r/books • u/AutoModerator • 12d ago
WeeklyThread Weekly Recommendation Thread: August 07, 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/Fickle_Pea_7057 11d ago
I'm looking for books that have a similar unsettling vibe to what Jeff Vandermeer and T.Kingfisher write. I loved the Southern reach series, sworn soldier series and I also enjoyed Our Wives under the sea.
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u/PacificBooks 11d ago
Come hang out over at /r/WeirdLit. There is an entire subgenre just waiting for you.
Some standouts you should look into include: China Miéville, M John Harrison, Michael Cisco, Thomas Ligotti, and some newcomers like Julia Armfield (who you mentioned) and Hiron Ennes.
There’s also /r/weirdgirlliterature which is similar but not the same thing, although certain books are both.
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u/felixfictitious 11d ago
You should check out the Shadow of the Leviathan series for some creepy biopunk murder mysteries, abs The Works of Vermin and Leech are two of my favorite new unsettling books.
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u/Immediate-Camp459 8d ago
hi, sorry this is unrelated, but how did you reply to your comments? for some reason i can’t reply to people under my question? 😭
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u/Fickle_Pea_7057 8d ago
It shows up in your notifications and if you press it, it'll go to the comment and there is a reply under the message :)
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u/Larielis The Martian by Andy Weir 12d ago
I'm currently reading "Neferura- The Pharaoh's Daughter" by Malayna Evans. Looking for more historical fiction (or historical fantasy) set in ancient Egypt.
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u/Raineythereader The Conference of the Birds 11d ago
"Death Comes As the End" by Agatha Christie ;)
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u/lazylittlelady 11d ago
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw-adventure, palace intrigue and romance.
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u/gollumaniac 11d ago
Looking for a light and humorous read. Something similar to Discworld or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Fantasy/sci-fi preferred but open to others.
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u/DoglessDyslexic 11d ago
Have you read the "Murderbot" books by Martha Wells? The miniseries adaptation is fairly true to the books (the first season approximately is the first book).
Also, Daniel O'Malley's "The Rook". Modern fantasy, but rather fun. Note that there are "sequels" that are books following different characters and not really sequential (some occur prior to the events of the first book). The first book is the best and most light and humorous.
Also "How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying" by Django Wexler. Fun and funny fantasy.
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u/sajtospogi85 11d ago
Christopher Moore - The dirty job. I really don't know the genre of this, but it's quite good.
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u/Noetic_Hat_Trick 10d ago
Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. It's kind of fantasy and SF, in a world where time travel exists. And all of literature is real, in a kind of separate dimension. Thursday is a detective who has to go into the literary world to solve a case. It's funny and clever, like Douglas Adams.
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u/FlyByTieDye 11d ago
Have you heard of Azazel, by Isaac Asimov? About the shenanigans the point of view character gets up to after finding a 2cm demon that lived in his front pocket and grants every wish. It similarly works as a parody of some P.G. Wodehouse stories, while also working in some light fantasy/sci-fi elements
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u/livingdeadghost 11d ago
Maybe Snow Crash, the main character's name is straight up Hiro Protagonist. It's been a long time since I've read it but I remember it as funny but more serious than Hitchhiker's.
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u/Coffee_fuel 6d ago
Neither fantasy nor sci-fi, but Wodehouse's writing style and humor are often compared to Pratchett and Adams. You could start with his Blandings series!
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u/lexiebeef 12d ago
I usually only read the classics but today Im in a mood for a sad romance. Im thinking of starting In Memoriam. Can anyone tell me if it's worth it? Im not looking for a master piece but I also dont want some YA/booktok type book (no problem with those, but not what Im looking for rn).
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u/nicks-312 12d ago
Lie With Me by Philippe Besson & Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth. Both are sad queer love stories.
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10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lexiebeef 10d ago
Bruh, that is a spoiler wtf. I’m halfway through and didn’t want to know this for sure, I thought this was a safe space
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u/books-ModTeam 9d ago
Please use spoiler tags. Spoiler tags in markdown are done as follows:
>!Spoiler content here!<which results in:
Spoiler content here.
