Fans pick 100 books like Christine

By Stephen King,

Here are 100 books that Christine fans have personally recommended if you like Christine. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Ring

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Author Of The Spirit Phone

From my list on fusion of technology and the supernatural.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by tales of the paranormal. Legends of ghosts, ogres, and demons stretch back to prehistory, and as H.P. Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Advances in science and technology are often seen as a remedy against fearing things that go bump in the night. But in the realm of speculative fiction, what if such technology becomes the opposite: a means for the supernatural to make its presence known? This fearful juxtaposition is skillfully depicted in the five books I describe below. I hope you enjoy them.

Arthur's book list on fusion of technology and the supernatural

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Why did Arthur love this book?

I found this novel conceptually fascinating, as it depicts the use of a common (at the time) entertainment technology—a videotape—as a means of attack by a terrifying supernatural menace.

I also enjoy cross-genre fiction, and while this is primarily a horror novel, it is also a mystery in which the protagonist must race against time for a solution to a deadly predicament. 

By Koji Suzuki, Robert B. Rohmer (translator), Glynne Walley (translator)

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Stunning Japanese thriller with a chilling supernatural twist. The novel that inspired the cult Japanese movie and the Hollywood blockbuster of the same name.

Asakawa is a hardworking journalist who has climbed his way up from local-news beat reporter to writer for his newspaper's weekly magazine. A chronic workaholic, he doesn't take much notice when his seventeen-year-old niece dies suddenly - until a chance conversation reveals that another healthy teenager died at exactly the same time, in chillingly similar circumstances.

Sensing a story, Asakawa begins to investigate, and soon discovers that this strange simultaneous sudden-death syndrome also affected another two…


Book cover of The Spirit Engineer

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Author Of The Spirit Phone

From my list on fusion of technology and the supernatural.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by tales of the paranormal. Legends of ghosts, ogres, and demons stretch back to prehistory, and as H.P. Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Advances in science and technology are often seen as a remedy against fearing things that go bump in the night. But in the realm of speculative fiction, what if such technology becomes the opposite: a means for the supernatural to make its presence known? This fearful juxtaposition is skillfully depicted in the five books I describe below. I hope you enjoy them.

Arthur's book list on fusion of technology and the supernatural

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Why did Arthur love this book?

I am deeply interested in the heyday of spiritualism in Europe and America in the 19th and 20th centuries, so I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw the synopsis. I wasn’t disappointed. 

Set in Belfast in 1914, the novel is based upon the real-life attempts of engineering professor William Jackson Crawford to prove the existence of spirits by the use of technology. The intensity of this story, of Crawford’s unrelenting obsession to prove himself, grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I took the book with me on the train every morning and found it hard to put down when I reached my stop. This is an amazing novel.

By A.J. West,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Spirit Engineer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A fiendishly clever tale of ambition, deception, and power' DERREN BROWN

Belfast, 1914. Two years after the sinking of the Titanic, high society has become obsessed with spiritualism, attending seances in the hope they might reach their departed loved ones.

William Jackson Crawford is a man of science and a sceptic, but one night with everyone sitting around the circle, voices come to him - seemingly from beyond the veil - placing doubt in his heart and a seed of obsession in his mind. Could the spirits truly be communicating with him or is this one of Kathleen's parlour tricks…


Book cover of The Sun Dog

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Author Of The Spirit Phone

From my list on fusion of technology and the supernatural.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by tales of the paranormal. Legends of ghosts, ogres, and demons stretch back to prehistory, and as H.P. Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Advances in science and technology are often seen as a remedy against fearing things that go bump in the night. But in the realm of speculative fiction, what if such technology becomes the opposite: a means for the supernatural to make its presence known? This fearful juxtaposition is skillfully depicted in the five books I describe below. I hope you enjoy them.

Arthur's book list on fusion of technology and the supernatural

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Why did Arthur love this book?

I was fascinated, disturbed, captivated, and repelled. If you use this Polaroid camera, the picture shows not what you tried to photograph but something else: a vicious dog that is coming closer and closer with each shot taken. And it is coming to get you.

