Great news! People are still reading books. Not only that, but they have some great recommendations for your 2017 
reading list. Virtually every genre is represented here, so read something you haven’t read before and mark off “do something new and different this year” from your New Year’s Resolutions list.
Best reads for relaxation, career
Roslyn Tanner Evans of Earth and Moon Design, a custom-jewelry company, said, “For relaxation, I read Lisa Scottoline. A prolific female mystery writer with plots, characters, scenarios that have me laughing, trying to solve the mystery and marveling at her surprises.”
She also suggested a few favorite authors for women, because they write about women and life circumstances that could happen to any of us – Jodi Picoult and Elizabeth Berg.
“Any and all of their books are great,” Roz said.
”A more complicated thriller spy author is Daniel Silva. His main spy is Israeli with settings in Europe, Middle East, etc. A lot of historical background as well.
“An author I haven’t read yet, highly recommended by my two intellectual and published authors themselves is Amos Oz. My friend suggested Don’t Call It Night and A Tale of Life & Darkness. Oz is a famous Israeli author.”
Jenny Bell, a former independent bookseller, recommends Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. “I also just read Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg. It’s another sad one but well written.”
Pamela Osiecki Forde, one of my beloved Minnesota cousins, said, “Can’t go wrong with Lisa Scottoline, Louise Erdrich, Jodi Picoult, Ann Patchen, Michael Connolly, Ken Follett, Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, john Grisham, Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath still makes me sob), Joyce Carol Oates (We Were the Mulvaneys another sob-inducing book!).”
Billie Jo Kilgore added authors Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Tess Gerritsen, Tom Corcoran and Stephen King to her all-time favorite reading list.
Former Keys neighbor Susan Smith Sparkes said she read, on her sister’s recommendation, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Cutting for Stone.
“Both very thought-provoking, yet totally different,“ Sue said. “Cutting for Stone was a very slow start for me, but at about 30 percent of the way in, it became very interesting and worth finishing. Other than those, ‘hard’ science fiction is my favorite escape read!”
My good Key Largo friend Karen Beal said, “Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is proving a good read. Poetic, and yet about women in the world of science-research-technology.”
“Knowing Your Value and Growing Your Value by Mika Brzezinski are great books for women about knowing how to articulate their worth and getting paid for it!” said Christy Brennan Soukhamneut of Starkey Mortgage.
“Growing Your Value takes it a step further with combining and merging the concepts of can you have it all or taking your inner value and your professional value and meshing those two in a way that works for you.”
Tami Fazel, the Gleeful Grandiva from Down Under, agrees with Roz.
“We have the same reading tastes,” she said. “I just read two Daniel Silva books these holidays and loved them. I’ve read just about everything Jodi Picoult has written – absolutely adore her books.”
Nancy Lucchesi of Unleashed Mobile Apps noted that one of her favorite authors is Kathie Giorgio. “I highly recommend them when you want to escape from your hectic day.”
Best reads for personal development
Teresa Salhi, a women’s empowerment coach at Empower the Dream, said she’s read a ton of wonderful books but these three are the top of her list.
The Slight Edge is “an oldie but goodie” by Jeff Olson, she said. “He takes self-help and chunks it down to make success steps simple vs. overwhelming and hard. Small daily actions. I used it with my team in corporate and now for my private coaching clients.”
Another of Teresa’s favorite books is Wishes Fulfilled by the late Wayne Dyer.
“Brilliant book filled with life lessons and how to harness your true inner power of imagination and big dreamin’ for an extraordinary life. My bedtime go-to.”
She also likes The Age of Miracles by Marianne Williamson. “For the mid-lifers who are ready to use any challenges in life and now to finally make sense of them and not settle any longer,” Teresa noted.
Author Beverley Golden of Canada said Dark Money by Jane Mayer is a “must-read for anyone who wants to understand why we have arrived at the place we have in our economic and political history. And I don’t even live in the U.S.
“It uncovers the ‘movement’ by a small group of billionaires (oil, coal, big pharma, etc.) who have been using their money to dismantle the political system and democracy as we know it! A fascinating and insightful read.”
Another book she recommends is by Adam Grant called The Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World.
