I was pretty stoked when Jackie asked each of us to share our recommendations. I realized quickly when I joined the LE crew that I have a different taste in books from the other gals. For instance, zombies and a post apocalyptic wasteland are much more my idea of a good time than a romance. One of the greatest things about having different tastes is that I’ve opened my library to some really great books that I wouldn’t have normally read. So here are my choices of books that I would recommend to anyone who asked for a good read. Some of them are very successful, others are gems that I am glad I didn’t miss. I’ve purposely avoided some great books that have already been mentioned like the Hobbit. Tolkein, I love you but there are only so many times I can read your books on a recommendations list. So without further ado…
*Books are listed by genre in no alphabetical order by author. For series, the name of the series is mentioned next to the title of the first book as well as the amount of books in the series currently.*
Dystopian & Sci Fi
- Breathers by S.G Browne – A zombie tale told from the zombies point of view
- The Passage & The Twelve by Justin Cronin (Passage Trilogy) [3] – A great two books, you can read my review of The Twelve here.
- Equations of Life by Simon Morden (Samuil Petrovitch) [3]
- WWW:Wake by Robert J Sawyer (WWW Trilogy) [3]
- Keeping It Real by Justina Robson (Quantum Gravity) [5]
- Alison Hewitt is Trapped & Sadie Walker is Stranded by Madeleine Roux – Two great gems of the post apocalyptic zombie genre
- Blackout & All Clear by Connie WIllis
Fantasy:
- Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan (Onyx Court) [4] – I love this series but the intro is my favorite for the simple fact that it takes place in one of my favorite times in history.
- Warrior & Witch by Marie Brennan
- Wicked by Gregory Maguire (Wicked Years) [4] – My one repeat simply because Wicked is truly one of my favorite books. It’s also one of my favorite musicals!
- The Griffon Mage Trilogy by Rachel Neumeier
Steampunk
- Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (Lotus Wars) – A great new read which I reviewed here.
- Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (Clockwork Century) [5] – I am in love with this entire series. My review for the latest in the series can be found here.
- The Buntline Special by Mike Resnick (Weird West Tales) [2+]
- Soulless by Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate) [5+] – Not only can you read this series in novel form but for the adventurer, you can experience it as manga.
Urban Fantasy
- The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes
- American Gods and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse) [11] – This series is incredibly popular for a reason. Ok, it’s another repeat from Jackie’s list but she was so thorough!
- Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill – The title makes you think of Nirvana. The book may too but only in the best way.
- Fated by Benedict Jacka (Alex Verus) [3+]
- Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D) [25+]
- What’s a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie (Ghost Hunter Mystery) [6+] – A great series of light reading.
- Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy – A different take on werewolves.
- Good Fairies of New York, Lone Werewolf Girl & Curse of the Wolf Girl by Martin Millar – One of my favorite authors who has a unique view of the world
