Explore Characters Beyond Beauty: Books That Redefine Female Representation
Dive into a selection of thought-provoking novels where women are portrayed as complex individuals, not just objects of beauty. These stories focus on their strengths, intellect, and unique experiences, allowing you to connect with characters on a deeper level. Say goodbye to the tired tropes and embrace narratives that celebrate authenticity and diversity.
The Murderbot Diaries
The Murderbot Diaries offers a refreshing take with its narrating character's complete disinterest in human bodies, allowing for a focus on personality over physical appearance.
The Broken Earth Trilogy
NK Jemisin's The Broken Earth trilogy is a Hugo award-winning series that is absolutely worth your time.
The Space Between Worlds
This fantastic read features dimension hopping and a scrappy, independent female lead, making it an engaging adventure.
A Memory Called Empire
472 pages
This political Sci-Fi mystery is filled with cool characters and intriguing concepts about memories existing after death, making it a well-deserved Juno award winner.
Harrow the Ninth
452 pages
Harrow the Ninth, an Amazon pick for Best SFF of 2020 and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling sequel to Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor's haunted space station. The Locked Tomb is a 2023 Hugo Award Finalist for Best Series! “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” —Charles Stross on Gideon the Ninth “Unlike anything I've ever read.” —V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth “Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” —The New York Times on Gideon the Ninth She answered the Emperor's call. She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend. In victory, her world has turned to ash. After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her. Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off? THE LOCKED TOMB SERIES BOOK 1: Gideon the Ninth BOOK 2: Harrow the Ninth BOOK 3: Nona the Ninth BOOK 4: Alecto the Ninth At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Gideon the Ninth
381 pages
A super well-written blend of sci-fi and supernatural fantasy, featuring deep lore and strong female leads who defy traditional beauty standards.
The City We Became
373 pages
This modern fantasy tale set in NYC is frantic and wild, weaving a unique story that captivates once it kicks in.
The Fifth Season
479 pages
This book offers a unique perspective with its diverse characters and body types, steering away from Euro-centric norms. The world-building is exceptional, making it an all-around interesting read!
The First Discworld Novels
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels feature fully fleshed out characters, regardless of gender, and use satire to cleverly highlight societal norms in an amusing way.
Ship of Magic
825 pages
The 'Liveship Traders' trilogy is fantastic, featuring powerful and independent women who are complex and fully realized characters. It's a great choice for those looking for authentic female perspectives in literature.
Annihilation
209 pages
With almost all female characters who remain nameless and physically undetailed, this book creates a mysterious atmosphere that keeps you guessing.
Tales from Watership Down
290 pages
The “utterly captivating” (People) sequel to the beloved classic Watership Down, which introduced millions of readers to an extraordinary world of rabbits. • “It’s grand to see Mr. Adams’s characters again.” —The New York Times Book Review Tales From Watership Down returns to the unforgettable characters of Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, Dandelion, and the legendary hero El-ahrairah, and also presents new heroes as they struggle to survive the cruelties of nature and the shortsighted selfishness of humankind, embark on new adventures, and recount traditional stories of rabbit mythology, charming us once again with imagination, heart, and wonder. A spellbinding book of courage and survival, these tales are an exciting invitation to come home to a beloved world.
The Crossing Places
282 pages
Start right here! Discover the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and become obsessed with one of the most popular crime series in Britain. 'Galloway now seems as real as Marple and Morse' The Times Dr Ruth Galloway is called in when a child's bones are discovered near a prehistoric site on the north Norfolk salt marshes. Are they the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years earlier - or are the bones much older? DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for the missing girl. Since she vanished, someone has been sending him creepy anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice. He knows that Ruth's expertise and experience could help him finally to put this case to rest. But when a second child goes missing, Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she's getting ever closer to the truth. ************************************** What readers are saying about The Crossing Places 'Captivating! A quick, thrilling read that ends making you want to read Book 2 immediately!' 5* Reader Review 'I really enjoyed this book, the story kept me gripped to the end! Would definitely recommend it' 5* Reader Review 'Ruth is such an empathetic character, clever and warm yet she has human weaknesses' 5* Reader Review 'I envy those coming to the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. They are in for a total treat' 5* Reader Review 'Atmospheric and character-driven, I'd no sooner finished this first book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series than I was reaching for the second' 5* Reader Review
The Handmaid's Tale
333 pages
An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’ s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.
A Tale for the Time Being
621 pages
A brilliant, unforgettable novel from bestselling author Ruth Ozeki, author of The Book of Form and Emptiness Finalist for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award “A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.” In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century. A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine. Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future. Full of Ozeki’s signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth, A Tale for the Time Being is a brilliantly inventive, beguiling story of our shared humanity and the search for home.
