Title

Author

Author First
Name

Recommended
Author Last Name By

Genre

Age Range

For Fans Of...

The First Law Trilogy

Joe Abercrombie

Joe

Abercrombie

Miriam Sokolow

Epic Fantasy

Adult

ASOIAF

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective

Agency (& sequel)

Douglas Adams

Douglas

Adams

Low fantasy with

Rebecca Klempner humor

Teens and up

silliness that also makes you

think deeply

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

Margaret

Atwood

Miriam Sokolow

Dystopian

Adult

Disturbing dystopias, religion

gone wrong

YA

The Lies of Locke Lamora,

ASIOF, Ocean's 11

Classic fairytales

YA

Creeeeeeepy stories

YA

Science fiction, empathy,

short stories

Adult

Zombie apocalypse, global

POVs

Six of Crows (Duology)

Leigh Bardugo

Leigh

Bardugo

Michal Schick

Historical/realistic
fantasy

The Last Unicorn

Peter S Beagle

Peter S

Beagle

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

The Folk Keeper

Franny Billingsley

Franny

Billingsley

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

The Martian Chronicles

World War Z

Shannara Series
Red Rising Trilogy

Wolf Mark

Ender's Game

Ray Bradbury
Max Brooks

Terry Brooks
Pierce Brown

Joseph Bruchac

Orson Scott Card

Ray
Max

Terry
Pierce

Joseph

Orson Scott

Bradbury
Brooks

Rebecca Klempner SF
Miriam Sokolow

Dystopian

Brooks

Chaya Ceitlin

Fantasy

Adult

Fantasy, start with original

Shannara series before
reading the "newer" books

Brown

Stephanie
Schwartz

SF-ish

Adult/YA

Hunger Games, Mythology

Bruchac

Card

Rebecca Klempner Urban Fantasy

Rebecca Klempner SF

YA

YA

Etiquette and Espionage

Gail Carriger

Gail

Carriger

Elana Horowitz

Steampunk/Fantas
y
YA/Teen

Girl of Fire and Thorns Trilogy

Rae Carson

Rae

Carson

Michal Schick

Epic Fantasy

YA

Graceling

Kristen Cashore

Kristen

Cashore

Davida Kollmar

fantasy

YA

The Three-Body Problem series

Liu Cixin

Liu

Cixin

Rebecca Klempner SF

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Susanna Clarke

Susanna

Clarke

Miriam Sokolow

Things Not Seen

Andrew Clements

Andrew

Clements

Rebecca Klempner Low Fantasy

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

Ernest

Adult

Elevator Pitch

2
A high schooler lives a double-life as a
werewolf. American Indian mythology weaves
with more familiar werewolf legends.

American Indian culture

Science fiction, space operas

Excellent first volume follows young, brilliant

Ender, as he trains to battle aliens. Many
books in the series, and spinoffs, as well.
Favorites: The Speaker for the Dead and The
6 Swarm. Lots of meaty issues to ponder.

ASOIAF and body positivity

2
1

hard science, deep thinking

History, fairytales, and
footnotes

Historical Fantasy

Up Vote

Aliens are coming. Will we be safe?

3

YA

The Invisible Man

Teen wakes up invisible. Exploring the world

around himself, he learns the pluses and
minuses to his new state of being.

YA/Adult

Wil Wheaton being president

and Geek/nerd culture in
general

In a world where virtual reality is the real world,

a katrillionaire has hidden his inheritance. Only
a knowledge of obscure 80s pop culture can
lead one to it. This book sucks you in.
Fairy tales and syphillis. Weird and gross and
lingers in your brain for days after.

Cline

Annie Fishman

SF/Dystopian
Historical Fiction,
Fantasy

YA, Adult

dark fairy tales, historical

fiction. not for the faint of
heart

The Kingdom of Little Wounds

Susann Cockal

Susann

Cockal

Raphaela
Abramson

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

Suzanne

Collins

Miriam Sokolow

Dystopian

YA

Dystopian futures,
deconstructions

The Book of Lost Things

John Connolly

John

Connolly

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

YA

Disturbing fairytales

Mistwood

Leah Cypess

Leah

Cypess

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

By an OLUF!!

