I’m struggling with the loss of someone I felt was a sister to me. It has a lot to do with her husband (narcissist), but she also made the choice to end things. The day before she ended our friendship, I found out I was pregnant. So I’m just dealing with a lot 😅.

I’d love to read anything you think would help or any suggestions you have 💕 thanks!

ETA: Wow! Thank you all! I’ve found some great new titles. And I hope my suggestions inspire some of you to read these books. I can’t keep up with everything anymore, but trust me, I will be reading them and am grateful for each response. ❤️🤩

I’ve read widely and deeply in witch fiction since the ‘60s, when I read every witch book I could get my hands on, starting at age 7.

This post is a request, but also has suggestions. Each author/book/series with an asterisk (or multiples) is highly recommended by me. If it has a heart I am crazy for it!

I’m looking for something new or obscure. I do not like anything with vampires or werewolves or erotica.

Everyday magic realism is very welcome as well!

I have already read the following, but it’s a partial list:

Everything by Alice Hoffman*****❤️
Everything Sarah Addison Allen****
Everything by Emilia Wilde
Everything by Alix E Harrow
Everything by Charlaine Harris
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
I, Tituba,
All of the Oz books (kids books, but I ADORE them) *****❤️ Ditto Mrs Piggle Wiggle books
Everything by Joanne Harris**
Everything by Louisa Morgan*****❤️
Everything by Ami McKay*
Circe by Madeline Miller*****❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Witch’s Heart
The Binding
The Lost Apothecary
Everything by Katherine Arden***** ❤️
The Hour of the Witch
We Ride Upon Sticks*
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
The Hour of the Witching
Everything by CJ Cook
everything by Lana Harper
Lolly Willowes***** ❤️
The Vanishing Witch
Paula Brackston witch books
The Bewitching by Silvia Morena Garcia *****
Daughters of the Witching Hill *****
Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch **
House Witch
Haus Witch*
The Kiss Curse
Everything by Hester Fox
Everything by Lucy Jane Wood
Lydia Bennett, Witch *
Hazel Beck witch books
The Stone Witch of Florence**
Wild is the Witch
The Winter Witch
The Witch Haven
A Witch in Time
The Witch of Colchis
The Witch of Tin Mountain
The Witch of Wild Things series*
Witch, Barbara Michaels
Rosemary’s Baby *****❤️
Sangu Mandanna’s books**
Sarah Beth Durst books*
The Witch’s Trinity
The Honey Witch
The Witches of Honeysuckle House
The Witching Hour, by Ann Rice
The Women of Wild Hill
All Alexis Henderson books
The Witch, Freida McFadden
The Witches at the End of the World
The Witches of Saint Petersburg
The First Witch of Boston
A Time of Witches***
The Royal Witch, Philippa Gregory
Slewfoot********* ❤️❤️
Discworld witch books
A Dark and Secret Magic**
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic
The Poisoners Tale
The Thirteenth Tale
The Night Garden
Akata Witch***
Anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Everything by Nikita Gill*****❤️

There are about 50 more, but I am tired. If you cannot suggest a book for me, then I truly hope that you will find enjoyment in these books.

All of Discworld

I'm so frustrated with how almost every single portrayal of bisexuality/pansexuality in media is a way of making a point about a character's evilness/chaos/hedonism.

I mean, I love some of these characters just as much as the next person... And I'm happy to have some representation, I just want it to be less tropey. Right now I'm reading How to Become the Dark Lord And Die Trying, which is fun and engaging, and while I like the inclusion of bisexuality, it really feels like it might just be there to illustrate a point about the main character's IDGAF attitude.

Where are the mature, grounded, sweet, *good* bisexuals at? (Yes, I've read/seen Heartstopper, which is *perfection* but also a very small sample size).

I like fantasy, sci-fi, and books that make me feel good about the world at the end of the day. Nothing horror or too relentlessly dark.

This is my first post here, I hope I've given enough details; please let me know if I should edit my post.

EDIT: Already so many great suggestions, thank you everyone!! I can't wait to dig into these.

update… you all are AMAZING. Just Wow. I love these recommendations and I am so very grateful for your help, all of you. 🌼🍁🎃🐦‍⬛

I’ve read many classics. My fav authors are William Golding, Steinbeck, Thomas Hardy, Jose Saramago.
I loved the contemporary’s Tender is the Flesh, Project Hail Mary, WHAT storm What Thunder, and My Dark Vanessa. Another classic fav is Earth Abides, by George Stewart. Gone With the Wind was amazing. I’m looking for a book that sucks me and makes me think. No pop fiction, please 🙏

Here his the message he sent :

"Thick book (optional)

Fantasy

Powers (preferably)

Tension

Good character definition

Suspense

And good definition of powers and

stuff"

He's a great kid and has a great mind but I'd still not want him to read anything too violent or dramatic just yet, he'll handle it for sure but I'd like his first book to be easy, vocabulary and emotionally.

