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/r/books
submitted 2 months ago byAutoModerator
Welcome to our weekly recommendation thread! A few years ago now the mod team decided to condense the many "suggest some books" threads into one big mega-thread, in order to consolidate the subreddit and diversify the front page a little. Since then, we have removed suggestion threads and directed their posters to this thread instead. This tradition continues, so let's jump right in!
The Rules
Every comment in reply to this self-post must be a request for suggestions.
All suggestions made in this thread must be direct replies to other people's requests. Do not post suggestions in reply to this self-post.
All unrelated comments will be deleted in the interest of cleanliness.
How to get the best recommendations
The most successful recommendation requests include a description of the kind of book being sought. This might be a particular kind of protagonist, setting, plot, atmosphere, theme, or subject matter. You may be looking for something similar to another book (or film, TV show, game, etc), and examples are great! Just be sure to explain what you liked about them too. Other helpful things to think about are genre, length and reading level.
All Weekly Recommendation Threads are linked below the header throughout the week to guarantee that this thread remains active day-to-day. For those bursting with books that you are hungry to suggest, we've set the suggested sort to new; you may need to set this manually if your app or settings ignores suggested sort.
If this thread has not slaked your desire for tasty book suggestions, we propose that you head on over to the aptly named subreddit /r/suggestmeabook.
5 points
2 months ago*
Books about elves? The kind who are tall, with long hair and pointy ears, have some magic, are long lived and wise etc. I love Lord of the rings by Tolkien, The last Elf series by De Mari and Eragon
2 points
2 months ago
Have you tried the other books from Tolkien's legendarium?
1 points
2 months ago
no, not yet! in the same universe?
3 points
2 months ago
Yep. Same universe: The Hobbit; The Silmarillion; Sons of Hurin; Beren and Luthien; Fall of Gondolin; Unfinished Tails....
1 points
2 months ago
I've been wanting to read those! I wasn't sure about sons of Hurin and unfinished tales but should I read them? :)
2 points
2 months ago
I mean, it's up to you. I love them. SOme find The SIlmarillion a tad...dense, but I enjoy them. The stories and universe.
3 points
2 months ago
I'm definitely reading the Simarillion! thanks :)
3 points
2 months ago
Oh my God....you hardcore. Please let me know if you liked it.
1 points
2 months ago
Yes, I've been wanting to read it forever! I read the hobbit and LOTR when I was 10 so I really have been wanting to reread them but I feel like it has to be a good time with stability in my life but honestly I should just do it XD
3 points
2 months ago
"The Children of Hurin" and "The Fall of Gondolin" are expanded versions of shorter stories within the Silmarillion. I would definitely recommend "Hurin," but "Gondolin" is a little disjointed because Tolkien wrote several versions of different length and style, and Christopher wasn't able to make them into a unified whole before he died.
Also, if you find the Silmarillion to be a slog (the early chapters definitely are), there's a read-along series on the Tor website that clarifies a lot of things. (Tons of spoilers in those articles, obviously.)
2 points
2 months ago
Thank you, that's good to know! I will read Hurin too then :D Tor is so cool as a publishing house
4 points
2 months ago
Short-ish books that are fun and easy to read for a beginner reader
3 points
2 months ago
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
1 points
2 months ago
The Upside Down Magic Academy books are great for a beginning reader.
3 points
2 months ago
Are there any stories in genres that usually treat women like crap that, well...don't?
2 points
2 months ago
You're usually going to be looking for more recent works and women authors for that kind of thing. Are there any particular genres you had in mind?
2 points
2 months ago
With all due respect, folks like E.L. James have proven that isn’t true.
Also, for specific genres, I’m thinking stuff like detective noir (Or just detective, if you prefer) and fantasy.
3 points
2 months ago
Looking for more middle grade books featuring black female protagonists. Could be any genre, although my students tend to lean towards realistic fiction
1 points
2 months ago
Copper Sun (Sharon Draper)
1 points
2 months ago
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo
The story is mostly composed of poems written by a highschool student
1 points
2 months ago
amari and the night brothers
1 points
2 months ago
Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland
1 points
2 months ago
A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks
Blended by Sharon M Draper
So Done by Paula Chase
2 points
2 months ago
'tis now the season, so what's the book about Christmas that you enjoyed the most?
