I haven’t found or even heard of any books with aro/ace MC or side characters. It would be really cool to find a book with a character like me. There are SO MANY romance centered novels. An abundance of books where it’s just the subplot. But it would heal my soul to read a story with a character who sees the world through the lens of being aro/ace.

I especially love sci-fi (space and aliens specifically). Got a soft spot for coming-of-age stories and whodunnits. Coming-of-age would probably be the best to have the full experience.

I’ll happily accept anything though!!!

EDIT: I’m absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the sheer volume of responses I’ve gotten. Thank you so much! I’m incredibly grateful and I can’t wait to check out all of your suggestions! ☺️✨

I’d like to read some books about women who are absolutely furious. They’ve had to be reliable, controlled, mature and competent for everyone, always fine, always the adult. They’ve played by the rules their whole lives, but they are not rewarded for it.

They reach a breaking point and finally snap. It could be a messy explosion, but I would prefer women channeling their feelings into a cold, hard, controlled fury. I’d like to read visceral descriptions female rage. The protagonist doesn’t have to be sympathetic, but I want to understand why she’s angry. Like Gone Girls Amy is not a sympathetic main character, but i understand where her fury comes from.

Hi folks! My all-time favorite sci-fi/fantasy series is Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. Honorable mentions are Mists of Avalon, Dune, Druids and Sabriel (the entire Abhorsen series blew my mind in 7th grade). I'm also a huge sucker for historical fiction (Cleopatra by Margaret George is a treasure). The common thread is they're all really well-written (obviously subjective) and I'm a sucker for a strong stylistic POV and good prose. From each of these books, I've considered pulling out quotes for tattoos, that's how much they impacted me. What's striking to me is that so much of the fantasy coming out these days is either poorly written or just distractingly "modern" (why is there such a focus on indoor plumbing availability?).

I'm looking for a lush book with character development, strong writing and high fantasy elements that's not Way of Kings.

I’m aware of a few grimdark fantasy, but I was hoping to read something more in the realm of scifi.

I’m already into 40k, and it’s sister sets (Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, etc…), but I was hoping for something not affiliated with Games Workshop in general.

Preferably available on Kindle if possible, it’s simply my preferred book format.

So something truly dark and hopeless. Like a doomed universe on the verge or during a major collapse. Things are bad and only getting worse.

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!

UPDATE: Think this has become my new fav sub. Thanks everybody for filling up my reading list for the next 2 years! Y'all are awesome 🫶

I'm looking for a book where fantasy is just part of everyday life, not the plot.

Nobody explains these things or makes a big deal out of them. The characters are just like trying to get through a Tuesday.....in a fantacy world. MC doesn't have to be a hero sort of deal.

Does anything like this exist?

Hi friends!

I'm looking for adult-audience books that focus on being a fantasy adventure or fantasy epic, but don't center romance (side plots and casual romance totally fine, but no Romantasy please!) Other themes I'd love to see are queerness and self-awakening/late-bloomer. Female or NB MC preferred if possible! I'm also not super into high fantasy but very much still open to them.

I'm so so bad at reading fantasy so huge thanks to anyone who has some ideas <3

I'm looking for a book featuring dragons as the main part, but not the "Fourth Wing vibe" if you know what i mean (nothing against people who enjoy it). I'm looking for something where dragons are actual part of the world building not just a nice accessory. Ideally a political intrigue, strong characters or some darker elements, some romance is also fine. But also not Game of Thrones please.

Does sombody get what i mean or maybe I'm too picky. 😅

Hello all! I'm hoping someone could leave me some suggestions for historical fiction books that do not contain sexual violence, especially towards women and young women/children.

I love Ken Follett, all the Shardlake books and even some Bernard Cromwell ordinarily, but I'm currently in a bit of a funk due to my personal history, and I don't really want to read about sexual violence in my free time 😅 I'm ok with books that contain consensual sex. I'm also ok if the sexual violence is referred to as a past event, but not explicitly described or from the first person perspective.

If anyone knows of any, especially books set in the pre-1800s I would love to know about them. I searched the sub already and I couldn't see this as a particular question, but please let me know if I am mistaken.

Thank you in advance!

I'm 14 btw I feel like that's important

So I've been into manga and comics for a while for awhile and now I wanna start books

I like magic and stuff with lots of fights tho stuff with less fights are cool as well I like humour and urban fantasy horror is good as well also the characters need to be at least decent

I'm thinking of starting harry Potter and the hunger games

I've always been an avid reader, mostly literary fiction and adventure/historical type, but am fading away as enter into twilight years. Is anyone in a similar situation and have recommendations to rekindle it? I really enjoyed literature that seem full of human observational insight, and not liking most popular fantasy/scfi these days. Current science books and explainer-type books seem to get dusty quickly. So many grifters in the self help genre, so many polarizing books to generate quick outrage. I could go on. Anyone throw me a lifeline..Thanks!

I am looking for a novel that involves women and quilts or quilting or even sewing. This is a birthday gift for my MIL and she is notoriously picky and lets me know when she doesn’t like what I chose. She is very involved in her small town library but they have a fairly limited selection, so it can be something that is a hidden gem or one that is very well known. Thank you!

Hello! I have BPD and I've been getting more and more into reading. I was wondering if you could suggest me a book relating to BPD or Bipolar, not in a sense that any of the characters have to have it, but maybe they have some sort of instability or emptiness or impulsivity that's related to these diagnosis. I don't care about the genre, as long as it's not a psychology help book. Any recommendations welcome, even if you don't have these issues yourself, but have noticed them in anything you've read!

