Warning: Almost all of these books are a little dark. Many of them involve murder or rape or something like that. So, if you are sensitive to that stuff, maybe be careful.
****************19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult: If you take anything at all away from this site it is that you need to read this book. It is the best book I have ever read, hands down. I would, without a doubt, make my students read it if I felt that I could get away with it. It's interesting and entertaining, and I felt real emotions while reading it. However, it was not some weeping love story that made me want to stuff my face with chocolate before deciding that women are too emotional. This was the perfect mix of political and personal. There are very real issues in this book about society and teenagers, and even (and maybe especially adults). Read it. Do it. It will be for your own good.
1. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
This book has a female antagonist, and I couldn't be more delighted. She is so hate-able but so believable that it is an astounding contrast. The story is incredibly interesting, and the writing is superb.
2. "Before I Go To Sleep" by S.J Watson
I stayed up for so long reading this book. I just could not put it down. The story is incredibly interesting, and it reveals a little of the mystery at a time, which keeps you involved. I wouldn't say there are any real lessons to be learned from this book, but for entertainment purposes it is wonderful. Its a little dark, so be careful.
3. "These Things Hidden" by Heather Gudenkauf
This book is both entertaining and has a few interesting morals on what it means to be a family. The crust of the story isn't particularly new (Golden girl falls from grace), but how she does, and what happens, and what comes to light, is not like something you would really expect.
4. "The Hunger Games" Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
These books are fantastic. There are a lot of sentence fragments and things that my literary-minded eye usually loathes, but I am able to turn a blind eye to them. In fact, I think they work since the novels are told from the point of view of a sixteen year old girl. But what I like is that this isn't your typical romantically-inclined girl who is all giddy and annoying. This can be seen as pure entertainment, a cautionary tale to society, or so much more. I would recommend everyone read these books. They are not really a challenge to read, but they are interesting enough to make up for it.
5. "Heart on a Chain" by Cindy Bennett
This was the saddest book I have ever read in my entire life. Unfortunately, I feel a lot of people will relate to this book. I feel like teenagers especially need to read this.
6. The Lacey Flint Series by S.J Bolton
Oh my goodness, these are the best books I have ever read. I read three of them over two days. I was hooked. They are crime fiction with a little bit of a love story, sort of. I think even guys might enjoy these, because the love story is so much on the peripheral of the novel.
7. The Gretchen Lowell Series by Chealse Cain
READ THESE! A female serial killer that is smokin' hot? That's interesting. This series is amazing and I am eagerly awaiting the final book to come out. The characters are varied and interesting, and I was never once bored while reading these novels.
8. Anything by David Baldacci (I suggest, above all else, "The Innocent")
He is an amazing writer. All of the novels about Puller are my favorites. These, I think, would be more interesting to men.
9. The "In The Garden" Series by Nora Roberts.
Men, skip right over this one because you would NOT like these books. There are romance, as is all Nora Roberts writes about, but the ghost story involved is very interesting and complex.
10. The Burning/The Reckoning/The Last Girl by Jane Casey
These books are part of a series in that they have the same main characters. This is a crime fiction novel. The characters are very believable, and you feel like you are part of the investigation. This does sometimes include feeling like you want to beat certain witnesses to death and also as if you have been at the station all night, just like the characters.
11. Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
This, to me, was a very interesting concept. Finding out your biological father is a notorious serial killer? That is interesting. The emotions in this novel read as very real without being obnoxiously overdone.
12. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
I can't recommend this novel enough. It has a LOT of disturbing parts, just a warning. The writing is very real, and has some pure instances of witty humor that work as the perfect antidote to the very serious story line.
13. Joseph O'Laughlin series by Michael Robotham
These are, again, crime novels, but they are very well done. They can be kind of tedious, so if you have a short attention span maybe these are not the books for you. These are very detail oriented.
14. On the Island by Tracey Graves-Garvis
This is another one that I think is just for women, or girls. It is nicely written, although I would not say it is very eloquent nor particularly difficult to read. It is, as you can find out by reading the back, the story of two people's plan crashing and them having to survive on a deserted island. It sounds kind of campy, and it kind of is, but it is still really good.
