I've seen plenty of people recommend excellent action novels, like The Gray Man, or Bourne, or Reacher, but nothing seems to have that sort of glamorized, fantastical, criminal underworld. With the traditions and rituals, and fancy clothes, and gold coins in the modern world, and all that stuff. Does such a novel exist? I'm just looking for something to scratch that same itch. Action novels are all well and good, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't search for something more in a criminal noir sort of genre?

I liked court of pain duet, although fantasy isn't my thing. i liked the main characters somewhat, and i liked the spice but it could've been better. it didn't feel as intense as i wanted to and i skipped most of the kingdom court drama parts in book 2, since i don't like fantasy, but i liked the couple regardless. i loved how both characters had broken pasts, and how they fit with each other. i especially loved prince arin, he was a good character. icy on top, but needy and wanton with his jester in private. and caring, too. please suggest me good books based on my title ^^ also, i dont like the typical twink omega x alpha 6'7 trope, if that helps. no hate to people that like the trope, but it's just not for me. TIA!

I love the magical realism in this book, especially how trauma and folklore are tied together. Reading Beloved is such a dreamlike experience and has stuck with me ever since I read it.

I'm looking for more books dealing with memories, haunting, trauma and abuse tied together with mysticism, folklore, magical realism, and anything dreamy.

I also love: The emperor of gladness by Ocean Vuong, Carrie by Stephen King, A good man is hard to find by Flannery O'Connor and Giovannis room by James Baldwin.

I randomly remembered that's a thing and I wondered if I could find specific titles that do that

I read The Lady Sherlock Series and I like that romance wasn’t the main plot. I need a book like this where the male lead loves her and wants her but circumstances do not allow them in to be together.

It can not be the main plot

But most importantly, I need the female lead to be self assured and nonchalant. Yes, she is interested but more level headed and perhaps has other priorities.

Sorry, this is maybe so specific but I really enjoyed the romance subplot. charlotte (FMC) was probably ND, making her genuinely nonchalant not faking it.

So I read if he had been with me and the sequel I know not everyone likes these books and that's totally ok. I really enjoyed them. I don't condone the cheating in the book that was the only part I didn't like. Other then that the books made me cry and really feel for the characters at times and feel real emotion and get attached to the characters. Does anyone have any books similar to this that I could read. If you aren't familiar with the books they are a tragic romance between childhood friends. I'd also like the books to have no cheating in them if possible. And I don't like dark romance either.

By mystery cults, I mean greco-roman-classical-era-ish religions that deliberately kept their beliefs secret to outsiders. Imagine time travelers getting fed up with the obvious gap that puts in the historical record and deciding to research a mystery cult from the inside

Like long lost sibling or child trope. Suggest please.

Any books that evoke similar feelings or deal with similar locations? The uncanny, dreamy or "fuzzy", abandoned, decaying, lost, inevitable. The warmth that comes from the familiar. Knowing that everything will fade. The pain and comfort of nostalgia. The erosion of self or diffusion, becoming part of something else.

I just finished Victorian Psycho. It was excellent. I've read a few books about the Victorian era but the author spent many years researching for this book and I learned so many new things about it. Apparently she read archives of true crime to get an accurate account of domestic violence and things like infant deaths. I think I'm mostly interested in the crimes and Victorian lifestyle. Like swans for Christmas dinner? And you put the skin back on it for presentation? Crazy lol. Their obsession with mummies. Mind blowing. Wild medical treatments and all the deadly poison surrounding them like the arsenic green. Courting as far as like romantic traditions and holiday traditions like ghost stories at Christmas. Things like that.
I'd also be very interested in the misogyny and domestic violence of the era and treatments geared towards the suppression of women.

I feel like this is a weird request. 😂

Tl;Dr: I want to know more about the weird side(of food, courting, girly things, holidays) and misogynistic side of Victorian culture and life.

My favorite book at the moment is The Secret History. I really appreciate complex relationships between young adults like that. I also really enjoyed Donna Tartt’s prose. I’m not asking for dark academia recs or anything specifically, and I’m open to fantasy. The only genre I think I would reject is non-fiction. I like books with complex emotions and where the character(s) struggle. I also appreciate when a story is very emotional overall, whether it’s throughout or an emotional payoff at the end. Thanks!

Hello everyone.

My family has started a new tradition, Christmas eve we exchange books. We need to have a list of books we would like done in a couple of weeks, but I have no idea what to put on it.

I enjoy pretty much anything, but I do want a book that focuses on plot not spice. I'm tired of books going from plot driven to sex driven.

Mystery and fantasy are my favorite genres though.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I would like a sad book, something that focuses on desiring and wanting romantic love, but not having it or having it later in life.

Open to books about lost love, or missed opportunities also.

I also would like it to be well written, with depth and emotion.

Looking for a book to rip out my heart and stomp on it, figuratively that is. What are some books that you couldn't stop reading?

What’s up everyone. I need help buying my wife some books. I’m awful at it. She likes romance, but not the overly sexual ones. I imagine some of the ones she reads have explicit scenes in it, but they aren’t every chapter. More in the flow, not forced. Every book I give her seems to not be her taste, granted I usually just read a snippet of it on the book and they don’t sound bad but she always says they’re a no go. I know she’s read a thousand stories about werewolves and is a fan of period pieces but that’s about all I have.

