romance author!
Suggestion: "A Gentleman Never Keeps Score"
-A moral man/ex-boxer running a pub? A rakeish con-artist
gentleman? Both on a semi-criminal mission to recover and
destroy scandalous paintings taken of vulnerable people.
Thoughtful depictions of the life of a Black protagonist in the
period too.
Olivia Waite, rom-columnist for the NYT Book Review, great f/f romances!
Suggestion: "The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics"
-Intelligent women facing pushback with publishing
groundbreaking science, that are also in love, that are also
dealing with loss and longing and age differences. Great!