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1125 ratings | 168 reviews | avg rating:4.02

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2026 Reading Challenge

2026

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Sarah has read 70 of 85 books.

82%

Sarah L. Johnson

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.readingthepast.com

Twitter

readingthepast

Genre

Reference, Historical Fiction

Member Since

August 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/readingthepast

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Reference librarian, readers' advisor, avid historical fiction reader, NBCC member. Book review editor for the Historical Novels Review, regular reviewer for Booklist and Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. Winner of the American Library Association's Louis Shores Award for book reviewing (2012). Blogging at Reading the Past since 2006.

I live out in the country in east central Illinois with my husband, too many cats, and an even larger number of books.

Note: I'm not the Sarah L. Johnson who writes dark crime fiction/horror, but Goodreads keeps assigning that author's books to me. ...more

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Combine Editions
Sarah L. Johnson’s books

Average rating: 3.93 · 69 ratings · 8 reviews · 3 distinct works

	Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre (Genreflecting Advisory Series) 3.84 avg rating — 45 ratings — published 2005 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Historical Fiction II: A Guide to the Genre (Genreflecting Advisory Series) 4.19 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Information Professional's Guide to Career Development Online by Sarah L. Nesbeitt, Rachel Singer Gordon, Sarah L. Johnson (Goodreads Author) 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2002 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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1471 posts
Sarah L. Johnson's Blog

The countess and her protégée: Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory

In Royal Witch, Philippa Gregory—an advocate for revivifying lesser-known historical women’s lives—presents a female character deserving of prominent attention for her courage, unerring confidence in her position’s righteousness, and determination to pursue justice for herself in a male world. She was an English royal duchess by marriage, an alliance designed to bolster her strength against her en Read more of this blog post »

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Published on October 23, 2026 10:00

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Sarah is Currently Reading

Sarah is currently reading

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier

by Emily Matchar (Goodreads Author)

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13 hours, 52 min ago

Sarah is currently reading

Trivia Factory

by David L. Faucheux (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 19, 2025 08:01AM

Sarah’s Recent Updates

Sarah is currently reading In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13 hours, 52 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah finished reading Blaze by Emma Donoghue (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19 hours, 28 min ago · like
Sarah finished reading The Lost Kingdom of Daughters by Weina Dai Randel (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 04, 2026 06:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Lost Kingdom of Daughters by Weina Dai Randel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Lost Kingdom of Daughters by Weina Dai Randel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah finished reading Mistress of the Persian Boarding House by Marina Nemat (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Oct 26, 2026 06:09PM · like
Sarah finished reading Daughters of the Pink City by Alka Joshi (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Oct 23, 2026 07:22PM · like
Sarah finished reading Beneath a Fallen Sky by Scott Gould (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 22, 2026 06:26PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beneath a Fallen Sky by Scott Gould. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beneath a Fallen Sky by Scott Gould <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah is currently reading Beneath a Fallen Sky by Scott Gould (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 18, 2026 06:29PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beneath a Fallen Sky by Scott Gould. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beneath a Fallen Sky by Scott Gould <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Sarah finished reading Royal Witch (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #1) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 14, 2026 06:28PM · like

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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THE WORLD WAR TWO...: Novels of WW2	1070	865	Sep 16, 2026 02:29PM
THE WORLD WAR TWO...: Intelligence Operations & Units During WW2	508	449	Oct 23, 2026 07:12AM
THE WORLD WAR TWO...: New Release Books on WW2	3396	1328	Oct 30, 2026 06:56AM

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Sarah’s Quotes

“I really didn't realize the librarians were, you know, such a dangerous group.
They are subversive. You think they're just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them.”
― Michael Moore