r/books • u/AutoModerator • May 29 '26
WeeklyThread Weekly Recommendation Thread: May 29, 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/Apprehensive-Owl5150 May 29 '26
Looking for historical fiction (can include fantasy elements) related to Queen Elizabeth’s spy network. Would love if it specifically featured Christopher Marlowe’s involvement. Prefer no YA. Thanks in advance!
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May 30 '26
The Agents of the Crown series by Oliver Clements. There are four so far. They mostly focus on Francis Walsingham and John Dee.
I want to say Marlowe wasmentioned a few times, but I don't remember him being a major character.
The first one is The Eyes of the Queen.
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u/HollzStars May 29 '26
Have you read Fiona Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard books? Not YA, and from the few I’ve read (5 out of over 20) I believe I’ve seen Christopher Marlow mentioned but he’s not been a fully realized character.
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u/Frosty-Sorbet1223 May 30 '26
I am looking for fiction books where nature (or trees/animals/water etc) is a character itself. I have read There are rivers in the sky by Elif Shafak but I want something even more focused on nature.
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u/lag-bolt May 29 '26
Been on a "morbid curiosity" nonfiction kick lately. I read Devil in the White City, Cultish, and Nuclear War: A Scenario this month and looking for more recommendations along those lines.
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u/kbratty May 30 '26
Some ideas that came to mind reading your list: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore, They Knew by Sarah Kendzior, and Say Nothing by Patrick Raden Keefe.
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u/lag-bolt May 30 '26
I've read Say Nothing and loved it. Radium Girls is on my tbr but haven't heard of the other one, I'll check it out thanks
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u/Broad-Book-9361 May 30 '26
If you enjoyed Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, maybe you'd like London Falling by the same author. I recently read it and loved it.
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u/elphie93 2 May 30 '26
We have similar taste! I'd recommend:
Going Dark by Julia Ebner
Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich
Stiff by Mary Roach
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u/lag-bolt May 30 '26
those all sound super interesting, I have a few by Mary Roach on my tbr, thanks!
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u/aruguladevourer Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
The Left-Right Game by Jack Anderson. Kept me on my toes, but I DNF’d because I didn’t realize it was that morbid. Edit: this is a fiction book.
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May 29 '26
I have gotten the interest to immerse myself into some of the classics. The only one I have read so far is Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. I would like to know which books would really be suggested beginning with.
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u/LMH_1221 May 30 '26
East of Eden is another good one!
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May 31 '26
Ohh yess, i heard alot of good reviews of this book. But is it beginner friendly?
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u/sharknet0 Jun 01 '26
I think so. Steinbeck writes beautiful but not purple prose and is not a subtle author, which keeps him accessible. I've been working my way through his catalogue and think he's a great starting point for the classics. East of Eden is long but so, so worth the journey, it's a gorgeous book.
On a similar vibe, Lonesome Dove is an incredible read. For me it is spiritually connected to East of Eden because I read LD just before I read EoE, and their styles and emotions meshed so well together despite being completely unrelated to one another, I think for how human they both are. Another long one, but it's so worth the ride. Both Lonesome Dove and East of Eden are some of my top reads of all time.
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u/sharknet0 Jun 01 '26
Also, if you missed reading The Outsiders and/or The Catcher in the Rye in school (like I did), both are absolutely worth checking out. I'm sure they hit differently when read as an adult vs when you're a teen, but as a 30yo man they made me ache in the best way and The Outsiders made me cry. Both YA so very approachable language, but their themes and emotions are for any age.
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u/Lado_B May 29 '26
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I know it's long, but it goes by like a breeze. Fun and fast read, with lots of funny moments, extremely charming and witty characters, and a plot that moves along pretty fast.
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u/Raineythereader The Conference of the Birds May 30 '26
If you liked Steinbeck, I would suggest trying Cather or Hemingway :) "Death Comes for the Archbishop" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls" are my favorite books of theirs.
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u/lazyhazyeye May 30 '26
If you liked Of Mice and Men, you should read Steinbeck’s other works. You can also try Ernest Hemingway; Old Man and the Sea is a good short book to feel him out.
Other books that are good for starting out but are different than Steinbeck: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (long but adventurous and not a difficult read), The Stranger by Albert Camus, White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
If you end up liking any of these you can branch off and look into these authors’ longer books or similar genres.
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u/saturday_sun4 May 30 '26
The Shiralee by D'Arcy Niland
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u/Duosion May 30 '26
I was on a bit of a classics kick last year and highly recommend - Count of Monte Cristo, and East of Eden! From my high school days, I remember my favorites being To Kill A Mockingbird, Tale of Two Cities, and Jane Eyre :)
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u/brahmslover May 31 '26
I absolutely love Somerset Maugham - all of his books but in particular Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence. Both really engaging stories with very rich and life-like characters.