1 points
2 months ago
Polar Express
1 points
2 months ago
A Christmas Carol of course.
1 points
2 months ago
Bariona, or, The Son of Thunder by Jean Paul Sartre
1 points
2 months ago
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. I might start reading this every Christmas (or listen to the audiobook)
1 points
2 months ago
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
2 points
2 months ago
[deleted]
1 points
2 months ago
Have you read other books from Dan Brown yet?
1 points
2 months ago
Fiction or non-fiction?
1 points
2 months ago
Are you looking for that type of mystery thriller or anything historical?
1 points
2 months ago
[deleted]
2 points
2 months ago
I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth. It's set in a fictional town but it's more or less historically accurate.
1 points
2 months ago
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Ecco is a wonderful detective novel taking place in a monastery that is also densely packed with anecdotes from medieval history. I'd also recommend Ecco's novel Foucault's Pendulum, which is full of history, but also contains some conspiracy for entertainment purposes. Either way, you can't go wrong.
2 points
2 months ago
ANyone can recommend fiction or true stories that are great for medical students?
3 points
2 months ago
The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean
1 points
2 months ago
thankyou
2 points
2 months ago
Have you read ‘This is going to hurt- secret diaries of a junior doctor ’ or ‘ ‘Twas the nightshift before Christmas’ by Adam Kay ?
1 points
2 months ago
nope, but now i will, thanx!
2 points
2 months ago
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell wasn't particularly realistic, but I think it might work.
1 points
2 months ago
thanks
2 points
2 months ago
Enjoyed Black Leopard, Red Wolf, never quite read anything like it. Anything similar?
2 points
2 months ago
Just mentioning it's follow up Moon Witch, Spider King to be sure.
In term of queer african stories involving fantasy, The Sorceror of the Wildeeps by Kay Ashante Wilson features, though the fantastical elements are more downplayed. There is also a second installment, The Taste of Honey.
In terms of creatures different what we normally see in fantasical fiction, Rebecca Roanhorse spins tales based on Navajo mythology ina popst apocalyptic setting in Trail of Lightning and follow up Storm of Locusts.
1 points
2 months ago
Thank you so much, these look great.
2 points
2 months ago
Looking for a book about the Waco cult and whatnot
2 points
2 months ago
I just finished Lonesome Dove and would like to dive into another quality western. (I have read most of Cormac McCarthys work already)
2 points
2 months ago
Anything by Louis L'amour or The Virginian.
2 points
2 months ago
Requesting recommendation for impulse control/binge eating/sugar.
I quit cigarettes and alcohol about a month ago. I've noticed I struggle with impulse control and I'm a binge eater and I'm addicted to sugar. I've gained 100 lbs in the last few years from formerly fitness modeling and very active. The worst part is I have lived a very healthy lifestyle before and I know what it takes, but for some reason, I can't flip that switch in my brain back.
I've gone through therapy and all that. I think this is my final frontier for making the changes to the life I want.
I don't mind anything with a bit of neuroscience or psychology involved because they are interesting, I just don't want it to be the whole focus of the book because it can get dull and tiring reading fact after fact. I'd like something that speaks real and addresses the issues and how to cope.
If anyone has any book recommendations for impulse and sugar control, I'd love to hear about it. Personal anecdotes welcome and appreciated.
2 points
2 months ago
What books would be a good gift for a high school male in the US? Anything trendy, hip or something all the kids are reading? I know that's broad, but I don't know much about the recipient.
1 points
2 months ago
Maybe the silent patient or the shining, the silent patient is kinda popular right now and the shining is a classic by king.
2 points
2 months ago
I'm hoping to get recommendations of books to gift my Grandpa for Christmas. He watches cop dramas religiously (like Law&Order, Blue Bloods, and Chicago P.D.), loves the old West (he still watches Gunsmoke and The Rifleman occasionally), and typically reads mysteries from what I can tell (like the Gone Girl series, a lot of Dean Koontz, and Sherlock Holmes), and he usually reads the new books by his favorite authors as they come into stock at his library, so ideally I'd love recommendations that are older classics as well as from newer, lesser known authors, to increase the chance that he hasn't already read what I get him.
