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Tom Reiss's The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo tells the remarkable true story of the real Count of Monte Cristo. History that reads like fiction!

The Black Count has been nominated for a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Award for Best History/Biography of 2012. VOTE TODAY!

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What's your favorite true story of a historical figure? Would you rather read history or historical fiction?

JOHN ADAMS by David McCullough

Most often history books are dry and they just drone, don't make an effort to maintain reader attention. That's why historical fiction is preferred by so many. But history doesn't have to be dry and boring. If it's written to read like a novel, I definitely prefer that.

JOHN ADAMS is a history book written to read like a novel, although it has its dry sections. (I'm thinking of its long section on Dutch drainage systems or something like that, really long and boring.)

With historical fiction, the reader can never be sure about what is really history and what the author made up. I do have a favorite, though: DOC by Mary Doria Russell. And Russell tells you what is true and what is made up.

Beth wrote: "I do have a favorite, though: DOC by Mary Doria Russell"

Doc is one of my very favorites, too, Beth! Did you see our with Mary Doria Russell and Sarah McCoy? So fun!

We also featured a great .

I just thought of history book that tops JOHN ADAMS: UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand! UNBROKEN is a wonderful book that proves that truth outdoes fiction.

Read It Forward wrote: "Beth wrote: "I do have a favorite, though: DOC by Mary Doria Russell"

Doc is one of my very favorites, too, Beth! Did you see our Read It Forward video chat with Mary Doria Russell and Sarah McCoy..."

Yes, I did see your video chat with Sarah McCoy. I didn't see the one with Mary Doria Russell, but I did better than that: I saw her in person when she was in Michigan at the library in Rochester Hills. I've read everything Russell has written. I think I wrote reviews of most of them.

I haven't read McCoy, although I'd like to and did enter contests to win her book.