Here are 100 books that The Farm fans have personally recommended if you like
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Iâm absolutely passionate about suspense stories, especially ones with killer twists. Maybe itâs all the crime shows I watch, but the motives for crimes are so wide and varied, and I love when the unexpected is explored in fiction. Iâm also intrigued by stories about missing people and the myriad of reasons behind why they go missingâespecially when things arenât always what they seem. Whether itâs the missing who return years later or hints of them suddenly appear, I canât help but get wrapped up in a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing what might happen next! I try for great twists in my novels.
I picked this book up because it was super cheap in hardcover. It had an interesting premise with a suspense set in the business world between two competing companies. Not typically my thing, but I gave it a chance because of the price. Once I started to read it, Joseph Finder became one of my favorite authors. I could not put this down and read it in three days. It had me on the edge of my seat as the main character has to infiltrate another company, and OMG, the twist at the end! I loved this book so much that I decided to attend the Thrillerfest conference in Phoenix that year because Joseph Finder would be there. Yep, thatâs how much I loved the book. I met him and gushed like a fool!
From the writer whose novels have been called "thrilling" (New York Times) and "dazzling" (USA Today) comes an electrifying novel, Joseph Finder's Paranoia, a roller-coaster ride of suspense that will hold the reader hostage until the final, astonishing twist.
Now a major motion-picture starring Harrison Ford, Liam Hemsworth, and Gary Oldman.
Adam Cassidy is twenty-six and a low-level employee at a high-tech corporation who hates his job. When he manipulates the system to do something nice for a friend, he finds himself charged with a crime. Corporate Security gives him a choice: prison - or become a spy in theâŠ
Maitreyabandhu started attending classes at the London Buddhist Centre (LBC) in 1986. He was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1990 and given the name Maitreyabandhu. Since then he has lived and worked at the LBC, teaching Buddhism and meditation, and leading retreats. He has written three books on Buddhism, Thicker than Blood: Friendship on the Buddhist Path, Life with Full Attention: A Practical Course in Mindfulness, and The Journey and the Guide: A Practical Guide in Enlightenment. Maitreyabandhu is also a prize-winning poet having written three poetry collections with Bloodaxe Books. Maitreyabandhu founded PoetryEast in 2010 where he interviews well-known artists and writers, including Antony Gormley, Wendy Cope, and Colm TĂłibĂn. He is the co-founder, with Dr. Paramabandhu Groves, of Breathing Space, the LBCâs health and wellbeing project.
More and more people are drawn to meditation but itâs easy to be confounded by all those books and online teachings. This book is a great way to start. A simple guide to Buddhist meditation â to what it means, and how to do it â itâs practical, clear, helpful, and short.
Provides traditional practices for the readers to learn how to exchange stress and anxiety for calm and clarity of mind, and transform anger and fear into kindness and self confidence. The author guides on meditation with anecdotes and tips, from his experience of teaching meditation of more than 15 years.
Iâm an Australian writer. I came to creative writing late in life but have been an avid reader since my early school years. My fascination with mystery thrillers started with Enid Blyton and included Raymond Chandler booksânot usually recommended for an 11-year-old. I have always had an inquisitive mind, asking difficult questions and seeking understanding. My first degree was a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry. My diverse working life spanned a variety of roles, building a rich tapestry of experience. I relish layered, complex, and thought-provoking stories both as a writer and a reader. I hope you enjoy my recommended books as much as I have.
I was enthralled by this dark, terrifying historical thriller, and its being based on a true story made it more unsettling. The gothic horror vibe of Scandinavian dark winters and the island setting heightened my dread as I read. The rising tension had me on the edge of my seat.
Gustawsson has created an atmospheric mystery story that connects past and present murdersâ9 years apart. I didnât know who to believe or trust, and I didnât figure out the motive until the end. Multiple viewpoints and numerous twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, another piece of information took me in a different direction, only to be thwarted yet again. I couldnât have predicted the ending. Itâs masterful storytelling.
There are great, believable, but also sinister characters, making it a complex read. The plot is rooted in Viking rites and sinister secretsâŠ
An art expert joins a detective to investigate a horrific murder on a Swedish island, leading them to a mystery rooted in Viking rites and Scandinavia's deepest, darkest winter. The Queen of French Noir returns with a chilling, utterly captivating gothic thriller, based on a true story. FIRST in a new series.
'A dark, dark slice of Scandi Noir' Heat magazine *Book of the Month*
'Gustawsson's writing is so vivid, it's electrifying' Peter James
'Remember her name. Johana Gustawsson has become a leading figure in French crime fiction [and] Yule Island is impossible to put down' Le Monde
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: âAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?â Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itâŠ
In my career, first as a screenwriter for film and TV and now as a crime writer, I learned early on that you must never bore your audience. I want to entertain my readers, so my stories should always keep them glued to the pages. However, the reader should also be left with new reflections after finishing the book. Crime fiction is often perceived as nothing but plot, action, and blood, without any depth or character development at all. I beg to differ. My list presents five books proving that crime fiction can be both intriguing, nerve-wracking, and mind-blowing while simultaneously serving as the perfect mirror of the world we're living in today.
