Love Fellside? Readers share 93 books like Fellside...

By M R Carey,

Here are 93 books that Fellside fans have personally recommended if you like Fellside. 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 Geek Love

Alex Dolan Author Of The Euthanist

From my list on female protagonists who you hate to root for.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m obsessed with the exploration of what it means to be a human being. Weā€™re coming into an era where we see more characters who arenā€™t good or evil but bothā€”they possess the potential to save someone from jumping off a bridge one day and beating someone the next. Weā€™re all capable of the greatest acts of kindness and the most abominable atrocities imaginable. I believe we need to be reminded of that fact so that when there comes a time when we can decide whether to hurt or to help someone, we become the better version of ourselves and make the right decision.

Alex's book list on female protagonists who you hate to root for

Alex Dolan Why did Alex love this book?

I know, I knowā€¦this is a book youā€™re either going to love or hate, and itā€™s probably on a lot of lists. I love this book because before it was as common to ā€œbreak the rulesā€ and write frankly about taboo subjects, Katherine Dunn dove headfirst into an ocean of taboo and told a story thatā€™s as exquisitely heart-wrenching as it is ghastly.

Despite her flaws (and I mean flaws in characterā€“I donā€™t consider her physical traits to be flawed at all), the protagonist, Oly, is driven by devotion to her family as much as anything.

By Katherine Dunn,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A National Book Award Finalist: This 'wonderfully descriptive' novel from an author with a 'tremendous imagination' tells the unforgettable story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias have bred their own exhibit of human oddities. (The New York Times Book Review)

The Binewskis arex a circus-geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities (with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes). Their offspring include Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan, Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins, albino hunchback Oly, andā€¦


Book cover of Sharp Objects

R. K. Jackson Author Of The Girl in the Maze

From my list on mysteries and thrillers set in the Deep South.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a writer, I consider myself lucky to be born and raised in the Deep South. Although I currently live near Los  Angeles, I continue to draw upon the regionā€™s complex history, regional color, eccentric characters, and rich atmosphere for inspiration. I also love to read fiction set in the South, especially mysteries and thrillersā€”the more atmospheric, the better! 

R. K.'s book list on mysteries and thrillers set in the Deep South

R. K. Jackson Why did R. K. love this book?

Before her mega-hit Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn penned this diabolical noir set in the deep South. Itā€™s an edgy story, presenting a gallery of disturbed charactersā€”including the deeply troubled protagonist, a journalist who returns to her hometown to report on the murders of two young girls.

Some books I forget a week or two after reading, others just stick with me for a year or more, and some leave bootprints in my mind forever. This is one of the latter.

By Gillian Flynn,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Sharp Objects as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NOW AN HBOĀ® LIMITED SERIES STARRING AMY ADAMS, NOMINATED FOR EIGHT EMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille findsā€¦


Book cover of The Crimson Petal and the White

Alex Dolan Author Of The Euthanist

From my list on female protagonists who you hate to root for.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m obsessed with the exploration of what it means to be a human being. Weā€™re coming into an era where we see more characters who arenā€™t good or evil but bothā€”they possess the potential to save someone from jumping off a bridge one day and beating someone the next. Weā€™re all capable of the greatest acts of kindness and the most abominable atrocities imaginable. I believe we need to be reminded of that fact so that when there comes a time when we can decide whether to hurt or to help someone, we become the better version of ourselves and make the right decision.

Alex's book list on female protagonists who you hate to root for

Alex Dolan Why did Alex love this book?

Michael Faber is one of my favorite writers of all time, and the same author of Under the Skin, another wonderful book with a female protagonist youā€™ll hate yourself for loving. Faberā€™s range as a storyteller is incredible, and along with his mastery of horror and science fiction, he shows that he can put together a Victorian epic that is gorgeously written, with a main character, Sugar, who is a complicated characterā€”a sex worker by trade who sometimes makes bad choices but is admirable in how she has to navigate the world of pompous, detestable men to survive. 

By Michel Faber,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Crimson Petal and the White as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them . . .'

So begins this irresistible voyage into the dark side of Victorian London. Amongst an unforgettable cast of low-lifes, physicians, businessmen and prostitutes, meet our heroine Sugar, a young woman trying to drag herself up from the gutter any way she can. Be prepared for a mesmerising tale of passion, intrigue, ambition and revenge.


