Literary Classics & Library

My book club functions by reading a different genre every month. I curate the options (typically 4-8) because I'm the most avid reader of the group and the other members vote one which one they want. Our "genre" for September is Indigenous fiction (and before you get on me for that not being a genre, we also do queer fiction in June so we read any book regardless of genre with queer characters).

Now my problem is that I do not have enough Indigenous fiction on my TBR to vote from. Originally it would have included Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese (which still will be one of the options) and Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Steven Graham Jones, but the latter I read as a buddy read recently so can't be included in the list. Regardless, I need at least 3 more recommendations.

The requirements for our definition of "Indigenous Fiction" include:

- Written by an Indigenous Author

- About Indigenous people/topics

-Ideally Indigenous to North America since we're Canadian, but open to any region*

Please do what you do best r/suggestmeabook and save my book club!

I’m in a funk and need to read something that is lighthearted but not “fluffy”. Nothing wrong with fluff but that’s just not what I’m looking for. I tend to read books on the depressing side (dystopian fiction, historical conflicts and tragedies, etc) and I don’t think that’s good for my mental health right now.

Here are some things I’m looking for/not looking for:
- fiction or nonfiction is fine
- no memoirs
- cool with short story collections or novels
- nothing to do with violence, mental illness, depressing history, etc
- no YA
- no manga or similar
- romance is fine but I’d prefer that it not be the overall plot line (I’m not looking for “spicy” reads lol)
- lighthearted/humorous but not too simplistic
- no self-improvement/inspirational/religious subjects (unless it’s something like “The Year of Living Biblically”)

I know this is a lot to include so I appreciate any suggestions close enough! TIA!

I’m looking for a fiction book where the main character is a mom, but that’s not the only focus of the book. Thank you!

I used to read a whole bunch, and a whole bunch of genres, but lately I’ve just been stuck feeling too bored to read anything. I’ll start a book and just lose interest a few pages in.

So I’m trying to find books that will hook me from the start and never let me go. I’m open to any genre, just as long as it breaks me out of this slump

Sometimes a book finds you at the wrong time. You read it in your 30s, 40s, or later, and can't help but wonder how things might've turned out if you'd found it sooner. So what's a book you wish had reached you earlier, one you wish you'd read in your 20s, 30s, 40s, whatever age would've made the difference? (Not necessarily your 20s, it could be your 30s, 40s, or later, or just some period in your life that could've benefited from it) And what age do you think would've been the right one?

I want a story about a woman with an appetite. I don’t want someone who is dealing with binge eating disorder or bulimia, or using over-eating as a form of self harm. I genuinely want a main character who loves food and isn’t ashamed of it

TLDR: Books for a want-to-be beginning reader in her mid 20's who is going through treatment for severe mental health struggles related to grief, trauma, and depression. Suggested books should be easy reading with a relatively lower lexile level if possible. Books can be related to mental health or entirely unrelated fictional novels that would be good for someone in her position. I am looking to give her three books so that she can pick what she feels she needs:

1. Something "self help" ish or nonfiction related to her struggles. Maybe The Body Keeps the Score?

2. A fictional novel she could relate to.

3. A fictional novel she can escape through.

CONTEXT:

Important: she is not a reader.

However, she has been wanting to become more of a reader as of late and recently got herself a Kindle! Unfortunately, she was recently hospitalized for issues presented in the title. While she is on an involuntary hold right now, she will be in a much more... gentle residential treatment facility soon, and she'll be able to have books there.

She read and enjoyed a couple of BookTok books, but the only one I know by name is Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us.

Interests: She loves traveling, she is a nurse who loves children with every fiber of her soul, she is very sporty and active, and her favorite "couch hobby" is obsessively browsing the 'aspirational' side of Zillow lol. She has a dream of opening a coffee shop and taking a van and converting it into a camper.

Best to avoid: A lot of mental her struggles stem from the relatively sudden death of her Mom last year to whom she had a storied and very complex relationship with. While I am sure there may be books that deal with this issue with grace, I think mother/daughter type things are probably just best to avoid right now. Maybe in a few years.

Edit: Thanks in advance for your help. I will be deleting this thread within a day or so.

