Book List

Image via REDBUBBLE

I've been seeing tons of direct and not so direct requests everywhere on my plethora* of social media accounts recently for book recommendations. Now I know that the majority of the askers do not actually share my taste in literature but I have personally discovered great new literary loves in several ways over the years, so I will be giving my personal recommendations today; this is not a reading list designed to coddle the masses. I've already outlined my favorite series, and I must remedy the fact the I neglected to include Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide series at the time, so I will be focusing more on stand alone novels this go round. Let the top** 20 recommendations commence:

1. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
2. Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
3. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
4. The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (These two are the beginning of the Discworld series, but the rest of the books almost all stand alone.)
5. Black Swan Rising by Lee Carol (This is also the start of a series, but I was not as enamored with the sequel.)
6. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
8. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (Also the first in a series, the sequel is not due out until this year.)
9. One Hundred Percent Lunar Boy by Stephen Tunney
10. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
11. Eating the Cheshire Cat by Helen Ellis
12. The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss
13. In the Woods by Tana French
14. Macbeth by William Shakespeare (I recommend the No Fear versions for all Shakespeare reading.)
15. From Russian With Love by Ian Fleming (Clearly part of the James Bond canon, but the books all stand alone.)
16. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
17. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
18. Having Our Say by Sarah L. Delany & A. Elizabeth Delany
19. Confessions of a Teen Sleuth by Chelsea Cain
20. Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason (This is actually the third book in a series, but I found it stood alone just fine and I haven't managed to read the prequels or sequels yet.)

Have you read any on the list? What should I read next?

*Fun Fact: This was my first favorite "big word". I am certain that I wedged it into inappropriate sentences far too often in middle school.

**More likely the first 20 that pop into my head. I've read so much I often forget titles but never plots!