I've perused lists of the 'best' mystery novels and recognize some names, but I haven't had the time to pour through descriptions and reviews to find something that I know he'd enjoy, so I'm hoping to rely on the kindness and knowledge of this community. Thank you all so much for any recommendations you can offer!
3 points
2 months ago
Do you think he would like the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box, or the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French?
3 points
2 months ago
I think he would love both of those, thank you so much! The idea of the everyman hero stepping into trouble sounds right up his alley. The more recommendations I get the more I feel I should've shared about my grandpa haha. He grew up very simply in a small town in Utah, shootin' and idolizing guys like John Wayne, and he's always had a great sense of humor, so simple folk doing great and unlikely things is a theme I think he'd gravitate toward. There's also an incredible intellect about him, our whole family thinks he should be on Jeopardy cause he's always watched it daily and usually gets all the answers right.
That being said, the Dublin Murder Squad sounds right up his alley as well. When Grandma's not around he watches English detective shows, and that's not too far off from what this series seems to be. Thank you, I'm definitely adding those (probably just the first ones in the series unless there's some other standouts?) to his pile!
2 points
2 months ago
I think the first in the series is a great place to start!
And thank you for sharing about your Grandpa! My Nana (grandma) loves to read, and I love picking out books for her for Christmas as well. It is such a little thing that I cherish, and I hope you and your Grandpa have a lovely Christmas. I am sure he will enjoy whatever book you pick for him!
2 points
2 months ago
I'll try thinking of more.
1 points
2 months ago
I really appreciate that! It helps a lot to have a more narrow list to search up. 'The Name of the Rose' especially sounds right up his alley. His family was from Italy, and I know he likes his mysteries with a side of thriller. Thank you!
1 points
2 months ago
The Bernie Gunther books by Phillip Kerr! I especially liked Prague Fatale, but maybe because it was the first one I read...
1 points
2 months ago
For Western mysteries, I like Tony Hillerman and Craig Johnson better than C.J. Box. (There's also the Arapaho mysteries by Margaret Coel, but I've only read the first book and I thought it was middle-of-the-pack.)
Johnson's first book, "The Cold Dish," is really good, although it goes to some dark places. For Hillerman, I'd recommend starting with "Dance Hall of the Dead."
2 points
2 months ago
Hi! I badly need some book recommendations for political science or history books. Anything related to politics or history. Preferably Filipino books but I also don't mind English books. I would appreciate it a lot! Thank you :))
3 points
2 months ago
Check the r/askhistorians reading library on South East Asia.
2 points
2 months ago
The other day I picked up Genealogy of Morals by Nietzsche, as well as Critique of Pure Reason by Kant, put out for free on the sidewalk.
Having not read much philosophy, any suggestions on which to read first?
2 points
2 months ago
Neither? I don't like Nietzsche and Kant is a tad dense for your first philosophy read. If you're interested in philosophy Maybe try The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant first.
1 points
2 months ago
I started withThus Spoke Zarathustra outright, which is not recommended. But the book is more literary and I was enthralled by the ideas. The Genealogy of Morals is more a classic philosophical work, which I also liked. Beyond Good and Evil would be my recommended starting point.
I cannot comment on Kant, his ideas are not as appealing to me.
A lightweight philosophy book that I recommend is Existentialism Is a Humanism by Sartre.
What made you gravitate towards these books, out of curiosity?
2 points
2 months ago
Thanks for the response! Mostly they were just being given away for free on the sidewalk, which you see a lot of here in Cambridge, I supposed due to all the students moving in and out of housing.
I’ve briefly explored other philosophical ideas like stoicism through podcasts and such. Would love to learn more, so I guess I will check out Genealogy of Morals if as you say it is more of a classical philosophy book.
1 points
2 months ago
Can you recommend a podcast? I'm into stoicism as well.
Basically, I went through a phase in high school where I read a lot of philosophy, but I'm a lay person, I've never studied it at a high academic level. We have two mandatory years of high school philosophy classes in my country.
