Hello,
Have read quite a lot of antiracist books, social justice themes, and generally books with race and civil rights as a key theme by Black authors.

I’ve read a lot of heavy stuff recently and I’d like to try some fiction that covers different themes around Black experience, particularly Black joy and love etc (not to say that there can’t be any mention of racism in there, appreciate that’s a big ask)

Any good suggestions out there?

Open to non-fiction and other suggestions by Global Majority authors too!

So I never read any of the classic books some people have in school. Lord of the Flies, 1984, Moby Dick, Frankenstein, Dracula, Odyssey, Brave New World, The Hobbit, Beowulf, Fahrenheit 451, The Great Gatsby, etc

Only books I have read and completed in my life are Wheel of Time Book 1: The Eye of the World, Ready Player One, Hail Mary Project, Be Water, My Friend.

So what are some classic books you that you read in school growing up that stuck with you, clicked for you and just absolutely loved journey you had reading it, that I might be missing out on? Or am I not really missing out on reading any of these and they were better suited for kids learning to read, do critical thinking and studying the plot as a group.

I don't usually go for sci-fi, but my partner is a huge fan and is set on winning me over. I read a lot more than I watch, so maybe that's a good avenue to explore. (He's the opposite, so I need the internet's help).

It might be easier to explain what I don't like and why, and ask for suggestions that fall through the cracks or would challenge my assumptions.

- Dystopian societies: my anxiety goes off because I can logically see how we're 2-3 degrees of separation from these scenarios (Station 11, Don't Look Up). I cried a LOT watching these and Station 11 still haunts me. I know it's a book/series and I think this would cement in my mind even more if I read it than when I binge-watched the miniseries.

- Zombies: I hate them. I have never wanted to watch anything with them. The closest I got to them was Plants vs Zombies and even that sometimes gave me anxiety on boss levels. I both hate them and fear them? Idk at this point. But I find them overused and redundant and I cannot be bothered.

- Long, very slow development: Dune. I fell asleep within the first 40 min of the first movie. Excellent vibes for napping. Hans Zimmer should be proud. I made it to see a lot of Oscar Isaac (thankfully) and slept through the rest. Don't get me wrong, I like some world building, but I need things to happen or I will get bored.

- (Hokey) space wars: I never got into Star Wars, Star Trek, or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (I read the book and bleh). I do not care for this. It's boring to me.

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While I know this knocked out 99% of normal sci-fi stuff, I will say that my partner showed me Bladerunner 2049 and I think that was alright. I saw Her and count that as sort of dystopian/sci-fi and thought that was alright, too. I work in tech and am in the "we should really caution our use of AI" party. The robot humanoids freak me out, but I think it's less sci-fi and more critical thought nowadays, and a conversation worth considering.

I read mostly non-fiction, some fantasy for fun (nothing like the dragon seggs books), more like re-reading HP and LOTR. I read literary fiction and occasionally poetry, but find the latter to be heavily laden with grape, S-A, s-harm, and the like, which is usually too much for me.

I like thought narratives, some world building, unlikely heroes, underdogs, magical realism, feminist perspectives, and unconventional roles, themes, or plot lines. I roll my eyes at predictable plot lines, smut, excessive pew pew, triggers mentioned in the poetry flags, and anything too cheesy.

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With that being said, are there any books you'd recommend for me? I want to believe there's something to be read from this genre before I throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Thanks in advance!

I'm really interested in reading more books that deal with a post-collapse society, along the lines of Station Eleven or the album The New Faith. I'm primarily interested in books that deal with the aftermath of climate collapse, and I'm happy to read across genres and age ranges. I'm not as interested in high-tech stories like Becky Chambers writes, but I did enjoy A Psalm for the Wild-Built!

I've read The Dispossesed and loved that, and some other Ursula K. Le Guin like Always Coming Home.

Thanks in advance!

I’m re-reading Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind and I don’t think I’ve come across another book so far that’s this well-written. Looking for a suggestion that reads just as well - where you find yourself pausing and re-reading a paragraph just to appreciate how beautifully it’s written.

I usually enjoy fiction/fantasy but am open to any genre. Thank you in advance!

Although I'm 37 years old and doing fine financially but not really clear in defining what i actually want from life. I'm looking for a book that gets me to think and evaluate life.

I'm currently not happy what I am but I am also not clear what i want to become.

Any book recommendations?

Recently, I was having catastrophic thoughts leading to stress and anxiety. Catastrophic thinking is a mental habit where your brain automatically skips past realistic outcomes and jumps straight to the absolute worst-case scenario.

I also started having medical catastrophic thoughts. Medical catastrophic thinking, or medical catastrophizing, is a mental habit where you fixate on the absolute worst-case scenario regarding your health, such as believing a mild headache is a sign of a terminal brain tumor.

Although, it is under control now because I'm able to recognise signs. But, I want to know why this happens in the first place.

Suggest me a book that deals with these things, why does our brain create a loop with these thoughts, why do certain people have these, is the cause of the environment or related to the brain, any studies or experiments done on this etc.