The first book I read by the Swedish master of suspense.
There's nothing like being caught by a good book: Just one more chapter, even though it's the middle of the night and work starts in three hours.
Almost like getting kidnapped with a small but significant difference: you don't want to be released.
Without Mankell, there would be no Millennium series, and this book is one of the reasons I started to write in the same genre. It's a long but, at the same time, quick read.
The characters are portrayed as real human beings with multiple flaws and shortcomings. I don't want to reveal the plot here, but I promise you: this murder case is like nothing else.
It is Midsummer's Eve. Three young friends meet in a wood to act out an elaborate masque. But, unknown to them, they are being watched. Each is killed by a single bullet.
Soon afterwards, one of Inspector Wallander's colleagues is found murdered. Is it the same killer, and what could the connection be? In this investigation Wallander is always, tantalisingly, one step behind.
I grew up in Edinburgh and, from an early age, I heard the tale of Deacon Brodie. However, it was not until I was olderâwhen a city official was charged with corruptionâthat I realised Brodie might just be the first âwhite collarâ criminal in Edinburgh. The more I found out, the more fascinating he became. Here was a man who everyonein the city saw as a wealthy, respectable, Councillor, yetâat the same timeâhe was a gambler who became a criminal to feed his habit, and so, when I moved to America, I decided to write my first crime novel based on Brodieâs life.
A #1 international bestseller: This âexquisite novel of mesmerizing depthâ launched the acclaimed Wallander Mysteries and BBC series starring Kenneth Branagh (Los Angeles Times).
Early one morning, a small-town farmer discovers that his neighbors have been victims of a brutal attack during the night: An old man has been bludgeoned to death, and his tortured wife lies dying before the farmerâs eyes. The only clue is the single word she utters before she dies: âforeign.â
In charge of the investigation is Inspector Kurt Wallander, a local detective whose personal life is in a shambles. His family is falling apart, heâsâŠ
Like most people I know, I have always been fascinated with serial killers, and more importantly why they do what they do. What makes one man murder multiple victims while another with a similar upbringing sells white goods and wouldnât attract a traffic ticket. In my books, I am as interested in showing my readers why a killer kills, as I am in the hunt to catch him. My goal is to not so much get the reader to âlikeâ the antagonist but to understand, and dare I say even feel sorry for him. We are all products of our environment and upbringing, yet some of us murder others for fun.
Henning Mankell (RIP) was the master of the âtroubled detectiveâ Kurt Wallander, who is trying to find a murderer while his own life is in tatters. This hunt for a serial killer who scalps his victims, is a rich tapestry of character development, police procedure, and a deeply disturbed killer. This is one of the finest stories of the dark Scandinavian crime thriller genre, and spawned a major TV series starring Kenneth Branagh.
Midsummer approaches, and Inspector Kurt Wallander prepares for a holiday with the new woman in his life, hopeful that his wayward daughter and his ageing father will cope without him.
But his restful summer plans are thrown into disarray when a teenage girl commits suicide before his eyes, and a former minister of justice is butchered in the first of a series of apparently motiveless murders. Wallander's desperate hunt for the girl's identity and his furious pursuit of a killer who scalps his victims will throw him and those he loves most into mortal danger.
Mihoko and Anne first met at the University of Miami, where Mihoko was a specialist in early modern England and Anne, in early modern Spain. Sharing their interests in gender studies, literature, and history, and combining their expertise, they team-taught a popular course on early modern women writers. Anneâs publications range from studies of women in Cervantesâ Don Quixote, female rogues, and religious women to early modern Habsburg queens. Mihoko has published on the figure of Helen of Troy in classical and Renaissance epic; and women and politics in early modern Europe, especially in the context of the many civil wars that upended the political and social order of the period.
Christina of Sweden, known today primarily through Greta Garboâs portrayal of her in the 1933 film, became queen at age six when her father was killed in battle; she received the education of a prince, including the study of statecraft, for which she read the Latin biography of Elizabeth I. Initially deemed a boy at birth, Christinaâs habit of crossdressing, her refusal to marry, and her romantic attachments to both women and men bespeak her ambiguous sexuality. Veronica Buckleyâs biography does justice to this idiosyncratic and controversial figure who abdicated her throne, converted to Catholicism, and moved to Rome. Although she took Alexander the Great as her model and sought to rule Naples and Poland-Lithuania after her abdication, she revealingly recorded in her memoirs her thoughts concerning the predicament she faced as a female sovereign: âWomen should never be rulers... Women who rule make themselves ridiculous one way or theâŠ
The groundbreaking biography of one of the most progressive, influential and entertaining women of the seventeenth century, Christina Alexandra, Queen of Sweden.
