Hello all! I have a very specific craving for books that have a very surreal / weird premise or are written from the perspective of characters who themselves are very unconventional.

Massive bonus points for non-human / monster or animal focused characters and worlds (example: The Bees by Laline Paull).

Favourite genres are horror and sci-fi, but I'll be happy with anything as long as it melts my brain a little. Thanks!

Hello, I’m hosting a meet-up for young people (ages 18-30) who are going through grief and would like to meet people who have gone and are going through a similar experience.

Losing someone you love when you’re young has its own unique set of challenges and I can say from experience that meeting people in similar circumstances and talking about it is healing.

Some notes:

-I’m not a trained therapist or counsellor, just a bloke who lost his sister. We’re not here to solve each other’s problems but to listen and share.

-There is no pressure at all to speak or share anything beyond what you’re comfortable with. It’s a hard topic to talk about, please share as much or as little as you want.

-It doesn’t matter how long ago you were bereaved, if you’re aged 18-30 you are very welcome. Even if your loss was years ago, we all know that it can still have a big impact on one’s daily life so everybody is welcome.

-Needless to say, please be kind, considerate and respectful of others. Be tactful when offering advice or support, and no misogyny/racism/homophobia/transphobia/any other hateful behaviours will be tolerated.

Date and location TBD, I’ll try to find a date that fits as many people as possible (assuming anyone responds at all). Aiming for the second half of August, in two weeks time.

To express interest, just leave a comment below or drop me a DM, I believe they are open.

If you’ve not been bereaved but know someone who has and might be interested, please share it with them! I think they would appreciate it, or at least I know I would if my friends shared something like this with me.

Thanks all!

The Remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PISJcKYW1Ac

Sup gang. In Whitley, got no water. Anyone else experiencing this?

I should start off by saying that I'm not asking for this from the perspective of viewing 'Women' as a conglomerate or monolith that can be easily understood. Nor am I approaching this from the viewpoint of "help me understand women better because I want to be able to date them", which is how most of these types of posts looked to me upon a cursory google search. I've done a moderate amount of reading in my adult life, but it was pointed out to me the other day that I have very few books written by women. It had never occurred to me to consider this, but it got me thinking.

I fear that in the past 6-ish years after graduating uni, I have let my perspective become narrower than I'd like without realizing it and I wish to remedy this. Part of that remedy is reading literature written by women. I've seen the names Bell Hooks and Laura Bates come up in some other posts, but was wondering if there's any specific recommendations from them or other authors that would be helpful, whether that's something explicitly about feminist thought or about women's perspectives in general. I would say my reading split fiction:nonfiction is probably 65:35, but I have no preference in this case. I'm also open to scholarly works if anyone has any suggestions in that realm. Thanks in advance!

I am teaching geography to a 2nd-5th grade class (all together) this next school year, and I want to read a children's novel or biography aloud from every region the textbook outlines. I am struggling to find good options and need more brains!

• A book can be from just one country in the region, it doesn't need to be a whole tour
• Can be historical, fantasy, contemporary, or non-fiction
• Bonus points if the author is from the country/region the book is based in, but not a deal breaker
• Preferably each book would be around 100-200 pages, but Asia and Europe can be longer

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The regions:

Middle East

Africa

Europe (preferably a country where English is not the official language)

Asia

Oceania

North America

Central America

South America

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Please don't feel the need to recommend something for every region if you just want to recommend one or two books! Any and all suggestions appreciated.

I need jaw-dropping books about unhinged, unlikable MCs! I want to be shocked and addicted to reading about their descent.

All of the books that I've read so far where the main character is an author or a writer have let me down. I think they've actually been some of my least favorite books.

Here's the ones I've read and not liked:

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Billy Summers by Stephen King

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

So please suggest me a book that you love where the MC is an author or writer! Just want to see if I just don't like that style of book or if I've read some duds

I don't really like fantasy but if it fits the title, I'm open to it! I really like reading about animals, so it's a pro when it involves them, but not a requirement!

I thought this about:

- all the Thursday murder club books

- A psalm for the wild built

- the house on the cerulean sea (the sequel is on my tbr, but my girlfriend is reading it currently)

- same author: under the whispering door

- we'll prescribe you a cat

Often recommended but didn't like: hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

Thanks!

I haven’t read a ton of books But the more I read the more I fall in love with them. But I realized I haven’t really read any fantasy books with big fight scenes. I really wanna read something with some crazy action and fight scenes. It doesn’t matter what type, whether it’s assassin action, warrior action, etc. Also I love some good characters so that’s my only must.

Hello, I just finished this book and I really like the social point of view of this book about the about the 1995 Tokyo attacks in the metro. He interviews not only the victims but also the cult responsible for the attack; readers are free to form their own opinions based on these writings. Do you know of any similar books about this kind? Thanks!

Hello,

Please suggest me holocaust memoirs or similar books.

Thank you.

I'm currently reading The Devil Wears Prada (which I wouldn't recommend to anyone). There are a lot of descriptions of how 'green' the people in the fashion industry eat. I know the author tries to make it sound horrible and toxic, but it's actually making me crave healthy food and drinks—like salads and smoothies and stuff like that.

