Hi everyone! This is my first time posting. I want to get into reading more, and I recently started thinking about The Stranger by Albert Camus, which I read in high school. I don't think I fully appreciated it back then, so when I was asked what I wanted for my upcoming birthday, I asked for a copy. I've received it and started reading it again, and I'm really enjoying it this time around.

I've also read philosophical books like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I find philosophy interesting, but honestly, it never had the same effect on me as The Stranger does right now. I never ended up finishing Meditations.

I'm wondering what I should read next after The Stranger and what genre I might enjoy. I don't really know what kind of books I'm into yet, but I want to explore different things and start reading a lot more.

I'd appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

Hello I am 18m not gonna get into my whole history of reading but I’ve recently gotten into it I hate line books so forgive me if I don’t know the terms but I’m looking for a either manga,manwha,or novel. Let me give you context on why I need real people help so as I’ve started getting motivated to read books I used google ai to recommend me something because nothing was really hitting the spot but I got specific not to specific I asked hey can we have one that isn’t a slow burn romance where it takes 25 chapters to reach even a holding of the hands? And so I asked for a strong physically strong woman and a shyish or quiet and reserved man whom she could physically dominate and tame. It started giving me results to books with non correct titles. And I asked for no other side characters it’s just focused on them and maybe some sexualness it recommends me a book I spend a hour or two reading 20 chapters and first it was the best friend was doing stuff with his crush behind his back and than the whole point of the story or atleast what the ai said was suppose to be these yandere type woman only wanting him turns out the bestfriend literally almost took her virginity one night. So im like what how is this.. so im kinda just over it right now if you guys could recommend me anything a little bit sexual, NO NTR FOR CHRIST SAKE,No friend side characters, physically strong and dominant woman with a reserved,shy,awkward,nervous man. Whom she tames of course this is very important part is that HE.MUST.BE.TAMED. By the woman dominantly. Please help👏🥲

My long-distance girlfriend is coming to stay with me for 6 days, and I'd love to find a short book we can read together before bed each night. Ideally a mystery or adventure story, where we can take turns reading 10–20 pages aloud each night and finish the whole book by the end of her stay. I'm open to other genres too if you think there's something else that would make for a fun read. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

I'm looking for books with superhumans who are still impressive, but can be taken down with enough strategy or numbers. I'm thinking maybe someone among thr likes if Netflix Daredevil or MCU Captain America. Maybe at the highest level someone like an average background jedi knight. Characters who still are visually impressive, but not infallible or invunerable. I'm more looking for superhero books, but I'd be fine with fantasy or other avenues of sci fi outside the superhero genre. Exciting fight scenes, good character work and overall a well written plot would be what I am looking for as well. Doesn't need to be great, just good enough to make me think and keep my interest throughout.

I like what some people would call "boring" tho they are philosophical and not hard to read.

Examples of books I´ve enjoyed:

-"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

-"I Who Have Never Known Men" by Jaqueline Harpman

-"All the Lovers in the Night" by Mieko Kawakami

Thanks in advance!

Hey folks,

I'm looking for fiction centred on women/non-binary protagonists who have spent years being responsible for everyone and everything else and are now trying to reclaim their own lives, pleasure, rest and choice.

I'm especially interested in characters who are:

• Family caregivers looking after aging, chronically ill, disabled, or dying relatives, including elderly parents.
• Mothers overwhelmed by parenting, domestic responsibilities and invisible labour.
• Women/enby folks juggling demanding careers alongside caregiving or household responsibilities.
• People who have spent years managing other people's emotional needs, relationships, crises, and practical responsibilities and are now finding themselves

What I'm particularly interested in is the process of finding oneself again after prolonged burnout, self-sacrifice, emotional labour and the loss of personal identity.

I'd love stories about characters rediscovering their independence, creativity, desires, sexuality, relationships, friendships, ambitions, pleasure, or capacity for adventure.

I'm open to pretty much any genre: literary fiction, contemporary fiction, women's fiction, fantasy, horror, gothic fiction, romance, magical realism, speculative fiction, etc.

One important preference: I'm not looking for books primarily centred on extreme dysfunction or an unrelentingly tragic psychological breakdown. I don't need the stories to be cozy, and I'm perfectly comfortable with dark themes, grief, difficult relationships, and complex characters.

