100 Books Like A Lighthouse in Time

This is another one I have re-read because I love the fantasy aspect. I didn’t come across C.S. Lewis’ books until I was a young adult, and then it was his adult writings. Now, I’m loving catching up on his Narnia series.

Written in 1950, this classic tale lives on, never becoming out of date, and I love that it is currently a stage production.

As a Christian, I also love a classic tale of good versus evil, with the drama between the white witch and the lion hero, Aslan, who overcomes death to save Narnia from the witch’s evil spell. For me, it’s a truly inspirational allegorical tale that stands the test of time.

I read this book three times. I have loved dragons and fantasy since childhood (a very long time ago!). Edith Nesbit was certainly ahead of her time with fantasy tales, and my favourite author when our high school curriculum included some of her books. Within this publication, I particularly love The Book of Beasts and the Ice Dragon, tales which come to life off the page as you read them, just like the storylines.

Although these stories were written over 110 years ago, they are still entrancing and beguiling, even if some of the language is a little dated. This collection of short stories possesses a fairy-tale-like quality that engages my imagination.

I’m a time-travel buff. (Comes from years of watching Dr Who with my late husband!) This is an epic adventure, something I love to get lost in. Tales involving pirates, tough sea captains and resilient kids have always interested me, especially in the historical context. There are deep secrets surrounding the characters and their backgrounds in this debut novel from the author, set in 1738. One aspect I love is the time-travelling galleon involved in a story of mystery and intrigue.

It will be interesting to see what Middle-Grade readers make of a rollicking novel that doesn’t have any mention of technology! I love the fact that it is simply an old-fashioned adventure in which to become fully absorbed.

I love history. In high school, I took geography instead, to be with my friends. Now I’m delving into historical stuff. This is another wonderful, historically set fantasy and fictional story (with a dark side), based on the real-life Coles’ Arcade in Melbourne, Australia, in 1895. 

It’s well thought out and interesting, with its many plot twists and turns. I was drawn into the scenario around the Coles family, and the depictions of life in that period, especially the fact that there was a devastating heatwave at the time. I also loved the main theme about what happens when people deal with dark forces, and the outcome, even though it’s a fictional story. This is an absorbing, heart-stopping tale that I loved right unto the end.

My vocabulary for analyzing any piece of art is through storytelling; I can’t tell you how often I’ve looked at a painting and wishing I could step inside at that very moment. It’s a lot of the inspiration behind my own book. But in The Painting, Charis Cotter turns this idea on its head, leaving us wondering if stepping inside a painting would be all we think it would be. This story of suspense and fear and loss is a page-turner!

One of the most iconic paranormal things in Michigan is the haunted lighthouse…and we have plenty! A lighthouse isn’t complete without its resident ghostly lightkeeper. Dianna Higgs Stampfler collected the best stories about Michigan’s lighthouses in this must-have book for any Michigan paranormal enthusiast. The book doubles as a tour guide to take with you on the road as many of the lighthouses written about are historic locations open to the public. The perfect summer road trip! 

Darkhouse is the first in the Experiment in Terror novels by Karina Halle. I absolutely fell in love with her writing style, the way that she builds the world of Dex and Perry, their complicated acquaintance, and the lighthouse in which they find themselves drawn back to. Complete with anti-hero and strong heroine, as soon as I read this first book, I devoured the series. Without saying too much to spoil the series, I have to say that this ghost story was one that has gotten under my skin and one that I know I’ll go back to in the future.

I love old technology, and lighthouses epitomize this. This book does two things. It brings to life the sheer hardship of building massive structures in what appear to be impossible places. Often, the engineers and builders had to battle the environment, and sometimes animals could help predict when catastrophe might be about to strike.

The book also tells the story of an amazing family who were instrumental in putting lights around our coasts. This saved, and still saves, thousands of lives. Reading such amazing stories as these shows the tenacity of those involved, and I think I can teach us a lot about becoming successful in the modern world, too. 

This book is fresh in my mind because I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy (the book will be out in February 2025) and felt myself swept across a stormy sea into one of the most tightly-knit communities I’ve read in a thriller. The Scottish island of Eilean Eadar has around 60 residents, one computer between the whole island, no mobile signal, and a priest who seems to control everything.

It is a perfect set-up for a mystery, as two detectives head over from the mainland to investigate an apparent suicide. The weather is wild, the island’s customs are archaic, and gossip travels faster than the gale-force winds. I love island settings–the sense of being cut off from the rest of the world–and I found this one irresistible.

There is a feeling that everybody is being watched all the time and that their positions in the community are… show more.

The variety of subjects covered in this collection of 22 short stories demonstrates Bradbury's prowess as a master craftsman and the reason why I count him among my literary heroes. 

More than a few of these tales have become legendary, including “A Sound of Thunder.” Bradbury's premise of how the death of a butterfly in prehistoric times could have drastic changes in the future is a variation on the famous “butterfly effect” and a fine example of the relationship between chaos theory and the physics of time travel.
For me, the most incredible story in the collection is “The Fog Horn” in which an elusive sea monster attacks a lighthouse after being attracted by its foghorn for years. This story was the inspiration for the 1953 film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.