Hi everyone, I work in an emergency room in the US and we frequently get patients for psychiatric reasons. They sometimes have to stay with us for a few days while we find placement in an appropriate unit. We have to take their belongings for safety reasons, they stay in hallway chairs the entire time, it’s a sensory nightmare, and it’s BORING.
I’m looking for book recs I can bring to work to hopefully make it less boring and unpleasant. The books would preferably be brain candy/not require a ton of mental effort, and shouldn’t have dark themes because I don’t want to cause any ✨additional depression✨
It’d also be nice if they were universal appeal type books, like books that most people would enjoy. My only idea so far is The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.
If anyone has any ideas I’d love to hear them! Thank you!

My mom reads and listens to audio books constantly. She’s a big fan of the popular type of romantasy (fourth wing, acotar etc.) and anything with fantasy elements. I know she also enjoys novels like Fredrik Backman’s work, where you laugh one page and start tearing up on the next.
My biggest issue is she reads so much, that I don’t know how to find one she’ll like that she hasn’t already read.
So im looking for something that is fantasy, funny, or just a must read for her age group.
She does not enjoy classic literature or annoying main characters. (She didn’t like yesteryear or catcher in the rye for that reason).

A lot of fantasy books are YA which is making it even harder for me to find anything! Because I don’t feel comfortable getting her something overly smutty either ??

Thank you!

I am recovering from a traumatic event and could really use some more low-stakes books to occupy my mind. I have loved Legends and Lattes (plus the prequel and sequel). Books I have also really enjoyed include:

• The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna
• The Bell Witches, by Lindsey Kelk
• The Ward Witch books and the Language of Spells books, by Sarah Painter
• The Spell books, by Lana Harper
• The Ex Hex series, by Erin Sterling

I tried these and didn’t really like/get into them:

• The House Witch, by Delemhach
• Clean Sweep, by Ilona Andrews
• The Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
• Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman
• The Lost Bookshop, by Evie Woods

Thank you.

I want to read the book about Europe just after the fall of Rome where the senate is still alive, people still speak Latin but the whole continent is already under the new management of barbarians. I can just imagine this time period when old people men and women, roman by blood or mixed, remembered a time when Rome was still alive but everything has changed. Barbarians who were once commanders and soldiers hired by Rome are now retiring and their children are already becoming the new aristocracy, generals and military commanders of a new period. Something like that.

Insomniac needs something boring to read in the middle of the night that's not too stimulating but better than my refrigerator manual. NOT a page turner.

Simple storyline. Not typically into romance or sci Fi but I'll read whatever.

Non fiction is ok too.

I've also tried boring story podcasts which can be helpful but would like another option.

My son is 9 and in 4th grade but reads at like a 7th grade level. It's tough finding books that are age appropriate but also challenge him a little. We tend toward the easier ones that are more intended for his age. He loved Land of Roar series by Jenny Machlan and read all her other books. He just finished the Gregor series by Suzanne Collins, but I don't really think The Hunger Games is appropriate for him just yet.

He did a reading bingo challenge in his school and loved almost every book on there so I think he'd be open to a lot of different genres, but on his own he gravitates more toward fantasy/adventure books. Bonus points if it's funny!

Any suggestions??

"I'm tired of being so overly sensitive. I overthink the smallest looks and comments, blow things out of proportion in my head, and get upset, only to realize in the end that it was something so trivial. I just wish I could stop being so dramatic."

Hello everyone I am looking for a book/books that is SciFi in genre and involves uncovering a mystery of an ancient alien empire/species/creature/artifact etc.

This request is inspired by the video game Stellaris. There is an aspect in the game where you can recruit archeologists/scientists and send them out to anomalies found in the galaxy. I always thought the flavor text for these events were really cool. An example would be you find an ancient derelict space station in the upper atmosphere of a planet, you send an archeologist in and they discover over the years that this was built by an ancient empire that was to house bio chemical weaponry. The weaponry breaches containment and causes the empire to collapse etc.

