Blog Archives - Independent Book Review

Okay, some can argue that he’s more post-hardcore than punk, but Geoff Rickly’s debut novel, Someone Who Isn’t Me, hums with musical prose that rivals the best lyrical writers of literary fiction.

A heroin addict and lead singer, the protagonist, Geoff, seeks sobriety through the psychedelic drug Ibogaine. His trip sends him on a psychic spiral through his guilt-laden past, forcing him to contend with the person he has become. Rickly depicts Geoff’s wild tour across the United States, not holding back on the bickering or the drugs. It’s a dirty novel in the way that addiction can be dirty. But it also breaks the trend of stories about addiction. Refusing to pause on the fallout, Rickly writes beyond into recovery and hope.

2. No Names

Author: Greg Hewett

Publisher: Coffee House Press (April 2025)

Print Length: 352 pages

ISBN: 9781566897259

Greg Hewett’s No Names is by far the slowest moving of the works of literary fiction in this list. Think Sleep’s Dopesmoker. Okay, maybe it’s doom metal. Whatever the case, punk is the root.

As Hewett skips around from POV to POV, a large focus is a punk band called, of course, The No Names, and the sketchy European tour that ended the band. But there’s also quite a bit of classical music in the background, as well as a long exploration of friendships entangled with sexual experimentation. Maybe the end drags on a bit longer than expected, but the prose holds up, a song that slowly diminishes rather than ending with a crash.

Looking for more literary fiction recommendations? Check out our best books of 2024!

3. Earth Angel

Author: Madeline Cash

Publisher: CLASH Books (April 18, 2023)

Print Length: 152 pages

ISBN: 9781955904698

Easy to read cover-to-cover in a single sitting, Earth Angel is all power chords, heavy and fast. Cash’s sentences are short and piercing and her endings cut to nothing rather than attempting a summation or even a meaning. Because everything is meaningless, right?

Think Biblical plagues, Isis recruits, childless millennials and millennials with children that they’re not quite sure what to do with. Think designer drugs, broke city dwellers, homicidal fantasies, porn. Maybe Earth Angel is too modern to hold to the ‘80s DIY ethos, but it’s still counterculture AF. It still questions authority, culture, and god. It’s a witty collection for confused kids who definitely don’t want to grow up.

4. Scumbag Summer

Author: Jillian Luft

Publisher: House of Vlad Press (June 2024)

Print Length: 192 pages

ISBN: 9798320644059

More sex, more drugs, more blood and fallout, Scumbag Summer explores smoky bowling alleys and dive bars, the crass scenery of Orlando. Though she’s a college grad, the protagonist seems intent on continuing her nihilistic young-adulthood, refusing to settle into any kind of square, middle class grind.

Orlando for her is No Doz and 7 layer burritos, and as she lodges herself more deeply into the dumpster fire, she spots the pages with social commentary, a distrust of wealth and power and an understanding of “trash culture,” of those stuck in on the lower rungs of the social hierarchy who sometimes can’t even imagine the climb. Scumbag Summer also contains one of the most punk lines I’ve ever read: “Love is a friendly butcher.”

5. Ghosts of East Baltimore

Author: David Simmons

Publisher: Broken River Books (2022)

Print Length: 202 pages

ISBN: 9781940885544

A Baltimore native with a deep understanding of the underground, David Simmons shrugs off the rules in his debut literary crime thriller. As with the other books on this list, there’s a unique and manic music behind Simmons’ prose. It’s rough music, blasted loud. I mean what’s more punk than a protagonist named Worm who gets out of prison to find that he’s the only one who can take out a drug ring smuggling dangerous chemicals into his community?

Simmons raises the bar for punk AF literature with his cutting social commentary, including “crack epidemic” history lessons and a deep understanding of Baltimore’s crime and corruption-ridden past.

6. Hellions

Author: Julia Elliott

Publisher: Tin House Books (April 15, 2025)

Print Length: 272 pages

ISBN: 9781963108064

Witches, Cryptids, Ghosts, and other supernatural entities plague the pages of Julia Elliott’s strange collection of longer short fiction. No flash stories here. But just like when you enter a DIY venue and feel surrounded by like minds, the pages of Hellions is a comforting place for those who have normalized the weird.

In “The Maiden,” a community trampoline allows a witchy girl to show up the popular kids with her otherworldly acrobatics before disappearing to her woodland squat. And in “Hellion,” a tough twelve-year-old tames an alligator. Elliott’s stories are filled with loners and weirdos outperforming their normative peers and youngsters challenging their parents’ conservative ideals. What’s more punk than that?

7. Hey You Assholes

Author: Kyle Seibel

Publisher: CLASH Books (March 25, 2025)

Print Length: 272 pages

ISBN: 9781960988393

Seibel’s story of trying to publish this debut book of short literary fiction, Hey You Assholes is filled with almost as many bizarre twists as the book itself. It reminds me of a 21st century reenactment of ‘80s punk bands banging down doors to book a studio or distro a record. He couldn’t have found a better home for his book than Clash Books, a publisher of some of the strangest and most energetic fiction on the market. Energetic is the word, because even the longer stories don’t stop driving. ThinkLandowner Plays Dopesmoker 666% Faster and with No Distortion.

Hey You Assholes is a deep dive into the lives of unpopular people: soft-hearted alcoholics, wiley factory workers, and Navy veterans who feel forever lost at sea. None of Seibel’s characters have money or power and they definitely don’t have any respect for The Man.

Want some thrills in your bookshelf? Check out the best indie thrillers!

About the Author

Nick Gardner is a writer, teacher, and critic who has worked as a winemaker, chef, painter, shoe salesman, and addiction counselor. His latest collection of stories from the Rust Belt, Delinquents And Other Escape Attempts, is out now from Madrona Books. He lives in Ohio and Washington, DC and works as a beer and wine monger in Maryland.

Thank you for reading Nick Gardner’s “Literary Fiction Books That Are Punk AF!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post Literary Fiction Books That Are Punk AF appeared first on Independent Book Review.

8 of the Best Book Series of the Last Few Years

IndieBookView — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000

8 of the Best Book Series of the Last Few Years

by Joe Walters & the IBR Staff

Read a series, experience a world.

Some stories can’t be told in one book. Some need time to develop. Some need context. Some characters are just too good to say goodbye to.

Writing a great fictional book series is its own dedicated art form. You’ve got to enthrall readers so much that they don’t want to leave for 1,000 pages. Even if you’re Leo Tolstoy, that’s a tough thing to convince a modern reader.

My team and I have reviewed over 2,000 indie books since 2018, so at this point, we know what you want.

We know it’s these books.

Here are some of the best book series of the last few years!

1. The Pinter P.I. Series

Author: Lisa Boyle

Subgenre: Crime

Series Length: 3 Books

Reviewed by: Erin Britton

A rip-roaring crime series with complex, evolving characters and even better plot twists and curveballs

This series ticks all the boxes for modern crime fiction. It’s got unlikely heroes solving genuinely surprising mysteries with enough well-paced action to make the thriller aspects come to life. The Navajo setting also adds cultural richness to the storyline.

Both of the first two books received starred reviews at Independent Book Review, and good news for all involved: the third book is on its way out in July. So read the first two stars now, so you’re ready for The Pusher Man.

2. Moonshiner Mysteries

Author: Sherilyn Decter

Subgenre: Historical Fiction / Women’s

Series Length: 4 Books

Reviewed by: Joelene Pynnonen

A historical mystery series that just keeps getting better

Set in Montana’s gold fields during prohibition, the Moonshiner Mysteries series follows Delores Bailey, a resilient young woman who flees a dangerous, abusive, crime-infested family in Philadelphia to make a home (and a moonshine still) in the middle of the Big Sky state.

Every single book in this series has been named to our best of the year book list in the year it was published. Decter’s recipe for this moonshining series is infused with sweetness, charm, good friends, historical clout, and backstabbing enemies.

If you’re looking for an authentic historical atmosphere and a lovable leading lady, you’ve struck gold with the Moonshiners Mysteries.

Here are my tips on how to develop a healthy reading habit!

3. Detective Hiroshi Series

Author: Michael Pronko

Subgenre: Crime / Japan

Series Length: 6 books

Reviewed by: Joe Walters & Peggy Kurkowski

First-rate detective fiction; non-stop mystery

I was blown away by Azabu Getaway, the first novel we reviewed of Pronko’s. It’s not every day I encounter a thriller with as many mysteries as that one. It keeps you constantly asking questions, zipping around from perspective to perspective to complicate each situation and to develop the chase-down, but it always makes sure you don’t skip a beat at the same time.

Peggy Kurkowski says that Shitamachi Scam, the series’ most recent novel is, “a superb and timely plot with old school sleuthing and witty, compelling characters.”

It takes a deft writer to pull off prose and mysteries like these. Luckily there are 6!

4. The Lykanos Chronicles

Author: Joseph Stone

Subgenre: Dark Fantasy

Series Length: 3 books

Reviewed by: Joe Walters & Alexandria Ducksworth

Addictive dark fantasy where the author always remains one step ahead

Werewolves traipse down the dark streets of 1920s France in The Lykanos Chronicles. It begins with Criminal Beware, “a dark web of paranormal mystery… that’ll give you more than you bargained for.”

Stone’s wolves are smart, sophisticated, and insanely powerful. Like reading Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire—but with werewolves—the world of this series is beyond intriguing. Alexandria Ducksworth says, “Stone has the magical touch with worldbuilding.”

Review 3

5. The Phoenix Elite

Author: C.T. Clark

Subgenre: Science Fiction / Action & Adventure

Series Length: 2 books

Reviewed by: Chelsey Tucker

Fascinating technology, crazy schemes, a bit of freaky science, and a spectacular collision of historical people

Each one of The Phoenix Elite, a technically discontinued experiment made up of seven individuals from around the world, is 99.5% related to a prominent historical figure. A creative, eccentric genius; a devoutly religious teenager of the 15th century; a ground-breaking leader from Ancient Egypt; and a controversial revolutionary guerilla.

Cloning historical figures to create a super team to save the world against nuclear destruction is wild and worth the ride.

6. Just In Time

Author: Howard Wetsman

Subgenre: Science Fiction / Time Travel

Series Length: 2 books

Reviewed by: Joelene Pynnonen

Time traveling with a Roman Emperor gets even better as this enthralling series goes on.

When Joe Schwartz, a Late Roman and Byzantine professor at Tulane University, is approached by a young man after one of his lectures, he’s not prepared for how drastically his worldview will change.

It turns out—this man, Jules, is actually Flavius Claudius Julianus, the eventual emperor of Rome. The Jules that Joe meets is a much younger man, nowhere near the age where he will take the crown and the realm. And he needs help.

This series explores time travel through a contemplative, thoughtful lens, which gives the distinct feeling of burrowing down for a bit of cozy sci-fi when you settle in to read it.

Many of the aspects that made the first book, House on Constantinople, such a phenomenal read return in Just in Time Service, only bigger and better. The fusion of real history and fiction is just as vital, and as more time travelers are introduced, we’re exposed to a far wider range of historical events and periods.

Get yourself one of the best e-readers for reading at night and on the go!

7. The Ferren Trilogy

Author: Richard Harland

Subgenre: Fantasy / Angels & Demons

Series Length: 3 books

Reviewed by: Alexandria Ducksworth

Science and religion battle it out in this fast-paced dystopian fantasy with loads of fascinating lore.

In Richard Harland’s hands, the future contains humans, angels, wandering spirits, and technological monstrosities. And they’re constantly fighting for dominance of our post-apocalyptic world.

One of the most rewarding parts of this series is that you get to watch Ferren, a young man who watches an angel fall from Heaven, transform from a humdrum follower to a brave leader just as the conversation about science and religion really comes to a head.

This series is a non-stop thrill-ride that takes place in a cleverly crafted world where you can bet the characters will get their rightful endings.

Review 3

8. The Adventures of the Flash Gang

Author: M.M. Downing & S.J. Waugh

Subgenre: Middle Grade Fiction / Historical

Series Length: 3 books

Reviewed by: Warren Maxwell

A rollicking series of crooked schemes and youthful hijinks set in the gritty underworld of Depression-era Pittsburgh

Book one, Exploding Experiment, is a gripping story of two young children who foil a vast international conspiracy. Book two, Treasonous Tycoon, is an emotional, noir-tinged sequel that has street orphans investigating a Nazi plot, and it’s all splashed with humor and playful dialogue. The third…well, we can’t wait for that one either!

This middle grade series is a special one. It has a deep sense of history, especially in book two, and its characters are alive and vital and stand in the way of being young and overlooked. They are important; our younger ones are too.

What are your favorite book series of all time? Let us know in the comments!

Thank you for reading “8 of the Best Book Series of the Last Few Years!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 8 of the Best Book Series of the Last Few Years appeared first on Independent Book Review.

The Best Books We Read in 2024

IndieBookView — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 13:31:13 +0000

The Best Books We Read in 2024

by Joe Walters & the IBR Staff

“Unforgettable!” “Perfect!” The best books we read in 2024.

We do things a little differently here at Independent Book Review.

We review indie books only, and we throw publication date out of the window. This best of the year book list ranges from 1899 to 2025, because what matters most is quality. Relevance is wrapped up in that, regardless of release date.

In previous years, we’ve asked our reviewers to include 3-5 of their best books of the year, but we’re bigger now. Our reviewer list has grown, and we’ve got all the more reason to zero in on the best of the best.

21 reviewers, only 2 books to choose as their best reads of 2024 (with some honorable mentions thrown in for good measure). Did your favorite indie make the cut?

Here are the best books we read in 2024.

1. Fire Exit

Author: Morgan Talty

Genre: Literary Fiction / Native American & Aboriginal Fiction

ISBN: 9781959030553

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Tin House Books

In which a life can transform in the quiet

Charles Lamosway watches his daughter live a better life across the river from him. One where she fits in. Where she doesn’t know she’s half-white, half-unwelcome. Should Charles tell her he’s her father, or does not knowing what runs through her blood provide more for her than the truth would?

Fire Exit is one of those novels that comes across as quiet, but in the context of these people’s lives, it is earth-shattering. What is more powerful than blood? I left this novel knowing real people, ones I was sad to say goodbye to. This is an exquisite gem and one I’m proud to place at #1 on my list.

2. Nothing Left to Lose, or How Not to Start a Commune

Author: Jeff Richards

Genre: Memoir

ISBN: 9781953639202

Print Length: 268 pages

Publisher: Circuit Breaker Books

All your favorite 70s stereotypes come to life in this laugh out loud hippie memoir

Memoirs can be about nothing and everything. Or they can be Nothing Left to Lose, one person’s story that represents so many people’s stories.

How could author Jeff Richards possibly have done all of what we imagine the 70s counterculture movement to do? Drugs, sex, road trips, communes, you name it. Jeff Richards has done it. Some memoirs are about the content; some about the prose. This is both.

I didn’t want to put a book with a 2025 release date in my best reading of 2024 list, but once I finished Nothing Left to Lose, I had no choice. Put this on your radar now before it floors it out of town.

Honorable Mentions:

My Father Once Told Me by Blas Telleria (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)
A Mouthful of Air by Amy Koppelman (Bookshop | Amazon)
The Jellyfish by Boum (Bookshop | Amazon)

1. Ohmigod!

Author: Aaron Asadi

Genre: Literary Fiction / Humor

ISBN: 9781399985819

Print Length: 234 pages

A funny, inventive story about a man with anxiety and the return of god

How many people have thought about what life would be like if their god came back to Earth as he’s promised? What would you say? What would you wear? Aaron Asadi takes the return to places you’ve never imagined (and won’t expect) in Ohmigod!

I’m still debating what I think everything means in this story—the mark of a damn good, thought-provoking novel. A couple times, my mouth hung wide open. I gasped. Laughed. And yet, the writing style is so casual that things feel calm right before they explode. It makes big reveals feel even bigger.

I read Ohmigod! with haste and excitement. Asadi takes what could be a common or simple idea and transforms it into something creative and digestible and funny and kinda scary but also somehow super chill. I could talk about this book for a long time. Someone ask me!

2. Until the Streetlights Come On

Author: Ginny Yurich, M.E.d.

Genre: Nonfiction / Parenting

ISBN: 9781540903402

Print Length: 224 pages

Publisher: Baker Book House

The PERFECT read for parents looking to simplify their lives with the outdoors.

Slow down and enhance your natural rhythm from being outside more! There are so many parenting books to read as a new parent, but this has been far and away the most impactful one for me. Your kids need to go outside at any age. Matter of fact, I do too. Learn how and why in this supremely important, accessible book.

Give to yourself this holiday season! Here are the BEST gifts for book lovers.

1. Apocalypsing

Author: Jason Anderson

Genre: Science Fiction / Satire

ISBN: 9798990230972

Print Length: 308 pages

Publisher: Roadside Press

Death and the apocalypse is as good a time as any to take charge of your life.

Domestic foibles. Impending armageddon. Aliens in the transdimensional afterlife. Jason Anderson’s Apocalypsing is a quick-witted, pop-culture savvy, sci-fi satire that is equal parts absurd and introspective.

The apocalypse will not simply be a tragedy to live through, but an active verb of what the people will do to save each other’s souls in the end times. This book is hilarious, current, and—at times—tender. An excellent choice for fans of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Good Omens.

2. The Peril of Remembering Nice Things

Author: Jeffrey Wade Gibbs

Genre: Memoir

ISBN: 9781953932297

Print Length: 284 pages

Publisher: April Gloaming Publishing

A powerful memoir reminding us to find the truth in our stories when both history and memory fail us

History is rarely captured in its nuanced entirety; the full truth often lies in the shadows of the stories left untold. Jeffrey Wade Gibbs’s memoir shines a light on repressed memories and warped histories through an investigation guided by the heart.

