Love Margarita in the Spotlight? Readers share 96 books like Margarita in the Spotlight...

By Maria Frazer,

Here are 96 books that Margarita in the Spotlight fans have personally recommended if you like Margarita in the Spotlight. 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 Matilda

Rachelle Bergstein Author Of The Genius of Judy: How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us

From my list on retro for kids that still hold up.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was once a little girl who loved reading, and now I'm a mother who shares that passion with my kid. Over the past few years, I've been revisiting my own childhood favorites with him (it's been a serendipitous mix of work and pleasure as I was also researching a book on one of the all-time great children's book authors, Judy Blume). The novels I've recommended here are ones that seemed to spark pleasure in the most discerningā€”and honestā€”of audiences: an 8-year-old. And unlike some old books that will go unnamed, they didn't make me cringe as a 21st-century parent.

Rachelle's book list on retro for kids that still hold up

Rachelle Bergstein Why did Rachelle love this book?

When I had my son almost nine years ago, I dreamed of the day Iā€™d be able to share my favorite childhood books with him. Matilda, which I remembered as a riveting, oddball page-turner, did not disappoint. As I read to him, we cheered for tiny Matilda to topple the mythically bad school principal, Miss Trunchbull, and we laughed until we cried when Matildaā€™s mother scolded her kind-hearted teacher, Miss Honey, for reading too much.

We still quote the line to each other that cracked us up: ā€œLooks is more important than books, Miss Hunky.ā€ I donā€™t know why itā€™s so funny, my son said at the time, but it is.

By Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked Matilda as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Puffin Audiobooks presents Roald Dahl's Matilda, read by Kate Winslet. This audiobook features original music and sound design by Pinewood film studios.

Matilda Wormwood is an extraordinary genius with really stupid parents.

Miss Trunchbull is her terrifying headmistress who thinks all her pupils are rotten little stinkers.

But Matilda will show these horrible grown-ups that even though she's only small, she's got some very powerful tricks up her sleeve . . .

Kate Winslet's award-winning and varied career has included standout roles in Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, Revolutionary Road and The Reader, for which sheā€¦


Book cover of The Night Diary

Irfan Shah Author Of Sigh For A Strange Land

From my list on displaced people.

Why am I passionate about this?

A combination of things led me to this topic: My father was forced to leave his home in northern India during partition and was therefore a child refugee. In 2016, I was filming in Ukraine and became hugely interested in what was happening there. I have looked for a way to help ever since then. Discovering Monica Stirlingā€™s novel about refugees from East Europe, I realised that here was an opportunity to help give voice to the refugee experience; to help raise funds for Ukraine, and to help bring back to life an incredible story written by an author who deserves to be rediscovered.

Irfan's book list on displaced people

Irfan Shah Why did Irfan love this book?

A childrenā€™s book that adults will enjoy, The Night Diary is the story of twelve-year-old Nisha, half-Muslim, half-Hindu, and caught up in the tragedy of partition ā€“ where Pakistan and India separated in the aftermath of Indiaā€™s independence from Britain.

Nisha is about to experience the disorientation and fear that comes when a family decides to flee for safety. Nishaā€™s story is told through a series of letters to her mother as she leaves what is now Pakistan, to find a home and an identity. Her predicament ā€“ that of a desperate search not just for physical safety but for hope - reminds me of that of Resi, the main character in Sigh For A Strange Land, who wants nothing more than to find that "'tomorrow' is not a threatening word."

By Veera Hiranandani,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Night Diary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.

Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nishaā€¦


Book cover of Vote For Effie

Mirelle Ortega Author Of From the Desk of Zoe Washington

From my list on for girls trying to change the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a Mexican writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles. I was always a bookish kid! Growing up I loved reading contemporary books, mostly about fearless girls trying to change the world! In my career, Iā€™ve had the privilege to work creating cover artwork for a lot of middle-grade books, which in turn leads me to read a lot of really great stories. As a bonus, as the industry has become more diverse, so have the stories of outstanding girls, making the middle-grade space even more amazing than it was when I was a kid.

Mirelle's book list on for girls trying to change the world

Mirelle Ortega Why did Mirelle love this book?

There is something about Effie that truly captures what it is to be a person who cares. In a world in which young people are often told that not caring is the mark of coolness, Effie stands out as an optimist hell-bent to create a better world for all. In this wonderful book, we follow Effieā€™s adventures as she finds herself in a new school trying to make real meaningful change for her and all of her new friends, in a wonderfully entertaining and heartwarming story that had me in tears a few times and rooting for Effie from beginning to end. 

