Here are 100 books that Alone fans have personally recommended if you like Alone. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Honor Reclaimed

Alaina Erdell Author Of Off the Menu

From my list on sapphic romances to make you swoon.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading sapphic or lesbian romances ever since I got my hands on Touchwood and Curious Wine decades ago. When not writing contemporary sapphic romances, I’m always reading them. Happily ever afters haven’t always been the case for two women in love, least of all in fiction. I write sapphic romances to provide for other women like me what I hoped to find in bookstores when I was younger. It wasn’t easy to find a romantic story between two women, let alone have choices. Representation matters, and writing–and reading–books about two women in love is important to me and women like me, especially as states ban such books.

Alaina's book list on sapphic romances to make you swoon

Alaina Erdell Why Alaina loves this book

Set in post 9-11 days, Honor Reclaimed is best read as part of Radcyffe’s Honor series, a recommendation in itself.

The novel is packed with emotions and some angst, which always ups the ante. I rarely find romantic intrigue books swoon-worthy because so much of the book is dedicated to action and intrigue versus romance, yet Radclyffe works multiple romances into this book.

The pairings are unique, memorable, and will make your heart ache in a good way. I suffered alongside the couples as they overcame unimaginable hurdles. The sweet whispered yearnings and admissions between lovers make the book exceptional. Radclyffe writes intimacy like no other.

By Radclyffe ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Honor Reclaimed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the chaotic aftermath of 9/11, Secret Service agent Cameron Roberts and her lover, first daughter Blair Powell, must contend with recriminations from within the government and danger from without as they struggle to uncover those who betrayed the nation and nearly claimed Blair's life.

The hunt is a very personal quest for Cam, who fears that another strike on Blair is imminent. Her search takes her deep into the shadow worlds of counter-intelligence where even a friend might be a foe. While Cam races against time to uncover the traitor's trail, Blair becomes the target of an even deadlier…


If you love Alone...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Beowulf for Cretins: A Love Story

Alaina Erdell Author Of Off the Menu

From my list on sapphic romances to make you swoon.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading sapphic or lesbian romances ever since I got my hands on Touchwood and Curious Wine decades ago. When not writing contemporary sapphic romances, I’m always reading them. Happily ever afters haven’t always been the case for two women in love, least of all in fiction. I write sapphic romances to provide for other women like me what I hoped to find in bookstores when I was younger. It wasn’t easy to find a romantic story between two women, let alone have choices. Representation matters, and writing–and reading–books about two women in love is important to me and women like me, especially as states ban such books.

Alaina's book list on sapphic romances to make you swoon

Alaina Erdell Why Alaina loves this book

Whether writing fiction or romance, McMan’s ability to paint a love story between two women is unparalleled. Their love materializes on the page as if watching an artist apply strokes to a painting. By the time the figures emerge from the canvas, my heart is invested. 

In Beowulf for Cretins, what appears to be an anonymous one-night stand for Grace simply isn’t when Abbie turns out to be her new boss. (Side note: look how nicely McMan is stacking up much-loved tropes here.)

This story contains elements that make my sapphic heart swoon every time, like when one character just can’t stay away from the other or when characters share the same interests. Throw in McMan’s signature humor and an entertaining pet, and swoon-worthy gets extra credit bonus points.

By Ann McMan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beowulf for Cretins as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Beowulf for Cretins: A Love Story was awarded the 2019 Lambda Literary Award in the Lesbian Romance category.

English professor and aspiring novelist, Grace Warner spends her days teaching four sections of "Beowulf for Cretins" to bored and disinterested students at one of New England's “hidden ivy” colleges. Not long after she is dumped by her longtime girlfriend, Grace meets the engaging and mysterious Abbie on a cross-country flight. Sparks fly on and off the plane as the two strangers give in to one night of reckless passion with no strings attached, and no contact information exchanged.

Back home at…


Book cover of Embracing the Dawn

Alaina Erdell Author Of Off the Menu

From my list on sapphic romances to make you swoon.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading sapphic or lesbian romances ever since I got my hands on Touchwood and Curious Wine decades ago. When not writing contemporary sapphic romances, I’m always reading them. Happily ever afters haven’t always been the case for two women in love, least of all in fiction. I write sapphic romances to provide for other women like me what I hoped to find in bookstores when I was younger. It wasn’t easy to find a romantic story between two women, let alone have choices. Representation matters, and writing–and reading–books about two women in love is important to me and women like me, especially as states ban such books.

