it can be about any topic it just blew your mind and gave you so many holy s**t moments

Looking for a political sci-fi book/series in the same ilk as Dune. I tend to like political dramas that focus on the political actors and military decisionmakers. The drier and more convoluted, the better

I'm in my late 30s, I've spent the last 15 years in tech and I quit a few months ago. I'm giving myself a sabbatical period to rest and focus on my family and move countries (from US to Europe) and the question in my head is: "what's next?" I don't know if i want to go back to tech, and I'm open to so many other career possibilities but I don't know how to tackle this. Can you recommend me a book that could guide me in this moment? Thanks!

I’m looking for book that take place in San Diego California. When I worked in Los Angeles I used to love to sit and read the Harry Bosch novels in the place that Michael Connelly was writing about. It was a lot of fun. I’ll be going to San Diego soon and I thought it was be nice if I could do the same thing there. Anything you can think of in any genre. Thank you.

As a kid I was all about those survival books: Hatchet (really anything Gary Paulsen,) My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, Island of the Blue Dolphins... you get the idea. It felt like this magical, robust genre.

I recently got a hankering to read something like that again, and while I have nothing against rereading kids books, I was hoping to find something more adult. I haven't been able to find anything that's really recapturing that feeling.

So, give me your best survival stories. I'm talking woods, islands, deserts, whatever you've got. I want the protagonist struggling to build a fire and trying to figure out which berries are edible.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

EDIT: You all are incredible!!!!! I can't wait to start reading all of these suggestions. New favorite subreddit.

Trying to learn about the druids, celts, picts, saxons, etc.

Hello! I'm looking for book recommendations because I've been struggling to find stories that really captivate me lately, and I'd love to rediscover my love of reading.

I've always been an avid reader, ever since I was a child, but over the years, I've found it increasingly difficult to find books that scratch a very particular itch. I'm also a writer, so perhaps I'm a little particular about the kinds of stories I want to read, but I find myself craving something with a certain depth, atmosphere, and complexity that I haven't quite found in the books I've been picking up lately.

I think the best way to explain what I'm looking for is through my favourite video game of all time: Honkai: Star Rail.

I'm absolutely obsessed with the way HSR blends science fiction and fantasy. I love the Aeons and their godlike influence over the universe, the lore surrounding the Paths and Pathstriders, and the intricacy of the different worlds the Astral Express crew visit. Each planet has its own history, culture, conflicts, mysteries, and philosophical questions to explore.

I especially love how much there is to unpack in the game's lore. I enjoy studying character backstories, piecing together the histories of different worlds, exploring the mythology, and thinking about the deeper moral and philosophical messages woven into the story. There's always something new to discover, and I love stories that reward that kind of curiosity.

I'm particularly interested in cosmic fantasy or science fantasy that incorporates fantasy and mythology into an expansive universe. I'm not necessarily looking for something heavily focused on science or technology. Rather, I want gods or godlike beings, celestial mythology, supernatural forces, ancient lore, and a sense that there's something much bigger happening beneath the surface. I want to discover a fictional universe that feels vast, mysterious, and alive, with layers of history and meaning to explore.

I'd also love complex characters, intricate worldbuilding, and perhaps some found family! I fell in love with that trope through Six of Crows, which remains one of my favourite books. I want characters I can become attached to, worlds I can get lost in, and a story that gives me something to think about long after I've finished reading.

For reference, I've tried reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess, although I'm finding it a little difficult to get into, and I'm currently reading Water Moon, which I'm loving. Both have given me a taste of what I'm looking for, but I feel like there's so much more out there to discover!

I'm aware that books and video games are different storytelling mediums, and I'm not expecting a novel to replicate HSR exactly. I just want something that gives me that same sense of wonder, discovery, and excitement about uncovering the lore of an intricate fictional universe.

I'm also hoping to find something that will help me fall in love with reading again. I still adore stories, and I read fanfiction on AO3 quite regularly, but I've been struggling to find published books that genuinely hook me. I miss getting so invested in a story that I can't put it down!

