Here are 76 books that The Falconer fans have personally recommended if you like
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I fell deeply in love with books as a child, wrote oodles of stories growing up, majored in English literature, and built a writing career in advertising and TV. But my deep love of childrenâs books never faded. Somewhere in my 30s, I had an epiphany sitting on the couch one day: I clearly saw that writing childrenâs books was what I wanted to build my life around. It took a lot of time and effort to accomplish that, but with the aid of a helpful hamster named Humphrey â and his friend Og - I found my happy place, and I hope I never, ever âgrow up.â
Another friendly rodent tale with a clever premise! I read this long before there was ever a movie about Stuart. Once again, the authorâs imagination amazed me. I was enchanted with all the clever things Stuart could do â his car, his canoe, his friendship with Margalo the bird, and the humans that accepted him as part of their family.
I remember bringing the library book to my grandmotherâs house when I spent the weekend. I donât think the book was out of my grasp except when I was sleeping. And even then, I was dreaming of being a writer and âlivingâ in a world like Stuartâs.Â
The classic story by E. B. White, author of the Newbery Honor Book Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet of the Swan, about one small mouse on a very big adventure.
Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure.
Stuart's greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home forâŚ
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn theâŚ
Iâve become fascinated with the unconventional tumultuous world of the 1920s ever since I discovered my grandmotherâs box of mementos that led to my debut historical fiction, Whistling Women and Crowing Hens. The lesser-known parts of our countryâs history draw me in, and the potential for strong female characters keeps me writing. Before I fell down many research rabbit holes, I thought the 1920s were just speakeasies, fringed flappers, and bathtub ginâwhile entertaining, itâs only the âbig cityâ side of this transformative decade. Iâve found I prefer reading what everyday townspeople experienced, or how ânormalâ women became unexpected heroes, or ways people persevered after the turmoil WWI caused. There are so many undiscovered stories to be told!
Donât be fooled by the cover, The Masterpiece is an excellent dual-timeline about two seemingly ordinary women fighting for their independence in the same place, yet from two distinct time periods.
In 1928 Clara, a confident illustrator and art instructor and in 1974 Virginia, a recently divorced tollbooth operator, found themselves working at New York Cityâs Grand Central Terminal.
Davis brilliantly braids both stories about complicated flawed women challenging social injustices and entitled men of their time within a fascinating setting. (Yes, 50 years apart and they're dealing with similar issues!)
I stayed up late discovering how their stories coincide once Virginia uncovered a painting by Clara. Talk about unknown historyâwho knew there was an art school upstairs in the Grand Central Terminal or that it was almost demolished?!
In this captivating novel, New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis takes readers into the glamorous lost art school within Grand Central Terminal, where two very different women, fifty years apart, strive to make their mark on a world set against them.
For most New Yorkers, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.
For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future. It is 1928, and Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. Though not even the prestigeâŚ
I've been aware since childhood how people are battered by political and social forces. My family lived in Taiwan in the 1950s, when it was an impoverished, insecure place. Later, back in D.C., the Civil Rights movement and nascent counterculture and my mother's death deepened my conviction that conflict and fragility are facts of life. Novels like these five, whose characters face overwhelming situations, nurture our reserves of empathy. In my memoir of adolescence, I reexamined how, at 16, I tried to handle the jigsaw pieces of looming adulthood, gay panic, family tragedy, and social upheaval. That needed all the empathyâfor myselfâthat I could muster.
This book made me feel as if I were on a Coney Island ride that was part roller coaster, part Tilt-a-Whirl, and part chamber of horrorsâfollowed by a tranquil stroll in Central Park to catch my breath. That's just the mix of wild stimulus and stately calm I loved when I lived in New York City myself.
The storyâreally, multiple interlocking character portraits set in the maybe 1980sâis totally believable even though it moves around in time, including into the future. The city itself is not one of those characters. But the city is made real and rich through their multiplicity. Some of them are wildly idiosyncratic people. But hey, they're New Yorkers! Reading it, I kept asking myself why I ever left.
Ghosts of New York is a novel in which the laws of time and space have been subtly suspended. It interweaves four strands: a photographer newly returned to the neighborhood where she grew up, after years spent living overseas; a foundling raised on 14th Street; a graduate student, his romantic partner, and his best friend entangled in a set of relationships with far-reaching personal and political repercussions; and a shopkeeper suffering from first love late in life. Mixing prophecy, history, and a hint of speculative fiction, its stories are bound together even as they are propelled into stranger territory. AndâŚ
The Guardian of the Palace is the first novel in a modern fantasy series set in a New York City where magic is realâbut hidden, suppressed, and dangerous when exposed.
When an ancient magic begins to leak into the world, a small group of unlikely allies is forced to actâŚ
With a name like Susan Wands, it was inevitable that I would be drawn to the occult and to the world of tarot cards. In high school, I was drawn to a set of tarot cards, not knowing that this deck, the Ryde Waite deck, was illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Pamela was the co-creator of the worldâs best-selling tarot deck, and I became obsessed with her and her life story. I have written a historical fantasy series, the Arcana Oracle Series, based on Pamelaâs life and lectured worldwide on the Golden Dawn, Tarot, and Magical Women.