Well researched & beautifully written, this memoir is as much an ode to the American South as it is an indictment of it. Here, readers will come to see that to truly love something is to also be critical of its failings.

Honorable Mentions:

Somebody’s Someone by Linda Oatman High (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)

1. Where When It Rains

Author: John F. Duffy

Genre: Literary Fiction

ISBN: 9798218456955

Print Length: 302 pages

Hedonism meets consequences in this sumptuously devastating literary novel.

Where When It Rains is a devastating study of the consequences of living as though the world and everything in it is meaningless. While the characters are a lost, numbed, and nihilistic lot, there’s an underlying thoughtfulness to them that makes them feel incredibly authentic. These are people who have been disappointed by life time and time again, who don’t have the language for the emotions they’re feeling. So they brush them away with drugs and alcohol and the companionship of others who care as little as themselves.

While other novels explore this sort of hard-nosed cynicism, few show the raw vulnerability and deep humanity lying under the façade. As painful as it can be at times, Where When It Rains is lovely. Dark, bleak, and hopeless, but lovely nonetheless.

2. Whiskey Wars

Author: Sherilyn Decter

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Historical

ISBN: 9781777515171

Print Length: 358 pages

The stakes just keep climbing in this satisfying prohibition-era mystery series.

The thing I’ve admired in every one of the Moonshiner Mysteries so far is the fact that the formula changes so drastically. The characters grow in each novel; there’s no systematic paint-by-numbers plot line. The story follows whatever trajectory it needs to reach a satisfying conclusion.

This latest installment has all the charm and excitement that fans will expect and enough historical clout and action to hook new readers. It’s about a moonshiner in Montana whose moonshine still is destroyed, and she turns to prohibition icon Mickey Duffy for help.

Honorable Mentions:

The House on Constantinople by Howard Wetsman (Amazon | Review)

1. Glitches of Gods

Author: Jurgen “Jojo” Appelo

Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

ISBN: 9789083423616

Print Length: 524 pages

A genius engineer cultivates the next big thing in AI and keeps rebooting himself into different realities

Julien may be my favorite fictional character of the year. I remain in awe of him like a professor whose work I just discovered, and I also really want to be his friend. Julien is laugh-out-loud funny even when he’s having miserable banter with his AI assistant. He’s just doing his best in an impossible situation.

I can’t thank the author enough for Glitches of Gods existing as a reminder there’s always human-made art out there for those who seek it; that there are still people who care about humanity and who care about creating clever stories that convey a powerful message. I could not recommend this story more, especially if you love sci-fi and imaginative future-tech, but are feeling overwhelmed or disheartened by the current mainstream conversation around AI and how it has permeated the zeitgeist.

2. A Bitter Pill (The Bookshop Mysteries, 1)

Author: S.A. Reeves

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Cozy

ISBN: 9781068720932

Print Length: 306 pages

A charming, bookish modern mystery

Bitter Pill never loses focus from its charming setting and instantly adorable leading ladies: bookshop employees chasing leads and questioning potential suspects, while trying to brim up sales for their beloved Bookworm.

I feel as though I’ve found my new favorite bookshop. Only caveat is that I’ll have to open Bitter Pill to visit it again and again. Fans of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building are a perfect match for this novel, as t is brewed with an intergenerational detective duo and a balanced blend of time-honored wisdom and considered insight from its older characters.

Honorable Mentions:

Sundown in San Ojuela by M.M. Olivas (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)
Jigsaw of Light by J.C. Button (Amazon | Review)

1. The Wood Sprite

Author: James Dobie

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Paranormal

ISBN: 9798987133835

Print Length: 358 pages

About as wild as thrillers get

The Wood Sprite by James Dobie is filled with surprises. It drips with murder, horror, and strange family secrets straight out of a V.C. Andrews novel.

Each chapter in this alluringly dark novel is a cliffhanger. You’ll struggle to catch your breath, just as Dobie’s characters do. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but you won’t stop reading despite the heart-pounding trepidation. Paranormal thriller fans should definitely pick this up.

2. Mimic

Author: T. Kolodziej

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Supernatural

ISBN: 9781738779758

Print Length: 320 pages

An exciting paranormal adventure with a swirl of the macabre, mystery, and some downright creepiness

Content creator Damion Beck is last seen on a livestream playing with a spirit board. His whereabouts are unknown from the moment his camera malfunctions. Initially, people believe the culprit behind Damion’s death is an ordinary human criminal, but the more that psychic Dee King dives into the case, the more she realizes the murder suspect might be a multi-dimensional monstrosity.

Mimic’s mystery and plot twists are its sparkling stand-out features, and this mystical creature makes it a real page-turner, especially once you venture through the puzzle of its purpose.

A fun, fast-paced joyride. Mimic has it all.

Honorable Mentions:

The Passenger by Joie Lesin (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)

1. A Sense for Memory

Author: R.H. Stevens

Genre: Science Fiction / Illustrated

ISBN: 9780645922424

Print Length: 371 pages

An unforgettable immersion—smart science fiction at its very best

Immersive details yield a great narrative experience for the reader in this collection of two novellas. The book’s worldbuilding is impressive, exquisitely detailed in every aspect from geography to biology to cultural norms. The individuals and societies portrayed would be called “alien” by humans, but we’re not there. While the conflicts are relatable to planet Earth, there are no Sol system explorers to weigh in with opinions.

A Sense for Memory raises important political and ecofiction themes too: How does society balance individual rights with society’s needs? What is cruel punishment? What are sentient beings’ responsibilities to the land and “lower” animal and plant life?

This book is a real pleasure to read.

2. Deluge

Author: Carolyn Watson Dubisch

Genre: Middle Grade / Graphic Novel

ISBN: 9781312369603

Print Length: 50 pages

Laura’s new town is cursed in ways both obvious and hidden.

In Deluge: The People That Melt in the Rain, a stranger comes to town. Yet it’s the town itself that’s strange; the new girl, Laura, appears to be perfectly normal. Laura and her mom move to Deluge for a new, perhaps too-good-to-be true, job. But they are immediately confronted by a frog-infested rain shower, a wonderful opening scene for the graphic novel.

Deluge’s illustrations are phenomenal. The drawings are realistic, with palettes ranging from muted to colorful, depending on the needs of the narrative. Deluge will appeal to readers young and old, both for its interesting story, appealing characters with real problems, supernatural and mysterious aspects, and beautiful graphics.

Honorable Mentions:

Who Killed Leeanne? by Mira Gibson (Bookshop | Amazon)
Alien Nation by Raymond King (Amazon | Review)

Bookify your wardrobe with some of our favorite book shirts!

1. The Tower of Love

Author: Rachilde

Translator: Jennifer Higgins

Genre: Literary Fiction

ISBN: 9781962728003

Print Length: 176 pages

Publisher: Wakefield Press

Gothic, gorgeous, thrilling, unnerving, and deliriously ahead of its time

The Tower of Love is a strange, 125-year old book by a transgressive French author who was known for cross-dressing (illegal in France at the time), spent two years in prison for the publication of one of her novels, and otherwise broke every imaginable rule. Given Rachilde’s undertakings, I was floored by the simple narrative force of this novel about two men locked in a lighthouse together.

There are echoes of Melville’s Ishmael in the shifting naivety of the lighthouse-keeping narrator Jean Maleux. But behind his naivety are reverberations of a knowledge he won’t share, histories we don’t have access to. Frankly, the book is as deep as a well and the definition of a must read.

2. Tap Dancing on Everest

Author: Mimi Zieman, MD

Genre: Memoir / Climbing

ISBN: 9781493078431

Print Length: 244 pages

A riveting memoir about the travails of growing up, the trauma of mountain climbing, and the elation of being in the great outdoors

Beginning at the dramatic climax of a years-in-the-making expedition to climb Everest’s east face without oxygen for the first time, Zieman’s memoir doubles back to trace the bumpy path that led her to become the team medical officer as a twenty-five year old medical school student.

What materializes is a deep portrait of Mimi’s youth and milieu in New York as the ambitious daughter of two Holocaust survivors.

The overall quality of the writing in this book is exceptional. The memoir’s many large and small vignettes, its minor characters and central ones all leap into focus. Whether Zieman’s haunted, psychotherapist father or a boy that she rescues in a climbing accident, personality and life abound. A beautiful, wrenching story about the trials that we endure and the rewards we reap.

Honorable Mention:

The Thinking-About-Gladys-Machine by Mario Levrero (Bookshop | Amazon)
The Hidden Power of Rising Dividends by Greg Donaldson (Amazon | Review)

1. No One Left

Author: Lisa Boyle

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Crime

ISBN: 9781736607794

Print Length: 348 pages

Deception and discrimination threaten life and liberty on a Navajo reservation in this stellar crime thriller.

No One Left is an intricately plotted and action-packed sequel to In the Silence of Decay. As the first book makes clear, life in New Mexico in the late 1970s is far from paradise, especially for the Native American community living on the reservation near Sanostee.

The murder mystery at the heart of No One Left proves to be even more complex and convoluted than it initially appears, giving way for a number of twists and turns as the story progresses. The story imparts with some keen social commentary and historical insight along with its compelling thriller aspects.

A rip-roaring and conspiracy-filled crime novel with good characters and even better curveballs.

2. Blood and Mascara

Author: Colin Krainin

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Detective

ISBN: 9798989986804

Print Length: 292 pages

A hard-boiled detective story set in the late 1990s but with more than a hint of classic noir like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon

Colin Krainin’s Blood and Mascara traverses the seamier side of Washington, DC and exposes all the blood, gore, and corruption to be found there. Through pitch-perfect PI dialogue and a plot packed with political duplicity, sleaze, and casual violence, Krainin presents a fiendish murder mystery that shines a light on both the best and worst of humanity.

An old-school detective novel with modern sensibilities and a healthy dose of nastiness, Blood and Mascara pairs an engagingly flawed PI with an eclectic supporting cast and pits them against both a complex plot and a host of nefarious villains.

Honorable Mention:

Home for the Bewildered by Michelle Tobin (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)

1. Patterns

Author: H.L. Gaydos

Genre: Memoir / Art

ISBN: 9798891321861

Print Length: 198 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

A beautiful take on how the moments that make up the story of a life can only be fully revealed with the perspective of time

In Patterns: The Mystical Journey of an Ordinary Life, visual artist, professor, and long-time psychiatric nurse Honey Lee Gaydos combines memories and collage art in a look back at pivotal moments in her life.

Though to outsiders these moments would seem mostly unremarkable, they are laden with a rush of feeling for the author, and they lead to changes in her life that are at times small and at times large, from adjusting her outlook to uprooting her life and moving to another state.

Patterns is an exquisite combination of powerful art and evocative prose. It’s a journey into beauty and emotion by embracing one’s own complicated nature and the confounding forces of the world we inhabit.

2. The Last Whaler

Author: Cynthia Reeves

Genre: Historical Fiction / Literary

ISBN: 9781646035083

Print Length: 326 pages

Publisher: Regal House Publishing

A dark, emotional tale about facing the harshness of grief while living through a brutal, sunless Arctic winter

Astrid thought she could do it. She thought she could accompany her husband, Tor, to his beluga whaling station for the hunting season. In some ways, she was right. In others, not quite.

Just as they think their trials in the harsh north are over, one miscalculation leaves them stranded, facing the long cold period of 24-hour darkness, when the sun doesn’t rise for months.

The Last Whaler touches on themes of isolation, faith, and storytelling to process life’s darker moments. It meditates on the effect humans have when engaged in large-scale hunting in delicate ecosystems. It’s about these big themes, but it’s also about the struggle of a single person to stay alive despite overwhelming grief. Then to stay alive despite overwhelming odds. It’s about how the dangers that lurk within us are as terrifying as those to be found without. And the dogged impulse of the living to keep on living.

Honorable Mention:

The Insistence of Memory by Susan Quilty (Amazon | Review)
But I Digretch by Gretchen Astro Turner (Bookshop | Amazon | Revie w)

Got enough room for all these new books? Check out these cheap bookshelves!

1. Bad Foundations

Author: Brian Allen Carr

Genre: Literary Fiction / Absurdist

ISBN: 9781955904865

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Clash Books

**A working-class White Noise, a story about family, crap jobs, paranoia, and an uncertain future**

Cook works in crawl spaces, inspecting them for rot, but even when he emerges from the claustrophobic confines, driving across Indiana to the next client, the crawl follows him.

From the canon of working-class literature and literary family stories comes Bad Foundations, an unputdownable dive into the crawlspace sludge of a working man’s life and the inevitable rebirth that comes when he emerges to see his family in a not-so-blindingly-fluorescent light.

2. The Body Is a Temporary Gathering Place

Author: Andrew Bertaina

Genre: Essays

ISBN: 9781957392301

Print Length: 184 pages

Publisher: Autofocus Books

Bertaina is at his best in this collection of meditative essays on fatherhood, marriage, and self

Each essay is incredibly personal, holding nothing back, bearing all. It’s funny. It’s deep. It will glue you to your seat pondering your own life, finding those strange connections between the internal and external worlds that make up a life.

Honorable Mentions:

Of Fathers and Gods by Jim Roberts (Bookshop | Amazon)
You Could Be That Kind of Girl by Téa Franco (Booksho p | Amazo n)
Leasing by D.T. Robbins (Amazo n)

1. 1986

Author: Will Stepp

Genre: Literary Fiction / Short Stories

ISBN: 9798991503600

Print Length: 164 pages

Atmospheric & real—a recollective mood on childhood, family, and friends in the 1980s, coated with the nostalgia of times gone by

1986 is a collection of interlinked short stories following an unnamed boy—turned teen, turned man—and his ever-so-relatable childhood, filled with Nintendos, G.I. Joe’s, Garbage Pail Kid cards, and all the things they could get in trouble for when they’re bored and have friends they want to impress.

This book is about the feeling. The atmosphere. The time. The things we can’t forget, well into adulthood. We can learn so much from kids, as long as we’re willing enough to listen. This is the only childhood they’ve got, and they’re doing things you’re too afraid to do. Jump back in time with your old self in this knife-sharp story collection.

2. What We Tried to Bury Grows Here

Author: Julian Zabalbeascoa

Genre: Literary Fiction / Historical

ISBN: 9781953387530

Print Length: 300 pages

Publisher: Two Dollar Radio

A dynamic tale built of different voices and the comprehensive struggles of war

In 1936, Isidro Elejalde leaves his Basque village in Northern Spain to join the combat against the fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War. While Isidro serves as the story’s central figure, his journey unfolds through a web of compelling voices, all telling of his life and simultaneously exposing the larger story.

Zabalbeascoa’s debut is a sharply compelling exploration of complex war-time themes, featuring a propulsive narrative structure and a story that challenges readers to consider the need for human empathy in the most difficult times.

“I want this war to end,” I said, “but I want to preserve life. Are both things possible?”

Honorable Mentions:

Fathers and Fugitives by S.J. Naudé (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)
Writing for Money & Meaning by Julie Anne Eason (Amazo n | Review)

1. Children of Madness

Author: Jarrett Brandon Early

Genre: Fantasy / Epic

ISBN: 9781734231489

Print Length: 684 pages

Stranger Things meets Lord of the Rings in a new generation’s classic fantasy epic.

Children of Madness is an epic adventure led by a new group of heroes that will capture even the coldest of hearts. Readers will fall in love with the Sour Flower Gang almost instantly. As a group, they’re whip-smart and skilled. They vote for things as a group, swear profusely, and often are filled with joy despite considerable circumstances.

Early manages to balance light and dark throughout an immense journey, not only by including scenes where kids can be kids, but also by infusing supporting characters with some measure of both good and evil.

With winning characters and fantastic creatures and locations, Children of Madness feels like it could be read straight from a leather-bound book with gold leaf edges and all. Timeless.

2. Bomb Island

Author: Stephen Hundley

Genre: Literary Fiction / Coming of Age

ISBN: 9798885740258

Print Length: 224 pages

Publisher: Hub City Press

A tense coming-of-age tale about a boy’s last few weeks in a commune off the coast of Georgia

Fish lives on an island with his found family: Whistle, his “sage-mother;” Reef, the “young man;” Nutzo, “the old man;” and Sugar, a full-grown white tiger. But Sugar’s behavior becomes more predatory, and Nutzo goes missing. When Fish meets a girl on the mainland, he finds himself stuck between vastly different worlds.

Bomb Island is packed with evocative symbolism and big-hearted character dynamics, making for a cataclysmic, fast-paced story that kept me reading through the night.

Honorable Mentions:

A Professional Lola by E.P. Tuazon (Bookshop | Amazon)

1. Our Daughter Who Art In America

Editor: Mukana Press

Genre: Short Story Anthology / African

ISBN: 9798989694617

Print Length: 144 pages

Publisher: Mukana Press

Smart, heartfelt stories that challenge norms and spark important conversations

From the bustling and chaotic atmosphere of Lagos markets to the dark shorelines of South Africa to the hot territory of Kenya, Our Daughter, Who Art In America is a diverse, poignant, and engaging anthology that transcends borders and invites readers into the heart of human experience and African culture.

The book—collectively authored by eleven talented African writers from different parts of the world—navigates the theme of grief with a nuanced and multifaceted approach. Across the anthology, grief is explored not merely as a standalone emotion but as an intricate part of the human experience, intertwined with other themes like motherhood, resilience, cultural identity, and societal norms. It’s a thought-provoking kaleidoscopic view of the human experience.

