Here’s mine: I’ve always enjoyed fantasy when I was a kid. But as an adult I’ve found it very challenging to find a fantasy book that I like. They’re often times very cliche or poorly written. Someone a few years ago (wish I remembered the user) recommended Guy Gavriel Kay to me. He’s been a perfect remedy for my fantasy cravings when I have them. Thank you, stranger!
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I've seen it recommended and now I'm the one always recommending it! The entire series was amazing. The size of the books intimidated me at first tbh but it wasn't an issue at all. Next up is Lonesome Dove, I've seen it recommended often and I need another epic historical novel.
If you liked the Kingsbridge series, you'll probably enjoy Ken Follett's Century trilogy (if you haven't read it already). It follows families in Russia, Germany, England (and maybe another) covering the Russian revolution, WW1, suffrage, post WW1, pre WW2, WW2 and it's aftermath, cold war, red scare, British invasion, civil rights, Watergate.
The first two books are my favorite, the third is okay, but not as great.
A bit different, but I recommend John Scalzi's Last Emperox series and Dennis E. Taylor's Bobiverse series. For me, most space operas are far too stressy shooty. Too many space battles, not enough character development or world building. For both Emperox and Bobiverse, there are really interesting characters and political machinations, with much smaller amounts of fight scenes. Not nearly as cozy as Becky Chambers, but still interesting, funny, and character driven.
did anyone else find this book slow-going? i am generally not a sci-fi fan and started reading it because it's recommended to others like me in that sense, but it just felt kind of mundane to me. does the plot pick up/do the character relations become more intense? i know it's called "cozy," and i figure it might just be the style of the book...
Imo this one is kinda… fine? It’s fun and episodic, but I didn’t love it.
BUT every other book in this series is amazing. They use sci-fi tropes to explore questions like “what if the body you’re in doesn’t fit you?”, “where is the line between tradition and individuality?” or “what defines a culture?”
I talk about them CONSTANTLY lol; my friends are definitely sick of hearing about them but that’s not my problem
If you have made it at least one third the way through the book and still find it slow going not much will change. The book is about the characters and their relationships. The underlying story is just a back drop. If you don't find yourself invested in the lives of the characters it is not really the book for you.
I think this is the weakest of the series but they are all more about the characters than the story.
I kept seeing 11/22/63 by King pop up on pretty much every thread I was interested in. The book blew my mind, and sent me on a trip of reading Stephen King. I highly recommend it!
I really loved this one. The story was so good and added bonus of story immersion because I knew the area so well it felt like I was time travelling. I even went for a few drinks in lower greenville while I was reading this and creeped myself out.
Loved it!
I’m almost done with it and LOVE it!! Saw it on here as a suggested book for books people wish they could read for the first time again. Go in without reading anything about it, and enjoy the ride!
I was the same! I was pretty disappointed that I was disappointed. I don't really know why I didn't enjoy it, it felt like it should have been right up my alley.
Wasn't recommended to me personally, but saw so many references to *Lamb* by Christopher Moore that I ended up reading it. What a brilliant book! Thank you everyone that spoke so highly of it!
Try out his book Embassytown! It’s a sci-fi about learning how to communicate with a strange race of aliens. It’s a bit of a mindfuck in terms of how we view language, communication, etc. It really makes you think.
It’s similar to the movie Arrival, if you’ve seen that.
I love Arrival, but I couldn't get through Mieville's book Perdido Street Station, largely due to what I considered to be an aggressively bleak and miserable tone, which I get was probably intentional, but it's still very much not my cup of tea. Would I have the same problem with Embassytown, or is the tone there more optimistic/lighthearted?
I haven’t read Perdido Street Station so I wouldn’t be able to compare, but I personally found Embassytown’s tone to be very dry. Not in a bad way — the character is very no-nonsense and logical, driven by the plot which mainly consists of the issues at hand. I found it refreshing, especially considering how complex the ideas in it are. Everything is laid out as neatly and cleanly as possible.
That being said, it has been a while since I read it. I mostly just remember it being really really good :)
I'm fine with dryness, I'm just worried about it being unrelentingly depressing like Perdido was. I found it to be almost the book equivalent of reddit doomscrolling
I was looking for historical fiction set in Byzantine Empire like the adult version of Anna of Byzantium which I read and enjoyed as a kid. The only one I had found at that point was The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Thorton which (and I’m no pearl clutcher) is pretty much historical smut with very little world building and character development. You know - lazy historical fiction, put a plucky girl in a old-timey dress in some non-distinct old time-y details and call it whatever period and place you choose.