Don’t use the camera, then? Yes, of course, but…there’s a compulsion to use it regardless. I was hooked by this use of an ordinary-looking camera as the portal to another world.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King’s novella The Sun Dog, published in his award-winning 1990 story collection Four Past Midnight, now available for the first time as a standalone publication.

The dog is loose again. It is not sleeping. It is not lazy. It’s coming for you.

Kevin Delavan wants only one thing for his fifteenth birthday: a Polaroid Sun 660. There’s something wrong with his gift, though. No matter where Kevin Delevan aims the camera, it produces a photograph of an enormous, vicious dog. In each successive picture, the menacing creature draws nearer to the flat surface…


Curiosity and the Cat

By Martin Treanor,

Book cover of Curiosity and the Cat

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Martin Treanor Author Of The Logos Prophecy

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Illustrator Reader Jester Quantum physics buff

Martin's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.

Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine, unleashing strange and frightening happenings around her home, which, in turn, reveals a disturbing family history. 

An ominous tale of faerie folk.

Curiosity and the Cat

By Martin Treanor,

What is this book about?

Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.

Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine, unleashing strange and frightening happenings around her home, which, in turn, reveals a disturbing family history.

An ominous tale of faerie folk.



Book cover of The Spirit Photographer

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Author Of The Spirit Phone

From my list on fusion of technology and the supernatural.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve long been fascinated by tales of the paranormal. Legends of ghosts, ogres, and demons stretch back to prehistory, and as H.P. Lovecraft wrote, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Advances in science and technology are often seen as a remedy against fearing things that go bump in the night. But in the realm of speculative fiction, what if such technology becomes the opposite: a means for the supernatural to make its presence known? This fearful juxtaposition is skillfully depicted in the five books I describe below. I hope you enjoy them.

Arthur's book list on fusion of technology and the supernatural

Arthur Shattuck O’Keefe Why did Arthur love this book?

I’m a history buff, and I’ve long been interested in the purported “spirit photographs” that began proliferating almost as soon as photography became widespread in the 19th century and which were a key element of the spiritualist movement.

The author ties this trend into a beautifully written work of historical fiction, depicting spirit photography in the context of the social and political conditions of post-Civil War America.

By Jon Michael Varese,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Boston, 1870. Photographer Edward Moody runs a booming business capturing the images of the spirits of the departed in his portraits. He lures grieving widows and mourning mothers into his studio with promises of catching the ghosts of their deceased loved ones with his camera. Despite the whispers around town that Moody is a fraud of the basest kind, no one has been able to expose him, and word of his gift has spread, earning him money, fame, and a growing list of illustrious clients.
One day, while developing the negative from a sitting to capture the spirit of the…


Book cover of Hometown

L. B. Griffin Author Of Secrets, Shame, and a Shoebox

From my list on historical romance to curl up on the sofa with.

Why am I passionate about this?

They say your childhood shapes your life. By the time I reached thirteen, work began to teach me how to survive. After working a wide range of jobs, I ended up teaching students aged from fifteen to fifty. It was a joy. They opened my eyes. They were my inspiration. They kept me writing around the paid job. I was there to teach them, but I also learned from them. They gave me another special gift. To share their truly amazing stories with you.   

L. B.'s book list on historical romance to curl up on the sofa with

L. B. Griffin Why did L. B. love this book?

Wendy Rich Stetson has an easy style of writing that settles you straight into the story. Reading a saga like this, especially having a good dash of romance and intrigue left me with the good feel factor. 

After watching the film, The Witness, I always had the urge to find out more about Amish life and what really makes them tick. I wasn’t disappointed. Hometown centres on three people and someone’s heart will surely be broken. I absolutely loved it. I recommend you put this on your reading list.

By Wendy Rich Stetson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When Tessa's big-city plans take the A Train to disaster, she lands in her sleepy hometown, smack in the middle of the
most unlikely love triangle ever to hit Pennsylvania's Amish Country.

