Exactly, there is no reason. And that is why we created our House of Fiction Family Trees here at Reader Store.

If we had it our way, this is what our family would look like: Fiction marries Mystery, which has a Romantic Suspense affair with a piece of Science Fiction and . . . you get the idea.

Trace the lineage to find out which new voices we’ve noticed have similarities to some of greatest reads of our time. Each of the families below combines our favorite attributes of bestselling books—voice, characters, setting, style, etc.—and guides readers to a new book they may not have otherwise found.

Haven’t read the books we reference? Choose a lineage that piques your interest and start now (after all, who wouldn’t want to read the literary love child of Barbara Kingsolver and F. Scott Fitzgerald?). It’s never too late to become a part of our family

Click here to follow Fiction & Mystery

Click here to follow Romance & SciFi

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

David Sedaris

In his new book—Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls—bestselling author and sidesplittingly funny personality David Sedaris has again demonstrated the power of the short story collection (as well as his knack for creative book titling). The author, who is known for his unique storytelling style and unforgettable life encounters, was nothing short of a delight in his dapper bowtie and blazer when I sat down with him at The Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. In twenty minutes, we covered writing, bird behavior, and his take on what really makes a true love story . . . and let me tell you, he’s a real hoot.

See below for our interview highlights, and be sure to check back for the full audio recording!

Interview Highlights

Reader Store: So, on your 56-stop book tour, which location have you found the most interesting?

David: Reno, Nevada.

Reader Store: Reno Nevada . . . and why is that?

David: Well, I’d never been there before, and I love going to places I’ve never been. I was there as a part of my lecture tour, which was what I was doing before my book tour. And the thing about a lecture tour is that people buy tickets and you’re in a theater. So, I was in the San Francisco Opera House and people bought tickets and they dressed up. I mean, they really dressed up. And I think they paid about the same in Reno . . . and they showed up in cutoff sweatpants and t-shirts (chuckles).

You know, and I had never been to Reno before, and it’s just interesting to me how that varies from city to city. Just like I’d never been to Fresno before. Maybe I’ll change my answer to Fresno. And I have to say, I’ve never seen hairstyles before like I did in Fresno. I mean, they are doing completely their own thing in

Fresno. Their hair . . . they don’t look like anyone else. They looked great. Do you watch Tabatha Takes Over? Well I asked someone one day, “What should I be watching?” And they said, “Oh you need to watch Tabatha Takes Over.”

So, Tabatha is an Australian hair dresser and she goes to failing hair salons and she kicks their ass and whips ‘em in shape. And she needs to go there just to observe, because they’re doing something right in Fresno. They’re completely their own look.

Reader Store: They’re innovative in the hair world.

David: They really are.

Reader Store: However, the folks over in Reno do have a style sense of their own.

David: Well, I’m afraid that Reno’s where we’re all headed. You know? I noticed that. I talked to a woman and said, “Please. Explain.” And I said, “Why? Why are you wearing that?” I wasn’t trying to give her a hard time. And she said, “Well I just didn’t think anyone would notice.” But, anyways, I was just curious. You don’t really have that so much in other places. Like, in Tokyo people don’t think, Meh, it’s just the grocery store. I guess because they feel like someone’s always watching. And I guess there’s something to be said about being able to feel free and do your own thing. When I see people on planes sometimes I just think, gosh, that’s just so . . . I don’t know that I would dress that way to go on an airplane. You can always just grab a sports coat and that would pull everything together.

Reader Store: A sport coat and cut-off shorts is always a good look (laughing).

Alright, so let’s go to this book title—because I absolutely adore it—and you wanted to use this for your previous book, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, but your editor put the kibosh on it. Did you guys ever have anything else in mind?

David: Nope. I had nothing else in mind.

And because I wanted to use if for something and my editor just said, “Look it’s kind of a long title and you’ve had a lot of long titles, so maybe just go with a short one this time.” So my last one was called Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and I thought, Well that’s fine—that’s short. I’ll just save the long title for the next book. And frankly, it doesn’t mean anything. I wrote a title story, but then I pulled it. So, I don’t feel like it needs it—and maybe I’m wrong.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

Reader Store: Well, I think it gives it character. It’s something that can pop out at people and they either say, “Gosh well I have to have that, or it’s not for me and I have to avoid it.”

