If you like this then….. #2

Welcome to another edition of If You Like This Then….. where I recommend books that reminded me of another. These books aren’t necessarily the same, but they do have certain elements that reminded me of another – hence, if you liked one then you will like the other! Here are the two books I will be recommending this week:

First is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. This has been very popular in the book community for the last few years – it’s basically been a slow and consistent rumble. A travelling theatre company is moving through what remains of the lower Canada and upper American region after a mysterious disease takes over the world and dissolves everything we ever knew. People were left with a new idea of survival, all were searching for roots and protection. We go back and forth through the characters, getting to see what happened “before” that brought them together in the present. This is a very slow burning, character driven story that focuses on the human connection and survival. What I found most interesting is that it actually mentions where I live! I’ve never had a book set in my little part of the Great Lakes region! I have to say that it was a little creepy since it was all but decimated, but seeing the town names was so cool!

If you liked Station Eleven, then I KNOW you’ll love The Space Between the Stars (full review). Once again, this one focuses on a deadly virus that kills all but a small percent of people. The main character Jamie thought that she was all alone until she finds a few other survivors. This new group of survivors travels through space, visiting new planets, and searching for what comes next. Literally the whole time I was reading this all I could think of was Station Eleven. They were so very similar! Just like in Station Eleven, it was the characters and the emotions that made the story!

Here’s what these two books have in common:

• A deadly disease/virus that takes over the world
• Humanity learns how to survive
• Humanity searching for what comes next
• Slow burning
• VERY character driven
• A focus on connection and the human emotion
• Transitions of past and present events to further explain the characters, their actions, their connections, and emotions

If you’ve read one of these and are looking for something similar, I HIGHLY recommend these! Have you read either? And do you agree that they’re alike?

Until next time, happy reading!