Bossypants / Tina Fey / 272 pages

Bossypants by Tina Fey, on the New York Times Bestseller List for five weeks upon its 2011 release with over 1 million copies sold is an autobiographical romp through Tina Fey’s life.

 

Tina Fey’s humorous autobiography runs the gamut from motherhood and marriage to her Eastwoodesque father, her gay best friends, work and Christmas in series of funny vignettes just insane enough to make you wonder how much of it is true, while simultaneously teaching work and life lessons in management.

Bossypants will appeal to those who like humor by strong women and a similar work is I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris.

Gone Girl / Gillian Flynn / 416 pages

 
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, which has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide since its release in June 2012, is a disturbingly, dark account of sociopathy set in small-town Middle America.

When his wife Amy disappears on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick, the prime suspect in what appears to be her murder, uncovers disturbing evidence of her manipulative past and the lie that was their marriage as he desperately tries to prove his own innocence.

Gone Girl will appeal to those who like dark, character-driven, psychological fiction, as well as those who like mysteries and suspense. Similar works include: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson and Keeper of the Keys by Perri O'Shaughnessy.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry / Rachel Joyce / 320 pages

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, the story of one man’s chance to make a difference, is an, at times both funny and moving, account of a spontaneous decision made by a very "unspontaneous" man.

Harold Fry, recently retired, with a failing marriage, little faith, and stuck in a rut for twenty years, on an errand to mail words of encouragement to a dying friend, instead determines to walk the 627 miles to her bedside in a faith-filled attempt to save her life.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will appeal to those who like literary, character-driven fiction, as well as those who like offbeat or inspiring stories.

The Great Gatsby / F. Scott Fitzgerald / 216 p.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic story of love, lust, obsession, and greed.

Jay Gatsby, a newly rich rum-runner/gambler has come to West Egg, Long Island for the sole purpose of winning back (through throwing lavish house parties and ingratiating himself with her friends) his one true love Daisy, the girl who left him for a man with money.

The Great Gatsby will appeal to those who like classic, literary fiction. Similar titles include: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton; Night and Day by Virginia Woolf; An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser; Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos.

The Chemistry of Tears / Peter Carey / 288 p.

 

The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey is an intricate story of grief, driven as much by its characters as by its plot.

When her married lover dies and she cannot so much as acknowledge her grief to anyone, Catherine, an horologist, throws herself into a new project, the reconstruction of an automaton, at the museum where she works, and finds herself sucked into the heartbreaking story of how it came to be built.

The Chemistry of Tears will appeal to those who like intricate, literary fiction. Similar titles include: The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk; Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell; Little Bee by Chris Cleave; My Life as a Fake by Peter Carey.

Something Wicked This Way Comes / Ray Bradbury / 307 pages

 

Something Wicked This Way Comes  by Ray Bradbury is a menacing, character driven, dreamlike, horror novel, first published in 1962.

When the carnival comes to town, best friends Jim and Will have to grow up overnight, or Will’s father will be lost, along with their teacher, the town barber and even Jim himself, to the evil Mr. Dark and his band of freaks.

Something Wicked This Way Comes will appeal to those who like freakish, dreamlike horror. Similar titles include: The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger; The Talisman by Stephen King

The Haunting of Hill House / Shirley Jackson / 174 pages

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a menacing, character driven novel of the classic horror genre that has been frightening readers since 1959.

Dr. Montague summons select guests to spend some time in Hill House - which is renowned for being haunted and has not been inhabited for many years but for its daytime caretakers – three of whom come to experience with him the paranormal phenomena that is slowly driving them mad. 

The Haunting of Hill House will appeal to those who like psychologically horrifying tales in the vein of Poe. Similar titles include: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer by Joyce Reardon; House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danieliwski; The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff. 

The Discovery / Dan Walsh / 352 pages

The Discovery by Dan Walsh is a novel within a novel - the first is set in World War II, Daytona Beach and the second in modern day Charleston.

When his grandfather, the renowned novelist, Gerard Warner dies, Michael inherits his Charleston mansion and an unpublished manuscript that soon proves to shine a light on the hidden past of his grandparents, a past that proves no sacrifice is too great for one you love.

The Discovery will appeal to fans of romantic suspense and Christian fiction. Similar titles include: The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh, A Place Called Home by Lori Wick, The Truth Seeker by Dee Henderson.

Some Kind of Normal / Heidi Willis / 226 pages

Some Kind of Normal by Heidi Willis is a moving, emotionally gripping tale of faith and love.

Set in the Texas Hill Country, Some Kind of Normal asks the question “How far would you go to save the life of someone you love?” Would you turn your back on your church? Your family? Can faith and science share the same space?