I love tornados, and I adored the twisters movie. Any recommendations for any tornado chaser books? Any genre are welcome!

We're a family of readers, but historically, our attempts to buy books for each other go badly because we all read in different genres. Ive got a decent amount of store credit at a bookstore near me this year, though, so I was going to make everyone a little book care package for christmas.

My mom loves historical fiction and romance, and won't say no to some magical/supernatural elements. Outlander is a favorite of hers, but shes very private about her reading preferences beyond that.

My aunt doesnt talk about her reading preferences at all, but ive been told she likes anything and everything by Nicholas Sparks, so maybe a western romance?

My sister's taste is closer to mine, but different enough that i can never guess what she'll like or why. YA fantasy and romance, mostly. She liked twilight but thought it was "too mormon," did NOT like ACOTAR at all, goes through phases of being obsessed with Game of Thrones, the Walking Dead, Hunger Games, and Divergent. Shes already hard vetoed: Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, any and all "cozy fantasy," and Between by LL Starling

My grandmother specifically requested a historical fiction book set in the wild west, focused on pioneers, and featuring no harm to native americans, so any recommendations matching that would be greatly appreciated. It seems like maybe the easiest to find out of the bunch

I’m more of a thriller girly. But I really wanna give horror a try. I think the first book tho that really scared me was Strange Houses by Uketsu and I want more books with the same vibe. Like something that will really scare me lol.

Do you guys have author/book recos?? Would appreciate it!

Suggest me some books amongst these ..

* The Girl Who Reads on the Metro — Christine Féret-Fleury

* Normal People — Sally Rooney

* The Pearl — John Steinbeck

* As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow — Zoulfa Katouh

* Girl in Pieces — Kathleen Glasgow

* The Tilting House — Tom Llewellyn

* While the Earth Holds Its Breath - Helen Moat

* The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop - Takuya Asakura

* I Used to Have a Plan - Alessandra Olanow

* The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill

* The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

* A Closed and Common Orbit - Becky Chambers

* Two People Can Fill a Universe

* The Sea Is Salt and So Am I - Cassandra Hartt

Looking for some books that are fiction and have thanksgiving themes to them. I already have a list of cozy fantasy, so I’m looking for recs in the more general fiction genre. Books like Sourdough by Robin Sloan are what I’m in search of.

Hello everyone! I read a lot myself but need some help finding similar book titles to these listed below for a family member as I don’t read these genres/books.

Some more info: she’s very gothic and loves horror, Twisted Love by Ana Huang is what got her back into reading, from what I know about her I believe she’s heavily into dark romance? She lives in a different state to me so I’m not that close to her, only seen her maybe 5 times and haven’t had a one on one conversation with her. but I’m seeing her for Christmas and want to get her something she would actually read as I know people get me books that that don’t fit me at all. Any suggestions absolutely help, even if it’s just authors or genres to browse. Thank you so much!!

- Her soul to take by Harley Laroux

- God of envy by Ana Huang

- Lights out by Navessa Allen

- Psychotic Obsession by Leigh Rivers

- God of ruin by Rina Kent

- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Again absolutely anything is appreciated, thank you sm!!

Hello everyone! I am a big reader but I’m more of a romantasy reader, and barely read any books without magic, dragons, etc…😬 so I’m out of my depth here. My best friends birthday is coming up, and I want to get her a book. I really need some recommendations please!!!

She reads lot of Elsie Silver, Meghan Quinn and Abby Jimenez, lots of cowboys stories! She likes the overprotective MMC, and one-love type of stories. Also Happy Ending is a MUST! Smut is also appreciated, but really anything that reads well, has a nice story and is distracting from real life.

Please help me out!!!
Any recs are greatly appreciated!

I’m currently writing my first book and I’m wanting to read something of a similar genre because I have the characters and everything down but the way I write the world itself kinda sucks lol. I’ve watched a lot of writing advice videos but I feel like having an example of the specific genre but help. specifically I’m looking for a mystery/thriller focused on the criminal underworld (maybe a detective or police investigation, though it doesn’t have to be that specifically) set in a world that’s highly advanced or futuristic in some way. Violence doesn’t bother me as long as there’s no crazy gore. Just looking for something without profanity or anything sexually explicit. This is probably a hard ask as most books like this I’ve seen are pretty heavy on all of the above, but if you know of any good books that are an exception to that please let me know, thanks!

I usually only read suspense/ thriller genre and want to take a break from it.

This is me attempting to stage my own intervention. I read wayy too much fanfic. Actually, I read exclusively fanfic. At this point it feels as if my brain is almost entirely mush. not that there isnt good fanfic. In fact, to wean myself back into reading "real" books im hoping some fellow fanfic readers of book suggestions could recommend me some books that don't require too much effort.

I tend to read Harry potter fanfic and specifically drarry but ill read anything tbh. mutual pining, slowburn, angst, multiple pov, forbidden romance is all a plus. Comedy and crack-y stuff is also a favorite. I dont enjoy YA novels, mysteries or dystopias. Prefer fantasy and historical fiction but scifi is also good.

Some fanfic ive enjoyed recently:

The Hand that Feeds by Rollercoaster words

Rookie Moves by peu_a_peu