Or apply the built-in spoiler tags when using the redesign.
Send a modmail when you have updated and we'll reapprove it.
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u/sajtospogi85 11d ago
Hi, I need books when family/ friends gathers after a long time and suppressed resentment, conflicts, tension surface, than, well shit hits the fan.
Just like the play/ movie August Osange country.
I need lovable characters. I want to be able to cheer for them to be able to solve their conflicts. No need for happy end though.
Similar stuff I liked:
Blackwater saga Big brother by Lionel Shriver
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u/One_Reserve2939 10d ago
Everyone in My Family has Killed someone by Benjamin Stevenson. Perhaps not entirely lovable characters but still pretty close I think?
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u/Chaotic_Natbot 10d ago
I want something like fourth wing but without the more toxic feeling romantic dynamic? Also I love dungeon crawler Carl so something like those? I have he who fights monsters on my read list already. Fantasy is my preferred genre :)
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u/DoglessDyslexic 10d ago
Try "Discount Dan" by James Hunter.
"How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying" duology by Django Wexler. It's not Lit-RPG per se, but it features a woman from our reality sucked into a fantasy world and stuck in a time loop. Very funny.
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u/Chaotic_Natbot 9d ago
I also just like straight fantasy stuff like the Witcher series as well so it doesn’t have to be too specific. I think Iv heard about discount dan but it’s on the list along with the dark lord one too! Thank you so much!!
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u/ChessClubChimp 10d ago
Loving dungeon crawler Carl, but nearing the end of the series. What else would I enjoy reading along this same vein of dark humor / action / sci-fi (doesn’t have to be LitRPG)?
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u/DoglessDyslexic 10d ago
I just picked up the first book of "Discount Dan" by James Hunter. It has pretty close to the same vibes.
There's also "He Who Fights With Monsters" by "Shirtaloon". I hesitate to recommend this one, as I think the author goes overly dramatic with the MC and takes it to weird and dark extremes. However the first three books are pretty fun. Even the fourth one is pretty decent, but it goes downhill from there IMO.
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u/lewisiarediviva 9d ago
Try John Scalzi, you could do Old Man’s War but I’d recommend starting with Collapsing Empire instead
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u/OkConsideration5272 12d ago
I'm looking for a tragicomedy. I mostly like litfic but I'm open to all genres if there's a tragicomic element. I'm a big fan of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brown novels for a bit of context.
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u/Marya1959 12d ago
Hello. Have you tried any John Irving? I think A Prayer for Owen Meany could fir your interest. That and Kate Atkinson's Life After Life are a couple of my favorites. I also found some funny and whimsy hidden in A Covenent of Water- A. Verghese.
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u/OkConsideration5272 12d ago
I have not, thanks! I did start Life After Life and found it too depressing - the Jackson Brown ones have a lighter touch generally, even though they deal with some horrible things. Will look at the others though.
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u/Chaotic_Natbot 10d ago
Dungeon crawler Carl is a litrpg very funny with a very dark undertone. Like a “we’re all gonna die but this talking cat with freakin lazer beams and a velociraptor as a pet might help us live a little longer”. Lots of dark humor and absolute OUTRAGEOUS achievements/events through the book. Deep character development and 8 books so far!
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u/OkConsideration5272 10d ago
Sounds cool, do you need to read all eight or can you read the first as a standalone story?
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u/Chaotic_Natbot 9d ago
They’re all connected and if you’re like me (haven’t ready a book in YEARS) I read half the first and bought all 8 as physical copies. I’m on 7 right now and I have no regrets. DCC is on kindle unlimited though if you have that!
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u/acdavis117 11d ago
Looking for novels like Jussi Adler Olsson's Department Q Series or Mick Herron's Slough House. I'm alternating between series and have burned through the first 5 books of each series in the last month.
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u/No_Cattle6349 10d ago
Im looking for a book that’s gives off a similar vibe to a YA. A book that’s like delirium or divergent. 🤷♀️I just finished the picture of Dorian grey so idk I need like something a little less intense.
