Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of time travel, especially how it can pull you into an entirely different timeline and make you question the choices that shape your life. As a reader, I’m drawn to stories where time travel isn’t just a plot device but a way to explore themes of fate, identity, and the consequences of our actions. Over the years, I’ve delved into countless books that do just that—books that transport me to worlds both familiar and entirely new. This list reflects my passion for time travel stories that not only entertain but make me think long after I’ve turned the last page.


I wrote...

Fifteen Postcards

By Kirsten McKenzie,

Book cover of Fifteen Postcards

What is my book about?

This is a time-travel adventure that takes antique shop owner Sarah Lester on a journey through history. When she discovers…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of 11/22/63

Kirsten McKenzie Why did I love this book?

This is my absolute favorite Stephen King novel and the time travel aspect takes it to the next level. I love how he blends historical intrigue with personal stakes in a way that makes every page gripping. The moral dilemmas the protagonist Jake faces as he attempts to change history resonated with me, and I couldn't put it down.

King creates suspense without sacrificing heart. For me, this isn't just a time travel story; it's about the cost of decisions, the intricacies of fate, and how the smallest action can alter everything. It's by far my favorite Stephen King novel and easily my top time travel read. I wish I could read it again for the first time!!!

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

18 authors picked 11/22/63 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now a major TV series from JJ Abrams and Stephen King, starring James Franco (Hulu US, Fox UK and Europe, Stan Australia, SKY New Zealand).

WHAT IF you could go back in time and change the course of history? WHAT IF the watershed moment you could change was the JFK assassination? 11.22.63, the date that Kennedy was shot - unless . . .

King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 - from a world of mobile phones and iPods to a new world of…


Book cover of Doomsday Book

Kirsten McKenzie Why did I love this book?

This is a time travel masterpiece that captivated me from start to finish (as did the sequel). I absolutely loved how she weaves historical detail with a gripping, emotional narrative. The way Willis paints 14th-century England during the Black Death felt incredibly real, and I was drawn into the protagonist’s journey as she struggled with the dangers of time travel and the weight of history.

What really hooked me was the balance between the personal stakes of the modern characters vs the villagers and the larger-than-life historical events. I found myself thinking about the book long after finishing it, which, to me, is the mark of a great read. And there were tears! Although in a book about the Black Plague, I should have expected that…

By Connie Willis,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Doomsday Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A tour de force" - New York Times Book Review

"Ambitious, finely detailed and compulsively readable" - Locus

"It is a book that feels fundamentally true; it is a book to live in" - Washington Post

For Kivrin Engle, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing a bullet-proof backstory. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and…


Ad

Book cover of Quoz: A Financial Thriller

Quoz By Mel Mattison,

It’s 2027. Rory O’Connor is the financial genius who helped create ICARUS, a quantum computer that controls the world’s stock markets with AI and algorithms. But Rory has recently suffered some tough breaks. He’s checked out of high finance and into a luxury Caribbean condo. After a former colleague finds…

Book cover of A Discovery of Witches

Kirsten McKenzie Why did I love this book?

This is a wonderful blend of magic, history, and romance that completely swept me away. I loved how Harkness created a world where science and magic coexist, and the way she weaves historical references into a modern love story stole my heart.

The relationship between Diana and Matthew feels real, complicated, and deeply emotional, and I found myself fully invested in their journey. What really hooked me was the rich world-building, with its intricate details of witches, vampires, and daemons, making it feel like a universe I could dive into again and again. This is an annual reread for me. Book 1 in a wonderful series.

By Deborah Harkness,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked A Discovery of Witches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.


Book cover of The Midnight Library

Kirsten McKenzie Why did I love this book?

This is a life-affirming read I won’t stop recommending. I loved how Haig explores the infinite possibilities of life and the choices we make, all within the imaginative concept of a library that holds alternate versions of our lives. The emotional depth of Nora’s journey really resonated, especially her search for meaning and self-acceptance.

This might be a middle-aged thing! It made me reflect on my own life choices, and I found myself feeling uplifted by the end. It is one of my top five books of all time.

By Matt Haig,

Why should I read it?

37 authors picked The Midnight Library as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year

"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."-The Washington Post

The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time and The Comfort Book.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of…


Ad

Book cover of Stormwalker Series Connections In Time Bain's Story Book 1

Stormwalker Series Connections In Time Bain's Story Book 1 By S.G. Boudreaux,

Finding Family, Discovery, Destiny. This is what nineteen-year-old Bain Brinley is searching for.

In his homeland, far in the mountains, he stepped into what he could only describe as a time-portal and landed in a strange land known as Egypt. Then he falls through another portal during a storm, only…

Book cover of Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Kirsten McKenzie Why did I love this book?

This is a beautiful story that captured my heart. I loved how the novel explores the concept of time travel, not with grand adventures, but through quiet, meaningful moments. The setting of the small café, where patrons can travel back in time, felt warm and comforting, and I was moved by the characters’ personal journeys as they sought closure or reconciliation.

The book shows the impact of small decisions and the importance of cherishing the present. You will need a box of tissues to read this one. If only I could visit the cafe to have a coffee with my dad.

By Toshikazu Kawaguchi,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Before the Coffee Gets Cold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*NOW AN LA TIMES BESTSELLER*

*OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD*

*AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER*

If you could go back in time, who would you want to meet?

In a small back alley of Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee—the chance to travel back in time.

Over the course of one summer, four customers visit the café in the hopes of making that journey. But time travel isn’t so simple, and there are rules that must be followed. Most…


Explore my book 😀

Fifteen Postcards

By Kirsten McKenzie,

Book cover of Fifteen Postcards

What is my book about?

This is a time-travel adventure that takes antique shop owner Sarah Lester on a journey through history. When she discovers a series of mysterious postcards, she is transported into the past, experiencing the lives of those who sent them. Each journey reveals secrets that connect Sarah to the past and raise questions about her place in both history and the present.

Blending historical fiction with mystery, this novel takes readers to Victorian England, colonial New Zealand, and British Raj-era India. As Sarah unravels the stories behind the postcards, she finds herself at risk of losing everything, becoming more deeply entangled in the past with every trip. It is a compelling read for fans of historical fiction and time-travel mysteries.

Book cover of 11/22/63
Book cover of Doomsday Book
Book cover of A Discovery of Witches

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,597

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 You might also like…

Book cover of Brighter Than Her Fears

Brighter Than Her Fears By Lisa Ard,

The 19th century women's rights movement and the rise of public education intertwine with one woman's story of struggle, perseverance, and love.

Alice Harris is pressed to marry a Civil War veteran twice her age when her family’s inn fails in 1882 in western North Carolina. She remakes herself by…

Book cover of Make Her Pay

Make Her Pay By Miranda Rijks,

A twisty psychological thriller about beautiful, successful Leonie who has just met Markus, the man of her dreams. But Leonie has a secret. Ten years ago, she was involved in an accident in which another driver died. Leonie shouldn’t have been behind the wheel that night – so she fled…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in time travel, the Middle Ages, and decision making?

Time Travel 409 books
The Middle Ages 432 books
Decision Making 88 books