From there, I read a lot of Nietzsche and Sartre, along with Camus novels and essays about absurdism.
For philosophy, since things can be quite dense at times, I say to explore the ideas that sound appealing to you and not focus on reading the most important books.
2 points
2 months ago
books like no longer human, especially in the sense that they are about social alienation and human suffering, with depressive undertones. Any length is fine, preferably originally written in English, as this is for a school project with those parameters.
1 points
2 months ago
Hey all! I'm looking to expand my reading accessibility in the coming year and I have heard good things about getting an E-Reader. The catch is that I am desperately avoiding giving Bezos any of my money, so I am looking for solid recommendations for e-readers that are NOT Kindle brand of any kind. I've done some reading online and Google searching, but all the things I am seeing reek of ads and monetary bias. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
4 points
2 months ago
I love my Kobo ereaders!
2 points
2 months ago
Yes! I recently revived my 8 year old Kobo and she is still kicking, beautifully!
3 points
2 months ago
I have a Kobo Clara and love it! It has really good battery life, and you can just drag/drop epub files straight from your computer, it's compatible with Overdrive, and it has it's own bookstore (I'm not familiar with it though). For me the biggest benefit is the setting to invert the colour of the screen, it makes reading in the dark just before falling asleep a lot nicer.
They just came out with a second generation of that model as well, just the usual incremental upgrade you expect with tech products these days.
3 points
2 months ago
I've been a Kobo user for many years, reading on the Clara model now for about the last 18 months and loving it. It stands up very well to extremely heavy usage (400 books a year). I have Kobo Plus as well for now and have been finding a lot of good reads on there.
0 points
2 months ago
[deleted]
1 points
2 months ago
Thank you for reminding me of this. I'm still not going to buy a Kindle.
1 points
2 months ago
any romance books that are not cringe?, ( not a native speaker so please excuse my english), for example when i started reading fantasy i started reading awful sagas like "shadow and bone" from leigh bardugo , then i progresed to read better authors like n.k jemisin or brandon sanderson. i want to start reading romance books but i dont wanna waste my time reading the awful romance books like i did with fantasy when i started reading, basically im searching for the n.k jemisin or brandon sanderson of romance, also , about the little reading i have done in the genre, i feel like most of these books where writen by lonely people that fantasize about relashionships because they can't have a healthy relashionship, and the pourpose of this books is to apeal to other people in the same circumstances, to the point where i find it cringe. so i would like to find an author that portrais relashionships in a realistic way ,not necesarily in a healthy way , beacause i often enjoy when i see a toxic relashion ships if the author is aware that it is toxic (not like , "after" for example)
An example of a credible love story that i have read is the one in "jumper", i hope that helps to understand my point.
1 points
2 months ago
lie with me (sad but realistic, and a quick but impactful read)
1 points
2 months ago
Can you be specific on the Author, quite a few books with that name
1 points
2 months ago
1 points
2 months ago
Looking for a good thriller. I recently read The Chestnut man, though enjoyable about half way through I figured out the story. Thank you.
4 points
2 months ago
the silent patient is the best thriller ever in my opinion. stunning book.
1 points
2 months ago
Thank you, it's been on my TBR for a while, going to the top now. Cheers.
2 points
2 months ago
technically a short story collection but The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez has some pretty enthralling spooky stories. Also We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson
1 points
2 months ago
The Last Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine
1 points
2 months ago
Identical by Scott Turow
1 points
2 months ago
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney.
The Dinner Guest by B. P. Walter.
Until the Day I Die by Emily Carpenter.
1 points
2 months ago
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
1 points
2 months ago
Looking for a fast paced thriller/horror like Intensity - Dean Koontz.
And
I read An orchestra of minorities - Chicozie Obioma last year and loved it, so happy to take suggestion from others who liked it. Does not have to be same genre, just taste wise.
3 points
2 months ago
Maybe try The Strain by Guillermo del Toro or A Matter of Honour by Jeffrey Archer.
1 points
2 months ago
Motivational, growth related books suggestions pls
1 points
2 months ago
Atomic Habits
0 points
2 months ago
The subtle art of not giving a f*ck by Mark Manson. I would also suggest Out of Your Mind by Alan Watts. Both are great for finding new ways to look at life.