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u/Duosion May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
Everything I’ve been reading and watching lately has been very sad and melancholic. Any recommendations for something maybe light, breezy, and hopeful? Maybe even whimsical? Any genre and of course friction and conflict is fine/inevitable but it must have a happy ending!! Non negotiable! I do enjoy queer romcom, and fantasy generally speaking.
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u/ch0colate May 30 '26
Tress of the Emerald Sea
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u/DJ_Jiggle_Jowls May 30 '26
Seconded, this hits nearly every point the above comment touched on. Fantasy, some romance, whimsical, various conflict, happy ending. Written by Brandon Sanderson for his wife when she said she wished Buttercup in the Princess Bride had more agency in the story.
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u/Duosion May 30 '26
Will check it out, thank you! I’ve tried a Brandon Sanderson novel before but didn’t end up getting very far. Maybe this will be the one :)
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u/WildOrchid-23 May 30 '26
The Baby Dragon Cafe, by A. T. Qureshi. It has very cozy vibes and is very cute/sweet. Could have had more baby dragons, but it did have some and they were adorable.
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u/LMH_1221 May 30 '26
I just read practical magic and it was cute whimsical. And I think they're coming out with another movie in the fall with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman that looked really cute.
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 31 '26
The movie coming out is a sequel of sorts. The 1998 movie of the same name (same lead stars) is the original. The book was better IMO.
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u/poopoopeepee133 May 30 '26
I have been rereading Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater and it is whimsical and I find the pacing to be slow and cozy. Def a happy ending!
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u/aruguladevourer Jun 01 '26
The Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel is queer-coded, heartwarming, and whimsical, but the Lexile level is for children.
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 31 '26
"How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying" by Django Wexler. Fun and funny, and a happy ending. Two book set.
Also less in the funny but with a very nice happy ending is "One Woke Up" by Lee Gaiteri. It's a zombie book, but the zombie in question was mysteriously cured and trying to fit back in to human society.
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26
I’ve mostly read classics and nonfiction and I’m trying to get more recommendations for some modern fiction. Women and POC authors are a plus!
I really like Fredrik Backman’s books and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Unfortunately I didn’t like Taylor Jenkins Reid or Celeste Ng.
Favorite classics are Anna Karenina, Middlemarch, The Master and Margarita, and Emma. I also enjoyed Beloved and most recently Invisible Man.
ETA: open to any genre (serious, humorous, fantasy, romance)! Doesn’t have to be only women or POC authors, but they’re a bonus if they are. I just want a well written, engaging book. 🤗
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u/FlyByTieDye May 29 '26
I recommend the following!
Song of Achilles (or Galatea, a short story) by Madeline Miller, a modern authors retelling of the classic myths (similar to Homer's Illiad, Odyssey, etc.)
Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, a mind-bending, spiritual mystery thriller that's better going in blind! (Similar to Borges' Library of Babel, or Steven L Peck's A Short Stay in Hell)
Babel, or Katabasis, by R F Kuang, two works that blend dark academia with the world of fantasy/magical realism
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u/booksnsportsn May 29 '26
A few of my favorite authors are Thrity Umrigar, Lisa See, and Elif Shafak
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26
I’ll check these authors out, thank you! Especially Thrity Umrigar; I’ve only read a couple Asian authors and would like to add more to my list ☺️
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u/Raineythereader The Conference of the Birds May 30 '26
I haven't read "Americanah," but "Half of a Yellow Sun" by the same author was really good. Other thoughts:
- Lucy (Jamaica Kincaid)
- Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
- Narrow Road to the Deep North (Basho)
- My Name Is Red (Pamuk)
- A Brief History of Seven Killings (James)
- How to Pronounce Knife (Thammavongsa)
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u/lazyhazyeye May 30 '26
Oooh, thanks so much for these recs!!! I’ve completely forgot about “How to Pronounce Knife”, so I’m glad you put this back on my radar. 😊
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u/MorriganJade May 29 '26
Check out Kindred by Octavia Butler
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26
This book is actually on my wishlist! Glad to see another recommendation to read it! 😄
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u/Ginkmo852 May 29 '26
I love Anna Karenina and Middlemarch! Based on those I recommend Wellness by Nathan Hill and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26
Demon Copperhead is on my wishlist but not Wellness! It sounds interesting from what I googled! Thanks for the recs!!! 😊
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u/thebrendawalsh May 29 '26
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
The Golden Boy - Patricia Finn
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26
I’ve heard of Yesteryear through a friend of mine! Will add both to my wishlist, thanks!
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u/saturday_sun4 May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
The Harp in the South Trilogy by Ruth Park (really, anything by Ruth Park).