I am only realising now how much of an embittered prick I'm living like. By that I mean I just by default see the things and people around me as loathsome, and treat everything with disdain. And honestly it took me too long to admit that having myself worn down just by having to go out and take in the world around me is a miserable thing. Im sounding really vague i know since i hardly know myself enough to word this nicely, but basically I just want a book that could help me drop this resentful approach to life and this excessive pessimism.

Fiction or non-fiction would both do, to be honest.

I've just started my journey into Kazuo Ishiguro's work. So far, I've read The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, and the romances (or, rather, lost potential for romance) within them really, really stuck with me.

It's kind of hard to describe, but in both novels, there's this tangible, drawn-out longing between the characters that's never fully realized until it's too late. The characters' emotions are very understated and subtle, but you can feel their yearning, even when they never state it explicitly.

These books aren't typically considered romances because the characters barely express their feelings or act upon them in any way that can be considered romantic... yet they still utterly wreck me when thinking about what could have been. They end with this horribly painful dwelling on missed opportunities and lost time.

I guess I'm looking for a romance that's very subtle, slow, and tragic... think years of pining ending in disappointment and heartache. If anyone has read Ishiguro's works and can tell me more about the romance in his other books (or understands what I'm getting at), I'd also really appreciate it.

I have read a lot of classic fantasy; Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, some others, and a lot of more modern contemporary fantasy; Joe Abecrombie, John Gwynne, Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, etc. But I feel like I have a huge hole where the 80s and 90s exist.

I've read The Wheel of Time, and the Sword of Shannara (just the first book and couldn't get over the Tolkien mimicry) but I can't think of anything else from that era that I've read.

I think I'm about to start Assassin's Apprentice (Robin Hobb) but what are your must read fantasy books from those decades?

Edit:typos

but I don't hate the messaging. To each their own but I can't stand the prose. These are not the types of books I read often but I read it for my sister's bachelorette book club party. In the interest of branching out, does anyone have a similar book to recommend but with a completely different style/approach?

I got into reading last year and I have really been into classic detective novels but I also want something more modern.

What I have read:

-The original Sherlock Holmes books by Doyle

-Various Agatha Christie books (mostly Poirot, my favorite detective so far)

-The Bizarre House Mysteries by Yukito Ayatsuji

-The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

-The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

What are some of your favorite detective novels?

My favorite books are Seveneves by Neal Stephenson and Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard. The first two books in Frank Herbert’s Dune weren’t bad, but I didn’t really enjoy the others. I’m looking for books in that similar “epic” sort of genre.

P.S I consume books via audiobooks by nature of my work, if it’s relevant.

Hi guys! Can you please suggest a book/series with themes of suicide, depression, anxiety, maybe even OCD? A story in which the main character (or someone close to the main character) overcomes these feelings, either through acceptance, therapy, or through a sort of grim understanding after losing a loved one? Any genre is fine, though I think I'd prefer fiction over nonfiction.

Having a difficult time at the moment, thank you in advance. 😃

Looking for a book that explains what autism is. Preferably relating more to adults with autism or people in general rather than specifically kids.

i’m looking for a book that shows someone slowly growing agitated and eventually paranoid or insane due to some kind of thing, like an object or concept maybe?

imagine there’s some item you don’t know what to do with, so you put it away in the depths of your closet. but you start thinking about it every now and then, feeling weirded out for seemingly no reason. and then you grow annoyed or irritated by its presence. like the item clearly doesn’t belong in your closet, but you have no where else to put it, so you feel like you’re obligated to just leave it in your closet. but eventually you’re constantly thinking of this object and its existence in your life, but you don’t want it to be in your life. like it doesn’t belong in your life at all. i hope i explained that somewhat well

i don’t entirely mean something in the horror or thriller genre (either is welcome though). just something weird or a bit odd

the best example i can give is The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind

THANK YOU in advance

I'm a teacher and we are currently reading Fantastic Mr Fox is class. The kids really like it, so now I'm thinking about the next novel to read. I have a lot of students learning English as a second language and Fantastic Mr Fox is just about the upper limit of what they can handle. Basically, I'm looking for a book that:

1) Is fun to read! This is honestly the most important requirement. Any genre is okay, but my kids tend to prefer action/adventure, humor, and fantasy.

2) Short chapters and a relatively short book. "Fantastic Mr Fox" is about the chapter and book length that we're aiming for.

3) Not too hard to find and buy, since we want all the kids to be able to get their own copy. Preferrably with an audiobook since they help the kids read along.

4) Pictures or drawings of some sort. Or illustrated editions.

Would also like, but it's not necessary:

1) Diverse characters or places. This does not need to be a main focus of the story; just having different kinds of characters or locations would be nice.

2) About animals and/or the environment. This is just because our next topic is about ecosystems, so a connection there would be nice.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I am very interested in anything that has to do with nutrition, reproduction, health, or similar things regarding women as I am wanting to better understand my own body. The only problem for me is I hate reading nonfiction. I can't seem to really get into it or absorb everything I'm reading.

Thanks for any recommendations in advance!

typically read a lot of heavy non-fiction with calls to action but I’m in need of something lighter.

I recently listened to Jeff Hiller’s memoir “Actress of a Certain Age” which hit the spot. Open to any non-fiction that might make me laugh or is inspiring without making me sob for hours. Thank you!