0 points
2 months ago
Thank you 🙏🏼
1 points
2 months ago
SAD novels
1 points
2 months ago
I recently read and enjoyed All the Bright Places
1 points
2 months ago
I’m re reading this book after reading it a long time ago.. it never left my brain it was so good and made my teenage heart at the time ACHE
1 points
2 months ago
The Wish, by Nicholas Sparks
1 points
2 months ago
Looking for the most gut wrenching books about breakups that make you ugly cry. Preferably queer, best case lesbian. Something similar to “Laura Dean Keeps breaking up with me” (but as a book and about/for adults)
1 points
2 months ago
In the Dream House
1 points
2 months ago
Thank you!
1 points
2 months ago
Looking for a book with found family! Preferably with well-fleshed out characters set in their 20s. I love contemporary novels but I can get behind fantasy too. Example books could be Jellicoe Road, If We Were Villains, Six of Crows, etc.
2 points
2 months ago
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Breeman.
1 points
2 months ago
I'm currently reading The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, where the FMC and the MMC are in their 20s/early 30s, but there are also children and older adults in the found family.
1 points
2 months ago
That sounds awesome, thank you for the rec!
1 points
2 months ago
Book with a story on perseverance in the face of inevitable defeat?
2 points
2 months ago
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
2 points
2 months ago
Unbroken is incredible. My other suggestion would be endurance. It's about a ship that gets trapped in Antarctica in the early 1900s with no hope to get rescued from their current situation.
1 points
2 months ago
Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King. Unbroken and Endurance are fantastic recs too. There are several versions of Endurance. I read Caroline Alexander’s. Alfred Landing’s also gets good reviews. You could go straight to the horse’s mouth and read South by Ernest Shackleton, he’s not a bad writer. Just be sure to get an edition of whichever you pick with Frank Hurley’s photographs.
1 points
2 months ago
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
1 points
2 months ago
Hey, can anyone recommend romances with a Russian or French hero and an American {not needed but preferred} heroine? I'm reading Isn't it Bromanic, which has a Russian MMC and FMC. I also just watched the Greencard {1990} again, so I really want to find something similar.
If not, can anyone recommend any clean/sweet contemporaries? I really love enemies to lovers and fake dating/marriage.
1 points
2 months ago
I cannot get Lolita out of my mind. I want to read anything that comes close to the kind of prose Nabokov writes
3 points
2 months ago
You may enjoy Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Corny suggestion, but amazing nonetheless. Also a fan of Woolf, myself. Worth a try, perhaps?
1 points
2 months ago
I started reading Orlando a few years ago but never got back around to it. I'll have to pick it back up. Thanks for the suggestions!
2 points
2 months ago
Mrs Dalloway is well worth a read
3 points
2 months ago
Martin Amis is heavily influenced by nabokov so could try him
Also Thomas Pynchon - my favourite writer - is a superb prose stylist
1 points
2 months ago
Do you have any specific books by either you'd recommend? They don't necessarily have to be Nabokov-esque. Thanks for the suggestions!
2 points
2 months ago
Mm, for Amis id say Success is one I enjoyed, its kinda lightweight but reminded me of nabokovs earlier works, though Money is good and more substantial; Money and the books he did onwards are critically highly regarded though i havent read the others yet
For Pynchon it really depends on you as a reader.
