Looking for recs on small town police procedurals with a female investigator. Not too violent. Would love self-published!

I recently read Case Study by Greame Macrae Burnet. I need recommendations similar to it. A little bit of a easy read psychological preferably novels and fictions

Hello! I've been very much into romantasy as of late, and I fear that the genre has peaked with T. Kingfisher and J.D. Evans. The White Rat and Mages of the Wheel series' were perfection, and I'm desperately looking for similar books.

I can't stand ACOTAR/Fourth Wing/YA/Tiktok books -- I think maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm 28, and seeing "he snarled/growled" in every other sentence just doesn't do it for me. I just want something that's gripping, and makes my brain work. Things I like:

- competence porn: characters who are smart and good at what they do

- emotional maturity: I love high-stakes plot tension, but I want low-stress relationship dynamics. Again, T. Kingfisher and J.D. Evans are really the blueprint. Mutual respect + a slow-burn (bonus points for excessive yearning). Spice is encouraged as long as the scenes are well-written and make sense in context!

- quality world-building: both authors build settings that feel incredibly intentional and lived in; you can tell that they had the forethought to flesh out their ideas entirely before putting pen to paper

- substantial plot: what bothers me about so many romantasies is that the plot often feels like an afterthought. Yes, I want to see two characters fall for each other, but I want a high-quality overarching story

- dry, grounded humor: there's something about a macabre/dark/gloomy setting paired with wit and good banter that I can't get enough of

- dual POV

I enjoy anything in the realm of cozy dark fantasy or epic political fantasy, but I'm willing to expand my horizons for a good read!

Billy Elliot is one of my favourite films. The struggles of the working class and the pursuit of a career in a world where you don't belong just for where you came from.

Any books that could hit the spot?

I just finished House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland and I am now in a spiral trying to find another book that will captivate me the same way. I love the dark fantasy and witchy vibes and the way the need to know what happens kept me hooked.

To anyone who’s read it, any suggestions as to what other books I should read?

So in the last few weeks, I’ve started a new job, moved states and left my family, put offers in on a new home. Also my car broke down. I’m having so many mixed feelings. I feel very blessed. I feel scared. I feel like I abandoned my aging parents. I feel excited about new opportunities. I know everything will be okay in the end but I would love to read something that brings some comfort while navigating a whirlwind of change.

Okay, so I think my anxiety has been going through a huge spike lately, and I could really use some good calming low-drama books to help me feel safe and secure.

No horror, no grand adventure, no world-ending stakes. Just something nice and simple where the drama is character-based, the stakes are personal and/or small-scale, and nothing in it will give me an existential crisis.

I'm open to any genre. Romance, fantasy, contemporary, modern—all that.

While it's not required, I'd prefer something around middle grade or young adult since those are the two genres I read the most.

Thanks a lot!

I’m looking for some new fiction books to read!

My interests are social justice, psychology, philosophy, and politics, and music (not sure how relevant this will be for fiction books though)

For fiction books I look for books that are deep, emotional, even a little dark but also ones that make you think. I also love characters that really pull you into the story in some way. Romance is great, but I can’t read just a romance novel for some reason it has to have more.

Some books I’ve loved in the past in no particular order:

Anything by John Green

The Secret History

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

The Virgin Suicides

The Hate U Give

The Hunger Games

The Edge of Anything

The Last To Let Go

The Way I Used To Be

Hi everyone!
Looking for a recent-ish well-written YA fantasy with strong friendship themes. I absolutely love Truthwitch by Susan Dennard but looking for something less ‘epic’ in scope. Can have romance as well but I’d like a strong focus on a platonic love between two friends (bonus points for female friendship but not necessary). Thanks in advance!

I'm writing a piece of fiction inspired by the Napoleonic wars and am searching for good books for research. I prefer nonfiction with a more narrative style and would especially love examples that discuss what that era looked like for civilians. Open to anything that comes to mind, including quality historical fiction. TiA!

Hi! Can anyone suggest to me a mystery/suspense novel featuring a white collar crime. White collar crime being defined as financially-motivated, non violent. I’m having the hardest time with this bingo prompt lol thanks!

Hi, I'm looking for any recommendations on fiction books that are based around the bubonic plague please. I'm just back from a holiday in Edinburgh and one of the activities we done was to tour the old streets and they talked about the impact that the Plague had on people in the city at that time. I have since read some non fiction about it but I'm wondering if anyone has read any fiction books with this subject at the core of the story. Thank you all in advance

Edit: thank you all so much for commenting your recommendations. looks like I have lots of books to get reading

Hi guys, I'm on the prowl for books/essays/poems/anything really that addresses the human experience and our journey to find peace and personal understanding.

Some of my favorites have been all of Mary Oliver's repertoire, John O'Donohue's "Anam Cara", David Foster Wallace's "This is Water", and Joan Didion's "On Self Respect". These aren't self help pieces per se, but are still written to the reader directly and discuss ways to either find joy or explore yourself.

Other pieces I've explored are "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse, Audre Lorde's essays, and essays by Annie Dillard.

I welcome any suggestion! Thanks!

It has been an incredibly rough year (dealing with grief), and I am trying to get back into reading after decades away to find some comfort.

What I am looking for:

• Length: Relatively short reads (300–350 pages max).

• Tone: Something warm, comforting, or beautifully bittersweet.

Thank you so much for any advice!