David: I’ve been offering priority signing to people with diabetes. And this woman came the other day and said, “You know, this is great, because having diabetes never got me anything.” But I always try to do that on tour, I always try to offer a group priority signing—a group who never got anything special.

Once it was women with braces on their teeth, and men who were 5’5” and under, because they’ve never gotten anything before; and because I can do whatever I want. Like one night I had an Asian special: if you were Asian, you got special treatment and people were like, You can’t do that. And I said, “Yeah, I can actually. I’m not the federal government, it’s just me. I can do whatever I want.”

Reader Store:You sure can. That’s funny.

So with Let’s Explore Diabetes you jumped from fiction back to a collection of essays. Do you find that you prefer writing fiction or stories—stories about life?

David: I don’t have a preference. In this story there are six monologues really. They’ll take between seven and ten minutes to read out loud, and they were written for a lot of kids I met that are into forensics, which is kind of a cross between speech club and debate, and they read stories out loud in front of judges.

So I wrote six monologues for teenagers. But they were all written for tour—I go on a tour every fall and every spring, and I bring a monologue with me. And sometimes they don’t work, and sometimes they work rather well. And so I went through and chose what I thought were the best six; I chose three for boys and three for girls. And sometimes they just scratch an itch I have, but sometimes if there’s something in the news that I want to kind of poke fun of, that’s the best way to do it. Because when I go on tour, 90% of the audience voted the way I did—I’m sorry, it’s more like 98%. So to go on tour and preach to the 98% isn’t interesting to me.  So I’d rather even toy with people more with this kind of thing so they think, Wait a minute . . . is that really him? Is that the way he thinks? So I’ll write more of those. But these were six of the eighteen or so that I chose.

Reader Store: So when you say you try to see if something worked or not, what do you mean by that? How do you gauge that?

David: I read it out loud and if the audience laughs and makes a lot of noise, I think, Well that worked.

If I read something and nobody laughs at all, there’s going to be a problem. But one time, I had a thirteen-page story and I was reading it and I got to page twelve, and I realized I had forgotten page thirteen in my hotel room. And I realized I’d wasted twelve pages on an audience, which is a nightmare. And someone said, “That’s okay, we didn’t really like it anyway.” And I thought, I didn’t really need you to tell me that—I kind of figured it out. I could’ve gone back to the room and re-written it, but it needed such major re-writing that I thought, well, I’ll bring it home this summer. I thought it was something everyone could relate to, but they couldn’t. So I just have to find a way to concentrate on an aspect of the story that everyone can relate to.

Reader Store: I’m very interested in thinking up of different ways to storytelling. With Sony being a multimedia platform, we’re interested in how to tell stories in different ways. As an author, you take advantage of not only writing but the speaking aspect and oral delivery of it. And telling your story in all different ways, whether it’s a tour or a radio interview, etcetera. Do you think that always helps get your story across?

David: Well, I’d hope that they’d get enough just through reading the book. I mean, you know you have an unfair advantage—like in the United States I’m on the radio, and now I’m on the radio in England—so there’s an unfair advantage there. So that’s why it feels good when the books come out in a place and do well in, say, Germany, where it was translated (and they do very well), or Brazil—where I’m not on the radio. So, I mean I have to thank whoever translated the books for doing a good job and the publisher for having everything to do with the books success. But that makes me feel good. They don’t need to hear me on the radio and with that unfair advantage, they’re not missing out, and that means a lot to me.

Reader Store:Absolutely.

On a lighter note, I wanted to play a game with you. You have themes of animals in your last few book titles. So, I call this animal instinct. I will give you a couple of weird facts about animals, and I want you to tell me the very first memory that pops in your head.

So first: A naked mole rat can run as fast forward as backward.

David: Wow. Gosh that’s a skill I would love to have. It doesn’t make me think of a memory necessarily.

Reader Store: That’s fair, which is why I have a couple of them.

Second: A bowerbird will decorate the interior of his nest and go as far as to destroy his neighbor’s if it looks better than his.

David: Well that’s great. A bowerbird?

