100 books like Yule Island

By Johana Gustawsson, David Warriner (translator),

Here are 100 books that Yule Island fans have personally recommended if you like Yule Island. 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 Big Little Lies

Jack Heath Author Of The Wife Swap

From my list on books that make you suspicious of your husband.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been writing for 20 years, and the more I learn about the craft, the less interested I am in big, bombastic thrillers about the end of the world. Now I'm more impressed by books that do a lot with a little. Some talented writers can spin a gripping story out of nothing more than two people in a room (Stephen King's Misery is one of my all-time faves). The domestic noir genre lends itself to this kind of minimalism. Sure, serial killers are scary, but not as scary as the thought that your spouse might not be who they seem.

Jack's book list on books that make you suspicious of your husband

Jack Heath Why did Jack love this book?

Okay, you've almost certainly heard of this one. You might even be thinking that The Husband's Secret is a more obvious choice for this list. But I'm including BLL anyway because I couldn't believe how enthralling it was (even though I've been a Liane Moriarty fan since The Hypnotist's Love Story).

Many of the entries on this list have depicted a marriage that looks perfect from the outside but is rotten within. This book inverts this formula, or at least complicates it—Celeste thinks her marriage is perfect (or is telling herself she thinks that), but it's obvious from the reader's outside perspective that her husband is an abuser.

There are many intriguing threads woven through this story (all coming together in a showdown so satisfying that I read it several times), but the scenes with Perry are the most impressive. They left me sick with fear.

By Liane Moriarty,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Big Little Lies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*Published as BIG LITTLE LIES in Australia and the United States*

Liane Moriarty, million copy selling author of The Husband's Secret brings us another addictive story of secrets and scandal.

Jane hasn't lived anywhere longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic seaside town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane finally feels like she belongs. She has friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste - two women with seemingly perfect lives . . . and their…


Book cover of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Mike Shevdon Author Of Sixty-One Nails

From my list on characters that shine through.

Why am I passionate about this?

We’ve all read them: the girl who is unknowingly of royal blood but was sequestered to an ordinary family to protect her identity. The detective with the broken home and a drink problem is driven to solve the crime. The action hero who can shoot their way out of any encounter. While these tropes are the bread and butter of genre fiction, they get overused. I found that my favorite and most engaging characters were those with complicated lives whose pasts might catch up with them at an inconvenient moment. Here are some of my favorite stories with unconventional characters that shine through the narrative.

Mike's book list on characters that shine through

Mike Shevdon Why did Mike love this book?

George Smiley is a most unlikely hero for a spy thriller. He’s old, tired, and just wants to be left with his books and his research. He wears big, comical glasses, and his wife, the lovely Lady Anne, refers to him as her “Toad.” He doesn’t look like a spy at all.

George is old-school—careful, meticulous, and precise. In this book, we are gifted with an insider's view of a gimlet mind as he sifts through the traces of all that’s been buried, in pursuit, not only of the truth but of the foul trick that has turned the British Secret Service inside out. I came to deeply respect George’s integrity, his ability to self-evaluate, and see clearly not only the strategies and ploys of his enemy but also his own flaws and weaknesses.

By John le Carré,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Legacy of Spies.

The man he knew as "Control" is dead, and the young Turks who forced him out now run the Circus. But George Smiley isn't quite ready for retirement-especially when a pretty, would-be defector surfaces with a shocking accusation: a Soviet mole has penetrated the highest level of British Intelligence. Relying only on his wits and a small, loyal cadre, Smiley recognizes the hand of Karla-his Moscow Centre nemesis-and sets a trap to catch the traitor.

The Oscar-nominated feature film adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is directed by…


Book cover of The Perfect Girl

H.R. Kemp Author Of Lethal Legacy

From my list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m 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 books—not 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.

H.R.'s book list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers

H.R. Kemp Why did H.R. love this book?

