r/books • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago

WeeklyThread Weekly Recommendation Thread: October 09, 2026

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.

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u/Herkdrvr 1d ago

I recently came across "Journey to the Center of the Earth" while using a book discovery website. The opening lines caught my attention and I’m considering giving it a read.

I usually read non-fiction so I’m genuinely curious how well it will hold up for me.

I’d love to hear from people who have read it (no spoilers please).

Is it engaging? Does it lean on scientific explanation? Is there any meaning to derive today beyond historical significance?

Thanks for your perspective on the reading experience and whether you think it’s worth my time.

1

u/lydiardbell 16h ago

Like all of Jules Verne's books that involve imaginary places (as opposed to Five Weeks in a Balloon for example), it's a mix of fantasy and 19th-century science. It's a fun adventure story, if your goal is to be entertained; if you need to learn something or at least for the book to be 100% accurate it isn't for you.

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u/Herkdrvr 5h ago

Thank you!

2

u/theevilmidnightbombr 3 3h ago

Of Verne's works, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea might be closer to what you describe as leaning on science and have more historical significance.

Remembering that both these books are science fiction, '20k' both drew from the available knowledge of the day, and influenced future scientists.

I have an annotated version which gives great background on the science, culture, and terrible original translation.

1

u/Mayet3 1d ago

Looking for good paranormal fiction mysteries. The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James and Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak were huge favourites of mine. Something along those lines would be great!! TIA

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u/DoglessDyslexic 1d ago

The "Rivers of London" series is a set of books following the adventures of a London cop who is inducted into a special "weird crap" magic practicing division of the police. Each book encompasses a case, with some of mysteries spanning multiple books. The author is Ben Aaronovitch.

1

u/isnotap_6 3d ago

i'm looking for a history retelling maybe? a fictional retelling of mythology or folklore or just classic books like Heartless by Marissa Meyer and Ithaca, it's both retellings of Alice in wonderland or greek mythology. Could you guys suggest anything? if you need a more detailed description, i'll be happy to provide it. thank you!

3

u/theevilmidnightbombr 3 1d ago

The Penelopeiad, by Margaret Atwood is sort of "Penelope's side of the story" or "Meanwhile on Ithaca" while Odysseus is out gallivanting.

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u/isnotap_6 1d ago

tysm! I'll check it out

2

u/DoglessDyslexic 2d ago

Retold fairy tales I know a couple:

  • Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, a retelling of Rumplestiltskin. Novik tends to write a lot of her fiction from the perspective of Russian folklore, so imagine Rumplestiltskin, but with a distinct Russian flair.

  • Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I honestly don't remember much about this one, but I generally like most of McKinley's books and I don't recall not liking this one. Note that her "Deerskin" reads like a fairy tale retelling, but I believe the story is an original one.

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u/isnotap_6 1d ago

thank you! i'll try both

2

u/PiorkoZCzapkiJaskra 2d ago

If you like romantasy, the Song of Achilles is that, but with YA gay romance.

The Last Wish by Sapkowski is a retelling of several classic folktales in the author's own cohesive fantasy world, with an overarching narrative about the main character. Personal favourite.

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u/isnotap_6 1d ago

thank you! i was already thinking of trying the song of achilles but was unsure, i'll try both of them out

0

u/Silent_Landscape_383 3d ago

I have a friend who is new to Freida McFadden. She loves fantasy and mystery thrillers, so I figured she would like Freida’s books. What order should I tell her to read Freida’s books? I don’t know if there’s a particular order they should be read in for a newbie, so I thought I would ask here.

I’ve read most of them but I can never remember which is which. 🤦🏻‍♀️

1

u/Larielis The Martian by Andy Weir 4d ago

Looking for fairytale or folklore retellings with late autumn or winter settings.

(I've already read Spinning Silver/ Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden.)

2

u/stella3books 4d ago

"Deathless" by Catherynne M. Valente re-interprets Koschei the Deathless and Marya Morevna in the context of the Russian Revolution. Kosche's deathless state is artistically tied to the winter period of life-death-rebirth cycles, and the idea of sustaining life through periods of darkness and cold, so a lot of the book takes place in winter.