Any book recommendations that kind’ve fit this? I really enjoy cosmic horror, people learning about things they aren’t supposed to learn, exploring the vast unknowable universe. Thanks!

Hi all! I have been looking for any book recommendations about mecha. I keep finding the same small handful online when I look on my own. It’s probably niche so that makes sense, but any recommendations would be great and appreciated!

I’m hoping to find something with a good mix of fun combat scenes, interesting mechanics, political intrigue, and great characters/development.

For reference, something like Gundam Witch from Mercury, Darling in the Franxx, Code Geass, or even Zoids would all fit the bill - but I’m not looking for manga, more traditional novels. I would also like to stay away from YA if possible.

Thanks in advance!

I lost my amazing wonderful Mom on 15 August this year, I'm barely surviving day to day and the cheerful "spooky" season and the looming holidays are very triggering for me.. She was, still is, my whole world. I lived with her since 1 March 2020 when Dad died, and was her caregiver for 3 years, as she mistrusted doctors. In the end, I called an ambulance but still lost her. I need compassionate, thoughtful books on grief and dealing with grief where the person you lost was or is your whole world. Thank you.

My friend has never read a book for pure entertainment. He usually tries to read incredibly high brow non-fiction books (Platon, Freud) because he feels like he "should", only to abandon them because he gets bored and frustrated. I want to show him reading can be fun and need something exciting and easy to get into. The shows he loves are: Peaky blinders, Prison break, Vikings, You, The walking dead, Lupin, Lucifer. So I'm thinking something fast-paced, related to crime and intrigue, with clever protagonists. Ideally not a multi-book series or too many pages for obvious reasons.

This is not my genre at all so I'm thankful for any suggestions!

Looking for for good, well written Spy/Espionage books

I've been a fantasy book reader for a long time. Now I've been watching Slow Horses & Le Bureau which is absolutely brilliant.

I want to start reading spy espionage books. Where do I start? I will read Slough Houses once the show ends.

For now I saw a few recommendations by Le Carre. As well as The Spy & Traitor.

I would also like to know about the writing style. Do they focus on only one character or more? I like to read multiple povs generally

Looking for books that break the fourth wall and/or treat the reader as a character (I've already read If On Winter's Night a Traveller).

I’m having a craving for something possibly very specific, so I apologize in advance, but hoping y’all can help me! I’m wanting to read fiction that heavily features folkloric elements and/or cryptids. I know there have been a number of similar posts recently, so here are my specific criteria that might set this apart from other requests. I am open to folklore from just about any culture, from American Appalachian, to African, to Japanese, to Mexican, wherever. It’s all fair game!

The book can, but doesn’t need to:
1- be horror or gothic.
2- be set in the past.
3- be written recently (in fact, slightly older books preferred, but newer releases are fine too)
4- have the folklore be proven real. It can be something discussed or thought about to help set the mood and remain either ambiguous or not possible in the book.

The book must:
1- be grounded within our reality. I want to feel like it could be something that could feasibly happen to me or my ancestors.
2- be grounded in actual existing folklore. I don’t want something created just for the novel.
3- be “well researched”. Full disclosure, I’ll just take your word on it, I won’t be fact checking, but I do want the folklore to be consistent with the actual tales or concepts from the culture it comes from. I want to feel like I am learning about a culture without reading a textbook.

The book must not:
1- be spicy (see flair). Very minimal spice can be okay, but really prefer none.
2- be YA, middle grade, or geared towards children. Just not in the mood for simple books.