Alaina's book list on sapphic romances to make you swoon

Alaina Erdell Why Alaina loves this book

Levig’s characters in Embracing the Dawn leap from the page. They’re fully realized, three-dimensional women with interesting backstories. It’s an unusual pairing, but that doesn’t decrease the swoon-worthy component any.

I’ve heard readers are fascinated with either E.J. or Jinx, myself no exception. Like in my last recommendation, I adore when a character can’t help herself from showing up time and time again, and this romance provides. 

Levig supplements her love interests with intriguing and complex side characters who are just as loveable as the main characters. Levig doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, and how E.J. and Jinx support and strengthen each other makes their romance even more swoon worthy.

You’ll be ordering the second book in the series before you’re done with the first.

By Jeannie Levig ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Embracing the Dawn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Does love have a chance when no one knows she wants it?

Jinx Tanner is an ex-con trying to piece together a life on the outside and heal her relationship with her half-sister who hasn’t spoken to her in over twenty-five years.
Romantic love is now here on her radar. E. J. Bastien is a business executive with her life and heart under control. She has a successful career, a woman in her bed whenever she wants one, and a healthy relationship with her grown children—as long as they don’t find out she’s gay. She has no desire for…


If you love E J Noyes...

Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

Glimmer of the Other by Heather G. Harris,

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut…

Book cover of A Whisper Of Solace

Alaina Erdell Author Of Off the Menu

From my list on sapphic romances to make you swoon.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading sapphic or lesbian romances ever since I got my hands on Touchwood and Curious Wine decades ago. When not writing contemporary sapphic romances, I’m always reading them. Happily ever afters haven’t always been the case for two women in love, least of all in fiction. I write sapphic romances to provide for other women like me what I hoped to find in bookstores when I was younger. It wasn’t easy to find a romantic story between two women, let alone have choices. Representation matters, and writing–and reading–books about two women in love is important to me and women like me, especially as states ban such books.

Alaina's book list on sapphic romances to make you swoon

Alaina Erdell Why Alaina loves this book

It’s cruel to recommend a book with Whisper in the title because this romance hits like a hurricane. Lovers of angst will appreciate the depth of this book.

In one swoop, McKay crushes all that’s cherished until only wreckage and devastation remain. At times, I marvel at the main character’s redemption arc because it hardly seems likely. For a while, I wondered if McKay would be one of those authors who didn’t give her readers a happily ever after, but she seems to have as much love for Neve and Audrey as they do for each other. 

Talk about a book hangover. This book will wreck you, but in a good way. I walked around dazed for days. I recommend taking two Kallmakers and washing them down with a Beers. Call me in the morning.

Book cover of Experimental Psychology Methods of Research

Thomas R. Krause Author Of If Your Culture Could Talk

From my list on understand organizational life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an organizational psychologist interested in how leadership decision-making influences organizational culture. I’ve studied this for the last 5 years and developed models that pinpoint specific decisions that led to specific cultural attributes and related performance outcomes. I led a team that worked with the top 100 leaders at NASA after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. 

Thomas' book list on understand organizational life

Thomas R. Krause Why Thomas loves this book

How do you know if a medication is effective, or if a training method does what you want it to do, or if a change in the employee selection process results in improving the hit rate? This amounts to understanding the relationship between variables. This is the domain of experimental methods, an area that experimental psychology excels in. 

I read this book as an undergraduate. It made me love the precision, the elegance, and the utility of the experimental method. Oh, if the journalists who write about polls, likely outcomes from legislation, public health problems, oh, if they had just read this book! The amount of confusion and misinformation still flying around about COVID, the effect of policy changes on economic variables, the increases or decreases in crime, suicide, and homicide rates, none of this can be understood properly without knowledge of experimental methods. 

And this is a book written…

By Frank J. McGuigan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Experimental Psychology Methods of Research as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For one-quarter/semester, sophomore/graduate-level courses in Research Methods and Experimental Psychology.

This text explores the field of experimental psychology from the standpoint of scientific methodology and methods of experimentation, rather than from specific content areas. It leads students step-by-step through the process of effectively completing statistical analyses for the major research designs used in behavioral research and emphasizes the mutual facilitation of pure and applied research and the wise application of effective research methods to benefit society.