2. The Significance of Curly Hair

Author: Kara L. Zajac

Genre: Memoir / Grief & Loss

ISBN: 9798891322868

Print Length: 364 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

A poignant story about the bond between a granddaughter and her grandmother

The Significance of Curly Hair is a heartwarming and enlightening memoir that reminds us to cherish our time with our loved ones. Through a six-day account, author Kara L. Zajac takes us on a journey of grief, healing, family bonding, and hope.

The Significance of Curly Hair is more than a memoir of loss; it is a celebration of life, love, and family. It serves as a special reminder to appreciate the present and hold our loved ones close.

1. A Thousand Tiny Stitches

Author: Stephanie Claypool

Genre: Literary Fiction

ISBN: 9798891324183

Print Length: 314 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

A tender tale about making a late daughter’s dreams come true

After a tragedy takes the lives of her daughter Amanda and her son-in-law Matt, Lily Wolfe becomes the caretaker of her heartbroken eight-year-old granddaughter Emma. Lily is left to deal with Amanda’s estate, including the house she dreamed of turning into a quilt shop.

A Thousand Tiny Stitches takes the mentality of “it takes a village to raise a child” and applies it to a bigger picture concept: it takes a village to make dreams happen. Throughout the novel, the compassion and aid from others is endless. I loved the emotion and interpersonal lives of her cast of characters, and I’m confident you will too. Stephanie Claypool pens a masterful story of grief, love, and hard work with this one.

2. Not the Same River

Author: W.A. Polf

Genre: Short Story Collection

ISBN: 9798891323056

Print Length: 316 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Discover the profound within the ordinary with this impactful collection.

W. A. Polf’s Not The Same River explores the timelessness of the ordinary experiences that make life extraordinary. Polf’s stories traverse the terrain of turmoil and triumph, even when triumph looks a little more commonplace than you might expect.

Not the Same River exemplifies what depth of character and emotion can look like on the page. Each story will give you something real & genuine to think about. There’s something absolutely wonderful and haunting about these stories and how they make you look at life.

Honorable Mentions:

Nice Try, A.I by Lisa George Abraham (Amazon | Review)

1. Strings

Author: Joseph Edwin Haeger

Genre: Literary Fiction / Speculative

ISBN: 9798325616952

Print Length: 295 pages

An intricately woven exploration of one man’s journey through the splintered possibilities of fatherhood

Fatherhood is redefined through speculative glimpses of love, fear, and uncertain futures in Joseph Edwin Haeger’s Strings. In the aftermath of an explosion, William, our protagonist, is consumed by an overwhelming fear for his unborn child, a fear that unravels his mind across three distinct narratives.

Despite the fear and uncertainty, despite the heartbreak that inevitably comes with bringing a new life into the world, William’s love for his child is the one constant across every reality. It’s a love that transcends the narrative and consumes and defines him, even as he struggles to reconcile it with his own sense of self.

Haeger’s portrayal of William’s fragmented realities offers readers a glimpse into the universal fear of parenthood—the fear of failing, of losing control, of not being enough. And yet, within this fear lies a quiet hope, a recognition that, while we may not be able to control the world around us, we can still choose to love fiercely, even when the future remains uncertain.

2. Angry Daughter

Author: Nanci Lamborn

Genre: Memoir / Religious

ISBN: 9798218372965

Print Length: 216 pages

A remarkable memoir where the path from resentment to redemption unfolds with stark honesty and unwavering faith

Nanci Lamborn’s debut is an introspective exploration of forgiveness, redemption, and the transformative power of faith from a Christian perspective. Through her raw and poignant narrative, Lamborn invites readers into the tumultuous landscape of her past, where buried wounds of shame, rejection, and abandonment festered beneath the surface.

Lamborn’s narrative serves as a testament to the transformative potential of compassion and empathy, offering readers a glimpse into the profound beauty that can emerge from the depths of pain and suffering. In the end, Lamborn’s journey toward forgiveness is an inspiring reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the boundless capacity for healing and reconciliation.

Honorable Mentions:

The Water Stricken by Rina Olsen (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)
Sabine & Vincent Van Gogh (The Dream Collectors) by R.W. Meek (Amazon)
180 Days by Alfred Bottello (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)

1. Flicker

Author: Matthew J. McKee

Genre: Literary Fiction / Mystery

ISBN: 9798891321854

Print Length: 254 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Flicker ignites thrill and excitement while examining humanity’s chaos and despair.

The Northern District has an arsonist who is consistently burning down houses in the middle of the night. This arsonist is Flicker‘s narrator and protagonist, Heat Agaki, a teenage girl who dreams of setting everything aflame.

The passion for fire lives within Heat, and soon that drive to burn it all down begins to take on a mind of its own. When the fireball within her takes more control, Heat continues to self-ignite and spin out of control. Her emotional turmoil feels intimate and raw, especially when she talks directly to the reader.

Flicker adeptly explores the human psyche—an additive thought-provoking layer to the novel. One thing’s for sure: It will leave you with a burning desire for the sequel.

2. Sacred Blood

Author: C.T. Clark

Genre: Science Fiction / Action & Adventure

ISBN: 9781962600002

Print Length: 367 pages

Fascinating technology, crazy schemes, and a bit of freaky science

Adam is part of a technically discontinued experiment: The Phoenix Elite Initiative. It is made up of seven individuals cloned from historical figures who are tasked with saving the world against nuclear destruction.

Lovers of of history, science, and military strategy will be floored at all of what this fast-paced, action-packed story does.

Honorable Mentions:

The Rookie Spellslinger by Patricia Harrington Duff (Amazon | Review)

1. No Good Deed

Author: Jack Wallace

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Crime

ISBN: 9798891320529

Print Length: 268 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

A novel with a soul that entertains as it educates about sex trafficking and the individuals sucked into its diabolical orbit

Inspired by true events, Wallace’s impressive sophomore novel No Good Deed examines the seedy criminal underworld of sex trafficking in the American South. It’s a compulsive story of everyday people selflessly sacrificing to help those in need among us.

His protagonists are good people facing unspeakable brutality and evil; they are ordinary people thrust into becoming the heroes they never knew they were. No Good Deed is a superbly written and propulsive story with an unforgettable climax.

2. Half the World

Author: Leissa Shahrak

Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN: 9798891323803

Print Length: 292 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

An enchanting historical novel set in a deeply suspicious society ripe for rebellion

In 1977, newlyweds Angela and Doug Weston arrive in Iran for an opportunity to build a nest egg and enjoy the beauty of Persian culture, but they are not prepared for awaits them in Half the World.

This is an authentic story, lushly told, perhaps because Shahrak experienced the Iranian Revolution firsthand. Her depictions of pre-Revolution Iran with its walled gardens, majestic mosques, and the squalid living conditions of the have-nots of Esfahani society are well-drawn and compelling, painting a portrait of an oppressed society on the cusp of overthrowing the shackles of one regime, only to choose the shackles of another.

What makes Half the World so enchanting is not only Shahrak’s fertile prose and convincing characters, but her obvious love of Persian society and culture that blooms on every page, leaving a whiff of bittersweet nostalgia for a world that no longer exists.

Honorable Mentions:

Punch Line by Richard A. Danzig (Amazon | Review)

1. Chained Birds

Author: Carla Conti

Genre: Memoir / True Crime

ISBN: 9781964730066

Print Length: 436 pages

A compelling true crime exposé of a corrupt prison program and the lives forever changed when it was brought to light

Carla Conti is a true crime journalist and staunch prison reform advocate. In Chained Birds, Conti becomes part of the story herself.

It all started with a snowball, and it would, pardon the pun, snowball into something more. One inmate launched a snowball at a corrections officer before assaulting him—the officer’s revenge led to an orchestrated rec cage assault that involved Conti’s subject, Kevin Sanders, through no fault of his own. This is the event that brought him to Conti’s attention, as well as the prison’s Special Management Unit, which turned out to be rife with abuse, corruption, and violence.

Conti writes with an endearing balance of humor and passion, and she is a driven and intelligent advocate for those without a voice. Without her assistance on Sanders’s case, he might have disappeared into the system and the SMU program may have gone unnoticed.

Chained Birds is like two great books in one: a captivating true crime story that exposes a deplorable prison program and an engrossing memoir of a journalist making a difference.

2. The Reverse Tower

Author: Fay Lanark

Genre: Fantasy / Dark

ISBN: 9798871588307

Print Length: 381 pages

A dark fantasy with lyrical prose, vibrant characters, and a harrowing mystery

The world of Asp is one of wonder, magic, and violence where mages can command bones, blood, and gore to their bidding. But as dark and ominous as Asp is, there is another land that pulls people into a hellscape. An endless desert stretching beyond the horizon and nothing in sight save a singular tower. A tower that hangs in the sky pointed downward with no apparent end. And all are drawn to it.

The worldbuilding is intense, deep, and engrossing. The world of Asp has a fantastic but familiar feel to it, almost as if it were Earth but centuries beyond some apocalypse. The Reverse Tower is dark and fascinating, a building that’s part community and part otherworldly being.

For every touch of normalcy, there’s a pool of unreal magic and wonder. It’s a dark tale of mystery and violence with broken people driven to survive under the watchful eye of a sentient tower hanging impossibly in the sky.

Honorable Mentions:

Heavy Weight of Darkness by J.M. Erickson (Bookshop | Amazon)
In Pursuit of the Giant Sable Antelope by John Manuel (Bookshop | Amazon | Review)

1. Taxonomic Vignettes

Author: Alan Cohen

Genre: Poetry

ISBN: 9798891324237

Print Length: 192 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

A powerful, well-crafted, and intelligent collection reflecting the realities of life and relationships

Taxonomic Vignettes dissects life and loss with genuineness.

This poetry collection’s mastery is most evident in the portraits it paints of all the people who come and go in our lives. Peppered with pop culture and literature references, every stanza is smart and vulnerable simultaneously. Not only is it enjoyable to pick out all the references you’re familiar with, but the reference always adds a layer of deeper understanding to the surrounding stanzas.

There’s such heartbreaking brilliance, vulnerability, and relatability in these poems.

2. Kat Girl

Author: Sarah Lahey

Genre: Literary / Romance

ISBN: 9780645835854

Print Length: 380 pages

A sexy romance that celebrates the power of second chances

Kat Girl gives all the romantic scenes you could hope for from the genre—from sweet to steamy—inviting us in on the action of a budding relationship.

Still, it might be the focus on internal conflicts that attracted me the most. Kat’s still reeling from three failed marriages and an unspeakable loss. She’s trying to trust something good in her life while she’s facing her grief and baggage from her past to get the future she’s always wanted.

On the Bridgerton scale of steamy, this one is definitely season three—except maybe a little steamier. Reach for Kat Girl if you’re looking for something hot to rev your power drill.

1. Tennis Players As Works of Art

Author: David Linebarger

Genre: Nonfiction / Sports

ISBN: 9798891324671

Print Length: 284 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Like a museum exhibit in a book—an impressive collection of art and prose celebrating tennis.

It took seven years for David Linebarger to assemble this collection of nearly seventy artworks by over forty artists, all directly connected to the sport of tennis. Each one is augmented by a brief page or two of original writing, with some quotes and excerpts creatively sprinkled in.

This book packs in a lot. Facts and biographical information mix comfortably with emotions spanning joy, anger, sadness, frustration, and even pathos. The common thread is a reverence for a sport anyone can play that comes across as genuine, not sentimental.

Tennis Players as Works of Art is as rewarding as an absorbing museum exhibit, without having to leave your sofa or armchair. And not just for tennis aficionados.

2. The Sum of All Things

Author: Seb Doubinsky

Genre: Science Fiction / Satire

ISBN: 9781946154392

Print Length: 200 pages

Publisher: Meerkat Press

An intricately woven plot about saving Earth’s freedom with disparate, personable characters

In a not too distant future (the Internet and Google Translate are still current), Earth is on its way to yielding its freedoms to the Subliminal Empire. Other planets have already done this, and Vita is determined to not let Earth suffer her planet’s fate.

The poetic economy of often very brief chapters amps up tension and propels the conflicts forward. Their symmetry brings cohesiveness in a prose showcase of the author’s apparent poetic talents.

This is a deftly packed & poetic novel that you’ll be glad you picked up.

Honorable Mentions:

Blood and Mascara by Colin Krainin (Bookshop | Amazon)

What were the best books you read this year? Let us know in the comments!

About the Company

Independent Book Review is a celebration of indie press & self-published books. Founded in 2018, IBR now has over 30 readers with their noses constantly buried in badass indie books. Meet the Team | Get Your Book Reviewed | Instagram.

Thank you for reading The Best Books We Read in 2024! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post The Best Books We Read in 2024 appeared first on Independent Book Review.

13 Witchy Books Perfect for Fall Reading

IndieBookView — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:10:00 +0000

13 Witchy Books Perfect for Fall Reading

by Carley Carver

Ring in the spooky season with these magical fall reads.

Autumn is here! Halloween is nipping at its heels. It’s time for witches, ghosts, and all manner of spooky creatures to arrive in our homes, on our screens, and in our books.

Some believe the supernatural veil is thinner this time of year. They go looking for inspiration. I’ve got it. If you just want a happy haunt to get into the spirit of the season, I’ve got that too. No matter your motivations, here are some spooky, witchy books I’d be glad to recommend.

And best of all, they’re all indie books!

Here are 13 witchy books to bask in Fall vibes.

1. Yew Hallow

Author: Alexandria Clarke

Subgenre: Paranormal / Romance

Print Length: 300 pages

ISBN: 9798339593270

Yew Hollow is a cozy mystery with a magical twist. Paranormal detective Morgan Summers hates working with ghosts, but she is tasked to work with one. When she gets entangled in the secrets behind the ghost’s untimely death, she herself is considered a suspect. And she’s going to have to work against town gossip to solve it. This book is quippy with just the right amount of mystery and romance woven in.

2. Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

Author: HP Mallory

Subgenre: Witches & Vampires / Romance

Print Length: 245 pages

ISBN: 9798509712531

The first book of H.P. Mallory’s 39 part collection of magical romances, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, feels like you’re hearing a story from your witchy best friend. Jolie, a witch living in Los Angeles, is hired by a handsome warlock to help a ghost. As they work together, they create more chaos when they accidentally raise the ghost from the dead.

This book has all the feels of a cozy romance with a generous amount of laughs along the way.

What do you want for Christmas? Get these gifts for book lovers!

3. Fat Witch Summer

Author: Lizzy Ives

Subgenre: Witches / Friendship

Print Length: 318 pages

ISBN: 9780996232456

Publisher: Sounds True

Osmarra is a plus-sized witch about to come of age and receive her magical gifts, chosen by her mother. The only problem is that her mother is a slim glamor witch convinced that gifting Osmarra with the glamor gift will solve all their familial issues. Osmarra sets out on a summer road trip with other young witches on a mission to set their own destinies.

This is a light-hearted, comical book with body-positive messages and unexpected lessons.

4. The Forgotten Witch

Author: Jessica Dodge

Subgenre: Romance

Print Length: 434 pages

ISBN: 9781737696650

Helen is burned out and tired of living in the city, so she makes a knee-jerk purchase and finds herself the new owner of a 500-year-old cottage in Scotland. In the cottage, she is introduced to a world of magic that she never knew was there. With the help of her handsome neighbor, she works to solve the mystery of this curious new home.

This book will keep you riveted! It’s got the right balance of genuine mystery and romance, and it’ll check all of your autumnal boxes.

5. Dead Witch On a Bridge

Author: Gretchen Galway

Subgenre: Urban Fantasy

Print Length: 3388 pages

ISBN: 9781939872418

Another supernatural murder mystery to add to your reading list! Alma is a demon-hunting witch who finds herself at the center of a murder investigation thanks to some meddling fairies. In order to save herself, Alma must solve the murder and challenge a slew of unsavory (and dangerous) magical characters.

6. The Last Witch of Scotland

Author: Philip Paris

Subgenre: Historical / World Lit

Print Length: 352 pages

ISBN: 9781785305245

Publisher: Black and White Publishing

This one is excellent for those always seeking more about real life witch hunts, as it follows the true story of the last person executed in the witch trials of Britain. Alia and her mother are left in pieces after a fire takes the life of her father. In an attempt to start over, they move to the small community of Loth. When a mysterious troupe of entertainers arrive, Alia is quickly drawn to them, churning up gossip from the people of Loth.

Bedtime reading is the best time reading. Get yourself one of the best e-readers for the job.

7. The Sapling Cage

Author: Margaret Killjoy

Subgenre: Adventure / LGBTQ

Print Length: 321 pages

ISBN: 9781558613317

Publisher: Feminist Press

When a disease begins to kill trees in the forest, Lorel is keen to join up with the witches to find out why and how to stop it. But witches are all women, and Lorel was born a boy. Sapling Cage follows Lorel on her journey of identity, witchcraft, and covens in a novel Audrey Davis called, “a delight for anyone with a love of magical stories and high fantasy” [Review].

8. Burned: A Daughters of Salem Novel

Author: Kellie O’Neill

Subgenre: Historical / Salem

Print Length: 520 pages

ISBN: 9798989244348

A newly anointed witch, Eleanor, is balancing her normal life with witch lessons in the famed witchy town of Salem. When some of her fellow coven witches go missing, Eleanor teams up with her familiar to solve the mystery and in turn unearths a story that dates back to Salem’s infamous 17th century witch trials. Fans of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will love this story.

9. The Good Witch of the South

Author: T.C. Bartlett

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Print Length: 354 pages

ISBN: 9781733908627

Publisher: Sandhill Publishers

Set in L. Frank Baum’s magical land of Oz, this story focuses on Samantha, daughter of Glinda the Good Witch. Samantha sets out on her own adventure to save the Land of Oz from a dark force rumored to be building an army to overthrow Oz. This book is great for any middle grade reader who is left wanting more from the world of Oz after Dorothy saves the day.

