I’ve always loved wondrous, far-off places, and I’ve seen a few in my day. I grew up with a military father and so we lived all over the place, including Japan, and a few years in Germany. I’ve also toured around the world with the famous Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. In addition to being a writer, I’m also a public-school teacher, professional singer and actor, and father of three, which is quite the adventure itself. I have a degree in German teaching and two master’s degrees, one in instructional design, and the other in Educational Leadership. My life is full and happy because I never stop learning and never stop wondering what’s beyond the next horizon.
Brandon Sanderson is someone I’ve met and who lives in a nearby community here in Utah. It makes me think that if he managed to become so successful, then maybe I have a chance as well. I’ve always loved his books, and this one really turned me into a fan for life. He focuses so much on worldbuilding, delving into things like art, religion, and politics in a way that make his worlds come alive. This work has inspired my own by showing me how to do worldbuilding correctly. And it’s an amazingly fun and satisfying read, and the start of a blockbuster series.
Brandon Sanderson - the international phenomenon who finished the Wheel of Time sequence - introduces a fantasy trilogy which overturns the expectations of readers and goes on to tell the epic story of evil overturned in a richly imagined world.
A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash…
There are many books about the horrors of World War II, but none of them have inspired me so much as this account of a Dutch concentration camp survivor. It shows not only the horrible things that happened to her, but it shows how she overcame the terrible circumstances of her life to create many beautiful things. It shows her journey of faith and how she overcame her own hatred for her captors. I truly recommend this book to everyone.
It's World War II. Darkness has fallen over Europe as the Nazis spread hatred, fear and war across the globe. But on a quiet city corner in the Netherlands, one woman fights against the darkness.
In her quiet watchmaking shop, she and her family risk their lives to hide Jews, and others hunted by the Nazis, in a secret room, a "hiding place" that they built in the old building.
One day, however, Corrie and her family are betrayed. They're captured and sent to the notorious Nazi concentration camps to die. Yet even…
As a German teacher and WWII history buff, I loved this touching account of the good-hearted normal Germans who were so devastated by the war. It is told from the viewpoint character of Death and how even he is haunted by humans and their ability to transcend their circumstances. It is a story that has left a longstanding impression on me long after I read it.
'Life affirming, triumphant and tragic . . . masterfully told. . . but also a wonderful page-turner' Guardian 'Brilliant and hugely ambitious' New York Times 'Extraordinary' Telegraph ___
HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE
1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.
I love this book because it is one of the first ones that got me excited about reading fantasy fiction and eventually writing it. I think that on some level, I’ve always identified with Bilbo Baggins and his dilemma between wanting to stay safe and comfortable at home and wanting to find adventure in the wide world. It showed me that ordinary people can make a difference and that you have to go outside your comfort zone to reach your full potential.
Special collector's film tie-in hardback of the best-selling classic, featuring the complete story with a sumptuous cover design inspired by THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY and brand new reproductions of all the drawings and maps by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End.
But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey 'there and back again'. They have a plot to raid…
This book transports readers with some of the best worldbuilding around. Its plot is layered and satisfying and it has many parallels to our own society. It also laid the groundwork for many sci-fi epics to come and still holds up after all of this time. Not only that, but it is the basis for a whole series of books that cover vast swaths of time and space--exactly the kind of transportation sci-fi readers crave.
Before The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender's Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune: winner of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, and widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.
Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's lifespan to making interstellar travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis.
Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.
In a distant land, political upheaval shakes civilization. Poverty and corruption run rampant. Three great clans stand on the brink of war. The god Rahim has abandoned mankind. Azil the scholar enjoys a life of wealth and comfort while he studies the nature of Rahim. But uncovering long-hidden truths leads Azil to a mysterious woman who wants to do more than learn—she wants to change the world. Claiming to be a divine messenger, she promises Azil all the answers he is looking for if he helps her steal the sacred gems of Sustenance, which are guarded in forbidden fortresses across the land.
The gems are the key to restoring Rahim and ushering in a golden age for the world. But the journey will be treacherous; bloodthirsty bandits, floating cities, and ravenous mage wraiths bar the way. And even more troubling is the gems’ volatile magic—magic so strange and powerful it could turn its wielder into the darkest of villains.
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