In 1654, to the astonishment and dismay of her court, Christina Alexandra announced her abdication in favour of her cousin, Charles. Instrumental in bringing the Thirty Years War to a close at the age of 22, Christina had become one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe. She had also become notorious for her extravagant lifestyle.
Leaving the narrow confines of her homeland behind her, Christina cut a remarkable path across Europe. She acted as mediator in theâŠ
Although Iâd been to Scandinavia many times as a translator and travel writer, it wasnât until about twenty years ago that I spent significant time above the Arctic Circle, writing my travel book, The Palace of the Snow Queen. Over the course of three different winters spent in Lapland, I discovered a world of Sami history, politics, culture, and literature. I was particularly interested in the friendship between Emilie Demant Hatt and Johan Turi. Itâs been inspiring over the past years to see a new generation of artists and activists shaping and sharing their culture and resisting continued efforts to exploit natural resources in territories long used by the Sami for herding and fishing.
If youâre curious about the woman who collected the Sami folktales, youâll want to read Emilie Demant Hattâs story of living in a tent with a Sami family in a community in Northern Sweden. Youâll be fascinated by her grueling journey with a group of Sami herders and their hundreds of reindeer over the icy mountains in the spring of 1908 to find summer pastures on the Norwegian coast. Iâve long loved the adventure, humor, and visual feast in this book, first published in 1913, and was eager to translate it and share it with readers curious about the high north of Scandinavia. Demant Hatt was a brilliant observer and an early immersive journalist who didnât shy away from hard work, rough conditions, and learning the Sami language.
With the Lapps in the High Mountains is an entrancing true account, a classic of travel literature, and a work that deserves wider recognition as an early contribution to ethnographic writing. Published in 1913 and available here in its first English translation, With the Lapps is the narrative of Emilie Demant Hatt's nine-month stay in the tent of a Sami family in northern Sweden in 1907-8 and her participation in a dramatic reindeer migration over snow-packed mountains to Norway with another Sami community in 1908. A single woman in her thirties, Demant Hatt immersed herself in the Sami language andâŠ
Choosing philosophy at 18 raised a few eyebrows: friends and family thought I was a bit mad and a little lost. Later, when I decided to write philosophical stories and essays, I heard the same refrain: âMost people are afraid of philosophy.â But those voices never swayed me. Deep down, I knew that thinking is a powerful tool for healing, a way to mend whatâs broken within us and in the world. Ideas, I believe, can spark change and make the world a better place.
Truth doesnât have to be flashy to captivate. I was instantly drawn to the mystique of this bookâs manuscript and the secretive author who sent it to me. In it, I discovered that beauty is a feeling, and anxiety is a prelude to exhilaration.
Normally, I'm not one for self-help, but the poetic wisdom in this book resonated on a personal level, a comforting reminder that healing isnât a one-size-fits-all journey.
Don't Wait Another Day to Live the Life You Deserve
Imagine unlocking the secrets to a life filled with purpose, unwavering resilience, and deep inner peace. In How the Wise Master Life: 51 Essential Truths Clarified, spiritual guide and wisdom teacher Miranda Healer offers a blueprint for achieving this extraordinary way of living. This isn't just a book â it's a catalyst for profound transformation.
Healer's deep, clear and compassionate voice guides you through timeless yet timely truths that have empowered the world's wisest and most powerful individuals. With each insightful chapter, you'll gain a deeper understanding of yourself, yourâŠ
The thrilling follow-up to RUN, a Finalist for BestThrillers' Book of the Year.
Veronica Walshâs meticulously created ânormalâ life was torn apart by the public revelations about her past.She is trying to put the pieces back together when a desperate Mikaela Alonso comes to her asking for help. SheâŠ
I came into the world telling stories. From the age of four you could often find me surrounded by a little cluster of friends, amusing them with a story I was spinning on the spot. When I was nine, I began telling my sisters about a Martian who was living on Earth and who loved his comfy chairs. This Martian eventually became Alou, and it has been such a joy to share his world through my picture book Alou: The Martian Agent and its sequels. One thing Iâm passionate about is sparking the potent imagination bottled up inside all our little ones and I hope my books can encourage that.
Make-believe was one of my favorite pastimes as a little girl. When I wasnât writing a story, chances were, I was off with a sister in a world of imagination. And when I was there, it was as if my fancy was reality. I think thatâs why I identify with this charming picture book so much. The main characterâs potent imagination pulls his surroundings into his play reality. But the ending leaves us to ponder, along with Baby Benâs mamaâŠcan his imagination conjure things into the tangible world? This translation from the original Swedish expertly converted the rhymes, and the pictures add so very much to the adventure. If you have a little adventurer in your life, this is a must-read!