I was intrigued by the magical abilities in the âHandsâ of each one of the three protagonists in this book. Tamara uses her hands for tarot readings to tell peopleâs futures, while Phyllisâs hands have a super-power strength for knife-throwing, and Dev has âSaintâs Handsâ have a sort of spidey-sense, helping his work as a police spy.
I was intrigued by Tamaraâs tarot readings as part of this crime story, with the weaving in of black peopleâs stories of trauma, the double-edged sword of passing for white, and Juju assassins. This alternate history is a nebula of magic, criminals, and an exploration of how love heals people.
This book was the 2021 Winner of the World Fantasy Award. It was an unexpected winner, but I can see how Johnsonâs gritty writing pulled people in. Trigger warning: if you have nerves about reading about knives as weapons, you may want toâŚ
The dangerous magic of The Night Circus meets the powerful historical exploration of The Underground Railroad in this timely and unsettling novel, set against the darkly glamorous backdrop of New York City, where an assassin tries to fight her fate at the dawn of World War II.
Amid the whir of city life, a young woman from Harlem is drawn into the glittering underworld of Manhattan, where she's hired to use her knives to strike fear among its most dangerous denizens.
Ten years later, Phyllis LeBlanc has given up everything - not just her own past, and Dev, the manâŚ
Iâve always been fascinated by the darker corners of the human mind, such as what drives people to commit unspeakable acts and how others find the strength to face them. As both a neuropsychologist and a thriller author, I explore those questions on the page, weaving together my background in psychology with my love of twisty, character-driven stories. Books where the crimes are as twisted as the minds behind them have shaped my own writing, including my latest novel, Heavy Are the Stones. I read them not just for the suspense, but for the unsettling and raw truths they reveal about us all as humans.
Eriq La Salle is best known for his role as Dr. Peter Benton on the hit TV show ER, but Laws of Depravity shows that heâs a magnificent writer as well as a prolific actor.
I have read a lot of crime fiction, yet Laws of Depravity stopped me cold and made me question whether âthe killing of devils is a condemnable act.â Growing up a preacherâs kid, Iâm fascinated by the ways people use religion as an explanation or shield for both wonderful and terrible acts.
Lasalle doesnât shy away from looking at the darker side, and that made me brave enough to take a closer look in my own work. La Salle has delivered a highly character-driven book that profiles the detectives and civilians as much as the killer while still maintaining that thrilling pace. Every morally gray twist felt earned, and the surprises kept coming right upâŚ
From actor, director, producer and award-winning author Eriq La Salle comes the first in a heart-pounding crime thriller series that will leave you on the edge of your seat, frantically questioning the blurred lines between good and evil.
30 years. 36 priests butchered. His bloodiest masterpiece is yet to come.
Every ten years, for the past 30 years, a dozen clergymen are killed, brutally murdered in twisted scenes emulating the deaths of Jesus and his disciples. It is the work of a serial killer known as "The Martyr Maker." And in 2011, he set his mark on New York City.âŚ
I was born and bred on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in South Florida, so I am passionate about beach reads. There is nothing I love more than to get lost in a great book with themes of summer, the beach, love, and loss. Spending the whole day on a lounge chair by the shore, devouring a book, is my idea of heaven.
As a teacher of creative writing, I enjoy books with deep and complex human relationships. I also love books with a strong sense of place, where the setting is almost a character in its own right. Beach reads are great at giving the reader both!
I love how the lives of different people intersect during the summer in this book. Unexpected romance, well-meaning lies, and damaging secrets pepper this story, making it the perfect page turner during a summer vacation.
I also love that one of the characters is a baker. I just love stories that marry food and cooking into the story.
"One of my own favorite writers." -Elin Hilderbrand
Named a Best Beach Read of Summer by Vulture, PureWow, She Reads and Women.com
J. Courtney Sullivan's Maine meets the works of Elin Hilderbrand in this delicious summer read involving three strangers, one island, and a season packed with unexpected romance, well-meaning lies, and damaging secrets.
Anthony Puckett was a rising literary star. The son of an uber-famous thriller writer, Anthony's debut novel spent two years on the bestseller list and won the adoration of critics. But something went very wrong with his second work. Now Anthony's borrowing an old college's friend'sâŚ
Aury and Scott travel to the Finger Lakes in New Yorkâs wine country to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings at the Songscape Winery. Disturbed furniture and curious noises are one thing, but when a customer winds up dead, itâs time to dig into the details and seeâŚ
People behave rationally and irrationally. Observing and thinking about human nature is the sport of my lifetime. In literature and art, I worship real wit. I thirst for the unusual, the deadpan, the acknowledging of one thing while another slips in unseen. Wit has been, for me, a shield and a tool for good. I try not to use it as a weapon because wit as a weapon often damages a wider target than one intends. I strive to endow my fictional women, my protagonists, with sharp yet understated wit that spares no one, not even themselves. Especially not themselves. The books I recommend here live up to my standards.