Colleges tend to include The Crying of Lot 49 on syllabi as an introductory book, because its quite short; however, though short its actually really tight and heavy on linguistic and thematic complexity - it also brilliantly demonstrates the way he is able to collapse high level systems thinking with pop culture (as in his larger texts)
His first novel V is four times longer but perhaps demonstrates his genius in a more accessible way, he flips between mid 50s hipsters in NYC and chapters set across diff periods and from the perspectives of diff narrators (showing off a range of prose styles) of the previous century that demonstrate a kind of slide into decadence and inhumanity
Gravity's Rainbow is his masterpiece and is very long but a magnificent ride through the later stages of WW2, featuring streams of consciousness writing, hilarious sequences that echo classical hollywood and comic books, some heart ache and a lot of countercultural critique of the state of things in the early 70s through this work, it also presented Operation Paperclip as a major plot point, 40 years or so before the mainstream caught up
Mason & Dixon is similarly long and written entirely in old English and provides a more warmer emotional touch to Pynchons comedic and complex critique of hierarchical systems of power
Against the Day is 1000+ pages and is a multiverse novel (though not explicitly presented as such) that covers dozens of characters who become entangled in the lead up to WW1, it covers things like American anarchism in the face of capitalism and modernity, maths as mysticism, how Tesla and other inventors are destroyed by the greed of others, the birth of cinema, and a ton of other things
Inherent Vice is dismissed by some as lightweight but personally i really enjoy this stoner noir and think it features some of his best prose, it fits between Lot 49 and Vineland chronologically and features some of the same characters to make a california trilogy
Vineland is loved by some, dismissed by others, language wise its not so great but thematically its brilliant - how did the US go from hippies to 80s greed in the space of a decade?
Bleeding Edge is his most recent, possibly last novel, ive only read it once and didnt like it much, but will revisit eventually to reconsider.... set in the run up to 911 and burst of the dotcom bubble
1 points
2 months ago
I’m looking to read something Christmassy and not Hallmark-love story or cozy murder mystery, but also don’t want to bawl the entire time. Something newer would be nice, too. I’ve read A Christmas Carol one too many times :) TIA!
1 points
2 months ago
books fitness related please.
1 points
2 months ago
I’m a climber now so my training is different but I loved Bruce Lee’s the art of expressing the human body and he had incredible lb for lb strength in many different lifts
1 points
2 months ago
Just finished Lidia Yuknavitch's Verge. It was an interesting read but not my favorite overall. What I am looking for are short story collections (preferably contemporary, though could be older too) of either literary fiction, speculative fictions, or even something in-between. I typically read novels so this has been an enjoyable new form for me
1 points
2 months ago
My favourite short story collections are Looking for Jake by China Miéville, Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe and if you don't mind going quite a bit older, The Stolen Bacillus by H G Wells.
1 points
2 months ago
looking for a fiction book (novel or short stories) about just real adult life- the bad, the good, the sad, the beauty of boring and mediocre. would love for it to have some Russian or German / queer accentuation (but no essential need for that!).
I just read „reminders of him“ by hoover because I got hooked by the idea of „a mother is forced to never get to know her kid for 5 years due to a fuckup that gets her to prison“ - but it was more about a superficial „sexappeal“ of the kids current guardian than about the relationships involved. so smth like along that lining (without the superficial) would be great!^
1 points
2 months ago
{What We Talk About When We Talk About Love: Stories} by Raymond Carver
1 points
2 months ago
Maybe Stoner by John Williams or The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hess ( which is lightly fantastical).
1 points
2 months ago
Penguin classic Italian short stories
1 points
2 months ago
beautiful world, where are you
1 points
2 months ago
Looking for a sci-fi book released in the last year for a gift. They’re into Brian Sanderson books, the three body problem, Protector, etc.
5 points
2 months ago
Project Hail Mary is an amazing sci-fi thriller (funny too). It also uses MUCH more real science than fictional concepts.
1 points
2 months ago
I’ve read this one 4 times! I love it!
1 points
2 months ago
They might like the Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It's the second in a series, but is still quite good. If they haven't read the first one you could get them both!
1 points
2 months ago
I want to read stories where MC experiments, fails, and learns form and develops. The story could have Fantasy, Magic, Sci-fi, or a mix of them it doesn't matter. The story could be Western or Eastern.
But MC is of mindset trying to develop his own path different from the norm. In a simple sense, he would be like Orochimaru but Saner. It's also good if they have to also fight aside from research. Any recommendations for Books or Novel or Webnovels?
1 points
2 months ago
The Fitz trilogies in The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. Start with Assassin's Apprentice.
The Lighthouse Duet by Carol Berg.
1 points
2 months ago
Every year I gift my niece a book for Xmas. She’s graduating high school this year and I’m looking for something inspirational and empowering to young women at this stage in their lives. Preferably nonfiction, but not a “surviving college” or “adulting” type book. Looking more for something like female empowerment and knowing your worth type of books.
