Quirk Summer Reading Recommendations for Doctor Who’s the Doctor
[Image by Andrew Martin from Pixabay]
It’s a well-known fact that the Doctor loves reading books. He even made it a point to visit the biggest library in the universe with his companion Donna (though that didn’t necessarily go as planned). But what would the Doctor choose to read on their summer vacation? We’ve got some Quirk recommendations to help the most recent batch Doctors narrow down from a literal universe of options.
Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)
Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor is considered a little bit moody and dark, but he has a quick and quirky sense of humor that shows even in the face of danger.
To start his Quirk summer reading we’d recommend Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. Not only is the book darkly humorous (just like the Doctor), but given Nine’s many encounters with murderous department store mannequins, we think he’d get a kick out of reading a horror novel set in a big box furniture store.
Bonus Read: Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer isn’t out until this fall, but like Horrorstör, Secret Santa is a humorous take on the horror genre about a gift exchange gone terribly terribly wrong.
Buy Horrorstör:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)
The Doctor is fascinated by humans and human culture, his knowledge of Martian history is vast (well, as is his knowledge of ALL of history), and the episode “The Waters of Mars” is one of the most pivotal moments for David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. Based on his love of humans and interest in Mars, we recommend he pick up a copy of The Big Book of Mars by Marc Hartzman, a dive into Earthlings’ unending fascination with the Red Planet.
Bonus Read: William Shakespeare’s Get Thee Back to the Future! by Ian Doescher. It’s got some wibbly wobbly time travel AND Shakespeare. What’s there for the Tenth Doctor who dislike?
Preorder The Big Book of Mars:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith)
Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor has a childlike sense of wonder and seemingly limitless energy and enthusiasm for the universe. Oh, and he can talk to cats. Which is why we’re recommending the quirky-but-sweet graphic novel Manfried the Man by Caitlin Major and Kelly Bastow, set in a world where the roles of humans and cats are reversed. We’d love to see Eleven as a cat traveling the universe, fez and bow tie required.
Bonus Read: Doctor Who: The Runaway TARDIS is an adorable picture book starring his future self on an adventure with a new friend AND some super adorable new aliens. Maybe it’s against the rules to read about his future self, but surely he can make an exception just this once?
Buy Manfried the Man:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)
Whether popping back to medieval times or jamming in the TARDIS, Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor rarely goes anywhere without his guitar. We recommend Grady Hendrix’s music-infused horror novel We Sold Our Souls, about a washed-up former guitarist who goes on a cross-country road trip to save her soul from nefarious forces.
Buy We Sold Our Souls:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker)
Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor loves tinkering with the TARDIS and creating new gadgets. She even makes her own sonic screwdriver! And with her vast knowledge of both Earth and alien tech, she’s basically the ultimate STEM icon. That’s why we think the perfect read for Thirteen is Wonder Women by Sam Maggs, a collection of biographies about some of the most amazing women inventors, engineers, and scientists that you probably haven’t heard of!
Bonus Read: Also releasing from Sam Maggs is The Fangirl’s Guide to the Universe, this is the ultimate handbook for fangirls across the ‘verse. We think the Thirteenth Doctor would approve.
Buy Wonder Women:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Honorable Mention: The Master/Missy (Because what is the Doctor without the Master?)
Like the Doctor, the Master is constantly being regenerated, with each new iteration bringing a sense of energy and urgency to the series. Given the Master’s various disguises and identities, we recommend The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman, about a ghost story that remakes itself every twenty years, with disastrous and terrifying consequences.
Buy The Remaking:
Kelsey Hoffman
After falling in love with the UK, Kelsey moved to Oxford in pursuit of her Master’s in Publishing. Two years, one degree, and countless pubs later, she returned to New Jersey and landed her first publishing job in New York, before eventually making her way to Quirk Books. When not talking about books, Kelsey enjoys traveling, watching various sci-fi shows, and snapping photos for her Instagram (@tehkelsey). E-mail Kelsey ([email protected]) if you want to review our titles or feature our authors.
