Love Off Season? Readers share 69 books like Off Season...

By Jack Ketchum,

Here are 69 books that Off Season fans have personally recommended if you like Off Season. 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 Island

Ryan C. Thomas Author Of The Summer I Died

From my list on testing the endurance of the dark and disturbed.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been a fan of horror because a good scare makes the adrenaline flow. Personally, I donā€™t think ghosts and demons are real, and they donā€™t scare me. But humansā€¦humans can be downright evil. This is why I gravitate toward serial killer and slasher fiction when Iā€™m looking for a scare. Sometimes I just want to test my endurance for the dark side of human nature. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to write a really depraved book without taking the time to make the reader care about the characters, which is why these novels are my favorite works of darkness. These are great, disturbing books with genuine pathos.

Ryan's book list on testing the endurance of the dark and disturbed

Ryan C. Thomas Why did Ryan love this book?

Laymon provides the perfect mix of psychological horror and serial killer madness in this cult novel that is part murder mystery and part survival horror. In Island, a family boat trip to a remote island goes horribly awry when someone starts offing family members one by one. It will leave you shocked and satisfied with its overwhelming tension and disturbing ending.

By Richard Laymon,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'If you've missed Laymon, you've missed a treat' Stephen King.

When eight people are shipwrecked on a deserted island they take solace in the fact that at least they have fresh water, food and firewood. Now all they have to do is sit tight until they're rescued. There's just one problem - they're not alone. In the jungle behind the beach, there's a maniac on the loose and he's plotting to kill them all, one by one...


Book cover of Prodigal Blues

Ryan C. Thomas Author Of The Summer I Died

From my list on testing the endurance of the dark and disturbed.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been a fan of horror because a good scare makes the adrenaline flow. Personally, I donā€™t think ghosts and demons are real, and they donā€™t scare me. But humansā€¦humans can be downright evil. This is why I gravitate toward serial killer and slasher fiction when Iā€™m looking for a scare. Sometimes I just want to test my endurance for the dark side of human nature. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to write a really depraved book without taking the time to make the reader care about the characters, which is why these novels are my favorite works of darkness. These are great, disturbing books with genuine pathos.

Ryan's book list on testing the endurance of the dark and disturbed

Ryan C. Thomas Why did Ryan love this book?

This coming-of-age revenge novel includes brilliant twists, excellent characters, and a villain that is pure evil. Itā€™s bad enough when adults have to fight off sadistic killers, but itā€™s downright harrowing when children have to do it. Written with all the noir stylings of a Jim Thompson novel but with the darkness of a Clive Barker film, this is a difficult story to experience, but a very rewarding one.

By Gary A. Braunbeck,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From award-winning author Gary A. Braunbeck comes Prodigal Blues, his first foray into non-supernatural horror.

After he finds himself stranded at a truck stop in Missouri, Mark Sieber gets one of the biggest shocks of his life when he recognizes the face of a little girl on a Missing poster as belonging to the same little girl he saw only a few minutes before. Looking around for some sign of her, he comes back to his table in the restaurant to find the little sitting there, waiting for him.

"I'm sorry, mister," is all she seems capable of saying.

Asā€¦


Book cover of The Painted Bird

Timothy P. Munkeby Author Of The Advocate

From my list on transporting you to a new place in your life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent most of my youth playing sports, and so was forced into being a closet reader, only sissies read books. I never watched TV as a kid. I was always buried in a book that transported me somewhere. These were the days when I had to read with a flashlight under the covers until I was caught and told to shut my darn book and go to sleep. This led to a degree in creative writing and a first career stint teaching the subject. Then, after retiring from founding a financial planning company, I started writing and hope I can transport others.

Timothy's book list on transporting you to a new place in your life

Timothy P. Munkeby Why did Timothy love this book?

A comment in The Washington Star reads: ā€œNo one who reads it will forget it.ā€ That is true. I went through every emotion imaginable from stark horror to utter innocence. The boy, escaping the Holocaust, travels on his own through the Slavic countryside where he discovers the best in people and the horrifying worst. I traveled with him. 

By Jerzy Kosinksi,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Jerzy Kosinski's mythic, master-work of a shattered post-War Europe.