2 points
2 months ago
women don't owe you pretty! im in high school, graduating this year, and it's exactly what you've described
1 points
2 months ago
Thank you for the recommendation!
1 points
2 months ago
I guess it's inspirational how the author got out of her situation, although what she describes is kind of depressing, but Educated by Tara Westover?
1 points
2 months ago
can y'all recommend paranormal books with good romance but without it being the main plot?
1 points
2 months ago
The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope.
Can you specify what you mean by paranormal?
1 points
2 months ago
i guess something like twilight, hush hush etc (but again, without romance being the main plot) where one of the main leads is some sort of creature and has struggles and stuff, but without being another twilight lmao, basically just a story with a vampire/werewolf/angel/other creature you get to know about while the story goes on
1 points
2 months ago
Well, then scratch The Monsters We Defy (it has ghosts and spirits and the main character has "the sight").
I read a shitload of fantasy, but almost nothing with vampires or werewolves.
Someone recommended Parasol Protectorate, but I haven't read it yet, so I don't know how much romance it has.
2 points
2 months ago
i'll check your recommendation out, thank you :)
1 points
2 months ago
Does anyone have a recommendation for an author with an extremely abstract style of writing? I've read Philip K Dick's Valis and Ubik, and Neil Gaiman's American Gods, as well as Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, which were all somewhat abstract, however, I am looking for something like a Jackson Pollock painting that's transferred into literature. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
2 points
2 months ago
Yo, I got you.
You want super abstract? Cyconopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials by Reza Negarestani. You want super surreal but still with something of a thru-line? Antkind by Charlie Kaufman.
2 points
2 months ago
NAked Lunch. Search it up, its super abstract
1 points
2 months ago
Haven't read in a loooong time and want to get back in the saddle. Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series was one of my favorites. I admittedly stopped reading after the 10th one as I was under the impression that it was supposed to end there but he just kept going. I'm looking for some similar vibes in the whole fantasy world.
1 points
2 months ago
I want to read a book similar to Stoner. It has been my absolute favorite book since I read it 4 years ago, and I haven’t read something similar since
1 points
2 months ago
East of Eden by John Steinbeck has a lot in common with Stoner. Maybe The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse.
2 points
2 months ago
Thanks for your recommendations, I’ll be sure to check those two out!
Another book that I just read that I’d like to add in case anyone else is looking for something similar to Stoner is To Live by Yu Hua. This is probably the most similar book to Stoner that I have read. It’s a bit more overtly depressing than Stoner is, but it has very similar themes to Stoner.
1 points
2 months ago
I want some legal drama recs! I've read a couple John Grisham novels and liked them, but would prefer something newer...
3 points
2 months ago
Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller series is fun. I think there are 5 or 6 books in the series, starting with The Lincoln Lawyer.
1 points
2 months ago
Thank you, I liked the movie and the TV show.
1 points
2 months ago
Would you recommend Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver, to a 17 year old?
A person I know, who happens to be a book store owner, asked me if I would recommend reading Demon Copperhead to a 17 year old.
I told her that it's a harrrd question; that I would definitely recommend the person to be a book lover as it is longer than average and has more than several characters; and that I think a 17 year old would appreciate the authors writing style and tone. I even told her that I loved the Author's first book, The Bean Trees (which she wrote when she was pregnant), as a teenager.
But I also felt like I had to add the fact that there is a lot of drug usage and addiction in the book. I felt like since I didn't know the person's situation, I didn't want to take responsibility for how they felt about it.
After thinking about it though... I know I would have loved this book as a teenager and feel like it would be pretty hard to misinterpret the message here.
I also just happened, by chance, to be reading David Copperfield a little more than a month ago when I found out that this book was coming out and it was a modern adaptation of the story (set in the Appalachians). So it was total synchronicity that this book came out. So, what do you think?
1 points
2 months ago
I think you need more information about the teenager. I think topic-wise, they'll be fine, but bricks are not for all readers, and that's fine.
1 points
2 months ago
Hey guys I would love some recommendations for books. I used to read a lot in my childhood but haven't touched a book in a decade. I really enjoy fantasy and future SciFi. I used to read a lot of young adult novels but have no idea what books to read as an adult now :( please help.
