Okay so I've been reading fantasy and was looking for recs with a female character with a personality (no flat trophy archetypes) that doesn't hate on/look down upon/eschew things like ribbons or jewelry. The amount of fantasy books where I read and get to the inevitable "she put on trousers and splashed her face with water because she didn't waste time on beauty because she's not shallow" section is insane and I'm sick to d-e-a-t-h of it. I'm likewise open to recs where she's pretty! I'm likewise sick of the "I'm the plain one with the straight brown hair no figure and (insert stunning eye color here)" protagonists. Some examples of books/characters I adore that avoid these archetypes are Cleonia Bellos from Falling Kingdoms, Isi from the Goose Girl, and Evangeline Fox from Once upon a broken heart. (I also love books with a fairytale vibe!!) Tysm!!

Hi, I'm looking for a book

• fiction of any genre except horror
• main male or female character who is passionate about studying
• high school or older
• nothing very dark, gory, or depressing

I used to love Hermione when I was a kid, but now. Oh well. I would love to find a character like that from a book by a better author.

Hello, I'm looking for books where a man and a woman are or become close friends and they never become a couple at the end of the story or at any point in the story have/feel/think of romantic things for each other.

Has anyone got any good recommendation about soldiers in war?

I read birdsong which is a phenomenal depiction of trench warfare in WW1. I enjoyed alone in Berlin, although not soldiers, it was great to be immersed in that stiffling nazi culture of fear

I was certain I was going to immediately reread Dungeon Crawler, but the last 3 books sort of killed my momentum (still good, just less enthralling to me). So I'm looking for my next read. I'm a big emotions and characters guy. I can enjoy other aspects, but my favorite pieces of media usually have strong characters and a clear emotional through line.

I actually read Hitch Hikers Guide first this year and really enjoyed it.

I really want to read some Cormac McCarthy. I tried getting back into reading last year and dove straight into Blood Meridian, but I fell off of it because I was like holy shit wtf. I'm thinking I might try No Country for Old Men first, since I love the movie so much or The Road because I read and thought it was great in high school. That way I can get more acclimated to his prose with something I know.

I love movies, so here are some that I like and maybe there's books to suggest based off them:

Martin McDonagh movies are some of my favorites (Banshees of Inishiren, In Bruges) because how great I think the writing is. I enjoy how darkly comedic and thrilling the movies are. But I also really like his characters and how emotionally challenging they are.

I like Paul Thomas Anderson, much the same as McDonagh.

Yorgos Lanthimos and Terry Gilliams strange and absurdist movies are awesome.

I like dark sci fi, like Alex Garland's Ex Machina and Annihilation. Or Mars Express if anyone has seen that.

I do enjoy pulpy action/adventure, but something with substance, like how sarcastic and satirical Paul Verhoeven movies (Robocop, Starship Troopers) are.

Other movies I really enjoy: Spirited Away, Ratatouille, Anatomy of a Fall, Sentimental Value, Challengers, After Sun, Brokeback Mountain, Truman Show, and Fargo.

And I do have to throw in here that I do think it'd be cool to read another sci-fi/fantasy like DCC, but get nervous where to go. My favorite parts of DCC are the character moments with Carl and Donut. The world building and action is cool and fun, but would be useless without characters that I feel for.

Sorry I rambled a lot and thank you to anyone who reads all of this and helps out with some ideas haha.

I recently broke up with a man who I love more than anything. We were together for 5 years and I do believe he's the love of my life. He recently has been going through a lot and under a lot of stress, and it has taken away his light. I tried everything I could to make it work and to help him take steps to being healing. Ultimately, he was either unwilling or unable to be the partner I need. I still love him tremendously and hope that one day it will work, but right now I am heartbroken and missing what we once had.

Any book suggestions for someone with a broken heart?

I'm getting hyped for Practical Magic 2 coming out and I just want to share the fun with my toddler in our read alouds!

Any genre and ending is ok. Looking for something that will stick with me.

Recently I've been struggling to engage in stories of romance and such when the characters are all under 30 and falling for someone the first time. I'm hoping to find some stories I can relate too but in the genre of fantasy or scifi as a single parent. All suggestions welcomed.

Looking for high fantasy that feels like a genuine masterpiece — something in the same league as LOTR

I’m looking for a high fantasy book or series that has that rare combination of beautiful writing, a rich world, adventure, wonder, and an ultimately feel-good or uplifting atmosphere.