Lynda S. Bradeen recommends The Afterlife of Billy Fingers by Annie Kagan. She calls it “an adventure into the life of the author following her brother’s death and their conversations after he is dead. Very stimulating as in things that make you go ‘hmm…’”
“As someone who is a professional leader and deeply introverted in an extrovert world, I highly recommend Susan Cain’s book: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Quit Talking,” said Paula Hoffman, an old childhood friend from Minnesota, who is the director of academic success at Pine Technical and Community College. “This is a valuable read for extroverts and introverts.”
I can see a number of books I’ll be adding to my reading list this year.
How about you? What recommendations do you have for fun and/or serious reads? Please share in the comments.
So many great books to add to my reading list. Thanks for compiling Jackie.
Happy to do it, Christy, and thanks so much for your contribution to the list!
Awesome collection of books and reading. I love to read.. and don’t make as much time as I should. I read at the gym. I have vowed to read more this year… for fun and then for personal growth. Thanks for this Jackie
Glad I could help, Kristen! There were about 3-4 books mentioned here that sound destined for my resource library. Many of the fiction books I can get (and have) from my local public library.
Oh, do I SO love you promoting books, Jackie! And as an author, my heart just sings to see folks reading Literary fiction. Thank you to all the readers out there!
I’m a big reader myself, Susan, and have been meaning to check out some new books. This seemed like a perfect way to get out of my own head.
What a great list Jackie. There is nothing like reading a good book and being taken away on its journey. I’ve added some of these to my reading list.
Good deal, Tami! I’m adding some to my list, too. Thanks for the authors you suggested.
What a very extensive and wide-ranging list of books, Jackie! Thanks to all who offered some suggestions. I don’t know where to start with this list to be honest! I just got Bernie Sanders new book “Our Revolution” from the library and can’t wait to read it! After that, I just might try some of the authors Roslyn and Tami suggest. It will be a change of pace for me from the types of books I generally read too! Happy reading all…
You’re welcome, Beverley, and thanks so much for your contributions. I’m like you — focused on a particular genre (generally escapist!) that allows me to get out of my head and someplace else entirely.
Looks like you have a group of readers who enjoy cop stuff. My very favorites are James Lee Burke, the Robichaux series;, and Michael Connelly, the Bosch series. Great writers and very realistic stories.
Love the other recommendations and will add them to my list. Thanks!
So true, Jenny. James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors. What I like about his characters is that everyone is great, everyone is flawed in their own human way. Reinforces my understanding that nothing is black or white. And thanks for your original suggestions.
What a great list! I love to read, and love having books preloaded on my kindle. Will be adding some of these!
Good deal, Robin! And I agree — a great list. I’m grateful to everyone who contributed, as I, too, love to read and am always on the lookout for new and exciting authors.
I am an avid reader..preferring mystery. After reading thousands of books, the exceptional authors rise to the top. A couple not mentioned here that are MUST READS. Louise Penny. Enthralling books set in the mythical town of Three Pines in Quebec.. and Jeffrey Deaver for his ability to still surprise me with his plots.
Have never heard of Louise Penny, Alene; I’m intrigued! Since I’m going to the library today, I’ll have to see if any of her books are available. Of course, Deaver has always been on my list of must-read authors. Thanks for the suggestion!
Jackie,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post with the books of some of our best here. I am really interested and will take a look .This was a great idea and appreciate the sentiment.
Hope your holidays were lovely.
Lori English
Thanks, Lori. The idea grew out of my own curiosity about what was out there and what people recommended for the year. My holidays were terrific; hope yours were too.
So appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this list. In the process, I have so many other wonderful sounding authors to add to my notes. I’m in the library weekly and love having an extensive reference file. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to submit choices.
I second that, Roz. And thank you for your suggestions. It looks like we have similar tastes in reading material.
Terrific list and fun way to compile it, too. Thanks, Jackie!
Glad you liked it, Reba. I went to the library last night and put in my request for several of the titles listed here.
So many wonderful books to read! Awesome list 🙂 Thanks for sharing Jackie!! Happy New Year!!
Thank you, Joan, and the same to you!
For once there is a list of books here that I have not had the chance to read yet. The one about the introverts sounds like a winner for me to try. So many books so little time to read! Thank you Jackie for such a great list!
So glad I could bring that list to you, Cheryl. It occurred to me after I published it that I didn’t add my own recommendations to the list. Maybe another time, right?
