Here are 100 books that The God and the Gumiho fans have personally recommended if you like The God and the Gumiho. 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 Heartless

Demi Blaize Author Of Apparently, I'm A Bitch

From my list on romantic comedies to keep you swooning.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been the dorky bookworm, the party girl who laughs too loud, the gamer-tomboy, and the doting mother of two kids who is now in a happy, loving marriage. Through all my shifts and changes, the one constant thread in my life was love. But not the rough, I-have-to-hurt-someone-to-get-it kind of love you might find in dark romance novels (although I enjoy those too sometimes). My kind of experience with love is that it’s at its best when it’s fun and when it’s easy. If you can find your most authentic you in the pages of a rom-com, you’re guaranteed an escape from reality that’ll pull you deeper into yourself. 

Demi's book list on romantic comedies to keep you swooning

Demi Blaize Why Demi loves this book

There’s something so inexplicably enticing about forbidden romance. Even these days, when a man knows they can’t have a certain woman for all sorts of reasons, the moment where that man breaks, the moment where he loses control, that’s exactly the kind of magic I want in an all-consuming romance novel.

If you’re looking for that added spice of a hilarious, sexy nanny and older, grumpy cowboy, you’ll find that, as well as unforgettable forbidden romance elements in this spicy cowboy romcom.

If you’re going to read only one Elsie Silver book, make it this one.

By Elsie Silver ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Working as a nanny for the world's grumpiest single dad should be simple…except she can't keep her eyes off him. And he can't keep his hands off her.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than Willa Grant, and he barely looks her way, even though she's living in his house for the summer. That is, until she gets him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then, all bets are off―and so are their clothes.

Cade is gruff, a little rough around the edges, but broad-shouldered ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are…


If you love The God and the Gumiho...

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 Beautiful Ugly

Miranda Rijks Author Of You Are Mine

From my list on creepy obsessions that will make your skin crawl.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the author of 26 twisty psychological thrillers, many of which are Amazon bestsellers. I’ve sold over three-quarters of a million books and particularly enjoy writing about dysfunctional families and unpleasant neighbours! Several of my novels touch upon the theme of creepy obsessions, including Violets Are Blue, Deserve To Die, and The Godchild, to name just three. In case you’re wondering I have drawn upon some creepy obsessions I’ve experienced in real life... I’m a full-time author and I’m also an avid reader of thrillers and enjoy nothing more than reading a book with an ending that makes me gasp!

Miranda's book list on creepy obsessions that will make your skin crawl

Miranda Rijks Why Miranda loves this book

I was completely absorbed by Beautiful Ugly, where nothing is quite what it seems.

I love stories that play with perception, and this one does it so elegantly, weaving grief and obsession into something hauntingly beautiful. The isolated Scottish island provides a fabulously claustrophobic and creepy backdrop that I couldn’t get enough of.

It’s dark, atmospheric, and exquisitely written—I raced through it.

By Alice Feeney ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Beautiful Ugly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'I was consumed by this book, it's her best ever, a work of genius' - Lisa Jewell

'Brilliant and chilling, with an inspired setting, characters that jump off the page and twists to give you whiplash. I loved every word' - Claire Douglas

The million-copy bestselling author of His and Hers, Alice Feeney, returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage . . . and revenge.

* * *

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife as she's driving home to share some exciting news. He hears Abby slam…


Book cover of Killers Of A Certain Age

Rob Hart Author Of Assassins Anonymous

From my list on versatility of the assassin genre.

Why am I passionate about this?

Assassins are always compelling characters. They fit within that archetype of the gunslinger and the private eye and the ronin samurai, highly-skilled characters with a strict moral code who take the law into their own hands to deliver justice in an unjust world. But more than that, they’re fantastic vehicles for exploring the moral gray areas of the world. As a concept, it’s pretty straightforward: kill someone and collect a paycheck. But I’m always looking for books that do something new and special with the genre. 