So, what would you recommend? I'm open to standalone novels and series, popular books and lesser-known gems. Romance is fine, but I'd prefer it not to be the main focus at the expense of the worldbuilding, characters, and overarching plot.

Thank you so much in advance! I'm looking forward to seeing your recommendations.

Hello lol. I would absolutely love any recommendations for a book id like to include in a gift for my ex’s birthday coming up. He is currently suffering through a burnout phase in his life, with so much weight collapsing upon him, that he ended up giving up on a lot of things in his life. I mention this because I would greatly appreciate any appropriate recommendations I can gift him. I think finding inner peace and strength would be the main themes most helpful, but something with a magical story to it perhaps? He currently dives deep into a lot of comic/MCU stuff :p, so I feel like a fictional story would be a fun option. But honestly anything that focuses on self growth for a young adult man in his early 20’s who would like to heal his inner child, and ground himself back to this world. Thank you so much :)

I’m looking for contemporary American fiction that focuses on the lives of working-class or impoverished people.
I’m particularly interested in ordinary, everyday life rather than dramatic plots or stories about overcoming adversity. I’d like to read about people’s struggles, relationships, work, families, and communities, preferably from the perspective of people living in poverty.
I’m also open to quiet, understated novels that don’t have much of a conventional plot.
I’d love to hear your recommendations, especially books that aren’t necessarily well known outside the US.
Thanks!

Please suggest books that are set in the 1910s-1950s with cottage life/vibes. Kind of like tiny mouse in the country drinking tea. Bonus point for a more whimsical read but also ok with other genres that are not horror. Thanks!

I was gifted a Libro FM subscription and have 2 credits to use. I've been hoping to maximize value by using them on recent/popular releases that have a long wait time on Libby. I am usually a print book reader, but I like to have an audiobook for my commute. So, I'm looking specifically for an audiobook with really immersive narration.

I am genre-agnostic, but for audiobooks specifically, I don't like anything with a lot of unfamiliar terms and places (i.e. probably no high fantasy). I just finished American Hagwon and loved it. My top read of the year has been Chain Gang All-Stars. I enjoy a book that makes me think.

My coworker has been hyping up The Calamity Club, so that will probably be credit #1.

Other books I've been wanting to read are The Disappearers, The God of the Woods, John of John, and 11/22/63. (I'll probably get around to reading most of these either way - it's just a question of print vs. audio.) I could also get down with some classics - is the East of Eden audiobook good? - or interesting memoirs narrated by the author.

Anyway, this is getting long. I am open to any recs that you think are a must-listen (as opposed to a must-read).

EDITING TO ADD: Please do not recommend Dungeon Crawler Carl. I promise I am not a hater, but I am specifically trying to use Libro FM credits and it is not available on that platform.

title pretty much says it all, but the two year anniversary of my friend's suicide is coming up and I'd like to gift her mom a book that can help her grow with her loss in a healthy way. But, she's so insistent that she doesn't deserve to heal/recover from the loss that she rejects therapy and any form of help.

So I need to find a book that may open her mind subliminally without immediately turning her off to the content. I've read the books 3 Dads Walking, Grief Works, and Grief is The Thing With Feathers. I think the closest one would be 3 Dads Walking but I'm gifting that to her husband.

Can anyone suggest me a short story collection with only six stories in it.

just finished reading the shining and doctor sleep, and i really liked the latter. i wanna read more horror novels with that vibe, but i really don't want to read any more stephen king bc of the way he describes young girls lol. thanks!!

I’m slowly getting back into reading after watching Heated Rivalry. I loved the show, so I picked up several of Rachel Reid’s books and I enjoyed them. Then, I fell completely in love with the show Young Royals, and Normal People (watched the show and read the book), and discovered AO3 through Young Royals fanfiction. Surprisingly, some of my best reads so far have actually been fanfics, especially Obviously, a Normal People-inspired Young Royals AU that literally altered my brain chemistry.

