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

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Book cover of Don't Call Us Dead: Poems

Greg Hewett Author Of Blindsight

From my list on fall in love with contemporary poetry.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember, during difficult periods, or just when I needed inspiration, I have turned to poetry. Eventually, I became so in love with poetry that I became a poet. I believe these five books of poetry will offer even a reader who is generally not drawn to poetry solace and strength and inspiration. I would go so far as to say each of these poetry collections has changed me for the better.

Greg's book list on fall in love with contemporary poetry

Greg Hewett Why Greg loves this book

With pyrotechnical poetic skills, Danez Smith brought me into powerful ways of rethinking race, gender, sexuality, masculinity, and femininity. He brings the urban to the level of the pastoral.

You will thank this gifted poet for changing your world.

By Danez Smith ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Don't Call Us Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry
Winner of the Forward Prize for Best Collection

“[Smith's] poems are enriched to the point of volatility, but they pay out, often, in sudden joy.”―The New Yorker

Award-winning poet Danez Smith is a groundbreaking force, celebrated for deft lyrics, urgent subjects, and performative power. Don’t Call Us Dead opens with a heartrending sequence that imagines an afterlife for black men shot by police, a place where suspicion, violence, and grief are forgotten and replaced with the safety, love, and longevity they deserved here on earth. Smith turns then to desire, mortality―the dangers…


If you love Gold Cure...

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 She Had Some Horses

Greg Hewett Author Of Blindsight

From my list on fall in love with contemporary poetry.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember, during difficult periods, or just when I needed inspiration, I have turned to poetry. Eventually, I became so in love with poetry that I became a poet. I believe these five books of poetry will offer even a reader who is generally not drawn to poetry solace and strength and inspiration. I would go so far as to say each of these poetry collections has changed me for the better.

Greg's book list on fall in love with contemporary poetry

Greg Hewett Why Greg loves this book

I first heard some of the poems from this book at a reading given by Joy Harjo. The deep and varied rhythms combined with the spiritual world she finds in the everyday captivated me.

I felt an almost desperate need to read the whole book. I bought it, immersed myself in it, and have come back to its wisdom time and time again. You will feel these poems deep in your bones.

By Joy Harjo ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked She Had Some Horses as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First published in 1983 and now considered a classic, She Had Some Horses is a powerful exploration of womanhood's most intimate moments. Joy Harjo's poems speak of women's despair, of their imprisonment and ruin at the hands of men and society, but also of their awakenings, power, and love.


Book cover of The Orchard

Greg Hewett Author Of Blindsight

From my list on fall in love with contemporary poetry.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember, during difficult periods, or just when I needed inspiration, I have turned to poetry. Eventually, I became so in love with poetry that I became a poet. I believe these five books of poetry will offer even a reader who is generally not drawn to poetry solace and strength and inspiration. I would go so far as to say each of these poetry collections has changed me for the better.

Greg's book list on fall in love with contemporary poetry

Greg Hewett Why Greg loves this book

Brigit Pegeen Kelly finds the profoundest of truths in these poems set in an imaginary garden full of ruined statuary, and, more than that, she finds stories. From the garden, she brings forth myths and fables that riveted me. A sleeping child found nestled around a black swan, a dog that is a wolf that is a dog.

I have never been so deeply affected by a collection of contemporary poetry. The depth of her poetic vision will shake your world.

By Brigit Pegeen Kelly ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Richly allusive, the poems in Brigit Pegeen Kelly's The Orchard evoke elements of myth in distinctive aural and rhythmic patterns. Her poetic strength lies in her ability to cast poems as modern myths and allegories. Propelled by patterned repetitions and lush cadences, the poems move the reader through a landscape where waking and dream consciousness fuse. Brigit Pegeen Kelly teaches creative writing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her poetry collections are Song (BOA Editions), the 1994 Lamont Poetry Selection of The Academy of American Poets and a finalist for the 1995 Los Angeles Times Book Award, and To…


If you love Ted Mathys...

Book cover of The Everlasting Life of Charlie Wall

The Everlasting Life of Charlie Wall by Paul Wilborn,

It’s 1985, and Ronald Armstrong, known in the magic mushroom trade as “Trip,” takes a “sober” job as a driver for a retired Tampa mobster. His boss, Charlie Wall, has survived four attempts on his life, the last one in 1955. When Charlie falls into depression, Trip rebuilds his boss’…

Book cover of The Tradition

Greg Hewett Author Of Blindsight

From my list on fall in love with contemporary poetry.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ever since I can remember, during difficult periods, or just when I needed inspiration, I have turned to poetry. Eventually, I became so in love with poetry that I became a poet. I believe these five books of poetry will offer even a reader who is generally not drawn to poetry solace and strength and inspiration. I would go so far as to say each of these poetry collections has changed me for the better.

Greg's book list on fall in love with contemporary poetry

Greg Hewett Why Greg loves this book

I love how Jericho Brown takes traditional poetic forms, alters them, and blends them into his completely modern voice.

