10 Books I Still Recommend Years After Reading Them

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I’ve been reviewing books for a long time, which means this post was much harder to put together than it probably should have been. I’ve read so many five-star books over the years, and if you ask me for a recommendation, my answer is almost always going to depend on what kind of reader you are and what you’re in the mood for.

But then there are these books.

These are the books and series that have stuck with me through years and years of reading. They’re the ones I still recommend, still think about, and in some cases have actually gone back and reread multiple times. They’re also the books I would happily pick up and read all over again.

So this isn’t necessarily a list of the “best books ever written.” It’s much more personal than that. These are the books that have earned permanent spots on my recommendation list—and the ones I will apparently continue screaming about from the heavens whenever someone asks me what they should read.

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

If I have to name my favorite book series of all time, there really isn’t any competition. It’s A Song of Ice and Fire.

I’ve read this series three times, and somehow I still notice or learn something new every time I go back to it. The world is incredibly rich and complex, with so many characters, histories, political machinations, alliances, betrayals, and tiny details that it’s almost impossible to absorb everything the first time through.

And yes, I love Game of Thrones. The show is wonderful. But as far as I’m concerned, the show can never compare to the books.

If you watched the series but have been intimidated by the size of the books, I completely understand—but they’re worth the commitment. This is high fantasy at its absolute best for me, and without question my favorite series I’ve ever read.

Read my full review of the ASOIAF series here.

2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Here’s another case where I love the television adaptation but still say: read the books.

I especially recommend the first four books in the Outlander series. They are incredible.

There’s romance, history, adventure and, of course, time travel, but the series can also be surprisingly philosophical. Jamie and Claire’s story is obviously a huge part of why I’ve loved these books, but there’s so much more happening around them that I’ve always found the series completely absorbing.

It’s a massive commitment if you decide to read the entire thing, so if that sounds overwhelming, just start with Outlander. There’s a reason I’ve continued recommending this series for years.

Read my full review of the Outlander series here.

3. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I literally wrote my thesis on Harry Potter, so saying I have a soft spot for this series would probably be an understatement.

What I love is that these really are books for both kids and adults. They’re magical and imaginative, but underneath all of that are stories about friendship, bravery, growing up, loss, making difficult choices, and figuring out what kind of person you want to be.

Now that I’m a mom, they’re also books I would happily read aloud with my own kid. In fact, I think they’re books every child should have the chance to experience.

Heroes, trials and tribulations, incredible friendships and an entire magical world to disappear into—there’s just so much to love here.

4. The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

I genuinely wish I could erase these books from my brain just so I could experience them for the first time again.

What makes The Seven Sisters work so well as a series is that there’s a strong overarching mystery connecting everything, but each book still has its own identity. You get a different sister, a different story and often a completely different historical setting, while slowly uncovering pieces of the larger puzzle.

There’s romance, historical fiction, family drama and mystery all rolled together.

I definitely loved some installments more than others, which is almost inevitable with a series this large, but taken as a whole, this is such a solid series. It’s one I continue recommending—and one I would absolutely reread.

Read my full review of the series here.

5. Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

Sometimes you just want a fun romance that makes you feel good, and the Bridgerton books have always delivered that for me.

As with most long series, I liked some of the books more than others, but overall they’re charming, romantic and incredibly easy to get sucked into. Every new book gives you another hero and love story to swoon over while still keeping you connected to the Bridgerton family and the larger world.

And once you’ve finished the main series, there are spin-offs and related books waiting for you.

If you watched Bridgerton and haven’t tried Julia Quinn’s books yet, they’re absolutely worth adding to your list.

Read my full review of the series here.

6. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

I love a spooky book at pretty much any time of year, but every fall when people start asking me what they should read for spooky season, this is the book I recommend.

The Sun Down Motel was completely unputdownable for me. It’s creepy, atmospheric and has a murder mystery running through it that kept me reading way later into the night than I should have.

It’s exactly the kind of spooky book I enjoy—not just scary for the sake of being scary, but a genuinely compelling story with enough creepiness to make you want to keep the lights on.

Years later, this is still my go-to fall recommendation.

Read my full review here.

7. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Gone with the Wind has been part of my reading life for as long as I can remember. Scarlett O’Hara was one of my literary icons when I was a little girl, and reading the novel only made me more fascinated by her.

Scarlett is manipulative. She’s cutthroat. She’s selfish. She’s also unapologetic, determined and willing to do almost anything to survive—and she remains one of the most memorable heroines I’ve encountered.

Of course, this is also a novel that needs to be read with an understanding of when and how it was written. Its depiction of slavery and the antebellum South contains racist stereotypes and romanticizes parts of that history, and those elements shouldn’t simply be brushed aside.

For me, recommending the book isn’t an endorsement of those depictions. It’s the complicated characters, sprawling love story and especially Scarlett herself that have kept this novel memorable for me all these years.

Read my full review here.

8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

For my fellow classic readers, this is the one.

Wuthering Heights is my favorite classic, and I’ve actually made a habit of rereading it around Thanksgiving break.

Give me the moody Yorkshire moors, the isolated estates and the disastrous, tragic relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine and I’m happy. Well…maybe “happy” isn’t exactly the right word for Wuthering Heights.

It’s dark, dramatic and incredibly atmospheric. The setting feels almost as important as the characters themselves, which is a huge part of why I’ve returned to it so many times.

Read my full review here.

9. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

A giant novel about building a cathedral might not immediately sound like a page-turner, and yet The Pillars of the Earth is absolutely captivating.

The cathedral is at the center of the story, but around it you get this fascinating look at medieval life and politics along with ambition, power struggles, religion, violence and a love story for the ages.

This book also holds a particularly special memory for me because I read it while touring cathedrals in England. Reading about the construction of these enormous medieval buildings while actually standing inside them made the experience that much richer.

I’ve read other books in the series, but none of them compare to this one for me. It’s a true standout.

10. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction, but The Bronze Horseman felt completely different to me when I read it.

Part of that was the setting. The story’s focus on Leningrad and the Soviet experience gave me something different from many of the WWII novels I’d been reading, and then there’s the love story.

Oh, that love story.

This was another book that had me staying up ridiculously late because I couldn’t put it down. It’s emotional, immersive and one of those books that completely consumed me while I was reading it.

Years later, I still remember that feeling—and that’s exactly why it’s on this list.

Read my full review here.

The Books That Stay With Us

This list was ridiculously hard to write.

I’ve read so many books that I’ve given five stars to over the years, and there are plenty of wonderful books that aren’t on this list. Ask me for my favorite mystery, historical fiction novel, romance or gothic read and I might give you ten completely different recommendations.

But these are different.

These are the books that have stayed with me. They’re the stories I’ve reread, recommended over and over again, thought about years later, or wished I could experience again for the first time.

And really, isn’t that one of the best things a book can do?

Want to browse all 10 books?

I’ve put all of these books together in my Amazon list so you can easily browse the books and series I still recommend years after reading them. Browse my Books I Still Recommend list on Amazon →