Hereville series

Sherlock Holmes

Barry Deutsch

Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle

Barry

Sir Arthur Conan

Deutsch

Doyle

Rebecca Klempner Jewish Fantasy

Karen Berenson

Mystery

Middle Grade

Adult

Graphic novels and comics

Mirka is just your everyday frum girl who likes

to hang out with witches and smack down
1 trolls.

England in the 19th century

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson embark to

solve mysteries.. the mysteries are not so long
and so its easy to zip through a whole bunch,
1 SUCH A CLASSIC.

House of the Scorpion

Nancy Farmer

Nancy

Farmer

Rebecca Klempner Near-Future SF

YA

News meets fiction

Young man grows up on a plantation run by a drug lord. He

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

Nancy Farmer

Nancy

Farmer

Rebecca Klempner SF

YA

African mythology

Two children in nearish-future Africa go on the

run and meet all sorts of adventures.

The Sea of Trolls series

Nancy Farmer

Nancy

Farmer

High fantasy with

Rebecca Klempner historical twist

YA

Viking and Saxon mythology

A Saxon boy is kidnapped by Vikings, hunts

mythological creatures, and finds himself.

The Last Dragonslayer

Jasper Fforde

Jasper

Fforde

Rebecca Klempner Urban fantasy

YA

dragons, light entertainment

Time and Again

Jack Finney

Jack

Finney

Rebecca Klempner SF

Adult

old-fashioned time-travel SF

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman

Neil

Gaiman

Miriam Sokolow

American Gods

Outlander (8 books in the series)

Neil Gaiman

Diana Gabaldon

Neil

Diana

Gaiman

Galbadon

Pnina Grossman

Karen Berenson

Fantasy

Fantasy

Adult

Fantasy/Historical
Fiction
YA/Adult

Fantasy and nostalgia

Mythology, Dark themes

A man who has been in prison for 3 years gets

out to a very bad surprise. He ends up on a
truly epic adventure. Will suck you in to a
3 beautiful dark world.
A combat nurse in WW2 goes on a honeymoon
with her husband after the war. They visit
Scotland and she touches standing stones and
gets transported 200 years into the past.

Celtic-ish/ Scottish stuff

YA/Adult
The Princess Bride

William Goldman

William

Goldman

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

The Dark Days Club

Alison Goodman

Alison

Goodman

Yael Schick

Fantasy

Fantasy, humor
YA

Regency era

YA/Adult

Medieval times, Game of

Thrones

The Queen's Fool (other books by

this author and good)

Phillipa Gregory

Philipa

Gregory

Karen Berenson

Historical Fiction,
Fantasy

The Magicians

Lev Grossman

Lev

Grossman

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

Adult

Harry Potter but with

depressed college students

The Goose Girl

Shannon Hale

Shannon

Hale

Davida Kollmar

fantasy

YA

fairy tale retellings

Adult

Sassy main characters,

magic, nonchalant demons

YA

dragons

Adult

Dystopian futures, dark

themes, non-chronological
storytelling
Epic fantasy. Brandon
Sanderson finished off the
series.

Dead Witch Walking

Kim Harrison

Kim

Harrison

Elana Horowitz

Seraphina

Rachel Hartman

Rachel

Hartman

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo

Ishiguro

Miriam Sokolow

Urban Fantasy

Dystopian

Wheel of Time Series

Robert Jordan

Robert

Jordan

Raphaela
Abramson

Fantasy

YA, Adult

Tigana

Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel

Kay

Yael Schick

Fantasy

Adult

Tales of the 500 Kingdoms

Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes

Lackey

Chaya Ceitlin

Fantasy

Adult

The Lies of Locke Lamora

(Gentleman Bastard Series)

Scott Lynch

Scott

Lynch

Michal Schick

Historical Fantasy Adult

7
A Jewish Maranno girl escapes from Spain to
England in the 16th century and eventually
becomes the "queen's fool" for Queen Mary

Disney, a more adult take on

some of the tales, Girl Power!
Ocean's 11 + ASOIAF

2
There is a barrier that marks the territory of the
Fae as opposed to the territory of humans.
Feyre, having unwittingly stolen from a beast of
the fae, crosses over that barrier. There begins
an adventure she never could have imagined.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (and

series)

Sarah J Maas

Sarah J.