The obvious benchmark for me is The Lord of the Rings. I’m not necessarily looking for something that copies Tolkien, but I want that same feeling of reading something timeless, literary, immersive, and genuinely magical — a book where the world feels ancient and alive and the journey actually means something.

I’m fine with darkness, tragedy, war, etc., as long as the overall experience isn’t relentlessly bleak or cynical. I’d love something with friendship, beautiful landscapes, exploration, memorable characters, and that sense of wonder that makes you want to live in the world for a while.

Most importantly, I’m looking for excellent prose and genuinely great literature, not just a fun fantasy series.

What would you consider a high-fantasy masterpiece that belongs in the same conversation as LOTR?

I love a good detective novel or short-story. I love the genre and have lots of fun reading the consummate masters: Agatha Christie, G. k. Chesterton, Jim Thompson, James Ellroy, etc.

I also love "literary" fiction (for lack of a better term) and find it very interesting to see what literary authors do with the genre. Sometimes the fusion produces extraordinary results. I'm talking of authors and books like:

Jorge Luis Borges, several short stories.

Umberto Eco, "The Name of the Rose"

Ishmael Reed, "Mumbo Jumbo"

Leonardo Sciascia, "Equal Danger" (but really nearly everything by him - not even sure he belongs here, he practically wrote nothing else, but in Italy he's not considered "genre")

Carlo Emilio Gadda, "That Awful Mess in Via Merulana"

Thomas Pynchon, "Inherent Vice"

Richard Brautigan, "Dreaming of Babylon"

Alain Robbe-Grillet, "The Erasers"

Robert Coover, "Noir: A Hardboiled Postmodern Mystery"

Paul Auster, "New York Trilogy"

I was wondering if you could come up with more literary authors who, while not associated with detective fiction itself, have made good contributions to the genre. I searched to see if this had been asked before, but all I found were users recommending writers associated with the genre but who have "literary" (a problematic word, in my view) merit. That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking for detective fiction from authors we wouldn't expect to have written it.

Thanks in advance.

For a book club that has themes I’m in need of a story featuring a cult. The thing is, I really don’t like cults/stories of cults. They just don’t sit well with my spirit. Never been a joiner haha.

It can be any genre.

When googling I’ve seen under the banner of heaven which I have read. I liked it ok.

I read a range of genres - thrillers, romantasy, romance, sci fi, memoirs, fiction, true crime. Not picky, just itching for something all consuming. What is your absolute favorite enemies-to-lovers book?!

I don't care if it's a self help or a story book

I just want a book really encapsulates this idea

I'm on a deep dive about his topic so I'd appreciate any help and I don't mind spoilers

Sorry if this is a common question, but I’m looking for something new. My physical TBR pile is crazy long, but I have trouble finding audiobooks that I can pay attention to while driving to/from work and doing housework.

I’ve been craving a fun, thoughtful romance book but I’m not too much of a contemporary romance reader. I did not particularly like Emily Henry (I have trouble getting behind the extra-cliche-ness of it all), but I do like Taylor Jenkins Reid books. Other than that I don’t have much recent experience in the genre. (I’m comfortable with any “spice level”). I love classic romance movies though, so I’m thinking maybe there’s something good out there that reminds me of movies like When Harry Met Sally and the like.

That being said, I’m into most genres. I typically gravitate to historical fiction, literary fiction, and mysteries, but my usual choices are usually too engrossing to listen to while doing other things. I would welcome any genre aside from fantasy (I cannot world-build that hard in a car).

Am a big fan of Dresden Files, Red Rising, The Hollows series by Kim Harrison and the grave series by kalayna price.

What are some good recommends?

I’ve been in a heavy reading slump for weeks. I’ve given up on 15+ books, but I miss reading so much because it distracts my anxious mind.

I’ve read 50 books this year so far, and I’ll list some I liked vs what I don’t like, in case someone has a book they think will reinvigorate my love for reading.

Dislikes:
Anything romance or fantasy, anything heavily focused on death (such as someone dying of cancer, someone losing a loved one, not necessarily deaths in thrillers), anything ridiculously long (feeling too unmotivated)

Liked:
Yellowface, The Road to Tender Hearts, Station 11, Sorrow and Bliss, A Guardian and a Thief, The Trees, Mystic River, A Gorgeous Excitement, Fruit Fly (LOVED), Yesteryear, Almost Life, The Safekeep, Something Bad Is Going to Happen, A Woman is No Man, all Sally Rooney, Everyone and Everything, You Are Here, The Vanishing Half, Loved One, Evenings and Weekends, Blue Sisters, Gone Girl, Four Treasures of The Sky

I have finished both book 1 and 2 and I am desperate to find something similar. I can't stop thinking about Blake and just how perfect I feel the love triangle to be. I want something where you start off liking someone in the book and then end up rooting for the villain or the bad one. Please tell me someone can help me out.