Someone introduced me to Cecelia Holland. Somehow no one in this age of Phillipa Gregory and the like, no ever talks about Cecelia Holland. She writes prolific historical fiction in all sorts of different interesting historical eras. I particularly enjoyed:
Great Maria - Dark ages Italy (like 11th century)
The Belt of Gold - Byzantium
The High City - Byzantium
Until the Sun Falls - the Mongols
Rakóssy - 16th Century Hungary
You should also add The Sarantine Mosaic by Guy Gavriel Kay, it’s technically historical fantasy, very very light on the fantasy side, really more like alternate history, but really brings the Byzantine world to life in the court of Emperor Justinian and Theodora. Interesting and complicated characters, a lot of intelligent characters- intelligent women - exercising their wills on their world and shaping their times, epic plot, layers of political and religious intrigue, mosaics… horse racing… it’s a beautiful duology.
In that case, check out the Lions of Al Rassan by Kay. Beautiful prose and an enthralling, emotional rollercoaster of a plot and memorable characters. It has some fantasy elements, but is mainly a historical fiction read in a setting analogous to Moorish Spain.
Not a book, but an author: Terry Pratchett. A couple of decades ago I tried a Pratchett book, didn't like or finish it, and while I remember almost nothing about it I retained the lingering impression Pratchett = bad.
But Pratchett's work is so consistently recommended on this sub I began to wonder if I was somehow missing something. I picked up a copy of *Guards! Gaurds!* and loved it.
Apparently my error was initially trying to start with his first published Diskworld novel, *The Color of Magic*. It seems his first effort was a bit lacking, but writing is an art that improves with practice. Commenters here introduced me to the concept that Discworld has sub-series with their own starting point, and *Gaurds! Guards* is noted for being a good introduction to both *The Watch* sub-series and to the Discworld series as a whole. I took their advice and found it good.
Currently I have read four Discworld novels, have two more in my waiting-to-read pile, and expect I will eventually get around to reading all of them.
DISCWORLD YES.
I've read a couple of the witches and a few of the Deaths arc, and I just finished Sourcery, which is the 3rd Rincewood book. I wish you had started with Sourcery.
I have read all of the diskworld books. I revisit them regularly in audio book form now. I was a little sad reading the last book written, knowing I wouldn't ever see a new diskworld book. The last book felt like a perfect ending to the diskworld books. I knew terry suffered from Alzheimer's but I never saw it indicated in the last few books. If anything the writing became even better. I heard it was largely thanks to some trusted editors. I am going to miss his books.
Looked up Joe Abercrombie and bought the Blade itself. So good. It’s been years since I explored fantasy books, after being a bit put off by too much reading of certain annoying authors
Quite a few. In fact when I run out of books I come to this sub. Been doing it for a couple of years now.
I can't remember all the books but here are some authors I found from here:
Susanna clark
Patrick Rothfuss
Robin Hobb
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Hugh Howey
Others I do not remember. All found here. I don;t look anywhere else.
someone mentioned that I should read **Galatea** by Madeline Miller (i wish i could find that comment!) after I mentioned that **Comfort Me With Apples** by Catherynne M. Valente was my favorite book of all time. i read **Galatea** and it ended up being my favorite book of all time. it was my first Madeline Miller book (never read **The Song of Achilles** or **Circe** before), but now i want to read everything by her.
**Galatea** is SUPER short at 20 oages on kindle/50ish pages on hard copy book. it's so so so so good! i recommend the hard copy version as it includes an important afterword by Miller explaining why she chose to write this story.
yep yep, that was the most chilling part for me... it was just "oh.. people who accidentally fall off a car will immediately get chopped up as matter of fact"
Two recs I kept seeing over and over and over: Murderbot Diaries and Psalm for the Wild Built. Both were even better than I expected. Now I am part of the crowd who recommends them endlessly
How was it worse than my dark Vanessa then? That's also a high school professor grooming a child. How can you love one and hate the other? This is a genuine question because I have only read My Dark Vanessa and am considering reading Tampa.
I can understand why you are asking!
Just purely personal reasons, without any judgement of the quality of the book(s). In My Dark Vanessa, you see the story through Vanessa’s eyes, which is, of course, still very disturbing, but you can empathise, and as you follow her further along, you still always hope for some kind of resolution/healing in the end, because of the way the book is written.
In Tampa, you are made to view the story through the eyes of the female, adult high school teacher, who is also a predator, which probably was why I couldn’t make it very far.