Rob's book list on versatility of the assassin genre

Rob Hart Why Rob loves this book

This book is a unique spin on the classic assassin story. It follows four women in their 60s, retired from their careers as killers, who are now targeted and trying to survive.

Raybourn’s book is funny and action-packed, but it does incredible work with the characters. It explores a traditionally macho genre from a female perspective, which offers a whole host of new opportunities and insights.   

By Deanna Raybourn ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Killers Of A Certain Age as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. But now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates their real-world resourcefulness in an age of technology.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses-paid trip to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realise they've been marked for death.

To get out alive they…


If you love Sophie Kim...

Book cover of AcClaim

AcClaim by Jean Thesquare,

AcClaim is a dark, high-society romance about Beatrix Winslow-Hale, a successful romance author who believes desire can be negotiated and controlled—until enigmatic billionaire Dorian Wolker crosses the line between consensual surrender and violation. Publicly humiliated and emotionally shattered, Beatrix turns to Manon de Rochemaure, her fiercely loyal best friend and…

Book cover of The Push

Jennifer Dupree Author Of What Do You Want From Me?

From my list on dicey mother-daughter relationships.

Why am I passionate about this?

I bought a bookstore when I was twenty-five, knowing nothing about business but knowing I loved books. It was the happiest I’ve ever been, professionally, and also the most broke. At some point, I came to my senses, sold my store, and got a job working in a library. I’m a library director now, and I don’t get to recommend books as much as I used to when I didn’t have to do things like think about the budget and remove dead mice from the cellar. Still, I get to work around books, and I overhear and occasionally insert myself into a fair number of book-related conversations. 

Jennifer's book list on dicey mother-daughter relationships

Jennifer Dupree Why Jennifer loves this book

Talk about a complicated mother-daughter relationship! Almost as soon as her daughter is born, Blythe suspects something is…off. And no kidding, is it ever? This book takes the idea of not being able to connect with your kid to a whole other, really terrifying level.

What I particularly love about this book is how much it challenges the idea of who is in charge in the mother-daughter relationship, and what it means if your kid is really, truly, bad. This book actually made me gasp. The title refers to the central incident of the book, but I like it because the book also pushes against all kinds of societal norms. 

By Ashley Audrain ,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Push as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | A New York Times bestseller!

"Utterly addictive." -Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

"Hooks you from the very first page and will have you racing to get to the end."-Good Morning America

A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family-and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for-and everything she feared

Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.

But in the…


Book cover of My Friends

Helen Benedict Author Of The Good Deed

From my list on honest novels about being a refugee.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a novelist and journalist who has been writing about war and refugees for nearly two decades. In 2018, I went to the Greek island of Samos, which held one of the most inhumane refugee camps in Europe, to talk to people there about their lives and hopes. Out of this, I wrote several articles and later two books, including The Good Deed. My hope is to counteract the demonization of refugees, so rife in the world today, by bringing out all that we humans have in common, such as our need for shelter, food, family, safety, and love. 

Helen's book list on honest novels about being a refugee

Helen Benedict Why Helen loves this book

This new novel from Libyan writer Matar is mainly a story about the love between friends, especially male friends, but that love is set against displacement and trauma and the psychological difficulties of being separated from one's country, family, culture, and identity.

A contemplative, deeply thoughtful novel, it is totally engaging and searingly honest, just as much about being a human being as it is about political ideologies or survivor guilt. 

By Hisham Matar ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked My Friends as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Plasmas

Laurence Klavan Author Of Adult Children

From my list on collections of weird tales of the past and future.

Why am I passionate about this?

During Covid, I gave myself the Story-a-Month Challenge. I started a story on the first day of each month and stopped on the last day. A subconscious theme emerged: the struggles of grown people and their parents, done fantastically. By year’s end, I had twelve stories, placed in magazines somewhere. I collected them, adding earlier stories, longer and with younger protagonists, but with the same theme of arrested development. I called the book “Adult Children,” a wry reference to offspring of alcoholics (I am one). Also subconscious: my inspiration from other authors of fantastical collections, some of whom I’ve included here.

