The Amourable Art "Must-Read" List

Hey y'all! We are crazy excited because Book Con is right around the corner. This will be our first-ever Book Con and the first Book Con held since 2019. If you know us, you know that our house is basically held together by bookshelves and art.

Since we’re getting ready to hit the road, we wanted to geek out a bit and share the titles that have earned a permanent spot on the Amourable Art "Must Read" list. These are the stories that keep our brains firing and our heart feeling all the feels.

Shogun by James Clavell

An English pilot gets shipwrecked in Edo period Japan and has to learn to survive a world of samurai, politics, and the culture shock culture shock.

Why we love it: The world-building is just next-level. We love getting lost in the tiny details of another time and place. The writing is beautiful, the plot has surface-level and ultra-deep plot lines. This book will feel new every time you read it. And it has a romance that Alexis doesn't hate. (She is notorious for gagging at even a little bit of love.)

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

A guy wakes up on a spaceship with total amnesia and has to use science and logic to save the world. A funny sci-fi romp with serious and heavy plot consequences if he fails.

Why we love it: This is "competence porn" at its best. It’s funny, smart, and deeply moving. We’re suckers for a story about someone using their brain and their hands to solve impossible problems. We loved The Martian, but this is even better.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

A terraformed paradise meant for humans has been inherited by hyper-intelligent spiders, and now the last of our species has arrived to start a war for the keys. It’s an absolute brain-breaker of a "first contact" story that makes you look at our spider friends with even more respect.

Why we love it: It sounds weird, but it’s brilliant. The way it explores how a completely different mind might think is fascinating. It’s the kind of high-concept stuff that keeps us talking for hours.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

A young cowboy heads to Mexico in the late 1940s looking for a life that’s already disappearing. It’s beautiful, violent, and very dusty.

Why we love it: McCarthy’s style is so unique; it’s rugged, stripped down and lyrical. There’s something about the dying Wild West vibe in this book that draws you in and keeps you turning the page. Beyond the gritty, frontier vibes, you love it because it’s a total sensory overload for anyone who appreciates the grandeur of the American West. McCarthy writes about the landscape as if the earth itself is a living, breathing character.

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

A woman is on vacation in the mountains when an invisible wall appears, trapping her alone in the woods with a dog, a cat, and a cow.

Why we love it: It’s a quiet, intense look at what it means to be human when nobody is watching. It’s haunting and stay with you for days after you finish it. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching her shed the expectations of society and find a raw, authentic version of herself out in the woods. As she cares for her animals and navigates the silence, she discovers strengths and layers she never had to use in her "before" life.

Contact by Carl Sagan

We finally get a signal from space, and it’s a blueprint for a machine. A scientist has to fight through politics and religion to actually build it and go.

Why we love it: This is a classic for a reason. It’s full of wonder and that "star-stuff" philosophy that makes you feel small in the best way possible. It celebrates the idea that being a "nerd" is actually a superpower. Seeing Ellie use her intelligence and relentless curiosity to bridge the gap between us and the stars is incredibly inspiring.

The Stand by Stephen King

A super-flu wipes out almost everyone, and the survivors are drawn into a massive battle between a magical old woman and a very scary dude in walking shoes.

Why we love it: King is the GOAT when it comes to characters. We’ve read this one multiple times, and every time, these characters feel like old friends. It’s an epic in every sense of the word. Part horror, part post-apocalypse, and part fantasy epic. We also enjoy the adventure of the American landscape that the book takes you on.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Janie Crawford navigates three marriages and a whole lot of life in the Florida Everglades, eventually finding her own voice and strength.

Why we love it: The prose is just stunning. It reads like a long, beautiful poem. It’s a reminder that everyone has a story worth telling, which is a big part of why we do what we do. You are essentially watching a woman slowly peel off the layers of what everyone else wants her to be until she finally finds her own soul. It’s a masterclass in empathy, letting us walk a mile in the shoes of someone fighting for the right to just be.

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

It’s a noir detective story mixed with a massive space conspiracy. Set in our future solar system, Earth, Mars, and the Belt are at each other's throats; Something is discovered and is about to make it way more complicated.

Why we love it: This is the book that started The Expanse, and it’s just pure, gritty fun. It feels lived-in and real, which is exactly the vibe we love in our sci-fi. Every future book in the 9 book series has a slightly different edge: political thriller, haunted house, space western, and cosmic horror are all in the stars if you read this series.

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

A real-world guide on how to spot danger by trusting your natural intuition instead of overthinking it.

Why we love it: Okay, so it's not a novel, but it’s a game-changer. It isn't really self-help as much as it is a sociological look at our society and how we can predict violence by listening to your own inner voice. Learning to trust your "gut" is a huge skill, whether you're navigating a crowded convention floor or just living your life.

We can't wait to see you guys at Book Con! If you’ve read any of these, please come by the booth so we can nerd out about them together. Pat will have plenty of handmade art on hand, and I’ll be there ready to talk shop (and books). See you soon!