Book cover of The Pox Party

Benjamin L. Carp Author Of The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution

From my list on books that get beyond the “bedtime story” of the American Revolution.

Why am I passionate about this?

I like thinking about the people who misbehaved in the 1700s. As a teenager, I was initially drawn to journalism as a medium for telling stories, but in college, I was entranced by the stories I could tell with early American sources. Years ago, Jan Lewis noted that many readers want “bedtime stories” about how great the American Revolution was, but there’s much more to the Revolution’s history. Now, I’m a history professor at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City of New York. Having lived in the Boston area and New York City, it’s been a thrill to write books about the American Revolution in both places.

Benjamin's book list on books that get beyond the “bedtime story” of the American Revolution

Benjamin L. Carp Why Benjamin loves this book

I went into this book cold, knowing nothing about it beforehand, and it left a powerful, thrilling impression. I almost don’t want to say anything else about it so that other readers can experience the same suspense.

Readers might know Anderson from Feed or his other quirky genre-bending books. This book, the first of two volumes, is a work of historical fiction set mostly in Boston. It uses eighteenth-century language to tell an epic tale about the American Revolution, the Enlightenment, and the dark side of both.

It’s a book of horror (perhaps even anticipating the movie Get Out), with intricate details that will delight a certain kind of reader.

By M.T. Anderson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Pox Party as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

Anderson’s imaginative and highly intelligent exploration of . . . the ambiguous history of America’s origins will leave readers impatient for the sequel. — The New York Times Book Review

Young Octavian is being raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers — but it is only after he opens a forbidden door that learns the hideous nature of their experiments, and his own chilling role them. Set in Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson’s mesmerizing novel takes place at a time when Patriots battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for…


If you love Alone...

Book cover of Tsunami

Tsunami by LeeAnn Pickrell,

On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

Book cover of The Avery Shaw Experiment

Anna Katmore Author Of Seventeen Butterflies

From my list on super-sweet kisses and swoon-worthy book-boyfriends.

Why am I passionate about this?

Even before I became a romance writer, I already devoured young adult love stories like others eat sandwiches for dinner. It’s that innocent, sweet built-up to the very first kiss of the hero and heroine that would keep me reading or writing all through the night. I believe it’s a rare talent to craft the perfect tension and balance between hot and sweet. And as I’m writing my own love stories by now, I’m still on the hunt for those rare gems within the sea of novels out there.

Anna's book list on super-sweet kisses and swoon-worthy book-boyfriends

Anna Katmore Why Anna loves this book

I practically inhaled this book when I first opened it!! The writing style of Kelly Oram is outstanding and what she does with her heroes is unique.

The book is about Avery Shaw who got dumped by her best friend since birth, Adrian Kennedy. To overcome her grief, she starts her own seven-stages of grief experiment, journaling every step of the way. But honestly, she would have never made it past step four without the wonderful help of Grayson Kennedy, Adrian’s older brother.

By spending time with Avery, he turns from a teenage heartbreaker to a determined lover. And while Avery stubbornly forges on with her experiment, Grayson gets on his own mission to win her heart.

By Kelly Oram ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Avery Shaw Experiment as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

When Avery Shaw's heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how-scientifically. The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She's going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can't do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who…


Book cover of Running Out of Time

Taya Okerlund Author Of Journey to Mt. Smolder

From my list on fantasy adventure novels you've never heard of.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the saying goes, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Ahem. Not actually. Breaking cover doesn't typically demand killing people. But I might lose my security clearance and my diplomatic immunity in Fairy. Which I don't want to do, so shall we say I have a lively imagination and no personal knowledge about spy craft or espionage either in this world or in Fairy? Promise. I know nothing. And anyway, you can't prove it!

Taya's book list on fantasy adventure novels you've never heard of

Taya Okerlund Why Taya loves this book

This book gets both mine and my eleven-year-old daughter’s vote. My daughter doesn’t like small talk, but when we were reading this adventure, this world got her talking and also imagining fan fiction!

Jessie lives on the Indiana frontier in the 1800s when diphtheria strikes her village, but she finds her way to the modern world in search of a cure. The stakes are high and the story made us feel like we were there!

By Margaret Peterson Haddix ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Running Out of Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Return to the classic middle grade time-bending thriller Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix, almost thirty years following its first publication, with this stunning repackage.