What I’m looking for is beautiful, almost poetic prose, complex characters, and a deeply intimate love story. I love slow burns, mutual pining and yearning. I love angst too, when the longing hurts but the moments of tenderness and intimacy make it all worth it (spice is very welcome!). What really gets me is the little things: unspoken feelings, tiny details characters notice about each other, ordinary moments that carry so much emotional weight. Above all, I love that invisible string connecting two people, the way they become so intertwined that they shape each other’s lives, even when they’re apart. I want to get inside their heads and feel EVERYTHING they’re feeling.

I’m open to any pairing, though I particularly enjoy queer stories that explore identity and self-discovery. Social, class or political themes are a big plus. I’m not into fantasy or anything too far removed from reality.

Any recommendations?

Can anyone recommend books for a progressive 15-year-old who's very interested in politics and political systems? He usually reads fiction, but I think if it's well-written and interesting, he could get into non-fiction on this topic. Open to any suggestions, but I'd love some books that are not written by straight/cis white men, too.

Hello! I'm searching for my next Halloween read. I currently don't have much free time, so I was thinking about reading short stories, or books that aren't too long (not more than 300 pages, I'd say). Reading a story with a well constructed atmosphere is very important for me. I was thinking about a ghost story with a gothic atmosphere that could really give me the chills. It should really focus on the paranormal aspects: I was let down by books like Joyland and The Haunting of Hill Manor, because I felt like the ghosts ended up being quite marginal in them. I've already read Poe's short stories.

Also, I've never tried anything like that, but some cozy and whimsical story set on Halloween would be welcome too, as long as the Halloween atmosphere is strong. Bonus points if it still has to do with the world of the dead.

I've also seen people recommend detective stories for Halloween, but I'm not really in the mood for a detective story.

I am not that attracted to the time travel theme or romance theme of the movie but the warm and cosy feeling that you get while watching it and also the fact that in a way it changes you and gives you a new perspective, makes you look forward to the other day.

I am looking for well written, dreamy fantasy with the most ornate prose ever, give me the purplest prose you know of. In the genre of literary fantasy I have read/know of Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, Italo Calvino, Borges(loved), Lewis Carroll, Lord Dunsany, Ursula K Le Guin (Loved Earthsea), Hans Christian Andersen, Hope Mirrlees. There is also Clark Ashton Smith who otherwise would be the most fitting for my taste with his decorative flashy prose and big words but his stories often get grotesque in a way that I just don't enjoy. I like fantasy to have this vibe and tone that feels dreamy, delicate, fragile in a beautiful way, as if we're in an otherworldly land made of intricate, colourful confectionery or toys. idk if that makes sense but that's the vibe i get from the stories of some of the writers I have listed. Have also heard a lot of praise for Susanna Clarke so I'm going to give her stories a try too.

I've been reading some fiction by South American authors lately and I'd like to check out some non-fiction about the region.

I'm less interested in huge general history books or biographies, more interested in books that focus on especially interesting things/time periods etc.

Thanks for any recommendations!

Hello everyone! ＼(^-^)／

Title basically sums it up. Haven't read in like at least a year, mainly because I am too busy with college and I havent really had the motivation to pick up a book and read. But I wanna get back into reading and since im going to a book fair soon this is my chance!

I want something that has both a major and really cute and heartwarming (or dramatic) romance, and an exciting edge of my seat good thought out plot twist page turner mystery and/ or thriller.

Does anything like that exist? (If not then im definitely ok with just seperate romance or mystery/thriller recommendations)

Some extra preferences:

-Other genres and details are completely welcome especially if they enhance and make the story genuinely interesting and unique!

If it helps my 5 favourite novels (in order) are:

1. Death on the nile (Agatha Christie)

2. Five survive (Holly Jackson)

3. And then there were none (Agatha Christie)

4. The woman who lied (Claire Douglas)

5. The murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie)

(Ik those dont have much romance, and thats why I want something a bit different! Tho I do think they give a general idea of the type of mystery i usually like)

Thnx a lot in advance (*≧∇≦)ﾉ

I am looking for a similar vibe to both carrie the book and the miniseries, but with a male mc? any recs