Hot-shot Dr. Richard Bruce is bound to Green Ridge by loyalty that runs deep. Deeper still is Jonas Rishel's tie to the land and his family's Amish community. Behind the wheel of a 1979 camper van, Tessa idles at a fork in the road. Will she cruise the superhighway to the future? Or take a slow trot to the past and a mysterious society she never dreamed she'd…


Book cover of Out of Character

Diane Billas Author Of Does Love Always Win?

From my list on young adult fiction sapphic romance novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m passionate about young adult sapphic romance books because this is something I wished I would have read in high school. If I had novels similar to these when I was growing up I might have realized that I identify as queer sooner and it could have helped me understand more about myself. Because of this, I’ve been an avid reader, and writer, of sapphic young adult romances. If it’s sapphic, send it my way. I hope you enjoy these sapphic novels as much as I have!

Diane's book list on young adult fiction sapphic romance novels

Diane Billas Why did Diane love this book?

I recommend Out of Character because the book is very swoon-worthy but still being real. This was on my TBR for so long, especially because it talks about role-playing, something that I find really intriguing.

One aspect I really enjoy about this book is the characters have so many layers. The one love interest, Rowan was my favorite character but all the characters were great. I really enjoyed role-playing scenes interspersed between the chapters. I couldn’t wait to figure out what was going to happen. I honestly can’t wait to re-read this book and also read whatever the author writes next! 

By Jenna Miller,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Out of Character as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Dumplin' meets Geekerella in debut author Jenna Miller's queer, body-positive love story that explores online and offline relationships in all of their messiness.

If you asked seventeen-year-old Cass Williams to describe herself, she'd happily tell you she's fat, a lesbian, and obsessed with the Tide Wars books. What she won't tell you-or anyone in her life-is that she's part of an online Tide Wars roleplay community. Sure, it's nerdy as hell, but when she's behind the screen writing scenes as Captain Aresha, she doesn't have to think about her mother who walked out or how unexpectedly stressful it is dating…


Book cover of The Quiet American

Matthew Masur Author Of Understanding and Teaching the Cold War

From my list on Cold War info that will keep you engaged.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a professor of history who specializes in the United States and the Cold War. A large part of my job involves choosing books that are informative, but that the students will actually want to read. That means I often select novels, memoirs, and works of history that have compelling figures or an entertaining narrative. After more than twenty years of teaching, I’ve assigned many different books in my classes. These are the ones that my students enjoyed the most. 

Matthew's book list on Cold War info that will keep you engaged

Matthew Masur Why did Matthew love this book?

I find myself re-reading this book every few years. As someone who has visited Vietnam several times, I am particularly drawn to Greene’s vivid descriptions of the country in the early 1950s. The symbolism in the novel is not subtle: an older Brit and a younger American are rivals for the affection of a Vietnamese woman.

I find Greene’s depiction of Pyle, the American, to be especially striking: well-meaning but ultimately unaware of the damage he is doing to the country. 

By Graham Greene,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked The Quiet American as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Graham Greene's classic exploration of love, innocence, and morality in Vietnam

"I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused," Graham Greene's narrator Fowler remarks of Alden Pyle, the eponymous "Quiet American" of what is perhaps the most controversial novel of his career. Pyle is the brash young idealist sent out by Washington on a mysterious mission to Saigon, where the French Army struggles against the Vietminh guerrillas.

As young Pyle's well-intentioned policies blunder into bloodshed, Fowler, a seasoned and cynical British reporter, finds it impossible to stand safely aside as an observer. But…


Book cover of Thorn in my Heart

Jennifer Deibel Author Of The Lady of Galway Manor

From my list on to scratch your travel itch.

Why am I passionate about this?

After living in Europe for nearly 10 years, I’ve spent more time in planes, trains, and cars than I could ever count. I was able to travel more in that time than I ever dreamed possible, making trips ranging from Gibraltar to Romania to the Isle of Skye. Most of my time was spent all around Ireland where I took tour groups around to help them get beyond Blarney and experience the real Ireland.

Jennifer's book list on to scratch your travel itch

Jennifer Deibel Why did Jennifer love this book?

