As a kid I was all about those survival books: Hatchet (really anything Gary Paulsen,) My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, Island of the Blue Dolphins... you get the idea. It felt like this magical, robust genre.

I recently got a hankering to read something like that again, and while I have nothing against rereading kids books, I was hoping to find something more adult. I haven't been able to find anything that's really recapturing that feeling.

So, give me your best survival stories. I'm talking woods, islands, deserts, whatever you've got. I want the protagonist struggling to build a fire and trying to figure out which berries are edible.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

I used to finish a book every other day, now I think I haven’t finished anything in months and I can’t remember what it was.

I’m looking for books that are enjoyable to read.

Aren’t all books enjoyable? I hear you ask.
To clarify, I’m not looking for sad, historical fiction, heavy dramas or «great works.» I can’t get into any deliberately pretentious writing.

I want fun! I would love series. I was on a romance kick for a while but it got a bit formulaic and I need something more.

A hint of fantasy or science fiction would be great but I don’t want something completely removed from humanity. By that I mean I’d prefer something human or humanlike in terms of characters.

It doesn’t have to be dumbed down, it just doesn’t need to take itself so seriously.

Looking for the burger and fries of literature.

Been in a very long term book club (7+ years), and have had a string of dark books lately. So looking for something GREAT but less dark.

We're a diverse, but highly educated group that loves books that start a good conversation. Group likes literature, sci fi, fantasy, pretty much anything except non fiction and romance.

Triggers-no animal death, no extreme violence (although we did read McCarthy and lost a few members on that one).

Rules-no one can have read it already and it should be under 450 pages. Prefer no series

Favorites include

A Gentleman in Moscow

Klara and the Sun

Ubik

Read

Project Hail Mary

Dungeon crawler carl

This is how you lose the time war

Scalzi (all)

I grew up in a Megachurch. I left when I turned 18. Briefly went back in my 20s and haven’t been back since. I’m 37 now. Anyway - the majority of my family (including parents) still subscribe to that belief system except one aunt and my sister. I consider myself agnostic, though I don’t think it matters for the purpose of the recommendation.

I would love to read a book where the main character diverges from their childhood/familial belief system and the difficulties that come from it. It doesn’t have to be religion specifically just something that might resonate. Thanks in advance!!

hello! i've recently been getting into more historical fiction, and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for books (set in history) that cover a long period of time or multiple generations, and explore the change and transformation that happens in that time

books in this category I've enjoyed:

We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen (my gold standard for this type of story)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (though less so, it captures a similar atmosphere)

I assume something like Dune would be similar, though I haven't read it yet (and I would prefer if it wasn't sci-fi, though fantasy is welcomed)

thank you!!

Looking for a novel that features the underground gay scene in the past, between 1700s ish - early 1900s. Doesn’t have to be a romance or super serious book, I would welcome a fun read too. Just looking for something that features that setting please.

Looking for a gripping, brutal look into the psyche of a character crashing out

Inspired by a recent post on r/TopCharacterTropes because I absolutely love love love this trope and now need more, and the only books I saw mentioned were Going Postal (which I've read) and the manga Silver Mountain. I've also mostly encountered this trope in shows and movies and would love to find more examples in books!

Best examples: Going Postal, Klaus, Rango

Bonus for the conman growing as a person and becoming better being the character's main journey/a big focus!

I read Skylark earlier this year and I can't stop thinking about it. I'd love to read more about the Catacombs of Paris-- fiction or nonfiction, any era.

Looking for morally vile protagonists

Please recommend me books or series where the main narrator is a despicable person but very fun to read. I like fast pace, twists, thrillers, dark fantasy. Bonus points if they are LGBTQ or women but doesn’t have to be!

For example I enjoyed fruit fly recently but want something darker and with a more vile protagonist. I don’t mind a slower pace if it isn’t boring or pages of nothing.

Hi everyone!

I’m planning a trip to Central Europe soon, specifically visiting Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. Whenever I travel, I love reading a book that is closely connected to the destination to enrich my experience.

I am looking for fiction or narrative non-fiction recommendations that take place in these countries and include strong historical elements (it can be historical fiction, classics, or contemporary books with deep historical context).

It would be awesome if the books capture the atmosphere, culture, or history of these places.

Any suggestions? Thanks

I’m looking for a book whose aesthetics are saturated in a vintage autumn style. Something fairytale and sinister!! Any ideas would be great

My 3yo loves books and being read to. I've found the Winnie the Pooh, House at Pooh Corner and the Catwings books by Ursula K Le Guin have the perfect illustration to word ratio: enough pictures to maintain interest and break up the text, but with 1-2 page stretches without pictures. I feel like these books build up her stamina for listening and visualising the story herself.

I'm looking for books with a similar picture to text ratio as the books mentioned above that are toddler friendly.

Thank you!

Suggest me a book where the main character not only survives, but thrives thru and after a divorce. Lesbian/queer rep is a bonus. (No Eat Pray Love)!

I’m wrapping up my first trip to Chicago. Did the architecture boat tour and during it, realized I haven’t read many books with Chicago settings!

Any historical fiction recs?

I did read Devil in the White City — which was fantastic non fiction, but I’m looking for something a little less dense (I got a little glossy eyed on the architect’s chapters). Hope that makes sense.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your suggestions!!! I’m sitting at ORD waiting for my flight home and my TBR list is growing! A number of the suggestions were already ones I’d been interested in (not even realizing they had connections to Chicago), so I’ll probably start there. Thanks again, this is wonderful.

