r/books • u/AutoModerator • May 01 '26
WeeklyThread Weekly Recommendation Thread: May 01, 2026
Welcome to our weekly recommendation thread! A few years ago now the mod team decided to condense the many "suggest some books" threads into one big mega-thread, in order to consolidate the subreddit and diversify the front page a little. Since then, we have removed suggestion threads and directed their posters to this thread instead. This tradition continues, so let's jump right in!
The Rules
Every comment in reply to this self-post must be a request for suggestions.
All suggestions made in this thread must be direct replies to other people's requests. Do not post suggestions in reply to this self-post.
All unrelated comments will be deleted in the interest of cleanliness.
How to get the best recommendations
The most successful recommendation requests include a description of the kind of book being sought. This might be a particular kind of protagonist, setting, plot, atmosphere, theme, or subject matter. You may be looking for something similar to another book (or film, TV show, game, etc), and examples are great! Just be sure to explain what you liked about them too. Other helpful things to think about are genre, length and reading level.
All Weekly Recommendation Threads are linked below the header throughout the week to guarantee that this thread remains active day-to-day. For those bursting with books that you are hungry to suggest, we've set the suggested sort to new; you may need to set this manually if your app or settings ignores suggested sort.
If this thread has not slaked your desire for tasty book suggestions, we propose that you head on over to the aptly named subreddit /r/suggestmeabook.
- The Management
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u/fantasyrea May 03 '26
Looking for a fantasy book with some romance (no dark romance) that keeps you hooked from the first page and has good worldbuilding. I love political schemes, smart main characters, trials of some kind and epic battle scences. Some books I have previously enjoyed: Everything Victoria Aveyard writes ACOTAR The folk of the air series by Holly Black Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
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u/TollyKo May 03 '26
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow! It follows Owen Mallory, a former soldier and current historian as he goes back in time to meet his hero and the subject of his study - Sir Una Everlasting, a lady knight of legend. The romance is incredible and the themes are just spot on and so well fleshed out. I adored it.
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u/Sad_Meringue_4550 May 04 '26
Depending on your spice tolerance, Kushiel's Dart has all of these things in spades. It just also has a healthy dose of well-written, plot- and world-building-relevant BDSM in it. The romance isn't dark but some of the sex is.
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May 04 '26
The assistant to the villain series is amazing. Its clean with banter that'll make you laugh out loud along with a grumpy but kind in the heart mmc, sunshine and smart fmc who can be wicked when she wants to be, and found family!
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u/waise_heill May 05 '26
The Rook & Rose trilogy has great world building, political scheming, and very smart/competent main characters. The romances take a little while to set up but I really enjoyed them. Very hopeful/scrappy/found family vibes. Would definitely recommend checking it out.
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u/marascomics May 03 '26
I recommend The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, and other than that you might want to check out the Septimus Heap series as well (it might be less romance based than you’re looking for idk, but there are some good romances throughout the series!)
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 03 '26
"Uprooted" by Naomi Novik.
If you don't mind some bisexual romance, "Gossamer Axe" by Gael Baudino (likely out of print, but worth finding used). Less political.
I regret I don't remember it clearly as it has been a couple decades since I read it, but "Tigana" has lots of political schemes. Not sure on the romance and epic battles.
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u/bratniadasza May 03 '26
I somehow believe there will be someone here who will understand what I mean when I say I’m looking for books that feel like Angels in America (both the series and the play) and Fosse’s All that jazz. Looking for complex characters you want to write essays about and a deeply moving story, maybe with queer motives (not a must)
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u/Short_Dig_1121 May 04 '26
Have you seen the Andrew Garfield/Nathan Lane production of Angels? It’s astonishing.
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u/percy_jacksonlover May 01 '26
Looking for a dark fantasy book, dark romance, TRUE enemies to lovers, perhaps he kidnaps her ( It can be without hidnaping)
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May 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/MorriganJade May 02 '26
Out of those I've only read Atonement but you could check out On Chesil beach by the same author
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u/Caraphox May 04 '26
Can someone recommend some fantasy books for someone who often doesn't like fantasy?
My usual preferred genre is literary realism and a lot of high-fantasy makes me cringe. But I do tend to end up reading or watching things that break into the mainstream and become very very popular (Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones) and I absolutely adore the fantasy elements of these. I thought that I had outgrown Harry Potter - for all the typical reasons that people have come to feel negatively about it - but I happened to catch the beginning of the The PoA movie the other day, and I was in spite of myself absolutely beguiled. The night bus, the Leaky Cauldron, goddam it but did I wish I could step into that world and nose around.
