Happy Tuesday! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday list is all about books that made me want to read more books like them. Whether it’s books that share a genre, a time period, or an author, I finished the following novels & instantly wanted more of the same.
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more magical realism
I first read Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer in 7th or 8th grade, and I was instantly captivated by the magical realism in this novel. It kindled in me a love of fiction that depicts real life with a plausible twist. Things such as time travel (as in the case of this particular book) or wallpaper that changes with your mood (a la Sarah Addison Allen) or a lucid dream where you meet yourself 5 different times with 5 very different results (thanks, James Rubart!). I’m not even a fantasy fan as a general rule, but I do love me some magical realism.
more marriage of convenience stories
I first fell in love marriage of convenience stories when I read Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke and continued to add MOC books to my TBR galaxy whenever I found one. And yes, while Newlywed Games by Mary Davis is technically a fake engagement story, I’m counting it here because it opened the door for me to find contemporary MOC stories – something I hadn’t really considered before. Since then, I’ve found great contemporary ones like An Unlikely Proposal by Toni Shiloh, The Esther Paradigm by Sarah Monzon, and the Lonestar series by Colleen Coble.
more fairy tale retellings
Fairy tales have been my fave since the moment I first saw Cinderella, but I didn’t even know I wanted fairy tale retellings until I discovered Melanie Dickerson & her fabulous books, including The Healer’s Apprentice and (my personal fave) The Merchant’s Daughter. It’s so much fun to see how the author incorporates familiar aspects of the beloved fairy tale being retold while also giving it a unique spin. If you prefer contemporary retellings, check out Once Upon a Summer by Andrea Boyd, Toni Shiloh, Teresa Tysinger, and Jaycee Weaver too!
more romantic suspense
The first romantic suspense I remember reading is Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson, and it has been my favorite genre ever since. As soon as I read Danger, I became a diehard fan of the O’Malley family and waited eagerly for each new book to release. While I waited between books, I also discovered Terri Blackstock and now my ‘romantic suspense’ faves list is full of so many fabulous authors. And I still want more please 🙂
more dual timeline novels
Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson is one of the first dual timeline novels I remember reading, and I was hooked. I love that we get the best of both worlds, so to speak, if you’re a fan of contemporary and historical fiction. And I love even more how the authors tie the two timelines together. Note: this is not to be confused with time travel novels which would fall into the magical realism category.
more dual timeline suspense
Dual timeline PLUS can’t-put-down suspense with a dash of romance!?! Yes please! Jaime Jo Wright is definitely a pioneer in this subgenre and I’ve been a huge fan since her debut novel, The House on Foster Hill, released. There’s something about the added suspense element that magnifies everything I already adore about dual timeline.
more ‘messy’ Christian fiction
I don’t even know if that’s exactly what I want to say for these books – Lu. by Beth Troy & its sequel Louisa. I rewrote that header about 10 times before I settled on ‘messy’ Christian fiction. By this, I mean that I want main characters who aren’t believers, who struggle with sin & grace, but who fall hard for Jesus & their lives are irrevocably changed. They may not talk like I do or act like I do or look like I do but they are loved by Jesus just as much as He loves me. AND their journey isn’t boring or saccharine; rather like Lu’s it’s a little snarky, a little hilarious, and a lot messy.
more Mimi Matthews
From the moment I closed the last page of The Matrimonial Advertisement I knew I needed to read everything Mimi Matthews had written & would write in the future. She is so skilled at writing sparks aplenty (but clean) romance & weaving characters & plots into delicious layers while you hang on every word on the page. I’ve almost caught up on her backlist so I can enjoy all the great books she has coming out soon.
more gilded age/progressive era fiction
The Gilded Age & Progressive Era in US history are not time periods I was very familiar with until I read my first books by Jen Turano and Elizabeth Camden. Since the time periods overlap a little bit, I’m including them together rather than split hairs over dates. The point is that everything about the advances in industry & medicine, the increase in social justice issues, and the manners & means of these two eras in American history fascinate me, and I just can’t get enough of books set there.
more cozy mysteries
The first cozy mystery I remember reading is Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman, and suddenly my eyes were opened to an inexhaustible genre that I never knew about before. The comforting nature of the familiar formula, the quirky characters, the clever plots, the splashes of romance, the fun titles … I love discovering new series & new-to-me authors in this genre.