The Calculating Stars
432 pages
Mary Robinette Kowal's The Calculating Stars is another Hugo award-winning series that you shouldn't miss.
War and Peace
1460 pages
Tolstoy's novels integrate themes of sexuality with a unique sensitivity, offering a rich perspective on societal changes in Russia.
Crime and Punishment
545 pages
Dostoevsky's works provide a profound exploration of class and identity, especially during a pivotal time in Russian history.
Tiffany Aching Complete 5-Book Collection
834 pages
This series is a delightful palette cleanser, offering a wholesome and humorous escape with its complex and talented female role models who redefine the concept of witches.
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
275 pages
The series features strong female characters and equitable descriptions of women, making it a refreshing read.
A Distant View of Everything
232 pages
These books also highlight compelling female protagonists and can be enjoyed independently.
The Stormlight Archive, Books 1-3
3829 pages
With its diverse female characters and minimal physical descriptions, this series provides a rich and immersive fantasy experience.
Those Across the River
255 pages
This book might not be for everyone, especially if you're tired of constant focus on sex over meaningful connections. The early emphasis on the protagonist's sexual exploits can overshadow the story, making it feel more like a superficial romance than a deep narrative.
The Farseer Trilogy 3-Book Bundle
2573 pages
Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy is a must-read for its well-written characters and their genuine emotions, making you laugh and cry simultaneously.
Ancillary Justice
386 pages
This book offers a captivating story with intentionally confusing gender pronouns, making it a unique read that challenges traditional narratives.
The Hate U Give
447 pages
The audiobook is highly recommended, especially for its excellent voice actress, making the experience even more engaging.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune
75 pages
Winner of the 2020 Crawford Award! Winner of the 2021 Hugo Award! A Hugo Award-Winning Series! A 2021 Locus Award Finalist A 2021 Ignyte Award Finalist A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist A Book Riot Best Debut Fantasy of All Time "Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful... The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR "Nghi Vo is one of the most original writers we have today."—Taylor Jenkins Reid on Siren Queen A Book Riot Must Read Book of 2023 | A 2020 ALA Booklist Top Ten SF/F Debut | A Book Riot Must-Read Fantasy of 2020 | A Paste Most Anticipated Novel of 2020 | A Library Journal Debut of the Month | A Buzzfeed Must-Read Fantasy Novel of Spring 2020 | A Washington Post Best SFF of the Year So Far Pick Named Book Riot's Best Book Cover of 2020 Named a Best of 2020 Pick for NPR | Library Journal | NYPL | Chicago Public Library | The Austen Chronicle | Autostraddle With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women. A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully. Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for. At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece. The Hugo Award-winning Singing Hills Cycle The Empress of Salt and Fortune When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain Into the Riverlands Mammoths at the Gates The Brides of High Hill The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entry point. Praise for The Empress of Salt and Fortune “An elegant gut-punch, a puzzle box that unwinds itself in its own way and in its own time. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Gorgeous. Cruel. Perfect. I didn't know I needed to read this until I did.”—Seanan McGuire "A tale of rebellion and fealty that feels both classic and fresh, The Empress of Salt and Fortune is elegantly told, strongly felt, and brimming with rich detail. An epic in miniature, beautifully realised."—Zen Cho "Nghi Vo's gracefully told debut . . . resides in the intimate margins of its (beautifully imagined) world's history, portraying how the marginalized may yet shape those narratives and harness the power of stories."—Indrapramit Das At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Moon Called
306 pages
Her books delve into the depth of women's characters, making them compelling reads.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf
598 pages
One of TIME’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Winner of the L.A. Times Ray Bradbury Prize Finalist for the 2019 National Book Award The New York Times Bestseller Named a Best Book of 2019 by The Wall Street Journal, TIME, NPR, GQ, Vogue, and The Washington Post "A fantasy world as well-realized as anything Tolkien made." --Neil Gaiman "Gripping, action-packed....The literary equivalent of a Marvel Comics universe." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times The epic novel from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings In the stunning first novel in Marlon James's Dark Star trilogy, myth, fantasy, and history come together to explore what happens when a mercenary is hired to find a missing child. Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter: "He has a nose," people say. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. The band is a hodgepodge, full of unusual characters with secrets of their own, including a shape-shifting man-animal known as Leopard. As Tracker follows the boy's scent--from one ancient city to another; into dense forests and across deep rivers--he and the band are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them. As he struggles to survive, Tracker starts to wonder: Who, really, is this boy? Why has he been missing for so long? Why do so many people want to keep Tracker from finding him? And perhaps the most important questions of all: Who is telling the truth, and who is lying? Drawing from African history and mythology and his own rich imagination, Marlon James has written a novel unlike anything that's come before it: a saga of breathtaking adventure that's also an ambitious, involving read. Defying categorization and full of unforgettable characters, Black Leopard, Red Wolf is both surprising and profound as it explores the fundamentals of truth, the limits of power, and our need to understand them both.
