Recommendations based on Confessions of an Ugly Stepsisterby Gregory Maguire

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Mirror Mirror

    by Gregory Maguire
    A retelling of Snow White, exploring the perspectives of the wicked stepmother and the dwarves.

    In Montefiore , Italy in the early 16th century, a nobleman named Don Vicente de Nevada lives on a small estate with his seven-year-old daughter, Bianca, and a small staff, two of whom are Primavera, ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Son of a Witch

    by Gregory Maguire
    A story of redemption set in a fantastical world, as a young man searches for his true identity.

    Liir hid in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Left for dead in a gully, the teen is shattered in spirit and body. But silent novice Candle tends him at the Cloister of Saint ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Lion Among Men

    by Gregory Maguire
    The third book in the Wicked series, following the Cowardly Lion's journey to find his identity and place in the world of Oz.

    In this much-anticipated third volume of the Wicked Years, we return to Oz, seen now through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion - the once tiny cub defended by Elphaba in Wicked. While civil war looms, a ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Vampire Lestat

    by Anne Rice
    A vampire's exploration of his immortality and the secrets of the world of the undead.

    Set in the late 18th century to the late 1980s, the story follows the 200-year-long life of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, and his rise from humble beginnings as impoverished nobility in the ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Witching Hour

    by Anne Rice
    A dark and mysterious tale of secret families and supernatural forces.

    From the author of the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles comes a huge, hypnotic novel of witchcraft and the occult through four centuries. Demonstrating, once again, her gift for spellbinding ... (Goodreads)

  6. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

    by Christopher Moore
    A retelling of the life of Jesus Christ, told through the eyes of his childhood best friend.

    Biff is resurrected in the 20th Century to complete missing parts of the Bible , under the inefficient supervision of Raziel ; wherefore Biff narrates that he and Joshua (by Biff's account, the ... (Wikipedia)

  7. The Mistress of Spices

    by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
    Enchanting story of an Indian woman with magical powers who helps others find balance in their lives.

    Tilo, the titular character, is a shopkeeper born in India and trained in magic, who helps customers satisfy their needs and desires with the mystical properties of spices. Her life changes when she ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Atlas Shrugged

    by Ayn Rand
    A tale of a dystopian future where the strongest minds take control of society.

    This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, ... (Goodreads)

  9. Forever

    by Pete Hamill
    A love story of two star-crossed lovers who span the ages, testing the power of eternal love.

    This widely acclaimed bestseller is the magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York in 1740 and remains . . . forever. Through the eyes of Cormac O'Connor – granted immortality ... (Goodreads)

  10. Kushiel's Dart

    by Jacqueline Carey
    A story of political intrigue, adventure, and forbidden love, set in a world of gods and mortals.

    The book follows Phèdre nó Delaunay's life from birth. She's born with a mote in her eye, which makes her appear inappropriate for service as a religious courtesan, but it is revealed that this is ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Eyre Affair

    by Jasper Fforde
    An eccentric literary detective, in an alternate 1985, uses time-travel to save kidnapped characters from classic novels.

    In a parallel universe , England and Imperial Russia have fought the Crimean War for more than a century; England still has a parliamentary government, although heavily influenced by the Goliath ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Dante Club

    by Matthew Pearl
    A group of poets, scholars and academics band together to unravel a dark mystery in 19th century Boston.

    The Dante Club begins with the murder of fictional Massachusetts Chief Justice Artemus Healey, who had avoided taking a position to stop or support the escaped slaves of the South . Found by his ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

    by Christopher Moore
    A quirky and surreal journey into a small town filled with strange characters.

    Pine Cove suffers a major crisis when the town psychiatrist, Val Riordan — who has been haphazardly issuing prescriptions instead of dealing with the real mental problems of her patients — suffers a ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Geek Love

    by Katherine Dunn
    A family of self-made circus freaks navigates love, loyalty, and morality in a world that shuns them for their differences.

    The novel takes place in two interwoven , time periods: the first deals with the Binewski children's constant struggle against each other through life. They especially have to deal with the ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The Eyes of the Dragon

    by Stephen King
    A thrilling fantasy adventure set in a magical kingdom, filled with danger and intrigue.

