Here are 52 books that Legend of the Golden City fans have personally recommended if you like Legend of the Golden City. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of A Wrinkle in Time

Mary K. Savarese Author Of The Girl in the Toile Wallpaper

From my list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been drawn to a world of fantasy adventure; be it books or movies made from classics or current adventures. Start with an interesting title and intertwine with romance or several, even better, and my heart is a flutter. I am known for my quirky titles, and I think I love to write these fantasy adventures intertwined with romance and talk about them on podcasts because life is too real. How wonderful when I and we need to escape reality these wonderful worlds are within our fingertips’ reach. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have!

Mary's book list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance

Mary K. Savarese Why Mary loves this book

I read this book many years ago as a young adult. Along with other classics such as Alice in Wonderland, I fell in love with a world of imagination, and imagination that pushed the envelopes in terms of literature.

Time travel for me had a place in changing the lives of characters and teaching them about love and growth. Taking on one’s life challenges and force play, good vs. evil…  

By Madeleine L'Engle ,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked A Wrinkle in Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child.

We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.

When Charles and Meg Murry go searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for their lost father, they find themselves on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'.

Meg, Charles and their friend Calvin embark on a cosmic journey helped by the funny and mysterious trio of guardian angels, Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. Together they must find the weapon that will defeat It.…


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Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Book cover of The Gauntlet

Mary K. Savarese Author Of The Girl in the Toile Wallpaper

From my list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been drawn to a world of fantasy adventure; be it books or movies made from classics or current adventures. Start with an interesting title and intertwine with romance or several, even better, and my heart is a flutter. I am known for my quirky titles, and I think I love to write these fantasy adventures intertwined with romance and talk about them on podcasts because life is too real. How wonderful when I and we need to escape reality these wonderful worlds are within our fingertips’ reach. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have!

Mary's book list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance

Mary K. Savarese Why Mary loves this book

I love the Jumanji series and how it has been brought to the big screen. How imaginative is it to incorporate time travel through a board game! The mysteries revealed, the friendships that build romance, the treachery.

The twist here is that the author does this with a Middle Eastern flair and builds a whole different imaginary world…   

By Karuna Riazi ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Gauntlet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

A trio of friends from New York City find themselves trapped inside a mechanical board game that they must dismantle in order to save themselves and generations of other children in this action-packed debut that's a steampunk Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair.

Nothing can prepare you for The Gauntlet...

It didn't look dangerous, exactly. When twelve-year-old Farah first laid eyes on the old-fashioned board game, she thought it looked...elegant.

It is made of wood, etched with exquisite images-a palace with domes and turrets, lattice-work windows that cast eerie shadows, a large spider-and at the very center of its cover,…


Book cover of The Secret Library of Midnight

Mary K. Savarese Author Of The Girl in the Toile Wallpaper

From my list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been drawn to a world of fantasy adventure; be it books or movies made from classics or current adventures. Start with an interesting title and intertwine with romance or several, even better, and my heart is a flutter. I am known for my quirky titles, and I think I love to write these fantasy adventures intertwined with romance and talk about them on podcasts because life is too real. How wonderful when I and we need to escape reality these wonderful worlds are within our fingertips’ reach. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have!

Mary's book list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance

Mary K. Savarese Why Mary loves this book

I loved this short novel because I found the plot so imaginative and page-turning. Just the title alone intrigued me, a Secret Library. What happens of Midnight? I love the idea of taking whimsical tales and weaving them from impossible to possible.

I came across this as a recent published work and I found it interesting because the protagonist enters an imaginary world, portals, a secret library, and learns to navigate the present adventure confronted…

By Justine Hardy ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Secret Library of MidnightA Forgotten Book. A Hidden Library. A World Where Stories Come to Life…When 11-year-old Oliver Morgan stumbles upon a mysterious, dust-covered book hidden deep in his school library, he unknowingly opens a portal to the Storyworld—a world where fairy tales breathe, books fly, and the impossible becomes real.But something sinister has escaped from the pages: The Shadow, a creature born from unfinished stories and forgotten words. If Oliver doesn’t stop it before the next full moon, both the magical world and reality itself will unravel.With the help of a feisty girl trapped in the Storyworld, an…


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Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Book cover of The Inventor's Tomb

Mary K. Savarese Author Of The Girl in the Toile Wallpaper

From my list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been drawn to a world of fantasy adventure; be it books or movies made from classics or current adventures. Start with an interesting title and intertwine with romance or several, even better, and my heart is a flutter. I am known for my quirky titles, and I think I love to write these fantasy adventures intertwined with romance and talk about them on podcasts because life is too real. How wonderful when I and we need to escape reality these wonderful worlds are within our fingertips’ reach. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have!

Mary's book list on fantasy adventure novels intertwined with romance

Mary K. Savarese Why Mary loves this book

I love a story that begins with a friendship, leads with betrayal, and then finds an imaginative weave of time and artifacts. An adventure that threatens existence and deals with good vs evil.