Laurence's book list on collections of weird tales of the past and future

Laurence Klavan Why Laurence loves this book

A French import published in the US in 2024, Plasmas is an intriguingly spare, linked collection of short futuristic scenes.

Acrobats whose routines are programmed by biotechnology…tomorrow’s La Brea Tar Pits, where artifacts of both the distant past—and future—are unearthed…a female scientist bonds idealistically and tragically with great apes…these compelling stories revolve around a post-human world, written in an icy style that often feels post-human, as well.

Prodigiously translated by Annabel Kim, it’s a subdued, sort-of successor to Cosmicomics and won the French Prix de L’imaginaire, that country’s top prize for speculative fiction.

By Céline Minard , Annabel L. Kim (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A speculative masterpiece of technology and mythmaking that contemplates humanity.

The stories in Plasmas dive into a post-human, more-than-human world where life as we know it has been replaced by life as it goes on. Acrobats glide through the air attached to biotech devices, an archivist presents scenes from Earth after interstellar colonization to her students, and scientists in Siberia play god with a manmade beast.

Written as a series of vignettes into futures near and far, Plasmas dives into questions of legacy, memory, the body, and technology through striking prose from one of France's leading sci-fi writers.…


If you love The God and the Gumiho...

Book cover of My Sister's Only Hope

My Sister's Only Hope by Alison Ragsdale,

An emotional and unputdownable story about what it means to be a mother.

Book cover of Joan

Larry Zuckerman Author Of Lonely Are the Brave

From my list on men and women breaking unwritten rules.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a teenager, I began to question the myths my parents told about our family, but when saying so caused trouble, I confided my stories to paper instead. That’s how I became a writer. My first love has always been fiction, but I broke into print writing history—about quirky subjects in which I find deep meaning, like the potato’s revolutionary influence on the Western world, or how the invasion and occupation of Belgium in 1914 foretold Nazi Europe. My fascination with subversion shapes my novels too—my quiet, lonely protagonists would never storm the barricades yet appear radical because of how they live, a circumstance I know well.

Larry's book list on men and women breaking unwritten rules

Larry Zuckerman Why Larry loves this book

I love stories about iconoclasts, and Joan of Arc fits that description, if anyone ever has.

The hard reality of this retelling draws me in: Joan’s a secular military leader who grew up toughened from her father’s blows rather than a pious young woman who hears voices. That skeptical take may offend some readers, but the history, politics, and personalities come vividly to life and seem real to me.

Chen’s seductive prose makes me wish I could write like her, and her novel lets me feel the tragedy and uplift of a great historical figure.

By Katherine J. Chen ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A stunning feminist reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc - perfect for fans of Cecily, Ariadne and Matrix

'It is as if the author has crept inside a statue and breathed a soul into it, re-creating Joan of Arc as a woman for our time' Hilary Mantel, twice Booker Prize-winning author of The Mirror & the Light

'A glorious, sweeping novel . . . Richly imagined, poignant and inspiring' Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne

'Chen earns the comparison [to Mantel] thanks to her vivid, visceral and boldly immediate storytelling . . . a hypnotic heroine for our time'…


Book cover of Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish

Hallie Ephron Author Of Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel

From my list on write books for turning out a killer mystery novel.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in a family of writers; my parents and three sisters were all successful writers, and I was the odd one out with a passion for teaching. I love to simplify, diagram, and make the complex graspable. And what’s not to like about a career in which people listen to you tell them what to do? I began writing after years of teaching, and my first novel was a mystery—a genre that no one in my family had yet written and which I’d been loving since my first Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie. Now, I combine the two: teaching and writing. Playing to both strengths and passing along what I’ve learned.