Maas

Olivia Friedman

Fantasy

YA

Beauty and the Beast,

TamLin and Fairies, the Fae

Daughter of the Forest

Juliet Marillier

Juliet

Mariller

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

Adult

Fairytales, dark themes

1
2

A Song of Ice and Fire

George RR Martin

Pern series (start with Dragon Flight) Anne McCaffery

George RR
Anne

Martin
McCaffery

Miriam Sokolow

Epic Fantasy

Adult

LOTR but with more pain and

sex

Chaya Ceitlin

Science Fiction
Fantasy

Adult

dragons

1
3

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

Cormac

McCarthy

Apocalyptic
Rebecca Klempner horror/SF

firmly adult

horror with solid

characterization, who don't
scare easily. (Parts gave me
nightmares.)

The Blue Sword

Robin McKinley

Robin

McKinley

Rebecca Klempner High fantasy

YA

Elantris

Sunshine

Robin McKinley

Robin

McKinley

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

Adult

Vampires and baking

Spindle's End

Robin Mckinley

Robin

McKinley

Chaya Ceitlin

Fantasy

YA

Sleeping beauty

Vorkosigan Saga
The Lunar Chronicles (Four books)

Lois McMaster Bujold Lois

Marissa Meyer

Marissa

McMaster Bujold
Meyer

Serena Cohen
Michal Schick

SF
SF/Fairytale

Adult

Sci-fi adventure, space romp,

clever plotting, fun characters

YA

Fairytale retellings and

SPACE

1
Abel is the school drug dealer. But he also
retains an incredible, perfect gift of telling
fairytales. Anna is attracted to him...falling
heartbreakingly in love with him. But who is
Abel really? And can Anna survive that
knowledge?

The Storyteller

Antonia Michaelis

Antonia

Michaelis

Olivia Friedman

YA

YA/Adult

Dark Fairytales, Inequity,

Love

Perdido Street Station

China Mieville

China

Mieville

Miriam Sokolow

Weird Fantasy

Adult

Urban fantasy, HP Lovecraft,

total chaos and madness

Un Lun Dun

China Mieville

China

Mieville

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

cliches inverted

When the "Choisi" - the Chosen One - refuses

to save the world, her sidekick steps in.

Railsea

China Mieville

China

Mieville

Rebecca Klempner Weird Fantasy

YA

truly weird, yet strangely

poetic prose

Futuristic Retelling of Moby Dick

Adult

Comic books, dark themes,

deconstructions

Adult

Magic, romance, beautiful

imagery

A circus appears in the middle of the night

without warning. It is the dueling ground for 2
young magicians being taught in 2 different
2 ways (old school/new school).

Adult

time-travel paradoxes, nonchronological storytelling

1
When the Dead come back to tamper with the
world of the living, only an Abhorsen can lead
2 them back.

Watchmen

Alan Moore

Alan

Moore

Miriam Sokolow

Superheroes

The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern

Erin

Morgenstern

Jaimie Ballon

Fantasy

The Time-Traveler's Wife

Audrey Niffenegger

Audrey

Niffenegger

Rebecca Klempner SF

Abhorsen series

Garth Nix

Garth

Nix

Rebecca Klempner Epic Fantasy

YA

Elantris

Newt's Emerald

Garth Nix

Garth

Nix

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

Regency era, spunky

heroines

Starglass

Phoebe North

Phoebe

North

Rebecca Klempner SF

YA

dystopian YA with serious

issues to ponder

Uprooted

Naomi Novick

Naomi

Novick

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

Fairytales (Russian)
Adult

Napoleanic Wars AND

DRAGONS

YA

retellings of mythology,
historical figures

Temeraire

Naomi Novick

Naomi

Novick

Michal Schick

Alternate
History/Fantasy

Chronicles of the Imaginarium

Geographica

James A. Owen

James

Owen

Davida Kollmar

fantasy

Wee Free Men

Terry Pratchett

Terry

Pratchett

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy/humor

YA

The Enchanted Forest

Chronicles, but over 14 y o.

The Hot Zone

Richard Preston

Richard

Preston

Michal Schick

Non-Fiction

Adult

Ebola and tension

Dragon Prince series

Melanie Rawn

Melanie

Rawn

Chaya Ceitlin

Fantasy

Adult

Railhead

Philip Reeve

Philip

Reeve

Rebecca Klempner SF

YA

Trains and maybe those who

like China Mieville, but toned
down a bit

Young thief in the distant future is proposed an

offer he can't refuse - to impersonate a cousin
to an interplanetary ruler and steal a family
heirloom. But his travels on the space railway
teach him more than he ever expected.
Three kingdoms have one destiny when united
by a forceful king. While most of the kingdom
might be willing to just stand by, 4
teenagers/young adults are drawn into the
desperate fight for the kingdom and to each
other.