15. Beautiful Disaster/Walking Disaster by Jaime McGuire
I wouldn't say this novel is really original, nor would I say it is a challenge, and I certainly do not think it has any moral lessons (except maybe that love can change you). So what is it that appeals to me? I don't rightly know. I think it is the annoyingly stereotypical opposites-attract and fill each other up and fix each other thing. Walking Disaster is the same story as the first one but from the man's point of view. I actually liked the second one more because it seemed to give more detail. While part of me thinks writing two books from two different points of view is cheating a little bit (since the plot and most of the dialogue in the second book is the same as the first), I still liked both of them. I think you are most likely to relate to these novels if you are an older teenager or young adult, but I think that older people may enjoy them because it reignites the spark of being in a young, passionate love.
16. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
If you haven't heard of these, you have been living under a rock. If you haven't read them, you have been missing out. These are the most amazing books I have ever read. I am not lying when I say I have read all seven over ten times. They are technically children's books, but there are so many great things about them that I can't even explain properly. If you never plan to pick up another book, at least read these. I think you will learn most of life's important lessons from them all while you are engrossed in a beautiful story.
17. "Variant" and "Feedback" by Robinson Wells
These are classified as young-adult, but I think almost everyone will enjoy them. They are science-fiction, which I generally am not a huge fan of. However, I was really interested in these. In fact, I couldn't put them down. I will admit that, while the author is a very good writer, he isn't the best with endings. The endings do leave a few questions and a lot to be desired (I actually wrote to him and suggested he maybe write a short story to wrap up the second book) but the novels themselves are surprisingly good. If you are looking for a pretty quick but interesting read that isn't terribly intellectually challenging, these are a good choice.
18. "Three A.M" by Steven Jones
Alright, I am giving this four stars even though I wasn't the hugest fan of this novel. I did like it, don't get me wrong. I thought it was well written and very entertaining. The plot was interesting if not terribly surprising. The main reason I am giving this book such a good rating is that the author managed to really make you feel the character's emotions. I do not in any way mean that the main character was this weepy fool who made you tear up at their misfortune. You just really felt like you were in the same circumstances that they were, and I don't think that is something that happens very often when I read.
19. "It" by Stephen King
I have read a LOT of Stephen King. I probably won't review most of them because they are fairly good entertainment value without being all that interesting and they generally are just too dang long (I don't mean in length, I mean there is a bunch of stuff that really doesn't need to be there). However, if I were to recommend three novels by him it would be Needful Things. Bag of Bones, and It. "It" being the number one. I get the chills sometimes when I am reading a book, but I generally don't get very scared. However, I will not lie to you, if I read the book, even at my age, I tend to sleep with the light on. King has a way of making the images just pop out at you. I read this for the first time when I was about thirteen, but if you are really cautious of what you're children read, maybe keep them away from this. Scary clowns, murder, sex, suicide, etc. Not really fluffy bunnies for the younger crowd.
20. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell.
Yeah yeah, you probably read it in school and hated it. Read it again. When I "read" this in school I glared daggers at my teacher every time she made us open it. But, I read it again recently. Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not very politically active, nor do I take much interest in the power players of the world. However, I found this novel to be very interesting. On the surface it is interesting and entertaining, but I think it makes you think pretty hard when you dive below the allegorical aspects.
21. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" series by Stieg Larsson
Many of you probably saw the movie; which, I will admit, was excellent. But I really do recommend the books. The novels are an intellectual challenge, and I had to go back and read a couple sections a few times to make sure I understood what was happening before I went on. I would not suggest that young-adults read these unless they really, really like reading. These do have a lot of action, but the main aspect of them is investigation.
22. "The Witness" by Nora Roberts
Go you, Nora Roberts! In this novel, she finally broke the freaking molds that are in every other one of her novels. Generally, all her characters are about the same, and the story lines all have at least a few things in common. This one, however, interested me. Naturally, it still has the whole romantic aspect, but the story line outside of that is really very interesting.
23. "Perfect", "Crank", "Impulse" , "Glass", and "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins
A lot you are probably not about to pick up any of these because you opened them and saw poems. I won't lie to you, I don't really like poetry either. However, these do not read like poetry. I think they are a little interesting when you read them with a poetic eye and see all those devices, but I liked it better when I read them as a novel. These are not difficult to read, effort wise, but they certainly can be emotionally wise. "Perfect" was my absolute favorite.
