Book Recommendations by Readers for Readers

Posted on May 19, 2020

by Heather H

We recently asked our social media followers (if you aren’t yet following us on social media, find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) to share some of the books that they love to read and now we want to share those with you!

Almost all of their recommendations are available on eBook and/or audiobook through our eMedia providers OverDrive and hoopla Digital.

Mysteries & Thrillers

Our readers love a thrilling page-turner and it’s no wonder, as the genre is filled with many intriguing authors and books to explore. We received the most recommendations in this category!

If you love to dig into a good book series, our readers had plenty of recommendations!

Alexandria N. loves the Will Trent series by Karin Slaughter! Sara E. also enjoys Karin Slaughter and recommended Last Breath.

Lynne D. said she prefers series where you can enjoy the character development, and highly recommends the China Bayles Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert, the Kate Carlisle Bibliophile series and the Meg Langslow series by Donna Andrews, noting that they are all best read in order.

Nanette M. says that Sidney Sheldon books deliver mystery with twists! Jenny S. loves authors such as John Sandford, Alex Kava and Meg Gardiner. Additionally, she mentioned that the lesser known Owen Laukkanen is also fantastic if you like mystery/crime stories.

Stand-alone novels that got mentioned include:

from Katie C.
from Katherine W.
from Dannielle A.
from Carol W.

General Fiction

We also received quite a few general fiction recommendations.

Erin K. says that 11/23/63 is the best book she has ever read. “Some people discount it because it was written by Stephen King, but it is truly amazing. The characters are multi-dimensional and relatable. The attention to detail with the various time periods is astounding. It features a wonderful love story. It’s both funny and sad.”

Alysha C. is a big fan of Oryx and Crake from Margaret Atwood and noted that it’s more timely than ever during this unprecedented time.

Emily M. says the Sisterhood series by Ann Brashares is great and contains many books along with spin-offs. Mary P. reads anything she can find by Penny Vincenzi and says she loves her books.

Josie S. suggests The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! “It’s amazing post-WWII historical fiction and one of the very few books I enjoy reading over and over again.” Carol W. also recommended this one!

Did you love The Godfather? Nicole and Jeff C. say that The Fortunate Pilgrim by Mario Puzo is even better!

Other fiction recommendations included:

from Dannielle A.
from Katie C.
from Kristin P.
from Carol W.

Romance

Looking for a little romance? Check out our readers’ recommendations!

Leslie O. just finished Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn and said it was so good.

Jennifer V. is currently reading a series called Red River of the North by Lauraine Snelling. “It’s about a family of Norwegian pioneers who settle in the Dakotas in the late 1800’s. There are six books in the series.”

Katherine W. offered several recommendations in this genre, and said she could go on and on! She recommended:

Nonfiction

For those who enjoy reading nonfiction, we received several recommendations – from biographies/memoirs to books about science.

Alison H. shares that Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is a wonderfully written memoir and short history of South Africa all wrapped into one. “Funny, honest and so interesting. Easy to read, but you come out having learned and experienced so much.”

Alysha C., humanities/English instructor for a largely STEM population, said that it was hard to narrow down just a few suggestions. She says that everyone should read Educated by Tara Westover. She also noted that Pandora’s Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong by Paul Offit led to some really great discussions with her students and was incredibly thought provoking!

Carol W. recommends One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber, which talks about kindness and generosity.

Science Fiction | Fantasy

Last but certainly not least, we received several science fiction and fantasy series recommendations!

Bree S. suggests the Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Marys series. “Disaster prone English historians travel through time investigating major events in contemporary time. What could go wrong (everything… everything goes wrong)?! Think Doctor Who with muggles.”

Katie C. enjoys the Divine Dungeon series by Dakota Krout and the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.

Thank you to everyone who provided recommendations and to all who still love to read!

If you love to read and are looking for even more inspiration – use our Book Picks service to get a list of recommendations based on your personal favorites and don’t forget to also sign up for our Summer Read!

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