by Jay Wilburn
One of my favorite things is giving book recommendation. It helps the readers, it helps the authors, and maybe makes the world a better place. Looking over the last month, I did a non-scientific survey of all the books I shared on Twitter, in private messages, through e-mail, by text, in person, and everywhere else. From that, I organized the ten books I recommended the most regardless of genre.
This is not to say other books weren’t as good or that these authors don’t have more books just as good or better than these. As I tried to match readers’ interests to a recommendation, these are the books that came up the most often in the past month. A different set of readers will probably create different recommendations in the coming month.
These books appealed to a number of readers for different reasons and as such, I think you might like them, too.
If you wish to contact me regarding checking out something you’ve written or want me to look at an advanced copy for review, feel free to touch base with me. If we are not already connected online, use the contact form on this website.
10
Heroine is the Answer:
A Memoir of What I Can Remember
by Russell Holbrook
I had the opportunity to interview this author on a podcast and that was the first time I read this amazing work. It is part biography, part prose, and part poetry. Holbrook shares a difficult chapter in his life when he was struggling with addiction. This book does not follow any cliched arc. It stands alone. There are short sections of poetry between chapters prose that tell a gritty story with almost a poetic feel as well. It is a short book and it held my attention and my heart from beginning to end.
9
The Usual Suspects by Maurice Broaddus
I’ve recommended a lot of Broaddus’s adult work. This one is for children and goes after important topics about race and preconceived notions. It takes an important look at how children can be impacted by these things.
8
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
This is another children’s book. It covers a lot of great moments for young readers to consider empathy. The story is great and interesting, too. Perfect for middle school and elementary age readers.
7
White Picket Prison by Kelli Owen
Kelli Owen is one of a number of authors who is under recognized for her talent. This book could have easily become a copy of a number of stories that orbit this premise, but Owen very quickly establishes that she is no one’s imitator. It has a great crime fiction feel and a marvelous horror sensibility. I was glad to be reading this story the whole time I was in it.
6
Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix
Many of you reading this, from within the horror or the writing communities, are well familiar with this book. It is an interesting, well-written, insightful, and funny history of the paperbacks that captivated, defined, and told us a lot about the final decades of the 20th century. There is so much here to enjoy whether you are a horror fan or like to learn things about history, pop culture, and society.
5
John the Revelator by John Urbancik
Urbancik is my favorite short story author, but here I am recommending his poetry book. I’ve also recommended his recent nonfiction book a lot. This is a testament to how talented he is across multiple genre. People have been asking for poetry books a lot. Another poetry book made my most recommended list last month. He’s a master of the written word and serves the reader’s imagination any time he employs that power. This book delivers for fans of poetry. As I mentioned above, I’ve also been recommending his nonfiction book Ink Stained about creativity and finding inspiration in anything you pursue. Unique perspectives in that work.
4
A View from My Seat by Armand Rosamilia
I’ve recommended this book a lot to people who enjoy sports in general, but baseball specifically. I recommend it to people who like biographies, memoirs, and profiles. The author follows a minor league baseball team for a season, collecting their stories, following their progress, and sharing baseball stories from his own era of the game when he was growing up. It’s great. I like it even better than Stephen King’s Faithful.
3
Succulent Prey by Wrath James White
This book is excellent and from an excellent author. It has great character work, the internal conflict is well written, and the storytelling takes you through a dangerous world occupied by a dangerous person in conflict. I recommend this book so much partly because Prey Drive is so good, too. You need to read both of them.
2
The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen
This is sort of a deconstruction of the superhero/ metahuman concept. That element of the story serves the characters’ journeys which is incredibly introspective and powerful for a young adult book. It does things with the ideas of friendship, love, and finding strength in one another that is simply amazing.
1
The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz
This is a great concept executed well. I recommend Janz as an author to a lot of people. He is his own person with a distinctive voice and at the same time, I find readers who like Stephen King, but don’t know where to expand out, have really enjoyed his work a great deal. I think it is because he is a great author who creates great stories readers find accessible.
Check out any one of these books and add them to your To-Be-Read pile beside your bed or wherever you stack up books to be consumed. Enjoy!
If you read all these and want even more, you might consider the Maidens of Zombie Kingdom young adult fantasy trilogy out now.
Jay's Patreon Page | Purchase Signed Books