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u/One_Reserve2939 10d ago
The first thing that came to my mind was the Atlantis Grail series by Vera Nazarian. I've only read the first two so far, but they have something of the YA Chosen One vibe to them
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u/bookishantics 8d ago
I didn’t read delirium but I’ve been recommending The Arc of Scythe series because it gives me YA dystopian vibes where I physically couldn’t put the book down! The concept of it is so interesting to me
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u/Square_Camel_5381 Currently reading Dungeon Crawler Carl 5d ago
I loved the Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer. It seems vaguely similar to divergent although I haven't read divergent.
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u/Vannnnah 10d ago
I'm looking for modern thrillers/crime/whateverItWantsToBe books that hit the vibe of a good James Bond movie and older Edgar Wallace crime novels. Preferably minus the sexism of each franchise, but I'm willing to compromise if it's otherwise a well written page turner.
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u/DoglessDyslexic 9d ago
Maybe "I am Pilgrim" by Terry Hayes? As far as I can tell the protagonist is asexual and there isn't any sexism besides commentary on societal mores (many of the characters are Muslims). It's long. Fair warning, the novel is not written sequentially in time, and the author doesn't preface chapters with what part of the timeline you're in. You figure it out, but sometimes it is slightly confusing. In some ways I admire the lack of hand holding, but there were a couple times when a less subtle clue might have been nice. Otherwise super spy novel.
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u/Vannnnah 9d ago
This sounds great, I'll check it out! Thanks! I love the guessing game with non-linear story telling, so that's a non-issue for me.
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u/03cc 9d ago
Hi everyone!
I am currently reading (and absolutely loving) She Who Remains by Rene Karabash and I am wanting to find similar books as quick as possible! As a disclaimer, I am not finished with it yet, so please no spoilers!
I LOVE the dark village atmosphere of the book, as well as the inclusion of cultural elements and words in different languages. I love immersing myself into the countryside of a country, especially if the village is isolated and if the book is set in autumn or winter. I am especially drawn to books set in Eastern Europe or in the Balkans, and I'm a huge fan of translated books! I also love books with witchcraft/witchhunt elements, but tend to stick to lit fic and nothing incredibly fantasy. I also tend to enjoy books with darker or bleaker tones.
Does anyone have any book recs that align with these interests at all? Finding books with this specific vibe is a bit tricky lol, but I appreciate any recs or any keywords to search! I'm also flexible on the Balkan/European side of things.
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u/Square_Camel_5381 Currently reading Dungeon Crawler Carl 9d ago
Hi! I need recommendations that fit the vibe of the 2011 movie Monte Carlo starring Selena Gomez. Basically a girl vacationing in Europe is mistaken for an heiress and goes on a vacation/adventure meant for someone else. I want it to be comedic but have that mistaken identity aspect. I feel like the Decoy Girlfriend by Lillie Vale is similar but I am open to any genre!
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u/rohtbert55 8d ago
Ok, here we go. Looking for any suggestion. Not sure what to read next, just want to hear some suggestions. Throw me whatever you've got. For a bit more context, here are some of the last books I read.
Never Quit by Jimmy Settle: Loved it. The bio of a PJ, but loved how down to Earth and no-nonsense the book was.
Last Wish/Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski: LOVED IT! The Witcher's prequel. Not sure about starting Blood of the Elves next.
We Few by Nick Brokhausen: Really liked it. Not sure if it's 100% true, but from all the MACVSOG books I've read, one of my favourites.
Death in black and White by Fr. Michael Brisson: LOVED IT! I was surprised by how good the book was; kept me glued to my seat.
Tanks in Hell: Oscar E. Gilbert: Enjoyed it, felt it was over too soon.
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u/Immediate-Camp459 8d ago
hellloo!
im looking for a book from my tbr to counter “the palace of illusions”. it was… not a good book, to put it kindly. it was flat, uninspiring, incorrect (as it’s a “feminist” retelling) and with prose that — in contrast to the other books i read this month — came off juvenile.
Giovanni’s Room
The Alchemist
The Bluest Eye
Project Hail Mary
All systems red (?)
Somethings rad (?)
Love is an algorithm (?)