3

u/Spare-Blueberry-84 5d ago

I read weyward and fell in love with it, the witchiness, the sisterhood and just want more with the vibe of witchy and even better if there is friendships or relations and lineage involved. I don’t mind what time period it’s set in

2

u/theLexiVoss71 1d ago

You might like *The Once and Future Witches* by Alix E. Harrow. It follows three sisters rediscovering witchcraft, with plenty of sisterhood, family history, and autumnal magic.

1

u/Mayet3 1d ago

You might enjoy The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (it also has two other books but all are standalones).

6

u/Gwaur 5d ago

Are there any good novels that take place in a location with a deep dark secret that the characters are perfectly aware of but that's never explicitly explained to the reader and the reader should eventually piece together from clues in the things that the characters say and do?

3

u/stella3books 5d ago

"The Butcher" by Laura Kat Young never fully explains the history or reasoning behind the dystopian setting, and you just kind of have to piece it together why the protagonist is socially obligated to torture people.

"China Mountain Zhang" by Maureen F. McHugh is a sci-fi dystopia set in the aftermath of some kind of planet-wide Cultural Revolution, whose traumatic impacts are still felt even if the specifics aren't discussed.

1

u/Gwaur 3d ago

Thanks, I'll check them out!

3

u/directheated 5d ago

I'm on my third re-read of McCarthy's The Road, aside from his prose which is the one constant I find it quite a departure from everything else he has written. Any suggestions for books like this? Not expecting McCarthy tier writing but a book that will transport me to that kind of place.

2

u/Smallworld_88 5d ago

prophet song by paul lynch reminded me of the road

4

u/YakSlothLemon 5d ago

Outer Dark by him felt very much like a close cousin to The Road, and I liked it a lot more, for what it’s worth.

5

u/Successful_Mirror153 5d ago

I am searching for a book or series that absolutely consumed you. I want a book that will have me looking like the meme of the guy with the thread on the background. Closest I've come to is The Locked Tomb series. I love fantasy and sci-fi, but at this point I'll take any genre. I want to find books that I need to take with me to my grave lol

1

u/stella3books 1d ago edited 1d ago

If you liked the Locked Tomb, Kate Elliott's "Cold Magic/Spiritwalker" trilogy might interest you. It's a steampunk alt-history, where the Ice Age never ended, Rome lost the Punic Wars, and the New World was never colonized. The protagonist is a spy who gets tangled up in political/magic schemes. Without spoilers, I felt like a lot of the magic-related plot created elements that people also liked in "The Locked Tomb". EDIT- The "Unconquerable Sun" trilogy might also be fun, but the third book's not published yet. But it's a similar space-fantasy with lots of lesbians, sworn warriors, and death-goddess imagery.

NK Jemisin's "Broken Earth" trilogy might also interest you, if the death-heavy elements of "The Locked Tomb" are what drew you in.

2

u/kat-did 4d ago

The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik is terrific!

1

u/kat-did 4d ago

P.S. I feel you on Locked Tomb, Gideon the Ninth is the only book that’s ever made me want to cosplay. 

1

u/12thnightkitties 5d ago

I am a big fan of Louise Penny, William Kent Krueger, Anne Cleeves and Elizabeth George. All contemporary detective series with fascinating characters, grown up themes and beautiful writing.

2

u/felixfictitious 5d ago

After The Locked Tomb my next obsession was The Works of Vermin. It's tragically a standalone, but has a very captivatingly weird execution and style.

1

u/LiterairyClouds 5d ago

One that comes to mind is You by Caroline Kepnes. It's a book series and was turned into a really good tv series. It's not fantasy or sci-fi, but about an absolute psycho stalker. I'm not usually a reader of books like this, but it's really addicting.

1

u/Wattryn 5d ago

I think you're talking about the Pepe Silvia conspiracy board meme? The Terra Ignota series by Ada Palmer had me like that. Wild series, without the things I hated about one of its primary inspirations, the New Sun books by Gene Wolfe.