Why am I passionate about this?

I love great storytelling, whether it’s in the form of a great mystery, romance, science fiction/fantasy, or non-fiction. I even love a story well told through the medium of television (I see you, The Good Place!). The books on this list are books I’ve read and loved and/or used as research to write my own series of dog-based cozy mysteries.


I wrote

A Nose for Mischief

By K.T. Lee,

Book cover of A Nose for Mischief

What is my book about?

When materials engineer Zoey Butler lands her dream job at Future State Energy, she believes her research will contribute to…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Short History of Nearly Everything

K.T. Lee Why did I love this book?

The spine on my copy of A Short History of Nearly Everything is well-worn from all of the times it’s been opened. Bill Bryson strikes a conversational tone with the reader about the history of the earth, taking them on an entertaining tour through scientific discovery, adding a big helping of humor and human-interest stories along the way. This is my go-to for a relaxing read that teaches me something too!

By Bill Bryson,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked A Short History of Nearly Everything as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The ultimate eye-opening journey through time and space, A Short History of Nearly Everything is the biggest-selling popular science book of the 21st century and has sold over 2 million copies.

'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist
'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' Guardian
'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide' The Times

Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays safely at home he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything is his quest to…


Book cover of Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win

K.T. Lee Why did I love this book?

I picked up this book when I was hoping to learn more about the life of Navy SEALs while I was writing a character with this background. In addition to gaining this knowledge, I also found an incredibly interesting narrative mixed in with solid business and life advice. I have lost track of how many times I’ve recommended this read for people hoping to improve their management skills or people who are interested in learning more about this difficult job.

By Jocko Willink, Leif Babin,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Extreme Ownership as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Highly decorated Navy SEALs, now successful businessmen, show readers how to lead and win in business and in life with principles learned on the battlefield. In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin share hard-hitting, Navy SEAL combat stories that translate into lessons for business and life. With riveting first-hand accounts of making high-pressure decisions as Navy SEAL battlefield leaders, this book is equally gripping for leaders who seek to dominate other arenas. Jocko and Leif served together in SEAL Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated Special Operations unit from the war in Iraq. Their efforts contributed to the…


Book cover of Soldier Dogs

K.T. Lee Why did I love this book?

A book about dogs who help protect soldiers had my attention before I even cracked it open. Soldier Dogs is exactly as advertised—Goodavage details how dogs are trained, the bonds that handlers form with their canine partners, and some of the challenges associated with the difficult job these dogs do. This book was an interesting and informative read for anyone curious about the lives of working K-9s and their handlers.

By Maria Goodavage,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A leading reporter offers a tour of military working dogs' extraordinary training, heroic accomplishments, and the lasting impacts they have on those who work with them.

People all over the world have been riveted by the story of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who was a part of the Navy SEAL team that led the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. A dog's natural intelligence, physical abilities, and pure loyalty contribute more to our military efforts than ever before. You don't have to be a dog lover to be fascinated by the idea that a dog-the cousin of that furry guy…


Book cover of What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

K.T. Lee Why did I love this book?

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if the sun went out or if you could create a jetpack by firing machine guns into the ground, this is the book for you. And if you haven’t ever wondered these things before, but are wondering now, this book may also be for you.

I do not think I am spoiling this hilariously educational book by letting you know that the answers to the absurd hypothetical questions in this book range from the mundane to the catastrophic. You may find yourself enjoying the journey so much that you don’t notice that Munroe’s quick-witted stick figures are also teaching you some pretty advanced scientific concepts!

By Randall Munroe,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked What If? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask.

Millions visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. Fans ask him a lot of strange questions: How fast can you hit a speed bump, driving, and live? When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British Empire? When will Facebook contain more profiles of dead people than living? How many humans would a T Rex rampaging through New York need to eat a day?

In pursuit of answers,…


Book cover of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

K.T. Lee Why did I love this book?

Mary Roach has a sharp wit and the talent to make non-fiction read like fiction and Fuzz was no exception. Roach takes the reader on a journey to better understand human/wildlife conflict by travelling around the world, introducing the reader to specialists managing bears digging in garbage and elephants eating crops. Most importantly, Roach explains what steps can be taken to help humans live more amicably alongside our animal neighbors.

By Mary Roach,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.

Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in…


Explore my book 😀

A Nose for Mischief

By K.T. Lee,

Book cover of A Nose for Mischief

What is my book about?

When materials engineer Zoey Butler lands her dream job at Future State Energy, she believes her research will contribute to the next big headline in renewable energy. Unfortunately for her, she’s right. While Zoey is working, FBI Special Agent Alexis Thompson and her K-9 partner, Waffle, lead a raid at Future State and arrest the head of the development for fraud. Zoey works with the FBI to find answers, but she soon finds herself jobless and unemployable. Desperate and out of options, she reaches out to Alexis, the one person who knows that Zoey was duped.

Zoey offers to go back to Future State to help the FBI to end things once and for all. However, the problems at Future State are more explosive than any of them suspect.

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No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

By Rona Simmons,

Book cover of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

Rona Simmons Author Of No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I come by my interest in history and the years before, during, and after the Second World War honestly. For one thing, both my father and my father-in-law served as pilots in the war, my father a P-38 pilot in North Africa and my father-in-law a B-17 bomber pilot in England. Their histories connect me with a period I think we can still almost reach with our fingertips and one that has had a momentous impact on our lives today. I have taken that interest and passion to discover and write true life stories of the war—focusing on the untold and unheard stories often of the “Average Joe.”

Rona's book list on World War II featuring the average Joe

What is my book about?

October 24, 1944, is not a day of national remembrance. Yet, more Americans serving in World War II perished on that day than on any other single day of the war.

The narrative of No Average Day proceeds hour by hour and incident by incident while focusing its attention on ordinary individuals—clerks, radio operators, cooks, sailors, machinist mates, riflemen, and pilots and their air crews. All were men who chose to serve their country and soon found themselves in a terrifying and otherworldly place.

No Average Day reveals the vastness of the war as it reaches past the beaches in…

No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944

By Rona Simmons,

What is this book about?

October 24, 1944, is not a day of national remembrance. Yet, more Americans serving in World War II perished on that day than on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, or on June 6, 1944, when the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, or on any other single day of the war. In its telling of the events of October 24, No Average Day proceeds hour by hour and incident by incident. The book begins with Army Private First-Class Paul Miller's pre-dawn demise in the Sendai #6B Japanese prisoner of war camp. It concludes with the death…


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