Originally published in 1965, The Painted Bird established Jerzy Kosinski as a major literary figure. Kosinski's story follows a dark-haired, olive-skinned boy, abandoned by his parents during World War II, as he wanders alone from one village to another, sometimes hounded and tortured, only rarely sheltered and cared for. Through the juxtaposition of adolescence and the most brutal of adult experiences, Kosinski sums up a Bosch-like world of harrowing excess where senseless violence and untempered hatred are the norm. Through sparse prose and vivid imagery, Kosinski's novel is a story ofā€¦


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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 The Folks

Ryan C. Thomas Author Of The Summer I Died

From my list on testing the endurance of the dark and disturbed.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been a fan of horror because a good scare makes the adrenaline flow. Personally, I donā€™t think ghosts and demons are real, and they donā€™t scare me. But humansā€¦humans can be downright evil. This is why I gravitate toward serial killer and slasher fiction when Iā€™m looking for a scare. Sometimes I just want to test my endurance for the dark side of human nature. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to write a really depraved book without taking the time to make the reader care about the characters, which is why these novels are my favorite works of darkness. These are great, disturbing books with genuine pathos.

Ryan's book list on testing the endurance of the dark and disturbed

Ryan C. Thomas Why did Ryan love this book?

The Folks is pure drive-in backwoods horror goodness, chock full of all the slum and sludge and inbred, mutated teeth-gnashing mountain men that made horror fans fall in love with films like The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn. Itā€™s disturbing, but it also has heart, thanks to a likable protagonist who may have more in common with the deadly family chasing him than he wants to admit.

By Ray Garton,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Andy Sayer knows what itā€™s like to feel like a freak. Ever since he was badly burned in a fire started by his drunken mother, the horrible scars on his face have set him apart from others, isolated him. Now, the patriarch of a prominent but mysterious family, Matthew Bollinger, has taken an interest in Andy. The Bollingers own the entire area and just about everything in it. They live in an enormous house built on the side of Mount Crag, but they are never seen. Matthew Bollinger wants Andy to come live with them. In the Bollingers, Andy findsā€¦


Book cover of On a Summer Tide

Myra Johnson Author Of The Soft Whisper of Roses

From my list on Christian true-to-life women dealing with life.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a native of Texas who loves bluebonnets, big skies, and barbecue! With 25+ books in print, I write about imperfect characters who discover their inner strength as they lean on God and learn to trust each other and themselves. Iā€™m fascinated by the dynamics of personalities and relationships, as well as the backstories that made the individuals who they are now. If youā€™re looking for stories of true-to-life characters growing deeper in faith while dealing with all the messiness human relationships entail, here are some novels you may enjoy.

Myra's book list on Christian true-to-life women dealing with life

Myra Johnson Why did Myra love this book?

I love a good sisters novelā€”maybe because I always wished for a sister of my own? This cast of unique and engaging characters quickly drew me into their lives as these young women with very different personalities found ways to accept their widowed dad's plans to reopen the summer camp where heā€™d met their mother. I also enjoy a good plot twist, and the one at the end of this book was just right, a touching way to tie everything together. This book was primarily the eldest sister Cam's story, which means more books to follow with insights into the other sistersā€™ lives. Have I mentioned I love sequels? Once I connect with a set of characters, itā€™s hard to let them go!

By Suzanne Woods Fisher,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked On a Summer Tide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sometimes love hurts--and sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way.

Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. "Moving on" is Cam's mantra. But there's a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving.

Cam's full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the island--a dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the threeā€¦


Book cover of Musseled Out

Sherry Lynn Author Of Digging Up Daisy

From my list on beachfront cozy mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

The sound of waves rolling to shore. The scent of beach roses and salty air, mixed with suntan lotion. Breezy summer days with no agenda. This is the promised escape when I discover a cozy mystery with a waterfront cover. Iā€™m immediately transported to a journey of respite with a sprinkle of intrigue tucked deep within the pages. The waterfront setting is one that I desire in both to read and to write, and I know Iā€™m not alone. Iā€™ve compiled a list of favorites for you when choosing a book that revolves around seaworthy things. 

Sherry's book list on beachfront cozy mysteries

Sherry Lynn Why did Sherry love this book?

Reading a book by Barbara Ross is like taking an actual trip to a charming coastal Maine town.

Loaded with lobster, seafood dishes, and desserts with blueberries in almost every chapter; my mouth was watering for the east coast. The interesting plot line on a lobster boat held my interest and led me to investigate the other books in the series as well. 

By Barbara Ross,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The busy summer tourist season is winding down in Busman's Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden senses trouble simmering for the Snowden Family Clambake Company. Shifty David Thwing--the "Mussel King" of upscale seafood restaurants--is sniffing around town for a new location. But serving iffy clams turns out to be the least of his troubles. . .