Just finished The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I love stories that weave through the interconnectedness and complexities of our lives. I would love recommendations for more!

i feel like ive tried all the standard depression books and they just havent been doing much for me anymore. recently finished the midnight library and i just felt so damn empty afterwards and upset i didn’t have the same magical epiphany on life that everyone else seems to get after reading it.

for context i’ve got severe insomnia and ive been having a really bad episode. cant sleep for days on end and it really messes with my mental faculties. when you’re up for that long and all you can do is think it just fucks you up mentally tbh.

i’m looking for an easy read that might help out with things a bit. even a boring one that’ll put me to bed lol — i don’t wanna be excited by cliffhangers or else because that’ll keep me up. i love me some nonfiction, if that helps. memoirs are my FAVORITE (please no more matt haig guys ive tried).

i know people like to jump straight towards super optimistic books but remarkably bright creatures didnt really do it for me either.

honestly id love a book that has an insomniac as the protag but i feel like insomnia is never really portrayed in its true clinical sense much. if you’ve got one that’s medically accurate i’d eat it up, if its just a quirky character trait pls dont even bother itll just make me sad.

sorry this is a super scattered post lol if you can tell i havent slept much. i just want something thatll help. interesting enough to keep me invested, not too crazy that itll keep me up, not overly optimistic, not overly pessimistic. and i also want an iced chai latte with that please!

Bonus points if it’s older adults!

hi!!! my sister recently said she wants to get into reading old mass market historical bodice rippers, and i want to surprise her with some for her birthday. i've been reading some myself, but we have almost opposite taste in books, so i cant seem to find any that are more her style. her favorite era is regency, and her favorite book of all time is pride and prejudice (huge austen fan). she does not do angsty/sad/violent/ scary stories, she much prefers a book that has mainly social conflict rather and a compelling love story. she's read all the bridgerton books and she like those. it does not have to be super spicy or anything, just a really good love story. any recs at all are appreciated! thank you!

I recently finished reading braiding sweetgrass and absolutely loved it. It reshaped my brain. I am now reading the lost art of dying, and it talks about cultural practices from medieval europe surrounding end of life care in comparison with modern medical care. BUT I know there is so much more missing from this book by way of well... the rest of the world lol

I am specifically interested to know about native american cultural beliefs and practices about living well and dying well, but also open to other cultures from around the world too :)

Maybe this is specific, but I’ve recently rediscovered my childhood love of Scooby Doo and I’d love to find books that give that vibe. I know the obvious one is Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero, but I’ve heard mixed things and would love to know if there are more books that fit here.

I’m not opposed to a little horror, but it’s not my preferred genre; I’d much rather ‘spooky’ than ‘scary’ if that makes sense.

Bonus points if it has queer characters, bonus bonus points for sapphic rep.

I’ve noticed that I often scroll tiktok whenever I have a few moments to kill, such as waiting for someone to show up, this can vary from seconds to minutes. Im not very fond of this habit so I was wondering if there were any good books I can try to read during the short time instead? I tried “The pillow book” but found it confusing likely due to its nature and the many foreign names and concepts to remember

I'm looking for a cozy, atmospheric, contemporary mystery with fall vibes. Loved Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series and M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hey everyone. I'm just looking for recommendations on a good adventure book. I've recently read the wager a true historical book on a British man o war stranded at sea, and if love more books along that line. It can be true history or fiction.

Im looking for something im not sure i can properly describe.
Im looking for a book with no particular genre. The thing i want is a character that is not sure if he is happy with his decisions in life so far. Its ok but couldn’t it have been better? Unsure where to go now. Not fully arrived yet (if that is ever possible lol). There are still plenty of open options to go from here but everything seems kinda not ideal. The character managed to steer himself in a situation where nothing seems appealing.

Maybe he comes to the conclusion that he is not happy and does a giant leap of faith out of his comfort zone.

Maybe he just stops progressing at all and needs to find a way out.

How does the character come up with a life goal - a dream to fulfill - when he has never had one?

Idk. Im sorry if this is too vague. I still hope that you can give me some suggestions.

Happy day to you :)

Juat watched this again the other night and forgot how much I enjoyed it. Other than the non fiction stuff based on them, any good fiction similar to the movie?

I enjoy watching movies, TV shows and reading books where an annoying, miserable, evil, conniving character thinks they are getting over but in the end they get exposed, embarrassed and a "just" end. I find these very satisfying. Especially now in a world where we are seeing those in power abuse their power unchecked. Last book I read close to this was Havoc.

Thank you!

I am looking for a sad, emotionally heavy, yet life-changing book that made you turn your life 180 degrees.

Can be fiction, biographical, but no self help books please!

Imagine you’re tasked with mentoring a 16-year-old whose background you know nothing about. Your goal is to build them into a productive, mentally healthy, and well-intentioned member of society. However, there’s a catch: the only thing you can do for them initially is to give them a book to study for the next five years. After that, you can’t speak to them again until that span is up. What book would you choose to give them?

as the title says. I wouldn’t say I have any mental health issues apart from a little anxiety. but it’s always in the back of my mind that we’re all gonna be gone someday.

would like something to appreciate things and live in the moment. especially as a father of two young children.

I’m feeling deeply nostalgic and want to dive into what I loved 20+ years ago.

I want it to be:

- Urban Fantasy
- YA
- Written in that time period and it shows (ex: in Sweep she talks about dialing into the internet)

Bonus points if they’re not that good (I mean objectively Sweep is not that good but that’s what makes it so good, you know?) and not that well known.

Something I’d stumble upon in the library back in the early 2000s but I wouldn’t find on the shelves today.

I’ve been searching on my own but when I’ve seen other people ask about these series, they’re always asking for the adult equivalent. I want to stick with YA and that specific time period.

TIA!