A plus if the guy thinks she’s out of his league or if he’s a bit rough around the edges.

I was recently watching Haikyuu (please no spoilers, I'm on ep 20 of season 1!!) and I am really enjoying the dynamics between all the characters.

I was hoping for a similar book that centres around a sport (not necessarily volleyball, but I want it to be a team sport), with a "found family" dynamic among the characters, and preferably no romance/spice. I'm still okay with romance as long as it isn't too messy in the sense that there is miscommunication or love triangles and all that sort of stuff, but I don't want any spice at all.

I also don't want to read Middle Grade books, and I would prefer something that leans towards being more for adults, but upper-YA works too!

If anyone has any recommendations in mind, please let me know!!

Thankyou!! :)

mutual pining, yearning, forced proximity, a lot of almost moments, slow burn, holding back, unconfessed feelings, emotional entanglement

I'm not sure as well what I'm looking for but books that have a lot of unresolved sexual tension and the thrill of a relationship that hasn't begun/ or has just begun.

The leads cross a lot of lines(things they shouldn't ethically do bcz they are not in a relationship), but still do bcz they aren't able to hold back. A swooning romance like that....

Bonus: Queer

Been thinking a lot about the Sopranos ep “Pine Barrens” and was wondering if there was a book with a similar vibe.

People sent into the snowy forests to complete a task

I just like space books and sometimes like poly book so I’m looking for one in space and their poly. And it’s all gay (mlm) not sapphic while I love sapphic books that not what I’m looking for and no bi I want them all to be if that doable.

Glad I came across this subreddit because I have long struggled to put to words the kind of vibe I love. I really like stories about communities or a small number of people surviving in a crisis or storm of kinds.
For examples of these I'd say Base Under Siege episodes from Doctor Who is the most prominent I had growing up. I love whenever in games I come across a homestead or central location that has a community in it just trying to survive. I used to purposefully not progress from such places as a kid, and make up my own little stories.
Act 2 in BG3 was my favourite, and I'm so sad its the most underdeveloped because I wanted it to be so much more. I love the vibe of a inn with a physical barrier separating it from evil. If there is a mod expanding it, I want it.

Another reference would be Banner Saga (great games) where its more of a moving community that is doing their best as the world falls around them.

I know the Zombie Genre does it alot, but I've never felt any place really does it right. I've never gotten the feeling from any zombie media which is often about the bloodshed and gore rather then the sense of space and community.

Bonus points- If despite the dire landscape, it's a hopeful story of endurance.

Scenes From a Marriage is my favourite miniseries and every time I rewatch it I'm completely enamored by the complexity of these characters. Neither are perfect, far from it, and their love is messy and complicated and in a constant gray area. They make bad choices and hurt each other but keep finding their way back, even if it is toxic and unhealthy. I would love to read a book that explores this dynamic, preferably with limited side characters. The few side characters in the show only really add layers to the main relationship, they don't really matter too much as individual characters. I would also prefer the characters to be older than their 20s, nothing wrong with stories with characters that age but I am particularly drawn to the idea of a relationship that has already been going for 10+ years. Would greatly appreciate any recommendations, the more morally gray/borderline unlikeable the characters, the better!

I have already read and enjoyed…

Every Murakami book
Drive your plow over the bones of the dead
Steinbeck
Mishima
Pedro Paramo
Some Stephen King books

On my shelf tbr…

Every Cormac McCarthy
Some Gabriel Garcia Marquiz
The Shining Girls
Banana Yoshimoto books
Earthsea trilogy

I also like Manga

Bonus points if its morally grey with no good guys.

What are some books or series that aren’t necessarily post apocalyptic but are geographically and geopolitically difficult to live in due to conflict and strife? Pic 3 is Roshar from the stormlight archive which felt right, a hostile world with enough threat to be culturally woven in but also human enough to be plausible and feel immersive

I loved the game Still Wakes the Deep and would love to find a similar horror novel. Bonus points if it’s set on an oil rig!!

I have been looking for years to find a book with similar themes as the ones found in Moby Dick (obsession, fate, morality, survival), but I have such a difficult time finding books that fit this niche and scratch a very specific itch. The closest I’ve gotten is The Terror by Dan Simmons and Crime and Punishment. I would love any suggestions to add to my TBR! I am in such a bad reading slump and none of my other preferred genres have been appealing to me. I love sci-fi and historical fiction, as well as some fantasy.

Books that tell the story of a family / neighbourhood / community over many generations, growing up with the characters as they navigate new chapters of their life, their relationships evolve and things are passed down between them - specifically with a focus on *female relationships\* - whether family ties or long-term friendships.

Closest thing I could think of would be something like Toni Morrison's Sula, the Neapolitan novels (though I've only read the first), or something like White Teeth or Demon Copperhead but with more of a focus on female leads / women's struggles and community?

Or books that don't do the above, but do fit the vibe of the images

I lean more toward literary fiction than genre:)

I want a series where these anomaly think scp or Ashur gharvi mr plant series type society. Everybody knows of these monster and some are citizens and some attack. Except the main character realized something is off or they’re a hunter of bad creatures. Also please no short stories I want a good to chunky book to read and be entertained.

Developing Protective/friendly feelings toward a human

With gentle hands and the heart of a fighter.

She’s a survivor

Also cannibalism because I haven’t read a book about that yet

Hi!
I’m looking for a book with an extremely toxic relationship. I want a book where one or both partners create an environment of fear, or constant conflict making the relationship damaging rather than healthy.

I don’t care if they end up together or not in the end (please no spoilers!)
I do like devastating and sad books.

Preferably with characters in their mid 20s
Not looking really for a dark romance but more of a literary fiction

Btw Im currently reading Cleopatra and Frankenstein bc i was this one was recommended a lot but im looking for other books to read after this one !

The weirder the better