Today’s guest post comes from one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met in my entire life. Lisa also happens to be a coworker of mine and I love chatting with her every day. She is the author of the blog Read.Breathe.Relax and was one of the people who encouraged me to read The Hunger Games, a series that I absolutely adored. She has the best book recommendations and I could talk with her about books and all things Harry Potter for hours.
I asked Lisa to do a guest post because it seems like many of you out there are also looking for wonderful book recommendations and she’s a supah-reader!
Enjoy!
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Guest Post: Read.Breathe.Relax
You know that food book series Eat This Not That, where food from restaurant chains are compared based on calories, fat and carbs?
Well, today I’m going to take a spin off this idea and share books I think you will enjoy based on some national bestsellers. It’s more like “Read This If You Liked That.” Hopefully you’ve read some of these books and have a point of reference. If not, then you’ll discover double the amount of amazing reads! 
Before I jump into the book recommendations, I wanted to say, “Hi!” and tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Lisa, and I blog over at Read.Breathe.Relax.
Three things about me:
1. I’m obsessed with reading and use it as a way to escape and de-stress. Reading helps me come back to reality feeling refreshed and renewed, hence the “read” and “relax.” 😉
(Me at my Bachelorette party!)
2. I’m a newlywed, and I love being married to my husband Tim, who I often call Beardie for, well…obvious reasons. 
See Exhibit A below.
From our wedding, with Tim looking less bearded:
3. I have a crazy orange tabby cat, Meow Meow, who loves to make my life interesting by lodging himself in impossibly small places (like behind our washing machine) and batting at anything fringed.
He is kind of a grumpy animal, but I love him and squeeze him anyway!
So now that you know a little bit about me, let’s move on to books!
- Read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (by Douglas Adams) if you liked Harry Potter.
Although The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is very different than the Harry Potter series, it does have one thing in common – an endearing protagonist with an epic tale. It’s a truly hilarious series and has one of the only elements I require in novels: romance!
The book follows the crazy story of Author Dent, who is thankfully rescued from Earth right before it’s demolished to become an intergalactic freeway. Arthur’s story is ridiculous in the best way possible and had me literally lol’ing the whole time.
If you’re still not sure you want to read this book, watch the movie first. If Zooey Deschanel is in it, it has to be good, right?
- Read Graceling (by Kristen Cashore) if you liked The Hunger Games.
The same intensity that was infused into every page in The Hunger Games can also be found in Graceling. Like Katniss, Katsa is a strong girl who is marked as an outcast; she’s a graceling. Gracelings have different colored eyes and unusual abilities. Katsa happens to have one blue eye and one green eye and has immense strength that can outmatch the most grisly of warriors. Her uncle, the king, uses her as a weapon for the kingdom, and Katsa struggles to oppose his vicious rule.
I found this story to be completely engrossing. I loved reading about another strong heroine who found it in herself to fight the cruel powers-that-be and discovered things she didn’t know about herself along the way.
- Read Poison Study (by Maria V. Snyder) if you liked Twilight
People can say what they want about Twilight, but, personally, I think this series is fantastic. Yes, the writing isn’t the best and maybe the idea of a girl giving up her life for a guy isn’t the most empowering concept, but man, these books are good.
The romance is hot, the guys are swoon-worthy and the action doesn’t stop. Poison Study offers all those things and more. From the book cover: “Yelena, convicted of murdering the son of a powerful general, awaits execution. But with only a few hours left, she is offered an incredible reprieve — and agrees to become the new food taster for Commander Ambrose, the military leader of Ixia.”
From there, the story only becomes more and more interesting as Yelena struggles in her new position as a food-tester and tries to reconcile what happened with general. I stayed up many late nights reading this book, and I highly recommend it!
· Read Twenties Girl (by Sophie Kinsella) if you like Something Borrowed or the Shopaholic series
Words cannot describe how much I loved this book. It’s fun, sassy and extremely well-written. Through a series of strange circumstances, Lara Lington finds herself communicating with her dead, great-aunt Sadie, who cannot rest until her long-lost necklace is found.
Although that may sound a little creepy, this book is light and filled with laughs and romance. It’s the best of the best of chick lit! I enjoyed Kinsella’s Shopaholic series, but Twenties Girl tops them all. It’s a stunning heart-felt book about family, love and being ok with you who are.
Thanks for reading, and I hope I made the process of finding great new reads that much easier! Please stop by my blog any time!
Happy reading!
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I love all of Sophie Kinsella’s books and have even read some of them more than once! I didn’t realize she had a new one out so I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Twenties Girl!
I want to read the Hunger Games series! Summer is like my perfect time for reading while lounging outside. Thank you for the fantastic recommendations!!
Great post — I loved The Hunger Games so I’ll have to look into Graceling. I recently started Uglies which I have really enjoyed so far.
I’ve been reading like a maniac lately — to the point that I whipped through The Hunger Games in less than a day, but then had so many other books waiting on my bookshelf that I still haven’t gotten around to Catching Fire yet! I’ll definitely be adding Twenties Girl and Graceling to my GoodReads list! (Currently reading Bossypants by Tina Fey — seriously, drop everything and go buy, then laugh like a hyena in inappropriate places)!
