DJ's Picks
The Escapist
(In no particular order)
Reading Style
I enjoy reading to escape everyday life, as a form of relaxation. I like a mix of genres, I usually gravitate towards fiction, and I have a weakness for a beautiful cover design. I'm not into most mainstream critically-acclaimed literature.
Literary Likes
01
Security by Gina Wohlsdorf
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction
The terrible truth about Manderley is that someone is always watching. Manderley Resort is a gleaming, new twenty-story hotel on the California coast. It’s about to open its doors, and the world--at least those with the means to afford it--will be welcomed into a palace of opulence and unparalleled security. But someone is determined that Manderley will never open. The staff has no idea that their every move is being watched, and over the next twelve hours they will be killed off, one by one. Writing in the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King, and with a deep bow to Daphne du Maurier, author Wohlsdorf uses narrative ingenuity and razor-wire prose to produce a shocking thriller and a multifaceted love story.
02
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.
03
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Genres: Fantasy Fiction, Magical Realism, Saga
Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga. Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others.
happy endings, twists, magical realism & whimsy, unique POVs, murder mysteries, romance
Literary Dislikes
focus on tragedy, long series, numerous unlikable characters, purple prose, dragging pace
What's on my bookshelf
Books on deck to read next
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Overstory by Richard Powers
04
The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by
Stuart Turton
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy
Gosford Park meets Groundhog Day by way of Agatha Christie – the most inventive story you'll read this year. Tonight, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed... again. It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed. But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden – one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party – can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot. The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath...
05
Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Series
The trilogy begins with A Darker Shade of Magic, where Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Officially, Kell serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador traveling between the Londons (from bloody White London to magic-less Grey London); unofficially, he is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.
06
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Described as a smart and funny modern romance, The Hating Game is light and fun. Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual. Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. With a new promotion up for grabs and their relationship starting to get complicated, maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
07
Murder List by Julie Garwood
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Romantic Suspense
When a journalist friend asks Regan to help her investigate Dr Lawrence Shields, a shady self-help guru, she can't help but agree. Hoping to find some damning evidence, Regan attends a Shields seminar, where the doctor has his guests make a list of the people who have hurt or angered them over the years. Treating the exercise as a game, Regan plays along. The experience is all but forgotten – until the first person on Regan's list turns up dead. Alec Buchanan is about to leave his job on the Chicago police force to return to his roots in Boston. He has only three weeks left, but before he goes, he's given one last assignment – guard Regan Hamilton Madison. Alec resolves to put in his three weeks and move on, but he soon discovers that when it comes to the gorgeous Regan, remaining detached is his toughest assignment of all.
08
Karma Series by Donna Augustine
Genres: Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy
People say karma's a...well, you know. Personally, I don't think I'm that bad. It's not like I wanted this job. I wasn't even in my right mind when I accepted the position. Now, I'm surrounded by crazy coworkers like Lady Luck, who's a bit of a tramp, and Murphy's Law, who's a bumbling oaf. But the worst is Fate. He's got a problem with transfers like myself, and I have to see him constantly. It's unavoidable. We're hunting the same man – my murderer. Karma is the first book in the trilogy, followed by Jinxed and Fated.
09
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, YA, Romance, Magic
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery – magical grimoires that whisper on shelves & rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink & leather. Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, & Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, & his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.