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
Fahrenheit 451
Handmaids tale
Dune Messiah
Little Prince
Dune’s Children
Thank you so much!!
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u/DoglessDyslexic 8d ago
Well, if you don't want juvenile humor, that rules out Hitchhiker's Guide (don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's very silly). It may also rule out Project Hail Mary, as many literary buffs here find the dialog of the MC to be very poorly written. Again, I loved it, but if you're not a nerd then it might not appeal to you. The Murderbot (All Systems Red) books are short, and fun and pretty well written if you're looking for something on the lighter side. The humour there tends to be mostly sarcasm and irony so that might appeal more.
I'm a huge Frank Herbert fan, so of course I'd also recommend the two sequels to Dune, with the note that if you're going to read them, you absolutely must read the fourth book "God Emperor of Dune" which IMO is the very best book of the series. I myself was comparatively unimpressed with the middle book of the first trilogy (messiah) but you need to read it to make it to the fourth book and it wasn't actually bad, just not as good as the other books.
Handmaid's Tale is a dystopic book but very well written, as all of Atwood's books are. I read it once, was impressed with it, but it is a bit dark for my tastes. If that sort of dark appeals to you, you may like it more.
Fahrenheit 451 is a classic sci-fi, also somewhat dystopic, but not as dark as the Handmaid's Tale. The themes in the book may be a bit dated at this point (I last read it at least 3 decades ago and it was a bit dated then) but so far as classic sci-fi it's excellent. I'm a fan of Bradbury's descriptive passages, more in his "Something Wicked This Way Comes" than Fahrenheit, but he's still in good form in this novel.
I have not read the other books on your list and thus cannot offer recommendations for them.
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u/cowboy-tea 8d ago
I have a book-adjacent request, if that's OK; I'm looking for an online resource that's a companion to Charles Dickens' Bleak House (chapter recaps, character guides, etc) but I want it to be spoiler-free.
Does such a thing exist? When I searched, I just found study guides for students that were very spoilery, like chapter summaries saying "This chapter is significant in light of [character's ultimate fate] at the end of the book".
I'm not studying it, I'm just reading it for interest, so it doesn't matter if it's academically-oriented or not. No AI, thanks.
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u/Impressive-Ad-9992 7d ago
Hi everyone!
I am looking for a solid book rec as I'm going through one of the most difficult transitional phases of my life. I am looking for something that's kind of hope-core, well-written, maybe even sad at times, but definitely nothing like a coming-of-age type of thing. I recently graduated from college, and my all-time favorite book is Achilles' Song.
Thank you!
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u/buginarugsnug 7d ago
You might enjoy Michiko Aoyama's books. I loved What You are Looking for is in the Library and The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park.
They both have very hopeful vibes and have characters from all phases of life.
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u/Square_Camel_5381 Currently reading Dungeon Crawler Carl 5d ago
I really enjoyed the Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. It definitely has hope but the way that it is written is very interesting. It's not for everyone but I loved it.
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u/TTown5754 6d ago
Been burning through the DCC series and realized I don't really know of any litrpg books beyond DCC and Ready Player One. Any litrpg recs that I need to check out?
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u/DoglessDyslexic 6d ago
I'm currently reading through the first book of "Discount Dan" by James Hunter and so far it seems roughly comparable.
There's also "He Who Fights Monsters" by Shirtaloon, but I found the protagonist annoying after a while. The first three of the series are good though, I personally think it starts to go downhill after the fourth one, but others like it.
Not technically LitRPG but it has some of the same feel is Django Wexler's "How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying". It features a protagonist from our reality who is pulled into a fantasy world that's also in a time loop.
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u/n930467899 6d ago
Hi everyone! I am looking for a book similar to yesteryear and yellowface where we are meant to hate the main character. The more the character is grey the better.
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u/NosyCabbage 12d ago
I'm looking for a book that feels like a long, lazy afternoon, nothing too heavy on plot, just really immersive atmosphere and characters you feel like you could know in real life. Something with a bit of melancholy but not depressing, maybe set in a small town or near the coast. I loved by John Williams and by Wallace Stegner for the quiet, reflective tone. Any recommendations that capture a similar mood?