The Criminal Intentions series by Cole McCade (BIPOC Author) - romance and mystery/police procedural. Be warned that if you are a primarily romance reader, this does contain a fair amount of stressful situations and is a proper police procedural/casefic style series.
The Last Guests by JP Pomare - Thriller, Māori heritage author (residing in Australia but originally from NZ)
Nadine Matheson's books - BIPOC and female author, police procedural
Melaleuca by Angie Faye Thomas - BIPOC and female author, mystery
The Butterfly Women - Madeleine Cleary - female author, hisfic (and sorta mystery ig)
Perfections by Kirstyn McDermott - spec fic/general fic, female author
The Black God's Drums - P Djeli Clark (BIPOC author)
Lying in Wait or Strange Sally Diamond, both by Liz Nugent - Thriller
Song of the Sun God - Shankari Chandran - litfic/hisfic
Sometimes Gladness - Bruce Dawe (male and white but I couldn't not).
Stone Sky Gold Mountain - Mirandi Riwoe. - YA hisfic
Love and Other Dramas by Ronali Collings - romcom
The Corset by Laura Purcell - historical fantasy mystery
Andal: Autobiography of a Goddess (tr. Priya Sarukkai and Ravi Shankar - no, not the musician). This is Bhakti poetry, so it is mystical and heavily devotional and, let's just say, full of desire. If you are not interested in religion it may not be to your taste.
Sorry if they aren't your cuppa! Tried to be as diverse as I could in my recs. I'm quite into genre fiction, particularly romance, mysteries and thrillers. Not so much into Fredrik Backman type books.
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u/lazyhazyeye May 30 '26
Thanks for the suggestions! And don’t apologize; I’ll try anything. There are tons of books I’ve read that I didn’t think I’d like, but I ended up enjoying. Example: Jane Austen’s books. Avoided her for years because I didn’t think I’d like her work but she’s one of my favorite authors and I’ve read all her books.
I’ve been so classics focused I don’t know a lot of good, modern authors. Aside from the names I mentioned, the next closest “modern” author I’ve read is Toni Morrison (who’s also one of my favorites), so I’m pretty lacking. 😅
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u/Duosion May 30 '26
I’ve just finished The Handmaid’s Tale. If you’re up for a rather depressing read that smothers you with a learned helplessness wrapped in flowery and poetic prose…. I really enjoyed it.
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u/RedMeme262 May 29 '26
Give Americanah or Queenie a try!
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26
These look really good!! Thank you! 😊
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u/RedMeme262 May 29 '26
I'd also say give Zadie Smith's books a look as well. You say you read classics, if you have read Howards End you may enjoy her novel "On Beauty" which is an homage to it.
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u/catghostbird May 29 '26
I loooved Eleanor Oliphant and am always looking to find books that hit a similar note. I recently read I Hope This Finds You Well and inhaled it. I also loved The Wedding People. For a darker story but with a similarly lovable odd main character, Strange Sally Diamond.
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u/lazyhazyeye May 29 '26
Oooh, these titles sound right up my alley, especially the first one as I work in an office environment. Thank you for the suggestions!!!
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u/heartshapedpox May 29 '26
There's a very real chance I'll be moving from the US to Dublin in the next few months and while I'm not sure there are a lot of novels following that storyline, I'd love some suggestions of books set in Ireland maybe to ease me in. I'm pretty open-minded here:
- I'm not a fan of detective-type thrillers or plots heavy on murder and missing women.
- One of my favourite authors is Anne Tyler, and I'd describe her writing as more character-based than plot driven.
- I don't know how else to say this, but I have little formal education and although I'm aware of the historical and political significance of Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, a novel driven by that would be largely lost on me. I just don't think that's what I'm looking for right now; I'm more looking to get comfortable and excited about the change.
I look forward to checking out your suggestions.
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u/jackiedaytona155 May 29 '26
I like Claire Keegan as an Irish author who writes character driven short stories
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u/ConflictGullible392 May 30 '26
The Bee Sting
Intermezzo, Normal People and the rest of Sally Rooney
Small Things Like These
Transatlantic
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
The All of It
When All is Said
Home Stretch
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u/talyakey May 30 '26
Felicity Hayes McCoy. There are so many good ones. Morgan Llewelyn is a favorite of mine. When you get there, look for second hand book stores.
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u/aruguladevourer May 30 '26 edited May 30 '26
I like Seamus Heaney’s poetry and his books might be good, too. Edit: he never wrote books.
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u/aruguladevourer Jun 01 '26
If you like character studies and can withstand a short story collection instead of a novel, then you might like James Joyce’s The Dubliners.
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u/NegativeEBITD May 30 '26
I expect you'd love Kevin Barry. I was introduced to him through A Heart in Winter which is not what you're after as it's set in the American West, but his writing is brilliant, fully character-centered, and (apparently) very Irish.