See, I read this book that was full of interesting animal facts when I was working on my last book. But I was afraid to use any of that information because I thought, No one really knows what a bowerbird is. If you use a robin, everyone knows what that is. But with a bowerbird, you’ll have to explain what the animal is. Some of these stories I wrote for that book—like I wrote a story about groundhogs—and my editor said, “I think one of the reasons this story doesn’t work is because we don’t have expectations of groundhogs.”

Bowerbird (Photo Credit: blogs.lifeandscience.org)

We have expectations of a monkey and an owl, but you know. People don’t really know what to expect of a groundhog, just like they wouldn’t of a bowerbird. I mean, I love that idea, that you would destroy somebody else’s home—it’s just a human thing to do.

Reader Store: And last one: Blue whales have been getting deeper and deeper voices over the past 40 years.

David: Wow, I want what they’re drinking.

I would love to have a deeper voice. I wonder what they’re doing. Someone said if you go to the top of a mountain and if you scream really hard, then you’ll rip your vocal chords and you’ll have a better voice. So I’d even be willing to try that.

I guess I didn’t realize. I thought everyone hated my voice as much as I did, but I guess I have to say that it is pretty distinctive. But I was in, maybe England, and I was doing a reading and this guy comes up to me and says, “So I was listening and listening to you, and it hit me: This guy sounds just like a Muppet.” And I thought, That’s it. That is what I sound like.

Reader Store:  Hey, that is an empire; you should run with that. So those are my animal facts, and you’re right, a bowerbird may not be the most relatable.

David: Well, no, because we don’t have expectations. At the same time I didn’t feel like I was playing into those expectations. A woman came up to me when I was writing my last books and said, “I hope you don’t do that wise owl crap. I work in a zoo, and owls are okay, they’re good at their jobs, but they’re not necessarily bright. If you want a smart bird, go with a raven.”

Reader Store: We have a whole lot of romance readers at Reader Store. So, I’m going to try to get them and say, “Hey romance readers, David’s got something for you.”

So, what would the premise and title be if you were to write a romance novel?

David: Gosh, I would say . . . Love’s . . . Ragged . . . and there would have to be an “r” word.

Reader Store: How about “rogue”?

David: Love’s Ragged . . . hm.

See, you know everyone thinks they can write a children’s book? I don’t.  I don’t think I can write a children’s book. And a lot of people think, Oh I can write any kind of a genre book. But I actually think it would be really tough to do and really presumptuous if you haven’t read lots and lots of those books.

I’m going to imagine that Fifty Shades of Grey is kind of a fluke. I know there are all kinds of imitations of it, but that’s not what romance readers are really after: sex. They’re after love, because nothing feels better than being in love. And it’s awful thinking that you won’t be in love again.

My boyfriend is alive and I love him, but it’s not what it was like when I first met him—not in that state. That’s why they write songs about it, and why it’s so wonderful. I feel fortunate too that when people say, “How did you meet?” I don’t have to say online. And my boyfriend of 22 years was met because I was doing a painting job and I needed a ladder. So I went to his house because the guy I was working with knew he had a ladder, and he had an apple pie in the oven (because they tell you if you’re trying to sell your house to put an apple pie in the oven). And it worked. I thought, I want to live in the house that smells like this.

So, it would maybe be Love’s Ragged Pie Scent. That will fly off the shelves wouldn’t it? (laughing)

Reader Store: It’s funny you say that, because we actually just had a romance book where the editor described it with, “When you read this book, you’ll taste apple pie.” So maybe you can rip off that one-liner.

David: Or: The Crust Of . . .

Reader Store: The Crust of My Love . . .

David: (Laughing) I don’t really think crust is going to move romance books.

Don’t miss David Sedaris at Reader Store, and his newest book: Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.

Featured Titles

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Naked by David Sedaris

About the Author

David Sedaris is a playwright and a regular commentator for National Public Radio. He is also the author of the bestselling Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays on Ice, Dress Your Family in Corduroy, Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He travels extensively though Europe and the United States on lecture tours and lives in France.

The Innocence Game by Michael Harvey

Three classmates at Northwestern’s prestigious journalism school are catapulted into their darkest assignment yet: find a real killer. The Innocence Game is an ambitious stand-alone cold case with master plot-twisters and a gritty Midwestern setting that make this an irresistible, harrowing suspense.