By Laura Wood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Vote For Effie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2020.

Join Effie Kostas as she fights to become Student Council
President in her new school.
With a campaign team of loveable misfits, she tackles the truly important subjects:



gender imbalance,

outdated school conventions...

and good-looking boys stealing the last slice of chocolate
cake at lunchtime.



A laugh out-loud
rallying call for switched-on kids everywhere.


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Book cover of One Giant Leap

One Giant Leap by Ben Gartner,

Editor's Pick, BookLife by Publishers Weekly.

Gold Medal, 2023 Mom's Choice Awards.

Gold Medal, 2023 Readers' Favorite Awards.

First Place, 2023 Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Awards.

Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners ofā€¦

Book cover of SofĆ­a Acosta Makes a Scene

Mirelle Ortega Author Of From the Desk of Zoe Washington

From my list on for girls trying to change the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a Mexican writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles. I was always a bookish kid! Growing up I loved reading contemporary books, mostly about fearless girls trying to change the world! In my career, Iā€™ve had the privilege to work creating cover artwork for a lot of middle-grade books, which in turn leads me to read a lot of really great stories. As a bonus, as the industry has become more diverse, so have the stories of outstanding girls, making the middle-grade space even more amazing than it was when I was a kid.

Mirelle's book list on for girls trying to change the world

Mirelle Ortega Why did Mirelle love this book?

This book is absolutely brilliant, a wonderful commentary on really difficult current social issues that doesnā€™t feel like a school lesson, it follows the story of Sofia Acosta, daughter of ballet-obsessed Cuban immigrants who have great hopes for her daughter, as she begins to question her place in ballet, her community and the world at large, and all the really complicated choices people make as they grow up.

By Emma Otheguy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked SofĆ­a Acosta Makes a Scene as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A poignant, coming of age story about a Cuban-American girl trying to figure out where she belongs--both in her ballet-loving family and the wider world. Perfect for fans of Front Desk and Merci SuƔrez Changes Gears.

Itā€™s a good thing SofĆ­a Acosta loves dreaming up costumes, because otherwise sheā€™s a ballet disasterā€”unlike her parents, who danced under prima ballerina Alicia Alonso before immigrating to the suburbs of New York. Luckily, when the Acostas host their dancer friends from Cuba for a special performance with the American Ballet Theatre, SofĆ­a learns thereā€™s more than dance holding her family together. Between swappingā€¦


Book cover of Evil Woman

Judy Alter Author Of Saving Irene: A Culinary Mystery

From my list on outrageous cozy mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a lifelong fan of cozy mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew. Although I have written primarily about women of the 19th-century American West, I always longed to write mysteries. The Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries is my fourth series but the first outrageous one. The books combine my love of all things culinary (Iā€™ve even written cookbooks) and my love of Chicago, my hometown. What makes them outrageous? Ireneā€™s diva-like deceptions and Hennyā€™s snarky commentary.

Judy's book list on outrageous cozy mysteries

Judy Alter Why did Judy love this book?

In this fourteenth book in the Country Club Murders series, Ellison Russell returns from a long honeymoon to find an older woman has been murdered in her bed. With a new husband, her mother in the hospital (targeted by the murderer?), her difficult sister as a houseguest, one too many animals, and a full social calendar, Ellison canā€™t catch a break. Ellison is smart and funny, and sheā€™s found herself a new, inappropriate, and wonderful husband. The spoof of the 1980s country club society is spot on.

By Julie Mulhern,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When Ellison Russell Jones returns from her honeymoon, sheā€™s ready for a restful summer.

But while she was away, an older woman was murdered in her bed. And the police have questions only Ellison and her friends can answer.

She gets to be a sleuth. A real one! But with a new husband, her mother in the hospital (targeted by the murderer?), her sister as a house guest, one too many animals, and a full social calendar, Ellison canā€™t catch a break, much less a killer.

Sheā€™d better focus, or she may be the next victim.


Book cover of Country Girl: A Memoir

Patrick Doherty Author Of I Am Patrick: A Donegal Childhood Remembered

From my list on Irish childhood.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an experienced teacher I was fascinated by how writing personal stories helped to develop confidence as well as oral and written self-expression at different levels of complexity in children across the primary school age range. This encouraged me to embark on a MA in creative writing where I wrote an extended autobiographical piece that focused on how the relationship between my father and myself affected my childhood.  I continued this research into my doctoral studies in Irish autobiography. I explored the history of Irish autobiography, memory, and identity formation. This research provided the context to write my own childhood memoir I Am Patrick

Patrick's book list on Irish childhood

Patrick Doherty Why did Patrick love this book?