****************19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult: If you take anything at all away from this site it is that you need to read this book. It is the best book I have ever read, hands down. I would, without a doubt, make my students read it if I felt that I could get away with it. It's interesting and entertaining, and I felt real emotions while reading it. However, it was not some weeping love story that made me want to stuff my face with chocolate before deciding that women are too emotional. This was the perfect mix of political and personal. There are very real issues in this book about society and teenagers, and even (and maybe especially adults). Read it. Do it. It will be for your own good.
1. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
This book has a female antagonist, and I couldn't be more delighted. She is so hate-able but so believable that it is an astounding contrast. The story is incredibly interesting, and the writing is superb.
2. "Before I Go To Sleep" by S.J Watson
I stayed up for so long reading this book. I just could not put it down. The story is incredibly interesting, and it reveals a little of the mystery at a time, which keeps you involved. I wouldn't say there are any real lessons to be learned from this book, but for entertainment purposes it is wonderful. Its a little dark, so be careful.
3. "These Things Hidden" by Heather Gudenkauf
This book is both entertaining and has a few interesting morals on what it means to be a family. The crust of the story isn't particularly new (Golden girl falls from grace), but how she does, and what happens, and what comes to light, is not like something you would really expect.
4. "The Hunger Games" Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
These books are fantastic. There are a lot of sentence fragments and things that my literary-minded eye usually loathes, but I am able to turn a blind eye to them. In fact, I think they work since the novels are told from the point of view of a sixteen year old girl. But what I like is that this isn't your typical romantically-inclined girl who is all giddy and annoying. This can be seen as pure entertainment, a cautionary tale to society, or so much more. I would recommend everyone read these books. They are not really a challenge to read, but they are interesting enough to make up for it.
5. "Heart on a Chain" by Cindy Bennett
This was the saddest book I have ever read in my entire life. Unfortunately, I feel a lot of people will relate to this book. I feel like teenagers especially need to read this.
6. The Lacey Flint Series by S.J Bolton
Oh my goodness, these are the best books I have ever read. I read three of them over two days. I was hooked. They are crime fiction with a little bit of a love story, sort of. I think even guys might enjoy these, because the love story is so much on the peripheral of the novel.
7. The Gretchen Lowell Series by Chealse Cain
READ THESE! A female serial killer that is smokin' hot? That's interesting. This series is amazing and I am eagerly awaiting the final book to come out. The characters are varied and interesting, and I was never once bored while reading these novels.
8. Anything by David Baldacci (I suggest, above all else, "The Innocent")
He is an amazing writer. All of the novels about Puller are my favorites. These, I think, would be more interesting to men.
9. The "In The Garden" Series by Nora Roberts.
Men, skip right over this one because you would NOT like these books. There are romance, as is all Nora Roberts writes about, but the ghost story involved is very interesting and complex.
10. The Burning/The Reckoning/The Last Girl by Jane Casey
These books are part of a series in that they have the same main characters. This is a crime fiction novel. The characters are very believable, and you feel like you are part of the investigation. This does sometimes include feeling like you want to beat certain witnesses to death and also as if you have been at the station all night, just like the characters.
11. Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
This, to me, was a very interesting concept. Finding out your biological father is a notorious serial killer? That is interesting. The emotions in this novel read as very real without being obnoxiously overdone.
12. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
I can't recommend this novel enough. It has a LOT of disturbing parts, just a warning. The writing is very real, and has some pure instances of witty humor that work as the perfect antidote to the very serious story line.
13. Joseph O'Laughlin series by Michael Robotham
These are, again, crime novels, but they are very well done. They can be kind of tedious, so if you have a short attention span maybe these are not the books for you. These are very detail oriented.
14. On the Island by Tracey Graves-Garvis
This is another one that I think is just for women, or girls. It is nicely written, although I would not say it is very eloquent nor particularly difficult to read. It is, as you can find out by reading the back, the story of two people's plan crashing and them having to survive on a deserted island. It sounds kind of campy, and it kind of is, but it is still really good.
