100 books like Book Lovers

I love this book because it’s a triumph of storytelling—and by that, I mean both the way that the story is narrated, as the audiobook frequently gave me chills, and the way that the story is told by the author. I love this book because it’s realistic enough to draw me in, unusual enough to keep me guessing, and rewarding enough for every single second I spent listening to it to pay off in the end.

I was inspired by this book in the very best way: when an author presents characters with realistic, messy lives and then provides them with happy endings, it’s easy for me as a reader to believe that joy is out there waiting in the mess for me as well.

The first time I read this book, I was far too young, and it was a chore. Yes, a dreadful thing to admit, but I  returned to it in my late twenties, and it was a different experience. I always make sure to have a copy nearby. Superbly written and full of characters you would wish to have at the next dinner party is how I like to describe this classic.

The dialogue, sharp witticisms, and observations are a joy, as they honestly depict and comment on the social norms of the Regency era in the UK. I love that it is all still so relatable to our own lives. In modern life, we have our fair share of people with notions! I wonder what Jane Austen would have thought of today’s social media whirl?

I love the way this novel brought us behind the scenes in Hollywood. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life, and the story falls into the lap of reporter Monique.

I read this book during a time of all sorts of revelations about Hollywood’s casting couch. The novel perfectly encapsulates the glamour of film and the tragedy of life, and I also felt a strong woman’s will to keep going.

Interestingly, it moved across two timelines, Evelyn's and Monique’s, but this did not slow the book down. There were also beautiful, poignant moments. I savoured dipping into a world I knew very little about, and I so enjoyed it. 

Cookbook author Rachel Samstat is seven months pregnant and finds out her husband is having an affair. Scorched to the gut, she suffers six weeks of intensive, understandable heartburn. 

It shouldn’t be funny, but it’s so snarky that I couldn’t help but laugh deeply and often. Therein lies the beauty of Nora Ephron’s writing—life is layered, and inside every aspect of woe and worry is also a kernel of hope, maybe even joy, where humor is given space to reside. 

I found myself cheering Rachel on, hoping she would wade through the emotional muck of her crumbling marriage on her terms. She may be worn out, but she’s not down. I miss Nora Ephron.

Flavor Pick: Rocky Road

I was drawn to this book by the cover. Set in New York, famous erotica writer Eva Mercy is a single mom with a depilating auto-immune disease. Eva’s experiences of the writing life as a Black woman and how she managed her health drew me to her.

However, the unexpected connection between Eva and Shane, the award-winning literary writer she reunites with during a literary event, was my favorite part of this book. I loved how each writer’s trauma-informed the stories they told. I found myself encouraged to write about my own traumas in my stories. But what I loved the most about this book is how the sensual scenes between Eva and Shane were more about connection than sex.

I was inspired by Eva’s resoluteness in making a life for herself and being the mother she never had for herself and her daughter.

The vivid, lush descriptions in this book bring the titular hacienda to roaring life.

Although initially I was drawn in by the comparisons with Rebecca, this novel is its own thing. It brings in folk beliefs as well as thoughts on colonialism, all within the hacienda’s oppressive yet intoxicating atmosphere. It’s what you look for in a Gothic horror novel. 

This is the sapphic hallmark debut you’ve been waiting for. Buzzfeed’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Romances of 2022, this work delivers the heat. First of all, how dare this Courtney Kae. To jam pack this book with all of this hot cocoa coziness and small-town charm and have the nerve to make me want to slam the book closed and look around guiltily when the kiddos come around? Morgan is a hotshot event planner that needs an urgent and abrupt break from the LA scene. Moving back home should be easy but she bumps into her old flame and they work together to save a tree farm– a tree farm yall! I told you it was cozy AF. If you are looking for low angst memorable characters, adorable settings, and heat to steam your glasses. This book is it.

No, this isn't the title of a B-movie—it's the fun, sexy, and surprisingly sweet start of a series with wonderful world-building and likable characters.

This book is about how a group of human women abducted by evil aliens crash-land on a planet full of hunky, endearing aliens and the adventures they share.

I loved how the aliens cherished and celebrated the women in this story instead of reviling their humanity, as I've seen in other sci-fi stories. The spicy scenes are hot, and the heroine is a natural leader who doesn't passively wait around to be rescued.

This is a dual-POV story, and the alien hero's confusion over human quirks is quite funny. Escapism at its best!

I love this book because it’s the best fictional example I’ve ever seen of a character’s disability being eclipsed by his talent. Lincoln Rhyme is paralyzed, but his talent as a criminologist is far more important—and Deaver showcases Rhyme’s genius and passion as often as he details the difficulties of disability.

I find the book’s mystery compelling and the characters well-written, and I couldn’t get enough of the relationship between Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. I’ve never seen a better portrayal of a partnership based solidly on mutual respect and admiration. I’m so grateful for how this story demonstrates that disability doesn’t need to stop you from making a real impact through the gifts and talents you’ve been given.

This is one of my favorite audiobooks ever, and the best romance I’ve ever listened to, and that’s unsurprising since Julia Whelan is my favorite audiobook narrator. When I learned she had written a romance about an audiobook narrator, I knew I had to listen to the audiobook she narrated herself. Julia did not disappoint as an author or a performer. I loved how this book presents a romance based both on strong attraction and a relationship that grows over time.

I was greatly entertained by glimpses into the audiobook industry, and I appreciated the nuances of a story about how we often have more control than we realize when it comes to the power our limitations have over us.