Falling Kingdoms series (currently 4

books but ongoing)
Morgan Rhodes

Morgan

Rhodes

Estee Kahn

Fantasy

YA

game of thrones, magic,

some romance, palaces,
multiple main characters

Name of the Wind

Patrick

Rothfuss

Miriam Sokolow

Epic Fantasy

Adult

Game of Thrones, Outlander

Patrick Rothfuss

Secular Jews take off for the stars and have

misadventures en route.

Riftwar Sage

Raymond E. Feist

Riftwar

Sage

Chaya Ceitlin

Fantasy

Adults

Fantasy, amazing fantasy.

Read it in order (there are a
lot of books but worth it)

Way of Kings

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon

Sanderson

Miriam Sokolow

Epic Fantasy

Adult

Name of the Wind

Mistborn Trilogy

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon

Sanderson

Miriam Sokolow

Epic Fantasy

15 and up

Brandon Sanderson novels

Elantris

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon

Sanderson

Rebecca Klempner Epic Fantasy

The Blue Sword, The Hero

Teen and adult and the Crown

Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon

Sanderson

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

wisecracking, selfdeprecating narrators

Warbreaker

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon

Sanderson

Elana Horowitz

Adult

Gorgeous magic with a vast

world and connecting stories.

Middle grade
and up

Harry Potter, Alcatraz,

Bartimaeous

The Rithmatist

Old Man's War

Brandon Sanderson

John Scalzi

Brandon

John

Sanderson

Scalzi

Fantasy

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

Rebecca Klempner SF

adult

1
After living in one foster home after another,
Alcatraz learns he's just visiting this world, the
Shadowlands, which is run by Evil Librarians.
As fun and light as the story is, the best parts
of the series are when then narrator breaks into
a rant about writing and writers and so on.
Contains outstanding writing about writing.
2

People don't want to risk their lives to go to war,

yet humans are under alien threat. Solution?
Give old people the chance to be young again.
In return for their young cyborg bodies, they
agree to go into battle.

hard science fiction, military

fiction

The low level crew members on the Starship

Intrepid begins to realize that (1) every Away
Mission involves some kind of lethal
confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ships
senior officers always survive these
confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked
crew member is killed. They realize something
1 is very wrong with their universe.

Redshirts

John Scalzi

John

Scalzi

Science Fiction
Rachel Lockerman Fantasy

Adult

Star Trek, Deconstruction,

Humor

Fuzzy Nation

John Scalzi

John

Scalzi

Rebecca Klempner SF

YA

Old-fashioned sci-fi from the

'40s - '60s.

A Darker Shade of Magic series

Victoria (or V.E.)

Schwab

Victoria

Schwab

Elana Horowitz

YA/Adult

A darker take on the fantasy

genre; Dimensional traveling

Vicious

Victoria (or V.E.)

Schwab

Victoria

Schwab

Elana Horowitz

Urban Sci-fi

Adult/YA

Anti-hero story with revenge

and other dark themes.

Magic Lost Trouble Found (Rain

Benares series)

Lisa Shearin

Lisa

Shearin

Elana Horowitz

Fantasy

Adult

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Mary

Shelley

Miriam Sokolow

SF

Adult

Science fiction, sad things,

epistolary novels

McKinley's Beauty and

Spindle's End

Fantasy

The Safe-Keeper's Secret series

Sharon Shinn

Sharon

Shinn

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

Crown Duel

Sherwood Smith

Sherwood

Smith

Davida Kollmar

YA

Station Eleven
Bartimaeous Trilogy

Emily St. John

Mandel

Emily

St. John Mandel

fantasy

Rebecca Klempner Apocalyptic SF

adult

Fine writing, lots of

characterization with deep
empathy, dystopia

YA

Footnotes and mythology

YA

Harry Potter, Jonathan

Strange

Ghosts are haunting England. Only the young

2 can see them - and fight them.