15. Beautiful Disaster/Walking Disaster by Jaime McGuire
I wouldn't say this novel is really original, nor would I say it is a challenge, and I certainly do not think it has any moral lessons (except maybe that love can change you). So what is it that appeals to me? I don't rightly know. I think it is the annoyingly stereotypical opposites-attract and fill each other up and fix each other thing. Walking Disaster is the same story as the first one but from the man's point of view. I actually liked the second one more because it seemed to give more detail. While part of me thinks writing two books from two different points of view is cheating a little bit (since the plot and most of the dialogue in the second book is the same as the first), I still liked both of them. I think you are most likely to relate to these novels if you are an older teenager or young adult, but I think that older people may enjoy them because it reignites the spark of being in a young, passionate love.
16. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
If you haven't heard of these, you have been living under a rock. If you haven't read them, you have been missing out. These are the most amazing books I have ever read. I am not lying when I say I have read all seven over ten times. They are technically children's books, but there are so many great things about them that I can't even explain properly. If you never plan to pick up another book, at least read these. I think you will learn most of life's important lessons from them all while you are engrossed in a beautiful story.
17. "Variant" and "Feedback" by Robinson Wells
These are classified as young-adult, but I think almost everyone will enjoy them. They are science-fiction, which I generally am not a huge fan of. However, I was really interested in these. In fact, I couldn't put them down. I will admit that, while the author is a very good writer, he isn't the best with endings. The endings do leave a few questions and a lot to be desired (I actually wrote to him and suggested he maybe write a short story to wrap up the second book) but the novels themselves are surprisingly good. If you are looking for a pretty quick but interesting read that isn't terribly intellectually challenging, these are a good choice.
18. "Three A.M" by Steven Jones
Alright, I am giving this four stars even though I wasn't the hugest fan of this novel. I did like it, don't get me wrong. I thought it was well written and very entertaining. The plot was interesting if not terribly surprising. The main reason I am giving this book such a good rating is that the author managed to really make you feel the character's emotions. I do not in any way mean that the main character was this weepy fool who made you tear up at their misfortune. You just really felt like you were in the same circumstances that they were, and I don't think that is something that happens very often when I read.
19. "It" by Stephen King
I have read a LOT of Stephen King. I probably won't review most of them because they are fairly good entertainment value without being all that interesting and they generally are just too dang long (I don't mean in length, I mean there is a bunch of stuff that really doesn't need to be there). However, if I were to recommend three novels by him it would be Needful Things. Bag of Bones, and It. "It" being the number one. I get the chills sometimes when I am reading a book, but I generally don't get very scared. However, I will not lie to you, if I read the book, even at my age, I tend to sleep with the light on. King has a way of making the images just pop out at you. I read this for the first time when I was about thirteen, but if you are really cautious of what you're children read, maybe keep them away from this. Scary clowns, murder, sex, suicide, etc. Not really fluffy bunnies for the younger crowd.
20. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell.
Yeah yeah, you probably read it in school and hated it. Read it again. When I "read" this in school I glared daggers at my teacher every time she made us open it. But, I read it again recently. Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not very politically active, nor do I take much interest in the power players of the world. However, I found this novel to be very interesting. On the surface it is interesting and entertaining, but I think it makes you think pretty hard when you dive below the allegorical aspects.
21. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" series by Stieg Larsson
Many of you probably saw the movie; which, I will admit, was excellent. But I really do recommend the books. The novels are an intellectual challenge, and I had to go back and read a couple sections a few times to make sure I understood what was happening before I went on. I would not suggest that young-adults read these unless they really, really like reading. These do have a lot of action, but the main aspect of them is investigation.
22. "The Witness" by Nora Roberts
Go you, Nora Roberts! In this novel, she finally broke the freaking molds that are in every other one of her novels. Generally, all her characters are about the same, and the story lines all have at least a few things in common. This one, however, interested me. Naturally, it still has the whole romantic aspect, but the story line outside of that is really very interesting.
23. "Perfect", "Crank", "Impulse" , "Glass", and "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins
A lot you are probably not about to pick up any of these because you opened them and saw poems. I won't lie to you, I don't really like poetry either. However, these do not read like poetry. I think they are a little interesting when you read them with a poetic eye and see all those devices, but I liked it better when I read them as a novel. These are not difficult to read, effort wise, but they certainly can be emotionally wise. "Perfect" was my absolute favorite.