I loved doing this shoot because Peter White Library is one of my favorite places in Marquette. I’m a huge reader and love picking out new books for myself and for G. (I’m one of those dorks who likes the smell of library books . . . please tell me I’m not alone!) I’ve been reading some amazing books lately and really wanted to share them with you guys. I would love some recommendations from you!
Top 5 Book Recommendations
1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- Probably my favorite book of all time. Such a beautifully written novel . . . I’ve read all of Zafon’s other books because of this one. They’re all good, but this one is the best.
- “ Anyone who enjoys novels that are scary, erotic, touching, tragic and thrilling should rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. Really, you should.” Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
2. The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co.) by Jonathan Stroud
- If you’ve been looking for a Harry Potter-like series, look no further. I’ve read all of the Lockwood & Co. books so far and have loved them. It’s kind of like a “Ghostbusters” theme . . . ghosts are haunting England and only children can see them and fight them. (Stroud also wrote the Bartimeaus Trilogy which I highly recommend).
- “This story will keep you reading late into the night, but you’ll want to leave the lights on. Stroud is a genius at inventing an utterly believable world which is very much like ours, but so creepily different. Put The Screaming Staircase on your ‘need to read’ list!”
–Rick Riordan
3. Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett
- History lovers, the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett is amazing. Spanning from pre-WWI to the fall of the Berlin Wall, his books allow you to see historical events through the eyes of different generations of families and individual characters. It was such a unique perspective and so very very engrossing.
- “Follett is masterly in conveying so much drama and historical information so vividly…grippingly told.”—The New York Times Book Review
4. The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch
- I’m currently reading the second book of this 5-book series and I’m so glad that there’s more to come. I can’t put it down and look forward to reading it every night . . . and it’s gotten praise from George R. R. Martin, the creater of Game of Thrones.
- “Right now, in the full flush of a second reading, I think The Lies of Locke Lamora is probably in my top ten favorite books ever. Maybe my top five. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you have read it, you should probably read it again.”—Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
5. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
- Amazon’s Best Young Adult Book of 2015. Inspired by ancient Rome, this book is brutally violent but I couldn’t put it down. It’s kind of in the same vein as The Hunger Games but with a fantastical twist. (I’m a sci-fi nerd if you couldn’t tell by now).
- “An Ember in the Ashes could launch Sabaa Tahir into JK Rowling territory…It has the addictive quality of The Hunger Games combined with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the brutality of Game of Thrones.”—Public Radio International
Now your turn! What should I read next??
XOXO,
Scotti
