The best books that will immerse you into another time and place

Why am I passionate about this?

Escape to the past and have a blast is definitely my motto as a Canadian young adult author. With a penchant for escapism fiction, I’ve always loved books that pull me into different places and adverse time periods. Enter time traveling and original storytelling. Legends, myths, and mysteries of the unexplained thrill me. A lover of anything arcane and ancient mysteries, I delve into our written past to give my fiction the facts I need to immerse readers into my imaginary universe—one book at a time.


I wrote...

The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis

By Sharon Ledwith,

Book cover of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis

What is my book about?

When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown backyard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Outlander

Sharon Ledwith Why did I love this book?

If you’ve never heard of Outlander, then my friend, you must’ve been hiding under a rock for the last twenty years. Author Diana Gabaldon weaves an incredible time travel love story that spans three hundred years, with a proposed ten-book series. Filled with mouth-watering descriptions and unforgettable characters, the story begins post-World War Two, as protagonist Claire Randall falls through an ancient standing stone she discovers while vacationing with her husband in Scotland. Unaware that she has arrived in the eighteenth century, Claire is caught in a web of treachery between the Scots and English, and somehow must survive to get back to the standing stone and return home to her century. What Claire doesn’t count on is falling in love with young Scotsman Jamie Fraser, who will do everything in his power to keep her safe, and keep his word to not only his clan, but to her. 

By Diana Gabaldon,

Why should I read it?

33 authors picked Outlander as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.

One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBS’s The Great American Read!
 
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and…


Book cover of The Time Keeper

Sharon Ledwith Why did I love this book?

After reading The Time Keeper, I found Albom truly has a gift for words. He has a unique brand of storytelling, which made this book flow easily. The tale is original and inspirational. At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to read Albom’s prose, but soon I found that I couldn’t put it down. I’d get to the end of one chapter, then was hooked into the next one. Although Albom’s spiritual convictions shine through, he’s not preachy, and leaves room for his readers’ imagination to percolate throughout the story. I loved the way certain myths were introduced into the mix—the Tower of Babel and Father Time—to give the story an air of familiarity. All and all, this book is worth the investment of your time, whether on vacation or cozying up on the couch at home.

By Mitch Albom,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Time Keeper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author who's inspired millions worldwide with books like Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven comes his most imaginative novel yet, The Time Keeper--a compelling fable about the first man on Earth to count the hours.

The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's exceptional work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years.

Eventually, with his…


Book cover of Unintended

Sharon Ledwith Why did I love this book?

This hilarious Shakespearean-style romantic romp hooked me from the moment the main character, Kenzie en Shareed marries the wrong guy. Filled with faux pas from the get-go, I found the cast of Unintended trying to right wrongs in the most hysterical and sometimes disturbing ways. I also loved the way the pair of imaginative authors created their fantasy world of Ismera. Sprinkled with the nostalgic feeling of Old World Scotland and Britain, coupled with their use of modern-day language to bridge the gap of the past and present, readers of this type of genre (think Outlander meets a Shakespearean comedy) won’t be disappointed. This tale ends with a few surprises, leaving me feeling satisfied and ready for the next sojourn to Ismera.

By Justine Alley Dowsett, Murandy Damodred, Sara Biddle (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Unintended as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Everything happens for a reason... Four people. Four very different lives. Four tales interwoven. Meet Kenzie en Shareed, the High Clan Chief's daughter who is sent south to fulfill a treaty by marriage only to marry the wrong man; Kadrean Authier, the Crown Prince who must come to terms with his new bride, even if he doesn't much like the idea; Garron D'Arbonne, a noble Lord who has been commanded to marry a cool and aloof princess he doesn't love; and Vivianne Chappelle, a young and ambitious woman who is in love with her abusive father's manservant and must find…


Book cover of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Sharon Ledwith Why did I love this book?

Riordan had me at Norse mythology. Love it! Written in the usual tongue-in-cheek humor I’m used to with the author’s style, I loved the way he rebranded Norse myths to fit into the young adult genre he’s so famous for writing. It begins as homeless Magnus Chase (cousin to Annabeth from The Lightning Thief) is plucked from the real world (he literally dies) and taken to Hotel Valhalla, where he’s put through the gantlet over and over again (and dies many times in the process) until he teams up with an unlikely (and likable) diverse cast of characters who embark on a journey to recover his birthright—the Sword of Summer. However, what Magnus doesn’t count on is finding out the truth about who he really is, and his place in Asgard. 

By Rick Riordan,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

All three books in the best-selling Magnus Chase trilogy, collected in a gift-worthy paperback boxed set.
Magnus Chase, a once-homeless teen, is on a death-defying quest across the Norse realms, literally.
As a resident of the Hotel Valhalla, this son of the god Frey is now one of Odin's chosen warriors.
Magnus and his friends, Hearthstone the elf, Blitzen the dwarf, Samirah the Valkyrie, and other heroic characters must use all their wits and special talents in order to defeat fearsome giants, lethal creatures, and meddlesome gods in order stave off Ragnarok.
"A whirlwind of myth, action, and wry sarcasm,…


Book cover of Fifteen Dogs

Sharon Ledwith Why did I love this book?

Imagine a bet between the Greek gods Hermes and Apollo who both agree to grant human intelligence to a group of dogs staying overnight in a veterinary clinic. The wager? If the dogs end up more unhappy than humans with their newfound consciousness, then Hermes must bow to a year of servitude to Apollo. The catch? When the dogs find they’re more capable of complex thought, the pack is split between the old ‘dog’ ways, and those who embrace the change. Not used to human thoughts and feelings, the dogs become divided while struggling between their old familiar world and a strange new one. Though I found this fantasy novel disturbing at times, Alexis proves that you can indeed teach an old genre new tricks.

By André Alexis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fifteen Dogs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize

Finalist for the 2015 Toronto Book Awards

Winner of the 2015 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

"[Alexis] devises an inventive romp through the nature of humanity in this beautiful, entertaining read ... A clever exploration of our essence, communication, and how our societies are organized." - Kirkus Reviews

"This might be the best set-up of the spring." - The Globe & Mail

"Andre Alexis has established himself as one of our preeminent voices." - Toronto Star

- I wonder, said Hermes, what it would be like if animals had human intelligence.
- I'll…


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The Flower Queen: A 1970's Suspense Romance

By Kay Freeman,

Book cover of The Flower Queen: A 1970's Suspense Romance

Kay Freeman Author Of Hitman's Honey

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Retired art professor Tequila aficionado Weightlifter Owned by Standard Poodle Blues lover

Kay's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

It began with a dying husband, and it ended in a dynasty.

It took away her husband’s pain on his deathbed, kept her from losing the family farm, gave her the power to build a thriving business, but it’s illegal to grow in every state in the country in 1978.

It even brings her first love from high school back; the only problem is that he works for the FBI. Will their occupations implode their romance, or will the opposite happen?

A second chance at love, opposites attract, rags to riches heroine trope story.

The Flower Queen: A 1970's Suspense Romance

By Kay Freeman,

What is this book about?

It began with a dying husband and it ended in a dynasty.

It took away her husband’s pain on his deathbed, kept her from losing the family farm, gave her the power to build a thriving business, but it’s illegal to grow in every state in the country in 1978. It even brings her first love from high school back; the only problem he works for the FBI. Will their occupations implode their romance or will the opposite happen? A second chance at love, opposites attract , rags to riches heroine trope story.


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11,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Norse mythology, time travel, and presidential biography.

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