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Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: ā€œAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā€ Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā€¦

Book cover of Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Caroline Wolff Author Of The Wayside

From my list on for adults about being a teenager.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a writer, Iā€™ve always been drawn to exploring the teenage experience. Maybe thatā€™s because my experiences in high school and college were rife with the highest of highs and the lowest of lowsā€”everything was intensely beautiful and painful at once. That tension played a major role in my self-discovery process, and story-wise, it makes for a compelling character. But in a lot of literature, I find the depiction of teenage characters to be either sensationalized or infantilizing, melodramatic, or unconvincingly flat. When writing my own adolescent subjects in The Wayside, I turned often toward the rich, complex characters in the stories here. 

Caroline's book list on for adults about being a teenager

Caroline Wolff Why did Caroline love this book?

I canā€™t talk about notable adolescent protagonists without mentioning Blue van Meer. Marisha Pesslā€™s cult-favorite debut made an impact on me as a teenage reader, but I recently picked it back up on a whim and was just as enthralled as an adult.

This is a formally inventive novel interspersed with hand-drawn illustrations and pop quizzes. It also defies generic categorization, weaving in elements of murder mystery, campus novel, and coming-of-age saga. Itā€™s a lot to take in (and it clocks in at a door-stopping 540 pages), but Blueā€™s always-surprising observations keep the pages turning.

By Marisha Pessl,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Special Topics in Calamity Physics as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The mesmerizing New York Times bestseller by the author of Night Film

Marisha Pesslā€™s dazzling debut sparked raves from critics and heralded the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of Special Topics in Calamity Physics is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway School, she finds someā€”a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery. Nabokov meets Donnaā€¦


Book cover of Coffin Road

Thomas Dresser Author Of Hidden History of Martha's Vineyard

From my list on defining a place both quirky and unique.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a washashore whoā€™s lived on Marthaā€™s Vineyard for 25 years. Iā€™ve worked small businesses, drove school and tour buses, volunteered, toured and given walking tours. I know the Island. In my writing Iā€™ve focused my love of American history on the backstory of Marthaā€™s Vineyard. Hence my books comprise a wealth of research and information on each topic. I love what I do. And I like to think it shows.

Thomas' book list on defining a place both quirky and unique

Thomas Dresser Why did Thomas love this book?

I planned a trip to Scotland and immersed myself in Peter Mayā€™s Scottish perspective. I try to do that with my books: share the back story, the elements that make Marthaā€™s Vineyard so special to so many people. This is the niche I have carved for myself over the past 15 years.

Peter May is a BBC stalwart; Coffin Road offers a daunting tale with an emphasis on the rugged landscape. May traces his tale right down to the waterā€™s edge.  

And while this is a work of fiction, it offers a vivid view of the reality of living on an island: the isolation, the limitations, the beauty, and the danger. Thatā€™s what I do with my Vineyard histories.

By Peter May,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY, THE ENZO FILES AND THE CHINA THRILLERS
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021

'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today.' Undiscovered Scotland
'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books

PETER MAY MIXES MURDER, MYSTERY and MEMORY . . . AND MARKS HIS RETURN TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES

A man stands bewildered on a deserted beach on the Hebridean Isle of Harris. He cannot remember who he is. The only clueā€¦


Book cover of Medical School

David Z. Hirsch Author Of Didn't Get Frazzled

From my list on painfully honest training to become a doctor.

Why am I passionate about this?

I think our collective fascination with medical training is understandable. What bizarre sorcery molds otherwise sensible college graduates into fully functioning physicians? Is it possible to maintain your humanity in the process? Or any semblance of a normal relationship? While my book remains the only novel about medical school training, many great physician memoirs detail the typically exhausting, frequently bizarre, and ultimately gratifying experience of becoming a doctor. After graduating from Wesleyan University, I obtained my medical degree at New York University School of Medicine and trained in the primary care internal medicine program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. I live in Maryland with my wife and two children.

David's book list on painfully honest training to become a doctor

David Z. Hirsch Why did David love this book?

The future Dr. Lawrence sustains two traumatic brain injuries right before starting medical school. After inexplicably not taking any time off to recover, he trundles ahead despite short-term memory loss. What follows is an entertaining and chaotic four years of surmounting formidable obstacles while suffering an imposter syndrome that lingers throughout his training.

I think every medical student aside from the most incurable narcissist feels they are playing doctor much of the time. This memoir is highly relatable.

By John Lawrence,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Ready to learn how to be a doctor? Well, neither was John...

