Yes there is a history to follow and if you read some of the later books first it gives away events that occurred in previous books. The two that work well as stand alone novels are The Sugar Camp Quilt and The Quilter's Homecoming, so you could either read them first or at any time in reading the series. I started with the first The Quilter's Apprentice, Round Robin, just a note I would read The Christmas Quilt after The Quilter's Apprentice because it takes place in the interim between that first book and Round Robin.