Book Recommendations...

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next!

Absolutely! According to Novelist, the fourth book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter original series by Laurell K, Hamilton is The Lunatic Cafe. 

2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster-paced though.

Great! From what I could find on Novelist, I believe that Three Gold Coins by Josephine Moon, A Song Over Miskwaa Rapids by Linda LeGarde Grover, and The Waterworks by E.L. Doctorow may be good fits for what you’re looking for. Prodigal Summer’s writing is descriptive, lush, and lyrical. All three recommendations match that writing style in at least two aspects, as well as being described as fast-paced.

3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there!

Certainly! After searching on Novelist, I found The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery, Blossoms and Shadows and Across the Nightingale Floor both by Lian Hearn, and Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka. All of these books are described as having richly detailed descriptions and a historical setting in Japan.

4. I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

I have found a couple suggestions from my explorations through blogs, library sites, and Goodreads. I suggest reading A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie, which is good if you’d like to jump into a series with plenty of books ahead and it features another Scotland Yard lead. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd is another first book in a long mystery series that should keep you entertained if you like it! 

5. My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

I’ve seen some buzz on the internet about Devil’s Wake by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due. In this book, aliens are the ones who release the zombie plague, so that might be an interesting change! Cell by Stephen King is another interesting take on zombies– cell phones are the ones that cause the zombification. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey was transformed into a movie recently, and the book provides a glimpse into what it would look like if not all zombies were mindless monsters.

6. I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

Oh boy, this is where I excel. My Abandonment by Peter Rock was turned into a movie in 2018 starring Thomasin Mackenzie, who has been coming into her own recently in the indie film scene. If you’re looking for a bold, fresh take on a classic novel, The Personal History of David Copperfield was released in 2019 and features an all-star cast, based on the Charles Dickens novel of the titular character. James Baldwin’s classic 1974 story If Beale Street Could Talk was recently turned into a movie in 2018 with great reviews! Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan is a romance that was published in 2013 and quickly turned into a movie in 2018. Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta was published in 2014, and then turned into a movie starring Angelina Jolie in 2021.

7. I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast-paced.

I’ve got you. I recommend Still Life by Louise Penny, and beginning with the first book (Where Are the Children?) by Mary Higgins Clark.

I loved finding new books to read, but often it can be hard to come across recommendations when you're doing it intentionally. Often it seems that it's easier to find a book when you aren't looking for one right now in the first place. Truly, my only book recommendation resources are the dynamic shelves my library boasts with books on display, and Goodreads. I really only use Goodreads for tracking my reading progress in books, but just as often, I am on there finding new books to read based on ones I have read before! It's a great tool and a smart resource for tracking yearly reading goals and wanting to know how much more of a book you need to read.