Hello

I have endured a severe level of bullying in my workplace and need books to help me hec me as self sufficient as possible in a sense where I follow through with the complaint I have filed.

There were rumours of me being desperate and thirsty for my male coworkers, being dirty, unhygienic and mentally I’ll even. I have been off work for a while and recently decided to face my fear head on and file a formal complaint against these people.

How we, despite focussing in myself, reopening this wound is making it difficult for me to live life again.

Any suggestions would be great.

So I started reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, and really liked Equal Rites and want to read all the witch novels now!

However, fearing that I will read them rather fast, I was hoping someone could recommend me some similar books. I like that they feel warm, like the author cares for the characters, and the feminist aspects.

I love living in NYC but I find the winter so depressing, especially that January to March stretch that feels endless. It can be hard to love this city in the depth of winter when everything is gray and dead, and going outside feels like punishment. I've lived in NY for most of my life and still hate the winter.

I'm currently reading The Lovers by Paolo Cognetti and I really love the atmosphere it's built; this loving depiction of the alps and the people who find refuge there. There's a bittersweetness to it that is really resonating with me. I'm looking for books that ruminate on both the sentimentality and the harshness of NYC winter, and/or focus on the quirks and lives of it's residents during that season.

I'm looking for books of any genre that leave you feeling a bit wistful but I'm not looking for stuff that's too cutesy and no YA, please. Thanks!

Hi ya'll I was hoping for some recommendations on adventure fantasy books. Some that I love: LOTR, Dune, The Child Thief, Mist Born, The Pellinnor series. I don't need it to be a specific gender MC though I do love a well written female lead. I am not into romance being the main driving plot though I do love Walking Drum which absolutely has romance woven into the plot. I am open to stand alone and series books. I would love some international options though I do have to read it in English. I am studying Spanish but at this time Harry Potter is my max capability level right now.

I want a book which just gives “British 2000s” vibes, not just a book with a British Author published in the 2000s. I like gay (MM) romances, horrors, memoirs and gothic literature books usually, but I’m open-minded :)

I’ve recently started reading self-help books and have been enjoying how they’re changing the way I think and approach everyday situations. So far, I’ve finished Atomic Habits and Don’t Believe Everything You Think, along with a few fiction books.

Lately, I’ve been trying to understand some patterns in my everyday life, particularly anxiety and overthinking, and how they affect the way I communicate with people. Sometimes, I find myself overanalyzing situations, getting caught up in my own thoughts, or struggling to communicate as clearly and confidently as I’d like to. I want to understand why I respond this way, become more aware of my thought patterns, and learn how to communicate in a healthier, calmer way, especially in relationships.

I’m interested in books that go beyond surface-level advice and help explain the psychology behind these patterns, whether through attachment theory, emotional regulation, cognitive psychology, or other approaches to understanding ourselves.

For those who have explored these subjects through reading, what books helped you better understand your anxiety and how it influences your communication, relationships, and everyday decisions? I’d particularly appreciate books that offer practical insights alongside a deeper understanding of the underlying psychology.
I’m also planning to start therapy soon, so I see reading as a way to complement that process rather than replace it.
I’d love to hear about books that genuinely changed the way you understood yourself, your thought patterns, or the way you interact with others.
Thanks in advance!

Hey folks,

My wife and I are looking to expand our daughter's library for Christmas. She will be 9 months old by then. We have the tradition of getting each other a book for Christmas Eve, and want to continue that with her. With the onslaught of AI children's books on Amazon, I'm looking for recommendations. Stories that touched your heart, stories your kids loved, or stories with just beautiful art.

I'd love to avoid Amazon, but we live in a small community with no local book store, so sometimes it's unavoidable.

Looking forward to your recommendations!

I found out this year that I really enjoy speculative science fiction after discovering Blake Crouch and Emily St John Mandel! I read and loved Dark Matter, Recursion, Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility. I just finished The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch and also loved it, but it was definitely very heavy and dark. I don't want to burn myself out because I genuinely really love these kinds of stories. I just need a breather, it could be a totally different genre, something light but I don't like "cozy" fiction or romance. For reference, some of my favourite books of all time are Ender's Game, East of Eden, Jurassic Park, Pilgrim's Progress and The Machine Stops. Any recs for me? I've read the Mistborn and the Red Rising series and I'm not interested in DCC. I have no books on my TBR so I'm open to anything! Thank you 🙂

I enjoyed white nights by Dostoevsky

Hi! Obviously here looking for some recommendations… I’ve really been into literary fiction, sometimes historical fiction, deep, character driven stories. I love sad, emotional stories that make you feel and think deeply about yourself & the world! I’m not super into romance, especially heterosexual romance but I can and do tolerate it for a good plot! Mostly interested in stories centering women!!!

Some all time favorites that fit a vibe I’m looking for:
1. All Kristin Hannah, but especially The Nightingale, Firefly Lane, and The Great Alone
2. The Bright Years (omg…. This one)
3. Almost Life
4. The Neopolitan Novels
5. My Friends & the Beartown Trilogy by Fredrick Backman
6. The God of the Woods
7. Sunburn
8. Atmosphere
9. The Frozen River !! Incredible
10. The Things We Cannot Say

Lastly, I’m currently 200 pages into A Thousand Splendid Suns and LOVING it btw! Okay go crazy