10. I Escaped the Salem Witch Trials

Authors: Juliet Fry & Scott Peters

Subgenre: Historical / Adventure / Ages 8-12

Print Length: 118 pages

ISBN: 9781951019174

Another installment from the popular, “I Escaped” series, this 3rd grade level chapter book tells the story of Hannah, a young orphan who finds herself at the center of the suspicion and frenzy of her village’s witch hunt. Hannah, who is most certainly not a witch, must use her might and brains to escape her own witch trial.

Surprise your kids with some of the best gifts for kids who love to read.

11. The Pomegranate Witch

Author: Denise Doyen

Subgenre: Spooky

Print Length: 40 pages / 4-8 year olds

ISBN: 9781452145891

Publisher: Chronicle Books

When a spooky tree begins to bloom juicy pomegranates on the property of the neighborhood witch, a group of children are tempted to harvest a few for themselves. By doing so, they invoke the great pomegranate war against their witchy neighbor. This story is silly and fun and perfect for readers looking for tricks and treats this Halloween season.

12. Witchy Paths

Author: Cecily Ravenwood

Genre: Mysticism / Magic

Print Length: 52 pages

ISBN: 9798840474105

Half educational, half bedtime story magic, Witchy Paths introduces different types of witches to children in a fun and enlightening way. This quick read-aloud transports young readers into the world of magic and gently exposes them to all the ways of practicing their own magic. In addition to the storytelling, the watercolor art work is whimsical and breathtaking.

13. The Witch’s Cat

Authors: Kirstie Watson & Magdalena Sawko

Genre: Picture Book / Ages 2-6

Print Length: 38 pages

ISBN: 9781914937064

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Sure-fire witchy fun for the littlest readers you know. This is a lighthearted rhyming story about a house cat who lives as a witch’s familiar and loves to stir up magic and mischief. A read-aloud story with quirky illustrations and fun imagery, you can bet any reader will be excited for Halloween after this one.

What are your favorite witchy books of all time? Let us know in the comments!

Author Bio

Screenshot

" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?fit=300%2C193&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?fit=950%2C612&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?resize=950%2C612&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-82668 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?resize=1024%2C660&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?resize=300%2C193&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?resize=768%2C495&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?resize=1200%2C773&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?resize=600%2C387&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/independentbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_2174.jpeg?w=1290&ssl=1 1290w" sizes="(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px" />

Carley Carver is an editorial lifestyle writer and aspiring novelist. She is based in North Carolina where she resides with her husband and their puppy, Daisy, and is a proud graduate of University of South Carolina. Carley is a lifelong bookworm who enjoys reading everything from the classics to modern romances. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys traveling, getting outside and trying new recipes at home.

Thank you for reading “13 Witchy Books Perfect for Fall Reading!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

Book Reviews | IBR Blog | Resources for Writers

The post 13 Witchy Books Perfect for Fall Reading appeared first on Independent Book Review.

13+ Kids’ Books to Get Your Children Excited About Reading

IndieBookView — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:26:00 +0000

13+ Kids’ Books to Get Your Children Excited About Reading

by Toni Woodruff, Joe Walters, and Jaylynn Korrell

Kids’ books are like windows to a new world.

These little people are just trying to figure out this life on earth thing. They know only what they know, and we see why they know what they know, even how it differs or connects with our own understanding of the world.

That’s only one of the reasons why it’s so important to read kids’ books.

Sometimes it can be difficult to talk about certain subjects. Other times, they just never arise naturally enough for our little one to grow curious about it. Some books include topics we don’t even want to talk about to our kids yet, like death or brattiness, so which books are the ones you should get for your little one and the little ones around you?

This list includes picture books and board books, some suitable from ages 2-9. Some are nonfiction while others are about as fantastical as they come (I’m looking at you, Rainbow Goblins!).

If you’re looking to expand your little library or give an awesome kids’ book for your best friend’s baby shower, this list has you covered. And in true IBR fashion, they’re all indie books!

Here are 13 kids’ books that little ones love.

1. The Rainbow Goblins

Gorgeous paintings, creepy goblins, and a story of nature fighting back

Author: Ul de Rico

Subgenre: Fantasy & Magic

Print Length: 32 pages

ISBN: 9780500277591

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Recommended by: Joe Walters

Welcome to my absolute favorite purchase of 2024!

My daughter picked up The Rainbow Goblins in the Odyssey Bookstore in Ithaca, NY, and I was amazed with her quality control. And once you pick this thing up, you’ll see why.

The paintings are breathtaking, and it tells an oddly creepy (but not scary!) story about goblins who are trying to drink up all the colors of the rainbow until there’s nothing left. Everyone lives in fear of them, except for the Valley of the Rainbow. But when the goblins gather up their lassoes and set their sights on that, the roots of the trees and plants communicate to the nature around them that it’s time to fight back. And how!

Watch in absolutely gorgeous color as nature fights back against the rainbow goblins and ensures that rainbows are safe from their wrath once and for all.

It’s creative and long but not too long, and the pictures are a wonder to look at. A particularly good choice for book-loving, imaginative 3-year-olds all the way up to 9-year-olds.

–Joe Walters

2. My Father Once Told Me

Stellar! A Native Nations creation myth told with poetic language, magical illustrations, and love passed down

Author: Blas Telleria

Subgenre: Native American

Print Length: 54 pages

ISBN: 9798218417253

Recommended by: Joe Walters

Not often do I encounter kids’ books quite as beautiful as this one. I don’t want to exaggerate; don’t want to overdo it, make you think I’m being untrue for the sake of hyperbole. I just really want you and your kids to read this book.

It’s a creation story that’s passed down from father to son about how the Great Spirit reached into the nothing of the universe and turned it into a Something. A big blue ball that his children—the animals of the sky—are enamored of. Oh, please, please, can we go in?

Salmon and Whale are the first to dive into the unknown blue. They are followed by Eagle and Crow taking to the skies, Tortoise and Turtle carrying mud on their backs from the ocean to build land to stand on. Moose, Water Snake, Wolf, beyond—the animals play and form the land in ways that are natural to them. Who else but Water Snake would form the rivers; who else but Beaver would create lakes and waterfalls?

My Father Once Told Me is poetic but not in the sing-song way you’ve come to expect of children’s books. There are no rhymes here. But the story that the unnamed narrator father tells uses poetic techniques like repetition—“little” on the first page to contrast the one human against the big world—and personified language that floats through fire and air, up to sky, and moves stars around.

The illustrations are equally magical. The animals and the land are freely flowing, like fluid movements akin to moving water, and the trees rise high and tall. Imprints of the animals’ bodies are even long like the trees. The water and the land and the lifeforms all flow together in soft palettes and pleasing tones of blue and green. And on the off-chance it’s not blue or green, orange and reds pop in eye-catching, still-fluid contrasts.

ut this isn’t all. It’s also got a deep conversation going on about myth as history. This story is passed down like all important stories are. It’s a father talking to a son like his father talked to him. Kids can gain access—maybe with a little help from their mom or dad—to the understanding of how history works.

–Joe Walters

3. Fly High, Baby Dragon

A brave baby dragon and an encouraging yet patient mother star in Fly High, Baby Dragon—an easy choice for all-the-time reading.

Author: David Klochko

Subgenre: Dragons

Print Length: 26 pages

ISBN: 9798989991013

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

Fly High, Baby Dragon checks all the boxes. It has a good story, good kids, good parenting, a good moral, great eye-popping illustrations, and, most importantly, it has actually captivated my little one. She wants to read it, and I’ll gladly open it again, knowing she’ll be learning about something relevant and encouraging while getting pulled in by the story.

A baby dragon emerges from his shell excited to learn that he will soon be able to fly. But not before a little practice and a lot of patience after flying doesn’t come easily. Baby Dragon jumps off a cliff and falls and kerplunks and splats. He’s frustrated—he wants to give up—but he’s got one cool mom on his side, cheering him on when he gets back up again and taking him away to give him space and distract him from the problem at hand. She’s wonderfully patient, dances with him, feeds him delicious, big-bellied breakfasts, and allows him to make the decision to get back out there. To keep trying.

Riding a bike. Steering a scooter. Jumping at the trampoline park. Climbing the rock wall at the playground. My kid experiences failure at first attempt all the time. All I’ve ever wanted to communicate with her is in this book. Yes, you’re going to fall. Yes, it hurts to get hurt. But also yes, it can be worth it if you keep trying. And yet at the same time, it’s not worth panicking over. If you’re not ready to conquer it, try something else. Dance, eat. But don’t be afraid to try again when you feel ready.

–Toni Woodruff

Need more space for kids’ books? Here are our favorite kids’ bookshelf ideas!

4. Alphabreaths

A calming, fun tool to teach young’ins the power of breathwork

Author: Christopher Willard

Subgenre: Mindfulness / Alphabet

Print Length: 32 pages

ISBN: 9781683641971

Publisher: Sounds True

Recommended by: Joe Walters

It’s easy to take breathing for granted. It comes naturally and happens without us even thinking about it. But what about our little ones?

Breathing is one of my favorite parenting techniques: showing my babies that I’m focusing on breathing while they’re crying. This book brings the physical activity of breathing to the forefront and makes an alphabet game out of it.

Open your arms like an alligator on the in-breath, snap those jaws shut on the exhale. Flap your wings like a butterfly and breathe your way around the room. Envision you’re blowing out your birthday cake.

A great book to start your day with, one or two or three breathing and imagination activities to remind us that we are here on this earth and capable of conquering anything as long as we just keep breathing.

–Joe Walters

5. A Very Chilling Mystery

A creative and fun story that tests the limits of our imagination

Author: Steve A. Erickson

Subgenre: Cooking & Food

Print Length: 52 pages

ISBN: 9781639882519

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Recommended by: Jaylynn Korrell

There’s a party going on in the fridge, and Erickson lets you in on it. It starts with an illustration of a little girl eyeing up the fridge from afar as the narrator invites us on a journey of confirmation that those delectables aren’t just lying around waiting to be enjoyed in there.

Soon we’re taken through the shelves as foods and beverages go about their daily business, which includes things like playing baseball with a carrot bat, potatoes watching tv on a meatloaf couch, and beets rocking out on a drum set. In fact they’re doing everything but the nothing most people assume, and it’s awesome!

The illustrations are what truly bring the book to life. As it takes place predominantly in the fridge, readers can look forward to a colorful display of fruits, vegetables, leftover dinners, and mysterious forgotten foods on each page. The illustrations are so inviting and professional but also look as if they’ve been done with crayon or colored pencil, giving them a youthful touch that matches the reading level perfectly.

Children will enjoy Erickson’s rhythm and rhyme style of storytelling while adults will appreciate some of the more detailed aspects of the vegetable characters, like the half and half who can’t make up their mind or the beet who plays in a band called “The Beets,” written in the same font as “The Beatles.”

–Jaylynn Korrell

6. Over and Under the Pond

Take a dip beneath the boat in this calming and informative book on aquatic life.

Author: Kate Messner

Subgenre: Nature

Print Length: 48 pages

ISBN: 9781452145426

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

Part of a wonderful series, Over and Under the Pond follows a boy and his mother as they kayak over the water and talk about the life going on underneath them.

Talking about frogs, turtles, fish, beavers and even the animals who visit the water to get their meals and wash up (like moose!), this book is a trove of helpful information for kids who like to kayak and swim in natural waters.

While it can be enjoyed by younger audiences like 3 year olds, it can stay relevant in your bookshelves for years to come, maybe even as old as 12. Since it follows a mom and her son, it gives your story-loving little one something to cling to as they learn the nature lessons of the book.

–Toni Woodruff

7. The Boogie Barn Band

A fun, instructive tale about the impact that music has on people

Author: William Nephew and Natalie Neal

Subgenre: Music & Instruments

Print Length: 28 pages

ISBN: 9798989779727

Recommended by: Jaylynn Korrell

To me, the best kids’ books are the ones that entertain and teach. The Boogie Barn Band does both. On top of that, it gives kids the opportunity to be vocal and active. It’s a positive, upbeat story about musical barn animals and how they bring their community together.

In the beginning, music beckons animals from all around town to a local farm. Soon the Boogie Barn has quite an audience on their hands—all excited to jam out.

To get the concert underway, readers are introduced to each member of the band and the instruments they play. Each character has their own flare, and they do a great job explaining the role they play and the sounds each instrument makes.

The vibe is upbeat, exciting, and fun, and it’s reflected well in vivid illustrations and an array of your kids’ favorite animals. The happiness exudes off each character so the positive experience can be had by all. You won’t be able to resist smiling after witnessing how much fun they’re having and the audience is having. Backed by a beautiful barn on a bright sunny day, this book seems the epitome of positivity.

The authors of The Boogie Barn Band do an excellent job of adding in informative bits about the technical pieces of each instrument as well as its role in the music-making process. The drummer of the band, Reggie the dog, is described as the one in charge of keeping the beat with his instrument. From guitar to piano to bass, we learn about how the instruments are played and are given examples of the sounds they make. It inspires an activity too—I can just imagine how many kids will be laughing as they try to sound out how the instruments are supposed to sound.

–Jaylynn Korrell

Celebrate your kids’ love of reading with some of the best gifts for kids who love to read.

8. Blink and Glow

A shining & bright kids’ book about the natural magic of real-life glowing animals

Author: Raven Howell & Ann Pilicer

Subgenre: Nature

Print Length: 36 pages

ISBN: 9781738219377

Publisher: Tielmour Press

Recommended by: Joe Walters

Leo and Lilly have show-and-tell at school tomorrow, and they want to have the best things to show off. And what better items than living ones!

Leo bottles up a firefly. While Lilly can’t catch her own, she spots another glowing creature—a salamander—near the pond! If you didn’t know that salamanders can glow in the dark, you do now.

But their light starts to diffuse the longer they’re kept in the jar. With the help of their grandmother, they learn that these animals, including the lunar moth flapping nearby, need to be free in order to shine their brightest light.

So while it feels special to have their own little bottled-up magic, they discover how important it is to let them live their own lives out in nature. Grandma keeps the fun going by showing them how they can make art inspired by these amazing critters. The book even lets you in on the fun by walking your kids through the steps of making their very own firefly suncatcher with tissue paper and a picture frame.

The art is lovely, natural, and magical. Parents who like to pair their books with art activities will relish what Blink and Glow has to offer.

–Joe Walters

9. Purple Ina

Myth, magic, culture, and color, Purple Ina is a sparkling gem of a picture book.

Author: Rafael Arzuaga

Subgenre: Fantasy / Culture

Print Length: 30 pages

ISBN: 9780692270516

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

Ina lives on a beautiful purple island. It’s all she knows, until a fierce gust of wind sends her flying to new islands, all splashed in their own color. And along with the new colors, she meets new people, all appreciative of the way they do things on their island and sharing some of the magic with Ina before she takes off for the next.

Each page is clean with a minimal art, and yet there’s still so much beauty to look at. It entertains with just enough magic and fully-fleshed characters in a short amount of time. Experience a forever summer with Adonis on the pink island, shine bright at night with Light on the orange island, and play music with Esteban on a land draped in color.

It’s a subtle story of the lives of other people and other cultures, and it doesn’t state any morals overtly. Just shares the truth that there are other people and other places out there to love.

–Toni Woodruff

10. Ricky, the Rock That Couldn’t Roll

A caring, warmhearted book about supporting your friends no matter what obstacle stands in their way

Author: Mr. Jay

Subgenre: Rocks / Disabilities

Print Length: 28 pages

ISBN: 9780578198033

Recommended by: Joe Walters

I don’t know how you make being a rock look so fun, but this rhyming picture book does it in droves. Author Mr. Jay and illustrator Erin Wozniak team up to turn this group of rocks into personality-rich critical thinkers who see a friend being left out for the make-up of his body and do something about it.

While all his friends are rolling up and down a hill, Ricky can’t join in on the fun because one of his sides is flat. I absolutely love the parallels being discussed in this book of a rock and kids with disabilities of any kind.

This book is a stellar introduction to showing kids what they can do to help their friends, and it’s a warmhearted reminder to those with disabilities that people care about them and that they can achieve their goals.

–Joe Walters

Surprise your kids’ teachers with this handy list of great gifts for English teachers.

11. Immune Heroes

An entertaining, useful book to help kids learn about cuts, scrapes, and the healing process

Author: Namita Gandhi, PhD

Subgenre: Science

Print Length: 36 pages

ISBN: 9781917095211

Recommended by: Jaylynn Korrell

In Immune Heroes, siblings Mayu and Nimi are out riding bikes and enjoying the day when Mayu suddenly hits a rock and tumbles to the ground. His sister runs to comfort him while reminding him that the pain he’s currently feeling is a good thing, as it signifies the beginning of the healing process. And the beginning of the healing process couldn’t be cooler than the way that Gandhi tells it.

This book packs in a lot of action in its 30 or so pages, as the process of healing isn’t always completed on the first try. Bacteria find their way in despite the tacky platelets creating a protective seal. Macrophages are called in to devour said bacteria as new intruders find other ways to wreak havoc. Gandhi’s story transforms healing into an epic battle that is sure to entertain.

Parents who want to introduce big concepts like immunology to their kids in a way that they’ll understand will love this book. Gandhi writes about the experience in such a fun way that kids may not even realize they’re being taught a valuable, relatable science lesson. She explains things in an accessible way and pairs the prose with beautiful graphics that will keep little eyes glued to the page. I loved watching each new group of characters rush to the scene whether it be to attack or defend Mayu’s wound.

