The Bookshelf

The Bookshelf is an alternative collection cool books reviewed on Liquid [Hip]. The collection is wildly diverse and listed by author, with a handful of authors who have had more than one book reviewed.

While the highest rated books, denoted by an asterisk, have earned an 8 or higher on the Liquid Hip Richter Scale, we recommend every book reviewed here for one reason or another. There are no duds. Sometimes the scores and our personal favorites don't even match up.

Cool Fiction

A collection of cool fiction from authors in a variety of genres.

Dorothy Allison (Bastard Out Of Carolina*), Jay Asher (13 Reasons Why*), David Baldacci (Zero Day), Josh Bazell (Beat The Reaper, Wild Thing), David Benioff (City Of Thieves*), Alex Berenson (The Night Ranger), ReShonda Tate Billingsley (Sinners & Saints*), Harry Bingham (Talking To The Dead), Chris Bohjalian (The Night Strangers, The Sandcastle Girls*), John Buchan (The Thirty-Nine Steps*), Charles Bukowski (Post Office*), Robin Burcell (The Black List), Alafair Burke (212), James Lee Burke (The Glass Rainbow*), Jon Clinch (The Thief Of Auschwitz*), Harlan Coben (Six Years*), Robin Cook (Nano), Amanda Coplin (The Orchardist*), Bernard Cornwell (1356*) Aric Davis (A Good And Useful Hurt*, Rough Men), Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers*), Emma Donoghue (Room: A Novel), Louise Erdrich (The Round House*), Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl*), David Freed (Flat Spin), Alan Furst (Mission To Paris), John Green (The Fault In Our Stars*), Nicholas Griffin (Dizzy City), Kevin Guilfoile (The Thousand), John Hart (The Last Child), Paul Harding (Tinkers), Peter Hedges (The Heights), Zoe Heller (Everything You Know), Eleanor Henderson (Ten Thousand Saints), Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God*), Jay Caspian Kang (The Dead Do Not Improve), Jack Kerouac (On The Road*, Tristessa*), Anne Korkeakivi (The Unexpected Guest), Dennis Lehane (Midnight Mile), Elmore Leonard (Road Dogs), William Landay (Defending Jacob*), Laura Lippman (The Most Dangerous Thing), Michael Marshall (Killer Move), W. Somerset Maugham (The Razor's Edge*), Adrian McKinty (Dead I May Well Be*), Paula McLain (The Paris Wife), Victoria Christopher Murray (Sinners & Saints*), Stuart Neville (Ratlines), Scott O'Connor (Untouchable), Ann Packer (Swim Back To Me), Chuck Palahniuk (Survivor), Matthew Pearl (The Technologists), Stef Penney (The Invisible Ones), Thomas Perry (Strip), Oliver Potzsch (Hangman's Daughter), Christopher Priest (The Prestige), James Rollins (The Devil Colony, Black Order), J.D. Salinger (Catcher In The Rye*), Robin Sloan (Mr. Pernumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore*), Dustin Thomason (12:21), Tom Rob Smith (Child 44*), Kathryn Stockett (The Help*), Brad Thor (Black List), Lisa Unger (Fragile), Jess Walter (The Financial Lives Of The Poets), Jess Winfield (My Name Is Will), Daniel Woodrell (The Bayou Trilogy*), Dick Wolf (The Intercept*), Markus Zusak (The Book Thief*).

Cool Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Although we personally don't, some prefer a separate list for this genre.

Mark Alpert (Extinction), Kevin J. Anderson (Clockwork Angels), Isaac Asimov (Nightfall*), Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451*), Orson Scott Card (Earth Unaware*), Cassandra Rose Clarke (The Mad Scientist's Daughter*), James Dashner (The Maze Runner), Philip K. Dick (The Adjustment Bureau, Time Out Of Joint), Roald Dahl (Three Shorts*), Harlan Ellison (Mefisto In Onyx*), William R. Forstchen (One Second After), Neil Gaiman (Good Omens*),  Tess Gerritsen (Gravity), Robert A. Heinlein (Stranger In A Strange Land*), Peter Heller (The Dog Stars), Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box*), Tom Holt (Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Sausages), Aaron Johnston (Earth Unaware*), Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim), Stephen King (Just After Sunset), Rudyard Kipling (The Mark Of The Beast*), David Kowalski (The Company Of The Dead), Patrick Lee (Ghost Country), Jack McDevitt (The Cassandra Project), China Mieville (Embassytown), Richard Matheson (A Stir Of Echoes), Christopher Moore (Lamb*, Scare Bleu), Arthuro Perez-Reverte (The Club Dumas*), Terry Pratchett (Good Omens*), Mike Resnick (The Cassandra Project), Veronica Roth (Divergent Triology*), Nevil Shute (In The Wet), Neal Stephenson (The Diamond Age), Daniel H. Wilson (Amped), David Wong (John Dies At The End, This Book Is Full Of Spiders*), Yevgeny Zamyatin (We*).

Cool Nonfiction

Whether it's the subject or the author, there's something cool here. 

Gregg Allman (My Criss To Bear*), Robert Baer (The Company We Keep*), Frank Brady (End Game*), Ken Caillat (Making Rumours*), Belinda Carlisle (Lips Unsealed), Lydia Criss (Sealed With A Kiss*), Peter Criss (Makeup To Breakup*), Cherie Currie (Neon Angel*), Jay Dobyns (No Angel), Barbara Eden (Jeannie Out Of The Bottle), Mike Evans (Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History*), Harold Feinstein (A Retrospective*), Carrie Fisher (Shockaholic*), Melody Fortier (Vintage Shopping), Jeff Garlin (My Footprint), Paul Gauguin (Gauguin's Intimate Journals*), Meryl Gordon (Ms. Astor Regrets), Carol Ann Harris (Storms), Juliana Hatfield (When I Grow Up), Laura Hillenbrand (Unbroken*), Richard Hell (I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp), Kristin Hersh (Rat Girl*), Jesse James (American Outlaw), Eric Lefcowitz (Monkee Business), John Lloyd (The Book Of The Dead), John Mitchison (The Book Of The Dead), Dave Mustaine (Mustaine), Eric Nuzum (Giving Up The Ghost), Harley Race (The Harley Race Story), Johnny Ramone (Commando*), Keith Richards (Life), Gary L. Roberts (Doc Holiday: The Life And Legend), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Dark Shadows: Return To Collinwood*), Alisa Statman (Restless Souls), Pete Townshend (Who I Am), Andy Warhol (The Philosophy Of Andy Warhol*), Del Quentin Wilber (Rawhide Down*), Ann and Nancy Wilson (Kicking & Dreaming*).