Great post Lisa!! I lovvvveed the Shopaholic series, but haven’t read Twenties Girl yet so I’ve put it in my iPhone for the next time I’m out book-browsing!
ahh!! what an awesome post!!!! my three favorite books IN LIFE are the harry potter series, twilight, and the hunger games. no joke! i am SO looking forward to reading all your recommendations this summer. thanks!!
Lisa!!! I went to college with her, how cool that you guys work together!? I’m bookmarking this post, some great suggestions here that I can’t wait to check out from my library! Thanks Lisa (and Julie!).
Lindsey!! For some reason, I though you already knew Julie and I worked together! 🙂 haha! I hope you’re doing well! Miss you! 🙂
I love reading as well! I hope to find these soon, along with a few extra minutes to read them haha
Thanks for all the recommendations Lisa! I am actually headed to the library today!
Awww, your Meow Meow reminds me of my little guy, Cody! He’s an orange cutie-pie too 🙂
Hey Guys!
Because of all of you awesome people visiting my site, it just crashed! lol
It’s now back up, and I apologize for the inconvenience!
Thanks so much for visiting! 😀
P.S. Julie- that’s for that amazing intro! You’re the best! 🙂
aw, so glad people are visitng your AMAZING blog, lisa!!! 🙂 have fun on your upcoming trip!
fun post! you can go to http://www.bookseer.com and type in a book you just read and it gives you similar recommendations!
Thanks,, Ruthie! I’m going ot check that out too.
Thanks for the recommendations! I’m heading over to your site now. I hope I don’t make it crash again! 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions, my Nook library was almost exhausted!
I read the Hunger Games series after Julie raved about it! I didn’t realize that you were the one that recommended it, how exciting 🙂
I definitely want to read Graceling now! If it’s anything like the Hunger Games, which it sounds like it is, I’m sure I will enjoy it. I also trust your recommendations!
Tessa- I really hope you do! Graceling is one of my fav books ever!! You’ll have to let me know what you think!
I LOVED Twenties Girl! My fave of Sophie Kinsella’s by far!
YAY thank you SO MUCH for this list!!! I am on a QUEST for new books haha since I’m only working part-time over the summer!
Oh my gosh, my cats name is Meow Meow also!! How funny!!! 🙂
Great book recommendations. I am excited to add more to my list.
No way! That’s crazy! My husband’s mom named him, and we get a lot of weird looks because of it!
I hope you like the books! 😀
I need to add these books to my summer reading list. I still haven’t read the Hunger Games series! Damn you law school for wasting my time reading cases instead of awesome novels!
Ahh I love love reading! I added these books to my goodreads.com to-read list 🙂 If you’re a book worm and you’re not on that site yet check it out!
omg, I LOVEEEEEEEEE Sophie Kinsella! and I also love Emily Giffen, author of Something Borrowed…super excited to watch the movie today!!!! 🙂
Thank you for the great book ideas! 🙂
Thanks for the book reccomendations! I have a c ouple under my belt now, but I’m putting the “Twenties Girl” on my list!
I love when small bookstores do this kind of thing and I loved it here too. Thanks for the suggestions! Can’t wait to read some of these 🙂
I loved the Hunger Games so I’ll check out graceling! And of course I am a total twihard so I’ll look into Poison Study as well!
Great idea, ‘if you like this, read that’! 😀
I would recommend the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld if you liked the Hunger Games. I was also a big fan of the series that starts with City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Gosh I love YA series!
I LOVE reading as well –esp as a way to relax! I have read all the books that you said “if you read that” so I am READY to try out those you said to “read this”. Thanks!!
I really loved Twenties Girl <3 I found it a bit slow in the beginning but by the middle of the book I would be laughing my head off while in bed next to my fiance! He thought I was a bit of a weirdo chuckling to myself… awkward 😉
Julie…… I cannot lie all these fantastic guest bloggers and your beautiful trip to Europe has made you go on my shit list (totally joking)….but seriously you are just about dead to me…..I had no idea how u could make your fantastic blog better…But you did.
You are the first blog on my pulse app and it is now labeled label pbfingers & friends. it filled with every single one of your guest bloggers.
Thank you so much Julie! Best blog on the Internet
thank you so much, dani!
i’m obsessed with book recommendations! thank you!
I must admit, I’m more of a blog lurker than commenter, but I absolutely love & look forward to my email from you every day!
I am LOVING your trip posts! The pictures are phenominal & your family looks truly happy together, what a blessing!
I also love the book recommendations, I sent them to my co-workers, as we’ve been reading several of those books 🙂
Great idea for a blog! Love it!!
i loved twenties girl!
I love that I’m not the only one who adores reading (duh fellow librarian in training ha) but can’t wait to check more out! xo
Read this if you liked that — cute idea! I am a big reader, and while I have quite a hefty to-be-read pile, there is always room for more!
A bit more dangerous is the “If you like this, you’ll LOVE this” function on Anthropologie’s website. It is like it is reading my mind!
Love this idea! Thanks for giving me a whole bunch of book recommendations 🙂
Thanks for the guest post…I’m super excited to check out your friend’s blog because I LOVE to read!
I will be checking out your blog. This was an interesting post and now I want to see more.
Thanks!
Suzanne
yessssssss i always love new book recommendatins! Thanks so much for the titles 🙂
Thanks for this post!! I’ve had a number of conversations about how having a Kindle has complicated my life because instead of spending an hour reading I will spend an hour on Amazon trying to find a book to read! This will definitely speed up the process and I lovvve your blog!!