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Recommend historical fiction, romance, sci-fi, dystopian, YA, thrillers..not a of fluffy easy “beach” reads or lawyer/crime stuff.

I need a book to read, I keep reading samples on my kindle and nothing is sticking. I love historical fiction, romance, sci-fi, dystopian, YA, thrillers…not a fan of fluffy easy “beach” reads or lawyer/crime stuff. Help me. ???

Abby #recommend #historical fiction #history #romance #science fiction #thriller #e-book

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134 Answers

Teri

Sarah’s Key, the Book Thief, People of the Book.

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AbbyQuestion author

I’ve read the first 2, ill look into People of the Book, thx!

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Rae

All excellent choices.

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Becky

I love People of the Book. Year of Wonder is my other favorite of hers.

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Laurie

Loved Year of Wonder and People of the Book.

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Teri

I forgot year of wonder.

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Carolyn

@Abby How about Year of Wonder also by Geraldine Brooks, The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman, Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld…some of my new favorites ?

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Sharon

I just finished The Night She Won Miss America by Michael Callahan. History romance and mystery. You might like it.

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Victoria

Look into the Plague series by D. Patton. There are 14 to 15 books. I read them recently and LOVED THEM.

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AbbyQuestion author

oh thanks i would love a good series!

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Victoria

Alas, Babylon is one I read in the past and liked it. Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman, The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue,. The Rot and Ruin series by MaBerry was pretty good to me..first book takes some getting through bc it’s more about building the characters,. My favorite series ever is the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. She is supposed to be a paranormal romance author..and I HATE romance but it really isn’t a romance and there are 9 books in the series. I read My Dead Wold by Jacqueline Druga and it was a decent read..there are two in it’s series but they read quick.
Also, I LOVED The Perseid Collapse series. Start with the Jakarta Pandemic and then start the collapse series(4 books) …Steven Konkoly is the author.

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Heather

I very rarely read on my kindle but I’m a big fan of Gail Carriger and she recently recommended a historical romance comedy type called ‘Ridiculous ‘ by DL Carter. I loved it and am now reading the second part called ‘Obstreperous’. They are very light hearted set in Victorian England. A lot of fun. If you like Steam Punk fantasy check out Gail Carrigers Parasol Protectorate books.Think of Jane Austen meets PG Wodehouse with werewolves, Dandy vampires and oodles of tea and cake. Brilliant. x

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AbbyQuestion author

thanks!

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Lena

The long walk Stephen king

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Rae

I do not own a Kindle, but “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel is excellent.

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AbbyQuestion author

this seems like something i would like, thanks!

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Rae

@Abby I hope you like it. I recommended to my local library as a purchase and thus was the first one to read it, and then reread it last week for a book club as my recommended choice and everyone really liked it.

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Gina

I just finished A Gentleman in Moscow, not my usual type of book, but one of the best. Loved it, definitely worth all the high ratings!

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Heather

Try ‘The Drinker’ by the same author. Fascinating back story to the book as well.

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AbbyQuestion author

I started the sample but i wasn’t sure, its good?

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Heather

I loved them both but mainly because the author has fascinating somewhat turbulent past. They can take a bit of getting into but I’ve been engrossed . Beautiful writing. x

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Gina

It did take more than once to get a good start, once I did it was gripping, touching and hard to put down. I will buy The Drinker in about a minute!

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Heather

Hahaha awesome. x

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Jen

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Woman-Within-JH-Lewis-ebook/dp/B01LXMZJ3P

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Lisa

Did you read the “Red Rising” trilogy by Pierce Brown? Or Justin Cronin’s “The Passage” trilogy – loved both series!

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AbbyQuestion author

I think ive heard of Red Rising, I’ll look into it, thanks!

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Rae

And then there are “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr (fiction); and “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics” by Daniel James Brown ( non-fiction), both of which grab your heart and mind during the reading and linger afterwards.

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AbbyQuestion author

read them both and loved them! Just finished Beneath a Scarlet Sky, have you read it? It’s right up there with those 2.

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AbbyQuestion author

wow!!!

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Rae
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Iwona

1984

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Stephanie

The Alice Network. The Nightingale.

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AbbyQuestion author

loved the Nightingale

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Kristine

@Abby Try The Winter Garden, also by Kristin Hannah.

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Travis

Is it illegal to recommend a book I authored here? Seems to fit your desires ? no hard feelings if you hate it.