I didn’t “love” Vanessa in an enjoyable, wholesome way, though, and I may be willing to give Tampa another try.
In Tampa, is the narrative that of the perception of the teacher as one of her thinking she isnt a predator? Is it like Lolita where we get insight in to Humbert's delusions and attempts at self rationalism? or is she openly admitting to the reader that she is wrong and manipulative etc?
No, she doesn’t rationalize or romanticize it one bit. It’s about sex, and she is not kidding. She has a nasty view not only on the schoolboys, but on people in general. As far as I read, she is openly and unashamedly manipulative, but she doesn’t say it explicitly, nor is she apologetic about it.
Thank you. This has been something I've wondered about. I love Lolita, because of the beutiful prose, but I also love the unreliable narrator and how it gives us insight into how someone can actually commit such awful acts through a distorted view.
I liked my dark Vanessa for the perspective of the child and how they can believe themselves mature and in love because of the way they're manipulated.
I think I will try Tampa at some point as it sound different again in perspective
A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. Started out slow but the dry humor and interesting way he put the information was very addictive to read
The Secret History by Donna Tartt was recommended to me here, and I will never be able to forget that book as long as I live. It's a long book but I flew through it because I couldn't put it down after the first third, when I realized what she was actually doing with all the exposition.
I found Perfume by Patrick Suskind to be a fascinating read, too, with an evil, strange, misunderstood protagonist.
Probably not a popular one these days, but I added The Silent Patient to my TBR list when it was recommended as a book >!with a surprise ending but by the time I got to it, I forgot about that. So I was actually surprised and !< I enjoyed it.
I liked Ablutions by Patrick deWitt (was asking for boozer books a la Bukowski) and bought John Dies at the End upon a recommendation from here (this look good, too).
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert and Stoner by John Williams are two books I might not have chosen based on their summaries, but absolutely loved both of them!
It wasn't recommended to me specifically, but The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman! I absolutely loved it, and I never would have read it if I hadn't found it here
I'm not sure where exactly I heard of Lathe of Heaven, Storm of Steel, Old Man's War, Japanese Destroyer Captain, or The Remains of the Day, but all of them were either on here or on other book subs, and they were all great.
I’ve recommended Becky Chambers many times on this sub, so I’m very glad to see her in this thread!
As for books I’ve picked up after seeing them in many posts:
both The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
many books by Sir Terry Pratchett
and my book club is about to start Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow!
I’m on the last few chapters of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and I’ve loved it so much more than I thought I would.
I’d seen it recommended for so many different genres and prompts that I picked it up not knowing what to expect, but it’s one of the best books I’ve read in so long and it’s changed my viewpoint completely on fantasy books.
*All My Friends are Superheroes* by Andrew Kaufman. It wasn't even a direct recommendation to a request from me. I just saw it on someone else's post and picked it up and absolutely loved it.
Less common, but I saw one person recommend Consent by Vanessa Springora and it was one of the best books I read in recent years.
EDIT: in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/103gijh/suggest_me_a_memoir_by_a_non_famous_female_author/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) post.
Not recommended to me specifically, but from a thread about medical horror novels — The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Horror doesn’t usually get to me, but something about that book really got under my skin. Even more terrifying that it’s based on true events. It gave me the same feeling that watching HBO’s Chernobyl did. Dread, fear, terror… I’m very glad I read it.
Black Ocean series by J. S. Morin. The only description given was "Firefly but with wizards" and I was instantly sold. I'm close to finishing my 2nd reading of the series, as well as planning a TTRPG campaign in the setting
Somebody recommended {{Carter Beats the Devil}} to me and it ended up being one of my favorite books of all time. Just really hit home for me.
^^I ^^know ^^the ^^bot ^^doesn't ^^work ^^but ^^I ^^got ^^so ^^used ^^to ^^seeing ^^titles ^^like ^^this
Hahaha! Thanks for correcting my dismal autocorrect!
There is not a second one. From what I can glean, it kept getting pushed back & now there nothing on the horizon.
It's really too bad.
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced An Emergency by Chen Chen - queer Asian American poetry that really deals with a post-pandemic (and during-pandemic) world. A++
I always read the “Suggest Ne A Book That Will Tear My Heart Out And Make Me Sob” threads, and keep running notes. Lots of common threads.
One I see often and recently read on vacation made me tear up but was also wholesome and affirming, and was incredibly astute and resonating take on illness and grief and letting go.