Passage
802 pages
This book offers a fascinating exploration of near-death experiences through the eyes of a female protagonist, making it a unique read.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
289 pages
WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century "A brilliant literary murder mystery." —Chicago Tribune "Extraordinary. Tokarczuk's novel is funny, vivid, dangerous, and disturbing, and it raises some fierce questions about human behavior. My sincere admiration for her brilliant work." —Annie Proulx In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . . A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?
Terra Incognita
327 pages
This book features a unique protagonist who is a female sociological researcher, adding an intriguing perspective to the narrative.
The White Woman's Other Burden
324 pages
In The White Woman's Other Burden, Kumari Jayawardena re-evaluates the Western women who lived and worked in South Asia during the period of British rule. She tells the stories of many well-known women, including Katherine Mayo, Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant, Madeleine Slade, and Mirra Richard and highlights the stories of dozens of women whose names have been forgotten today. In the course of this telling, Jayawardena raises the issues of race, class, and gender which are part of current debates among feminists throughout the world.
Talking Animals
198 pages
This book offers a powerful exploration of the male gaze and violence against women, all while weaving in feminist theory and celebrating female friendship. It's a must-read for anyone interested in these themes.
Piranesi
273 pages
This book is a must-read if you enjoy magic, philosophy, dark academia, and a compelling mystery.
Foundryside
588 pages
“The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists.”—Brandon Sanderson “Complex characters, magic that is tech and vice versa, a world bound by warring trade dynasties: Bennett will leave you in awe once you remember to breathe!”—Tamora Pierce In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself—the first in a dazzling new series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett. Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic—the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience—have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them. To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
400 pages
In Seth Dickinson's highly-anticipated debut The Traitor Baru Cormorant, a young woman from a conquered people tries to transform an empire in this richly imagined geopolitical fantasy. Baru Cormorant believes any price is worth paying to liberate her people-even her soul. When the Empire of Masks conquers her island home, overwrites her culture, criminalizes her customs, and murders one of her fathers, Baru vows to swallow her hate, join the Empire's civil service, and claw her way high enough to set her people free. Sent as an Imperial agent to distant Aurdwynn, another conquered country, Baru discovers it's on the brink of rebellion. Drawn by the intriguing duchess Tain Hu into a circle of seditious dukes, Baru may be able to use her position to help. As she pursues a precarious balance between the rebels and a shadowy cabal within the Empire, she orchestrates a do-or-die gambit with freedom as the prize. But the cost of winning the long game of saving her people may be far greater than Baru imagines. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Losing Our Religion
487 pages
"The press has become a tool of oppression—politicized, self–aware, self–motivated, and power–hungry. . . . In short, these people can no longer be trusted." —From S. E. Cupp’s Losing Our Religion It’s time to wake up and smell the bias. The go-to commentator for such programs as Fox News’s Hannity and CNN’s Larry King Live and Reliable Sources, S. E. Cupp is just that—a reliable source for the latest news, trends, and forecasts in young, bright, conservative America. Savvy and outspoken when shattering left-leaning assumptions as she did in Why You’re Wrong About the Right, Cupp now takes on the most pressing threat to the values and beliefs held and practiced by the majority of Americans: the marginalizing of Christianity by the flagrantly biased liberal media. From her galvanizing introduction, you know where S. E. Cupp stands: She’s an atheist. A non-believer. Which makes her the perfect impartial reporter from the trenches of a culture war dividing America and eroding the Judeo-Christian values on which this country was founded. Starting at the top, she exposes the unwitting courtship of President Obama and the liberal press, which consistently misreports or downplays Obama’s clear discomfort with, or blatant disregard for, religious America—from covering up religious imagery in the backdrop of his Georgetown University speech to his absence from events surrounding the National Day of Prayer, to identifying America in his inaugural address as, among other things, "a nation of non-believers." She likens the calculated attacks of the liberal media to a class war, a revolution with a singular purpose: to overthrow God and silence Christian America for good. And she sends out an urgent call for all Americans to push back the leftist propaganda blitz striking on the Internet, radio, television, in films, publishing, and print journalism—or invite the tyrannies of a "mainstream" media set on mocking our beliefs, controlling our decisions, and extinguishing our freedoms. Now, discover the truth behind the war against Christmas—and how political correctness keeps the faithful under wraps . . . the one-sided analyses of Prop 8 and the gay marriage debate . . . the media pot-shots at Sarah Palin’s personal faith . . . the politicization of entertainment mainstays such as American Idol and the Miss USA Pageant . . . and much more. Also included are her penetrating interviews with Dinesh D’Souza, Martha Zoller, James T. Harris, Newt Gingrich, Kevin Madden, and Kevin Williamson of National Review, delivering must-read analyses of the latest stunning lowlights from the liberal media.