He's very opinionated so tread lightly

I want to spend the colder months reading books that teach me something, and I’d love to get into more nonfiction classics. What are your favorites? I’m open to history, science, memoirs - anything that stuck with you or taught you something new.

I’m 24 and am a big reader/ audiobook listener (for while I’m at work) on average I read between 2-7 books a week and I’m looking for some new suggestions or old favorites! I recently read Yesteryear in about a day and couldn’t put it down I loved the fact it kept me on my toes! While they weren’t plot twisty or shocking other books I’ve loved recently were Lessons in Chemistry, Cruel Beautiful World, and Lies You Never Told Me. I’m not picky on genres and I love YA! I’m just looking for something that’ll have me saying “just one more chapter” until the sun comes up! Thank you in advance yall!

Hi! I’ve recently been in love with learning about racism and social injustice in the Black community, especially during the Harlem Renaissance and 1970s onward. I’m looking for books that highlight Black voices and can further educate me. I want the most famous books to the books that don’t get the light they deserve. Thank you!

I just mercy-killed my situationship of over two years on Saturday, and now I feel—not to be overly dramatic—like I'm dying. Intellectually, I know it's not that deep, but my nervous system isn't getting the memo. Please help!

For context, I'm a thirtysomething-year-old cis woman who usually dates women and queer/trans people, but this particular ex-situationship is a cis straight guy with whom I have a longstanding friendship. (So, uh, every M/F friends-to-lovers or "queer woman navigates falling for a man" romance novel I own is getting donated, lol.)

Novels or narrative nonfiction preferred. I'd love recommendations for romances where the MC is getting over something that was never fully a relationship and winds up falling in love with someone new (if the LI is male, he CANNOT be ~from the MC's past~, but if female/nonbinary that's ok). I'm generally not someone who's interested in kids or monogamy, but I'm in my feelings in a way that has me questioning whether I fucked up my whole life by not seeking that out. I'd like to avoid anything that reinforces that line of thought TOO aggressively.

Also very down for non-romance novels and narrative nonfiction, but not a fan of tear-jerkers. Potentially open to self-help etc if it actually hits and/or is practical in a day-to-day sense.

i been listening to some of the following audiobooks and i've absolutely LOVED the charecters and their world. also with the development of their charecters and their love cor eacother. any recs for something similar?

books i've listened to

All thats left in the world

the only light left burning

boyfriend material

husband material

most valuable player

not looking for anything thats feels like it's trying to be angsty LOL

I've been struggling with reading for about two years now. I've primarily used to read books in the romantasy/fantasy genre, occasionally also reading YA and middle-grade (stressing on PJO for the most part). But I've been struggling to find something new/something that catches my attention. I'll get interested in book occasionally thinking that this is over with, only to hate the book I've picked up. I used to love books like ACOTAR, but they all feel like the same exact thing. No hate to the people that like those books, I just want some different. I enjoyed Priory of The Orange Tree, but it's a bit too long for me. I'm picky haha. I've been wanting to branch out to other genres as I've never really read too much outside of them.

Edit: When I say that every book feels the same, I mean that every books (that I've picked up) seems to be about a character that has an arc of going from a weak character to a strong character with very little time to grow. They always seem to be the chosen one to save the world too. If they had more time to grow and develop, I'd probably like it more. It just seems unrealistic for a character to have a fast 360.

I know there have been lots of PHM request lately, but looking for a very specific vibe. My 9yo advanced reader inhaled PHM before I could even finish it myself. He’s begging to read The Martian, but we’re waiting on the school edition (less profanity) to become available through the library.

The issue we’re running into is that he wants similar science-heavy books without as much fiction. We tried several sci-fi books like Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy or A Wrinkle in Time, but they weren’t scratching that realism itch. He’s the kind of kid who likes to crack open a good space encyclopedia or What If by Randall Munroe. He said he might be open to biographies as well.

Suggested book themes:
• more sci; less fi
• no sex/gore, profanity is generally ok
• space, if possible
• comedic narrator or tone

I've recently gotten really into reading history. I like starting with a book that gives me a good foundation, then continuing to read about different aspects of the subject until I feel like I have a solid understanding of it.

So far, I've gone down the rabbit holes of WWII and Scottish history (particularly the Jacobite rebellions, Culloden, and the Highland Clearances).

I'm open to pretty much anything — wars, revolutions, empires, political movements, different civilizations, major historical events, or even lesser-known moments in history.

Any recommendations for history books that made you fascinated by a particular period or event would be awesome. Ideally, something engaging, well-researched, and accessible to someone approaching the subject for the first time.

