One of my favorite things is giving book recommendation. It helps the readers, it helps the authors, and maybe makes the world a better place. Looking over the last month, I did a non-scientific survey of all the books I shared on Twitter, in private messages, through e-mail, by text, in person, and everywhere else. From that, I organized the ten books I recommended the most regardless of genre.
This is not to say other books weren’t as good or that these authors don’t have more books just as good or better than these. As I tried to match readers’ interests to a recommendation, these are the books that came up the most often in the past month. A different set of readers will probably create different recommendations in the coming month.
These books appealed to a number of readers for different reasons and as such, I think you might like them, too.
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10
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World by Laura Spinney
I’m surprised this one made the list. Early in the last month, a lot of people were asking about histories of the previous century’s pandemic. I suppose this is a way of dealing with what is going on in the world the way some people read horror in order to process real world horrors. It’s been a while since I read this one in the calm years when pandemics were more of an intellectual curiosity, but I recall finding this one interesting. It’s not the kind of reading I’m looking for now, but if you’re looking for a broad nonfiction narrative of the Spanish Flu pandemic, this should work for you.
9
Suicide Station by Jack Wallen
This is an older release. This is an afterlife romance. The title serves as its own trigger warning in that it does address the topic of suicide. Characters in this story go to a processing station of sorts after death to deal with the brokenness that led to the choices that ended their lives. In the process of the story, two broken characters find each other and may be the missing pieces for one another to find completeness. It is a unique take on the genre.
8
Survivor by J.F. Gonzalez
This is possibly the most extreme of extreme novels. When authors try to test the limits of what horror, gore, and terror can achieve for characters and in a story, this is what they are trying to achieve. I’ve recommended this to readers asking for the most extreme horror out there. Plenty of authors are doing amazing work with extreme horror today and I’ve recommended their work as well. There still may be no topping this in terms of writing a solid story with the most intense scenes of extreme horror.
7
Expose Yourself: How to Take Risks, Question Everything, and Find Yourself by Erin Louis
The author is a former exotic dancer and has written two other great books, Dirty Money: Memoirs of a Stripper and Think You Want to be a Stripper? . In this book, she discusses critical thinking, the art of taking risks in life, and being true to yourself through your choices. It contains humor and more titillation than you’ll probably be able to find in other self-help books.
6
My Razzle Dazzle: A Coming Out Story by Tim Patten
This memoir follows a young man on his unique journey of finding himself. It is well-told and moves from one fascinating moment to another. Tim did everything growing up from working with a traveling carnival to becoming a roller derby star. His life story retells American history through a lens that isn’t used enough. The experiences of a gay kid through the most tumultuous times in American history opens up a more complete picture of this country’s history, as we follow a fascinating coming-of-age story.
5
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
This is a young adult fantasy book and series. Three human sisters are taken into the high court of the faerie to be raised among immortal creatures who hate them. As civil war breaks out, the main character chooses sides to try to better her position and to protect her sisters. It is a solid read for those looking at the young adult category of books.
4
Zero Lives Remaining: A Haunted Arcade Story by Adam Cesare
This was recommended to me recently and after reading it, I have recommended it a lot. It is a very fun horror story that pulls in some good beats that anyone can relate to whether you are a hardcore or casual fan of the genre. Cesare is a great storyteller with a voice in his writing that elevates what could have been a silly little story in anyone else’s hands. He does this without losing any of the mood or fun.
3
Bring Her Back by Jeff Strand
This story is sneaky good. It lulls you into thinking you are reading one story from a character’s perspective, but then traps you into realizing something else entirely is going on. Like the main character, the truth is difficult to unravel because perspective is everything. This could have easily become another antihero story, but Strand does an excellent job building this tale into something different by any measure. I have also recommended Allison by this same author since I finished reading it recently.
2
Behind the Door by Mary SanGiovanni
She is a great cosmic horror author and is easily a leading voice in that subgenre. This work demonstrates that she is a great author with any subject or style she approaches. This book is about an ongoing paranormal investigator character, but these stories go deeper and more intense than a lot of books written in that style. For that reason, this book exceeds the reach and the accomplishments of other books that try a similar thing. These are simply great stories. I’ve also recommended the Hollower books by this same author.
1
The Perfectly Fine House by Stephen Kozeniewski and Wile E Young
This book completely reverses the haunted house trope. In their world, ghosts are commonplace and it is the house without ghosts that represents the greatest terror. There is masterful world-building in this book so that you are immersed in this world and culture. The characters, both living and dead, are real, tangible, and existed before this story begins. The story is near perfect in what it shows you and when it shows you while still surprising the reader each step through the journey. This book reinvents the ghost and haunted house story. I’ve also recommended the vampire novel Hunter of the Dead by Stephen Kozeniewski and The Magpie Coffin, a rough and tumble splattery western, by Wile E Young.
Check out any one of these books and add them to your To-Be-Read pile. Enjoy!
If you read all these and want even more, you might consider the Maidens of Zombie Kingdom young adult fantasy trilogy, the Lake Scatter Wood Tales for elementary and middle school readers, or The Hidden Truth, a thriller about a tabloid that creates an app allowing people to tell each other’s darkest secrets, all out now.
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