Clifton, Indiana, 1840. Jessie Keyser lives with her family in a small log cabin. Her father is a blacksmith and her mother cares for her and her siblings—though, at night, Jessie’s mother also secretly tends anyone who gets sick in their village.

Lately, more and more people have been falling ill. Especially the other kids in Jessie’s one-room schoolhouse. Quarantine signs appear on the local homes. And Jessie’s mother looks worried. Very worried.…


Book cover of Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines: adventures in making round the kitchen table

Rebecca Struthers Author Of Hands of Time: A Watchmaker's History

From my list on for people who love taking things apart.

Why am I passionate about this?

For as long as I can remember I’ve been obsessed with figuring out how things work. What started with me pulling apart redundant household tech as a child (thanks to my very supportive parents) has become a lifelong passion in making and restoring one of the most incredible machines invented – the watch. Our millennia-old obsession with making things tells us so much about who we are and the world we like in. I love all of these books as, in varied ways, they inspire curiosity and connect us with our innately human instinct to understand the world around us.

Rebecca's book list on for people who love taking things apart

Rebecca Struthers Why Rebecca loves this book

I can’t think of a better way to close than with a book to inspire the next generation of people who love taking things apart! This brilliant compilation of easy makes sets out to cultivate curious young minds.

By using common things you can find around the house, it makes science and making accessible to all. The projects are all really straightforward and designed by Shaha, a dad and science teacher, to support the educational curriculum whilst having a lot of fun.

By Alom Shaha , Emily Robertson (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Transform and recycle household objects into your very own home-made toys and machines!

Learn about the centre of gravity by making a balancing bird, create a toroidal vortex with a smoke-ring machine, and turn a spoon into an electromagnet. Chances are you won't need to buy the materials required for these machines because they're all in your house right now. Every child can be an engineer with the help of Mr Shaha and his marvellous machines.

Written by a science teacher and dad, Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines is the highly anticipated sequel to Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder.…


If you love E J Noyes...

Book cover of In Bad Faith

In Bad Faith by Geoffrey Carter,

Nelson West, a former Chicago homicide detective, is hired by wealthy heir Lionel Bing to discreetly help “fix” scandals and legal problems for his father’s wealthy friends.

Bing, a brilliant but troubled investigator, suffers from PTSD symptoms as a result of being kidnapped and witnessing the murder of his mother…

Book cover of Ada Twist, Scientist

Markette Sheppard Author Of What Is Light?

From my list on children’s books to spark your inner light.

Why am I passionate about this?

I take joy in the simple delights of life, such as eating chocolate, enjoying the sights of flowers in full bloom, and soaking in the sun on warm, sunny days. Those are the times I like to get out and explore, be inspired, and write. I like to write about all of the light we can discover in our world—the light from within and all around us—because it is easy for people to get sucked into focusing on the dim realities of our world or what’s not right. My goal is always to entertain, inspire, and spark wonder in my readers.

Markette's book list on children’s books to spark your inner light

Markette Sheppard Why Markette loves this book

I just adored reading about all the adventures of the curious little girl, Ada Marie Twist, in this book. A late bloomer, Ada Marie’s first word, “Why?” comes at the age of three. From that moment, her language takes off, filled mostly with questions about how things work. I can relate to Ada Marie because I used to ask a lot of questions as a kid, too. It drove my mother crazy.

My mom eventually bought me a book of questions, hoping it would refocus my energy, but the joke was on her because the book had no answers! Luckily, I had understanding teachers in school who allowed me to explore my curiosity about the world. Similarly, in the book, Ada Marie’s curiosity tests the patience of her parents. But they eventually come to recognize her potential as a budding scientist.

Ada Marie also has the support of her teacher,…

By Andrea Beaty , David Roberts (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ada Twist, Scientist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

A #1 New York Times Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller

Inspired by real-life makers Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, this beloved #1 bestseller champions STEM, girl power and women scientists in a rollicking celebration of curiosity, the power perseverance, and the importance of asking "Why?"

Don't miss Ada's further adventures-with her friends Iggy Peck and Rosie Revere-in the instant New York Times bestseller Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters, the first all-new chapter book starring The Questioneers!

Ada Twist's head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie-stars of their…


Book cover of Honor Reclaimed
Book cover of Beowulf for Cretins: A Love Story
Book cover of Embracing the Dawn

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,395

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in loneliness, lesbian topics and characters, and psychology?

Loneliness 39 books
Psychology 2,152 books