Fear

Should we heed our fears, or work to overcome them? Suppress and ignore them, or face them head-on? Do we fight—or should we flight? These books unpack the universal human emotion of fear.

Spy Camp

by Stuart Gibbs

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Self Discovery

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Humor

... Read Spy Camp Summary

Spy School

by Stuart Gibbs

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Community, Teamwork, Safety & Danger, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Science & Technology, Childhood & Youth, Education, Power & Greed, Shame & Pride, Fear, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance, Good & Evil, Justice, Politics & Government, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Fathers, Loneliness

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor

... Read Spy School Summary

Stargazing

by Jen Wang

Publication year 2019

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Self Discovery, Hope, Family, Community, Fear

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Stargazing Summary

Starside

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Starside (2026) is a romantasy novel by Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark saga. Aster is a notable figure in the BookTok literary phenomenon, where her viral social media pitch for Lightlark catapulted her from a rejected author to a bestselling sensation. As the first installment in a new series, Starside builds on the author’s established brand of high-stakes fantasy, fast-paced action, and romantic tension. The novel is set... Read Starside Summary

Starters

by Lissa Price

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Siblings, Death, Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Community, Memory, Science & Technology, Future, The Past, Guilt, Family, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt, Fear, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Beauty, Truth & Lies, Good & Evil, Conflict

Tags Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

Lissa Price’s Starters is a young adult science fiction novel set in the near future after the Spore Wars, during which biological weapons were used against the United States and wiped out much of the unvaccinated middle-aged population. As a result, many teens were left without families, and the elderly feared for their place in society. Starters without grandparents were barred from essentially every type of work. This led to teens being rounded up to... Read Starters Summary

Steelheart

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Revenge, Fathers, Shame & Pride, Order & Chaos, Fear

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

Steelheart, a 2013 young adult sci-fi/fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson, is the first installment of The Reckoners trilogy. The story takes place in dystopian Chicago, dubbed “Newcago,” which is overrun by evil superhumans called Epics and ruled by a functionally invulnerable tyrant named Steelheart. David Charleston, an 18-year-old boy whose father Steelheart killed 10 years before, joins a rebel group called the Reckoners hoping that they will help him take revenge on Steelheart. Borrowing elements... Read Steelheart Summary

Stone Cold

by Robert Swindells

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

... Read Stone Cold Summary

Strange Buildings

by Uketsu, Transl. Jim Rion

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Regret, Shame & Pride, Disability, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense

Published in Japan in 2023, Strange Buildings is a mystery horror novel by the pseudonymous author and YouTuber Uketsu. It’s the sequel to his best-selling novel Strange Houses, which was adapted into a major motion picture in Japan. The story follows a writer who, after the success of his previous book, receives submissions from readers about unsettling buildings with bizarre architectural features. He selects 11 unrelated cases to investigate with his friend Kurihara, an architectural... Read Strange Buildings Summary

Strong Ground

by Brené Brown

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Gender Identity, Teamwork, Community, Science & Technology

Tags Leadership, Self-Improvement, Business & Economics

... Read Strong Ground Summary

Suite Francaise

by Irene Nemirovsky

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Fear, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, French Literature, Jewish Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Military & War, World History, Biography

Suite Française, by French-based Ukrainian writer Irène Némirovsky (born 1903), was published in the original French upon its discovery in 2004. However, Némirovsky started writing Suite in 1941, during the Nazi occupation of France, when those with a Jewish ethnic background like her faced persecution under the contemporary antisemitic regime. She and her husband, Michel Epstein, and their two young daughters, Denise and Élisabeth, had fled Paris for Issy-l’Évêque, a rural village in Burgundy. There... Read Suite Francaise Summary

Summer in the City

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance

... Read Summer in the City Summary

Summerland

by Michael Chabon

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Childhood & Youth, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Sports

... Read Summerland Summary

Summit Lake

by Charlie Donlea

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Memory, Revenge, Death, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense

... Read Summit Lake Summary

Sunburn

by Chloe Michelle Howarth

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, LGBTQ+

... Read Sunburn Summary