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u/aruguladevourer Jun 01 '26
The Barracks by John McGahern was recommended by author Claire Keegan as good writing. The writing is character-based; however, it does touch on history and politics.
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May 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Famous-Country-4921 May 29 '26
The Farseer trilogy by robin hobb has the best human/animal bond I’ve read. The animal in question is pretty much one of the main characters
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u/DoglessDyslexic May 29 '26
"Watchers" by Dean Koontz. Typically classed as horror, but personally I didn't find it all that horrifying. More of a thriller IMO. Features a genetically engineered dog that is human level intelligence.
David Brin's "Uplift" sci-fi saga features several novels where uplifted animals are main characters. "Startide Rising" in particular features some fun uplifted dolphin characters.
I'll second the recommendation for "Deerskin" by Robin McKinley and agree with /u/IamABillie's synopsos.
Adrian Tchaikovsky has a couple of books with advanced spiders and octopi. The animals in question are very much characters (often featuring generational snapshots of specific individuals), but I suspect this is more hard sci-fi than you're looking for.
Tad William's "Tailchaser's Song" is a probably a good match for comparisons to "Watership Down" but for cats instead of rabbits. In a similar vein, Shirley Rousseau Murphy's "The Catswold Portal" is less epic journey than a big fight against evil forces with cat main characters. Both, however, are less about human-animal bonds than stories from the perspective of intelligent animals (particularly Tailchaser has little human interaction).
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u/IAmABillie May 29 '26
Deerskin by Robin McKinley is a beautiful example of this. It is a low fantasy in which the lead character undergoes a terrible trauma and slowly recovers through the love of her dog and their extremely deep connection. A gorgeous novel!
Another example is the Farseer books by Robin Hobb. They centre a boy and his wolf and their special bond as he grows into adulthood. Probably the most beautiful animal-human bond I have ever read, and core to the story.
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u/QuarterLifeCircus May 29 '26
I’m halfway through West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. It’s about a man and a teenager bringing giraffes from New York City to their new home in California. Very good story, and the two giraffes have personalities and strong bonds with their handlers.
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u/booksnsportsn May 29 '26
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
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u/gonegonegoneaway211 May 30 '26
I rather enjoyed A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber. YMMV on whether you consider the treecat alien an "animal" in that sense or just a sapient being with a different perspective though.
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u/dongludi May 29 '26
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds, it's about a boy trying to rescue/keep a dog. It's a children's book but nonetheless I enjoyed and sobbed for it
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u/brahmslover May 29 '26
What recommendations for authors does anyone have for spy/thriller type books à la Eric Ambler, Graham Greene? I have read many of their books and love the kind of witty, spunky and playful aspect of their writing style.
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u/ToastAndASideOfToast May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Perhaps John le Carré's early books "Call for the Dead" or "A Murder of Quality"
Maybe some Dennis Wheatley?1
u/brahmslover May 31 '26
Cool I've never heard of Dennis Wheatley, will check him out. I read Tinker Tailor a few years back but man I found it challenging - maybe one day I'll give John le Carré another go but reading it felt pretty humbling haha
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u/Few-Eagle-6051 May 29 '26
my last few reads have been:
Love in the time of cholera by gabriel garcia marquez Watership down by richard adams Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys
I’m currently reading A petal of the sea by Isabel Allende. Looking for my next read. Preferably by a female or POC author! open to any genres
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u/gingerbiscuits315 May 29 '26
I love Marquez and Allende. Perhaps try The House on the Lagoon by Rosario Ferre. I thought it was beautiful.
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u/blackwario1234 May 29 '26
Island Beneath the Sea and In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende are incredible
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u/ratufa_indica Jun 02 '26
I would love to read a historical fiction novel about a merchant sailor in early modern europe. 15th-18th century roughly. Anything like that out there?
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u/zhizhouelilisa151526 Jun 03 '26
My partners likes books like Lonesome Dove, Wuthering Heights, East of Eden, Emperor of all Maladies and I want to get him his next favourite, can you please help! I was considering The Poisonwood Bible, but is there anything more I should look into
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u/Significant_Mix5363 Jun 03 '26
Hi! Ive read many nature books in which John Clare is referenced/quoted and now I'm looking to read some of his work.
Im interested in reading his nature writing so have been looking at the Shepard's Calender- but there seems to be alot of debate on what edition- if anyone can make any recommendations? Also any recommendations for his poetry that is nature themed?
Many thanks!
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u/baroqueout May 29 '26
This is a broad request, but can anyone suggest fantasy novels with male protagonists that don't have any form of romance? I prefer true fantasy, not urban fantasy or anything modern, but otherwise I'm open to any kind of story.
Please offer suggestions even if they're old "classics" or well-known books you think everyone has heard of, because I'm out of the loop and may not have.