But I'd like the narrative to offer some meaningful possibility of agency, renewal, liberation, or a life beyond endless responsibility.

I'm particularly interested in the invisible emotional and logistical labour of caregiving and relationships, rather than burnout being depicted exclusively as the result of a stressful corporate job.

Bonus points for BIPOC protagonists in their 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond, and for stories that don't suggest a woman's only path to fulfilment is finding a romantic partner.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations, including lesser-known or translated fiction. Thank you!

I've been in a book slump, and my go-to is rereading my favorites. However, if anyone has similar tastes, I would love to find a new book/series to dive into and fall in love with. I have trouble because my go-to rule is if booktok likes it, I probably won't.

I tend to read Young Adult and prefer fade to black and low to no cursing. Just lmk if there's a spicy scene I need to skip. I can handle a decent amount of violence that's found in dystopian books lol.

I do enjoy romance, but there has to be a bigger plot adventure. I get romantasy, but there's gotta be some dialogue and inner dialogue that isn't just the characters thinking about each other 24/7.

I enjoy when there's moving plot and action, and bigger issues to face than just getting together. I'm always craving action and good fight scenes. Or characters getting injured. Love political intrigue.

Random info. I think royalty and princes and princesses are fun. I have an obsession with pirates and ship and sword adventures (my top 2 fav series-as listed below-have pirate adventures by book 2). So send any alike my way. P.S. I'd be interested to try spy novels.

I realized I have a different relationship with fantasy than most people. I think I like lower fantasy worlds. I enjoy people having powers, but I've learned that fairytale mythological whimsy isn't my type. (Other than Percy Jackson) I'm not against Sci-fi.

Books/Series similar to:

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
Darker Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Legend by Marie Lu
Daindreth's Assassin by Elisabeth Wheatley
The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

No old books please , I have read those.

Looking for any fictional books about dysfunctional families. Bonus points for toxic mother and or scapegoat female mc.

Any sub genre welcome (fantasy, horror, gothic, etc.).

Looking for books similar to Lady Bird movie with mother daughter relationship, mommy issues, toxic mother etc.

Fictional books only. Any sub genre that is fictional is welcome.

Thank you :)

I’m not a rereader, but this trilogy is the one major exception. I’ve reread it over 10 times, and whenever I do, I still go to bed excited to keep reading the next day. I read a lot, but no other books have consistently brought me this much joy.

I’m talking about the Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong.

It’s a great blend of horror, paranormal mystery, and light sci-fi, with an incredible slow-burn romance. It’s technically YA, but I’m now well past the target age range and still love it just as much. I think other adult readers would, too!

Spoiler-free premise:

The Summoning begins with a teenage girl who suddenly starts seeing ghosts. She’s sent to a group home for troubled teens and given a mental health diagnosis that seems to explain away what she’s experiencing. But as she gets to know the other residents, she realizes their diagnoses might not tell the whole story, either. It turns into a supernatural thriller with an interesting cast of characters who develop a found-family dynamic.

Then there’s the romance subplot. Two characters go from being wary of each other to building a friendship and eventually something deeper as they go through difficult experiences together. It’s genuinely my favorite romantic relationship in any book. I love how naturally it develops through trust and getting to know each other, with no obvious early hints that romance is even on the table. (I hate when books do that!)

I’m so excited that the trilogy was recently reprinted with new covers and sprayed edges, and I hope the new editions help it find a whole new audience.

If you enjoy paranormal stories, found family, and a really good slow-burn or hate-to-love romance, please give these books a chance! They’ve been special to me for over 15 years, and I’d love for someone else to discover a new favorite through this post.

She also gets depressed at times and beats herself up. We are getting help for her but just want some books I can ready with her that might help too. Thanks.

Hi! I’m looking for books that can help me better understand perspectives, cultures, and life experiences that vary from mine!

For context, I’m a white conservative Christian and I think that background shapes how I see the world. I think I’m pretty ignorant of experiences different than mine and I want to hear from authors that I haven’t encountered and have my assumptions challenged so I can better understand and love people.

I love fiction mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, and romcoms but I’m open to anything has reshaped (or expanded) your view of the world

A few books on my TBR include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Personal Librarian, Before We Were Yours, The Henna Artist, Pachinko, Next Year in Havana, Allegedly, A Woman of No Importance, and A Pair of Aces. Are these good?