About the Book:

From Michael Harvey, Chicago’s best-known crime writer and author of the popular Michael Kelly series, comes something different: a leap forward into a dark world where the lines between innocence and guilt disappear altogether. They’re young, brilliant, beautiful . . . and naïve enough to believe they can make a difference.

“Harvey does for the Windy City what Michael Connelly did for Los Angeles…” – Chicago Tribune

For three graduate students, the exclusive innocence seminar at the nation’s most esteemed journalism school is supposed to teach them how to free the falsely accused from prison. Little do they know the most important lesson they’ll learn is how to stay alive. The first day of class for Ian Joyce and Sarah Gold starts like any other, until a fellow student, Jake Havens, pulls a wrinkled envelope from his backpack. Inside is a bloodstained scrap of shirt from a boy murdered fourteen years ago and an anonymous note taking credit for the killing. The only problem is the alleged murderer is already dead. Suddenly, the class has a new assignment: find the real killer.

As the case unfolds, the bodies and questions begin to pile up. Why are innocent men being framed? Who’s been getting away with murder? Drawn into a web of deceit and corruption, the students realize they, too, are being hunted. Ian, Sarah, and Jake are smart . . . but are they smart enough to stay alive? From Northwestern’s idyllic campus, to the grittiest corners of Chicago, to the frigid depths of Lake Michigan, The Innocence Game is irresistible, harrowing suspense from a writer at the top of his form.

Click HERE to find the book at Reader Store!

For Fans of:

• Michael Connelly
• John Grisham

Similar Reading:

• The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt
• The Closers by Michael Connelly

The Closers by Michael Connelly

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

About the Author:

Author Michael Harvey

Michael Harvey is the author of The Chicago Way, The Fifth Floor, The Third Rail, and We All Fall Down, and is also a journalist and documentary producer. His work has received numerous national and international awards, including multiple news Emmys, two Primetime Emmy nominations, and an Academy Award nomination. He holds a law degree with honors from Duke University, a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in classical languages from Holy Cross College. He lives, of course, in Chicago.

Praise for Michael Harvey:

“Michael Harvey should be read by all.” –John Grisham

“Jolting. . . . Harvey’s feel for Chicago ramps up the fast-paced, grimly realistic action.” –New York Times Book Review

“Harvey does for the Windy City what Michael Connelly did for Los Angeles: He commandeers it, warts and all, and wrangles it into his fiction.” – Chicago Tribune

In this ambitious stand-alone from Harvey (The Chicago Way and three other Mike Kelly PI novels), three Northwestern journalists—Ian Joyce, Jake Havens, and Sarah Gold—enroll in a special course that requires them to investigate cases that strongly suggest the accused were wrongfully convicted. One case concerns the murder of 10-year-old Skylar Wingate. The man convicted of the crime has long since died, but new evidence supports the theory the real killer is still alive. On a visit to the site where Skylar was found buried the three students discover the body of another boy in a cave. When their search for the killer brings them in contact with the corrupt underbelly of the Chicago police, they realize they must solve the crime—not only for the sake of justice but to save their own lives. Although Harvey makes some far-fetched connections in the wrap-up, the suspense remains high throughout. – Publishers Weekly

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Finally, it’s here: the long-awaited cinematic remake of The Great Gatsby. And if you’re anything like us, you’re going to need some Roaring ‘20s stories to satiate your hunger after seeing the classic come to life (Daisy dressed all sultry, a soundtrack to die for, and let’s not forget… LEO). So carpe diem, and read all the juicy jazz-age fiction you can get your hands on until the party’s run dry.

Here are our roaring recommendations:

• The Other Typist
• Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
• The Obituary Writer
• The Gin Lovers
• The Beautiful and the Damned
• The Flappers Series
• Beautiful Fools
• Hemingway’s Girl
• Parlor Games
• The Paris Wife

Visit the entire Roaring ‘20s Collection at Reader Store.

And don’t miss our author spotlight on Therese Anne Fowler, author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald where she talks about capturing the age of the not-so-innocent.