Provocative questions about redemption and second chances are at the heart of this story, and they made me dive deeper into my own ideas about these issues. The book shows that truth is never straightforward, and the burden of guilt and shame can complicate the lives of everyone involved.

I loved Macmillan’s story-telling style. Despite the novel unfolding gently—it’s a slow burn—I read it in 3 days. That’s a record for me. It’s a testament to how attached I became to the character’s plight and the suspense and tension created by the writer. It’s a profound and engrossing story.

It’s both plot and character-focused, and I was hooked from the beginning. It starts with a simple premise, then turns it on its head and introduces doubt and mystery. The author kept me guessing; just when I thought I knew what was happening, the ground shifted under my feet. There was…

By Gilly MacMillan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew returns with an electrifying new novel about how the past will always find us...

"Literary suspense at its finest.”—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Baby

“A wonderfully addictive book with virtuoso plotting and characters - for anyone who loved Girl on the Train, it’s a must read.”
   — Rosamund Lupton

Zoe Maisey is a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy with a genius IQ. Three years ago, she was involved in a tragic incident that left three classmates dead. She served her time, and now her mother, Maria, is resolved…


Book cover of The Lazarus Solution

H.R. Kemp Author Of Lethal Legacy

From my list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m 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 books—not 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.

H.R.'s book list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers

H.R. Kemp Why did H.R. love this book?

This gripping historical thriller has World War II intrigue and Norwegian spies, so it can be described as a wartime murder mystery interwoven with a gripping espionage thriller. It’s a layered story that resonates with that era's tensions, conflicts, and mistrust. I felt like I was there; it was so rich in historical details.

The plot captures the real tensions between Nazi-occupied Norway and neutral Sweden. I learned so much and gained insights into the murky motivations of the time. For someone who pays attention to politics, the complex interplay of different interest groups and their political maneuvering had interesting parallels to the present.

The story has it all: layers of family drama, shared history, divided loyalties, and deep-seated hatred, with storylines weaving in political ideology, the true nature of war, and distorted notions of patriotism, ambition, and revenge. There is so much to think about and apply to today's…

By Kjell Ola Dahl, Don Bartlett (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When a courier for Sweden's Press and Military Office is killed on his final mission, the Norwegian government-in-exile appoints a writer to find the missing documents ... breathtaking WW2 thriller.

**International NUMBER ONE bestseller**

'A stylish stand-alone thriller from the godfather of Scandi noir ... Ola Dahl ratchets up the tension from the first pages and never lets go' Sunday Times

'Absorbing, heart-rending and perfectly plotted' Denzil Meyrick

'Expertly crafted' John Harvey

_________

Summer, 1943. Daniel Berkak, who works as a courier for the Press and Military Office in Sweden, is killed on his last cross-border mission to Norway.

Demobbed…


Book cover of Moominpappa at Sea

Martine Murray Author Of Molly & Pim and the Millions of Stars

From my list on the natural world as the lifeblood of the story.

Why am I passionate about this?

I credit my overactive imagination to a childhood in which our parents left us to run wild. There I developed a very alive and personal relationship to the living world which I've continued to both plunder and nourish in order to write novels. In these times of ecological devastation, it’s telling that so many children’s lives have migrated towards the virtual. I believe it’s the interpenetration of our own imagination into what is mysterious, enduring and alive in the natural world that shows us why we must strive to hold it sacred. I encourage all kids to get off their screens and to go outside. There you will find life’s unbridled magic.

Martine's book list on the natural world as the lifeblood of the story

Martine Murray Why did Martine love this book?

To be truthful, I would list all the Moomin books as top of my list and am only choosing one because I can’t pick them all. In Moominvalley and its enduring characters, its seasons, snowstorms, comets, floods, and finally its absences, we find lifes’ psychological dramas, doubts, and triumphs perfectly embedded in and drawn from the tempestuous and consoling presence of the natural world. I read all these books to my daughter and relished the emergence of a conjured world that was deep and familiar, yet also distant and magical, as is whatever realm of nature you most find yourself close to. I remember Moompapa at sea for its particularly philosophical and slightly wistful tone and because who doesn’t wonder about the wildness and loneliness of life inside a lighthouse. 