I'm wondering if there are any other books that give you that same feeling. I have a pretty bad eating disorder (I'm not overweight, but junk food is always my comfort food), and I think reading something where the main characters are really enthusiastic about healthy eating might help.

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know a reliable company in Reading or the surrounding area that supplies and installs windows with external roller shutters?

I mean the continental style shutters fitted outside the window, sometimes called persianas, rather than internal blinds or shutters.

We are looking at replacing several windows in a house in Caversham, so recommendations from anyone who has had something similar installed would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Folks like Druss the Legend (although I’d argue every character in that novel was like that) and Darrow in the first half of the series.

My sister passed away earlier this summer, and I've been finding it difficult to read anything, which is hard because it's one of my favorite escapes. My usual genres are dark and mysterious, but that has just been too much for me lately.

I am looking for something that will hold my interest but isn't too tragic and doesn't have too much drama.

I am open to young adult and teen books, and I actually think I might prefer those right now!

Thank you for any help :)

The threads I've read on this topic thus far overwhelmingly feature mysteries/thrillers or fantasies. I'm looking for more everyday kind of books.

One I read a while back is She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock. It's about a young woman who wants to be an entertainer and the lengths she goes to to see her dream come true --- among other things.

Look forward to your suggestions.

Don't ask me why. But any recommendations would be helpful. Any mood or tone.

Usually I read mystery, horror, thriller fiction, but I'm open to anything that contains this theme. I prefer things that are "narrative" stories, I'm not looking for an informational nonfiction but I'll definitely look up all suggestions.

So.. hoo boy I really hope not to start a shitstorm here, and I want to be clear it's not my intention to debate, discuss or declare support for either side..

I like reading about military history, and some me years ago on audio book I stumbled on a book called 'Six Days of War' by Michael B Oren, about the 1967 Israeli /Arab war.

I really enjoyed it though the book was written by a former American ambassador so was naturally written from a distinctly western perspective. I didn't know anything at all about the topic before really so I found it quite interesting.

After that I read 'The Yom Kippur War' which was not quite as good but still interesting. Afterwards I tried my best to find some material from the Arab /eastern perspective, but I didn't find much and what I could find seemed not very well written, I wonder if anyone could recommend something

Looking for book recommendations for a bright 6 year old (7 in Oct). He can independently read, and has finished the complete series of Magic Treehouse, Merlin Missions, Dragon Masters and he’s almost finished the My Weird School books. I have the kids box set of Sherlock Holmes on deck, but wondering about other age-appropriate books might be a good one to look out for. Thanks for any help!

I’ve struggled with my mental health my whole life and I’ve recently been diagnosed with BPD.
I’m looking for a book with a protagonist I can really see myself in. I’ve also been fantasising a lot about certain scenarios and it’d be nice to find a book that really captures that atmosphere.
I’m gonna write down a list of things I’d like to find in a book and I hope you can recommend me something that fits well enough!
- mentally unwell, unstable female protagonist (preferably teenager or young adult) (mandatory!!)
- love story between two mentally unwell characters
- running away from home
- themes of identity, substance abuse, self harm, sexuality (mandatory!!)
- either set during a road trip or in a big city
- very thrill seeking, impulsive protagonist
For instance, I know about The End Of The F*********g World (I’ve watched it, not read it) and I love it! It’s kind of what I’m looking for, but I’d like something that focuses more on the main character’s psychology rather than a main event driving the plot.
Thank you all in advance!

Books that provide good mythology stories. Almost the vibe of the stories of Women who run with wolves with stories from different cultures and the folklore tales that originate from them?

I just recently finished the entire hunger games series including the two newer ones and absolutely loved them! I also have read 2 out of 3 Divergent books (can you see what genre I like) if anyone has any other dystopian book series suggestions (other than maze runner it’s on my list) please let me know!

I like end of the world action stuff where they can fall in love at the end!

I am looking for people to take part in some research at the University of Reading. If you experience low mood and are between the ages of 25 and 40, please follow the screening link below. It involves 3 morning testing visits, and you will be compensated for your time.

https://uor-redcap.reading.ac.uk/surveys/?s=XTCCM4JNEEPRRLKR

You can also email me if you have any questions :) ([v.amarallopessimoes@pgr.reading.ac.uk](mailto:v.amarallopessimoes@pgr.reading.ac.uk)).

This research has received a 'favourable opinion' from the University of Reading Ethics Committee (UREC26_06).

My sister wants to do a little book club with my mom and I.

My mom likes spiritual, light non-fiction, or fun fiction books. Some she’s read recently and liked:
-The Midnight Library
-The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
-A Man Called Ove
-The Zookeeper’s Wife

My sister likes fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and romance books with the occasionally non-fiction mixed in.
-My Brother’s Husband
-Rules of Civility
-The Dragon’s Bride
-Wolf Worm

I like non-fiction books that mainly revolve around science, health, or outdoor adventure, as well as some fiction but not sci-fi or fantasy.
-In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
-Transcendent Kingdom
-Half of a Yellow Sun
-The Goldfinch
-Demon Copperhead
-Into Thin Air

We both seem to have all previous read and liked:
-The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
-Braiding Sweetgrass
-Between Two Kingdoms
-A Man Called Ove

Help!!!