4 Awesome Starter Books You Should Read

These four awesome books were originally listed on a static page (like the pages above), but I figured it was out of place there and should have a home with the rest of my book recommendations.

So I’ve decided to make a post of it.

I call them “starter books” for lack of a better term (if you know of one, let me know!). Three are the first books in their respective series; one of the books being not part of a series, but an introduction into the kinds of books the author writes.

The Thief By: Megan Whalen Turner
The Thief is the first book in a fantasy quartet. The thief in question is the main character, Eugenides (nicknamed Gen). It’s tough with a series like this to review a single book. There are so many plot twists that I’m not quite sure what I’m giving away. There are thieves, political intrigue, love, and more, all set in an ancient Greek/Byzantine-like setting. The stories revolve around the countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis and all involve Gen. Interestingly, they’re all written in different points of view which allows for an in-depth look into Gen’s character.  I read the books slightly out of sequence, but they’re amazing in any order.

Friday’s Child By: Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer’s historical romances are different from every other historical romance. I admit to

The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness

The Alienist & The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

Because The Alienist and it’s sequel, The Angel of Darkness, is a unique take on a common idea:

Because it’s like a procedural show, only set in the turn of the century
Because it’s a criminal investigation in the days before forensics was accepted
Because it focuses on the psychology of the criminal intent

Because it gently reminds the reader how different life was back then, what with the NYPD bursting with corruption, juries consisting only of white males, and the censoring of newspapers to protect the public’s sensibilities.