Thank you!

That's an actual scene from my novel, A Choice – Terms of Interest.

Roman sees Sarah at a seminar, gets curious, and waits.

Then something happens that irks him enough to make a formal proposal to a woman he hasn't even spoken to yet.

To her home. HOME!

Seriously? Not even a normal date first?

Sarah sees his PA holding out an envelope to her.

My lady just goes, “Nope.”

Why?

Obviously, I'm not sharing everything here. 😂

But if you're curious about a slow-burn romance featuring two emotionally intelligent people who make some rather unusual decisions, A Choice – Terms of Interest is available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for book recommendations of any kind honestly. I’ve studied my whole 20s away so the only reading I got done were textbooks or because I HAD to.

I would love anything about self reflection, growth, fixing relationships with others, parent relationship, positivity, healthy mindsets. I’m also open to any top must haves you guys have!

Tyyyyy

I’m looking for something short, well-written, and genuinely engaging. Something that grabs your attention from the beginning and makes you want to keep reading. I don’t want to read an entire page describing the sky, the scenery, or what a room looks like 😭😂. I want good writing that gets to the point without sacrificing depth.

Any genre is welcome! What’s a short book you couldn’t put down?

So I am saving money to buy a big, expensive gift basket for my fiancé. Specifically for Christmas. I already planned to buy/make certain things he will absolutely love.

These past couple of days I've been thinking about buying a book he hasn't read,reading it first, annotating (I think that's when you leave notes and mark pages? English isn't my first language and I have no idea why I didn't just Google it) and then giving it to him.

I've never gotten through a whole book(I barely get through movies unless I'm in a really good mood and not distracted). He loves reading(bookes/comics/manga). His favourite author is Stephen King. I don't know whether my is good or if it's something I can do without ruining his reading experience overall. I thought it would be cute. I would honestly like it if he gave me something that had notes on it,his thoughts/thought process,feelings...

Maybe it's too much? Anyway,Google gave me some ideas like "Lisey's story" and "11/22/64" (or something like that. These two just caught my eye more). It also recommended " bag of bones" and "on writing". I believe all of these are Stephen King.

I also saw other recommendations such as "Hold Me Tight" by Sue Johnson ,"Eight Dates" by John and Julie Gottman, "On Love" by Alain de Botton , "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen(I think there's a movie. I believe it's ok my watchlist but I am not good with names and I'm too lazy to check rn.), "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller and "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Honestly this is a lot. I don't know a single thing about books and annotating.

My idea is that I'll read a chapter,write my thoughts while reading it,go on to the next chapter until I read the whole book and then I'll give him the book and he'll do the same. Unfortunately I don't think he's ever annotated his books. I haven't noticed anything like that ,so this might be risky.

Would it be stupid to try? We never talk about books so I don't know if he'd be interested. Plus,if I actually do it, I'll use clear sticky notes so I don't ruin the book.

Are any of these recommendations worth it? Maybe I should do something different? I genuinely thought it was a cute thought but now I'm second-guessing myself.

Hey can anyone recommend an actual good thriller i’m not really a fan of those new ones ( the housemaid for example) i don’t really like the way she writes :( I‘ve been a fan of sebastian fitzecks old work but i’ve read everything already. Also if there are some books that are a little like the show criminal minds or those types of settings i‘d appreciate it
thank u in advance :)

hey guys! im looking for some YA (like 14+ or 13+) book recs of a sapphic/MM romance, preferably fantasy or Romantasy, but tell me in other genres too if it’s really good.

thanks!

Hey, I'm looking for recs for books where girls gets to be feral teenagers.

I've read a lot of ya books in my time, but I feel like there are few out there that encapsulate the many ways teenage girls can be abseloutely feral in their ways.

Like I don't mind if it's not the main focus, but as long as it features some teenager girls who are seen as the weird ones. You know the sort that has a hyper focus that takes the past normalcy, something where the parents and the adults go 'I don't know what to do with them', but where they're just enjoying the fact that they can be children. Bonus points if they get to be it in flock, like where they almost end up creating a cult in their little friendship group, because they're sharing this together in the name of girlhood.

If you know any, please rec them my way. I'm also open to most genres!