It's got me thinking that I really want to read some good fantasy, but there is so much of it, and I don't know where to begin. Based on my basic bitch tastes, could anyone recommend anything I might like? I already know I don't like Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I tend to enjoy storylines that keep one foot in the real world and depict characters discovering something new. I'm usually put off when the first page throws several made-up words or place names at you right of the bat.
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u/Fancy-Restaurant4136 May 04 '26
See if you like Black Water Sister by Zen Cho or Ninth House by Bardugo. Possibly A Deadly Education
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 05 '26
"The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley. Follows a woman in a supernatural agency sort of like a supernatural MI-6. The book is full of some fun humour, and the main character starts the book as a high ranking official in the agency but who has just suffered an attack that leaves her with total and irreversible amnesia and all she knows is that somebody high up in the organization is responsible but not who.
Perhaps also the "Rivers of London" series by Ben Aaronovitch. Follows a London cop who gets taken under the wing of a magic user to fight supernatural crimes. There are several books in the series and the characters are all interesting and well developed. It really gets warmed up around book three once Peter (the MC) starts practicing his own brand of magic, but it's a fun journey to get there even before that. Peter himself is a huge geek, so there are lots of fun references if you are familiar with either sci-fi or fantasy.
Emma Bull's "Finder" standalone is great too. It feels similar in some ways to Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" in a sort of alternate reality with modern and magical realms co-existing, but Finder is more about elves compared to Sunshine's vampires.
I'll also second the recommendation of /u/waise_heill for Naomi Novik's "Deadly Education" trilogy. I'm actually re-reading those right now. My only comment there is that there are extensive bits of exposition as the narrator explains things about her reality. But it's a great story and I have to say it has several twists that are difficult to predict but that show some great storytelling planning on Novik's part. Think of it as a bit like Harry Potter, but the protagonist is a once in a generation level dark sorcery prodigy who in spite of her affinity was raised by pretty much the most decent and loving mother possible and goes to extensive lengths not to use her affinity. And the school itself seems to be actively trying to kill her. Basically Harry Potter, but with some themes that are definitely not for kids (not smut, but issues of death, loneliness, privilege, and things like that).
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May 04 '26
Check out the works of cassandra clare. Also you might like the series of Percy jackson as it reminded me of Harry potter.
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u/waise_heill May 05 '26
Seconding A Deadly Education based on what you shared. Set on Earth, most of the plot occurs in a magic school but there are also enclaves in various large cities that powerful magic users live in.
I actually think Novik’s Temeraire series might be a good fit as well. Set on Earth during the Napoleonic wars, PoV character is part of the British military. Basically historical fiction + dragons, no magic users or anything.
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u/North_Storage3377 May 01 '26
Looking for some mind-bending sci-fi that explores consciousness and reality - something that makes you question what's real. I loved Philip K. Dick's work, especially how he played with perception and identity in books like "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." Also really enjoyed "Annihilation" for its weird, transformative atmosphere.
Prefer standalone novels or shorter series since I'm traveling a lot for work and can't always keep track of long series. Not too heavy in the hard science stuff, more interested in the philosophical side of things.
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u/lydiardbell May 01 '26
"The Futurological Congress" by Stanislaw Lem reminds me a lot of Dick. (Bonus: Dick refused to believe Stanlislaw Lem was real and wrote multiple letters stating his belief that the Soviet government had conspired with a virtual factory of authors to produce Lem's books).
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u/FlyByTieDye May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26
If you like Graphic Novels, there's Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham's series Nameless. Collected in a single book, it's a real mindf*ck, sci-fi series based on perception, identity, and something a little Lovecraftian.
Morrison really loves those themes, and it's also present in other works of his such as Batman: Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Seroius Earth, Animal Man, We3 and Flex Mentallo (along with many, many more). But for starters, I'd say Nameless is the closest to what you're looking for, in tetms of both genre and philosophy.
Otherwise for regular books, I recommend Piranesi, by Susannah Clarke or Illuminations by Alan Moore (particularly with short stories such as The Hypothetical Lizard, Not Even Legend or The Improbably Complex High Energy State)
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u/Feeling_Airline_9613 May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26
I recommend Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard. If you are more open to something more philosophical and not sci-fi. It is questioning the identity, reality, and precipitation in a different way.
