Universal Book Recommendations

So I know a lot of people in these unsettling times are looking for things to read. I feel like a lot of times people want really specific book recommendations like just like X,Y, and Z that they have previously read. But I think that there are lots of books that people would like if they picked it up. So here is a list of universal book recommendations that I think at the least people will enjoy reading.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (pseudonym): This is an autobiographical collection of stories of an English vet in the 1930s. We start with James as a new young vet surgeon in Yorkshire.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I feel like most people have at least heard of this book or at least the TV show. It is a dystopian classic about a woman adjusting to a new world order.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: Milo is a bored boy who is stuck alone in his room, when one day the phantom tollbooth shows up. He is transported to the Kingdom of Wisdom where something is amiss. Bonus- you will learn what letters of the alphabet taste like.

Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg: Another nonfiction! (I actually surprised myself in this). Journey into the Whirlwind is a autobiography of a journalist who lived during Stalin’s reign. Most has to do with her time in the Gulag and relationship that formed in the Soviet Union.

The White Dragon by Anne McCaffery: This is a classic set on the World of Pern. It follows Jaxom, a young man trying to find his place in the world as a ruler and a dragon rider. He and the white dragon (who is not supposed to exist) are try to prove their place in the world.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire: This is a short mystery about a school. A school where children find their way after returning to this earth from a portal world. There is something for everyone and it’s a a quick story.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: (Adult Recommendation) This is a graphic novel series that follows a two soldiers on the opposite side of raging galactic war have fallen in love and had a child together. It has great artwork and is a beautiful fresh story.