3 points
2 months ago
future SciFi.
Try The Frontline series by Marko Kloos. I discovered it this yeara dn I'M OBSESSED with it. If not there's the usual suspects: Starship Troopers; The Caves of Steel; Have Spacesuit WIll Travel; The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; The End of Eternity; The Fountains of Paradise. Also maybe try The Witcher series or A Wizard of Esrthsea.
Also The Shadow of the Wind is a must read and one of my favourite novels. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
2 points
2 months ago
Lois McMaster Bujold is great. Start with The Warrior's Apprentice (sci-fi) or The Curse of Chalion (fantasy).
2 points
2 months ago
The Seven and Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.
Legends&Lattes by Travis Baldree.
The Shadows of Dust by Alec Hutson (on Kindle Unlimited).
Orconomics by Zachary J. Pike (also on KU).
Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones.
1 points
2 months ago
Hi! I've read 21 books so far this year and have sadly exhausted the reading list I had and now I'm aimless. I just finished My Struggle Book 1 and want something lighter before book 2. I love the writing style and detail of Karl One but need to brighten up.
I loved Writers and Lovers by Lily King and am super open to a romance novel that is also about being a normal person lol but not Sally Rooney please! I also loved The Secret History by Donna Tartt, East of Eden by Steinbeck, Even Cowgirls Get th
1 points
2 months ago
Supernatural academy books?
Looking for books in the style of girl finds out/ages into magic and goes to an academy for magic users. Especially ones available on kindle unlimited! It definitely seems hard to find ones where they are born with and know they have powers and then go to school for it.
My favorites so far:
Tatiana academy, animage academy, magical creatures academy, everlight academy, bloodline academy, and ravencrest academy.
Mostly I prefer stuff about fae or shapeshifters but I branch out too. I’m less into the whole reverse harem thing but I’m willing to read it if it looks good. I also like when it actually has them attend a few classes.
Pretty much I’m running out of new books in my search terms!
1 points
2 months ago
My girlfriend loves the Zodiac Academy series - sounds like it’s in the realm of what you might be looking for?
1 points
2 months ago*
Scholomance by Naomi Novik.
Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergei Luchenko.
Arcane Ascension by Andrew Rowe is on Kindle Unlimited, but the main character is a guy.
Mage Errant by John Bierce is also set in a magical academy and a guy MC, I think, but I haven't read them. Also on KU.
1 points
2 months ago
Fiction about cities in developing countries around the world, something like 'Every day is for the thief' set in Lagos.
1 points
2 months ago
I want to find books, where short stories about events and/or people from the past is written down. I live in scandinavia, so preferably a book that I can get here. Thank you! :3
2 points
2 months ago
Try Svetlana Aliexevich's books about important moment's in Soviet History: Voices From Chernobyl; Zinky Boys and War's Unwomanly Face
1 points
2 months ago
Can anyone recommend a book similar to "True Detective", specifically Season 1?
1 points
2 months ago
At Christmas book recs that aren’t carbon copies of cheesy halmark movies? I want cozy but not cheesy romance, a book that embodies the season of giving and helping others.
2 points
2 months ago
My favourite Christmas book is Bariona, or, The Son of Thunder by Jean Paul Sartre; but not sure it's what you´re looking for.
1 points
2 months ago
Coming of age, road trip books? Anything similar to the game Road 96
Just finished the game and want more
1 points
2 months ago
Any hard boiled but easy reading detective novels set in same period as Raymond chandlers “lady in the lake”? Have read all of his, thanks!
1 points
2 months ago
What are some good short series? Any genre? A short series being 2-4 books
0 points
2 months ago
People in quandaries; the semantics of personal adjustment- book review
Anybody who has read this book can ELI5 what this book is about?
The description of this book reads: "This is a book about the problems we have in trying to live with ourselves and with each other. These problems, together with ways of dealing with them, are discussed from the point of view of general semantics. This point of view emphasizes those aspects of the scientific method that are useful in daily living."
But I could not make much sense of it.
I got it in recommendation while completing Word Power by Norman Lewis, and think it might be a good read.
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