#1 Best Seller " I stayed up far too late, often crying with laughter, reading about the medical mishaps and blunders..." - #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada and When Life Gives You Lululemons)

Playing Doctor is a medical memoir full of laugh-out-loud tales, born from chaotic, disjointed, and frightening nights on hospital wards during John Lawrenceā€™s medical training and time as a junior doctor. This candid autobiography will demystify medical education and inspire you. Equal parts heartfelt, self-deprecating humor, and irreverent,ā€¦


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Book cover of The Inhabitants

The Inhabitants by Beth Castrodale,

Artist Nilda Ricci could use a stroke of luck. She seems to get it when she inherits a shadowy Victorian, built by an architect whose houses were said to influence the mindā€”supposedly, in beneficial ways. At first, Nildaā€™s new home delivers, with the help of its longtime housekeeper. And Nildaā€¦

Book cover of In the Dark We Forget

Katie Tallo Author Of Dark August

From my list on Canadian thrillers about haunted messy characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ten-year-old me once looked in the bathroom mirror wondering who I would become. I tried to memorize the patterns in the tiles to hold on to that moment and carry it with me. My fascination with memory and the past permeates my novels. I love a good cold caseā€”and my August Monet thriller trilogy is all about how the past weaves through the presentā€”informing it, haunting it, transporting secrets. Maybe itā€™s our long, dark winters, but I see this same fascination in the novels of my fellow Canadian thriller writers. Many have created messy characters haunted by their messy pasts. Hereā€™s a list of my favourites.

Katie's book list on Canadian thrillers about haunted messy characters

Katie Tallo Why did Katie love this book?

A thriller with a kick-ass premise: Chloe wakes up on the side of a highway not knowing who the heck she is or how she got there.

Itā€™s a haunting, scary, unnerving story about a woman trying to figure out what could have happened to completely wipe out her memory. What I love about the novel is how Wongā€™s relentless pace matches lockstep with her protagonistā€™s frenzied and fractured state of mind.

Bits of the past begin to slip through the cracks as Chloe searches for the truth. I love that Wong chose to tell the story from Chloeā€™s POV so weā€™re only privy to what this messy character remembersā€”or chooses to tell us that she remembers. Twisted, damaged characters with secrets are my cup of tea.

By Sandra SG Wong,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In the Dark We Forget as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œA chilling, nerve-jangling journey into lost memories and unforgettable terrors. Sandra Wong knows what scares us allā€”and what we can never forget.ā€ ā€”Tess Gerritsen, New York Timesā€“bestselling author of Listen to Me

A jolting psychological suspense novel from an up-and-coming Chinese-Canadian crime writer about missing parents, a winning lottery ticket and the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Some things are better left forgotten . . .

When a woman wakes up with amnesia beside a mountain highway, confused and alone, she fights to regain her identity, only to learn that her parents have disappearedā€”not long after herā€¦


Book cover of Wallflower Assassin

Nick Walker Author Of Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities

From my list on neuroqueer speculative fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

My first passion, as a youngster, was speculative fictionā€”stories and comics that set the imagination ablaze with visions of wondrous possibilities and impossibilities. Later, my experiences of being queer, transgender, and autistic led me to an academic career in which I helped create the field of Neurodiversity Studies and something called Neuroqueer Theory (which is what you get when you mix Queer Theory and neurodiversity together and shake vigorously). These days Iā€™m back to writing fiction, including the urban fantasy webcomic Weird Luck, and Iā€™m thrilled to find myself part of an emerging wave of neuroqueer speculative fiction. Here are some of the best so far...

Nick's book list on neuroqueer speculative fiction

Nick Walker Why did Nick love this book?

Seriously, Iā€™m not exaggerating, and I say this as someone whoā€™s read all the works of Philip K. Dick: Wallflower Assassin is without exception the weirdest, wildest, most psychedelic, and gleefully anarchistic book itā€™s ever been my pleasure to encounter. Our narrator, Jack, has near-total amnesia, induced by a trauma he canā€™t remember (because amnesia). Heā€™s stumbling randomly between alternate universes, stalked and manipulated by agents of the sinister Reality Patrol. Oh, and heā€™s not in his own bodyā€“ā€“his mind has somehow been transferred into the body of a deadly former Reality Patrol assassin named Max. And Maxā€™s mind is still in there, too, disoriented and annoyed at Jackā€™s presence... And all of this only just begins to scratch the surface of how weird it gets.