What about you? What are some books you read that made you want to read more like them?
I 100% agree on your take on Mimi Matthews! The Lost Letter got me hooked. I also had the same experience with Sarah Eden books.
she’s great too!
Once I read Tamara Leigh’s medieval romances I was captivated. Hook. Line. Sinker. Still can’t get enough of them. Feel the same way about Ronie Kendig’s para-military books. Didn’t think they’d interest me, but how horribly wrong I was. I happily admit I’ve read all of them and keep begging for more.
yes!!!
I’m adding Charlotte Sometimes to my TBR. It sounds great.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-loved-that-made-me-want-more-books-like-them/
i really enjoyed it – i hope you will too 🙂
I really want to read more magical realism too, great list!
thanks, Kyla! 🙂 Try James Rubart & David Rawlings, as well as Jody Hedlund’s new time travel book Come Back to Me 🙂
Ooh! I love that you mentioned and showed Newlywed Games here! I LOVED reading that book years ago and think of it often ever since.
it’s still one of my top favorite reads – no matter how many I’ve loved since then 🙂 Always good to find someone else who loved it!!
I never actually thought about it before, but I do think that Love Comes Softly, which I read as a teenager, is probably where my love for marriage of convenience came from as well! Though I’ve recently discovered that those stories work best for me in a Christian book. I’m adding the Toni Shiloh book you mentioned to my list now. Also, I’ve recently discovered Elizabeth Camden and am looking forward to reading more!
My TTT
yes, i agree about them working better for me in a Christian book too. And yay! I hope you love Toni’s book as much as I did 🙂
The House on Foster Hill also made my list! I also have Melanie Dickerson and Dee Henderson, but not the same books as you! I still have not read a Jen Turano, but I want to. https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2021/06/top-ten-books-that-i-loved-that-made-me.html
so many great books out there!
This is a delightful list – thank you! I really enjoy magical realism and have never heard of Charlotte Sometimes, but I plan to rectify that ASAP. Love that you included Sarah Addison Allen – she’s the queen of magical realism in my book!
it’s this quirky little middle grade / young adult book that I just fell in love with when I first read it 🙂
Definitely Mimi Matthews, Jen Turano, Melanie Dobson, and Jaime Jo Wright’s books! They’re always soooo good!
yessssssss
I love Mimi’s books!!
Fabulous list, Carrie! I’ve got Melanie Dickerson on my radar.
I just discovered Pepper Basham through Hope Between the Pages and loved her dual timeline. Of course it included an old bookshop, so how could you go wrong?
The Children’s Train by Viola Ardone,
oh that sounds interesting!
I don’t remember the first dual time line I read but it swiftly became my go to genre. I love Melanie Dickerson fairy tale Retellings.
Loads of great books here! I have read a lot of them. I have several Mimi Matthews but need to squeeze them in!
One of my first and favorites is Love Comes Softly! You can’t go wrong with Jeannette Oke.
Dee Henderson is probably the first of that genre that I read. Also the trilogy of Davis Bunn that includes The Amber Room. I love historicals. I think the first dual time was The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate or one if Rachel Hauk’s books. Now it’s a favorite genre.
I don’t remember the first dual time line book that I read, but it hooked me. I really enjoy Lisa Wingate’s books with the story from the past being told through letters.
I love Jamie’s books! The first one I read, I just had to read more! Her books are so good! Same with Melonie Dobson. After reading just one of her books Qi had to read the rest! Also Julie Klaussen!
Love the A Little Child Shall Lead Them Book series by Loree Lough that has me wanting more books in this series. Just finished Lethal Cover-Up by Darlene L. Turner which makes me want to read more books by this author. The Hearts of Oklahoma Book was so good that I was sad to see it come to an end with The Cowgirl’s Sacrifice. I’ll definitely be keeping looking for more books by this one too.
yes!! i agree about those books/authors too
Well, I found some more books to add to my TBR pile 🙂 . Seriously though, I’m obsessed with Mimi Matthews right now, her books are so good. And Jamie Jo Wright’s books are really twisty and fun too.
yesssss i agree!
Yes to more dual timelines and dual timeline suspense! Kristy Cambron and Heidi Chiavaroli will make the first list for me.
they are amazing!