Southern Cross the Dog by Bill Cheng

The week’s pick—Southern Cross the Dog by Bill Cheng—is a literary fiction debut that’s tough, lyrical, historical . . . great. It reminds us of an author that is near and dear to our hearts: Cormac McCarthy. Cheng writes with precision and engagement; the human relationships articulated through his story and characters are visceral and revealing.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the tradition of Cormac McCarthy and Flannery O’Connor, an epic debut in which the bonds between three childhood friends is upended by the Great Flood of 1927 in Mississippi and in its aftermath one must choose between the lure of the future and the claims of the past (from the publisher).

Click HERE to found out more at Reader Store

SIMILAR READING

• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
• The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Cheng received a B.A. in Creative Writing from Baruch College and is a graduate of Hunter College’s MFA program. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife. Southern Cross the Dog is his first novel.

REVIEWS FOR SOUTHERN CROSS THE DOG

“With its evocative settings and rich McCarthyesque language, this Southern gothic packs a punch like a mean drunk.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Vividly imagined, frequently poetic. . . . It’s hard to resist the sweep of Southern history . . . the way [Cheng] makes the devil as palpably real as the natural world that he pervades. . . . A strong voice and a compelling achievement.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A novel in the great Southern tradition; think Cormac McCarthy or a 21st-century Faulkner. . . . This book is a winner for lovers of plot; tough, lyrical writing; history; and the trials of the deep South.”
— Library Journal (starred review)

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Z has been hitting the tops of bestseller lists across the board since it was released on March 25^th. It appeals to, yes, fans of The Great Gatsby, but contemporary revisits of the ladies of the roaring ‘20s with titles like The Paris Wife and Hemingway’s Girl show that there’s something sexy and alluring about the muses behind these golden-age men to modern readers as well.

We’re lucky to have Therese guest blog for Reader Store on a topic that we’ve found so irresistible we dedicated an entire collection to it (Roaring ‘20s Collect at Reader Store). What caused Zelda’s reputation as “crazy? And do we see hints of her in Fitzgerald’s work? See what Therese has to say on these questions and beyond.

Therese Anne Fowler on Capturing the Golden Age

Author Spotlight: Therese Anne Fowler

Understanding Zelda Fitzgerald’s life, her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald, their incredible rise, their tragic fall, means understanding the Jazz Age, an era that fascinates us today almost as much as it fascinated the people who came of age at the time. With the end of WWI in 1918, the conservative Edwardian era ended, too. Suddenly it seemed that none of the old rules applied and, as is often true when one extreme has dominated behavior for so long, a new extreme must take its place before balance is restored.

To tell Zelda’s story, I needed to contrast the world she came from—the post-Civil-War South—against the world she inhabited after marrying Scott in April of 1920, before she was even twenty years old: the New York City of speakeasies, the Paris of artists and expatriates, the Hollywood of “talkies,” all places where the rules of appropriate behavior were not just being broken but simply no longer applied.

Initially, though, I was reluctant to write Zelda’s story. When the inspiration struck, all I knew about her was the caricature she’s been turned into by popular culture. She was, I believed, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s crazy, disruptive wife, the architect of his ruin. The idea to write about her had arrived quite suddenly, and I was ready to dismiss it as quickly—except that I also thought, “What if I’m wrong? Suppose there’s more to it than that? Suppose there’s a compelling story there?”

And so there was.

Zelda was an uninhibited, unconventional, spirited young woman whose interests ranged from ballet to painting to swimming to theater. She never lacked for attention from girlfriends and suitors, both. A natural ringleader, she was a teenager fresh out of high school when she met Scott, who was in Montgomery with the Army training for the war. He aspired to be a novelist and a working writer—neither of which was a recognized, reliable occupation at that time. What’s more, he was a Yankee. Zelda was keen on him anyway. Her parents felt entirely opposite.

Zelda’s letters to Scott, exchanged during their two-year courtship, show all the energy, angst, affection, and charm of her vivacious youth. Twenty years later, her letters to him had a far different tone, though the affection was still there in spades. What happened to them and between them during those two intervening decades? What caused Zelda’s reputation as “crazy?” What led to Scott’s well-known alcohol dependency, his apparent ruin? These were the questions that motivated me, that helped me shape the story I would tell. Their answers ultimately gave me the Zelda who would narrate her own remarkable tale.

