Great Books to Curl Up with this Fall
/On Episode 21 of Hang Your Hat I discussed some of the science behind creating a reading nook that will perfectly suit you, the reader, as well as some unscientific accessories that will serious seriously amp up the cosy factor. You should totally check it out.
But no reading nook is complete without some great books. Here are a few of my current favorites (not necessarily my all-time favorites, but the ones I am enjoying right now).
The Bobiverse Book Series
Currently, this is my favorite new book series. I absolutely LOVE it! Bob is a self-replicating space probe (a Von Neumann probe if you want to be technical about it), that is on a mission to explore space and save humanity. Throughout it all, he maintains a great sense of humor and a sense of wonder. He is the kind of space probe that I could become friends with, and I have grown attached to him and his many copies while reading the 3 books in the series that have been published so far.
The Dresden Files Series
The Dresden Files is an Urban Fantasy series featuring Harry Dresden, a wizard detective. Jim Butcher, the author of this series is a New York Times best-selling author and it is easy to see why in this series. He is able to seamlessly meld irreverent humor and fun with issues of life and death, love, family dysfunction, and faith. I actually prefer the audiobook version of this series as read by James Marsters (you might remember his as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer), to the physical book. Marsters completely embodies the character of Dresden, which makes this series an engrossing listen.
Anansi Boys
If you have not already made yourself acquainted with the work of Neil Gaiman, you should. It will give you a completely new perspective on the world around you, and leave you wondering what you would find if you were able to scratch the surface of reality. Anansi Boys can be thought of as a companion book to American Gods, as it was written along the same theme. The Anansi Boys are the sons of the trickster god Anansi, and the book explores their life, origin, and family dynamics.
Sherlock Holmes as read by Stephen Fry
I love Sherlock Holmes. I have multiple versions of the complete collection, and I enjoy them all, but this version read by Stephen Fry is my new favorite. His reading draws me into the story in a way that I have never experienced before. It is like I am there standing next to Holmes in his rooms at Baker Street watching him solve the mystery.
The Cormoran Strike series is about a disabled vet who works as a detective, his assistant Robin, and their outrageous cases. Don't be fooled by the author's name, Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, and while the Strike series isn's even in the same genre as Harry Potter her creativity, attention to detail and wide knowledge base still shines through like it did in Harry Potter. In case you were thinking this is a good series to give to the kids after they finish Harry Potter, fair warning - this is NOT a kid's series. This one is also being picked up as a TV series as well, so stay tuned. I only hope it is as good as the books.
If you have a recommendation for a good book everyone should make time to read this fall, please let me know about it in the comments. I am always on the hunt for new books, and I am sure other readers would appreciate the recommendation too.