–Jaylynn Korrell

12. Baby Loves Science (The Five Senses)

5 brightly colored, easy to understand kids’ science books in one neat package

Author: Ruth Spiro

Genre: Board Books / Science

Print Length: 110 pages

ISBN: 9781632890580

Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

Bombarding your kids with fun stories is a good thing. But no children’s library is complete without this resourceful & relevant 5-book series.

The five senses—hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste—are a wonderful kid-friendly science topic. Not only can they count the senses on one tiny hand, but they have experience with each of them, whether they’re equipped with it or not.

This series does an excellent job of including those kids without the ability to see or hear in addition to discussing the science of how each of them work. From tiny molecules to their big, developing brains, this series could stick with your little one for years. Even by the time they hit school-age, they’ll be able to return to these educational resources in their bookshelf.

–Toni Woodruff

13. Hummingbird

A touching little story of familial connection over the wonder of hummingbirds

Author: Nicola Davies

Genre: Picture Book / Birds

Print Length: 32 pages

ISBN: 9781536205381

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

Any parent in love with the beauty and magic of hummingbirds will adore this children’s book. The lush green, natural surroundings of each page make for an eye-popping viewing experience, but it’s the sheer number of unique hummingbirds flying around that make it stand out most.

It’s about a young girl who hand-feeds hummingbirds with her grandmother in Central America, but she soon departs for New York City. And while she believes she leaves the magnificent little creatures behind, Granny tells her to keep an eye out. That they travel north too. Maybe even to Central Park for the very first time.

Hummingbirds emit a special type of magic. Bring the wonderment to your bookshelf with this gorgeously illustrated, moving story of connecting through generations by way of these amazing migratory birds.

–Toni Woodruff

What are your favorite kids’ books of all time? Let us know in the comments!

About IBR

Independent Book Review is your source for the best in indie books. With 30 readers on staff, we aim to show the reading world why they can put their trust in independently published lit. Meet the team or follow on Instagram & Twitter.

Thank you for reading “13 Kids’ Books to Get Your Children Excited About Reading!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

Book Reviews | IBR Blog | Resources for Writers

The post 13+ Kids’ Books to Get Your Children Excited About Reading appeared first on Independent Book Review.

15 of the Best Mystery Thriller Books to Satisfy Your Inner Detective

IndieBookView — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 14:38:45 +0000

15 of the Best Mystery Thriller Books to Satisfy Your Inner Detective

Chosen by the IBR Staff

These mystery thrillers are to die for.

What is it with us and our interest in murder?

It’s in us to gaze through the fog, to look over our shoulder, to piece together the unknown. You’re telling me I can’t find out the truth? Challenge accepted.

Mystery thrillers are among our most popular reviews at IBR. We review tons of them. Why? Because the people who like them…they really, really like them. It’s one of those genres that can keep a reader for their entire life. Sure they might dabble in other spaces sometimes, but they always make their way back home…to murder.

Compiled by our mystery thriller team, this list includes murder mysteries, detective stories, psychological thrillers, paranormal mysteries, and beyond. And they’re all indie books!

Here are 15 mystery thrillers that’ll satisfy your inner crime solver.

1. Blood and Mascara

Infidelity, corruption, and murder on the mean streets of Washington, DC.

Author: Colin Krainin

Subgenre: Detective Fiction

Print Length: 292 pages

ISBN: 9798989986804

Recommended by: Erin Britton

What it’s about:

Former investigative journalist Bronze Goldberg is now a private eye who makes his living from seedy cases…Sufficiently shaken to take a modicum of action, Bronze reluctantly hits the streets to find out more about what happened to Billy Kopes, the “congressman who washed up on the banks of the Potomac.”

Given that Roger Haake, a political consultant, is “one of the most powerful unelected men in DC,” only someone incredibly brave or exceptionally foolish would consider having an affair with his wife. So which one was Kopes? And how much did Haake really know before he hired Bronze to tail Carolyn and find proof of her infidelity?

Unfortunately, in addition to being downright despicable, Haake is murdered before Bronze can find out more from him, which makes for two bodies dropping in less than 24 hours. Clearly, something is seriously amiss.

Why you should read it:

A hard-boiled detective story set in the late 1990s but with more than a hint of classic noir like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon, Colin Krainin’s Blood and Mascara traverses the seamier side of Washington, DC and exposes all the blood, gore, and corruption to be found there.

Through pitch-perfect PI dialogue and a plot packed with political duplicity, sleaze, and casual violence, Krainin presents a fiendish murder mystery that shines a light on both the best and worst of humanity.

Luckily, despite being such a deeply flawed human being, Bronze is actually a top-notch private investigator, likely due to a combination of his journalistic training and his plain orneriness. And given the twisted, complicated murder mystery that Krainin has crafted for him to solve, he’s going to need all his skill and experience to stay alive long enough to discover who is trying to kill him. The answer to the puzzle is wrapped up in layers of sleaze, scandal, and corruption, and Bronze has to survive through a fair bit of bloody violence as he attempts to unravel the Kopes/Haake conundrum.

–Erin Britton

2. An Unclean Place

Real people, a compelling mystery, and damn good writing

Author: Barbara Barrow

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Print Length: 308 pages

ISBN: 9781941360736

Publisher: Lanternfish Press

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

What it’s about:

Ms. Ella is a renegade teacher at Stillwater School, an experimental academy in Atlanta. Some students, like best friends Amber and Dawn, flock to her, and others are hurt by her. After she’s arrested and the school is closed due to scandal, Dawn stays on Ms. Ella’s trail.

But Dawn dies mysteriously years later. So Amber is the one who has to pursue the missing Ms. Ella, only to find more than she’s bargained for.

Why you should read it:

The writing is what pulled me in first. The third-person plural is a tough perspective to pull off, but Barrow does it with a flourish in the first section of this book, leaving an intriguing mythical feel to Ms. Ella’s impact on the students at the school.

The novel’s mysteries float through decades, and like the best of the psychological thriller genre, characters are complex and have agency. We find out who they really are only through sharp, subtle prose, and the mystery is well worth the wait.

–Toni Woodruff

3. Shitamachi Scam

Detective Hiroshi has to unmask scammers before the elderly in the city lose everything…including their lives.

Author: Michael Pronko

Subgenre: Detective Fiction

Print Length: 348 pages

ISBN: 9781942410317

Recommended by: Peggy Kurkowski

What it’s about:

Detective Hiroshi and his eclectic team of investigators are in the narrow lanes of shitamachi (“lower town”) Tokyo to unravel a devilishly complex scam scheme, where real estate has become the richest commodity and tradition just a stumbling block to “beautification” and progress. This is where thieving rings zero in on the most vulnerable—elderly women who are often widowed or retired.

When a scooter zooms through the street and kills their informant, whilst her scammer barely flees the scene, police officers are left with a bag full of blank paper, wondering what went wrong and why.

The next day, a young, reclusive tenant is found dead in his room. Are the two deaths connected? Hiroshi and his crack colleagues begin to peel back the layers of this mystery as break-ins and violence increase.Pronko aces the granular gumshoe work necessary as the scam becomes the lesser of two evils—ruthless land developers may have a larger scam of their own, one that isn’t afraid of murder to achieve its aims.

Why you should read it:

Shitamachi Scam is first-rate detective fiction that delivers a superb and timely plot with old school sleuthing and witty, compelling characters. Readers will want to see more of Hiroshi after this one.

The plot is intelligent and well-researched, reflecting as it does a current crime plague upon the elderly. For a crime disguising itself in white-collar clothing, Pronko dutifully approaches the narrative in a more cerebral manner, which makes the action sequences even more propulsive.

As Hiroshi and his colleagues—and Takuya and his—converge on the primary scammer(s) behind the deaths and mayhem, the climax is a cinematic set piece that rewards the readers’ patience in spades.

–Peggy Kurkowski

4. From Sweetgrass Bridge

An enthralling prairie mystery with humor, heart, and an ingenious plot

Author: Anthony Bidulka

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / LGBTQ

Print Length: 280 pages

ISBN: 9781988754543

Publisher: Stonehouse Publishing

Recommended by: Melissa Suggitt

What it’s about:

Set in the small town of Livingsky, Saskatchewan, the novel captures the essence of prairie life while unraveling the mysterious disappearance of a local hero, Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Dustin Thomson. The disappearance of Dustin, a beloved figure and role model for Indigenous youth, is a devastating reality for their community.

At the heart of the story is Merry Bell, a private investigator who has been back in her hometown for six months with little to show for it. Her business is floundering, her finances are strained, and she’s grappling with a sense of isolation. Just when Merry’s hope is nearly extinguished, Dustin’s cousin walks into her office, seeking her help to find the missing quarterback. If something bad happened to him out at the secluded Sweetgrass Bridge, she knows he didn’t do it to himself.

Merry’s investigation is anything but straightforward. As she delves deeper, she uncovers startling truths that add layers of complexity to the case.

Why you should read it:

From Sweetgrass Bridge proves to be a multifaceted mystery that adeptly balances its tension, humor, and emotionally charged moments.

Merry’s experience as a trans woman is depicted with care, insight, and understanding—an enrichment to the mystery… The setting of Livingsky, with its close-knit community and prairie backdrop, adds a nostalgic charm to the story. As a prairie girl myself, I found the depiction of the landscape and community life to be authentic and heartwarming. Bidulka’s pacing is impeccable, keeping readers on the edge of their seats while allowing the characters’ emotional journeys to unfold naturally.

–Melissa Suggitt

Are you a Kindle person? Do you want to be? Check out the best e-reader to buy this year.

5. The Apologist

A taut non-linear thriller with satisfying twists and an array of complex characters

Author: A.A. Weiss

Genre: Spy Thriller

Print Length: 193 pages

Publisher: The Agency Books (Sunbury Press)

Recommended by: Joseph Haeger

What it’s about:

Patrick Allred has the best of intentions. He wants to use his English education for good, helping people who need it most. After graduation, he walks into the Peace Corps recruiting office before learning he doesn’t actually have any applicable skills. He pivots to teaching English abroad and is soon Beijing bound. Little does he know he’s actively getting pulled into a twisted web of espionage and Chinese politics.

Then, he suddenly drops off the map.

His disappearance prompts freshman congressmember King to put together an under-the-radar mission led by assassins who don’t want to kill anymore. Two disillusioned hit men team up to locate and retrieve the missing American, ideally without any bloodshed, and this makes us wonder: do these killers have what it takes, or will they revert to their old ways to complete the mission?

Why you should read it:

The structure of The Apologist is reminiscent of a Christopher Nolan film. It’s a jigsaw puzzle of sorts, where different moments in time are running concurrently and it’s up to us to pull hints from the chapters to build a larger linear timeline in our heads. I love this tactic because it further engages the reader with the mystery of the story, expecting us to participate in a small way.

But even then, you don’t have to piece the timeline together to have a great time. All the characters are written effortlessly as their own individuals. Their dialogue wouldn’t even need to be attributed because through the cadence and language we already know whose voice is speaking.

Throughout the book, we don’t know who to root for. At any moment, any one of the characters could be the bad guy and any could be the good guy. The effect this creates is that we’re kind of rooting for every single one of them at all times. This means regardless of the thread we’re following, we have an emotional investment in that specific part of the story.

This is a rare novel that balances both plot and characters with equal fervor. Had the characters been lesser, the plot would have made up for it; and conversely, if the plot would have been weakened, the characters could have carried me through. In the end, it’s a one-two punch that makes me giddy even thinking about.

–Joseph Haeger

6. You’ve Been Summoned

An immersive, interactive mystery that keeps you on your toes

Author: Lindsey Lamar

Genre: Murder Mystery / Interactive

Print Length: 378 pages

Recommended by: Kristine Eckart

What it’s about:

Combining a modern-day mystery with an unsolved case from the 1940s, this book establishes a glamorous but secretive atmosphere and storyline to delight the likes of a millennial Agatha Christie.

You’ve Been Summoned revolves around two sets of sisters. Jane and Sillian Parks, the present-day set of twins, are at the center of an eerie visit to Sophomore Manor with their circle of friends. However, as arguments arise between the visitors and a man with an axe makes a startling appearance, the event turns from a costume party to an unsettling stay at a mansion with a past.

To make matters worse, Sillian goes missing and Jane’s twin senses are telling her that her sister is in danger. Will Jane be able to save Sillian from a terrible fate? And why did Sillian insist on having her party at Sophomore Manor?

Mary and Macie Sophomore, Hollywood’s darling twins from the 1940s, are focused on their careers. When teaming up with jazz icons Josh and James to gain publicity brings attention to the rising stars, the couples decide to get married and make this business arrangement permanent. But when their honeymoon period turns into a horror story, will Mary and Macie be able to escape?

Why you should read it:

Using diary entries from Mary Sophomore and a verbal account from Jane Parks, the novel transitions back and forth between the present day and the 1940s…. It brings a sense of old Hollywood glamor to the present-day action in a wonderful nod to the iconic Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

The creative details are what truly shine. Everything from the list of liars and the list of case files that replace a traditional table of contents to the newspaper clippings to the character drawings, letters, and diagrams all serve as evidence to create an immersive and interactive experience for the reader. Complete with ink splotches, different handwriting, and torn pages, the reader is offered a variety of puzzle pieces to put together to solve the intriguing mystery. It will make you feel like you’re at a murder mystery party.

–Kristine Eckart

7. The Mill House Murders

A chilling locked-room mystery that unfolds within the ominous walls of a setting shrouded in secrecy and tragedy

Author: Yukito Ayatsuji

Genre: Locked-Room Mystery / Japanese

Print Length: 288 pages

ISBN: 9781782278337

Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo

Recommended by: Erin Britton

What it’s about:

When a killer strikes, brilliant amateur sleuth Kiyoshi Shimada sets about unravelling the complex web of secrets and lies that led to the perplexing crime.

Why you should read it:

Ayatsuji builds a compelling tale of intrigue around the eccentric Fujinuma Kiichi, the consequences of his accidental disfigurement, and his annual house party for a very select group of guests….Ayatsuji is a master at combining the macabre with the mysterious, creating a tense work of crime fiction that is packed with alarming events, red herrings, and psychological insights.

–Erin Britton

8. Midsummer Mysteries

An eclectic story anthology with some of the best mystery writers you’ll find

Edited: Martin Edwards

Genre: Short Story Anthology

Print Length: 416 pages

ISBN: 9781804177266

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing

19 compelling thrillers all wrapped up in one beautiful hardcover book. SJ Butler, William Burton McCormick, SJ Bennett, Judith Cutler–this anthology is chock-full of some of the best mystery writers I’ve ever read, fiction or nonfiction. A perfect gift for mystery-thriller & crime fiction lovers with names they know and stories they’ll die for.

–Toni Woodruff

Did somebody say gift? Check out the best gifts for book lovers.

9. Lying in Judgment

A propulsive, easy, entertaining audio journey with an unforgettable premise

Author: Gary Corbin

Genre: Audiobook / Crime / Legal

Listening Length: 9 hrs 25 mins

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

What it’s about:

In a jealous fit of rage, Peter Robinson tracks down his wife’s lover and beats him to death. Only problem is: he’s killed the wrong man.

And now, he’s being summoned to be on the jury of the case where he is the killer. Because he knows who really did it, he wants to get the accused off, but he’s got a tough motive to beat. We worry that Peter might be too close to the situation to let the wrong man go.

Why you should read it:

I listened to this audiobook years ago and haven’t forgotten a twist in it. The narration by the author is smooth and compelling, but it’s the premise that makes it so propulsive. A sure-fire “What would you do if this happened to you?” thriller with never-ending curiosity to find out what will come of the flawed protagonist.

–Toni Woodruff

10. Murder Under Redwood Moon

An energetic and suspenseful witchcraft-filled murder mystery

Author: Sherri L. Dodd

Genre: Supernatural Mystery

Print Length: 290 pages

ISBN: 9781685133887

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Recommended by: Chelsey Tucker

What it’s about:

In the small mountain town of Boulder Creek, beautiful young girls begin to go missing. Even worse: they show up in the river.

The entire town is on edge, but for Arista and her friends, it hits closer to home; they knew some of the victims. As a serial killer lurks in the shadows, danger continues to ramp up with snakes and upside down pentagrams signaling dark times.

A family relic that her Great-Aunt Bethie shows her may be the key they need to help solve these murders. “Our Ouija is rich with a past of providing details about serial killers—which is coming, my dear, you watch!” It soon comes to light that she may be in more danger than most, and her great-aunt knows why. Family is supposed to protect and care for one another, so how could they hurt you instead?

Why you should read it:

Murder Under Redwood Moon’s story structure provides the perfect pacing to nail the suspense factor. The author handles multiple viewpoints well and provides a macro-picture with micro-details—an essential piece to telling a captivating murder mystery. The reader is led to believe that they know more than they do, and just when they start piecing some things together, the point of view switches and we venture off in a new, enticing direction.

Murder Under Redwood Moon is going to be a fun read for mystery junkies as much as for fans of modern fantasy fiction and witchcraft. Dodd provides a refreshing tale while still including some staple lore conventions like the witch’s cat and broomsticks. The pages really fly by.

–Chelsey Tucker

13. Lost Grove (Part 1)

Strong paranormal elements really make this mystery pop.

Author: Charlotte Zang & Alex Knudsen

Genre: Paranormal / Mystery

Print Length: 357 pages

ISBN: 9798989796212

Recommended by: Alexandria Ducksworth

What it’s about:

When the corpse of Sarah Elizabeth Grahams winds up on shore, it throws the entire town of Lost Grove into a frenzy. Secrets long kept under wraps are slowly reaching their tipping point.

