It’s time for the annual updating of the Reader Recs page. This page contains a list of books recommended by my wonderful blog readers and is a constant reminder of how much reading I still need to do.
This year we added 40 more books to the list, bringing the total to 207. New additions are in the top section, followed by the older book recommendations.
I hope you’ll use the Reader Recs page to help you find your next read. Here’s the link to more than 200 book recommendations.
In The Girl in Green, an American soldier and a British journalist try to save an Iraqi girl from violence in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. Over twenty years later, they reunite in Iraq after seeing the girl’s doppelganger on some news footage. The Girl in Green is a sharp-witted commentary on the absurdity and futility of conditions in the war-torn Middle East. Continue reading
There’s no doubt William Shakespeare’s plays have staying power. More than 400 years after his death, young people still study his work in school. I was introduced to the Bard in high school when I read Othello for one of my English classes and I was pleased to see my daughters study Hamlet their Junior year. Continue reading
The Midnight Library is a life-affirming science fiction novel that follows Nora Seed as she lives a multitude of alternate lives while in her “root” life she hovers between life and death following a suicide attempt. Continue reading
Watership Down is an epic tale of a group of rabbits who encounter danger, treachery, and hope as they try to find a new home when theirs is leveled for a housing development. Although written for the author’s young daughters, Watership Down is one of those “children’s” books that adults will also find engaging. Continue reading
I’ve always wanted to do a book haul blog post but two things have made that impossible – I can only use eBooks these days and I get 95% of them from the library. Continue reading
The Night Circus is a terrific fantasy novel about a beautiful and mysterious circus and two star-crossed magicians who are locked in a battle of illusions that can only end when one of them dies. Lush and imaginative, I found myself thinking several times that this is the type of novel I would like to write. Continue reading
In Mexican Gothic, young socialite Noemi is sent by her father to visit her cousin Catalina after receiving a mysterious letter from Catalina indicating she’s in distress. What Noemi finds in Catalina’s new home, an isolated mansion that’s literally decaying and populated by mostly hostile in-laws, is a bizarre history of depravity and death. Continue reading
In The Family Upstairs, Libby receives an unexpected inheritance on her 25th birthday – a multi-million dollar mansion that’s been sitting empty for decades following the mysterious suicides of the homeowners and the disappearance of their two teenage children. As Libby begins to investigate what happened all those years ago, a disturbing story emerges. Continue reading
Mere Christianity is a classic Christian apologetic based on a series of talks C. S. Lewis gave on BBC radio from 1941-1944 while Great Britain was embroiled in World War II. Lewis uses logic and approachable language to convey theological concepts common to all Christian religions (rather than focusing on theological differences). Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 