I love this book because itâs dark and unsettling. Wait, what? Yeah. Eleven-year-old Harriet roams her city, spying on adults and kids and writing about them in her notebook. Sounds cute, but her personality is pretty damn awful when you really look at her. And this I love. Call me perverse.
I was ten when I first met Harriet, a sneakers-and-jeans-wearing girl who doesnât know much but wants to know more. Sheâs not upbeat. She does crappy things to her friends and enemies. Fascinating! I knew kids like that.
Harrietâs wit is based on calculation: If I do X, I might see Y result, and then I might learn Z.
Some readers label Harriet a sociopath. Theyâre missing it: Sheâs on a flawed mission to grow up. As was I.
First published in 1974, a title in which Harriet M. Welsch, aspiring author, keeps a secret journal in which she records her thoughts about strangers and friends alike, but when her friends find the notebook with all its revelations, Harriet becomes the victim of a hate campaign.
I identify as agender and grew up in Oklahoma, one of the worst places to be trans or LGBTQ because of the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation thatâs flying through the Oklahoma state legislature. Writing Ugliest, a book about teen activists fighting these laws, reminded me how important standing up for whatâs right is and what powerful activists teens can be when they get together. This list has other books celebrating the strength of teens protesting and pushing against societal wrongs. Although some terrible things happen in these booksâjust like in the real worldâreading them reminds us that fighting back is worth it.
I loved Ayo, this bookâs fourteen-year-old main character. Sheâs burnt out on activism, having been raised by a famous activist mom fighting for Black rights in America. All Ayo wants is to take a break and live a normal teen life. This makes so much sense to meâwhy do people who are at a disadvantage have to spend their time fighting for basic rightsâwhat if they just want to spend their time making art or writing books like selfish white dudes are free to do?
But when something terrible happens at a big march, Ayo skipped, all the education and activist spirit her mom drilled into her no longer feels like a burden. I loved how she figured out she wanted to fight and really came into her own.
"A love letter to Harlem and hope. I Rise is smart and funny and full of heart.*"
Fourteen-year-old Ayo who has to decide whether to take on her mother's activist role when her mom is shot by police. As she tries to find answers, Ayo looks to the wisdom of her ancestors and her Harlem community for guidance.
Ayo's mother founded the biggest civil rights movement to hit New York City in decades. It's called 'See Us' and it tackles police brutality and racial profiling in Harlem. Ayo has spent her entire life being an activist and now, she wantsâŚ
In the hands of a skilled horror author, there is something powerful about a slow-burn romance. When two characters are drawn to each other against the backdrop of dread and danger, the stakes are raised. Every moment the two have together is hard-won, special. The romance doesnât soften the horror; it sharpens it. It gives readers something to invest in and hope for. That intense emotional investment creates tension. Survival isnât just about escaping the supernatural threat or a human monster; itâs about what might be lost if they donât. In horror, love is a luxury because itâs risky and a vulnerability. It's a favorite element of good horror.
Some horror books manage to create a sense of dread that builds slowly over time, dropping little clues and breadcrumbs for the reader along the way, hinting at the horror just around the bend. Other books keep their secrets. If youâre a Devil Wears Prada fan, you will enjoy the trope of ânew employee is completely disgusted by the lifestyle & culture modeled by their co-workers but eventually find themselves adapting to the point of getting sucked into it and believing in it.â
I also enjoyed the sapphic longing and desire that developed between some of the main characters. This works in tandem with the complexity of the story and the growing tension. I will not spoil the direction of the storyline and what ultimately makes this book land squarely in the horror genre, but I will say, it does not disappoint.
A well-crafted debut from Ling Ling Huang. ThisâŚ
Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost.
Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parentsâalso talented musiciansâwho fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City.  Holistik is known for its remarkable products and proceduresâfrom remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelashâŚ
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa storiesâall 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 argueâŚ
Anyone whoâs attended high school knows itâs often survival of the fittest outside class and a sort of shadow-boxing inside of it. At my late-1970s prep school in the suburbs of Los Angeles, some days unfolded like a âMad Maxâ meets âDead Societyâ cage match. While everything changed when the school went coed in 1980, the scars would last into the next millennia for many. Mine did, and itâd thrust me on a journey not only into classic literature of the young-male archetype, but also historical figures who dared to challenge the Establishment for something bigger than themselves. I couldnât have written my second novel, Later Days, without living what I wrote or eagerly reading the books below.
For years, I refused to re-embrace Holden Caulfield, because Mark David Chapman, John Lennonâs assassin, declared it inspired him to bloodshed. Iâm glad I did, getting the juices circulating for my novel.
Holden, manic-depressed over his brotherâs death, cut loose from his prep school, may speak in a stream-of-consciousness babble, but he enunciated an old-soul contempt of Ivy-League elitism that reverberates today.
When Holden declares, âThe more expensive a school, the more crooks it has,â itâs a literary MRI on American classism still tearing us asunder.