As they attempt to solve the mystery of Sarah’s death, sergeants Seth Wolfe and Bill Richards fall deeper and deeper down a rabbit hole that gets more shocking with each step they take.

Meanwhile in town, two psychic siblings attempt to start anew in a new high school to escape their past. A group of teenagers attempt to figure out if changelings truly exist. This mix of the paranormal into our recognized reality fits so well in this creepy atmosphere. There’s a whole world to uncover in this first book of the Lost Grove series.

Why you should read it:

Readers start Lost Grove by discovering Sarah Elizabeth Grahams washed up on the beach. It’s a common opener for an mystery until readers soon discover this is set in a place with witches and strange, bloodthirsty creatures. Lost Grove is what would have happened if the TV show Twin Peaks (1990) had taken a more supernatural path.

What makes Lost Grove such a compelling read is the town’s secrets. Many events are happening in Lost Grove besides the Grahams’ case. For instance, one of the townspeople, Mary Germaine, becomes obsessed with eating raw meat and drinking blood after a strange creature bites her. One coffee shop owner believes a ghost haunts her business. And even more.

Because of the unraveling threads, this book can get addictive quickly. The city’s lore will grip any reader’s attention, and there is so much alluring strangeness going on.

–Alexandria Ducksworth

How bookish is your phone? Make it more; get these book apps!

11. Blame It on the Moon

A mysterious haunted house story with plenty of heart

Author: Lou Pugliese

Genre: Haunted House

Print Length: 278 pages

ISBN: 9798990072602

Recommended by: Kristine Eckart

What it’s about:

Richard Craft, a widower in North Arlington, Virginia, moves into a spacious home passed down from generation to generation in his family. Still, his family is present in more ways than one. Mysterious sounds, appearances, and occurrences soon reveal the house is haunted—and Richard is determined to find out why.

As Richard digs into the lives of the house’s previous residents, including his deceased wife and child, his brother Bob, and more dating back to the Civil War era, Richard starts to discover secrets that have remained hidden for years. With each new discovery, Richard is one step closer to putting all the puzzle pieces together, but he also may be in more danger. Will he be able to help the spirits of the house find peace before it’s too late?

Why you should read it:

This is not your typical haunted house story. Blame It On The Moon by Lou Pugliese is a ghost story, murder mystery, steamy romance, and Indiana Jones archeology mission all rolled into one. These little twists are pleasant surprises that add a lot of nuance (& fun!) to the reading experience.

There’s a believable world in this novel with real-feeling characters who, like many readers, have reservations about believing in ghost stories, even if they enjoy them. From scientific equipment and experienced academic teams to Ouija boards and opal amulets, there’s a little something for every reader in this book.

–Kristine Eckart

12. Simon’s Dream

An inspiringly fresh take on the traditional crime thriller with coming of age romance and supernatural twists

Author: Jeremy Howe

Genre: Supernatural / Noir

Print Length: 256 pages

ISBN: 9798218222574

Recommended by: Warren Maxwell

What it’s about:

Ever since his step-father, former police chief Doug Lewis, threw him out of the house, Simon Verner has been forced to fend for himself, working his way into a tiny apartment through a strict routine and a job collecting golf balls at the local golf course. Regular therapy, a goldfish named Hank (rhymes with tank), and two loyal friends keep Simon content as he slowly discovers himself inside the parameters of his newly stable existence.

However, everything is turned upside down when uncanny dreams of a cop’s decade old murder begin visiting Simon. Thrust by these visions into Chicago’s corrupt underworld, Simon finds himself compelled to investigate a cold case that no one wants reopened.

Why you should read it:

The novel pushes boundaries with its exploration of the supernatural, but remains settled in the distinct realm of crime fiction. Simon’s quest to understand himself and the meaning behind his dreams is aided by Loretta, a fortune teller. Indeed, the dreams are windows into the past, giving Simon access to memories of his previous lives. From an African tribesman to an English queen, his life is indelibly linked to lives already lived, all of which are tainted by a millennium’s old curse. This heady theory of the soul deepens as the central mystery unfolds, adding exciting new dimensions to the straight-forward pleasures of mystery fiction. The writing is workman-like and entertaining, with sweeping descriptions and blow-by-blow action sequences frequently tipping into the cinematic. Shifts between dreams, reality, and the distant past are united by a tactile specificity that readers will be eager to visualize.

The thrilling story of a golf-ball fetcher who reinvents himself as a dogged agent of justice, Simon’s Dream abandons worn-out tropes in order to create a fresh new take on noir fiction.

–Warren Maxwell

14. The Mystery Next Door

Whatever kind of literary magic Michael Rodney Moore has conjured up, it’s working.

Author: Michael Rodney Moore

Genre: Middle Grade / Historical

Print Length: 259 pages

ISBN: 9798393679699

Recommended by: Alexandria Ducksworth

What it’s about:

Moore’s book begins with young Zoey Morganton as she moves into a small town with her mother in North Carolina. It isn’t long until she learns about the mysterious plantation not too far from her home: Oak Harbor. The house is covered with many secrets, ranging from a crazed slaveowner to a secret pirate treasure. Zoey can’t help her growing curiosity as she finds herself exploring Oak Harbor. There’s more to the plantation and the original owner’s history than she realizes.

Why you should read it:

The Mystery Next Door becomes addictive when Moore brings out old tales of piracy and long-lost treasure. It’s the type of adventure one would recognize from movies such as The Goonies (1985) and Tom & Huck (1995). Whose inner child didn’t wish they could find secret treasure in their own backyard?

One of the most captivating aspects of The Mystery Next Door is its exploration of Oak Harbor’s history. Moore delves into the complex dynamics of the 19th-century South, addressing topics such as slavery and the Civil War without it being too much for younger readers.

As Zoey Morganton delves deeper into the history of Oak Harbor, readers are treated to an alluring journey through time. Readers become engaged with the golden age of piracy and life in the South (before and after the Civil War).

The Mystery Next Door is a fun & delightful read. Middle school readers who are exploring the American South in other classes and those who relish in satisfying mysteries and adventure are going to love this story.

–Alexandria Ducksworth

15. Assassins Are Us

Action, heart, and laughs in equal measure.

Author: Kimberly van Sickle

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Humor

Print Length: 164 pages

ISBN: 9781639889433

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Recommended by: Melissa Suggitt

What it’s about:

Hedy isn’t your average teenager. She’s next in line to inherit her family’s centuries-old legacy as secret assassins. Picture this: deadly skills, killer charm, and a hint of rom-com magic. With Hedy and her family at the helm, you’ll want to prepare yourself for this unique combination of snort-inducing laughter and heart-pounding action.

Balancing a budding romance with Dave, a student in her class and the weight of her family’s destiny, Hedy’s journey is quite the complicated one. Is she meant to carry on her family legacy? Will pursuing Dave affect her focus and put herself, her family, and Dave in danger, potentially exposing their family’s sordid past? Assassins Are Us is a seamless blend of high school drama and covert ops, served with a side of chaotic family dinners that’ll make you grateful for every mundane gathering.

Why you should read it:

Buckle up for a wildly entertaining ride through family secrets, flirtatious encounters, and dangerous missions in uproariously captivating ways. Hedy Hinterschott is a protagonist you’ll wish was your best friend.

Don’t be fooled by the laughs; author Kimberly Van Sickle has a knack for tugging at heartstrings too. The bonds formed among Hedy and her quirky crew ooze authenticity, adding warmth to the story’s action-packed and slightly outlandish core. This book doesn’t just capture the essence of being a teenager; it catapults you into a world where family, romance, and thrilling twists intertwine constantly.

Hedy’s quick thinking, intelligence, and sassiness will win you over faster than you can say “undercover operation.” Just when you think you’ve cracked the code, Van Sickle throws curveballs that leave you gasping and grinning simultaneously.

–Melissa Suggitt

What are the best mystery thrillers you’ve read? Let us know in the comments!

About the IBR Staff

Independent Book Review is your source for the best in indie books. With 25 readers on staff, we aim to show the reading world why they can put their trust in independently published lit. Meet the team or follow on Instagram & Twitter.

Thank you for reading “15 of the Best Mystery Thriller Books That’ll Keep You Hooked!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

Book Reviews | IBR Blog | Resources for Writers

The post 15 of the Best Mystery Thriller Books to Satisfy Your Inner Detective appeared first on Independent Book Review.

35 Scintillating Poetry Quotes

Jay — Fri, 31 May 2024 15:41:14 +0000

35 Scintillating Poetry Quotes

by Jaylynn Korrell

Poetry quotes: little golden nuggets of wisdom to send you sprinting to the bookstore

Poetry is unlike any other form of language. It’s not speech. Not prose. It’s not even always natural. Sometimes it rhymes even though we don’t rhyme. But one thing it does do? It lasts.

Oh, poetry, how I love you!

How you break down doors, traverse barriers, say things that haven’t been said in ways that haven’t been done before. There’s nothing like you. And yet you encompass everything.

Reading quotes about poetry can change the game for so many readers. Why else do you think I’m putting this list together? I want you to read more poetry. There’s something special in there for you, I know it. And once you start, there’s no turning back. You’ll be a poetry lover in no time.

Here are some of our favorite poetry quotes!

1. “To find beauty in ugliness is the province of the poet.” ― Thomas Hardy

2. “Poetry is the one place where people can speak their original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is known in private.” — Allen Ginsberg

3. “Always be a poet, even in prose.” — Charles Baudelaire

4. “The genesis of a poem for me is usually a cluster of words. The only good metaphor I can think of is a scientific one: dipping a thread into a supersaturated solution to induce crystal formation. I don’t think I solve problems in my poetry; I think I uncover the problems.” — Margaret Atwood

5.“Poetry comes from the highest happiness or the deepest sorrow.” — A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

6. “Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.” — Robert Frost

7.“Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.” — Virginia Woolf

Love Jane Austen? You’ll love these Jane Austen gifts!

8. “Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.” — Plato

9. “There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money, either.” — Robert Graves

10. “You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.” — Carol Ann Duffy

11. “A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.” — W. H. Auden

12. “Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.” — Don Marquis

13. “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.” — Emily Dickinson

14. “The fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world in spite of History.” — Derek Walcott

15. “A poem is never finished, only abandoned.” — Paul Valéry

16. “The crown of literature is poetry.” — W. Somerset Maugham

17. “In poetry and in eloquence the beautiful and grand must spring from the commonplace…. All that remains for us is to be new while repeating the old, and to be ourselves in becoming the echo of the whole world.” — Alexandre Vinet

18. “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy

19. “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” – T.S. Eliot

What are you getting for Mr. Feeney this year? We’ve got some great ideas for English teacher gifts!

20. “There is often as much poetry between the lines of a poem as in those lines.” — Alexandre Vinet

21. “Poetry is one of the ancient arts, and it begins as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.” — Mary Oliver

22. “It is the job of poetry to clean up our word-clogged reality by creating silences around things.” — Stephane Mallarme

23. “If you know what you are going to write when you’re writing a poem, it’s going to be average.” – Derek Walcott

24. “A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone’s knowledge of himself and the world around him.” — Dylan Thomas

25. “I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.” — Socrates

26. “Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry.” — Georges Brague

27. “Poetry, I feel, is a tyrannical discipline. You’ve got to go so far so fast in such a small space; you’ve got to burn away all the peripherals.” — Sylvia Plath

28. “Poets are masters of us ordinary men, in knowledge of the mind, because they drink at streams which we have not yet made accessible to science.” — Sigmund Freud

29. “The world is full of poetry. The air is living with its spirit; and the waves dance to the music of its melodies, and sparkle in its brightness.” — James Gates Percival

30. “I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” —Steven Wright

31. “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” — Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

32. “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.” — T.S. Eliot

33. “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” — Allen Ginsburg

34. “A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” — Robert Frost

35. “Poetry is not always words.” – Terri Guillemets

Which poetry quotes speak to you most? Let me know in the comments!

About the Author

Jaylynn Korrell is a nomadic writer currently based out of Pennsylvania. In addition to her writing and reading for Independent Book Review, she curates lists at GoodGiftLists.com.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s “35 Scintillating Poetry Quotes” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 35 Scintillating Poetry Quotes appeared first on Independent Book Review.

The Must-Read Books from the First Half of 2024

IndieBookView — Tue, 28 May 2024 11:33:00 +0000

The Must-Read Books from the First Half of 2024

Chosen by the IBR Staff

What constitutes a must-read book?

Book recommendations are undeniably personal. Each reader is different and comes to each book with their own set of experiences and reading histories. One person could think a book is the best thing they’ve ever read, and their best friend could say, “Meh.”

So there’s got to be a way to differentiate, right? This isn’t just a good book. This is a YOU-HAVE-TO-READ-THIS-RIGHT-NOW book. This is a must-read book.

These things can be thrillers, thought-provoking literary tomes, escapist fantasy adventures, time-travel romances, self-help books, you name it. What matters most is that someone you trust read this thing, loved it, and thinks (if you like books similar to this), you HAVE to check it out.

Replete with genres all over the map, this collaborative list from the experts at IBR is populated by brand new indie books that so many readers are going to love. Some may call it some of the best books from the first half of 2024. We wouldn’t disagree.

Here are our 15 must-read books from the first half of 2024.

1. Mother Doll

A brilliantly layered novel of connection and disconnection, of life and afterlife

Author: Katya Apekina

Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life

Print Length: 320 pages

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Recommended by: Toni Woodruff

What it’s about:

Enter, the novel’s opening line: “It was ironic that Zhenia and Ben would come home from spending time with people who had kids and be so giddy with relief and self-righteousness over their decision not to have any that it would make them want to fuck.”

And then Zhenia gets pregnant. Mother Doll is a breathtaking dual-timeline story of motherhood, daughterhood, grandmotherhood, and the links of past and future. It’s a funny and deeply moving story about generations and the things we do that shape us and our bloodlines.

Is this her grandmother reincarnated in her womb? Is it the prospect of a future with this child the thing she’s been missing, or is it the past that she couldn’t do without? Something has made her like this. It couldn’t just be her.

Paul, a journalist medium who receives a message from Zhenia’s great-grandmother, is the one who breaks this story open. The ghost of Irina (her great-grandmother, who abandoned her beloved grandmother) needs to tell Zhenia the story of her surprising, wild, revolutionary life. Mother Doll intricately weaves three stories into one funny, unforgettable novel.

Why you should read it:

How do you follow up a novel as good as The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish? That novel broke me, stitched me up, left me in satisfied pieces. So I had high hopes for Mother Doll. And usually that spells a fumble.

But not for Katya Apekina.

Mother Doll is so spectacularly different from her first novel, and yet it’s just as memorable, textured, and surprising. I didn’t know Apekina had such humor in her repertoire! But here comes one of the funniest books I’ve read this year. And in such a tragic package.

Irina and Zhenia make Mother Doll the hit it is, but it’s the connection of the past, present, and future that brings its deepest satisfaction. Irina’s story of Russian revolution is unpredictable and vast, while Zhenia’s story is unpredictable and slight. I loved them both.

This is a masterclass of a sophomore novel.

–Toni Woodruff

2. Marco Polo Mother & Son

Exceptional writing [steeped in] missed opportunities

Author: Thoreau Lovell

Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life

Print Length: 232 pages

Publisher: Wet Cement Press

Recommended by: Lauren Hayataka

What it’s about:

Thoreau Lovell’s Marco Polo Mother & Son is a poignant exploration of the intricate relationship between the recently deceased Georgiana and her grieving son George.

On the surface, Georgiana and George appear as different as chalk and cheese and have a distant relationship. Georgiana is a realist—pragmatic, proud, and private—who acknowledges that she is dying from congestive heart failure. Georgiana’s dream is to pass peacefully away in her sleep in her home in Fresno. In contrast, George is a dreamer whose mind is perpetually occupied with thoughts of abandoning his partner Paula and their daughter Lily to focus on his writing. Only the one that understands George the most is the one that he thinks understands him the least: his mother.

Why you should read it:

Lovell crafts a masterful portrayal of an intimate yet distant relationship between mother and son, one filled with unspoken words and unshared memories. Georgiana and George resemble trains on parallel tracks, journeying together yet never intersecting, despite the reader’s yearning for their connection.

His exploration of grief is raw, realistic, and simultaneously ugly, shameful, and beautiful. The portrayal exudes a profound sense of understanding. Every scene and every word serve a purpose, and as the reader experiences the loss alongside George, who surrounds himself with his mother’s belongings, the realization dawns that he never truly knew her at all.

Only an exceptional writer could immerse readers in such profound pain, leaving them reluctant to accept the conclusion of the story. Lovell’s novel adds layers of authenticity and devastation that are undeniably worth cherishing. In creating Marco Polo Mother & Son, Lovell has crafted something extraordinary.

–Lauren Hayataka (Full Review)

3. Bad Foundations

A working-class White Noise, a story about family, crap jobs, paranoia, and an uncertain future

Author: Brian Allen Carr

Genre: Literary Fiction / Absurdism

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Clash Books

Recommended by: Nick Rees Gardner

What it’s about:

Cook works in crawl spaces, inspecting them for rot, but even when he emerges from the claustrophobic confines, driving across Indiana to the next client, the crawl follows him. The damp basement smell of his coveralls permeates his Prius as his daughter argues that his sales slump is due to a curse. And basement walls crumble around him, a metaphor for his depression and his predicament-prone misadventures in Ohio, Indiana, and beyond.

However, as Cook’s family life, work-life, and mental health erode, rather than turning to Jack Gladney’s preference for academia and, eventually, revenge, Cook fries his brain on legal weed and finds his answers in strange and surprising working class strangers. While the petty arguments and slightly askew realities Cook faces are reminiscent of White Noise, Carr’s characters turn away from academia, from teachers and students. With all of its banter, wit, and pure, unabashed heart, Bad Foundations is a hilarious and fresh drama about the crumbling crawlspaces Cook has built his life on and how he can scramble out of the rubble.