Edna Oā€™Brienā€™s 2012 autobiography Country Girl is a blunt, gripping, lyrical and non-self-pitying depiction of her early life in the west of Ireland. It exposes the stultifying conformity imposed by the Catholic Church, family and community which I experienced myself. She rebelled as she sought freedom and self-expression from a domineering mother and drunken father. Ednaā€™s escape to Dublin, London and New York as well as her exile from Ireland reflects an individual addicted to drugs and alcohol who seeks acknowledgement, liberty and success through many failed relationships. Ednaā€™s autobiography resonates with many of my own experiences of the 1960ā€™s. Country Girl demonstrates how one Irish female writer broke the cultural silence so that others would not feel alone. Her writing was an inspiration to me for my own memoir.

By Edna O'Brien,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls trilogy begins in August 2019.

I thought of life's many bounties, to have known the extremities of joy and sorrow, love, crossed love and unrequited love, success and failure, fame and slaughter ...

Born in Ireland in 1930 and driven into exile after publication of her controversial first novel, The Country Girls, Edna O'Brien is now hailed as one of the most majestic writers of her era - and Country Girl is her fabulous memoir.

Born in rural Ireland, O'Brien weaves the tale of her life from convent schoolā€¦


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Book cover of One Giant Leap

One Giant Leap by Ben Gartner,

Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! Itā€™s a dream come true untilā€¦

Book cover of Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton

Tracey Laird Author Of Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life

From my list on people who want a Dolly Parton deeper dive.

Why am I passionate about this?

My research and writing about music, particularly country and other Southern genres, began with the "Louisiana Hayride", a radio barn dance in the post-World War II era that launched both Hank Williams and Elvis Presley to prominence. From there, I turned to the long-running PBS music showcase Austin City Limits, which now names a huge music festival as well. In both projects, understanding music encompassed larger contexts of region, media, and meaning, all of which bear on understanding Dolly Parton as a musician and songwriter; as Appalachian; as a recording, TV, and movie star; and as a global cultural icon. Iā€™ve never known life without Dolly Parton in it. Of this, Iā€™m glad.

Tracey's book list on people who want a Dolly Parton deeper dive

Tracey Laird Why did Tracey love this book?

Musicologist Lydia Hamessley delved into Dollyā€™s songwriting corpus over the course of a decade, analyzing her tremendous output of songs, according to different categories.

ā€œCoat of Many Colors,ā€ for example, is the most beloved from among Dollyā€™s autobiographical songs. Lydia breaks down the harmony, and relationships between melody and lyrics to explain why the song works so well.

Songs about womenā€™s lives, in another section, includes deeply affecting vignettes like ā€œDown from Dover,ā€ about a pregnant young womanā€™s despair after being abandoned by her lover and rejected by family.

Lydiaā€™s book systematically unpacks the musical heart of Dollyā€™s creative genius, a quality that can at times be overshadowed in writings about her by the outsized nature of Dollyā€™s public persona.

By Lydia R. Hamessley,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Dolly Parton's success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton's compositions like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music.

Lydia R. Hamessley's expert analysis and Parton's characteristically straightforward input inform this comprehensive look at the process, influences, and themes that have shaped the superstar's songwriting artistry. Hamessley reveals how Parton's loving, hardscrabble childhood in the Smoky Mountains provided the musical language, rhythms, and memories of old-time music that resonateā€¦


Book cover of The October Country

John G. Dyer Author Of The Illusion of Gravity

From my list on speculative fiction books for mainstream readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

If you regard science fiction, fantasy, and horror as throwaway literature, think again. It is within such tales that the contest between good and evil is given center stage, wherein heroic acts are celebrated, and virtue discussed in all its many permutations. I would call speculative fiction a worthy successor to the medieval morality play, a dramatic form that used allegorical characters to teach moral lessons. To witā€”stories are an instrument of culture, a way to promote common values and an important activity for any civilization that intends to stick around. You wonā€™t find an abundance of this vibe in ā€˜seriousā€™ fictionā€”and when you do, itā€™s not as much fun.

John's book list on speculative fiction books for mainstream readers

John G. Dyer Why did John love this book?

A short story compilation, within which the title ā€˜Uncle Einarā€™ made such an impression that I still, to this day, remember what it was about, who wrote it, and when I read it. I found it on my dadā€™s nightstand 65 years ago. Thatā€™s how much I liked it. Although the collection falls mostly into the fantasy genre, the title Uncle Einar is something of a crossover (Mutants!) and heartwarming to boot.