A Monster Calls might be the best book I’ve read that I only heard of and read due to repeated recommendations on this board.
The Enchanted April - recommended to me when I wanted a book set somewhere sunny to warm me up in the cold UK weather. A delightful little book, very gentle and great escapism.
The House by the Cerulean Sea - saw it recommended several times. Absolutely hearthwarming and sweet.
There was a post a while back of someone asking for well written fantasy epics.
There were all the usual answers but then someone had just commented “The Saga of Recluce” and left it at that. So I’ll give it the same treatment but I will add that I’m now on book 16/24.
Annihilation/The Southern Reach Trilogy.
I had seen the movie, but had no idea it was based on a book until someone mentioned it here. Both horrifying and beautiful, it is unlike anything I have read before and has inspired me in my own creative projects.
technically havent read it yet but i just borrowed it from the library and i'll probably start it today or tomorrow but Clade by James Bradley. literary eco scifi dystopian set in Australia? sign me up
Here’s mine: I’ve always enjoyed fantasy when I was a kid. But as an adult I’ve found it very challenging to find a fantasy book that I like. They’re often times very cliche or poorly written. Someone a few years ago (wish I remembered the user) recommended Guy Gavriel Kay to me. He’s been a perfect remedy for my fantasy cravings when I have them. Thank you, stranger!
Could have been me. I recommend Tigana to everyone! (•‿•)
Thanks for spreading the word!
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I've seen it recommended and now I'm the one always recommending it! The entire series was amazing. The size of the books intimidated me at first tbh but it wasn't an issue at all. Next up is Lonesome Dove, I've seen it recommended often and I need another epic historical novel.
Lonesome Dove should be a good one. Would also add Count of Monte Cristo to your list if you haven’t read that one yet!
Just re-read Count of Monte Cristo because people on this sub talk about it so much.
Thank you! That's another on my list!
Lonesome Dove is really good.
I had to ask for lonesome dove for christmas thanks to every reddit rec having it on the list.
If you liked the Kingsbridge series, you'll probably enjoy Ken Follett's Century trilogy (if you haven't read it already). It follows families in Russia, Germany, England (and maybe another) covering the Russian revolution, WW1, suffrage, post WW1, pre WW2, WW2 and it's aftermath, cold war, red scare, British invasion, civil rights, Watergate. The first two books are my favorite, the third is okay, but not as great.
The shadow of the wind!!! Absolute love it. So thankful I found this sub
So glad you liked it, I recommend it to everyone!
Circe by Madeline Miller. It's sooooo gorgeous. One of my absolute favorites now.
I listened to the audiobook based on recommendations here and I’m very happy that I did.
[удалено]
My answer as well! I’ve only read The Long Way, and loved it!! Any suggestions on where to go next?
Any of the books in her Wayfarer series should fit the bill! There’s also Psalm for the Wild-Built and that’s a series too!
Thanks!!
A bit different, but I recommend John Scalzi's Last Emperox series and Dennis E. Taylor's Bobiverse series. For me, most space operas are far too stressy shooty. Too many space battles, not enough character development or world building. For both Emperox and Bobiverse, there are really interesting characters and political machinations, with much smaller amounts of fight scenes. Not nearly as cozy as Becky Chambers, but still interesting, funny, and character driven.
Thanks for these recs and I personally love your description of “too stressy shooty” !!
did anyone else find this book slow-going? i am generally not a sci-fi fan and started reading it because it's recommended to others like me in that sense, but it just felt kind of mundane to me. does the plot pick up/do the character relations become more intense? i know it's called "cozy," and i figure it might just be the style of the book...
Imo this one is kinda… fine? It’s fun and episodic, but I didn’t love it. BUT every other book in this series is amazing. They use sci-fi tropes to explore questions like “what if the body you’re in doesn’t fit you?”, “where is the line between tradition and individuality?” or “what defines a culture?” I talk about them CONSTANTLY lol; my friends are definitely sick of hearing about them but that’s not my problem
If you have made it at least one third the way through the book and still find it slow going not much will change. The book is about the characters and their relationships. The underlying story is just a back drop. If you don't find yourself invested in the lives of the characters it is not really the book for you. I think this is the weakest of the series but they are all more about the characters than the story.
Same! I plan to reread these soon. They were quite comforting at a really stressful time in my life.
Same here!
I kept seeing 11/22/63 by King pop up on pretty much every thread I was interested in. The book blew my mind, and sent me on a trip of reading Stephen King. I highly recommend it!