When, after a bout with the flu, her daughter develops diabetes and nearly dies, first from a diabetic coma and then from a rare insulin allergy, Babs Babcocks struggles with both her faith in God and her faith in medicine, ultimately deciding it is up to her to save her daughter’s life. All that stands between herdaughter’s life and death is a tenth grade education, a zealous group ofBaptist ladies, and 1.8 million Google hits. 


Some Kind of Normal will appeal to readers of gripping, emotional stories and to those who enjoy reading about life in a small town. Similar titles include: Between Friends by Kristy Kiernan, Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky, and Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian.  

This is a wonderful book, but you might have to search for it! 

When We Argued All Night / Alice Mattison / 384 pages

When We Argued All Night by Alice Mattison, an epic, humorous and thoughtful, literary novel  set in Brooklyn, NY, spans the decades from 1936 to 2004.

WWAAN is a sweet, funny, poignant tale of two Jewish men, Artie and Harold - friends since they were eight years old, through the Depression, World War II, McCarthyism, marriages, children, illness, and death – who drive one another crazy and, yet, find themselves turning to each other, for comfort, support, and companionship time and time again. 

WWAAN will appeal to lovers of epic, literary fiction. Similar titles include: A Small Fortune by Rosie Dastgir, When Morning Comes: A Family Affair Novel by Francis Ray, and The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison.

The City of Devi / Manil Suri / 379 pages

The City of Devi by Manil Suri is a dark, humorously satirical, book set in Mumbai in the middle of the apocalypse.  It is part literary fiction, part suspense, part off-beat romance, multi-cultural and International – defying categorization and the stereotypes it pokes fun at.

The story is narrated by both Sarita, a Hindu searching for her missing, physicist husband on the eve of Mumbai’s destruction by Pakistan, and Jaz, a gay Muslim looking for his lover.  Their search takes them across a nearly deserted Mumbai, where they encounter bands of thugs, party-goers, and religious fanatics gathered to worship the Devi ma, patron goddess of the city.  What they find at their journey’s end promises to change both of their lives forever.

The City of Devi is an offbeat, dark romance tied up in mythology and suspense in modern day India. It may appeal to readers of apocalyptic fiction, romance, suspense, and literary fiction. But, is not for those who are easily shocked or offended. Similar works might include White Noise by Don DeLillo, Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Seketu Mehta, and (at least for me, because it kept coming to mind as I read this book) Dracula by Bram Stoker.

The Ugly Duckling / Iris Johansen / 404 pages

The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen is a fast-paced, plot-driven romantic suspense story that moves from a Greek isle to the wilds of an Idaho ranch to the glittering lights of Paris.

Nell Calder is the shy, plump, “ugly duckling” married to the handsome, successful prince. When a party they are attending on a remote Greek island is attacked and her husband and daughter killed, a severely disfigured Nell vows revenge. Emerging from plastic surgery, arranged for by the mysterious Nicholas Tanek, Nell is Helen of Troy, with a “face to launch a thousand ships” and Tanek is smitten vowing to protect her even as she plots her next move.

The Ugly Duckling will appeal to those who like a little mayhem and murder served up with their romance. Read alikes include: Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown, Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood, Sweet Revenge by Kay Rogal

Persuasion / Jane Austen / 260 pages

Persuasion by Jane Austen is a moving, character-driven love story set in England at the beginning of the 19th century.

Anne Elliot has lost the bloom of youth, being twenty-seven. At the age of nineteen, her surrogate mother, Lady Russell, persuaded her to give up her one true love, as his prospects were poor. Now a success, Captain Wentworth, is back from the sea. Can he win Anne’s hand or will he marry the younger Louisa Musgrove? And, will Anne even want him back?

Persuasion, Austen’s final novel, will appeal to those who enjoy regency romance as well as to readers of English literature and historical fiction. Read alikes include: Captain Wentworth’s Diary by Amanda Grange, Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason by Henry Fielding, The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman.

The Aviator's Wife / Melanie Benjamin / 396 pages

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin is an historical novel about the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh - a richly atmospheric imagining of Charles and Anne’s life together, especially the after-effects of their baby’s kidnapping on their marriage and their lives.

Benjamin's novel traces the romance between the handsome young aviator and a shy ambassador's daughter whose relationship is marked by wild international acclaim and marred by tragedy. This thought-provoking, character-driven novel will appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction as well as to readers of biographies and romance.

Read alikes include: Z by Therese Fowler; The Paris Wife by Paula McClain; The Raven’s Bride by Lenore Hart.