Many of these stories were first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, but keep in mind weā€™re talking about the 1940s and 50s. They called it ā€˜macabre fictionā€™. These days, we call it YA.

But this is, first and foremost, a work of literature, a timeless classic upon which the author made a splendid reputation, replete with lyrical prose, imaginative concepts, surprise endings, and persuasive dialogue. Also, an example of Magical Realism, a literary approach Iā€¦

By Ray Bradbury,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The October Country as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The October Country is Ray Bradburyā€™s own netherworld of the soul, inhabited by the horrors and demons that lurk within all of us. Renowned for his multi-million-copy bestseller, Fahrenheit 451, and hailed by Harperā€™s magazine as ā€œthe finest living writer of fantastic fiction,ā€ Ray Bradbury proves here that he is Americaā€™s master of the short story.

This classic collection features:

The Emissary: The faithful dog was the sick boyā€™s only connection with the world outsideā€”and beyond . . .
The Small Assassin: A fine, healthy baby boy was the new motherā€™s dream come trueā€”or her worst nightmare . . .ā€¦


Book cover of Otter Country: In Search of the Wild Otter

Leif Bersweden Author Of The Orchid Hunter: A Young Botanist's Search for Happiness

From my list on nature in Britain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a writer and a botanist with a lifelong interest in nature. I grew up in southern England where I spent my time running around the fields and woods searching for birds, insects and wild plants (as one does). As well as writing about nature, I run plant identification training courses and have a genetics PhD.

Leif's book list on nature in Britain

Leif Bersweden Why did Leif love this book?

Miriam Darlington is my favourite author and Otter Country is one of the most thumbed, tatty-cornered, precious books that I own. I love it: for its voice, its humour and its beautiful prose. Darlington takes you on a gentle meander through the world of the otter in the most relatable of writing styles. She doesnā€™t start out as an otter expert; she learns as she goes, and so do you. Everything about this book is wonderful, and I would say the same about her other book, Owl Sense, which I have only left off this list because I wanted to cover five different authors!

By Miriam Darlington,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Over the course of a year, Miriam Darlington travelled around Britain in search of wild otters; from her home in Devon to the wilds of Scotland; to Cumbria, Wales, Northumberland, Cornwall, Somerset and the River Lea; to her childhood home near the Ouse, the source of her watery obsession.
Otter Country follows Darlington's search through different landscapes, seasons, weather and light, as she tracks one of Britain's most elusive animals. During her journey, she meets otter experts, representatives of the Environment Agency, conservationists, ecologists, walkers, Henry Williamson's family, Gavin Maxwell's heir; zoo keepers, fishermen, scientists, hunters and poets. Above allā€¦


Book cover of Country: The Twisted Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll

Hal Taylor Author Of For a Song: The Most Enduring Tunes Ever Written

From my list on musicā€™s most famous back stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

Writing about history came to me rather late in life and I suppose itā€™s because the past now looks more inviting than the future. But thereā€™s more to it than that. Everything has a history; itā€™s a bottomless topic. I became fascinated with the history of my own geographic environment and began exploring areas that were basically in my own backyard, which led to the inception of my first book. And, after years working as a graphic artist, I decided to help the narrative along by adding illustrations. A second book soon followed, then a third, a fourth, and now Iā€™ve just finished my fifth book.

Hal's book list on musicā€™s most famous back stories

Hal Taylor Why did Hal love this book?

No one can say exactly when Rock ā€™nā€™ Roll was born, including biographer, novelist, poet, and recently deceased journalist Nick Tosches, but he provides enough background musings to take us on a wild ride through American musical history.

His book reveals twisted roots indeed, some that provided me with reference material regarding a connection between minstrelsy and one of the most popular Christmas tunes of all time. And a country song breaks loose from the genre corral and into the world of pop music when it is made into one of the best-known ballads ever by a singing politician.

By Nick Tosches,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Celebrating the dark origins of our most American music, Country reveals a wild shadowland of history that encompasses blackface minstrels and yodeling cowboys honky-tonk hell and rockabilly heaven medieval myth and musical miscegenation sex, drugs, murder and rays of fierce illumination on Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others, famous and forgotten, whose demonology is America's own. Profusely and superbly illustrated, Country stands as one of the most brilliant explorations of American musical culture ever written.


Book cover of Matilda
Book cover of The Night Diary
Book cover of Vote For Effie

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