I have very eclectic reading tastes; the books I choose to give my time to are united by only two simple requirements: the writing has to be excellent, and the characters have to live and breathe in my heart and mind. As a former high school English teacher, nothing delights me more than recommending brilliant books to hungry readers. And as an author, it’s an honor to pay homage to some of the authors that have served as guides and teachers while providing me with hours of entertainment. Happy reading!
I love myths re-imagined, and this is the best I’ve ever read. Circe, the enchantress of Homer’s Odyssey, comes to vivid life in this novel. She is so real, so flawed, and in the end, so admirable. There is nothing noble about divinity in this re-telling – the gods, whether Olympian or Titan, are treacherous and often despicable. With that in mind, watching Circe struggle against her own divinity throughout her long life, watching her humanity grow and develop, is deeply moving. This is the kind of book you read more and more slowly as the end nears, and I finished it in tears. Beautiful!
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens…
A historical fiction that recounts real events and people in Scottish history, this story is told through two main characters: Corrag, a young woman accused of witchcraft, and Charles Leslie, the man who wants to question her as one of the few surviving witnesses of the Massacre of Glencoe. And from there, this gorgeous novel rapidly leaves the mundane world behind. Rich in sensory detail and herbal lore, the author evokes a time and a place so vividly the Scottish countryside bloomed in my mind like a flower. One character evolved as the other revealed her truth, in a story that satisfied not just my senses, but my heart. Even now, years after my first reading of this book, I find myself thinking about Corrag, about her innocence and wisdom. She is as alive in my heart and mind as a real-life friend.
The new novel from Susan Fletcher, author of the bestselling 'Eve Green' and 'Oystercatchers'.
1692. Corrag, a wild young girl from the mountains of Scotland, has been imprisoned as a witch. Terrified, in a cold, filthy cell, she awaits her fate of death by burning - until she is visited by Charles Leslie, a young Irishman, hungry to question her. For Corrag knows more than it seems: she was witness to the bloody and brutal Massacre of Glencoe.
But to reveal what she knows, Corrag demands a chance to tell her true story. It is a tale of passion and…
I recommend this zombie book to everyone who hates zombie books. (Side note: I introduce my own novels to people as “Post-apocalyptic. No Zombies.”) Skillfully told from multiple points of view, the characters are faceted and complex, even the cold-as-ice scientist I wanted to simply hate but just couldn’t. Melanie, the “girl” of the title, is both endearing and terrifying, the science is plausible and interesting, and the plot twists just keep on coming. If you can’t take one more Walking Dead knock-off, this is definitely a book worth giving your time to.
'ORIGINAL, THRILLING AND POWERFUL' - Guardian 'HAUNTING, HEARTHBREAKING' - Vogue The phenomenal million-copy bestseller that is also a BAFTA Award-nominated movie
NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING
Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh.
Melanie is a very special girl.
Emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end, THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS is the…
Fantasy at its best, with magic used to wage war between kingdoms and an epic pace that never lets up. Emily, the main character, is hopelessly out of her depth and manages to be kick-ass anyway – I just love a heroine I can admire. I also love the political and sociological nuances in this book – nothing is black and white, and I appreciate the complexity of the issues and feelings the characters grapple with. And though I usually skim battle and/or fight scenes, I read these word-for-word, the pacing was that good. A delicious escape!
Shortlisted for the 2016 British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel.
Guns of the Dawn is a pacey, gripping fantasy of war and magic, from Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky.
The first casualty of war is truth . . .
First, Denland's revolutionaries assassinated their king, launching a wave of bloodshed after generations of peace. Next they clashed with Lascanne, their royalist neighbour, pitching war-machines against warlocks in a fiercely fought conflict.
Genteel Emily Marshwic watched as the hostilities stole her family's young men. But then came the call for yet more Lascanne soldiers in a ravaged kingdom…
Of all the “classic” post-apocalyptic novels, this is by far my favorite. Originally published in 1979, it remains on nearly every “best of the genre” list I’ve read. Unforgettable characters struggle to survive in a brutal post-pandemic world, with supernatural and biblical themes running throughout. I’ve read this book at least three times since I first discovered it in the ’90s, and to this day, Mother Abigail is one of my favorite literary characters. I love the way King tells a story, with both unflinching realism and great hope. I studied dozens of novels in the post-apocalyptic genre as I worked to write my own trilogy, and this one, by far, had the greatest impact on me as an author. This book will always have a place on my bookshelves.
Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by virus and tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil remains as riveting and eerily plausible as when it was first published.
Soon to be a television series.
'THE STAND is a masterpiece' (Guardian). Set in a virus-decimated US, King's thrilling American fantasy epic, is a Classic.
First come the days of the virus. Then come the dreams.
Dark dreams that warn of the coming of the dark man. The apostate of death, his worn-down boot heels tramping the night roads. The warlord of the charnel house and Prince of…
What would you do to survive, if life as we know it ended? What should you do, to protect yourself and your family? Naomi sees her first corpse in a Colorado Springs grocery store, but it won’t be her last. With devastating speed, a plague sweeps the world. Those who survive are different, profoundly so, in ways they are just beginning to comprehend. As Naomi struggles to protect and reunite what’s left of her family, she must also learn to understand and accept the changes in herself. In this strange new world, her survival, and the survival of those she loves, depends on it. This novel, the first in a completed trilogy, is “...a whole new spin on the apocalyptic/dystopian genre.”
This book (and its sequels) are about overcoming the odds; about learning to improve the skills and abilities you have, rather than dwelling on what you can't do. Conflict, plague, and scheming politicians are all featured along the way–but none of the characters are human!
When a plague kills half the Drax population, and leaves the hatchlings of the survivors with a terrible deformity – no wings – suspicion and prejudice follow. Continuously harassed by raids from their traditional enemies, the Koth, the Drax are looking for someone, or something, to blame.
Zarda, an apprentice Fate-seer, is new to her role and unsure of her own abilities; but the death of her teacher sees her summoned by the Drax Prime, Kalis, when his heir, Dru, emerges from his shell without wings.
A vision that Dru will one day defeat the Koth is enough to keep…