Shane / Jack Schaefer / 214 pages

Shane by Jack Schaefer, a classic of the Western genre, set on a Wyoming homestead in 1889, is a leisurely paced book featuring a gunfighter, running from his past,  who is taken in by a family fighting for their land.

Luke Fletcher is trying to intimidate the homesteaders near his ranch into leaving. Shane, both the “most dangerous” and “safest” man ever to ride into the valley, is determined not to let this happen.

This thought-provoking, character-driven novel will appeal to readers of traditional western fiction and classic novels. Read alikes include: Horseman, Pass By by Larry McMurtry; Gun Law by Ralph W. Cotton; Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress / Robert Heinlein / 382 pages

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (an example of Hard Science Fiction because it imagines a world that is totally possible using the technology present at the time of its writing) was the Hugo Award winner in 1967.

The book is also an example of Sociological sci-fi, offering commentary on Libertarian ideals as well as the Vietnam War and 1960’s counter-culture.

In 2075, the inhabitants of Luna (criminals, exiles, or their descendants) are working to produce wheat for Earth. Kept prisoners by a tight web of control and aided by a supercomputer that has become self-aware, a small group of dissidents are planning a revolution that will change things forever.

This thought-provoking, plot-driven novel will appeal to those who enjoy traditional science fiction as well as to readers of classic novels. Those with a libertarian leaning and followers of Ayn Rand may also like this book. Read alikes include:  Moonwar by Ben Bova; Rebel Moon by Bruce Bethke and Vox Day; The Declaration of Independents by Nick Gillespie and Matt Wilson.

Enders Game / Orson Scott Card / 357 pages

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card was written in 1985 and is set sometime in the future on Earth and in outer space. This is an example of Military / Sociological Science Fiction and would appeal to someone who like world-building, good vs. evil, aliens, and rebelling against authority.

Ender Wiggin was only born because it was hoped he would be a balanced combination of his brother's ruthlessness and his sister's compassion. He is a third child in a world where thirds are typically not allowed. He is also the only hope of the planet - the one who can defeat the Buggers. Ender Wiggin is only six years old.

This is a leisurely, thought-provoking book that made the YALSA list of 100 Best, but it was not originally written for teens. It is the first book in the Ender Wiggin series and is due to be released as a movie in November of this year. Similar works include Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman; Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and other works in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Blankets / Craig Thompson / 582 pages

This book is a memoir of Thompson’s growing up in a dysfunctional family, and the bond between brothers – from fighting over the blanket in bed to pretending the bed is a giant ship at sea. Interspersed with his reflections on growing up is the story of his first love, Raina. The two meet at church camp and Thompson goes to spend two weeks with her family in Michigan. The novel is sweetly told and the story is enhanced by the illustrations. In addition to family and love, Thompson also explores the topics of abuse (both sexual and child), faith, personality, coming-of-age, loss, and special needs adults.

I had never read a graphic novel before and was not sure I would enjoy it. This turned out to be a good choice for my first foray into the genre. The story is compelling and moving. I read through it quickly and was sorry to see it end.

Looking for Alaska / John Green / 221 pages

Miles has transferred to Culver Creek Preparatory School, his father’s alma mater, from a suburban high school in Florida hoping to find “the great perhaps”. A shy, loner who memorizes famous people’s last words, he quickly finds friends in his new roommate, the Colonel; a skinny Japanese kid named Takumi; his first girlfriend, Lara; and Alaska, the gorgeous, funny, messed-up, object of his desire. Miles’ favorite class is World Religions, taught by the ancient Dr. Hyde. By studying world religions, Dr. Hyde attempts to teach his students about life and death. When Alaska dies in a car crash, her friends are forced to confront these mysteries head on.

This book reminded me of A Separate Peace  by John Knowles, although they are written in dissimilar styles. I liked this book very much - more than The Fault in Our Stars, which many consider to be Green's finest novel for young adults.

The Fellowship of the Ring / J.R.R. Tolkien / 531 pages

Frodo has inherited the “One Ring” from his Uncle Bilbo (The Hobbit). In addition to allowing its wearer to become invisible, the Ring possesses other powers, such as destoying immortality upon its keeper. When Gandalf, the wizard, convinces him the ring must be destroyed in order to prevent its return to Sauron, the Dark Lord, Frodo ventures forth on a journey to Mordor, to cast the Ring into the fires of the Cracks of Doom. Aided by friends from the Shire and those he meets along the way, Frodo faces perilous dangers and temptations in his quest to rid Middle Earth of the power of the Ring.

I recently reread The Hobbit and since I had never read anything else by Tolkien, I decided to have a go at this. (Unbelievably, I have never seen the movie either.) I enjoyed this book very much and will definitely read the rest of the trilogy!