While you are waiting for your Overdrive picks, why not try a classic. Titles that are out of copyright live in the public domain meaning they are available through sites like Project Gutenberg and LibriVox for free! Not sure what to read? Here are some recommendations.
If you read authors like Sophie Kinsella, Liane Moriarity, or Debbie Macomber, you might like…Jane Austen.
No one does a comedy of manners like Jane Austen and no book has been so mined for reboots, adaptations, and retellings as Pride and Prejudice. Emma is my personal favorite. Bonus points for reading Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre.
If you enjoy a good mystery by authors James Patterson, Louise Penny, or Stuart Woods, you might like…Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock is our protoype for the troubled genius. Reading the original short stories reveals nuances of the era and quirks of this great character that have been lost in retellings. Bonus points for reading: Agatha Christie or Wilkie Collins.
If you like books that make your spine tingle from authors like Stephen King or Joe Hill, you might like…Edgar Allen Poe
Poe’s short stories have lost none of their ability to surprise and scare. The Fall of the House of Usher is my personal favorite. Bonus points for reading: Franz Kafka
If you like a ripped from the headlines true crime book…you might like Nellie Bly
Ten Days in a Mad House is Bly’s account of the her time undercover in Blackwell’s Island, the infamous women’s asylum. The account caused as a sensation when it was published as the institution’s brutal treatment was exposed. Bonus points for reading: Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe.
If historical fiction is your favorite, you might like…A Tale of Two Cities.
Dickens classic is the story of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror told through the saga of Doctor Manette, former prisoner of the Bastille. Dickens can be wordy and sentimental, but the characters and time period are intense and draw in the reader. Bonus points for reading Romola by George Eliot.
If you like books with elements of magic, fantasy, or science fiction, you might like…A Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde’s classic tale of vanity, wealth, and hedonism is as profound and as affecting as it was when it was published. Bonus points for reading H.G. Wells
Written 4/1/20 by Ellen
