Here are 2 books that Running Away fans have personally recommended if you like Running Away. 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 East of Eden

Vince Strawbridge Author Of Pretty Good at Walking

From my list on what one generation hands the next.

Why am I passionate about this?

In 2018, my wife and I walked the Pacific Crest Trail southbound with our four children—Canada to Mexico, 142 days, 2,650 miles. Aiden was sixteen, Georgie eleven. You cannot walk that far with your kids without thinking hard about what you are handing them, because you are handing it to them in real time, in front of you, all day. The books I keep returning to are the ones that take that seriously: inheritance that isn't money. A father's temper. A father's schemes. A way of staying put, or not. These are five that ask those questions, and the trail sharpened them for me.

Vince's book list on what one generation hands the next

Vince Strawbridge Why Vince loves this book

Timshel. Thou mayest. Sin is crouching at the door. Can you deny it entry?

A whole book built on whether a son is condemned to repeat his father, and the answer Steinbeck spends six hundred pages earning is that he isn't—but it will cost him.

I didn't read this book again until recently. I came back to it as a father of four and found it, or I, had changed: Adam Trask's great sin isn't cruelty; it's that he cannot see his sons clearly. That's the one that scares me. He shapes them anyway. A warning and a blessing to fathers.

By John Steinbeck ,

Why should I read it?

22 authors picked East of Eden as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

California's fertile Salinas Valley is home to two families whose destinies are fruitfully, and fatally, intertwined. Over the generations, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of the First World War, the Trasks and the Hamiltons will helplessly replay the fall of Adam and Eve and the murderous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

East of Eden was considered by Steinbeck to be his magnum opus, and its epic scope and memorable characters, exploring universal themes of love and identity, ensure it remains one of America's most enduring novels. This edition features a stunning new cover by renowned…


If you love Running Away...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Varina

Mark Simmons Author Of Rebel City

From Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Mark Simmons Why Mark loves this book

It deals with a period of history I find fascinating the American Civil War and told from a unique angle
of Varina Davis Wife of the Confederate President. Although I did find one thing irritating the use of just 'V' when referring to the main character how long does it take to type out Varina.

By Charles Frazier ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The new novel from the number one bestselling author of Cold Mountain - a stunning portrait of the devastation left by the American Civil War, as seen through the eyes of a woman who played a part at the heart of it.

Sooner or later, history asks: which side were you on?

'Moving' Sunday Times

'Here's a woman of the Civil War to outshine Scarlett O'Hara' The Times

'Beneath the chilling, photogenic story, the writing remains beautiful' - Independent

With her marriage prospects ruined in the wake of her father's financial decline, teenage Varina Howell decides her best option is…


Book cover of East of Eden
Book cover of Varina

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

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

165

readers submitted
so far, will you?