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AbbyQuestion author

not at all!

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Travis

@Abby I’ll post two that might be of interest: May’s Diamonds and The Light. Both are either Kindle or paperback. Here’s the author page. Thank you for looking! https://www.amazon.com/Travis-Griffith/e/B001JS38YM

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AbbyQuestion author

thanks!

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Marcia

I don’t think so

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Rosanne

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

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Mary

The Aviator’s Wife

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Delanea

On My Knees by Meredith Wild is free on all platforms. It is romance/adult erotica. It is the first of a 3 book series.

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Susan

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, truly delightful!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/a-gentleman-in-moscow-is-a-charming-reminder-of-what-it-means-to-be-classy/2016/09/19/f77d92a2-7b4c-11e6-beac-57a4a412e93a_story.html?utm_term=.a2d0885da81c

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Rae

This is such a well written and conceived book. It was a wonderful read!

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Carla

I think you would enjoy this as well.

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Debby

THe Painted Girls.

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Lila

Just finished The Historian – a fun vampire meets historical research book:-)

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AbbyQuestion author

ohh I love vampires!

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Lila

This book is kind of like the DaVinci Code of vampires. I’ve never read the DaVinci Code, so I’m just going off of movie trailers here… but it’s set up as a mystery and it’s totally engrossing.

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AbbyQuestion author

thanks!

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Debra

Currently reading ‘Ready Player One’ and I am completely engrossed. An exciting read and highly recommended!

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Lisa

His second book, Armada, is equally as good.

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Emma

Caraval, The Sun is Also a Star, The Next Together – all dystopian/fantasy YA books I recently won and was surprisingly blown away by

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Sandy

Try Adventure To Destiny , the Unity Objective series 5 stars. The next big series for YA

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Robin

I’m reading “The Girl With All the Gifts” and it sucked me right in. It’s dystopian.

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Stacy

That one is at the top of my stack; can’t wait to start it!

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AbbyQuestion author

I’ve read it and liked it!

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Toby

Little Brother by Cory Doctorrow

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Lisa

Pretty much anything by Cory Doctorow is worth your time.

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Trish

News of the World by Paulette Jiles historical fiction, great story

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Christy

The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin. Dystopian/zombie/vampire type, but really well written.

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Maggie

I read this trilogy. Loved it!

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Nikki

I loved the 1st 2 books of the trilogy very much but was disappointed in the final book. I would reread the 1st book again just because I loved it so much!

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Christy

@Nikki The final book disappointed me as well. It was “fine,” but I’d come to expect more from the author after the first 2 books.

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Becky

Some old classics I’ve enjoyed.
I Am Legend
Day of the Triffids
The Midwich Cuckoos

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Astell

‘if this ain’t love’ is a good book back in depression times it is a tale of love but also of a man losing everything due to his father and how he copes but still is there for others in need.

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Randi

Ready player one!!

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H

Try “the Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty. ” the heart of the book is a letter that’s not meant to be read. But wife finds it and it changes everything for many people!

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AbbyQuestion author

loved it!!!

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H

Did you read Big little lies by same author?

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AbbyQuestion author

yes, loved it too!

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Patricia

A great read!

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Maggie

What Alice Forgot was Awesome

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Rhonda

Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler

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Valerie

Outlander series

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Sharon

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

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Nikki

Loved this book!

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Lisa

For historical fiction, I must second A Gentleman in Moscow. Best I’ve read all year. Or try Lilac Girls. For sci-fi, I second both Ernest Cline novels. YA: the Legend series by Marie Lu. Or coming out soon by her: Warcross. Finally, in the hard-to-categorize category: Yesterday by Felicia Yap, coming out soon.

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AbbyQuestion author

loved the legend series!

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AbbyQuestion author

thx!

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Bleng

The avenger by frederick forsyth…

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Beverly

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7728889-the-diviners

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Beverly

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12971664-no-safety-in-numbers

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Laura

To Serve Them All My Days by Delderfield. Or Sarum by Rutherfurd.

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Beverly

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7095831-ship-breaker

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Pamela

I would recommend not reading samples, and getting recommendations from this sight and maybe Goodreads as well as reading the back covers. Sometimes the samples are not all that appealing.