These poems sing of degradation and exaltation, hate and love. They bring the music of a Black, queer man to all of us in unforgettable lines and stanzas.

By Jericho Brown ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR POETRY

The Tradition by Jericho Brown, is a cutting and necessary collection, relentless in its quest for survival while revelling in a celebration of contradiction.

A Poetry Book Society Choice

'To read Jericho Brown's poems is to encounter devastating genius.' Claudia Rankine

Jericho Brown's daring poetry collection The Tradition details the normalization of evil and its history at the intersection of the past and the personal. Brown's poetic concerns are both broad and intimate, and at their very core a distillation of the incredibly human: What is safety? Who is this nation? Where does…


Book cover of Jackself

Katharine Towers Author Of The Remedies

From my list on poetry that explores the natural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a British poet living in the Peak District in Derbyshire, which is perhaps why I can’t stop the natural world from coming into my poems. My writing shed at the top of the garden looks out over a field and up to a limestone outcrop with a stand of beech trees. When there are no poems, I sit and watch the birds and wait for the sheep to trundle down the hill at the end of the afternoon. I read poems about nature because those are the ones I love best–poems that might capture something I’ve noticed but that put it into a beautiful and startling new language.

Katharine's book list on poetry that explores the natural world

Katharine Towers Why Katharine loves this book

I love this dazzlingly original collection, which evokes a childhood in rural Cumbria. Jackself is the title character, but there are plenty of other Jacks in the poems, too – Jacks from nursery rhymes and folklore and English legend.

Jackself is a mostly solitary boy, and the poems take us into the strange, funny, frightening world of a child who lives on the edge of nature, sometimes seeming to become a feral creature himself. I was struck by the startlingly wild and fearless imagery of the poems, which make the natural world a darkly compelling place. 

By Jacob Polley ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry.

Jackself is the fourth collection from one of Britain's finest poets, and sees Jacob Polley at the height of his powers. In one of the most original books of poetry to appear in the last decade, Jackself spins a kind of 'fictionalized autobiography' through nursery rhymes, riddles and cautionary tales, and through the many 'Jacks' of our folktale, legend, phrase and fable - everyman Jacks and no one Jacks, Jackdaw, Jack-O-Lantern, Jack Sprat, Cheapjack and Jack Frost. At once playful and terrifying, lyric and narratively compelling, Jackself is an unforgettable exploration…


Book cover of Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters

Tracy C. Gold Author Of Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat

From my list on Halloween picture books with cute illustrations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a huge fan of Halloween and love decorating my porch to greet our neighborhood kids. This past year I gave away a couple dozen copies of my own picture books along with candy, which was a huge hit. I live in Baltimore with my family, including my silly, spooky kid, and love animals, especially dogs and horses. This past Halloween, my daughter wanted to dress up as a dentist, of all things, so my husband and I went along dressed up as giant teeth. She never got the irony of asking for candy while dressed as a dentist. We’ll have to wait until she is older for that. 

Tracy's book list on Halloween picture books with cute illustrations

Tracy C. Gold Why Tracy loves this book

This book is so darn cute! I love the fresh takes on familiar nursery rhymes. I always chuckle when I read the clever new twists (which are only a little spooky). The illustrations are a teeny bit scary, but mostly super cute. When you read this book, you can go all the way through, or just pick one nursery rhyme at a time to chant with the kids. 

By Rachel Kolar , Roland Garrigue (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mother Ghost 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?

From "Mary, Mary, Tall and Scary" to "Wee Willie Werewolf," this collection of classic nursery rhymes turned on their heads will give readers the chills--and a serious case of belly laughs. With clever rhyme and spooky illustrations, Mother Ghost is perfect for getting in the Halloween spirit. Boo!


If you love Gold Cure...

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 Deepstep Come Shining

Joseph Fasano Author Of The Magic Words: Simple Poetry Prompts That Unlock the Creativity in Everyone

From my list on greatest book-length poems of the past 50 years.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a poet and a novelist, I'm fascinated by the places where these two genres meet, undo each other, and create something new again. That sounds a lot like what love can do, and whenever I read a long poem that achieves a unique aesthetic unity, I feel the writer has found a new way to love the world, to love the reader. And, as usual, both the world and the reader are challenged by that love—to grow.

Joseph's book list on greatest book-length poems of the past 50 years

Joseph Fasano Why Joseph loves this book

Poets have many tools at their disposal in their attempt to bring aesthetic unity to a long poem, and C. D. Wright is innovative in her use of imagery and cinematic grammar to do exactly that.

This is a book to be studied for its remarkable ability to convey, in what Auden called “memorable speech,” the beautiful doom of the common heart.   

By C.D. Wright ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deepstep Come Shining as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rebellious and fiercely lyrical, the poems of C.D. Wright incorporate elements of disjunction and odd juxtaposition in their exploration of unfolding context. "In my book," she writes, "poetry is a necessity of life. It is a function of poetry to locate those zones inside us that would be free, and declare them so."