Insane worldbuilding, magic,

amazing prose

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy/Alternate
history

Stroud

Michal Schick

Modern
Fantasy/Horror

Lanie

Taylor

Michal Schick

Modern
Fantasy/Mythology YA/Adult

JRR

Tolkien

Miriam Sokolow

Epic Fantasy

Cathrynne M Valente Cathrynne M

Valente

Miriam Sokolow

SF

Adult

Ray Bradbury

Cathrynne M Valente Cathrynne M

Valente

Miriam Sokolow

Fantasy

Adult

1001 Nights, mythology

Fairytales

Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan

Lockwood & Co. series (Currently

four books)

Jonathan Stroud

Jonathan

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Trilogy

Lanie Taylor

Lord of the Rings

JRR Tolkein

Radiance
The Orphan's Tales

Stroud

Three Good Deeds

Vivian Vande Velde

Vivian

Vande Velde

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

Middle Grade
and up

Dragon's Bait

Vivian Vande Velde

Vivian

Vande Velde

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

dragons

City of Saints and Madmen

Jeff Vandermeer

Jeff

Vandermeer

Miriam Sokolow

Adult

Urban fantasy, total chaos

and madness

Weird Fantasy

The most accessible Scalzi for those who favor

old-fashioned, clean classic sci-fi.

The Southern Reach Trilogy

Smoke

Jeff Vandermeer

Dan Vyleta

Jeff

Dan

Vandermeer

Hillary Teichman

SF

Adult

Dystopian/Fantasy YA/Adult

Craziness. Science. Lady

Scientists. Apocalyptica.
Aliens? Reading books before
they get made into movie
franchises

Dystopias, Victorian-era
London, Magic as reality,
books that make you think

In an alternate Victorian England, the upper

crust are separated from the peons by the
visible indication of their "good deeds." Poor
people release smoke when they're naughty.
The holy haughty are clean. Or are they?
Golem without a master and genie without a
master both roam 1890-ish NYC until they meet
2 each other.

Vyleta

Hillary Teichman

adult

Jewish mythology, Arabian

Nights

The Golem and the Jinni

Helene Wecker

Helene

Wecker

Urban Fantasy
Rebecca Klempner w/historical twist

The Martian

Andy Weir

Andy

Weir

Rebecca Klempner SF

Adult

Grounded science fiction,

technically accurate details

Astronaut gets stranded on Mars after a

1 catastrophic accident. How will he get home?

The Queen's Thief Series (Currently

four books)
Megan Whalen Turner Megan

Whalen Turner

Michal Schick

Historical fantasy

YA

Greek myth and tricksters

Black Out/All Clear

Connie Willis

Connie

Willis

Miriam Sokolow

Historical SF

Adult/YA

Time travel and history

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Patricia Wrede

Patricia

Wrede

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

YA

Tamora Pierce, Diana Wynne

Jones, rebellious princesses

Adult

Scientology, modern mythmaking

YA

The Enchanted Forest

Chronicles

If you like books that make

you think, I highly
recommend this book and
this author

Going Clear

Lawrence Wright

Lawrence

Wright

Michal Schick

Non-Fiction

Howl's Moving Castle

Diana Wynne Jones

Diana

Wynne Jones

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

Fire and Hemlock

Diana Wynne Jones

Diana

Wynne Jones

Chaya Ceitlin

Fantasy/alternate
reality

YA/Adult

Dalemark Quartet

Dianna Wynne Jones Diana

Wynne Jones

Yael Schick

Fantasy

Middle Grade

The Monstrumologist

Rick Yancy

Rick

Yancy

Michal Schick

Historical Horror

YA/Adult

Monsters, science, the

1800's

The Ghost Bride

Choo Yangsze

Choo

Yangsze

Rebecca Klempner Fantasy

Adult

Asian fantasy

The Shadow of the Wind (and series) Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Amber Series

Roger Zelazny

Carlos Ruiz

Roger

Zafon

Zelazny

Olivia Friedman

Aviya Amir

Cross between
fiction and fantasy
(note: translated
from original
Spanish)
Adult

Fantasy

Adult

The Phantom of the Opera,

Les Mis, Gothic

I don't have the right words to describe this but I

will say it hurt my heart and left me thinking. A
book that lives on in my mind.

political intrigue, interesting

worldbuilding, slightly dark,
weird because it's Zelazny

Corwin wakes up in a mental hospital, to realize

that he is actually a prince of Amber, the true
land of which all other realms are shadows. He
gets tied up in the machinations of his siblings
for the throne, recently vacated by their father.