I’m so happy to have a bunch of book recommendations. I love to read but mostly what I have been reading is self-help. Finally, while holiday shopping, picked myself up two of the James Patterson bookshots. I really love that idea because I was actually able to read one in a few hours of downtime over the holiday. One of my all time favorites is Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, and it’s sequel World Without End – could read them over and over!
Gosh…I haven’t read anything by Follett in a long time. Re Patterson: His early books were fabulous. Not so much now that he “co-writes” them with others, which I think means he comes up with the plot and others do the writing. 🙂 You and I are on the opposite sides of the spectrum — I almost always read fiction as opposed to self-help. I’d like to change that this year. Thanks for your comments. Mindy.
Some nice reading tips here from our fellow STL peeps 🙂 Regarding crime novels, for me Harlan Coben is a great writer.
I love Harlan Coben! Good call, Katarina. Thanks for mentioning him.
First of all, happy New Year Jackie and I LOVE your new website! Now, on to books… I haven’t read a fiction book in a long while. At the moment, I’m a bit obsessed with business books. My sales copywriting skills aren’t as nearly as fine tuned as some of my other abilities, so I’ve been reading more about psychology and conversion. “Dotcom Secrets” by Russell Brunson and “The Invisible Selling Machine” by Ryan Deiss are two good ones. As a Twitter fan, you’re probably not surprised that I also love Mike Kawula’s “Twitter Marketing That Sells” book as well. I enjoy mysteries with a bit of humor, so I’m going to add Lisa Scottoline to my list based on your article. Good stuff!
Thanks, Meghan. Mindy Iannelli did a great job on the site; I’ve very pleased. Still have some tweaks to make but hey, the search engines love it when you tweak! And I appreciate your recommendations on books, too. Psychology and conversion sound good to me! I’ll add them to my list, too. (Scottoline is a great choice for fiction.)
I like your list and have bookmarked this page as I have numerous unread books on my shelves already. Particularly interested in reading Susan Cain’s book on introverts.
Glad you like the list, Rachel. I found a number of books that sounded like they’d be good, including the introverts one. Great minds, etc. 🙂
This compilation sounds like a great selection. I need to check them. I am not into reading fiction. The personal development resonates with me more. I am currently reading Non Violent Communication by Rosenberg.
Thanks for the recommendation by Rosenberg, Lorii. Sounds good. I’ve been doing more fiction reading than anything else, but I just heard from my local library that a couple of personal development books I requested are now in. Woot!
I’ve been an avid reader since I was a child and loved getting a sneak peek at the books you suggest. I loved the book Cutting for Stone. Right now I am re-reading Waldon Two by B.F. Skinner for the fifth or sixth time. A couple all-time favorite novels are Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light we Cannot See. I have a couple non-fiction books published and really look forward to completing my novel It Smells Like Venice this year.
Congrats on your book-publishing ventures, Candess. Great news! I always wanted to write novels and instead opted for a career in the newspaper business, which lasted 30 years. No regrets. I enjoyed Kingsolver back in the day, although I haven’t read anything of hers recently. I see she’s got a new book out. I’ll have to check out the Skinner book. Thanks for your recommendations.
I love to read. One of my favorite authors made the list, Ken Follet. I’m finishing his Century Trilogy now. I just love historical fiction. It’s such a great way to get a history refresher while also gaining insight into the nuances of the times.
I read Follet years ago and enjoyed his books. I also love historical fiction, including Anne Perry (if you haven’t read any of her novels). It really takes you to a new place, doesn’t it? Thanks for your comments, Jennifer.
? Books!! My favorite thing… seriously. I love these books and have read many of them. My all time favorite has to be The power of your subconscious mind by Joseph Murray. Excellent overview of how our mind works and how to leverage your mind for healing.
Wow…good deal, Tandy! I’ll definitely put this on my list, too. Thanks for the head’s up.
Need to add a few of these books to my list. I love to read. My new favorite auther is Charles Martin. Loved his Water From My Heart as well as The Mountain Between Us which is going to be a movie.
I’m a big reader, too, Karen. I’ve never heard of Charles Martin but will check him out. Thanks for rhe recommendation.
Awesome collection of books and reading. I love to read.. and don’t make as much time as I should. I have vowed to read more this year… for fun and then for personal growth.
Thanks for this .
Terrific goal. Most of my reading is for fun; I want to do more in personal and professional development. Thanks for stopping by!