Bonus points if you can recommend a few books on the same topic, or a good starting point that I can build on with more in-depth reading.

Hey everyone, I'm hoping to get some recommendations for my fiancee. The last books she read were Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn and Water Moon by Samantha Sotto and is looking for something in the same vein as far as not dark/crazy high stakes. Nice poetic writing, a bit whimsy. Could be based around fantasy or sci-fi-esque as long as it doesn't read like a young adult book.
Thanks in advance!

Looking for good characters, good writing, but doesn't take itself too seriously and wont send me into an existential crisis !!!

Just finished lonesome dove and can't stop thinking about it and was wondering if anyone has recommendations of books that scratch the same itch in terms of philosophy, prose, humor, and general book layout.

I picked up lonesome dove because the author of one of my favorite series, Joe Abercrombie of First Law, said that it was one of his biggest inspirations. To anyone that likes lonesome dove and hasn't read FL, I would say you're a lucky soul, those things rock (Book 5 goes into my personal book HOF).

The big things I really enjoyed about LD was 1) the constant POV changes, really helps to keep sections of the book not feel stagnant even if not too much is going on (ex. Call is wondering why Clara seems like shes mad at him when hes never done anything to her switching to Clara who goes on an internal dialogue rant about how much she hates Call and what he stands for). 2) the undertones of humor, although Gus is the standout POV and funniest by far, all of the characters have a quirk or two that usually adds some funny little twist to any interaction at hand

I think the big thing that surprised me the most about this book is how much I liked the setting and the descriptions of the places. I am a reader who really does not enjoy whole pages of reading about beautiful countryside or dirtiness of a barn, I would much rather read this in dialogue or inner monologue form. Not sure what it was about how LD handled this but I really did feel engaged when reading about the trail through the untamed midwest.

I've seen some posts like this before so I was trying to give a bit more context about what parts hooked me about LD. I've seen recs for Shogun (TBR), Count of Monte Cristo (TBR), and East of Eden (Read) but I know there has to be more modern books, like first law, that keep the spirit of Lonesome Dove that haven't been suggested before

Looking for something to scratch a Winslow / Lehane itch.

I love all Winslow, and loved Lehane's Coughlin trilogy.

I've read and enjoyed the likes of Connelly, Cosby, Crais, Coben, Sandford, among plenty of others, but yet to find anything that quite ticks the box like those two.

Any recommendations appreciated!

As the title says, looking for a story where, in a sense, the story is over. But life moves on, so what happens or happened to everyone affected by the hero and their journey? What ruins did they leave behind that have to be pieced back together, or alliances that were made just for the moment and are back in conflict?

​

It’s been almost ten years since I read Dostoevsky, and I still haven’t quite moved on from the experience. Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, Demons, Notes from Underground, White Nights, The House of the Dead, Poor Folk, The Double, The Adolescent, The Gambler, The Eternal Husband, Uncle’s Dream, and The Village of Stepanchikovo left a lasting impression on me.

Since then, I’ve read plenty of other novels, including works by Kafka, Tolstoy, and Dickens, and enjoyed many of them. But I haven’t quite found that same combination of emotional intensity, psychological depth, intellectual stimulation, and philosophical richness woven into the characters and plot.

I’d love to hear your recommendations, whether they’re similar to Dostoevsky or completely different. I’m simply looking for books that have deeply moved you, challenged your thinking, or stayed with you long after you finished reading them.

Thank you!

I love the Leigh Bardugo Alex Stern trilogy and want more like this. The college setting was wonderful, but it doesn't necessarily have to take place on a campus. Also loved reading the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik. While I'm here looking for ideas, anything like The Night Circus out there that has those magical vibes? What did you like about them?

I'm on the island right now and Tsukiko just used the hot spring. I wish they could just walk outside in the rain forever. Talking about nothing at Satoru's bar, Sensei hiking ahead every time they're in nature together, going to the pachinko parlor, listening to the storm in his living room. Everything just feels so calm when nothing is happening.

Anything similar?

I recently elected to take a true crime and research class. We’re about to finish ”In Cold Blood,” and I’m left wanting more.

One thing I adored about the book was how Capote showed the criminals perspective. It’s so unique that I’m having trouble finding another book similar to it. I felt like I truly knew Perry as a person. The fact that it was written similar to a novel made it 10x better.

Any book recommendations that are in a novel-like style with a criminal(s) perspective are appreciated. Thank you!

This year I've really been struggling to finish a book because I lose interest in all of them so quickly. Last year i was on a roll, I loved Wellness and The Nix by Nathan Hill, The Art Thief by Michael Finkel, James, by Percival Everett, any suggestions? Thanks !!