Whether you consider yourself a bibliophile with a room full of overflowing bookshelves, an occasional book club participant or just someone who reads on a summer beach vacation, having a great book ready and available allows for instant reading whenever the mood hits.
Here are five great book picks to add to your shelf.
Before They Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Author Lisa Wingate weaves a moving tale of a family lost and found in this historical fiction novel. The story is based upon a real-life tragic scandal involving Georgia Tann in Memphis, Tennessee, in the early 1900s. Tann bought and stole children from poor families and sold them to wealthy couples. Under the guise of operating a legitimate adoption agency and orphanage, children were sold all over the country.
Wingate begins this story in 1939 with the family of Rill Foss, who is 12 years old, and her four younger siblings. Though extremely poor, the Foss family lives happily on a river shantyboat. One night Rill’s father rushes his wife to the hospital. Just days later, the children are forcibly removed from their river home and delivered into the care of Georgia Tann.
Present-day, Avery Stafford, wealthy and privileged, returns to her home in Aiken, South Carolina, to care for her ailing father. She begins a journey of discovery into her past and secrets about her family that she is not prepared to uncover.
Dracul by J.D. Barker and Dacre Stoker
If you’re looking for a horror novel to curl up with on a crisp night in October, look no further. The prequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this novel is inspired by notes and texts left by Bram Stoker himself.
This supernatural thriller takes you to 1868, where a twenty-one-year-old Bram Stoker is locked in a tower awaiting the arrival of the evil beings prevalent in his later novel. Bram is armed with crucifixes and holy water. While in the tower, he scribbles notes of his life and the events that led him to his current predicament.
Travel back into Bram’s childhood and discover Ellen, his nanny, and nurse who often exhibits very bizarre behavior. The mystery of Ellen deepens as Bram grows older, until one day, she disappears. But only after leaving Bram changed forever.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Many have viewed the many movie versions of this Dicken’s classic, but read the book, and you’ll be glad you did. The book is not very long, and the story is familiar to most-so the older English text is not frustrating to read.
The tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his nocturnal visits from three Christmas spirits is one that never gets old and is for everyone—even if you don’t celebrate Christmas. The book’s themes of treating others with kindness, helping your neighbor and community, and the effects of all-consuming greed on yourself and others, are timeless lessons needing to be taught and remembered.
The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski
The top-rated Witcher series premiered on Netflix in 2020. The series and previously made video games are based on the books of Polish author Andrzej. The fantasy books chronicle the life of Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is a Witcher. And if you’re not familiar with the series, a Witcher is a being that develops supernatural abilities when they are young. As adults they hunt and kill dangerous beasts that terrorize villages for a fee, of course.
There are two ways to read the series. One is by reading in order in which the books were published. The other is reading the books chronologically. Sword of Destiny is the first book published, but there is much controversy about where to begin. But, wherever you start in this series, the books will satisfy any fan of magical creatures, maniacal witches, heroes and villains, and a new fantasy world ready to explore.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
If you were a teen in the 80s, you grew up in an era of horror/slasher films. Characters such as Freddy, Michael, and Jason scared young teens and adults every October. In these movies, there was always one “final girl.” The lone survivor.
The Final Girl Support Group revolves around Lynette, a real-life final girl. Lynette, along with five other “final girls,” meet each month for group therapy. But one month, one member of their group doesn’t show up. It’s quickly evident that someone is trying to kill them all. One thing is for sure, these ladies have survived the worst, and they will not go down without a fight!
Books provide those who choose to turn each page an opportunity for an escape- a chance to get offline, unplugged, and connect with characters and places that are new, exciting, scary, or revealing.
These five books are excellent editions to any home library. So, grab a hot cup of tea, find a comfy place to sit, and enjoy.