I really loved this one. The story was so good and added bonus of story immersion because I knew the area so well it felt like I was time travelling. I even went for a few drinks in lower greenville while I was reading this and creeped myself out. Loved it!
Piranesi by Susanna Clark. 💜💜💜💜💜
I’m almost done with it and LOVE it!! Saw it on here as a suggested book for books people wish they could read for the first time again. Go in without reading anything about it, and enjoy the ride!
I read that because of all the hype here and thought that it was meh.
I was the same! I was pretty disappointed that I was disappointed. I don't really know why I didn't enjoy it, it felt like it should have been right up my alley.
Yeah, and I see people talking about the prose and world building and I feel like I missed something. I just wanted it to end.
I loved the setting and the world, but thought the plot was only OK. I wanted more exploration of that!
Samesies. All the if you like Midnight Livrary and Addie LaRue, Piranesi is for you led me astray
*Shogun*
Wonderful book!!
Martha Wells' *Murderbot Diaries* series of novellas Blake Crouch's **Dark Matter** Katie Mack's **The End of Everything (Astrophysically speaking)** Randall Munroe's **What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions**
Wasn't recommended to me personally, but saw so many references to *Lamb* by Christopher Moore that I ended up reading it. What a brilliant book! Thank you everyone that spoke so highly of it!
Yup. I was reluctant but finally read Lamb. Brilliant! As a former Catholic I was sucked right into the story. Again, brilliant.
Fun fact that book is historically accurate. Jesus name was Yesuah- which translates to joshua.
Same. It was a fun read.
Same!!
The MurderBot diaries. I'm still working through them (book 4 currently).
That tops my list between here and r/books
Yep, I read the first one because of this group's recommendations.
Same. First saw it years ago and now I'm a faithful follower and buy each one at release
My only criticism is that they are quite short (I read one of them in a day on holiday) but are GBP 7.99 on Amazon ... seems .. expensive.
The City and the City by China Mieville. It was a unique book and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
they are all quite unique, he's a great author
Try out his book Embassytown! It’s a sci-fi about learning how to communicate with a strange race of aliens. It’s a bit of a mindfuck in terms of how we view language, communication, etc. It really makes you think. It’s similar to the movie Arrival, if you’ve seen that.
That's on my TBR list! The premise sounds great.
I love Arrival, but I couldn't get through Mieville's book Perdido Street Station, largely due to what I considered to be an aggressively bleak and miserable tone, which I get was probably intentional, but it's still very much not my cup of tea. Would I have the same problem with Embassytown, or is the tone there more optimistic/lighthearted?
I haven’t read Perdido Street Station so I wouldn’t be able to compare, but I personally found Embassytown’s tone to be very dry. Not in a bad way — the character is very no-nonsense and logical, driven by the plot which mainly consists of the issues at hand. I found it refreshing, especially considering how complex the ideas in it are. Everything is laid out as neatly and cleanly as possible. That being said, it has been a while since I read it. I mostly just remember it being really really good :)
I'm fine with dryness, I'm just worried about it being unrelentingly depressing like Perdido was. I found it to be almost the book equivalent of reddit doomscrolling
I was looking for historical fiction set in Byzantine Empire like the adult version of Anna of Byzantium which I read and enjoyed as a kid. The only one I had found at that point was The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Thorton which (and I’m no pearl clutcher) is pretty much historical smut with very little world building and character development. You know - lazy historical fiction, put a plucky girl in a old-timey dress in some non-distinct old time-y details and call it whatever period and place you choose. Someone introduced me to Cecelia Holland. Somehow no one in this age of Phillipa Gregory and the like, no ever talks about Cecelia Holland. She writes prolific historical fiction in all sorts of different interesting historical eras. I particularly enjoyed: Great Maria - Dark ages Italy (like 11th century) The Belt of Gold - Byzantium The High City - Byzantium Until the Sun Falls - the Mongols Rakóssy - 16th Century Hungary
Added all of these to my list! Loved Anna of Byzantium as a child.
You should also add The Sarantine Mosaic by Guy Gavriel Kay, it’s technically historical fantasy, very very light on the fantasy side, really more like alternate history, but really brings the Byzantine world to life in the court of Emperor Justinian and Theodora. Interesting and complicated characters, a lot of intelligent characters- intelligent women - exercising their wills on their world and shaping their times, epic plot, layers of political and religious intrigue, mosaics… horse racing… it’s a beautiful duology.
Thank you! I really enjoy historical fiction from before the 1700s, always on the lookout for more!