Boneshaker
417 pages
In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska's ice. Thus was Dr. Blue's Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born. But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead. Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue's widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history. His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Ancillary Sword
322 pages
Ancillary Sword is the sequel to Ancillary Justice, the debut which is the only novel to ever win the Hugo, the Nebula and the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Breq is a soldier who used to be a warship. Once a weapon of conquest controlling thousands of minds, now she only has a single body and serves the emperor she swore to destroy. Given a new ship and a troublesome crew, Breq is ordered to the only place in the galaxy she will agree to go: to Athoek station, to protect the family of a lieutenant she once knew - a lieutenant she murdered in cold blood. The Imperial Radch trilogy begins with Ancillary Justice, continues in Ancillary Sword and concludes with Ancillary Mercy. Also available now: Provenance is a stunning standalone adventure set in the same world as Ancillary Justice. NPR calls it 'A fitting addition to the Ancillary world'. Praise for the trilogy: 'ENGAGING AND PROVOCATIVE' SFX Magazine 'UNEXPECTED, COMPELLING AND VERY COOL' John Scalzi 'HIGHLY RECOMMENDED' Independent on Sunday 'MIND-BLOWING' io9.com 'THRILLING, MOVING AND AWE-INSPIRING' Guardian 'UTTER PERFECTION' The Book Smugglers 'ASTOUNDINGLY ASSURED AND GRACEFUL' Strange Horizons 'ESTABLISHES LECKIE AS AN HEIR TO BANKS' Elizabeth Bear
Magic for Liars
266 pages
The book features a really atypical female lead that I liked a lot, making it a unique read.
The Shades of Magic Series
1282 pages
Witness the fate of beloved heroes and notorious foes in V.E. Schwab’s New York Times bestselling Shades of Magic series. This discounted ebundle includes: A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light 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. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive. A Darker Shade of Magic — Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. A Gathering of Shadows — Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Element Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. A Conjuring of Light — As darkness sweeps the Maresh Empire, the once precarious balance of power among the four Londons has reached its breaking point. In the wake of tragedy, Kell—once assumed to be the last surviving Antari—begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. Lila Bard has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Tor books by V. E. Schwab The Shades of Magic series A Darker Shade of Magic A Gathering of Shadows A Conjuring of Light The Villains series Vicious At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Never Let Me Go
274 pages
This emotionally powerful sci-fi/dystopian novel is another touching coming of age story that will leave a lasting impact.
Invisible Monsters: A Novel
296 pages
This book offers a wild ride as it explores themes of identity and societal expectations through the story of a woman who, after a face injury, revels in the anonymity it brings. Her audacious act of stealing a giant frozen turkey adds to the thrill of the narrative.
Carrie
166 pages
Carrie is a captivating read that showcases the struggles of a young girl with telekinetic powers, making it a thrilling exploration of revenge and the consequences of bullying.
Other Words for Home
318 pages
A lovely coming of age story about a twelve year old Syrian refugee that beautifully captures the experience of finding a new home.
Transmedia Storytelling and the Apocalypse
223 pages
World War Z is an excellent read that provides a fresh perspective on the zombie apocalypse, vastly different from its movie adaptation.
Biting the Sun
385 pages
Biting the Sun offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity and society, making it an intriguing choice for those who enjoy deep, philosophical narratives.