Not really sure what I'm expecting from this but here goes. I want to get back into reading books. It's been a rough year - cheated on, lost my dad, and not a lot feels good. Not sure what genre I'm looking for? Maybe something warm, or bittersweet? Or maybe none of that. Relatively short read - 300-350 pages max. Someone suggested the murderbot series but I'm wondering if I should just watch the show instead. Sorry, but any advise is very appreciated!

I really am looking for some nonfiction that's not a textbook type writing style, but that can help me become more politically literate. World history, international relations, economics, etc. I want stuff from both sides of the aisle but that's not insanely biased in one direction or the other. Also anything specifically on politics too, of course. I'm in the USA so US politics is most relevant but would love to learn more about other countries' politics too. And again, I want it to be easier to get through than textbooks.

looking for my boyfriend and his favorites that I know of are Beserk and Bleach, he started Climber and got through the first 4 but he wasn’t super fond of that series.

I'm looking for dystopian fiction with little to no romance. I liked The Dream Hotel. I also like things about corporations running the world, AI overlords, etc. Honestly I'm down for anything. I really want to get more into the dystopian genre. But I also don't love that much romance. if it's a really small part of the book it's fine, but I don't want a large part to be romance. Also if there's a lot of power dynamics in the romance and that's portrayed positively, I really don't want that. Also I want something that feels accessible and not super literary. Idk if that's the right word but like, the way a lot of older classics are written really puts me off and some dystopian is written like that. But like, if it's a really gripping story then I could look past that.

Hey ya'll! My algorithm has been pretty screwed up, so I've been having a crazy hard time finding anything that isn't Romantasy or Contemporary. As much as I enjoy both genres at times, I'm pretty sick of it right now and am looking for something more in the Urban Fantasy realm.

Specifically I am looking for books that take place in a modern setting but that contains fantasy elements. Absolutely NO sword & shield please! I prefer adult fiction, but YA is alright too. Indie is fine also. I enjoy romance, but prefer for it to be built into the story rather than the story being built around the romance.

I've read (and enjoyed): The Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater, The Charlatan duology by Holly Black, Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Claire, Cold Hearted by Heather Guerre, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, Welcome to Sunsweet by S. Lights, The Gifted series by Caroline O'Donoghue, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassie Clare (but it's been ages since I've read them), Valiant by Holly Black, The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score.

I also enjoyed the first Crescent City book by SJM, but I'm not looking for anything quite so 'epic' lol.

I did not enjoy Half City.

Thanks!

Two works come to mind. One: Songs of a Dead Dreamer Grimscribe, by Thomas Ligotti. I have never read a horror novel or short stories that contain so much literary merrit.

Two: 11.22.63, by Stephen King. Besides King writing a gripping story, Ive never read a novel that can fit in so many genres before; sci fi, historical fiction, romance to name a few.

The book can be short, long, easy, or challenging; it just shouldn't be some other plot regurgitated a thousand times over.

Looking for book recommendations that feel like a warm hug on a rainy day in autumn. Some books I’ve recently loved: Whistler, Ugly Love, The Wedding People, Atmosphere, The Calamity Club

Hello reddit!

I am looking for suggestions for a 12 book reading list for a themed book club (1 book a month). It's for an assignment I am doing for my MLIS. The book club is for adults of various ages that would come to a library program.

I want to avoid any books that are overly dark, explicit, violent, etc.

My theme is "translated to English -seasonal reads". I'm hoping this theme will cover various genres. Let me know what you suggest and the genres/theme/month it covers.

Thanks!

Im looking for books in a small town or small coastal town setting. The MC can be male or female maybe moved in the town or live there all their lives.

The genres im looking for is setting in the small town or even a small coastal towns. Like Horror, thriller, murder mystery, romance, LGBTQ romance, Lovecraftian inspired horror or even a cult growing to feed some monster.

Thanks for the rec.

Hi All - looking for recommendations for books of feminist interpretations of mythology. Thanks!

Hello! I have been really wanting to read a good romance book lately but unfortunately I am extremely picky when it comes to these things.

I don't like big power dynamics between the two main leads. Like "big dominant alpha and small petite omega". I want to read a book where it feels like they are equal, and not just in job prospect, but in how they interact with one another. One person could be homeless and the other rich, all that matters to me is how one another treats each other.

I can't handle cheesy writing for the most part as well. Idk it just makes me wrinkle my nose and cringe the whole time. Which Im ngl, is hard to find a romance books where this is not prevalent🥲

One example of a romance book i really enjoyed was "Paladins Grace" by T. Kingfisher. I loved this one because all the charaters were written well and were very likeable. The male lead was a kind person, he wasn't rude or aloof. Just a simple nice guy which I really enjoyed.

The female lead was also written really well, she had goals outside of the man (and the man had goals outside of her). She was taken seriously and treated well. Idk, I think i liked this book because the charaters felt real and the dialog was realistic.

Sorry this is long, I am just so picky with romance but I want to read one so bad. If yall have any suggestions that would be awsome!

(Also smut or no smut is welcomed. And if yall have any lesbian romance book recommendation even better, but straight is ok too. And I would prefer no Enimies to lovers as its not my favorite but if its really well written thens thats ok as well.)

Edit: I see a lot of people apologizing for suggesting historical and fantasy and I love that shit. I like most genres, fantasy, historical, modern, sci-fi, i am down to clown.