Reading Recommendations

Lake Country Press & Reviews

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This team is dedicated to not only writing but sharing books we've read and loved.

This page showcases our individual book tastes!

Check them out if you're in search of a great book or just want to see some of our personal favorites.

CLICK THE BOOK IMAGE FOR LINKS

**always check all books for trigger warnings and age appropriateness before reading**

brittany's bibliofile

Fav read of 2021!

To me, this book was the epitome of storytelling. Bittersweet and life-changing.

"Never pray to the gods that answer after dark."--The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Jamie Fraser remains one of my all-time favorite characters. The imagery and story in Outlander are gorgeous and all-encompassing.

I get so lost in this book every time I open it up.

While the world-building was intense, I ended up falling in love with this book and can't wait for the second installment. Hunt Athalar and Bryce Quinlan were a fun, bantering pair!

"Light it up!"-- House of Earth and Blood

Demons and snark, and fantasy oh my!

This gem is gloriously twisty and dark. I couldn't put it down. The sequel, SOUL STRUNG releases soon and I am dying for more Drayvex and Ruby!

kirsten's korner

Brilliantly witty, funny, heartfelt, sexy, and un-put-downable.

Complicated and beautiful. This will challenge you and make you look at your life differently than you did yesterday. I clutched it to my chest and cried when it was over.

If you still haven't read this, what are you waiting for??

A comfort read I come back to over and over.

Carrie's stories are humor and a gift that keeps on giving.

s. reed's section

A brief step back in time and a real coming of age story. It made me pine for a time that I'd never lived in, but absolutely want to. It's one part mystery and one part light thriller, bookended by a love story.

My first ever Stephen King book, and the novel that put a jet-pack on my writing ambitions. It's a story that scared me, grossed me out, but above all--inspired me to take a chance on my own dream.

Wow, ok. I read this book when I wasn't in the happiest place, but it made me evaluate my life in a way I didn't think a book could. This is a must-read for any human. It's about the huge, dastardly question, "what if"? The question that taunts us all. Sometimes you're right where you're meant to be.

And the grass isn't always greener.

The second in a series, but the first written by Chizmar, (first co-written by King) tells the story of a grown Gwendy, who's now in a position of power, but did she get that on her own, or did the mysterious Pandora's box help her get it. A nice, quick read.

beka's bookshelf

This series surprised me at every turn and they are also a big comfort read for me. The MC is clever, powerful, and wraps you around her finger from the first page.

This series is a steadfast comfort read for me. The books are entertaining, the romances are swoonworthy, and there are so many characters that steal your heart

This YA series is an incredible journey from start to finish. The books keep you on the edge of your seat and constantly have you wondering if the MC is going to be the hero or the villain.

This series has an incredibly unique world, refreshing takes on familiar monsters, and so much romance and banter it makes your heart sing.

Unique, neurodivergent MC, excellent steam, and super sweet love interesting.

Romance dynamic I rarely see, shy love interest, super engaging story. Explosive ending.

Because vampires!

jayme's journal

Great starter for Urban Fantasy, one I always recommend first. It's free on Kindle too!

Be sure to check the order of this series as they are so many, but it's such a fun world.

A spooky tale of lost souls and tragedies.

clare's cubby

One of the best adult contemporaries I've ever read!! So compelling and so important--this book is packed with diversity, complexities, and conversations you don't want to miss. I was always so compelled to pick it up and keep reading!

My most recent favorite! This book's romance and fantasy setting were both great, but I also enjoyed our focus on our main heroine and her growth--while I'm a sucker for a good romance, it was awesome to see so much focus on her growth individually too.

This is definitely for fans of City of Bones (also on this list); definitely not for everyone as it's very *early 2000s YA* but it is exactly up my alley--demons, humor, and great character relationships!

This was my favorite book of 2020; we also have demons (there's a theme in what I like lol), dark academia, and an amazing heroine with a lot of layers. I LOVED all these characters, especially Darlington. If he and Alex don't have a romance in the rest of the books I will die of sadness.