Follow Me to Ground
208 pages
One of Literary Hub’s Favorite Books of the Year “Seethingly assured…like all the best horror, [Follow Me to Ground] is an impressive balancing act between judicious withholding and unnerving reveals.” —The Guardian A “legitimately frightening” (The New York Times Book Review) debut novel about an otherworldly young woman, her father, and her lover that culminates in a shocking moment of betrayal. “You’ve never encountered a father-daughter story like Rainsford’s slim debut” (Entertainment Weekly). Ada and her father, touched by the power to heal illness, live on the edge of a village where they help sick locals—or “Cures”—by cracking open their damaged bodies or temporarily burying them in the reviving, dangerous Ground nearby. Ada, a being both more and less than human, is mostly uninterested in the Cures, until she meets a man named Samson—and they quickly strike up an affair. Soon, Ada is torn between her old way of life and new possibilities with her lover, and eventually she comes to a decision that will forever change Samson, the town, and the Ground itself. “Visceral in its descriptions…this unworldly story is a well-crafted and eerie exploration of desire…beautifully intoxicating” (Shelf Awareness). In Ada, award-winning author Sue Rainsford has created an utterly bewitching heroine, one who challenges conventional ideas of womanhood and the secrets of the body. “A triumph of imagination and myth-bending…equal parts beauty and horror [Follow Me to Ground is] unlike anything you will read this year” (Téa Obreht).
Horrorstor
219 pages
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires comes a hilarious and terrifying haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting: a furniture superstore. Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking. To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
Sunshine
352 pages
Sunshine is a captivating read that stands out for its unique take on the vampire genre, making it a must-read for fans of fantasy.
Earth's Children Omnibus
6140 pages
The series is very descriptive, but the lengthy sex scenes can be overwhelming, especially by the fourth book.
A Fireproof Home for the Bride
401 pages
“An engrossing tale of intrigue, deceit and racial unrest in the upper Midwest in the 1950s . . . a fresh take on a pivotal moment in American history.” —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Winter 1958. The town of Moorhead, Minnesota, is small, dark, and cold. No one feels it more than Emmaline Nelson, just eighteen and ready to burst out of the confines of her Lutheran farm family. Emmy was promised at twelve to the son of wealthy neighbors, but a chance meeting with a young man from Fargo, North Dakota, turns her whole world upside down—and soon she has no choice but to defy expectations and follow her heart. Bobby Doyle is young, passionate, and Catholic—and forbidden by Emmy’s mother. So Emmy leaves town in pursuit of a bigger, brighter future. But even as Emmy forges her path, and lands a dream job in the newsroom of The Fargo Forum, she finds herself drawn back to her hometown, where old lies and family secrets threaten to shatter everything she holds dear, including her own life. Filled with the drama and charm of its period, A Fireproof Home for the Bride is an unflinching coming-of-age tale about the lure of the American Dream, and about how sometimes the wrong love gives way to the right. “Set at the dawn of the civil rights movement, Scheibe’s tale captures both the heartache and the liberation of finding one’s own path.” —People, “Pick of the Week” “An engrossing, quietly profound story of a young woman’s coming of age in the deceptively bucolic Upper Midwest of the 1950s.” —Jennifer Chiaverini, New York Times-bestselling author
The Colour Of Magic
211 pages
The Discworld books are filled with characters that are both relatable and powerful, making them a unique and enjoyable read.
Network Effect
314 pages
WINNER of the 2021 Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards! The first full-length novel in Martha Wells' New York Times and USA Today bestselling Murderbot Diaries series. An Amazon Best of the Year So Far Pick Named a Best of 2020 Pick for NPR | Book Riot | Polygon “I caught myself rereading my favorite parts... and I can’t recommend it enough.” —The New York Times You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you're a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you're Murderbot. Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century. — I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are. When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action. Drastic action it is, then. The Murderbot Diaries All Systems Red Artificial Condition Rogue Protocol Exit Strategy Network Effect Fugitive Telemetry System Collapse At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Ship of Magic
834 pages
The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as “even better than the Farseer Trilogy—I didn’t think that was possible.” Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea’s young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship—and the Vestrits—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will. Don’t miss the magic of the Liveship Traders Trilogy: SHIP OF MAGIC • MAD SHIP • SHIP OF DESTINY
Spinning Silver
402 pages
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of the year’s strongest fantasy novels” (NPR), an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted. NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Time, Tordotcom, Popsugar, Vox, Vulture, Paste, Bustle, Library Journal “A perfect tale . . . A big and meaty novel, rich in both ideas and people, with the vastness of Tolkien and the empathy and joy in daily life of Le Guin.”—The New York Times Book Review “Gorgeous, complex, and magical . . . This is the kind of book that one might wish to inhabit forever.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Cool and clever and . . . dire and wonderful.”—Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer “The Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale has never been as captivating. . . . Spinning Silver further cements [Novik’s] place as one of the genre greats.”—Paste
The Clan of the Cave Bear
491 pages
The first book is a must-read, though the series gets iffy later on.