    The Eyes of the Dragon takes place entirely within the realm of Delain (which itself is located within In-World from, The Dark Tower, series, as established in " The Little Sisters of Eluria "). It ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Kushiel's Avatar

    by Jacqueline Carey
    A gripping fantasy saga of political intrigue, magic, and forbidden love.

    The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It's inhabited by the race that rose from the seed of angels, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Complete Works

    by William Shakespeare
    A comprehensive collection of works, containing plays, sonnets, and narrative poems.

    Tempest Two Gentlemen of Verona Merry Wives of Windsor Measure for Measure Comedy of Errors Much Ado About Nothing Love's Labour's Lost Midsummer Night's Dream Merchant of Venice As You Like It ... (Goodreads)

  18. East of Eden

    by John Steinbeck
    Exploration of the timeless struggle between good and evil, set against a backdrop of a family saga.

    In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Well of Lost Plots

    by Jasper Fforde
    A detective story set in a world of books, where characters and stories collide.

    Apprentice Jurisfiction agent and SpecOps -27 operative Thursday Next is taking a vacation inside Caversham Heights , a never-published detective novel inside the titular Well of Lost Plots, while ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Bloodsucking Fiends

    by Christopher Moore
    A humorous take on a vampire's life, as he navigates the modern world.

    Jody, a young, single, red-headed woman living in San Francisco, is attacked by a vampire and soon finds that she has become one herself. While attempting to adjust to her new nocturnal lifestyle, ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

    by Susanna Clarke
    A whimsical tale of two magicians mastering the mysteries of English magic.

    The novel opens in 1806 in northern England with The Learned Society of York Magicians, whose members are "theoretical magicians" who believe that magic died out several hundred years earlier. The ... (Wikipedia)

  22. A Prayer for Owen Meany

    by John Irving
    A boy's search for faith, set against a backdrop of unlikely events.

    The story is narrated by John Wheelwright, a former citizen of New Hampshire who has become a voluntary expatriate from the United States, having settled in Toronto , Ontario , Canada and taken on ... (Wikipedia)

  23. A Confederacy of Dunces

    by John Kennedy Toole
    A satirical tale of an eccentric slacker's misadventures in New Orleans.

    Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found, here, "A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

    by Tamora Pierce
    Alanna continues her journey disguised as a man, facing challenges and discovering her true identity.

    The third book sees Alanna through her journey through the Bazhir desert, where she and her manservant Coram are adopted by the Bloody Hawk tribe of the desert people Bazhir. During their stay, ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Daughter of the Forest

    by Juliet Marillier
    Sorcha, a young woman, must complete an impossible task to save her brothers from a curse. She faces danger, love, and sacrifice in ancient Ireland.

    Sorcha, the youngest child of Irish Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, loses her mother at childbirth, and is raised almost entirely by her six older brothers. She is more or less ignored by her father. When ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Other Boleyn Girl

    by Philippa Gregory
    A historical fiction recounting the rivalry between two sisters vying for the love of King Henry VIII.

    In 1521 England, Queen Catherine of Aragon's failure to provide King Henry VIII a male heir has strained their marriage. Thomas Boleyn and his brother-in-law Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, plan ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Haunted

    by Chuck Palahniuk
    A group of strangers are invited to stay in a mansion, where they are forced to confront their darkest fears.

    Each of the book's chapters contains three sections: a story chapter, which acts as a framing device for the otherwise unconnected short stories; a poem about a particular writer on the tour, its ... (Wikipedia)

  28. In the Hand of the Goddess

    by Tamora Pierce
    Alanna continues her journey as a knight, facing challenges and discovering secrets about her past.

    While camping in the woods on her way back to Corus from an errand, Alanna's campsite, set up under a willow tree, is discovered by a small black cat whom she names Faithful. It does not escape ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Paint it Black

    by Janet Fitch
    A young woman struggles with grief and self-destruction after her boyfriend's suicide. Set in the 1980s Los Angeles punk scene.

    Josie Tyrell, art model, runaway, and denizen of LA's rock scene finds a chance at real love with Michael Faraday, a Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist. But when she receives a call from ... (Goodreads)

  30. Guilty Pleasures

    by Laurell K. Hamilton
    A vampire detective's investigation into a series of mysterious murders in the supernatural underworld.

    In Guilty Pleasures , Anita Blake is blackmailed by Nikolaos , the vampire master of the city, into investigating a series of vampire murders. During the course of this investigation, Anita begins ... (Wikipedia)