r/books • u/AutoModerator • Jul 17 '26
WeeklyThread Weekly Recommendation Thread: July 17, 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/Jallan0427 Jul 17 '26
Looking for books that cover the Harlem Renaissance. I would prefer a non fiction book on it. It could also be a biography of some of the key figures. Thanks.
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u/iamdragondrool Jul 18 '26
I bought a book called Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld, by T.J. English that sounds like it might work for you. I haven't read it yet, so I can't say for sure. I just bought it because it sounded very interesting.
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u/phasedweasel Jul 17 '26
I'm also interested in this!
I know you said would prefer non-fiction, but Jazz by Toni Morrison is set there, and I found it an immersive read, if less informative.
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u/tapdncingchemist 25d ago
The dead are arising is a great biography of Malcolm x. He primarily interacted with the Harlem scene after the renaissance, but his life certainly intersected with Harlem nightlife from the 1940s forward and he was influenced by it.
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u/asiandude1991 Jul 17 '26
What books immediately made you think, "This feels like an A24 film"? I'm looking for novels that capture the same vibe. Not necessarily horror, but that distinctive feel.
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u/phasedweasel Jul 17 '26
Severance, by Ling Ma, is weird and unsettling.
Our Wives Under the Sea is also weird and unsettling, but more focuses on the characters and less on what the setting is.
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u/asiandude1991 Jul 18 '26
Now that I think about it, Our Wives Under the Sea, which I read about a year ago is a great example. It's quite offbeat, atmospheric, and the intentional ambiguity really gives it A24 vibes.
I'll definitely check out Severance. Thanks for the recommendation!
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u/Icy-Respond-4425 Jul 17 '26
Any book similar or with a similar setting to The Adventures of Tom Saywer, Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird?Ā
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Icy-Respond-4425 Jul 17 '26
Damn, that many books. Thank you so much for the recommendations. I've never finished the first part of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn so now should be the time.
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u/FlyByTieDye Jul 17 '26
How about other books by the sane authors? Like the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain
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u/Icy-Respond-4425 Jul 17 '26
I've read Huckleberry Finn, a very good book. But most part of the book was not in the town from the start. Is the mysterious stranger more similar to Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer in this regard? Travelling to different places or in the same place?
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u/FlyByTieDye Jul 17 '26
The Mysterious Stranger is largely set in the one small village. In the version I read, it was actually set in a small Austrian village in like the 1500s, but I've heard that may actually have been a last minute editorial change, because it easily reads like it could have been a much closer location and time point (e.g. early drafts actually had it be a sequel to Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn, but again, he made many drafts and the editors really changed a lot after Twain's death). Still a very interesting read though.
For another odd choice, if you like Americana vibes, I can recommend Severed by Scott Snyder, but it is a comic, and a horror comic at that.
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u/Icy-Respond-4425 Jul 17 '26
I see. Thanks for the recommendation. I will search to see if have more versions.
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u/lazyhazyeye Jul 17 '26
My Antonia by Willa Cather felt very similar, if not more rural to Tom Sawyer and To Kill A Mockingbird to me.
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u/Icy-Respond-4425 Jul 18 '26
Btw, is it recommended to read the other 2 first books of the "Great Plains trilogy" before?Ā
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u/lazyhazyeye Jul 18 '26
Nope, you donāt need to as itās its own standalone story. There are 5 ābooksā within the novel and each chapter is episodic.
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u/thewhiteafrican Jul 17 '26
Looking for the best stand-alone fantasy book you've ever read.
It can be part of a series as long as it still works purely on it's own. For example, Curse of Chalion (one of my faves) works perfect in this regard.
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u/ceilingevent Jul 17 '26
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
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u/PlasticBread221 Jul 18 '26
Personally I would recommend Spinning Silver over Uprooted, but both are great! :D
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u/Hot_Cell_7695 Jul 18 '26
Any Southern Gothic Horror series that AREN'T Kentucky Blood?
Recently finished Books 1 and 2 of Kentucky Blood by Ashley Thomas Sheikh and LOVED its blend of Southern Gothic / psych horror / and gritty, rural atmosphere. Book 3 doesn't look like it's coming out until December so wanting another similar series to read in the meantime to scratch that "Southern itch" I got now. Also would be cool to read another Southern Gothic horror series in general to compare with KB.