Three influential works, beyond the numerous biographies about the Fitzgeralds: 

• Loving Frank, a novel by Nancy Horan
• “The Yellow Wallpaper,” a story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Everybody was so Young, a biography of Sara and Gerald Murphy by Amanda Vaill

Click HERE to browse the entire Roaring ‘20s Collection at Reader Store

Featured Titles

Hemingways Girl by Erika Robuck

The Paris Wife by Paula McClain

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

iDreamBooks is a startup company in the digital publishing space that collects critic’s reviews and provides recommendations based on what people have to say.  In a space where technology often trumps the personal, our partnership has found a way to combine both in order to offer readers the best reviews and recommendations for the people, from the people. The reviews—which will continue to be grow in quantity—come from both mainstream and niche publications and are displayed on Reader Store product pages. This way, we are able to offer readers a broad representation of opinions on books across the board as opposed to looking at solely the popular reviews.

And there’s more: We’d like to introduce you to a fun new cloud icon from iDreamBooks that you’ll see on product pages. He interprets sentiment from each review and wears that expression in the form of a happy or sad face. Books with a rating higher than 70% are positive in the “read-o-meter.”

HOWEVER, don’t be afraid to challenge him on his decision, as clouds can be opinionated little things. Sometimes, when you find an eBook that looks interesting, you just have to read it and form an opinion for yourself

So enjoy, and give us your feedback in the comments below. We hope this will have you dreaming about books (day and night…just like we do.)

Introducing the Discover Map—the book-lover’s matchmaker at Reader Store.

How it works:

Follow the map by answering questions that guide readers to a favorite book pick.

We double-dog dare you . . .

To go outside of the norm! Already read what we lead you to? Dare to go outside of your comfort zone and go down a road less traveled.

The map is all about discovery, so try following the opposite of how you’d usually answer to lead you to a wild-card pick. Nonfiction readers: pick up a fantasy novel. Suspense fiction lovers: slow it down with an epic love story.

Each week in April we will add a new map with a genre focus, so keep on coming back for more!

Click HERE to get started taking the test.

Author Q&A

RS: Describe what New Adult is to you as a genre and what are the key characteristics that distinguish is from YA?

AG: New Adult gives older readers the angst and drama the YA genre gave them but with older protagonist that are easier for them to relate to. It also adds the sexy that YA is limited in.

EH: YA is about that time in a young person’s life when they’re pushing away from their family, trying to develop a sense of self and purpose. New Adult characters have already escaped that place. They have a clearer idea of who they are and where they want to go. But how will they accomplish their goals? Relationships are deeper, and so can get in the way of forward motion. There’s more at stake, because the safety net is gone and choices belong to the characters alone. It’s an exciting time of life, but also scary as hell.

RS: What are the most important topics/themes you believe new adults need exposure to?

AG: The mistakes that can be made in love and life choices. Romance is a key element obviously, but there are other factors. The innocence of childhood and high school is over. It’s the time we decide what kind of adult we are going to be.

EH: The big choices for people in that age group. Career versus marriage. Lust versus love. School versus adventure. Friends versus relationships. Military service. Parenting. Survival, sometimes.

RS: So, why books? Why fiction? What power do you think stories have on shaping new adults?

AG: Books and fiction are the perfect escape. It allows you to get lost in a world of fantasy—a place where problems are solved at the end and promises of happiness leave you with a lighter heart. Everyone needs that break from reality. Although the stories are fictional, there are always specific characters that stick with you. New adult reaches an age that was looked over for years. You either read YA or adult books. There was nothing for that age group. Now that it’s available it continues to nourish that love for reading.

EH: Every author has a certain breadth of experience, which brings a unique perspective to their writing. Even if the author isn’t much older than his audience, that diverse experience allows his characters a different viewpoint than the reader’s, which in turn deepens the reader’s understanding of the world.

RS: Tell us about the most embarrassing/naughtiest/etc. thing you got into as a “new adult.” 

