The holidays are approaching and the perfect gift for friends, family and others is a good book. We’ve been reading all year and collected an amazing list of the best 4-star and 5-star books – and it’s quite a list! There’s a few authors repeating our list this year (Santa Montefiore and Beatriz Williams), but some new as well. We’re certainly fans of historical fiction (as more than half of our selects feature a historical plot) but mix in some thriller, action, romance and great young adult reads too.

Here’s the top reads from Books for Her reviewers in 2015:

Golden Earrings: A powerful multi-generational saga of family, love and war, Golden Earrings is a must-read historical drama. Great for fans of family dramas like The Thornbirds, Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants) and historical European drama. (Genre: History- European, Drama, Romance)

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Under a Dark Summer Sky: An epic tale of post-WWI struggles in a segregated world is magnified when a disastrous hurricane strikes. A must-read this summer, Under A Dark Summer Sky will appeal to all readers – books clubs and more. If you liked The Help or To Kill A Mockingbird and like to read semi-fiction – based on true events with fictional characters – this is for you. (Genre: History- post WWI, Drama, Based on a true story)

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Shadow Fall (Tracers): A must-read for her or him, Shadow Fall has solidified Laura Griffin on our to-go author list. Laura Griffin is known for her political-terror drama plots, and Shadow Fall is a fast-paced read for any action-adventure romancer lovers or someone looking for a book for you and your guy. (Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Action-Thriller)

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Along the Infinite Sea: Beatriz Williams strikes again with the final book of the Schuyler sisters series. With history and drama, this is a great book if you’re a Beatriz Williams fan, if you enjoy smart, fun fluff, and if you enjoy a good character and plot-driven page turner. A bonus if you’re new to Williams, Books for Her has rated all her books at 4-star or better: More from Beatriz Williams.  (Genre: History – Post WWII, Romance, Drama)

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River of No Return: Move over Jack Ryan [Tom Clancy], Jake Trent [David Riley Bertsch] is your new national hero – or at least another good one. A good plot-driven, page-turner, David Riley Bertsch is a great pick for fans of Tom Clancy, James Patterson and some good adventure. Also recommended for outdoorsmen. (Genre: Contemporary fiction, Mystery)

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Circling the Sun: This fascinating journey into the life of Kenyan expat Beryl Markham (expert horse trainer, aviator, and third point in Karen Blixen and Denys Finch-Hatton’s Out of Africa love triangle) is historical fiction at its best. (Gennre- Historical Fiction)

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I Don’t Know How the Story Ends: In this young adult novel, two precocious young girls are drawn into the wild-west world of new Hollywood, with heartwarming and entertaining results. Though written for a younger audience, this little charmer has all of the good stuff: the power of framing a story, coming of age, and characters who leap off the page. (Genre- Young Adult, Historical Fiction)

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The Beekeeper’s Daughter: For the second year Santa Montefiore makes our top list; The Beekeeper’s Daughter inspired a mix of fictional enjoyment and reflection. You’ll love it if you like fiction with some depth, if you think you’re really so different from your mother and if you like family drama, romance and history in one book. (Genre: History- multi generational, drama)

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Ever After: In true Jude Deveraux style, you’ll stay up all night enjoying the third book in the Nantucket Brides Triology. This is a perfect post-holiday read, especially if you love Jude Deveraux, Nora Roberts and for those looking for a fun, fast all-nighter type of read. (Genre- contemporary fiction, romance)

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Looking for something else?  Here’s some more books to browse:

• Books for kids: From Captain Underpants to Dork Diaries, find the best books for children.
• Romance Books:  From historical romance to Outlander.
• Non-fiction Books: True stories are sometimes the best.

Or if you don’t want to take the plunge a pick a book for a book-loving friend, try an Amazon gift card (they have a great selection of books – new and used) or even an audio book subscription.