Higgs whisks us away to 18th century Scotland in this sweeping, epic historical romance trilogy. The Scottish landscape is practically its own character as we follow the saga of Jaime, Leanna, and Rose in their quest for happiness, justice, and love. You’ll feel the misty air on your cheeks and want to wrap up against the brisk Scottish chill as you read. You’ll dine on delectable cuisine, and be left wanting more of this enchanting country and her people.

By Liz Curtis Higgs,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thorn in my Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two brothers fight to claim one father’s blessing. Two sisters long to claim one man’s heart.

In the autumn of 1788, amid the moors and glens of the Scottish Lowlands, two brothers and two sisters each embark on a painful journey of discovery. Jamie and Evan McKie both want their father Alec’s flocks and lands, yet only one brother will inherit Glentrool. Leana and Rose McBride both yearn to catch the eye of the same handsome lad, yet only one sister will be his bride.

A thorny love triangle emerges, plagued by lies and deception, jealousy and desire, hidden secrets…


Book cover of Once Upon a Marigold

Liz Montague Author Of The Equinox Test (School for Unusual Magic #1)

From my list on Magical worlds for young readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I struggled a lot with reading as a kid, I would not call myself a natural reader at all. When I was young, fantasy and magic stories were one of the few genres that could grip me enough to make me actually focus and attempt to read but I always hated the ones that took themselves too seriously (they always felt impossibly long to get through). Now, as a children’s author, myself, it’s my hope and passion to serve fellow young-readers-who-don’t-consider-themselves-readers with fun accessible stories. I hope you enjoy!

Liz's book list on Magical worlds for young readers

Liz Montague Why did Liz love this book?

Another childhood favorite of mine and such a fun take on the princess happily-every-after trope!

This was the first book that ever made me laugh out loud (prior to this, I had not known books were allowed to be that funny).

Just seeing the title makes me smile.

By Jean Ferris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Once Upon a Marigold as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What is this book about?

Christian was clueless when he started spying on the royal family through his telescope. He lives in a cave with a troll for a dad, after all. If his dad had only warned him about all that mind-boggling love stuff, maybe things wouldn't be such a mess. Although then, maybe, Princess Marigold would be dead. But Christian wasn't warned. And now that he's fallen for the princess, it's up to him to untwist an odd love triangle - er, rectangle - and foil a scheming queen who wants to take over the kingdom, even if it means bumping off her…


Book cover of The Weight of This World

Emily H. Keefer Author Of The Stars on Vita Felice Court

From my list on coming-of-age that captures the nature of growth.

Why am I passionate about this?

Life is, and I think we all can agree, a wild mess of lessons, harshness, wonderful moments, and so much more—the coming-of-age genre has been so fun to explore for me because it touches on the many aspects of daily life. We all live different lives, and telling the stories of others, fictionally or non-fictionally is always something I have enjoyed. I am a journalist, author of coming-of-age fiction, and a lover of the stories life gives us. I hope you find within my recommended books, stories of growth, stories of dealing with life, and stories of the crazy yet beautiful gift that life is. 

Emily's book list on coming-of-age that captures the nature of growth

Emily H. Keefer Why did Emily love this book?

The Weight of this World is one of my absolute favorite additions to southern literature. I enjoyed this book, and honestly all of David Joy’s books, because it is crafted in a way to show darkness while at the same time showing glimmers of hope within the characters. This novel is real, raw, and a wonderful read that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to read a book that you can’t put down because of the action, the moments of self-discovery, and the depiction of the roughness within the world.

By David Joy,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Critically acclaimed author David Joy, whose debut, Where All Light Tends to Go, was hailed as "a savagely moving novel that will likely become an important addition to the great body of Southern literature" (The Huffington Post), returns to the mountains of North Carolina with a powerful story about the inescapable weight of the past.

A combat veteran returned from war, Thad Broom can't leave the hardened world of Afghanistan behind, nor can he forgive himself for what he saw there. His mother, April, is haunted by her own demons, a secret trauma she has carried for years. Between them…


Book cover of Ring
Book cover of The Spirit Engineer
Book cover of The Sun Dog

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