This one is another contemporary, but this one is a bit of a genre-bender. It's also a multi-media book, which I LOVED and made it an easy one to breeze through.

These were the books of my youth!!! If you love fun, funny, and creative settings and characters, pick these up. I know there are a million books and it's confusing but seriously, getting into all the drama with these characters is so worth it.

This book is a short but very bittersweet contemporary with a bit of a sci-fi twist. I started off just enjoying it okay, but as the story builds it really tugs you in and wins you over hard. We follow 3 different storylines/times, and it was just so cool to see them all woven together by the end of the story. I'm a sucker for multiple characters/timelines...

check out my own book to see more of that lol!

allie's attic

Fangirl, the book that started it all, is a college-based romance book starring Cath, a fangirl for a fictional book series,Simon Snow. Fangirl is perfectly balanced between Cath’s real life, falling in love for the first time and dealing with being away from home, as well as losing closeness with her twin despite being at the same college. Escaping reality, Cath is the author of an acclaimed fanfiction, Carry On, Simon, where the main character Simon falls for his bitter enemy, vampire Baz. We see interludes of her writing in between chapters.

I fell in LOVE with Simon and Baz which is why I was so happy when Rainbow Rowell released the amazing Carry On that takes us into Cath’s version of the Simon Snow series. A terrific YA M/M slow-burn urban fantasy romance. There’s not much I can say without spoilers, but Simon and Baz have amazing banter, chemistry, and Baz, especially, will forever be a favorite character of mine.

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. Do NOT let the travesty of the movie deter you, this book series is FIRE. While slow-burn, forbidden romance that spans all books aren’t usually my thing, the overarching storyline of the six books, and the wit of the main character, Rose, were so compelling, it fast became my favorite series to reread time and time again. I love it. Could not recommend more!

An enemies-to-lovers slow-burn between two fiancés hellbent on getting the other to call off their wedding first and they don’t mind playing dirty to get their way. Hilarious, light, fluffy, cute, mildly steamy, Adult Romance.

This book!

A YA romance that goes so deep beyond the typical for the genre. Juliet writes letters to her traveling photo-journalist mother, even after her death. After leaving one at her mother’s gravesite, Juliet is astounded to find a response on her next visit.

Declan Murphy is doing court-ordered community service when he finds Juliet’s letter. Compelled by her, he writes back and starts a back-and-forth that sparks an immediate connection between the two strangers. But unbeknownst to Declan and Juliet, they aren’t strangers at all…

I LOVED THIS BOOK. The format, the story, the connection between characters. I would recommend EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

ann's author nook

camri's choices

One of the most nauseating books I've ever read! The protagonists are children reminiscent of Stephen King, almost unlikable in their sincerity. Perfect! I was terrified and engrossed and just plain grossed. Highly recommend it if you love horror and are terrified of biological warfare.

This is an all-time favorite. Uncanny and strange with a bit of romance. It's part horror, part documentary, part literary fiction. Really unpacks what literature is and what potential it can reach through format and structure. A weird read.

My favorite read of 2022 so far! This book AFFECTED me. Disturbing and beautifully written, it made me feel guilty for being a human being. Factory farming is more gruesome than ever! Body and psychological horror.

This is my comfort romance series! I normally don't read romance unless it's paranormal, and this paranormal world feels real! The characters are so fleshed out and the world is well built and detailed. I have all 19!

Such a clever dystopian. A loose biblical retelling starring teens and children. It was dark and terrifying, but surprisingly funny. Every sentence was a punch to the gut. I couldn't put it down.

My current read that I cannot get enough of! Haunting of Hill House meets The Yellow Wallpaper, unnerving and oddly glamorous. A 1950's haunting in Mexico and I don't know if I'm more afraid of the house or its residents.

My favorite non-fiction! A great book for both macabre and non-macabre readers! It's just so interesting! A deep dive into death and decay as well as rituals and practices used to handle death and dying throughout history and culture! Amazing.