Have you read a book you love and want to read something similar but you are not sure where to start?
Read-alikes are books and authors that have certain similar elements, be they tone, setting, depth of characterization or type of plot.
Let’s say you loved the Hunger Games trilogy and want to know what to read next. Suzanne Collins has written an action-packed, character-driven, fast paced survival story set in a dystopian society. Add in a bit of romance and fantasy, and you’ve got Cinder by Marissa Meyer. This fast-paced adventure combines the magic of a fairy tale and the breakneck excitement of dystopian fiction. Best of all, Cinderella is a cyborg!
Perhaps you are a mystery lover waiting for Elizabeth George’s latest, A Banquet of Consequences. There are some great books to choose from while your hold on this title moves up the list. You might try Ruth Rendell’s Wexford series. Like George, Rendell explores complex cases with psychological aspects. Her detective team has a similar dynamic to George’s and both use intuition as well as deduction in finding a solution. You could also choose a book by Peter Robinson. His novels have a strong sense of place and he weaves contemporary social issues into his crime stories. His characters are well developed and just as interesting as the complex mysteries they solve.
If historical fiction is your passion, you have probably read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Mantel has an atmospheric, stylistically complex and richly detailed writing style. If you’d like to try another writer like her, check out Alison Weir. Weir writes compelling richly detailed and descriptive historical novels and, like Mantel, her novels are well-researched. Weir is known for her biographies based on British and European history. When she turned her hand to fiction, she was able to render compelling insights into the lives of historical figures. Innocent Traitor, A Novel of Lady Jane Grey is a good place to begin. Perhaps you’re ready for a really weighty tome such as The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George. Be prepared for many pages of a character-driven, leisurely-paced approach that will give an intimate view of Henry VIII.
Many readers enjoy true stories. Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is an emotional and inspiring memoir of how one young woman changed her life after experiencing divorce, drug use and the loss of her mother. The appeal of her writing comes from her honesty and bravery while she battles her demons alone on the trail. The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed by John Vaillant is a fascinating, award-winning story that explores the mystery of a man who chainsaws a legendary Sitka spruce that was an object of reverence to the Haida people, and then disappears. This is a well-written and thoughtful examination of the culture of west coast loggers and what happens when one individual goes rogue. Both of these writers exemplify the descriptive and engaging writing style of a really good true story.
What’s next on your reading list? Drop by your local library to discover your next read.
--A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Susan Clark works at Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