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AbbyQuestion author

I always read reviews before starting a sample but in the past I have bought a book everyone says is great, spent 12 dollars and never finished it haha

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Keren

C F Dunn has written a series of 6 historical novels that I think would be right up your street. And she’s a friend of mine. Mortal Fire is the first. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mortal-Fire-Secret-Journal-Dunn/dp/1782641017/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1504046162&sr=8-4&keywords=c+f+dunn

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AbbyQuestion author

Thanks everyone, my husband’s going to wonder why I spent so much money on Amazon ?

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Nikki

Oh, I have same problem! I’ve got to stop reading these recommendations!

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Rebecca

I just finished All the Missing Girls and it was awesome

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Mary

Historical — Lilac Girls, YA–something by Emry Lord, When We Collide or The Names They Gave Us

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Christine

Anything by Louise Penny

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Karen

For great science fiction, any of the Culture novels by Iain M Banks. The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger has a steampunk victorian setting where vampires, werewolves, etc. are all normal inhabitants of society. Her heroine is strong and the dialogue is extremely witty and clever. A fun read. A sample would probably be enough to decide if you want to read further.

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AbbyQuestion author

Just ordered the sample, thanks!

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Tamara

Uglies, Louise Penny, Sherman Alexie, Circle, Ready Player One.

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AbbyQuestion author

loved the Uglies, maybe I’ll give Ready Player One a shot

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Jean

Susan Elia MacNeal, Terry Shames, James Ziskin, Mark Pryor. All excellent.

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Margaret

ken follet wrote 2 series one set in the middle ages and the other beginning of 20th century compelling characters and great story

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Katherine

I love the Hamish Macbeth and the Agatha Raisin Mysteries series by MC Beaton.

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Rosemarie

How To Create the Perfect Wife . . . Seriously – check it out! 😉

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Bleng

Author?

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Rosemarie

https://www.amazon.com/How-Create-Perfect-Wife-Enlightened/dp/0465065740

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Diana

I just finished “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert Massie which is a biography but reads like an historical novel. I learned SO MUCH about Russia, the French Revolution, the Hermitage, etc, etc.

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Beth

John Grisham The Century Trilogy. He has a followup coming on September 17. Great historical fiction.

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Kristy

These are great historical romance novels.

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Kristy

Or if you want something a little ( a lot) racier, this author is hillarious.

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Jeffrey

Replay by Ken Grimwood and Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin.

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Angela

Have you read N.K. Jemisin? Her Broken Earth series is amazing. The first two novels (The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate) won the Hugo, and the third (The Stone Sky) was just released.

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Donna

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon, The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi, Love and Gravity by Samantha Sotto, The Hidden Memory of Objects by Danielle Mages Amato, Say Goodbye for Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and In the Light of the Garden by Heather Burch.

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Cathie

I’ve read 2 books by B.A. Paris that were fast reads. Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres, and these were great fun to read. Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown.

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AbbyQuestion author

i loved behind closed doors! you should try Into The Darkest Corner

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Cathy

New YA/Dystopian author Debra Leea Glasheen has a new book Backbiters that is receiving good reviews.

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Maggie

Mercy Thompson series, Kate Daniels series, and the Innkeeper series. Enjoy!

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Kacy

Lilac Girls is wonderful!

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Diane

I really liked The Stranger In The Woods. True story but reads like a novel.

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Barbara

I just read the YA novel “Speak.” Fabulous! Beautifully done.

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Manjit

The Mystic of Twin Flame Relationship Book…kindle

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Maudia

The outlander series…time travel romantic historical fiction!

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Monica

Artemis Fowl is a fantasy/sci-fi/YA series.

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Meagan

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0989635260 Going Green! :). It is s sci-fi/YA/dystopian novel.

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Anne

Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss!

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Rosanne

The Muralist https://www.amazon.ca/Muralist-B-Shapiro-ebook/dp/B00W2FNAEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504088342&sr=1-1&keywords=the+muralist

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Ashley

I just finished Eliza and Her Monsters which is YA but was phenomenal.

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Kristin

I LOVED this one!

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AbbyQuestion author

someone else has told me to read this!

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Dawn

@Her feminist dystopia to utopia

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Mary

Just finished Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan, about a “utopia” of the future. Short with so very much to think about.

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Sallie
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Sallie
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Ger

Try Wolf Winter Cecilia Ekbäk . Dark,thrilling page turner

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Jenn

Outlander series!

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Monica

For historical fiction The Nightengale by Kristen Hannah, All the Light We Cannot See, Once we Were Brothers and The Alice Network.

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Monica

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is great.

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