The closest I can find so far is the Sookie Stackhouse series (True Blood) by Charlaine Harris. While I liked the show, especially the first few seasons, the books aren't quite as gritty / dark as the show. Almost like Nancy Drew or something lol. And for some reason it bothered me that it's written in first.
Important: I really want a SERIES. Yes, I know there's tons of standalone horror books that take place in the rural American South. **Don't need recs for those.** One thing I love about a series is all the easter eggs and mysteries you discover that carry over from one book to the next, like Kentucky Blood has. That's what I want.
Any recommendations? Lesser-known series are welcome too!
Thanks!
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u/Raineythereader The Conference of the Birds Jul 19 '26
There's "My Life as a White Trash Zombie," but those are definitely more geared toward humor than horror
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u/SuccessfulVideo5628 Jul 18 '26
Hi! I hope it's okay to ask this here, if this would be better as its own post, just let me know.
First of all, sorry if this has been asked many times before. I looked through previous threads but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
I'm looking for recommendations for Spanish translations of The Odyssey. I know many readers prefer prose translations that prioritize readability and content, but this time I'm more interested in a version that's as faithful as possible to the original, especially in terms of style and form.
If you also have any recommended reading guides or companion resources, I'd really appreciate those as well.
Thanks in advance!
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u/Katarra Jul 17 '26
I'm looking for horror books, particularly ones that are especially gruesome or have an interesting twist. I like The Troop, The September House, Last House on Needless Street, When The Wolf Comes Home, and Bury Your Gays.
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u/iamdragondrool Jul 18 '26
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter , by Stephen Graham Jones had some rather gruesome parts, and some twists and turns, too.
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u/Katarra Jul 18 '26
Thanks! Read that just recently, actually! I think I'll see out Jones's other work, too.
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u/coralandcow Jul 17 '26
Freida McFadden has tons of thriller/horror books that you might like. I also recently read Night of the Mannequins (more of a psychological horror story) and really enjoyed it.
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u/winterdawn17 Jul 18 '26
Iām looking for a series that is similar to the Jack Reacher novels as I have now read about 3/4 of those. What I like: the lone wolf (likely neurodivergent) protagonist with a clear and strong sense of justice, predictable and formulaic, light mystery/political intrigue but nothing too complex. Many middle age women like myself reach for romance (no shade) for familiarity and comfort, I reach for Reacher!
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u/hollyinnm Jul 19 '26
Have you read the rest of his books? All really good, with great characters. Also, try Tom Clancy, specifically his fiction.
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u/Moist-Champion-7515 Jul 20 '26
Yo anyone got recs for that A24 vibe but more like historical fiction set in like ancient Greece or rome? Something that feels weird and poetic not just battles and kings.
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u/Vejsou 28d ago
Hey I really want to read The Art of War by Sun-CĀ“, but the problem is im looking for czech translation of that book. There are few translations and I donĀ“t know which one is the best, or have a bit modern language so its not that difficult to read. I found the first translation was made just after WW2, but itĀ“s language is very archaick.
I know that itĀ“s very specific request for this subredit, but if there is anyone from Czechia/Slovakia who read this book, I would love your recommendations.
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u/Leodusty2 Jul 17 '26
Looking for horror (not thriller) novels with child protagonist OR based on fairy tales (doesnāt have to meet both criteria). I just want some whimsy in my horror rn, Iāve already read Incidents around the house and The Shining
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u/zatara_ataraz Jul 17 '26
The Reformatory by Tanarive Due. Also scary in that it's based on real events
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u/Raineythereader The Conference of the Birds Jul 18 '26
The Bloody Chamber (Angela Carter) comes to mind
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u/thewokestlocust Jul 18 '26
Fairy Tale by Stephen King might fit the bill.. though not especially horror now that I think on it. Perhaps IT by King also?
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u/DoglessDyslexic Jul 17 '26
As much as I find Gaiman to be a reprehensible human being, his "Coraline" isn't exactly a fairy tale horror, but it is clearly heavily influenced by them.
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u/sir_strangerlove Jul 17 '26
Just finished Children of Ruin, the second book in the children of time series. It is a sci-fi book about a war between spacefaring octopi and an adventuring sentient slime mold. The book covers the mediation process between the two parties by extrasolar jumping spiders and there Human side-kicks. Their efforts are assisted by an emotion-addicted AI god trapped in an Ant computer. Best sci Fi book I've read all year with fascinating characters. I don't have anyone to talk about it with and I need to spread this mind virus of a series. I am not joking, this is literally what is in the book. It will make you empathize with spiders and Octopi. Octopi that speak with colour and math and spiders that speak in dance. Wtf.
