Why am I passionate about this?

I never wrote anything longer than a 5-minute song before I was forty-five years old! My life has been spent on the road as a performing songwriter, dancing and playing, and (after our own twins were born) teaching kids to do the same. But one night I woke up from a dream I couldn’t wrangle into song length, and by the end of the day, I had written four chapters of The Locke Box. I naturally wrote songs as I wrote the book. I got curious about who else was doing that. So here’s a short list…


I wrote

The Locke Box

By Jennifer Daniels,

Book cover of The Locke Box

What is my book about?

Family is where you find it when a bizarre car crash leaves two strangers to care for an orphaned baby,…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Past Tense

Jennifer Daniels Why did I love this book?

The Jack Reacher series is full of action and intrigue. Readers enjoy the hero’s bad attitude and quirky sense of humor. This particular book digs into Jack’s past when he visits his dad’s hometown only to learn that no Reacher has ever lived there. The reason it made this particular “top five best” list is because of a cool, corresponding roots-rock album written by the author and Baltimore based band Naked Blue. The album, Just the Clothes on My Back, will fascinate Jack Reacher fans who are sure to get some inside jokes and remember scenes from the novels.

By Lee Child,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Past Tense as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

JACK REACHER NEVER LOOKS BACK . . . UNTIL NOW.

The most hotly anticipated thriller of the year follows our hero Jack Reacher on a quest into his father's past, and climaxes in the most blood-curdling ticking time bomb of an adventure yet.

The present can be tense . . .

A young couple trying to get to New York City are stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. Before long they're trapped in an ominous game of life and death.

But the past can be worse . . .

Meanwhile, Jack Reacher sets out on an…


Book cover of A Theatre for Dreamers

Jennifer Daniels Why did I love this book?

Get lost on the Greek Isle of Hydra among an artistic commune of Bohemian proportion. The year is 1960. One of the characters in the book is real-life songwriter Leonard Cohen, who actually lived on the island at the time. Author Polly Samson and legendary songwriter/instrumentalist David Gilmour wrote the song Yes I Have Ghosts which is a line from the book. In an interview with American Songwriter, Samson said while she was writing the book, she wandered through a cemetery asking questions of her characters. She asked, “Do you believe in ghosts?” And one of her characters responded, “Yes I have ghosts. Not all of them are dead.”

By Polly Samson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Theatre for Dreamers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Delicious' Nigella Lawson
'Clever and beguiling' Guardian
'Sublime and immersive' Jojo Moyes

Erica is eighteen and ready for freedom. It's the summer of 1960 when she lands on the sun-baked Greek island of Hydra where she is swept up in a circle of bohemian poets, painters, musicians, writers and artists, living tangled lives. Life on their island paradise is heady, dream-like, a string of seemingly endless summer days. But nothing can last forever.

'A surefire summer hit ... At once a blissful piece of escapism and a powerful meditation on art and sexuality' Observer
'Heady armchair…


Book cover of East of Eden

Jennifer Daniels Why did I love this book?

First released in 1952, East of Eden has become part of the American conscious. Maybe I should say conscience. It explores the free will of humans to bestow life and to steal it away. The Hebrew word “timshel” interested Steinbeck. It is one God spoke to Cain in the Biblical story of the first murder when Cain killed his own brother. Depending on the translation, God was saying that Cain would be able to conquer his urge to sin, or that he does not have the power of free will, that he must sin. The Irish band Mumford and Sons wrote the song Timshel in reaction to this iconic book.

By John Steinbeck,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked East of Eden as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

California's fertile Salinas Valley is home to two families whose destinies are fruitfully, and fatally, intertwined. Over the generations, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of the First World War, the Trasks and the Hamiltons will helplessly replay the fall of Adam and Eve and the murderous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

East of Eden was considered by Steinbeck to be his magnum opus, and its epic scope and memorable characters, exploring universal themes of love and identity, ensure it remains one of America's most enduring novels. This edition features a stunning new cover by renowned…


Book cover of The Poop Song

Jennifer Daniels Why did I love this book?

The Poop Song is a picture book with downloadable music. Eric Litwin is the master of preschool story structure (think Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes, also a musical book). After Eric married his lovely wife, a pediatric gastroenterologist, she convinced him of the need for a good poop song. So there you go. Super, playful illustrations by Claudia Boldt.

By Eric Litwin, Claudia Boldt (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A satisfyingly silly picture book sing-along about pooping-a topic kids find hilarious and parents find necessary!

Discover how cats, pelicans, space aliens, and even dinosaurs poop in this rollicking, rhyming verse that's sure to elicit giggles. With plenty of hilarious pictures and a catchy chorus that encourages young children to use the toilet, this laugh-out-loud story is the go-to potty training book that every family needs.

* A playful approach to potty training
* Full of humor that is silly, not disgusting
* From the bestselling author of Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes

Everybody's pooping all day…


Book cover of The Free Brontosaurus

Jennifer Daniels Why did I love this book?

David Berkeley, a singer/songwriter, wrote this book of short stories, each one connected because the minor characters in one story are the major characters in another. David wrote a song for each story from the character’s point of view. The music album is called Cardboard Boat and you can find it on his homepage.

The Free Brontosaurus made this list because Berkeley's creative genius knows no bounds. He has been prolific in words and music for decades while raising a family and traveling the world. This particular work, with its interconnected set of characters, explores beauty and gratitude in unlikely circumstances.

By David Berkeley,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Free Brontosaurus is a novella comprising ten interweaving stories, complete with an accompanying album of ten songs. All set in the same fictional city, at the same moment in time, minor characters in one story are major characters in another. It is a bit like Olive Kitteridge, if reimagined by Miranda July. These are gently written narratives of isolation, describing characters disconnected from home and community. The book is full of dark humor, sadness, and glimmers of joy. Ultimately, the characters' abilities to find beauty in the bizarre connect and redeem them, offering the characters (and us) hope. The…


Explore my book 😀

The Locke Box

By Jennifer Daniels,

Book cover of The Locke Box

What is my book about?

Family is where you find it when a bizarre car crash leaves two strangers to care for an orphaned baby, a pregnant cat, and the key to a mystery that hits close to home. Sensual but clean, suspenseful but cozy, funny, and endearing. For your next best love story, open The Locke Box. The corresponding music album, Songs from The Locke Box, fleshes out the story in musical snapshots from the character's point of view and is available at my website.

Book cover of Past Tense
Book cover of A Theatre for Dreamers
Book cover of East of Eden

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Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Heather's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish soul who’s as likely to go off the rails as Mother Theresa. Secondly, I’m not the only one on her trail; she’s also being tracked by the implacable and oh-so-sexy Inspector Stone. Stone…

By Heather G. Harris,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time.

I’m Jinx. As a private investigator, being a walking, talking lie detector is a useful skill – but let’s face it, it’s not normal. You’d think it would make my job way too easy, but even with my weird skills, I still haven’t been able to track down my parent’s killers.

When I’m hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar – yet my gut tells me there’s more to this case than a party girl gone wild. Firstly, she’s a bookish…


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