I also am drawn to adventure that promotes romance…

By Ernest Dempsey ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

SOME LEGENDS ARE TOO POWERFUL TO UNCOVERArtifact recovery specialists Sean Wyatt and Tommy Schultz are on the verge of the discovery of a lifetime.Partnered with another friend from the archaeological community, Craig Freeman, they are hot on the trails of one of the most sought after artifacts in history--a lost scroll created by the Greek inventor, Archimedes.In the ancient city of Petra, what they find is not what they expected.The discovery leads to betrayal, leaving Sean and Tommy to be forgotten to the shadows of time.After a miraculous escape, the two must unravel a series of nearly impossible clues to…


Book cover of The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History

Conrad Kickert Author Of Dream City: Creation, Destruction, and Reinvention in Downtown Detroit

From my list on the exciting life of cities.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up in a Dutch city, I vividly remember witnessing the excitement of urban life through the windows of a streetcar, on foot, or by bike. Soon, I began to recreate this excitement by drawing maps of imaginary cities of my own. My small towns turned into entire regions, their streets coming to life as I closed my eyes. I essentially turned my childhood fascination into my job, as I now study, design, and teach students how to improve cities. Our best cities are places where citizens can interact with one another, overcoming social, economic, and environmental evolutions and revolutions. I never cease to be fascinated with the key to these everlasting cities.

Conrad's book list on the exciting life of cities

Conrad Kickert Why Conrad loves this book

We can understand cities not only through their societies, their experience, and their history, but also by studying their physical form. Spiro Kostof describes how cities across the world have distinct yet still interrelated patterns of streets, blocks, plots, and buildings. Rather than taking a chronological approach, Kostof illustrates the form of cities through time and space through four main types of urban form, from organic shapes and grids to diagrams and grand interventions. If you look at your own city, you will likely find a combination of all of the above! This is one of the first books on cities I bought as a teenager, and it really inspired me to study and improve the form of our urban environments.

By Spiro Kostof ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Spanning the ages and the globe, Spiro Kostof explores the city as a "repository of cultural meaning" and an embodiment of the community it shelters. Widely used by both architects and students of architecture, The City Shaped won the AIA's prestigious book award in Architecture and Urbanism. With hundreds of photographs and drawings that illustrate Professor Kostof's innovative ideas, this has become one of the most important works on urbanization.


Book cover of Song in the City

Lois Wickstrom Author Of A Monster for Meg

From my list on pictures about blind children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first read about Helen Keller when I was in 4th grade. When I took swimming, I had two classmates who were blind like Stevie Wonder because they had been born premature and placed in oxygen-enriched incubators. I became curious about what it was like to live in a dark world. I walked around my house and neighborhood with my eyes closed, learning my way around. I gave a book report to my class about Helen Keller’s autobiography, and my classmates became excited about her, too. I learned to read braille, and proofread books for the blind when I was in junior high. I also learned the deaf sign language hand positions.

Lois' book list on pictures about blind children

Lois Wickstrom Why Lois loves this book

This charming book lets the reader enter into the world of a blind girl who hears the sounds of the city as a song. As the girl teaches her grandmother, the typefaces in the story teach the reader.

You won’t be able to resist reading this book as a song, and as you do so, you’ll gain an appreciation for a new way to experience the sounds of a city.

By Daniel Bernstrom , Jenin Mohammed (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Song in the City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

From Daniel Bernstrom, the acclaimed author of One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, comes a charming and irresistibly fun picture book about a young blind girl and her grandmother who experience the vibrant everyday music of their busy city.

A young girl, filled with the sounds of her beloved city, shares a song with her grandmother that changes the two forever. After helping Grandma realize that the city makes music as beautiful as the sounds they hear in church on Sunday morning, the two sit down and take in all the sounds of the city...together.

Song in the City…


Book cover of Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations

Arnold Snyder Author Of Radical Blackjack

From my list on those contemplating gambling as a profession.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was a mailman when I became obsessed with card counting at blackjack. Not having enough money to play at a pro level, I decided to sell a mathematical formula I’d devised for evaluating games and systems. I offered it for sale through gambling newsletters at $100. I immediately had big sales because no one had ever seen a method for estimating card counters’ win rates. I got letters from college math professors asking me how I’d come up with the math. So, I started my own blackjack newsletter where I published my discoveries. I was inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2002 and soon had big investors funding my play.

Arnold's book list on those contemplating gambling as a profession

Arnold Snyder Why Arnold loves this book

The author, a former casino executive, exposes the industry’s “comp system,” through which casinos give away more than a billion dollars in “complimentaries” every year, as an enticement to get people to gamble. Although the book appears to be aimed at amateur gamblers looking for casino freebies (room, food, booze, show tickets, etc.), the information in this book has been devoured by professional gamblers at the highest levels because it reveals the inner workings of how players are evaluated and rated, with tips on how to look like you’re betting more than you are, how to look like you’re losing when you’re winning, and basically how to look dumb when you’re smart. I personally made a lot of money from the information in this book.

By Max Rubin ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Win every time you gamble? Is that possible? It is if you play for comps.