Why you should read it:

The writer of Motherfucking Sharks, Opioid Indiana, and several other surreal and unabashed books, Carr is at his best in Bad Foundations. The dialogue, often occurring as petty arguments that span subjects from Taylor Swift, to telepathy, to the earth being a computer program, is vibrant and often revealing of the contemporary worlds’ real life predicaments.

Carr’s characters are self-acknowledged “white trash,” day-drinking and discussing flat-earth theories with over-educated coworkers, trying to drum up a living in an inhospitable corporate social structure. While the ideas discussed in the book are intelligent, there is nothing too high-brow about Bad Foundations. The immaculate prose is fortified with excerpts from text message threads, drawings, and illustrations. While Bad Foundations reaches for depth and clarity in the midst of personal and social collapse, the prose is easily accessible for readers of all backgrounds and reading levels. It is a book that even a nonreader would enjoy.

-Nick Rees Gardner (Full Review)

It’s almost your birthday! What are you asking for? Tell your people to get you these gifts for book lovers!

4. No Good Deed

One man’s act of kindness triggers an explosive sequence of events that threatens everything and everyone he loves.

Author: Jack Wallace

Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Crime

Print Length: 268 pages

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Recommended by: Peggy Kurkowski

What it’s about:

Christopher Jones is a divorced father working two jobs to make ends meet in Nashville, Tennessee, when his headlights shine across the huddled frame of a young Korean woman in a darkened business doorway along his morning newspaper route. Offering her a ride, he soon realizes that the woman, Kim, is running from trouble. Big trouble. Little does he know his “one good deed” to help a stranger will soon ripple into concentric rings of violence for himself, Kim, and those they care about.

Wallace thoughtfully transitions between Christopher’s and Kim’s backstories—both marked by loss, betrayal, loneliness, but also a stubborn hope for a better future.

Why you should read it:

Wallace’s pacing is pitch perfect as Christopher begins to take back his power in protecting Kim…The thrills are explosive and the cat-and-mouse game increasingly personal.

Wallace effectively teases out the moral complexities of fighting fire with fire. His protagonists are good people facing unspeakable brutality and evil; they are ordinary people thrust into becoming the heroes they never knew they were.

No Good Deed is a superbly written and propulsive story with an unforgettable climax, a novel with a soul that entertains as it educates about sex trafficking and the individuals sucked into its diabolical orbit. Do not miss this one.

-Peggy Kurkowski (Full Review)

5. Still Alive

The mesmerizing life journey of a woman just trying to find peace

Author: L.J. Pemberton

Genre: Literary Fiction / LGBTQ

Print Length: 290 pages

Publisher: Malarkey Books

Recommended by: Erica Ball

What it’s about:

Always reckoning with the consequences of her formative years, V experiments with different ways of living: trying out different buildings, neighborhoods, and even cities. She falls in love with different partners, some men, some women, and, ultimately, with her beloved Lex, and they try multiple times to see if now is the time they can make it work.

Because of her many moves, and, because she has so much to work through, V consistently flashes back to her family’s dysfunction and how that was passed along to her. As such, the narrative jumps from the Portland of her childhood in the 1980s to New York City in the 2010s to the beaches of Los Angeles and onward.

V is actively rejecting the life so many others seem to want with a wry and sarcastic take on the hypocrisies and phoniness she sees around her. Instead, she is seeking the real, the gritty, and the true. She looks for novel and especially sensory experiences, whether through underground punk shows, time spent in the depths of the woods, or falling head-over-heels in love at first sight.

Why you should read it:

Poetic and philosophical, she dips into and out of these different lived experiences, at times throwing herself into them, and other times watching society from a distance.

V is a fascinating and complex character who doesn’t seek to overly define her relationships or sexuality. With its beautiful prose and applicable commentary, Still Alive has broad appeal. It will be especially effective for fans of coming-of-age stories, underground culture and art communities, bisexual or pan-sexual relationships, and lesbian or sapphic fiction.

It’s a coming of age story, and there’s some love in there as well, but in the end, it’s really a story of self-love, a story of craving freedom and finding it within instead of without, and a story of coming home to yourself.

-Erica Ball (Full Review)

6. Changes In the Land

An enthralling piece of fiction that seamlessly blends horror and mystery in an enigmatic, earthy New Hampshire setting

Author: Matthew Cheney

Genre: Horror / Dark Fantasy

Print Length: 90 pages

Publisher: Lethe Press

Recommended by: Melissa Suggitt

What it’s about:

Adams Park: one family’s curse, another family’s burden.

Elias Thornton, along with his children Josiah and Drusilla, carry the weight of responsibility for their family’s purpose. Passed down from generation to generation, they are the caretakers and the protectors of the nature preserve known as Adams Park. Its thousands of acres of land, its animals, its estate’s human inhabitant (Valeria Adams), and its secrets.

The heiress of the estate, Valeria, is somehow ageless, and she believes she knows all the secrets of her family’s curse; it has been bestowed upon her decades ago when she came across a strange cave and it changed her life forever. She is a viper in sheep’s clothing. The further we delve into her history, the more vile she becomes, however justified she believes she is in the actions of her past.

Dr. Steven A. Baird is a history professor, collecting research on the history of Adams Park and of its owners’ genealogy. As he’s drawn closer to the heart of the mystery and begins to unravel the truth of his connection to Valeria, the greater the peril he faces.

As these three characters, their families, and their destinies intertwine, a gruesome and wholly terrifying prophecy is set in motion.

Why you should read it:

Author Matthew Cheney delivers a hauntingly powerful tale with Changes in the Land. This book offers a potent lesson in karma and a stark reminder of the importance of respecting our land and each other.

The background of Adams Park and the heinous events that took place on its land over generations is an aspect of the narrative that helps create an atmosphere of palpable tension building tantalizingly through the story. Cheney weaves a compelling supernatural element and adeptly explores the way our actions leave an imprint on the earth—whether ethereal or concrete. You’ll find yourself almost rooting for the land to take its revenge on the Adams family by the end of this.

Cheney has crafted a succinct and efficient plot in a short amount of pages, leaving just enough room for mystery and well-rounded character development. Who knew nature could be so terrifying? Horror fans with a healthy respect for our environment are going to love this novella.

–Melissa Suggitt (Full Review)

7. Time Is Heartless

A profound adventure exploring the limits of AI and the possibilities of post-climate-collapse technology

Author: Sarah Lahey

Genre: Science Fiction / Romance

Print Length: 348 pages

Recommended by: Andrea Marks-Joseph

What it’s about:

Readers are placed on a ship with Quinn, who is not happy to be there. She feels trapped at sea, where she is parenting her toddler without her husband Tig. Quinn loves Tig, but he keeps disappearing on secret missions for much longer than he ever stays.

Quinn is lonely: unheard and unfulfilled. She’s married to a cyborg who won’t take his mood-regulating medication, and she’s missing her friend who disappeared from her cryo-sleeping tank.

There is so much at stake at all times in this novel; action, plot-twists, and reveals come from every angle. But there is also so much joy in the way Lahey tells this story. These characters feel so real. The novel captures the stress, the worry, and the pain of being human—but also the ridiculousness of everyday life.

Why you should read it:

Author Sarah Lahey and her eclectic ensemble of characters found their way into my heart, keeping me spellbound and energized with a constantly surprising narrative—In fact, I read this book in one sitting, twice.

Readers who follow the advancements of future tech and are confronting the ethics of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives (but who also love a great love story and mystery) should run, not walk, to pick up this near-future sci-fi novel.

If the topic of what the world will look like post-climate-collapse—biologically, reproductively, technologically, politically, and even fashionably—intrigues you, know that what this book delivers is nothing you expect and everything you want.

Equal parts thought-provoking and riotously joyful, Time is Heartless is a book I’ll be thinking about for months—maybe years.

–Andrea Marks-Joseph (Full Review)

Want to read yourself to sleep at night? Get yourself the best e-readers on the market!

8. Fire Exit

A quiet and original novel about an outcast, a loner, who clings to hope even when the world is pitted against him

Author: Morgan Talty

Genre: Literary Fiction / Native American & Aboriginal

Print Length: 256 pages

Publisher: Tin House Books

Recommended by: Nick Rees Gardner

What it’s about:

Lamosway’s is a story about blood quantum, the controversial measure of how much “Indian blood” a body contains as a way to determine whether or not someone belongs as a member of their tribe. Because of blood quantum, Lamosway is booted off the Penobscot Reservation when he turns 18, and now, as a middle-aged man, he watches his estranged daughter Elizabeth who is being raised by a Penobscot stepfather and her mother across the river.

Charles observes the life he almost had unfolding across the river, wondering which parts of himself flow through his daughter’s veins, knowing what she doesn’t: that his blood is not legally native, that according to blood quantum, she doesn’t belong. When, as an adult, Elizabeth returns to her parents’ reservation home, Charles considers whether now is the right time to tell her the truth.

Lamosway, as a protagonist, isn’t necessarily driven by anything. He feels the need to tell his biological daughter the truth but is prohibited from doing so by his daughter’s mother. He wants to belong to the tribal community but is prohibited by arbitrary laws. He wants to drink, but he knows his tendency toward alcoholism and refrains. While Lamosway holds down a job “clearing the land,” all of his drive has been tempered by forces outside of his control. But as the family and community he surrounds himself with struggles and falls apart, he does his best to hold the world around him together.

Why you should read it:

Creating quiet stories requires exceptional talent. In order to pull a novel like this off, the writer needs a memorable protagonist too: a Jay Gatsby or Anna Karenina or Ignatious J. Reily type who lodges in the reader’s mind like an old friend. Think Dennis Johnson’s “Fuckhead,” from Jesus’ Son, a character who readers would recognize from any Iowa dive bar, but whose depth, whose insights about life, ask the reader to reconsider what they know.

Now we can add Charles Lamosway to this list.

Lamosway’s character growth, though minimal, is depicted quite brilliantly; each shift in personality, each flash of irrational anger sloshes out of a deep well. And Talty uses this backstory of injustice as a rising tension; to read Fire Exit is to wait either for Lamosway to get a break or for him to be broken.

While Talty’s narrative is already irresistible, especially for readers who enjoyed Night of the Living Rez, it is also filled with Charles Lamosway’s wisdom, a philosophical depth that lingers beyond the page…Fire Exit is one of those books that will become more meaningful with the days, weeks, and months after closing the cover.

–Nick Rees Gardner (Full Review)

9. Next Time

A time-travel novel exceptionally worthy of a binge-read

Author: Randy Brown

Genre: Time Travel / Romance

Print Length: 332 pages

Recommended by: Kristine Eckart

What it’s about:

When William extends a helping hand to Miriam, who seems to have appeared from nowhere, he gets more than he bargained for. But Miriam’s ignorance of the current date, modern culture, and her surroundings raise some red flags. That’s when she reveals her secret: she can travel through time. Working on his master’s degree in history, William is intrigued and offers to be a resource for the next time Miriam appears. But as William continues his life, studying and spending time with his girlfriend, he still can’t get Miriam out of his mind.

Miriam appears more in William’s life over the years, and their relationship turns from friendship to romance. They must navigate the complexities of dating while existing in different dimensions of time. However, as the police start to take a particular interest in tracking down and questioning Miriam and William’s struggles with Miriam’s absence, complications arise. They must figure out how to deal with the investigations and how far they’re willing to go to save their relationship.

Why you should read it:

Of the many time-travel novels I’ve read, this is undeniably among my favorites. The novel’s pacing is spot-on, never spending too much time in between Miriam’s appearances and always keeping the plot moving with action sequences of police interrogations and disagreements between family and friends. These scenes keep the reader invested, especially when one of the main characters is missing. Traversing through its spot-on pacing and the scenes that don’t miss, you too will be fervently flipping pages to find the answer of Miriam and William’s fate.

I also appreciated the balance of realism and escapism present throughout the novel. Time-travel books can often feel like they create a world that’s completely different from our own, which provides plenty of entertainment and an escape from the worries we face on a daily basis.

If you love time-travel stories complete with action and romance, Next Time would be the best choice you’ve made in a while.

–Kristine Eckart

10. Everywhere I Look

A riveting look at the impact of dark family secrets

Author: Ona Gritz

Genre: Memoir / Family

Print Length: 250 pages

Publisher: Apprentice House Press

Recommended by: Elizabeth Reiser

What it’s about:

When Ona’s adopted older sister Angie disappears during Ona’s visit to San Francisco, she finds herself conflicted between being concerned and feeling indifferent. Ona is no stranger to Angie’s disappearing acts, so she is hesitant to worry.

This all changes when her brother-in-law’s body is discovered, shot execution-style. Soon after, a pregnant Angie and her infant son are found murdered as well. Ona finds herself struggling with grief, but in some ways Angie’s terrible end is not ultimately shocking. As Ona explores her feelings surrounding the loss of her sister, she realizes how many aspects of Angie’s life she misunderstood and is led on a long journey of uncovering secrets she chose to ignore.

Why you should read it:

There are a number of fascinating twists and turns in this story, but nothing is salacious. At its core, this is more of a reflection on a misunderstood life than a true crime story, and it is clear how important it is to Ona that she respects her sister’s memory.

Ona is also refreshingly honest about herself and does not sugarcoat her actions growing up. Rather than falling into the trap of portraying herself as the put-upon “good” sister, she instead shows how her flaws were simply more easily forgiven by her family. The guilt she feels over being the favored and nurtured child is palpable; it’s a heartbreaking realization the author goes through as she comes to terms with her culpability in Angie’s feelings of being unwanted.

At its core, Everywhere I Look is a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and wildly fascinating story about families and the secrets that destroy them. It is sure to stick with you.

-Elizabeth Reiser (Full Review)

11. Overthink

Successfully transform your overwhelming thoughts with this valuable self-help book.

Author: Lyndsey Getty

Genre: Self-Help

Print Length: 150 pages

Recommended by: Lisa Parker Hayreh, PhD

What it’s about:

This book asks the reader to identify their thinking difficulties and to apply the most effective techniques to consistently improve them. It walks you through the basics of becoming more aware of your thoughts and how to accurately label unhelpful thinking as it occurs.

The author’s detailed and well-articulated guidance helps us distinguish between unproductive and productive thoughts. The principles of productive thinking are discussed in detail for readers to try in real time, and detailed worksheets are given to help each person track their progress and build success.

Moved to help others find relief quicker than she did, Getty has shared a vital and practical manual that blends psychological wisdom, proven strategies, and personal triumph.

Why you should read it:

Part memoir, part straight-talking guidebook, this resource can help create lasting positive change. Overthink is like having a highly trained expert by your side, guiding you to stop negative self-talk and think productively.

Overthink shines the way forward out of mental torment. Lyndsey Getty maintains a compassionate understanding of the daunting anguish connected to unproductive thinking. She encourages us to become our best selves and shares her own truths & agonies to show us it’s okay to have them.

I have been geeking out a bit in response to Lyndsey Getty’s Overthink. It is utterly remarkable that a lay person wrote such a technically sound and effective self-help book while also appropriately sharing her own struggles and successes. I hold a really high standard for self-help books so my praise in this area is hard won. Overthink sidesteps the technical jargon dominating the mental health/self-help fields. She has created an impeccably streamlined guide that can be applied broadly to a whole host of unproductive thinking difficulties.

–Lisa Parker Hayreh, PhD (Full Review)

12. Tap Dancing on Everest

A riveting memoir about the travails of growing up, the trauma of mountain climbing, and the elation of being in the great outdoors

Author: Mimi Zieman

Genre: Memoir / Adventure

Print Length: 244 pages

Recommended by: Warren Maxwell

What it’s about:

What materializes is a deep portrait of Mimi’s youth and milieu in New York as the ambitious daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Her father’s entire family was killed in Latvia while her maternal grandmother fled Germany for Palestine with her young daughter, Mimi’s mother. Living with the legacy of such a brutal and incomprehensible past reverberates in Zieman, triggering eating disorders, an unrequited love of dance, and an ultimate turn toward medicine.

While plagued by her family’s expectations and rules, mountains and trekking become an early source of independence. Through a series of split decisions and journeys, Zieman ends up alone in the Nepali Himalayas, hiking for weeks on end and forging relationships with fellow hikers that take her all the way to the feet of Everest.

Why you should read it:

The overall quality of the writing in this book is exceptional. The memoir’s many large and small vignettes, its minor characters and central ones all leap into focus. Whether Zieman’s haunted, psychotherapist father or a braggadocios boy that she rescues in a climbing accident, personality and life abound.

One of the things that’s wonderful about this uncommon approach to writing the mountain climbing narrative—the very fact that Zieman is present as a doctor, not a climber, and doesn’t herself climb Everest—is that we see a different side to the climbing story…This is a tale about the experience of living on mountains, beside mountains, under mountains, and hoping that the people climbing them will survive. The depth of psychology and detail that go into Zieman’s descriptions are mesmerizing.

In short, this memoir travels widely. It brings a large swath of territory into its purview that, while seemingly diffuse, builds to a triumphant peak. It is a beautiful, wrenching story about the trials that we endure and the rewards we reap.

–Warren Maxwell

13. Nola Face

A memoir that explores the contradictions of language with boldness, nuance, and playfulness.

Author: Brooke Champagne

Genre: Memoir / Essays

Print Length: 192 pages

Publisher: University of Georgia Press

Recommended by: Elizabeth Reiser

What it’s about:

The essays in Nola Face recount Brooke Champagne’s upbringing in an Ecuadorian family in New Orleans, her marriage and motherhood, and her path as a writer. But narrating a memory is, we soon learn, never as easy as putting facts on the page.