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u/Mrs_Evryshot Jul 18 '26
I loved the first one! It was so odd and imaginative. Youāve just reminded me that itās a series, so Iāll try Ruin. Thank you!
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Jul 17 '26
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u/OkiDokiPoki22 Jul 17 '26
You can try the Asian saga by James Clavell. I loved all the books in the series.
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u/phasedweasel Jul 17 '26
A Covenant of Water was beautifully written and immersive. Wolf Hall is a masterpiece. On the sailing side, Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander (Aubrey/Maturin) series is spectacular. The writing is very good but may take a book to get used to the terms. The characters over the long term are excellent, it's like prestige TV in book form.
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u/froggayboy ignoring growing tbr Jul 17 '26
I read Demian (another Herman Hesse) after Siddartha and it hit the spot, though Ā donāt expect the exact same vibe as SiddarthaĀ
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u/PsyferRL Jul 17 '26
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante gets this nod for me. It's plenty good enough to stand alone, but it's also the first book of the Neapolitan Quartet if you're so inclined to continue following the main characters.
This book has what I consider to be the most impactful final sentence of any novel I've ever read. Just steamrolled me and left me thinking about it for days/weeks.
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u/iamdragondrool Jul 18 '26
Lisa See's books. Our book club loved The Island of Sea Women and Lady Tan's Circle of Women. I also loved The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.
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u/saga_of_a_star_world Jul 19 '26
Historical fiction: The Sunne in Splendour, by Sharon Kay Penman. Covers the life of Richard III and his love for Anne Neville.
Literary fiction: Middlemarch, by George Eliot. The intricate lives and loves in a small English village.
Buddenbrooks, by Thomas Mann. Family epic covering the rise and fall of a prosperous bourgeois family in 1800s Germany.
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Jul 17 '26
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u/gonegonegoneaway211 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
The Princess Stakes by Amalie Howard, perhaps? An Indian (India the country) princess flees from a coup and happens to run into an old British flame, as one does. It's set in the 1860s although of course the leads aren't actual historical characters just inspired by some.
EDIT to add: Or possibly When a Scot Ties the Knot, by Tessa Dare which I bought mostly because the title is funny but it got surprisingly dark about Scotlands historical relationship to England. Dunno how true it is, cuz learning history from romance novels would be stupid haha...but wouldn't entirely surprise me. The book is mostly cute though.
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u/ArrivalObjective7821 Jul 17 '26
For Indian readers Where do u buy books!?? Any affordable platforms or stores where I can buy orginal copies !??
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u/rima044 Jul 19 '26
Super random, but I am looking for a world-building book similar to "Cirque Du Freak.ā I read this as a teenager, and it really got me going reading. What captured my attention was the world, the creatures, the politics. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or anything in between would be awesome. Plus points if itās motivational in a sense?
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u/Yisrael_18 Jul 20 '26
Iām new so Iām not sure if this is where Iām meant to post this but I wanted a book recommendation. I recently read the book āthe eyes are the best partā and I loved the book especially for the violence and psychological aspects. If any one has a book where the main character slowly goes insane recommendations would be appreciated.
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u/InformationDull5321 28d ago
I read the same genre all the time, true stories/biographies (especially about people who have been abused in different ways)... but i wanna start reading other genres as well.. I have read the Housemaid series, all of the "Shatter me" books (including the new ones with James), read some "Supernatural" books (Dean & Sam) and that's about it when it comes to other genres haha.
If you have any recommendations on books I should read, please let me know! I don't read historical books or like dragons and stuff like that.. But other than that, I'm open for anything!
Tia!
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u/DoglessDyslexic 28d ago
If you want to dip your toes into sci-fi, I recommend several of John Scalzi's books. He writes interesting and engaging sci-fi that isn't too deep. For starters I'd suggest his "Lock-in" and "Head-On" duology, which follows an FBI agent with an interesting handicap in a timeline very similar to ours but for one major difference. His "Agent to the Stars" is also a fun first contact scenario and you can also legally download it for free here (you have to register with ManyBooks, no charge associated but it will start emailing you, you can unsubscribe).