Possible TW: ED

I'm looking for books like Letting Ana Go, though it doesn't have to be about the same theme. I want realistic fiction/memoir, about possible real-life experiences, not fantasy, though I may take fantasy, depends on how good the writing is and what the plot is. I want diary entries, talking about the writer's life, or what has recently happened in the writer's life.

I would prefer themes relating to mental health/eating disorders/family issues or abuse. I guess this post makes me sound really messed up but I'm doing research on how to write in diary style for my own fanfiction so yeah.

Please give recommendations.

just finished Yesteryear and absolutely loved it. I need another book that will completely consume me, but it doesn’t necessarily need to have the same premise or themes.

Some other books I’ve loved:
We Used to Live Here
The Caretaker
The God of the Woods
None of This Is True
The Last House on Needless Street
The Only One Left
We Live Here Now
The Silent Patient

I clearly gravitate toward dark, atmospheric, twisty stories with a strong central mystery and a slightly unsettling feeling throughout. I’m open to thrillers, mysteries, horror or anything adjacent—as long as it’s genuinely gripping and well written.

For reference, I hated The Chain. The writing matters to me just as much as the plot, so I’m not looking for something that merely moves quickly but feels formulaic or badly written.

What should I read next?

Hi all! I collect and read old mass-market science fiction and fantasy both for the beautiful/mind-boggling illustrations and the often wacky premises. While not necessarily as male as has often been presumed (I've read some Andre Norton, C.J. Cherryh, Gael Baudino, and Jo Clayton) it does seem to be very white, and I want to read the full scope of odd premises and maybe not successful, but certainly intriguing genre fiction. Asimov and Zelazny are great, but there's so much more out there!

So, yeah, I guess I'm just wondering what POC authors in that space you'd recommend. They can have written anything— sometimes I like things that are just out of left field, like Baudino's rock band reverse isekai Gossamer Axe. More grounded things are fine too, I just want to read more broadly in a type of genre/book market type that is already beloved by me so I can love it even more.

This might be a vague request, but I'm looking for a fiction book with an fun plot, perhaps sports-focused, that has made you just want to go out there and train/exercise/move. It doesn't have to be a specific sport, more about the character's mindset, daily struggle, and momentum with a female main character. Bonus points if there's a good audiobook, but classic reading is fine, too. Throw in a little humour as well? It can have dark moments. I'm starting my gym journey and I'd like to immerse myself in the culture of an active routine, it really helps me. NO self-help books, please. I'd love to laugh and cry with the main character, and feel excited to know what happens next, while still feeling inspired to get stronger and fitter. I'm fine with romance but I'd prefer if it isn't spicy. It doesn't need to include romance, either. I do also like fantasy and horror as a genre too but I'm not sure if there's such a fantasy book that fits with this concept? A good/satisfying ending would be great. Can be a novel, or a series. No childrens' or teens books. Young adult to adult would be great (I'm 30).

Some sports I like or am interested in reading about: Equestrian sports, figure skating, gym & yoga, calisthenics, dancing, running, martial arts, and anything with animals. It doesn't strictly have to include any of these, but I thought I'd throw them in there for ideas.

I just read The Dressage Chronicles by Karen McGoldrick - it's extremely niche but I liked reading a drama centred in a specific sport, and it was inspiring. I also really enjoyed If Only by Melanie Murphy. I'm rather new to the drama genre, or pretty much anything that isn't fantasy or horror. I'm currently listening to Cat Lady: Roadtrip for Beginners during my work commutes, it's so fun!

Not sure that is exactly the right genre but I’m looking for something with a vibe similar to Mystic River, God of the Woods, and the Peacock and the Sparrow. I know those are very different, but they all seem to have that noir quality to them. They are slow burn mysteries and their settings are important to the story. Particularly looking for books that take place in Europe/Mediterranean. Books set in the US feel somewhat familiar to me (as an American) and I learned a lot about Bahrain from Peacock. I feel like most books I’ve read set in Europe are the Europe if tourists and not the grittier, local stuff you get in noir fiction.

Jean-Claude Izzo and Massimo Carlotto have been recommended but I’m having trouble finding them in English. The local library doesn’t have any and even audible only seems to have them in Italian. Any more recommendations for books with this sort of feel that would be easier to find?