By Andrew M. Reichart,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Wallflower Assassin follows a confused killer on a kaleidoscopic journey through a series of half-familiar worlds. Uncertain of the cause of his chaotic interdimensional travels, fleeting hints from his uncanny intuition suggest he is at the mercy of some unseen foe. As he drifts between drug-hazed parties and scenes of horrific violence, he gradually pieces together parts of the scheme against him, until he uncovers the dreadful secret behind it allā€¦. This second edition includes all-new original illustrations by Skinner, Michael Bukowski, Lenka Simeckova, Builtfromsketch, Brandon Kawashima, Euan Boyd, and Mike Bennewitz.


Book cover of I Know My Name

Kate Rhodes Author Of Hell Bay

From my list on the scariest books set on tiny claustrophobic islands.

Why am I passionate about this?

My passion for small islands began as a child. I spent my summer holidays on the Isles of Scilly, where everyone knew each other, and the sea wiped the landscape clean, leaving it pristine each morning. Since then, Iā€™ve visited dozens of islands, keen to understand the islandersā€™ survivalist mindset. I worked as an English teacher before becoming a writer. It allowed me to share my love of storytelling, but the tales that linger with me still take place on small islands where the consequences of our actions are never forgotten. I hope you enjoy exploring the ones on my list as much as I did!

Kate's book list on the scariest books set on tiny claustrophobic islands

Kate Rhodes Why did Kate love this book?

I love this book for its clever psychological games. Iā€™ve always adored books that convincingly juggle good and evil, and this book achieves the perfect balance.

Amnesia has always fascinated me, and this story left me wondering how I would cope if the only thing I could remember were my own name. It struck a personal note because my much-loved grandmother lived with devastating Alzheimerā€™s for the last ten years of her life. But Iā€™ve often wondered if amnesia carries a positive element, too. It may rob us of cherished parts of our history, but it also wipes away shame and regret.

The ethical questions raised in this book fascinated me.

By C. J. Cooke,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Know My Name as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Atmospheric, mysterious and intense ... It's a stunning psychological thriller' C. L. Taylor, bestselling author of THE MISSING

Kommeno Island, Greece: I don't know where I am, who I am. Help me.

A woman is washed up on a remote Greek island with no recollection of who she is or how she got there.

Potter's Lane, Twickenham, London: Eloise Shelley is officially missing.

Lochlan's wife has vanished into thin air, leaving their toddler and twelve-week-old baby alone. Her money, car and passport are all in the house, with no signs of foul play. Every clue the police turn up meansā€¦


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Book cover of Drawn from Life

Drawn from Life by Sarah P. Blanchard,

A life-changing tragedy. Conflicting memories. Is she a killer or a victim? Drawn From Life tells the story of a young woman driven to seek the truth about her traumatic past. As she sifts through the real and not-real landscapes of memory, she must re-examine her own agency in theā€¦

Book cover of We Were Liars

Jane Buckingham Author Of A Lie for a Lie

From my list on YA books for any age reader.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a BIG reader of mysteries and thrillers, but I hate it when you read a thriller and guess who did it on page 20, or it turns out itā€™s a character so obscure you could never have guessed it! But itā€™s easy to criticize! Iā€™ve wanted to write a young adult thriller since I was young, and over the last few years, I found myself more able to try. For me, writing my book was like running a marathonā€¦I wasnā€™t sure if I could do it, but now Iā€™m really happy that I did! 

Jane's book list on YA books for any age reader

Jane Buckingham Why did Jane love this book?

E. Lockhart's book is a really stunning blend of tragedy and mystery, set against the backdrop of a seemingly perfect, affluent family.

The story revolves around Cadence Sinclair, a young woman who spends her summers on her family's private island. After suffering a traumatic head injury, she struggles with amnesia and is desperate to piece together what happened during the summer of her accident.

The narrative is both haunting and beautifully poetic. It makes the shocking truths that slowly unravel feel even more impactful. What I love most about this book is its deep dive into themes of family, privilege, and the lies we tell ourselves and each other to uphold appearances. The Sinclairs are a family that seems to have it all, but beneath the surface lies greed, selfishness, and manipulation.

The story is told in a series of choppy, fragmented recollections that mirror Cadence's own disjointed memories, creatingā€¦

By E. Lockhart,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked We Were Liars 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?

The TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller.

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends-the Liars-whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honouree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

Don't miss FAMILY OF LIARS, the thrilling prequel to We Were Liars, published in May 2022.


Book cover of Geek Love
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