About a Boy by Nick Hornby

Pre-teen, Marcus, pretty much hates his life. His “mum” is always crying, his dad isn’t around and the kids at school think he’s totally weird. Through his mom’s friend, Marcus meets Will, an almost 40-year-old man who doesn’t work, due to an inheritance from his father who wrote a cheesy and popular Christmas jingle. Will doesn’t have friends, not real ones anyway, and he definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend.

These two lost souls connect and Marcus finds what he’s been missing in a father figure and Will finds a family who like him for himself and not his material possessions.

Check out other books by Nick Hornby.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Controversy has encompassed this novel, due to its in-depth look at abortion. However, as many readers will see, this book is not just about abortion, but a character study. Dr. Wilbur Lurch is the director and doctor of an orphanage in St.Clouds, Maine and becomes the father figure to orphan Homer. Homer later becomes Dr. Lurch’s assistant.

The book spans several generations, following most of Homer’s life. Homer spends some time on the coast of Maine, works on an apple orchard and eventually returns to the orphanage where he was raised. Homer’s setting, his constant struggle to figure out who he is and the chaos of World War II as a backdrop, makes this novel a timeless masterpiece.

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, is a globally renowned fantasy saga following the journey of Harry Potter, a young wizard destined to defeat the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. Across seven books, Harry, alongside friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, navigates the magical world, attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The series blends themes of friendship, courage, love, and sacrifice with thrilling adventures, mysterious plots, and magical creatures. Its richly imagined world, memorable characters, and universal messages captivated readers worldwide. Adapted into successful films, Harry Potter remains a cultural phenomenon and an enduring symbol of childhood wonder.

The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

The Twilight series, written by Stephenie Meyer, is a romantic fantasy saga centred around Bella Swan, a human, and Edward Cullen, a vampire. Spanning four books, the story explores their intense, forbidden love, complicated by supernatural conflicts and dangers.

Themes of love, immortality, and choice are woven into a narrative filled with werewolves, vampires, and a love triangle involving Bella’s close friend, Jacob Black. Set in the misty town of Forks, Washington, the series captivates readers with its passionate romance and emotional drama. Adapted into blockbuster films, Twilight became a global phenomenon, inspiring a devoted fanbase and reshaping vampire lore.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This novel is an absolute classic–you can’t go wrong with Austen. Many people might shutter at the thought of reading classic literature, but Pride & Prejudice is different than other classic novels you might have been forced to read in school. It’s witty, dramatic and political.

Set at the turn of the 19th century, this novel is written from the perspective of Elizabeth Bennett, a young girl coming of age, experiencing romantic debacles (and successes) and her struggle with the aristocratic society she lives in.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gro=uen

This is an absolutely superb book about a young man who drops out of Ivy League college and runs away with the circus. Set in the Depression Era, this book is a character study on all the circus performers (and the animals too!).

Gruen is one of the most vivid writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. You can smell the animals, see the barren land they travel over and feel the intensity between the disgruntled workers.

Land O’Goshen by Charles McNair

Set in Goshen, Alabama, this is the tale of a cynical, rough boy named Buddy and a sweet, innocent girl named Cissy. The two journey through the woods of Alabama, surviving off the land. Buddy and Cissy share their past with one another and both fill a void within themselves with each other’s company.

McNair’s writing is rich with description, meaningful and thoughtful. These two Southern souls will make you laugh, make you feel sorry for them and make you mad at them as though they were your own friends.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier

For years, Chevalier had a poster of Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” in her home. Something about the painting made her curious and she wondered what the girl with a pearl earring was like. Thus, her novel came about.

Chevalier created the story of Griet, a 16-year-old girl in Holland, who begins working in the Vermeer household. Fond of art herself, Griet soon finds herself assisting Vermeer with his paintings. Their relationship becomes more intense, although Vermeer is already married and consumed with his work. Vermeer’s patron requests he paint Griet. Although shy, Griet was forced to accept and the famous painting is created.

Straight Man by Richard Russo

Hank Devereaux is the interim Chairman of the English Department at West Central Pennsylvania State University in Railton, Pennsylvania. Hank is having a mid-life crisis, his daughter’s marriage is falling apart and his eccentric mom has just informed him that his absent father is coming home and possibly for good this time. That’s just his home life.

At work, rumors of cutbacks are circulating and as Chairman of the English Department, his colleagues suspect he has created a list of professors who should be canned.

This novel is hilarious, bittersweet and raucous.

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

The world has experienced a financial crisis (sound familiar?). An illness has swept the world, causing all humans to be infertile (okay, so this tidbit is not so familiar.) However, a group of humans have wrecked onto an island called Santa Rosalia in the Galapagos Islands and they are exempt from this virus and thus the only humans left on earth who can reproduce.

Due to their location, the next generation of “humans” are more water bound than land bound.Vonnegut writes science fiction like no other.