Instead, the essays in the collection play cleverly with the fallibility of writing itself, never letting the reader forget the way language mediates the relationship between the author penning each essay and the author who lives as a character on the page.

Why you should read it:

A memoir as thoughtful as it is creative, Nola Face would be an excellent choice for readers in love with the craft of writing.

These essays let the reader behind the curtain, reflecting explicitly on the impossibility of describing an event precisely as it happened without the distorting force of language.

Champagne is a master of the art of the opening sentence…These deft opening lines draw the reader in to each new essay, in search of elaboration, explanation, and another thrilling turn of phrase.

It’s not only the opening lines that delight in this collection. Long, complex sentences stuffed with recollections and reconsiderations abound in Nola Face…. At their best, they read like pirouettes, swinging the reader through a remarkable range of images, ideas, and linguistic moves to land with grace.

–Elena Bellaart

Bookify your phones & tablets with these gotta-have-it book apps.

14. Secrets Ever Green

The exquisite, emotional adventure of a young woman pushing through grief to uncover magical secrets

Author: Sara Knightly

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Print Length: 268 pages

Recommended by: Andrea Marks-Joseph

What it’s about:

Ivy Rune is not the natural Arborist talent everyone believes she is. Every year, in the town of Windermere, students are allocated a career and, in Ivy’s case, permanent accommodation, depending on their results in the final practical exam.

If Ivy fails her final exams, she will not have a job in the industry she’s trained for, and most importantly, she won’t be able to live in her childhood home, which holds her final memories of her father and has been left empty waiting for her in the decade since his presumed death.

A mysterious man approaches Ivy with instructions (ostensibly from her father, ten years ago, specifically for Ivy) that lead her to discover a magic underworld hiding in plain sight, unlocking the secrets to where her father spent his time before he disappeared. Suddenly, in the middle of the most crucial week of her life, where studying in the library will secure her future, Ivy is exploring the forest, following handwritten clues from her dead father.

Why you should read it:

Author Sara Knightly has created a wondrous and charming hometown for Ivy. Windermere is filled with lore and whispered, near-forgotten myths so naturally woven into the story that it felt as though I had grown up in the community with Ivy and her best friend York, understanding their fears, ambitions, and curiosity on a cellular level.

This natural, almost effortless sense of being surrounded by Secrets Ever Green’s world applies to its characters, too: I felt the complexity of Ivy wanting guidance and support from the adults in her life, and I felt in my veins the betrayal and shame she experienced when they treated her in a way that made it clear, through unintentional twists in their phrasing, that she was not loved unconditionally, nor was she theirs to care for indefinitely.

The way grief is written into Ivy’s story is remarkable. Often it’s just one line that hits at the heart of her pain, and then the story continues. Knightly has mastered the art of pulling back the protagonist’s layers to their most vulnerable truth and then moving the story along in light of that knowledge. Ivy has tangled herself up in grief, moving forward because it’s all she knows, but the story is weighed down by her heartache. In fact, even in Ivy’s darkest moments, though we are barely holding back tears in sympathy, we feel the story surge forward because what could possibly happen next?!

–Andrea Marks-Joseph (Full Review)

15. Terra Solaris (Gods & Monsters)

A formidable tale of power and creation

Author: Jaiden Baynes

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Myth

Print Length: 374 pages

Publisher: BayMar Publishing

Recommended by: Audrey Davis

What it’s about:

In a very distant past, but a universe quite similar to our own, Gods, Titans, and Monsters roam the planets amongst the humans.

When the human Typhon’s greed and desire for power overtakes him, he aims to conquer the Kosmos and all its inhabitants, leaving a scarred, torn world in his wake. The goddess Terra, in an effort to restore stability, agrees to help her brother Jupiter rise to power to defeat Typhon and re-unite the planets.

Unfortunately, it does not last. As Jupiter is swept into his own corruption, Terra is left to grapple with her own thoughts and feelings while finding the strength to do so and seeks to restore a balance to the universe once more.

Why you should read it:

Jaiden Baynes’ newest young adult fantasy series Gods and Monsters gives a fresh face to creationism and ancient Greek mythos as we commonly know them. The same names remain, but their bearers and stories are very different. This story captivates as Baynes gives readers a new set of rules to play with for these characters, including new beasts and horrible foes, miraculous unseen powers, gods and new universes, and even a little bit of romance.

If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, this story would be great for you. I would happily recommend this series to fellow action/adventure and fantasy fans. Readers will appreciate the dry humor and well-paced action as they follow new and powerful characters through their trials in saving the universe from capture and ruin.

–Audrey Davis (Full Review)

What are your must read books of 2024 so far? Let us know in the comments!

About the IBR Staff

Thank you for reading “The Must-Read Books from the First Half of 2024!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post The Must-Read Books from the First Half of 2024 appeared first on Independent Book Review.

75 of the Best Quotes About Writing

Jay — Thu, 23 May 2024 13:21:28 +0000

75 of the Best Quotes About Writing

by Jaylynn Korrell

Looking for writing inspiration?

“Treat it like a job,” they say.

“Write every day,” they say.

“You can’t edit a blank page.”

And yet…you’re not writing!

And that is okay. Totally fine. Because this list of the best quotes about writing is going to help. Authors & experts have been floundering behind their quills, typewriters, and laptops for hundreds of years, and they can speak from experience right to your heart to get you back to doing the thing you love.

Writing is a solitary venture, sure, but if anyone knows that the magic of writing can read the minds of incredible people, it’s writers. Read quotes & tape them to the walls of your workplace to remind yourself that if Hemingway and Gaiman ran through writer’s block, you can too.

Writers, English teachers, and librarians, rejoice! Whether you’re looking for inspiration or some new content for your Instagram or classroom walls, this list is sure to have a quote that you’ll find insightful.

Here are some of our favorite writing quotes!

1. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”― Ernest Hemingway

2. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ― Maya Angelou

3. “The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” — Robert Benchley

4. “Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.” — Sylvia Plath

5. “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.”― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

6. “In order to write about life first you must live it.” ― Ernest Hemingway

7. “Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.” — Larry L. King, WD

8. “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see, and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” – Joan Didion

9. “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” ― Mark Twain, The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain

10. “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time

11. “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”― Anton Chekhov

12. “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L’Engle

13. “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King

14. “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” ― Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

15. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”― Anne Frank

16. “There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.”― Beatrix Potter

17. “Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money.”― Virginia Woolf

18. “What your novel tells you it wants to be is ultimately more important than what you wanted it to be when you began.” – Matt Bell, Refuse to Be Done

19.“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.”― Isaac Asimov

20. “Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.” ― Kurt Vonnegut

21. “The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.” — Toni Morrison

22. “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” — Robert Frost

Have you checked out our tools for writers yet?

23.“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.” — Cyril Connolly

24. “Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential.” — Jessamyn West

25. “If a story is in you, it has to come out.” — William Faulkner

26. “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” — Richard Bach

27. “Some writers enjoy writing, I am told. Not me. I enjoy having written.” — George R.R. Martin

28. “It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.” — P.D. James

29.“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it.” — Roald Dahl

30. “For your born writer, nothing is so healing as the realization that he has come upon the right word.”— Catherine Drinker Bowen

31. “The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power.” — Toni Morrison

32. “Imagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the bigger it got.” — Philip José Farmer

Need librarians’, reviewers’, and booksellers’ feedback on your writing? Try Group Beta Reading!

Motivational Quotes About Writing

33. “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

34. “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
― Jack London

35. “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You

36.“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”― Louis L’Amour

37.“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
― Ernest Hemingway

38.“A word after a word after a word is power.”― Margaret Atwood

40.“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.” ― Meg Cabot

41. “If you wait for inspiration to write you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” — Dan Poynter

42. “You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” — Annie Proulx

43. “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” — Martin Luther

44. “It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.” — Ernest Hemingway

45.“If you want to be a writer-stop talking about it and sit down and write!” — Jackie Collins

46. “I believe myself that a good writer doesn’t really need to be told anything except to keep at it.” — Chinua Achebe

47.“Don’t get it right, get it written.”― Ally Carter

Quotes About The Writing Process

48. “Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now.” — Annie Dillard

49. “The first draft of anything is shit.”— Ernest Hemingway

50. “The secret of it all is to write… without waiting for a fit time or place.” — Walt Whitman

51. “Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.” — Ray Bradbury

52. “Be willing and unafraid to write badly, because often the bad stuff clears the way for good, or forms a base on which to build something better.” — Jennifer Egan

53. “I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.” — Shannon Hale

54. “Write a page a day. Only 300 words and in a year you have written a novel.” — Stephen King

55.“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” — Stephen King

56.“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” — Thomas Jefferson

57. “There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” — Somerset Maugham

58. “Don’t say it was delightful; make us say delightful when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, ‘Please will you do the job for me.’”― C.S. Lewis

59. “Writing is like driving at night. You can see only as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” ― E.L. Doctorow

Quotes About Writing: Editing

60. “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”― Mark Twain

61. “You may not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” ― Jodi Picoult

62. “The secret to editing your work is simple: You need to become its reader instead of its writer.” ― Zadie Smith

63. “So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”― Dr. Seuss

64.“I’ve found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it.”― Don Roff

65.“I have rewritten — often several times — every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers.”― Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memor y

66. “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”― Stephen King

67. “Editing fiction is like using your fingers to untangle the hair of someone you love.”― Stephanie Roberts

68.“Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers.” — T.S. Eliot

69.“Write drunk, edit sober.” — Ernest Hemingway

Quotes About Writing: Rejection

70. I discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, “To hell with you.” ― Saul Bellow

71. “I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.” — Sylvia Plath

72. “Rejection slips, or form letters, however tactfully phrased, are lacerations of the soul, if not quite inventions of the devil — but there is no way around them.” — Isaac Asimov

73.“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent, he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” — Harper Lee

74. “To ward off a feeling of failure, she joked that she could wallpaper her bathroom with rejection slips, which she chose not to see as messages to stop, but rather as tickets to the game.” — Anita Shreve

75. “Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” — Neil Gaiman

What are your favorite quotes about writing?

About the Author

Jaylynn Korrell is a nomadic writer currently based out of Pennsylvania. In addition to her writing and reading for Independent Book Review, she curates lists at GoodGiftLists.com.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s “75 of the Best Quotes About Writing” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post 75 of the Best Quotes About Writing appeared first on Independent Book Review.

100 Unforgettable Quotes About Reading

Jay — Fri, 17 May 2024 17:25:44 +0000

100 Unforgettable Quotes About Reading

by Jaylynn Korrell

Get inspired (& inspire!) with these brilliant quotes about books & reading.

People have loved books for centuries. And I don’t blame them! These things are portals, mind-reading devices, time-traveling phone booths, and information troves. You can fall in and out of love with books throughout your life, but, as long as you don’t live with Montag and Clarisse McClellan, they’ll always be there waiting to blow your mind.

And just as long as books have been around, people have been expressing their love for them. Authors, experts, world leaders, and beyond, people have been using their own love of the written word to inspire others to dive into the deep, wonderful world of them. The more book lovers, the better.

So whether you’re just looking to get inspired, to find new content for your Bookstagram, to include them in your essays for your English class, or to use them for your classroom as an English teacher, you’ve got options with these quotes about reading.

Here are some of our favorite reading quotes!

Quotes About Reading

1. “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” – James Baldwin

2. “What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing.” ― Oprah

3. Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know. — Alberto Manguel

4. “The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” – Descartes

5. “You will learn most things by looking, but reading gives understanding. Reading will make you free.” ― Paul Rand

6. “Read a lot. Expect something big, something exalting or deepening from a book. No book is worth reading that isn’t worth re-reading.” – Susan Sontag

7. “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

8. “Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham

9. “Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” ― Henry David Thoreau

10. “For my whole life, my favorite activity was reading. It’s not the most social pastime.” ― Audrey Hepburn

11. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin

12. “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

13. “Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” – Malorie Blackman

14. “I guess a big part of serious fiction’s purpose is to give the reader, who like all of us is sort of marooned in her own skull, to give her imaginative access to other selves.” – David Foster Wallace

15. “Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.” – Jean Rhys

16. “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise about the ordinary.” — Jim Rohn

17. “Once you’ve read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.” — Louis L’Amour

18. “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis

19. “You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend” — Paul Sweeney

20. “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.”― Voltaire

21. “You get a little moody sometimes but I think that’s because you like to read. People that like to read are always a little fucked up.”― Pat Conroy

22. “The world was hers for the reading.” ― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

23. “My alma mater was books, a good library…. I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.”— Malcolm X

Guess what? We’ve got a killer list of gifts for English teachers too!

24. “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

25. “Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.”― Fernando Pessoa

26. “Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”― John Locke

27. “If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads.”― Francois Mauriac

28. “To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.”― W. Somerset Maugham

29. “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.” =―Mary McLeod Bethune

30. “I love the solitude of reading. I love the deep dive into someone else’s story, the delicious ache of a last page.”―Naomi Shihab Nye

31. “Reading is an active, imaginative act; it takes work.”― Khaled Hosseini

32. “A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.”―Lisa Kleypas, A Wallflower Christmas

33. “Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read.”— Raymond Carver

34. “The ability to read awoke inside of me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.” ―Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

35. “Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you.”— Harold Bloom

36. “Just because you’re a slow reader doesn’t mean you’re a bad one.” — Joe Walters, founder of Independent Book Review

37. “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”―Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Woo d

38. “No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting.” — Mary Wortley Montagu

39. “Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.”— Mark Haddon

40. “It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.” – S.I. Hayakawa

Quotes About Books

41. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”― Ray Bradbury

42. That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” — Jhumpa Lahiri

43.“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” — Lemony Snicket, Horseradish

44. “Wear the old coat and buy the new book.” — Austin Phelp

45. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”― Ernest Hemingway

46. “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” ― Mortimer J. Adler

47. “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled ‘This could change your life.’”― Helen Exley

48. “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” — J.K. Rowling

49. “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald

50. “One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.” — Carl Sagan

51. “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” ― Cicero

52. “All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened, and after you are finished reading one, you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.” ― Ernest Hemingway

Don’t forget gifts for librarians this year!

53. “She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” — Annie Dillard

54. “So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” — Roald Dahl

55. “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King

56. “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” — Joan Didion

57. “The best books… are those that tell you what you know already.” — George Orwell, 1984

58. “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” — Sir Francis Bacon

59. “Books may well be the only true magic.” — Alice Hoffman, Magic Lessons

60. “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” ― John Green

61. “The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”― Joseph Joubert

62. “Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.” – Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

63. “The problem with books is that they end.”― Caroline Kepnes, Yo u

64. “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson

65. “Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”― Diane Duane

66. “Despite the enormous quantity of books, how few people read! And if one reads profitably, one would realize how much stupid stuff the vulgar herd is content to swallow every day.” ― Voltaire

67. “Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.” ― Abraham Lincoln

68. “We are of opinion that instead of letting books grow moldy behind an iron grating, far from the vulgar gaze, it is better to let them wear out by being read.” ― Jules Verne

69. “Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.” ― Mark Twain

70. “Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book.”― Stéphane Mallarmé

71. “Books are a form of political action. Books are knowledge. Books are reflection. Books change your mind.” ― Toni Morrison

72. “Books have a unique way of stopping time in a particular moment and saying: Let’s not forget this.” ― Dave Eggers

73. “I feel the need of reading. It is a loss to a man not to have grown up among books.” ― Abraham Lincoln

74. “Reality doesn’t always give us the life that we desire, but we can always find what we desire between the pages of books.” ― Adelise M. Cullens

75. “Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.” ―Carlos Ruiz Zafón

76. “I love the sound of the pages flicking against my fingers. Print against fingerprints. Books make people quiet, yet they are so loud.” ― Nnedi Okorafor

77. “A thing about books is that they take the same amount of time to read whether you don’t like them at all or if they change your life forever.” — Joe Walters, founder of Independent Book Review

78. “There are many little ways to enlarge your world. Love of books is the best of all.” — Jacqueline Kennedy

79. “What kind of life can you have in a house without books?” — Sherman Alexie

80. “I guess there are never enough books.” — John Steinbeck

81. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” — Charles W. Eliot

82. “Sleep is good, he said, and books are better.” — George R.R. Martin

Geared Toward Kids

83. “Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them.“ ― Judy Blume

84. “Reading aloud to your children is a gift that will last a lifetime.” ― Maya Angelou

85. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss

86. “Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.” ― Napoléon Bonaparte

87. There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. — May Ellen Chase

88.“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” ― C.S. Lewis

89. “I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” ― Maya Angelou

90. “Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” — Kate DiCamillo

91. “Children know perfectly well that unicorns aren’t real, but they also know that books about unicorns, if they are good books, are true books.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

92. “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”— Victor Hugo

93. “It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own.” — Arthur Conan Doyle

94. “There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.” – Frank Serafini

95. “Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” ― Barack Obama

96. “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”― Maya Angelou

97. “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” ― Walt Disney

98. “Luckily, I always travel with a book, just in case I have to wait in line for Santa, or some such inconvenience.” ― David Levithan

99. “Books break the shackles of time―proof that humans can work magic.” – Carl Sagan

100. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein

Have you heard these quotes about reading before? Some are old favorites, and some are new. What are your favorites?

About the Author

Jaylynn Korrell is a nomadic writer currently based out of Pennsylvania. In addition to her writing and reading for Independent Book Review, she curates lists at GoodGiftLists.com.

Thank you for reading Jaylynn Korrell’s “100 Unforgettable Quotes About Reading” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.