C.D. Wright was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. She has received numerous awards for her work, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy and Institute for Arts and Letters, and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Foundation.…


Book cover of The Complete Poems

Carly Stevens Author Of Laertes

From my list on dark academia novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

Sometimes, you just want to feel like you’re reading in an old library during a storm, you know? Because I’ve read so widely and studied so many Classics, I’ve had the opportunity to immerse myself in old books in a way that many others haven’t. Take that obsessive bookishness and add a love for magical, literary, character-driven stories, and voilà! I’m lucky I got to write my own dark academia novel for people looking to have that experience. Hopefully these books make you just as cozy and melancholy as they make me.

Carly's book list on dark academia novels

Carly Stevens Why Carly loves this book

John Keats is one of my all-time favorite poets. It breaks my heart to think of how many poems were left unwritten when he died young. The ones he left behind are melancholy and absolutely gorgeous. The language tastes like chocolate. He’s a master of using sound to evoke nostalgia (for people who care about the mechanics of these things. It’s okay if you don’t.) His poetry speaks for itself. Read one of his poems slowly, and you’ll feel like you’re lying in a moonlit meadow with a glass of wine, pondering eternity. 

By John Keats , John Barnard (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Complete Poems as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Covering the entire output of an archetypal - and tragically short-lived - romantic genius, the Penguin Classics edition of The Complete Poems of John Keats is edited with an introduction and notes by John Barnard.

Keats's first volume of poems, published in 1817, demonstrated both his belief in the consummate power of poetry and his liberal views. While he was criticized by many for his politics, his immediate circle of friends and family immediately recognized his genius. In his short life he proved to be one of the greatest and most original thinkers of the second generation of Romantic poets,…


Book cover of A Can of Pinto Beans

D. Dina Friedman Author Of Immigrants

From my list on books portraying the human side of the immigration “crisis”.

Why am I passionate about this?

In 2019 I spent several days on a ladder witnessing children who were locked in a detention center in Homestead, and in early 2020, I traveled to the Brownsville/Matamoros border, where the stories people told me broke my heart. Often, it was not threats to their own lives but to their children’s lives that triggered their decision to flee. I wrote Immigrants and an accompanying book of poetry (Here in Sanctuary–Whirling) not to make political points, but to tell some of these stories and highlight the gaps between our human propensity toward kindness and the way we fall into the trap of “othering” those who are not exactly like us.  

D.'s book list on books portraying the human side of the immigration “crisis”

D. Dina Friedman Why D. loves this book

I love the simplicity of this book and the direct way in which the poet conveys his experience as a volunteer for a group that provides medical care and support for migrants crossing the Sonora Dessert.

Gamble’s close-up view of objects like an abandoned Hello Kitty backpack and a can of pinto beans with ants crawling into the slit allows him to shed light on much deeper stories of human suffering, evoking the reader’s sympathy without proselytizing. 

By Robbie Gamble , Eileen M Cleary (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Can of Pinto Beans as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A Can of Pinto Beans" by Robbie Gamble is a startling poetry collection recounting the author's work with No More Deaths, a humanitarian organization in Arizona working to serve migrants.



If you love Ted Mathys...

Book cover of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

Need to Know by Nicholas Reynolds,

The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

Book cover of The Whitsun Weddings

Aaron Poochigian Author Of Mr. Either/Or: All the Rage

From my list on get you out of the box.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was eighteen, I had an experience I call religious: I was sitting outside of an ivy-covered building at my undergraduate school and reading the opening words of Vergil’s Roman epic, The Aeneid (in Latin, but I didn’t know Latin yet). The sky became clearer; it shone with different light. It became clear to me at that moment that I was supposed to be a poet. So, yeah, I went on to learn lots of stuff, including languages, so that I could read poetry in them. I did all that to serve the greater goal of being a poet.

Aaron's book list on get you out of the box

Aaron Poochigian Why Aaron loves this book

This book is perfect. Every single poem in it is a home run.

It taught me that meter and rhyme are just as effective at portraying our contemporary experiences as they were for experiences of yore. And so much of the poems’ charge comes from living idiom—the English spoken right “now” at an actual point in time.

By Philip Larkin ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Whitsun Weddings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Philip Larkin (1922-1985) remains England's best-loved poet - a writer matchlessly capable of evoking his native land and of touching all readers from the most sophisticated intellectual to the proverbial common reader. The late John Betjeman observed that 'this tenderly observant poet writes clearly, rhythmically, and thoughtfully about what all of us can understand'. Behind this modest description lies a poet who made greatness look, in Milton's prescription, 'simple, sensuous and passionate'.


Book cover of Don't Call Us Dead: Poems
Book cover of She Had Some Horses
Book cover of The Orchard

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Interested in nursery rhyme, African Americans, and poets?

Nursery Rhyme 22 books
African Americans 849 books
Poets 86 books