AG: Spring Break had always been a family vacation for me. However, my freshman year in college I experienced my first trip to Panama City Beach, Florida . . . without my parents. They had never allowed me to go without them until this year. One night I experienced the impact of one too many tequila shots. It was a first and last for me. I woke up the next morning with a tender spot on my ankle. Sitting up in bed I looked down to see a rose tattoo. It isn’t that I am against tattoos (I actually got another later in life while completely sober). It is the fact I didn’t remember where or how I got that rose tattoo. None of my friends remembered either and they all sported new tattoos as well. Needless to say, once I got back home I went to get tested for diseases I could have contracted from the mystery tattoo artist. Sad thing is . . . I don’t even like roses.

EH: As a child of the seventies, I considered myself most Bohemian. I went braless, frequented nude beaches. But about the time I entered “new adulthood,” I spent a little time on a commune in Oregon, the kind where everyone lived in teepees and used the wilderness for their toilet. One day I witnessed a woman wearing nothing but a sanitary belt and pad nurse her three-year-old. That embarrassed me all the way back to civilization.

RS: What were the three most pivotal books for you as a reader during the same timeframe of your life?

AG: Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding. It allowed me to accept the complete absurdness that was my life most of the time.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. The fantastic romance, heartbreaking reality, and bittersweet ending will always make this book one of my favorite romance novels. It also inspired my desire for realistic romances and the beauty in a couple’s story, even up until the end.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. I’ve read this book at least twenty times. I adore the entire series. The story behind how J.K. Rowling wrote this book and how it came to publication should inspire every writer out there.

EH: I was a diverse reader, so this one is hard. Probably The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving, Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey and Story of Oby Pauline Reage. 

Featured Titles

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

Story of O by Pauline Reage

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

While It Lasts by Abbi Glines

Winter was a delightful reader hibernation period comprised of a mass consumption of cozy fiction and boxes of cookies in your favorite old sweater. But alas, book club season is upon us, and we’ve got things to talk about.

It’s hard to find the perfect book club pick when all eyes are on you (not to mention the daunting task of making a group actually agree on something). This is where we come in: we’ll be updating our suggestions monthly as many book clubs turn to their next pick.

See below for our first round, and let us know what you’re reading!

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

After a struggle to have children of their own, a couple living on a secluded island off the coast of Australia discovers a newborn baby in a washed up boat and are left with an impossible decision. Through extraordinarily crafted characters, Stedman prompts a discussion on how imperfect people seek to find their north star in a world of incomprehensible complexity.

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world . . . It’s where he was born, it’s where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn; it’s where he is shut safely in the wardrobe when Old Nick visits. Room is as shocking as it is beautiful. Donoghue blurs the line between a home and a prison and challenges readers to make decisions based upon the diamond-hard bond between a mother and a child.

Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand

The author of Seabiscuit returns with an incredible account of a surviving lieutenant of the Second World War. Hillenbrand tells an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, leading readers through page-turning history that masterfully depicts the resilience of the human mind, body and spirit.

We the Animals by Justin Torres

Three brothers tear their way through childhood. Pap and Ma’s presence is fleeting, and their love is a serious, dangerous thing that makes and unmakes family. Torres simultaneously depicts family unity and devastation through characters whose hearts and minds are felt so viscerally, a reader can feel a level of personal involvement with their story. We the Animals reminds us how deeply we are formed by our earliest bonds, and how that alone propels us towards the future.

With or Without You by Domenica Ruta

A haunting mother-daughter story that is being called, “freakishly brilliant.” It’s a coming-of-age story about a ‘90’s misfit youth and the necessary, painful act of breaking away from both her addict mother and self-possessing addictions and demons in the process. It’s an exceptional story from a new voice that will have readers deeply considering the complexities between loving and leaving.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

Hazel has never been anything but terminal—a concept she has come to terms with at 16 years old. But when a handsome plot-twist appears at a Cancer Kid Support Group, her story suddenly becomes rewritten. This award-winning author has created a book that tears at heart-strings of all ages. It’s tragic, it’s funny, it’s thrilling, and it’s a unique look at what it means to be alive and in love.

See all of our book club suggestions at Reader Store where you can download reading group guides and more to make this the best book club year yet.

What’s your book club reading this month? Let us know in the comments below!