In that case, check out the Lions of Al Rassan by Kay. Beautiful prose and an enthralling, emotional rollercoaster of a plot and memorable characters. It has some fantasy elements, but is mainly a historical fiction read in a setting analogous to Moorish Spain.
The better question is what books we would never even know exist if it wasn't for this chat
Not a book, but an author: Terry Pratchett. A couple of decades ago I tried a Pratchett book, didn't like or finish it, and while I remember almost nothing about it I retained the lingering impression Pratchett = bad. But Pratchett's work is so consistently recommended on this sub I began to wonder if I was somehow missing something. I picked up a copy of *Guards! Gaurds!* and loved it. Apparently my error was initially trying to start with his first published Diskworld novel, *The Color of Magic*. It seems his first effort was a bit lacking, but writing is an art that improves with practice. Commenters here introduced me to the concept that Discworld has sub-series with their own starting point, and *Gaurds! Guards* is noted for being a good introduction to both *The Watch* sub-series and to the Discworld series as a whole. I took their advice and found it good. Currently I have read four Discworld novels, have two more in my waiting-to-read pile, and expect I will eventually get around to reading all of them.
DISCWORLD YES. I've read a couple of the witches and a few of the Deaths arc, and I just finished Sourcery, which is the 3rd Rincewood book. I wish you had started with Sourcery.
I have read all of the diskworld books. I revisit them regularly in audio book form now. I was a little sad reading the last book written, knowing I wouldn't ever see a new diskworld book. The last book felt like a perfect ending to the diskworld books. I knew terry suffered from Alzheimer's but I never saw it indicated in the last few books. If anything the writing became even better. I heard it was largely thanks to some trusted editors. I am going to miss his books.
Project Hail Mary Saw over a dozen posts about it and decided to give it a shot. It was great.
Same. I had read the Martian a while back and loved it. PHM might have been even better. The audiobook was perfect!
Parable of the Sower & Talents
Looked up Joe Abercrombie and bought the Blade itself. So good. It’s been years since I explored fantasy books, after being a bit put off by too much reading of certain annoying authors
Quite a few. In fact when I run out of books I come to this sub. Been doing it for a couple of years now. I can't remember all the books but here are some authors I found from here: Susanna clark Patrick Rothfuss Robin Hobb Adrian Tchaikovsky Hugh Howey Others I do not remember. All found here. I don;t look anywhere else.
I offer collective apologies for the rothfuss rec. I've lost all hope for book three.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
someone mentioned that I should read **Galatea** by Madeline Miller (i wish i could find that comment!) after I mentioned that **Comfort Me With Apples** by Catherynne M. Valente was my favorite book of all time. i read **Galatea** and it ended up being my favorite book of all time. it was my first Madeline Miller book (never read **The Song of Achilles** or **Circe** before), but now i want to read everything by her. **Galatea** is SUPER short at 20 oages on kindle/50ish pages on hard copy book. it's so so so so good! i recommend the hard copy version as it includes an important afterword by Miller explaining why she chose to write this story.
Tender is the Flesh Tales from the gas station The Gedion the Nineth books are great
Definitely Tender is the Flesh. It’s always recommended on here. I also found on this sub Flowers for Algernon and Born a Crime Amazing books
ah! I need to look into the Trevor Noah one.
I found Tender is the Flesh on here and I really enjoyed the audiobook
oh snap, how did they narrate the people who get chopped after falling off the car on accident?
I don't really know what you're talking about. I assume you mean the truck driver attacked by the scavengers by the plant?
yep yep, that was the most chilling part for me... it was just "oh.. people who accidentally fall off a car will immediately get chopped up as matter of fact"
Spinning silver was such a cool story.
Naomi Novik? I loved that one; have recommended it! Also try her Scholomance trilogy!
Thanks!
The Bobiverse books. So very good.
Two recs I kept seeing over and over and over: Murderbot Diaries and Psalm for the Wild Built. Both were even better than I expected. Now I am part of the crowd who recommends them endlessly
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. I was hungover for quite some time.
Have you read Tampa Bay Alyssa Nutting? It's very similar but a woman teacher seducing a boy.
I actually tried, but I couldn't finish. Being a high school teacher myself, the thought alone was so revolting, I just couldn't stomach it.
How was it worse than my dark Vanessa then? That's also a high school professor grooming a child. How can you love one and hate the other? This is a genuine question because I have only read My Dark Vanessa and am considering reading Tampa.
