Cox Library's Recommended Reading

Mitchell elegantly interweaves six related stories that take us from the South Pacific of the 19th century through a far-off, post-apocalyptic future. An unusual, genre-bending format, and a gripping book about history repeating itself.

After two devastating wars between humanity and an alien race, Earth prepares for a third invasion by hand-selecting highly intelligent children and training them in space as future warriors. The ending will stay with you for a long time.

Don't panic. Instead, grab your towel and join ordinary Brit Arthur Dent as he is swept off on a madcap intergalactic journey on the day that Earth has been scheduled for demolition. One of the funniest books ever written, full stop.

Genly Ai, a Terran agent of an interplanetary consortium, is the first envoy to a world on the brink of developing interplanetary travel: Gethen, a planet where it is always winter and the people have no gender. Isolated and caught up in a messy political situation, Genly must come to rely on the native he had least trusted -- but learns to love and understand. A timeless story of communication and connection, written in Le Guin's inimitable prose.

Readers will be captured form the first page when the world plunges into war in 1914. The conflict between the Cankers, who put their faith in machines, and the Darwinists, whose technology is based on the development of a new species, is an adventure full of non-stop action. A steampunk gem.

Bradbury, a master of the genre, crafts 28 stunning stories of life on the first human colony on Mars. A classic!

16-year-old Thomas wakes up in the middle of a maze with no memory. In order to escape, he needs to work with the community in which he finds himself. An intriguing story where teenagers live in a world where they need to fight for survival on a daily basis. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you'll like The Maze Runner.

In a dystopian future, teen Nailer survives by breaking down beached oil tankers for spare parts, until he discovers an exquisite clipper grounded on the shore and is faced with a big choice. Bacigalupi won the 2011 Printz Award for this stunning book.

In a grim future United States, where a second civil war has been fought over the issue of abortion, parents are required to care for their children until age 13, at which point they have the choice to "unwind" them -- to send them away to have their body parts harvested for donation. Three teens scheduled for unwinding go on the run in this unsettling book. First in a series of five.

These books deliver an explosive space adventure that highlights Bujold's gift at creating unforgettable characters and worlds as it follows the fiendishly smart Miles Vorkosigan on his first mission out of the Barrayaran military academy. Read the whole series!

Vonnegut is a brilliant wordsmith and satirical mind, and this parodic twist on the arms race of the 1960s is one of his finest works. Don't miss it!

Margaret Atwood's feminist classic imagines a future where religious extremism has taken over the United States and women have become men's chattel. As searing as it was when first published in the 1980s.

Thom Creed is not your average teenager. For one thing, he's the son of an infamous disgraced ex-superhero, and he is beginning to come to terms with his own superpowers. For another, he's gay. This book is a fresh take on the superhero genre, with uncliched characters and a compelling, suspenseful plot.

Dana Franklin, a young African-American woman living in 1970s California, finds herself being repeatedly called back through time -- to a slave plantation in the antebellum South. Butler is best known for her science fiction, but this fantastical story about race, history, and slavery's terrible legacy may be her best work.

Micah, a compulsive liar, tells us the true story of how her boyfriend dies -- she swears. With many shocking twists and turns, this is a chilling book that you won't be able to put down.

In an alternate 1950s where England has fallen under Nazi control, teenage Standish Treadwell's strangely colored eyes and dyslexia make him an outcast. When Standish meets the Moon Man, he begins to unravel a conspiracy that could change the course of history.

9-year-old Rose Edelstein discovers that she can taste emotion when she bites into a slice of lemon cake and is overwhelmed to discover her mother's hidden despair. This unusual and beautiful novel will stay with you for a long time.

A love story between a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to unpredictably travel through time and the young woman who has known him for her entire life. A touching story with great characters.

Gaiman's writing is always rich and imaginative, and this book is no exception. In a world where gods gain their strength from the belief of their followers, America is a melting pot of different deities -- most of whom find that they are being left behind, and are reluctant to cede the ground to the new gods of technology. Mythology for the modern day.

A magical coming of age story, which reimagines classic fairy tale stories as it tells the story of David, a 12-year-old boy struggling with his mother's death and his father's remarriage. A fascinating journey.

Great Britain circa 1985: time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. Amidst all this, Acheron Hades, Third Most Wanted Man In the World, steals the original manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit and kills a minor character, who then disappears from every volume of the novel ever printed! But that's just a prelude . . . Hades' real target is the beloved Jane Eyre, and it's not long before he plucks her from the pages of Bronte's novel.

Graceling is the first book set in Cashore's popular fantasy world, where people born with special abilities are feared and mistrusted. One such "graceling", Katsa, a girl whose special skill lies in killing, forms a secret organization to help the people who are being mistreated in the Seven Kingdoms.

An instant classic when it was published, Jonathan Strange is a twist on the great 19th century novel, and uses magic and faeries to examine British history. A rich, rewarding book.

A young man, dissatisfied with his life, is invited to attend a hidden magical school. Yes, it's Harry Potter for the hipster set, and a wonderful look at mid-20s malaise and magic in a modern world.

T.H. White's definitive telling of the story of King Arthur and his knights is, simply, one of the best fantasy novels ever. Writing in the years leading up to World War II, White uses these familiar stories to reflect on universal questions of power and justice in an uncertain world. Mythic figures like Lancelot, Guenever, and Merlin become sympathetic, nuanced characters you will remember for a long time.

Rachel Hartman's award-winning novel spins a magical story about a fantasy land called Goredd, where humans and dragons live in uneasy peace. Hartman's dragons are unlike any you've ever read about before, and her main character Seraphina, a gifted musician, is unforgettable. Hartman published a sequel, Shadow Scale, this year that beautifully concludes the story.

A disturbing fairy tale about power, sex, and motherhood. Lanagan won a much deserved Printz Honor Award for this book.

Not what you'd expect from the musical! Maguire tells the classic story of Oz from the perspective of its most maligned resident, the Wicked Witch of the West. A sharp, funny send-up of fantasy conventions with real emotional weight.