Hallie's book list on write books for turning out a killer mystery novel

Hallie Ephron Why Hallie loves this book

Another book that focuses on story structure, and explains the difference between literary and commercial fiction without talking down to those of us who aspire to the latter. I found it full of illuminating visuals, excellent examples, and exercises to help me immediately apply his advice. And above all, remember that advice weeks later as I write more and more pages.

It works because he does more than expound. He *engages* the reader–mentally and physically. Reading the book is like taking a master class.

By James Scott Bell ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Plot & Structure as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Craft an Engaging Plot

How does plot influence story structure? What's the difference between plotting for commercial and literary fiction? How do you revise a plot or structure that's gone off course?

With Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure, you'll discover the answers to these questions and more. Award-winning author James Scott Bell offers clear, concise information that will help you create a believable and memorable plot, including:

   • Techniques for crafting strong beginnings, middles, and ends
   • Easy-to-understand plotting diagrams and charts
   • Brainstorming techniques for original plot ideas
   • Thought-provoking exercises at the end of each chapter
   •…


Book cover of The Beach Trap

Jenn Bouchard Author Of First Course

From my list on books for your beach vacation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been drawn to the ocean. When I decided to start writing novels, I knew that I wanted to set them in coastal locations. I live in the Boston suburbs and spend time whenever I can at the beach. I have written books centered in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Cape Cod. I am working on a story set on the north shore of Massachusetts. I am a high school social studies teacher of twenty-four years and a parent of two teenagers. All of my writing includes cooking and the enjoyment of good food as a major focus. I hope my books make you hungry!

Jenn's book list on books for your beach vacation

Jenn Bouchard Why Jenn loves this book

I was a huge fan of the original The Parent Trap movie as a kid, and this adult book version is absolutely addicting.

With a coastal Florida setting, it was perfect to read on a beach vacation. The main characters are loads of fun, and the two book boyfriends are charming in very different ways. 

By Ali Brady ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Two best friends torn apart by a life-altering secret. One summer to set the record straight.
 
When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half sisters. Confused and betrayed, the girls break off all contact.
 
Fifteen years later, when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are immediately at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to…


If you love Sophie Kim...

Book cover of Christmas Actually

Christmas Actually by Lisa Darcy,

Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect or remember. Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness and a snapshot of modern family life, addressing Instagram to motherhood and everything in between.

Why Christmas? My publisher wanted my new novel to have…

Book cover of My Dearest Darkest

Rebecca Schier-Akamelu Author Of Negative Images

From my list on horror where something comes back wrong.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love horror, as a writer and a reader, especially books where something or someone is changed. It could be a change to some unknown entity, or to a loved one that the main character knows inside and out. The question remains: what do we do when someone or something comes back to us, but they’re not the same? How do we navigate the unease that comes from an uncomfortable blend of the familiar and unfamiliar? The books in this list left me asking these and many other questions. I hope you enjoy them.

Rebecca's book list on horror where something comes back wrong

Rebecca Schier-Akamelu Why Rebecca loves this book

In this book, one of the main characters comes back wrong—early on, too. I really felt for poor Finch, who was saved by something mysterious in the lake after a car crash with her parents. She’s grieving their loss, dealing with her strange new reality, and adjusting to life at boarding school.

Finch’s tie to the mysterious being that saved her made this book hard to put down and added an intriguing element to the story after Finch and her friends let out a monster under their school. I loved the explorations of self-identity and what we value that this book raised.

By Kayla Cottingham ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked My Dearest Darkest 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?

Two girls, inexplicably linked. An ancient creature rising in the dark. And a town on the verge of being devoured. My Dearest Darkest is a sharp, feminist horror debut, about girls claiming their power, and the price we sometimes pay for wanting.
Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy... but she's also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of the river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn't let her drown. Finch doesn't know why…


Book cover of Heartless
Book cover of Beautiful Ugly
Book cover of Killers Of A Certain Age

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