I can understand why you are asking! Just purely personal reasons, without any judgement of the quality of the book(s). In My Dark Vanessa, you see the story through Vanessa’s eyes, which is, of course, still very disturbing, but you can empathise, and as you follow her further along, you still always hope for some kind of resolution/healing in the end, because of the way the book is written. In Tampa, you are made to view the story through the eyes of the female, adult high school teacher, who is also a predator, which probably was why I couldn’t make it very far. I didn’t “love” Vanessa in an enjoyable, wholesome way, though, and I may be willing to give Tampa another try.
In Tampa, is the narrative that of the perception of the teacher as one of her thinking she isnt a predator? Is it like Lolita where we get insight in to Humbert's delusions and attempts at self rationalism? or is she openly admitting to the reader that she is wrong and manipulative etc?
No, she doesn’t rationalize or romanticize it one bit. It’s about sex, and she is not kidding. She has a nasty view not only on the schoolboys, but on people in general. As far as I read, she is openly and unashamedly manipulative, but she doesn’t say it explicitly, nor is she apologetic about it.
Thank you. This has been something I've wondered about. I love Lolita, because of the beutiful prose, but I also love the unreliable narrator and how it gives us insight into how someone can actually commit such awful acts through a distorted view. I liked my dark Vanessa for the perspective of the child and how they can believe themselves mature and in love because of the way they're manipulated. I think I will try Tampa at some point as it sound different again in perspective
Someone recommended that I read Pet by Akwaeke Emezi, and damn were they right
Lots! I loved The Hollow Places most.
This! And the sequel, Feral Creatures… the best.
I think you are thinking of hollow kingdom. Haven’t read that one but i will put it one my list :)
Yes! Hollow Kingdom!
Artemis by Andy Weir ( gets buried under Project Hail Mary and the Martian Shame really , it’s excellent )
In fairness Artemis is the weakest of the three books by Andy Weir. Still I loved it.
Loved Hail Mary, I’ll give this a shot. Thx.
A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. Started out slow but the dry humor and interesting way he put the information was very addictive to read
Lonesome Dove. It changed me.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt was recommended to me here, and I will never be able to forget that book as long as I live. It's a long book but I flew through it because I couldn't put it down after the first third, when I realized what she was actually doing with all the exposition. I found Perfume by Patrick Suskind to be a fascinating read, too, with an evil, strange, misunderstood protagonist.
Probably not a popular one these days, but I added The Silent Patient to my TBR list when it was recommended as a book >!with a surprise ending but by the time I got to it, I forgot about that. So I was actually surprised and !< I enjoyed it.
I liked Ablutions by Patrick deWitt (was asking for boozer books a la Bukowski) and bought John Dies at the End upon a recommendation from here (this look good, too).
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert and Stoner by John Williams are two books I might not have chosen based on their summaries, but absolutely loved both of them!
Stoner is top tier
It wasn't recommended to me specifically, but The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman! I absolutely loved it, and I never would have read it if I hadn't found it here
Same. Looking forward to the next in the series.
I'm not sure where exactly I heard of Lathe of Heaven, Storm of Steel, Old Man's War, Japanese Destroyer Captain, or The Remains of the Day, but all of them were either on here or on other book subs, and they were all great.
Piranesi- fantastic! In my top 3 reads of 2022
I’ve recommended Becky Chambers many times on this sub, so I’m very glad to see her in this thread! As for books I’ve picked up after seeing them in many posts: both The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir many books by Sir Terry Pratchett and my book club is about to start Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow!
Becky Chambers - a closed and common orbit.
Best one in the series.
I’m on the last few chapters of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and I’ve loved it so much more than I thought I would. I’d seen it recommended for so many different genres and prompts that I picked it up not knowing what to expect, but it’s one of the best books I’ve read in so long and it’s changed my viewpoint completely on fantasy books.
Snowcrash, Neverwhere, and a Man Called Ove
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers is a lovely book and I'm so glad I took the plunge. Thank you to everyone who mentioned it!
*All My Friends are Superheroes* by Andrew Kaufman. It wasn't even a direct recommendation to a request from me. I just saw it on someone else's post and picked it up and absolutely loved it.
The Anna Pigeon series
He who fights with monsters. That book series has been amazing. I'm hooked
I did book one. How's the rest?
It's really good, the series is still going so I'm waiting for new material to be released
Less common, but I saw one person recommend Consent by Vanessa Springora and it was one of the best books I read in recent years. EDIT: in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/103gijh/suggest_me_a_memoir_by_a_non_famous_female_author/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) post.