By Tove Jansson, Kingsley Hart (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Moominpappa at Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Soon to be MOOMINVALLEY, a MAJOR ANIMATED SERIES on SKY ONE starring Taron Egerton and Rosamund Pike!

Moominpappa is feeling at a loss. He has no idea what to do with himself - it seems everything has already been done!

So he takes his family off to start a new life in a lighthouse on a tiny, rocky island far out to sea. It's rather lonely at first, but it isn't long before the Moomins discover some funny and surprising new things about themselves.


Book cover of Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric

Anne J. Cruz and Mihoko Suzuki Author Of The Rule of Women in Early Modern Europe

From my list on women who ruled in early modern Europe.

Why are we passionate about this?

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. Anne’s publications range from studies of women in Cervantes’ 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.

Anne's book list on women who ruled in early modern Europe

Anne J. Cruz and Mihoko Suzuki Why did Anne love this book?

Christina of Sweden, known today primarily through Greta Garbo’s 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, Christina’s habit of crossdressing, her refusal to marry, and her romantic attachments to both women and men bespeak her ambiguous sexuality. Veronica Buckley’s 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: “Women should never be rulers... Women who rule make themselves ridiculous one way or the…

By Veronica Buckley,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

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 the…


Book cover of One Step Behind

Stefan Ahnhem Author Of Victim Without A Face

From my list on crime for those who say, "I don't read crime fiction".

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Stefan's book list on crime for those who say, "I don't read crime fiction"

Stefan Ahnhem Why did Stefan love this book?

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 was Nordic Noir before the genre got its name.

By Henning Mankell, Ebba Segerberg (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

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.


Book cover of How the Wise Master Life: 51 Essential Truths Clarified

Luis de Miranda Author Of Philosophical Health: A Practical Introduction

From my list on improving your philosophical health.

Why am I passionate about this?

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: “Most people are afraid of philosophy.” But those voices never swayed me. Deep down, I knew that thinking is a powerful tool for healing, a way to mend what’s broken within us and in the world. Ideas, I believe, can spark change and make the world a better place.

Luis' book list on improving your philosophical health

Luis de Miranda Why did Luis love this book?

Truth doesn’t have to be flashy to captivate. I was instantly drawn to the mystique of this book’s 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 isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey.

By Miranda Healer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How the Wise Master Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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 – 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, your…


Book cover of With the Lapps in the High Mountains: A Woman Among the Sami, 1907a 1908

Barbara Sjoholm Author Of By the Fire: Sami Folktales and Legends

From my list on the Sami and Sápmi.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I’d been to Scandinavia many times as a translator and travel writer, it wasn’t 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. It’s 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. 

Barbara's book list on the Sami and Sápmi

Barbara Sjoholm Why did Barbara love this book?

If you’re curious about the woman who collected the Sami folktales, you’ll want to read Emilie Demant Hatt’s story of living in a tent with a Sami family in a community in Northern Sweden. You’ll 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. I’ve 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 didn’t shy away from hard work, rough conditions, and learning the Sami language. 

By Emilie Demant Hatt, Barbara Sjoholm (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked With the Lapps in the High Mountains as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

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 and…


Book cover of Sidetracked

Stephen B. King Author Of Forever Night

From my list on catching a serial killer and how they became monsters.

Why am I passionate about this?

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 wouldn’t 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 ‘like’ 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.

Stephen's book list on catching a serial killer and how they became monsters

Stephen B. King Why did Stephen love this book?

Henning Mankell (RIP) was the master of the ‘troubled detective’ 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.

By Henning Mankell, Steven T. Murray (translator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

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.

WINNER OF THE CRIME WRITERS'…


Book cover of Big Little Lies
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