When Thwing is found sleeping with the fishes beneath a local lobsterman's boat, the police quickly finger Julia's brother-in-law Sonny as the one who cooked up the crime. Sure, everyone knows Sonny despised the Mussel King. . .but Julia believes he's innocent. Proving it won'tā€¦


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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 Olive, Again

Mary Carroll Moore Author Of Last Bets

From my list on badass women who donā€™t start out that way.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve long been intrigued by what makes a woman a hero in her own life. My three novels feature characters who are not obvious heroesā€”they are trying to shed a difficult past, they may run towards risky second chances, and they eventually stand up to their history and heal it and themselves. A lot of my inspiration for my stories comes from my mother, who was a pilot in World War II. I grew up with the legacy of women as heroic; it fostered an intense curiosity about female ambition and morality, women who would risk personal freedom and safety to find something greater than they expected.

Mary's book list on badass women who donā€™t start out that way

Mary Carroll Moore Why did Mary love this book?

Olive is not a likable character, yet so many readers related to her in the first book, as I did. Strout took a completely different approach in this sequel, which appealed to me even more. We see the larger community in Oliveā€™s life, looking at her through her interactions with friends, neighbors, and a lover who becomes her second husband.

Strout weaves present and past using these different perspectives, showing the rare kindnesses that Olive allows herself. By the end, she was a hero to me because of her changes as a personā€”the increased compassion tempered her frankness.  A brilliant and realistic exploration of aging, illness, and death.  

By Elizabeth Strout,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Olive, Again as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Number One New York Times bestselling author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton

'A terrific writer' Zadie Smith

'A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own' Hilary Mantel

'A novel to treasure' Sunday Times

Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her.

Olive adjusts to her new life with her secondā€¦


Book cover of One Morning in Maine

Adam B. Ford Author Of Ryder, Sky, and Emmaline

From my list on children's stories with a magical sense of place.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never stopped reading childrenā€™s books and started writing my own when I hit the age of 40. I gravitate toward crisp drawing styles and illustrations that bring out the magic in the everyday. These books are a few of my favorites.

Adam's book list on children's stories with a magical sense of place

Adam B. Ford Why did Adam love this book?

The fascinating thing about this book is the overall lack of a plot.

It pairs McCloskeyā€™s crisp pen-and-ink drawings with simple prose to evoke the bucolic feeling of life on the coast of Maine. Although not as universally known as McCloskeyā€™s Make Way for Ducklings or Blueberries for Sal, this entry can bring one to a calm place and let them breathe for a while.

By Robert McCloskey,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked One Morning in Maine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Caldecott Honor Book!

Today is a specidal day for Sal because she gets to go to Buck's Harbour with her dad. But when she wakes up to brush her teeth with her baby sister, she discovers something shocking.... Her tooth is loose!

And that's just the start of a huge day!


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Book cover of Taken: A Mother's Secret

Taken by Dan Lawton,

Nine-year-old Chloe Janis is missing. Abby, her mom, is now faced with an impossible decisionā€”revealing seventeen-year-old secrets she's kept hidden, or losing her daughter forever.

Everything unravels after Abby receives a cryptic message from a man from her past, someone sheā€™d tried to erase from her memory. But now, heā€™sā€¦

Book cover of Wilderness

John E. Stith Author Of Pushback

From my list on once-in-a-lifetime danger.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love books about everyman/everywoman characters facing danger, puzzles, and romance with a sense of humor. I love the suspense that builds throughout a whole book and the tension that can develop in just a paragraph. Itā€™s easier for me to imagine Iā€™m the protagonist and lose myself in the pages if Iā€™m not reading about a superhero or a serial killer. With so many choices out there, itā€™s easier to find another person whoā€™s seen the same TV show, for instance, but books are my true love because they are limitless and offer so many choices. Itā€™s a privilege to be able to share some favorites.

John's book list on once-in-a-lifetime danger

John E. Stith Why did John love this book?

While I love Parkerā€™s Spenser series, I love the stronger emotional payoff I often get more of in stand-alone books, which this book is. Plus, Parker brings some of his humor to the table. (To me itā€™s a very rare book that canā€™t carry some humor along with life-and-death stakes.)

While I loved the whole idea of a married couple working together to extricate themselves from big trouble, the confrontation with the cops at the end of the book was a terrific cherry on top.

By Robert B. Parker,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

ā€œA novel of violence, crisp dialogue, and suspense. . . . The reader is immediately caught up in the ambience of danger.ā€ā€”The Boston Globe

At forty-six, Aaron Newman was enjoying the good things in lifeā€”a good marriage, a good jobā€”and he was in good shape himself. Then he saw the murder. A petty vicious killing that was to plunge him into an insane jungle of raw violence and fear, threatening and defiling the things he cared about.


Book cover of Island
Book cover of Prodigal Blues
Book cover of The Painted Bird

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Maine, cannibalism, and sheriffs?

Maine 114 books
Cannibalism 30 books
Sheriffs 44 books