Meet your personal book concierge (Week #001)
Free book recs based on your reading type!
You signed up to get free book recommendations based on your reading type—and starting today, they’ll be landing in your inbox every week.
I’ve spent hours researching each pick, pulling from books I’ve loved and trusted recommendations from thoughtful readers, critics, and curators. As the Read Your Color quiz evolves, I’ll keep you in the loop—because the mission here is simple:
in a world where 15,000+ books are published each year, I want to help you find the needle-in-the-haystack reads that truly matter to you.
And just a heads up—some of the links are affiliate links, which means if you buy a book, it’s free for you but helps me keep the lights on around here.
So without making you wait, here are your recs for the week!
Red Readers
Fatherland by Robert Harris
In an alternate 1964 where the Nazis won WWII, a detective stumbles upon a secret so dangerous it could unravel the entire Reich. Red Readers will love the constant tension because every page is charged with urgency and moral complexity. The “what if?” premise grabs you, but it’s the relentless pursuit of truth that won’t let you go. This is history reimagined as a ticking time bomb.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
When a hyperbaric oxygen tank explodes during a therapy session, a mother is accused of murder—but every witness has something to hide. This is the kind of story Red Readers thrive on: layered, intense, and emotionally charged. Each chapter ratchets up the pressure as secrets crack open and loyalties shift. It’s a legal thriller with the heart of a grenade.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
Nine-year-old Jai sets out to solve the disappearance of children in his Indian slum, channeling his favorite TV detectives as things grow darker. Red Readers will be drawn to the raw courage and high emotional stakes in this deceptively playful mystery. It’s fast-paced and propulsive, but underneath the action is a real, haunting confrontation with injustice. You’ll root hard, read fast, and leave changed.
Blue Readers
You Are Here by Karin Lin-Greenberg
A dying mall becomes the unlikely backdrop for a group of strangers whose lives begin to gently intersect. Blue Readers will find meaning in the subtle, soft moments that shape these characters' inner worlds. It’s a story about change, community, and the quiet resilience of ordinary people told with warmth and quiet grace. You won’t race through it, but you’ll soak it in.
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Two widowed neighbors in a small town begin spending their nights together, seeking comfort and connection as they face the end of life alone. This is exactly the kind of soulful, understated story Blue Readers treasure. Every sentence is spare but loaded with emotional weight, like a deep breath you didn’t know you needed. It’s not about fireworks, but rather it’s about human closeness and the healing power of presence.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
In a surreal purgatory between life and death, President Lincoln mourns his son while a chorus of ghosts wrestles with their own regrets. Blue Readers will be mesmerized by the book’s emotional depth and formal daring. It’s strange and poetic, but deeply grounded in grief, love, and the longing to make peace with loss. If you want a novel that feels like an elegy—and a revelation—this is it.
Green Readers
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
This sweeping narrative traces the lives of three Black Americans who left the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration. Green Readers will be captivated by how personal stories illuminate a massive, often-overlooked piece of American history. It’s the kind of book that gives you both a richer understanding of the past and a deeper awareness of the present. Powerful, detailed, and endlessly relevant.
The Tiger by John Vaillant
In the Russian Far East, a tiger begins stalking humans—and a small team must figure out why before it strikes again. On the surface, it’s a wilderness thriller. But Green Readers will appreciate the deeper dive into ecology, cultural history, and the fragile balance between man and nature. Every page delivers real-world insight wrapped in gripping narrative. It’s both thrilling and thought-provoking.
The Sirens Call by Chris Hayes
In this urgent, big-picture analysis, Hayes explores how our attention has been hijacked, commodified, extracted, and manipulated by the digital empires that now dominate daily life. Green Readers will find this both clarifying and empowering. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t just describe a problem, but gives you the language and framework to understand it systemically. If you’ve ever sensed that something fundamental is slipping out of your grasp, this book snaps the whole picture into place. Insightful, bold, and fiercely relevant.
Orange Readers
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
A sweeping retelling of Merlin’s early life, steeped in magic, prophecy, and political intrigue in ancient Britain. Orange Readers will be drawn into the atmosphere and scope of this reimagined legend. It’s immersive, richly textured, and full of mystery. It offers a timeless sense of journey and transformation. If you love stories where destiny unfolds like a map, this one’s for you.
Rose/House by Arkady Martine
An architect dies mysteriously in the AI-powered house he designed—a home that might be a murder suspect itself. This is sci-fi meets haunted house, and Orange Readers will love how it twists genre conventions into something entirely new. It’s sleek, eerie, and intellectually thrilling—a cerebral adventure set in a world just weird enough to feel real. You’ll be hooked and a little haunted.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
In an alternate America shaped by Indigenous myth, a teen girl with the ability to summon ghosts investigates her cousin’s suspicious death. Orange Readers will love how this story blends mystery, magic, and cultural depth into something totally unique. It’s adventurous, heartfelt, and layered with lore that feels lived-in. If you want a journey that’s imaginative and grounded, this is your ticket.
Yellow Readers
A Forty Year Kiss by Nikolas Butler
Two former lovers are reunited after decades apart, their unfinished story hanging in the air like a held breath. Yellow Readers will be swept away by the tenderness and ache of long-lost love. It’s short, but it hits hard. It is FULL of emotional tension, regret, and that spark of “what if?” you can’t quite shake. You'll read it in one sitting and feel it for days.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
A teenage girl is ripped from her home during Stalin’s regime and sent to a brutal Siberian labor camp with her family. This one is devastating—but Yellow Readers will connect deeply with its humanity and resilience. It’s a story about survival, yes—but also about love that persists in the most hopeless places. You’ll cry, but you’ll be glad you did.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Years after being persuaded to reject the man she loved, Anne Elliot gets a second chance. But only if she’s brave enough to take it. For Yellow Readers, this is the ultimate quiet storm of longing and restraint. Every look, every letter, every pause matters. It’s about timing, regret, and finally saying yes to what your heart has known all along.
Purple Readers
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
A woman floats through a surreal and online-obsessed world until real life shatters through with unimaginable grief. Purple Readers will love how this book dismantles form while exposing the raw nerve underneath modern existence. It’s sharp, disorienting, and then suddenly, breathtakingly tender. You won’t read it so much as experience it.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
A forgotten writer, a mysterious manuscript, and a web of lives quietly connected by longing and loss. Purple Readers will be drawn to the layered narrative and delicate interplay of voice and time. It’s playful, poetic, and quietly profound. It’s almost like every chapter feels like peeling back another layer of meaning. A literary puzzle with a beating heart.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Maali, a war photographer, wakes up dead in the afterlife and has seven nights to solve his own murder. Purple Readers will thrive in this novel’s rich absurdity and biting satire. It’s political, metaphysical, and weird in all the best ways. It offers both a chaotic romp through Sri Lanka’s underworld and a sharp meditation on truth, violence, and legacy.
i'm a blue (90%) and purple (80%) mix and honestly Steven, I don't know how you've done it, but your quiz + these recs are so spot on! I am itching to read "You are Here" now and "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" is one of my favorites! The author was actually in my city (Lahore, Pakistan) for our literary festival and I got to hear him talk about his process! One of the highlights of my time here so far
Also spot on for Purple. Have read and loved 2, and the 3rd is straight onto my TBR