Posted on August 27, 2020 at 1:50 PM by Maggie Witte
The year is over half finished…and what a year it’s been. The pandemic has kept many of us inside, away from others, with, at times, only books as companions. That can be great, but for those of you who are voracious readers, it may feel like you’ve read everything we have to offer in the genres/subjects you love. And, for some of you, that may be the case.
We’re always adding new books, but at times, not enough to keep up with demand, especially in regard to westerns or Amish/Christian fiction. So, we want to connect you to books similar to what you’ve been reading but with something extra added in, something unusual or extraordinary, to your usual standard read. You may be thinking, “No way”, “Heck no”, but put your trust in us and maybe you’ll find that you love a little magic, have an interest in worlds beyond Earth, enjoy riding along on cattle drives, or thrill at finding new possibilities in books you would never would have picked out for yourself.
This list of books don’t fit precisely into a single genre, making them perfect for trying out something new and a little different. Try reading one of these books and find out if you’re more than just a cowboy set on justice or a wizard-in-training.
Happy reading!!
DB 76240 The six-gun tarot: Golgotha, book 1 by R.S. Belcher
1869. On the run from his past in the Nevada desert, fifteen-year-old Jim Negrey is rescued and taken to the town of Golgotha. But when a dark menace threatens, Jim discovers that while he can outrun his past, he may not live to see the future. Violence. 2013.
DB 93009 An easy death: Gunnie Rose, book 1 by Charlaine Harris
Gunnie Lizbeth Rose is hired by two Russian sorcerers to be their local guide through East Texas in a version of America that collapsed after FDR's assassination in the 1930s. They are looking for the daughter of a dead sorcerer, who the Russians believe will save their emperor-in-exile. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2018.
DB 92468 The Buntline special: a weird west tale, book 1 by Michael D. Resnick
In an alternate American frontier that contains magic, Wyatt Earp and his brothers are hired to protect a government agent named Thomas Alva Edison seeking a scientific counter to magic. Before long, however, battle lines are drawn, and the undead have come to fight. Strong language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. 2010.
DB 83092 Walk on Earth a stranger: Goldscryer saga, book 1 by Rae Carson
1849. Sensing gold in the earth around her, Lee Westfall tries to hide her valuable secret from people who would take advantage of her. But when her personal world shatters, she flees to the gold rush in California to start over. Some violence. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2015.
DB 85040 Amish vines and orchards series by Cindy Woodsmall
Four novels of Amish woman Rhoda Byler and her struggles to use her gift for growing things while balancing her faith, her community, her business venture, and love. Contains A Season for Tending, The Winnowing Season, For Every Season, and Seasons of Tomorrow. 2014
DB 94321 Black: the birth of evil: the Circle series, book 1 by Ted Dekker
A virulent evil has been unleashed upon the people of the earth, an unstoppable force bent on the destruction of all that is good. Only Thomas Hunter can stop it, and he has been killed. Twice. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2004.
DB 71232 The dark divine, book 1 by Bree Despain
Grace Divine, almost seventeen, learns a dark secret when her childhood friend Daniel returns and upsets her pastor-father and her brother Jude. Around the same time, the rumor of the Markham Street Monster besieges their small Minnesota community. Some violence. For junior and senior high readers. 2010.
DB 47462 Left behind: a novel of the earth’s last days: Left Behind series, book 1 by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
As Captain Rayford Steele pilots a plane across the Atlantic, his senior flight attendant, Hattie Durham, gives him the shocking news that half the passengers have disappeared. Before long, he learns that people are missing all over the world. Rayford, his priest, and several others form the Tribulation Force to fight the Antichrist. Prequel to Tribulation Force (RC 47463).
DB 91608 The tea master and the detective by Aliette de Bodard
The sentient spaceship The Shadow's Child has been scarred by war, and now brews tea for travelers in a backwater asteroid belt. Consulting detective Long Chau hires the ship to recover a dead body from deep space. 2018.
DB 75334 Coyote wind and Specimen song: Gabriel Du Pre, books 1-2 by Peter Bowen
Montana. In Coyote Wind cattle-brand inspector and part-time lawman Gabriel Du Pré investigates when a human skull with a bullet hole is found among the thirty-year-old wreckage of a plane. In Specimen Song Du Pré probes a Cree woman's murder while visiting Washington, D.C. Strong language and some violence. 1995.
DB 69906 The cold dish: Walt Longmire, book 1 by Craig Johnson
Absaroka County, Wyoming. Sheriff Walter Longmire investigates the shooting death of Cody Pritchard, who was convicted of raping a young Native American girl two years ago. As tensions rise in the community, Walt begins to fear his friend Henry Standing Bear may be involved. Strong language and some violence. 2005.
DB 67342 Storm front: Dresden files, book 1 by Jim Butcher
Chicago. Harry Dresden, a wizard-for-hire specializing in paranormal investigations, helps the police probe the murders of mob enforcer Tommy and Tommy's lover, Jennifer, an escort who worked for a powerful vampire. Clues indicate rogue sorcery, but there are no leads and no suspects. Some violence and some strong language. 2000.
DB 82358 The winter witch: Shadow chronicles, book 2 by Paula Brackston
In nineteenth-century Wales, Morgana has been mute since she was a girl but has the growing powers of a witch. When she marries a man from a distant village, some of her husband's neighbors distrust Morgana's powers, and one woman seems set on destroying her. Some descriptions of sex. 2013.
DB 75214 Shadow of night: All souls trilogy, book 2 by Deborah E. Harkness
Diana and Matthew, from A Discovery of Witches (DB 72629), find themselves in Elizabethan England. Court intrigues demand their attention as they search for the enchanted Ashmole manuscript and Diana struggles to understand her powers. Descriptions of sex and some violence. Bestseller. 2012.
DB 26960 Lightning by Dean Koontz
Throughout her thirty years, Laura Shane has been trailed by a tall, blonde, blue-eyed stranger who mysteriously appears with a bolt of lightning and rescues her from injury or death. She silently accepts him as her guardian angel until one snowy day, after saving her family from a fatal car crash, he reveals his true identity and his desperate need for her help. Some violence. Bestseller.
DB 95638 Recursion by Blake Crouch
Neuroscientist Helena Smith has dedicated her life to the preservation and re-experiencing of memories. Meanwhile, New York City cop Barry Sutton investigates the devastating False Memory Syndrome. When a terrifying opponent attacks the very fabric of the past, Barry and Helena must work together to defeat it. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.
DB 73931 11/22/63 by Stephen King
The dying owner of Al's Diner has a shocking request for his friend, English teacher Jake Epping: go back in time through a portal in Al's storeroom and stop JFK's assassination. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2011.
DB 82473 Lightless, book 1 by C.A. Higgins
Althea has established a bond with the electronic systems aboard an experimental military spacecraft. When terrorists board, Althea must defend her beloved ship, even after the ship's systems begin to malfunction and the crew becomes increasingly suspicious. It is the terrorists' mission, however, that changes Althea. Violence and strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2015.