I read a lot of American history books, but I recently remembered I enjoy good satire, too (Mark Twain is one of my favorite authors). I want to expand into that genre. Recently read Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle", which was fine, but I'd like more. Any recommendations?

Most of my reading has been either non-fiction (biographies and such) or technical reading (lots of engineering manuals and things of that nature). I have read a few fiction books, mostly ones that were made into movies (because I was very into movies and wanted to read the books). Those would include… High Fidelity, 2001: A Space Odyssey, No Country for Old Men, The Godfather. Loved them all.

I’m interesting in getting into reading and discovering a lot of the classics…But I don’t even know where to start. What, say, five (or even 10) books would you recommend to someone to get them started into the world of fictional literature?

Thanks

Would love any suggestions on this topic! Whether it's an autobiography, self help, etc. 34 years old woman and just diagnosed and would love to feel less alone!

My Dearest Friends,

Are you a cat in heat after reading this?

Apologies. I am not going to summarize this section. It mirrors the first half of the Morning Glory Milking Farm from Rourke's POV. That discussion is linked Here. I think you’ve got it! So let’s stop edging and get right to the discussion.

Schedule

I need a book thatll educate me on the currect state of the world and help me form my own opinions about politics because I seriously dont have a clue about politics and Id like to become more educated so Im not so ignorant.

I've read so much at this point that I genuinely can't find anything fresh anymore. Everything people recommend I've either already read or it sounds like something I've read. I want something truly niche, unexpected, the kind of book nobody talks about but should. Help me out.

Since a few of you asked, I usually dig through Knosit to find niche stuff (https://knosit.com/books).

I’m usually a romance reader, but have recently flown through ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ and ‘What Rhymes With Murder?’, and have really enjoyed both of them. I’m after book recommendations of a similar style: think ‘cosy’ murder mystery, definitely nothing too scary, but where I get to also try solve the murder, and nice to haves are nice side storylines and character development. Also think The Thursday Murder Club kind of vibe! lmk if you have any suggestions

so, i got into a relationship very recently (!!!) with my best friend in university. The way our friendship and eventual romance has progressed reminds me a lot of Before Sunrise. There really is no other movie or media that has come close to being relatable to our dynamic, because walking through city streets and talking for hours is more or less our regular thing. I want to gift him a book for his birthday next month, as we’re both avid readers, and books and movies are things we truly bond over. I’ve been searching this subreddit like a hawk trying to find suggestions that match what i need, but I’ve come to the realisation that love, with all its nuances and emotional complexities, is very underrepresented in popular media. The social aspects of love or the psychological aspects of obsession or infatuation, sure, those have better representation. But honest, true love with all its imperfections? love that becomes divine in its simplicity? I find literally nothing like that. Now, I come to the honourable people of this subreddit to please suggest me underrated books that do correspond to what im looking for, kindly! Some more about our shared tastes is that we adore classics, and linguistic beauty is also a big criterion on which our preferences hinge. Please don’t suggest anything like CoHo or any booktok authors whose books contain no substance. And no Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë, please, because both him and i have read a lot of them already. I’m looking for understated classics/ modern books which are written with sufficient depth.

Where can I read a lot of this? I want great literary minds writing in detail about other great works of literature, they analyse, expound, dissect, sing praises and fanboy over their favourite writers and works. I want to know how differently a far superior mind reads and interprets literature than when I read them.

The best example I can think of is W.G Sebald's A Place in the Country where he writes about six different writers/poets. There's also Borges' Selected Non-fictions which contains his thoughts and reviews on different works. If you know any other such examples please recommend, the more in depth and detailed the better

Hi! I read a lot of very heavy books. I am in a bit of a reading slump now and i want a fun and light book. Thank you for any recommendations!🥰 sorry if i write anything wrong, english is not my first language..

Any cuisine is fine with me. All my cookbooks have a ton of niche ingredients for every recipe or require special cookware. I just need something that is nourishing and can be made in an hour or less. I’m mostly familiar with cooking Asian and Mediterranean cuisine but I like everything. It’s so hard to feed myself these days. I can’t think of what to make.