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u/Sad_Meringue_4550 May 04 '26
If you're open to short stories, both of Ted Chiang's collections are very philosophical. Not all of them are mind-bending as you've described it, but both have multiple stories in them that have themes about identity and perception.
Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven also may appeal.
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 01 '26
Peter Watts' "Blindsight" is the first thing that comes to mind. "Six Wakes" by Mur Lafferty is less about consciousness and more about alternative reality (not as good as "Blindsight" but still decent).
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May 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/notyourcure May 02 '26
My Husband by Maud Ventura is a great thriller where it's unclear which spouse is manipulating the other- or if it's both of them.
Killing Me Softly by Nicci French is I think another great dark romance/thriller where the male lead is an awful person, but the female lead does a number of terrible things to be with him.
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u/Icy_Measurement143 May 02 '26
Just finished Mishima's Sea of Fertility tetralogy. Now I'm torn between two options for my next read: The Idiot (which, unfortunately, is three massive volumes in the Arabic translation I have) or Buddenbrooks.
Since Mishima was influenced by Thomas Mann, I'm a bit hesitant to jump straight into Buddenbrooks ... worried I might get a sense of déjà vu with themes or style after just finishing the tetralogy.
Also, I've seen some comments here on Reddit suggesting Thomas Mann included pedophilic undertones in some of his work. Does Buddenbrooks have any of that? If so, I'd rather skip it entirely.
So ...The Idiot or Buddenbrooks? Would love to hear your thoughts!
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u/marascomics May 03 '26
My favourite authors are Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events, All The Wrong Questions) and Jonas Jonasson (The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out A Window And Disappeared, Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All). Looking for something similar, a bit of nonsensical and absurdist adventure with a strong narrative style:)
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u/Feeling_Airline_9613 May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26
If you are open to something deeper and wanna read something different. I wanna recommend some books. Did you read The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Dostoevsky. It is short, but it is nice experience. Also, Kierkegaard Fear and Trembling or Either/Or .They are all about deep existentialist philosophy, but they could be nice exploring and experience
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u/Imaginary_Piano7598 May 06 '26
Bestselling fiction that hooks deeply, feels unforgettable/re-readable, any genre
Hi all — hoping for suggestions of bestselling fiction books (thrillers, literary, commercial, etc.) that really hook the audience and make the story hard to forget. Any topics are fine: love, war, family dynamics, tragedy, sports, office life, etc. I’m especially interested in ones that feel re-readable or linger with readers for a long time, and what elements (pacing, characters, twists, emotional resonance, etc.) made them massive sellers or personal standouts for you. Open to anything well-written with strong appeal. Thanks!
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u/Desperate_View4697 May 06 '26
Has anyone read the fictionalized story about the true disappearance of the Patterson Couple that went missing in 1957?
The title of the book is "Once Upon a Time in El Paso"
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u/Sad-Garden-6857 May 07 '26
Wanna kick start my personal collection, im 22 living in rural Arkansas, so I'm trying to broaden my horizons, if there are any cult classical or genre defining staples I miss please lmk
House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
Walden and Other Writings, Henry David Thoreau
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
1984: 75th Anniversary, George Orwell
The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
Absalom, Absalom!, William Faulkner
Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 07 '26
I'm mostly a sci-fi and fantasy buff, so my recommendations are in that vein.
Another Bradbury that is more modern fantasy than sci-fi is "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and probably my favourite of his.
If you've not read the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, those are very much genre defining of the entire fantasy genre.
Isaac Asimov has a few such, including his "Foundation" series and his "Robot" series (I'd suggest starting with "I, Robot" short stories and moving to "The Caves of Steel" trilogy).
I'm not a huge fan of Arthur C. Clarke (I often find his characters to be underdeveloped) but he also has several genre defining novels.
Larry Niven is famous for his "Ringworld" series.
Frank Herbert has some of my favourites and if you're sick of his "Dune" series then I'd recommend his "Destination Void" trilogy. Don't read the continuations by his son Brian Herbert, they are inferior.
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u/ScootinFruity May 02 '26
I'm currently finishing up We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune and I'm really loving it. It's very short but so wonderful.
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u/marascomics May 03 '26
Love TJ Klune! Have you read other works by him? I’d highly recommend Under the Whispering Door if you haven’t read it yet:)
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u/ScootinFruity May 03 '26
I have not, but after finishing WBSB tonight, I'm going to have to. That book made me ugly cry. Oh my god. It was so beautiful and devastating.
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u/RazewingedRathalos Jurassic Park May 02 '26
Looking for killer animal stories like Jaws or Cujo.