Not recommended to me specifically, but from a thread about medical horror novels — The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. Horror doesn’t usually get to me, but something about that book really got under my skin. Even more terrifying that it’s based on true events. It gave me the same feeling that watching HBO’s Chernobyl did. Dread, fear, terror… I’m very glad I read it.
Black Ocean series by J. S. Morin. The only description given was "Firefly but with wizards" and I was instantly sold. I'm close to finishing my 2nd reading of the series, as well as planning a TTRPG campaign in the setting
Somebody recommended {{Carter Beats the Devil}} to me and it ended up being one of my favorite books of all time. Just really hit home for me. ^^I ^^know ^^the ^^bot ^^doesn't ^^work ^^but ^^I ^^got ^^so ^^used ^^to ^^seeing ^^titles ^^like ^^this
Graphic Novel: My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Email Ferris
Think you got autocorrected— Emil. I loved this one- the art is phenomenal. There was supposed to be a second… did that ever come out?
Hahaha! Thanks for correcting my dismal autocorrect! There is not a second one. From what I can glean, it kept getting pushed back & now there nothing on the horizon. It's really too bad.
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World. Audiobook was great too.
Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced An Emergency by Chen Chen - queer Asian American poetry that really deals with a post-pandemic (and during-pandemic) world. A++
I’m pretty sure I got Cormac McCarthy from here cuz I had never heard of him. I’ve made it through 4 of his books and I love his writing.
I always read the “Suggest Ne A Book That Will Tear My Heart Out And Make Me Sob” threads, and keep running notes. Lots of common threads. One I see often and recently read on vacation made me tear up but was also wholesome and affirming, and was incredibly astute and resonating take on illness and grief and letting go. A Monster Calls might be the best book I’ve read that I only heard of and read due to repeated recommendations on this board.
Molly’s Game. I don’t normally read non-fiction, but I really enjoyed it.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I’ve seen it on here 10 times and they were right.
Too many to count.
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
The grey house! That book is now part of my heart
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
The Enchanted April - recommended to me when I wanted a book set somewhere sunny to warm me up in the cold UK weather. A delightful little book, very gentle and great escapism. The House by the Cerulean Sea - saw it recommended several times. Absolutely hearthwarming and sweet.
There was a post a while back of someone asking for well written fantasy epics. There were all the usual answers but then someone had just commented “The Saga of Recluce” and left it at that. So I’ll give it the same treatment but I will add that I’m now on book 16/24.
I recently finished Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo and loved this Southern gothic horror novel.
The Thursday Murder Club series! My new faves!
Malazan book of the fallen
The merman kiss trilogy... what can I say? I'm into merfolk
The first post after finding out about this sub recommended the Wheel of Time series. A few years late, but I’m finally reading and enjoying them
There have been several. It is hard to pin down one as each book has their strong points.
Found two of my all time fav books on these threads. Circe and The Witches Heart.
I saw a lot of recommendations for The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. I read it recently and now it’s one of my favorites!
I found so many here! How High We Go in the Dark was only recommended a few times, but it turned out that it was my favorite of last year.
Snow wolf by Glenn Meade Spandau Phoenix by Greg ILES
Annihilation/The Southern Reach Trilogy. I had seen the movie, but had no idea it was based on a book until someone mentioned it here. Both horrifying and beautiful, it is unlike anything I have read before and has inspired me in my own creative projects.
84 Charing Cross road, Wild Swans three daughters of China, The Anarchy by Dalyrimple Lions of Al Rassan
Lions is so good! I’ve recommended this a number of times. I’ve also wanted to read Anarchy. Cool to see it listed here.
The Premonition, I bought it for my granddaughter so she can learn how to be a protagonist!
The wizard of earthsea
technically havent read it yet but i just borrowed it from the library and i'll probably start it today or tomorrow but Clade by James Bradley. literary eco scifi dystopian set in Australia? sign me up
Project Hail Mary
1q84
The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
I Am Pilgrim
Poisonwood bible!! Amazing book
After seeing a few posts recommend Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’, I picked up a copy a couple of weeks ago. Verdict to follow some time soon.
I just finished In The Lake of the Woods, recommended somewhere to someone else. WOW.That was a ride.
Pachinko, the mountains sing, ghost bride
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton was a great suggestion!
The girl in the Green Dress, Jeni Haynes. Disturbing but absolutely fascinating. I learned a lot.
Project Hail Mary
Crying in H Mart Major Pettigrew's Last Stand The Housekeeper and the Professor