Books I’ve enjoyed (to help round out taste, these are not to the topic at hand): Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, I’m Starting to Worry About this Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Books I have not enjoyed (based on writing quality): Best Wishes from the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, Godkiller by Hannah Kanner, City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

Edit:: Thank you all for the recs! I have a busy day ahead of me but I plan to come back when I have more time and sort through what’s been suggested to see if it’s on track for what I’m looking for or not. 😁

I genuinely think Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is the best book I’ve ever read. Ever since finishing it, I’ve been trying to find something that makes me feel the same way. There was just something about the storytelling that completely pulled me in. I got so attached to the characters, and the way their lives unfolded across generations was incredible. I honestly didn’t want it to end.
I’m looking for historical fiction with that same kind of storytelling, where the characters feel real and you get so invested in their lives that you keep thinking about them even after you’ve finished the book.
It doesn’t have to be set in Korea or have a similar plot at all. I’m open to any country, culture, or time period. I just want something beautifully written with an immersive story and characters that stay with you.
For those of you who have read Pachinko, what would you recommend? I’d love to know which books gave you that same feeling or left you thinking about them long after you finished. I feel like I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since!

I love light RomComs but often finding that they make the women almost unbearable for me by making them the silly clumsy type or when they make her smart, they make her so headstrong that she becomes illogical if that makes sense?

I liked RomCommers and Time Loops & Meet Cutes.

I’m currently struggling to get through the Unhoneymooners and Love Hypothesis if that helps figuring out books for me.

I’m fine with spice but really looking for something that makes you go “oh that was a sweet story”.

Thanks in advance!

Without going into too much detail, my family is going through a lot of stress due to influencers on the right wing, regarding topics such as trans, immigration, woken/anti woke ideology, CRT, neo marxism and/or antifascism vs. “conservatives” who support anti democratic movement. The far right as representing German AfD,, France’s National Rally, to American parallel movements that approach or flirt with white supremacy.

Specifically looking to understand how these types of politics can divide and destroy families, marriages and relationships as well.

I really like stories with magic/fantasy elements set in our modern world. Just caught up on Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, and Im hungry for more.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Other examples: Dresden Files, The Phoenix Keeper

I recently read "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V.E. Schwab and this book really opened up my eyes on quite a few things. I liked it because it contained a beautiful story, decent writing, and a relatable plot line.

I have always struggled with understanding connection between people; I can only describe it as constant whiplash between understanding people, not understanding them, and struggling with understanding what "kindness" actually entails, etc.

Any suggestions?

In no particular order:

• The Bee Sting - Paul Murray
• The Shards - Bret Easton Ellis
• Notes on a Scandal - Zoë Heller
• Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
• Rejection - Tony Tulathimutte

There were others that I've loved, but these are my favorites so far. I enjoy very dark works about the miseries of life, clearly. Big fan of Irish lit. I generally prefer contemporary writers but I'm not opposed to classics, I just enjoy reading about modern life/recent history. I feel like all these books have unsettling but very 'true' psychological depths, an understandable madness. My usual favorite genre is horror but I've been liking more grounded and gritty stories as well. So basically, if you have any dark and horrific books that you'd be hesitant to tell your friends/family/coworkers you've read, feel free to drop them here!

My priority currently is to find a novel (but I'll later need a nonfiction book so suggestions for that would also be useful!!) that is relatively popular and probably at a library to avoid spending money on this (though all suggestions will probably be helpful). It would also be appreciated if it was a shorter book as I am a slow reader and have about a month or so. My overall topic is "obsession with media figures" and I already did a film paper on Misery (1990) based on the Stephen King book. I kind of want suggestions further than par asocial relationships so some other sub topics for example like loneliness epidemic, social media and influencer-esque stuff, digital privacy, etc... I hope that's specific enough!

Looking for stories with regular men dealing with the struggles of life where romance is just another part of their life without it becoming a romance story. Gay, bi, or homoerotic.
Not really into fantastical or supernatural elements but it is not a deal breaker.
Non-fiction and memoirs are ok. Thanks in advance!

I've been getting into mystery thrillers. My first foray was My Husband's Wife, and then Rock Paper Scissors. I love the surprise twists and that nobody is who you think they are.

What other authors should I also be reading? It's a new genre for me. I would love to put a bunch of new books on my Libby holds.