You can always trust an author to have a good book recommendation or two! That’s why we’ve asked a couple of our favorites to share their most recent book club worthy reads. Read on to find out who said what book they’d give 10 stars (if Goodreads allowed it!) and more. And if you wanted some more help in the book club department, check out our guide and Book Club Starter Kit sweepstakes.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Recommended by Sara Ackerman, author of Red Sky Over Hawaii — available June 9, 2020!
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is so many things! Gorgeous, haunting, heartbreaking, enlightening, gut wrenching, eye opening, poignant, and the list goes on. I was especially moved by the tenderness between Nuri and Afra, and the way in which the author immerses us in their haunting and perilous world. I’m a sucker for a book with fabulous imagery, and Lefteri is a master of the craft. If you are in the mood for a beautifully written, deeply emotional read (that includes a lot of sobbing) then this book is for you. One of my faves of recent years, I feel like this is an important story and everyone should read it. My whole book club loved it, and it sparked some great discussion.
Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker
Recommended by Hannah Mary McKinnon, author of Sister Dear — available May 26, 2020!
Beautiful. Gorgeous. Wonderful. The Simple Wild is one of my favorite books – ever – and when I saw K.A. Tucker was giving us a sequel with Wild at Heart I couldn’t wait to read it. And, let me tell you, Ms. Tucker doesn’t disappoint with the continuation of Calla and Jonah’s Alaskan adventures.
The sass, the humour, the sexiness, the drama, the tenderness, and the tension – K.A. Tucker didn’t just maintain all of that, she took it to a whole other level. Being allowed to spend more time in Calla and Jonah’s world was a pure delight, and I lost count how many times I laughed out loud.
Warm and fuzzies all round, I loved every page and I’m giving this one five big fat shiny stars (I’d give it 10 if Goodreads allowed it). Fabulous!
The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler
Recommended by Brenda Novak, author of One Perfect Summer— available April 7, 2020!
I love a good psychological suspense novel, and The Look-Alike by New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler definitely fit that bill for me this month. The tension in this book ratchets higher and higher as the heroine struggles to separate fact from fiction–while coping with the mental illness that plagued her mother and, therefore, impacted her own life. This twisty thriller kept me guessing right up until the end!
The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton
Recommended by Noelle Salazar, author of The Flight Girls
There is nothing I enjoy more than a fast-paced, whip-smart novel about a young woman raising her fist (or in this case, sword) at the patriarchy like The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly. Kit Sweetly is just the girl for the job in this laugh-out-loud novel about a serving wench working at the Castle, a Medieval Times type restaurant, who desperately wants to be a knight. Especially since the pay raise she’d get joining the knighthood would help her mother with the mortgage and pay her way to her dream college. But the job of knight is only for males. Or is it? Jamie Pacton weaves a sweet and funny and sometimes heart-wrenching (wenching?) story that will make you cheer for the feisty Kit with pride. #joustlikeagirl
Sunburn by Laura Lippman
Recommended by T.J. Mitchell, co-author of First Cut
Sunburn is a story about stories—and layers of lies. Laura Lippman grabs the wheel of the American noir canon and hands it over to the femme fatale. Where she takes you, you’ve never gone before, and after you get there you’ll never look at a roadside diner’s poached eggs on rye the same way again.
American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
Recommended by Judy Melinek, co-author of First Cut
Kate Winkler Dawson’s American Sherlock will show you that true crime truly is stranger than fiction. History and whodunit, the book explores the pursuit of truth and justice—with its dark side—through the life of the forensic Renaissance man Edward Oscar Heinrich.
Which author would you like to hear from next? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll work to make it happen!