Every year, U.S. casinos give away more than a billion dollars worth of amenities to customers in return for their gambling action. These giveaways, known as “comps” (short for complimentaries), range from parking and drinks to gourmet meals and airfare. Are you getting your share? From nickel slot players to $500 a hand blackjack high rollers, Comp City has shown tens of thousands of gamblers how to get free casino vacations.

Since the first publication of Comp City, author Max Rubin has been teaching gamblers…


Book cover of Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants

Bethany Brookshire Author Of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains

From my list on making you rethink your place in the natural world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a science journalist and former scientist who focuses on human-wildlife interactions, especially when those interactions turn sour. I’ve been fascinated by the animals people hate for years now, especially since I got to write on the earliest origins of the house mouse. To gain expertise, I was a 2019-2020 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, and have spent the past three years immersing myself in all things pest—from reaching into a coyote’s stomach to taking a whiff of elephant repellant. My freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Science News, Sierra, and many other outlets. 

Bethany's book list on making you rethink your place in the natural world

Bethany Brookshire Why Bethany loves this book

It seems like a bit of a long title for a New York Times Bestseller but I promise this book is educational, entertaining, and worth every second. Sullivan spent a year observing a rat-infested alley, and came away with a better understanding of our least-favorite rodents, as well as the many people who spend their lives trying to keep rats and humans apart. At first it might seem weird to sit outside and watch the rats every night, but by the end, you can’t imagine doing anything else.

By Robert Sullivan ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Rats as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Public Library Book for the Teenager
New York Public Library Book to Remember
PSLA Young Adult Top 40 Nonfiction Titles of the Year

"Engaging...a lively, informative compendium of facts, theories, and musings."-Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Behold the rat, dirty and disgusting! Robert Sullivan turns the lowly rat into the star of this most perversely intriguing, remarkable, and unexpectedly elegant New York Times bestseller.

Love them or loathe them, rats are here to stay-they are city dwellers as much as (or more than) we are, surviving on the effluvia of our society. In Rats, the critically acclaimed bestseller,…


Book cover of What Sound Is Morning?

Lindsay Leslie Author Of Dusk Explorers

From my list on celebrating and highlighting different times of the day.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a writer all my life in one form or another, and I love to observe the world around me and the people in it. I’ve had a fascination with dusk, in particular, since I was a child. I remember having the most adventurous time playing with my sister and our neighborhood friends after dinner in the summertime and soaking in everything that time of day had to offer—from the beautiful colors of the sunset to the croaking toads to the smell of the freshly cut grass. Each time of day—sunrise to midnight—offers a sensory overload if you are open to it. These books I have recommended dive into that delight.  

Lindsay's book list on celebrating and highlighting different times of the day

Lindsay Leslie Why Lindsay loves this book

If the title doesn’t grab your interest, then open the book.

This story focuses on the subtle and simple sounds that you may hear during the beginning of a day. The illustrations evoke all things sunrise and the words match with their lyrical flow and call to action. This book will encourage everyone, even late sleepers like me, to throw off their covers, jump out of bed, and see what the day has to offer. 

By Grant Snider ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Sound Is Morning? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

This beautiful companion to What Color Is Night? helps children explore and celebrate their morning routines.

At the first morning light, everything is quiet. Or is it?
Listen.

Welcome the day by exploring the subtle wonders-and exciting sounds-of the morning with this lyrical and picturesque story.

In the first morning light, all might seem quiet. In this companion to What Color Is Night? Grant Snider explores the sounds-and silences-of morning. Ending in an inspiring call to action-to toss off the covers, throw open the window, and fill the world with your song-this uplifting book is sure to help families feel…


Book cover of City of Glass

K. Woodman-Maynard Author Of The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

From my list on graphic novel adaptations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a graphic novelist and designer based in beautiful Minneapolis. I tend to be varied in my artistic style and medium, moving between comics, illustration, design, and occasionally animation. Having created a graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby, I feel very passionate about the subject of graphic novel adaptations. One of the most important things is that there should be a compelling reason for it to be a graphic novel in the first place; the graphic novel should do something that a prose book cannot. For my adaptation, that was the visual depiction of metaphors, the ethereal character designs, and the lush jewel-colored watercolor. The books I recommended add to the original story in unique and compelling ways. 

K.'s book list on graphic novel adaptations

K. Woodman-Maynard Why K. loves this book

City of Glass: The Graphic Novel is the adaptation of a Paul Auster novella about a man who receives a call meant for a private investigator and is pulled into an existential mystery. I’ve long been a fan of film noir and the mystery genre, and I like how this adaptation handles these themes in more unusual and modern ways, as well as Paul Karasik’s thoughtful page layouts. The Great Gatsby also has many noir themes which I tried to hint at in places, although I resisted going full-out noir, since that wouldn’t have been appropriate for the book. 

By Paul Auster ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A late-night phone call from a stranger involves Quinn, a mystery writer, in a baffling murder case stranger than his novels


Book cover of A Wrinkle in Time
Book cover of The Gauntlet
Book cover of The Secret Library of Midnight

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