Here I recommend works of interactive fiction.
By interactive fiction, I don't mean books with multimedia content, CYOA, RPG gamebooks or multibranching hypertext. I mean what used to called text-adventures back in the 70's/80's.
Neither literature nor game proper but something in between: a story in which the reader actively participates by typing commands the protagonist (you) shall carry out, like "look", "examine painting", "go north", "take inventory", "get lamp", "put it on the table" etc. You may type "about" in a work to learn more about it.
I open up with a pretty good 2006's interactive short story by renowned author Emily Short:
Damnatio Memoriae
Quote:
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14 AD. Agrippa Postumus, grandson of the recently-deceased Augustus, tries to avoid death at the hands of the next emperor, Tiberius. At his disposal: a couple of old manuscripts, a lamp, and a recalcitrant slave. And a powerful knowledge of the Art of Venus Genetrix, of course -- the magic eventually known as the Lavori d'Aracne.
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Try it. It's formidable and quite short. Many actions are possible and most lead to an outcome which is not the ideal, but still pretty satisfying. The piece is not straight history and fantasy elements come into play. Possible courses of action are hinted from the descriptions...
and no, I don't care for nostalgia or old silly Scott Adams text-adventures, thanks.