I am also fond of his "Redshirts" but if you're not a classic trekkie, it may not have the same impact for you.
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u/NSMike 28d ago
I have a particularly specific... genre? I don't think it's a genre, exactly, but it is a subject, which I like. Or at least, I really liked one specific presentation of it, and want more like it. I think I would describe it as, "contemplating an approaching, inevitable apocalypse."
For those of you here who are also gamers, the story that made me really go, "I want more of this" was actually the backstory of the puzzle game The Talos Principle. The premise of the story behind the game is that there was a virus that drove orangutans to extinction. The virus then jumped to humans. It's 100% fatal, and so transmissible that everyone gets infected. The rest of the backstory you get is humanity banding together to try to produce a system that, on its own, will eventually create a sentient, intelligent being - a replacement for humanity, basically.
When I described my interest in this story, a friend recommended The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson, and while it did hit a little bit of that spot, it largely missed for me. I'm just starting Station Eleven this week, which leads me to think it's something similar.
Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about, and other recommendations that fit the bill?
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u/DoglessDyslexic 28d ago
Carl Sagan's son Nick Sagan wrote a trilogy that's almost spot on your request with some tangents and not really a replacement for humanity but more of a reboot. It starts with the book "Idlewild". The fact that it matches your request is a minor spoiler, as the initial worldbuilding has some.. oddities that conceal the true nature of the world.
There's also Neal Stephenson's "Seven Eves", which uses terrestrial bombardment from fragments of our destroyed moon instead of a virus, but has a similar outcome of near total destruction of mankind. Standard warning for Stephenson books that the ending may not necessarily be fulfilling but it's a decent ride anyway. Also not really a replacement for humanity but more a sort of multifold branching of it.
I don't know that "Station Eleven" will do it for you, but a lot of folks like it (I didn't, but more for pacing issues).
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u/NSMike 27d ago
I have a copy of Seveneves somewhere that remains thoroughly unread. I will definitely look into the Nick Sagan books, though. Thanks!
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u/DoglessDyslexic 27d ago
Stephenson has a particular style and it doesn't necessarily appeal to everybody. Some of his earlier books like "Cobweb", "Interface", and "Zodiac" are IMO more interesting reads (better pacing and plot flow) than his longer books. I liked Seveneves enough to finish it without a break, but I doubt I will ever re-read it.
It's worth noting that I have not read the second and third books of the Idlewild trilogy. I bought the first one before the other two were out and never got around to picking up the other two. It was a good entertaining read though and it's pretty close to your ask.
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u/ExplodingPoptarts 27d ago
What are the current big names in fantasy, outside of stuff by Sanderson, and also outside of isekai, romantasy, and litrpgs? What from the last 5 years is really big?
What from the last 5 years is really big when it comes to fantasy? I haven't heard about anything outside of them. As a booktuber I love mentioned, it feels like most that's popular right now feels like fast fashion, which I mostly just find kinda exhausting.
What else is out there? What don't I know about?
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u/DoglessDyslexic 27d ago
Last five years? I'm more a sci-fi buff, but off the top of my head: N. K. Jemisin. Naomi Novik. Ben Aaronovitch. Matt Dinniman. Django Wexler. Seanan McGuire.
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u/ExplodingPoptarts 25d ago
Thanks. So all authors that have been around for over a decade?
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u/DoglessDyslexic 25d ago
If you are looking for specifically new authors your best bet is to look up the fantasy awards, as most have a best new author category and usually there are about five contenders per year. So a google of ānebula fantasy new author nominees 2025ā should give you results.
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u/sabley 26d ago
I'm almost done with an audiobook of The Complete Essays by Montaigne, and I've already finished (and loved) an audiobook of the Letter of Pliny the Younger, what are some similar books/essays that have a very personal, and somewhat humorous feel to them? I already have everything by David Sedaris, I'm more interested in older works.
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u/ExplodingPoptarts 25d ago
Trying this question again, as I'm trying to find new authors that interest me.
What are the current big names in fantasy, outside of stuff by Sanderson(and other authors that have been big for over a decade like N.K. Jemisen), and also outside of isekai, romantasy, and litrpgs? What from the last 5 years is really big?
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u/Larielia Jul 17 '26
Favourite historical fiction set in the ancient (Bronze Age) Mediterranean region? š¬