id,title,description,top_one_book_title
1l9l4rp,Something like this,,The House on Mango Street
1l9kd3k,Dark Fantastical Winter like a Black Metal album,"Either the more fantastical work of Necrolord, or the bleak, minimalist forest folklore of Paysage D'Hiver. Doesn't have to be fantasy genre specifically, but dark folklore seems the vibe.",Naomi Novik - Spinning Silver
1l9e5db,"Woman as healer, creator; feminine power","The transcendental feminine experience, Mother Nature, femininity as power ","If you’re okay with YA, I’m getting major The Girl Who Drank the Moon vibes"
1l9ddjh,Books where MC is obsessed with having control?,,A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers  and Come Closer by Sara Gran and Tampa
1l9csii,"80s vibes, sapphic desire","two diff vibes here, but overall -- I'm looking for lesbian fiction with an 80s vibe, or set in the 80s or EARLY 90s. Preferably something like Love Lies Bleeding or San Junipero, where there's a genuine plot aside from just ""living in a time of homophobia"" and a real sense of desire and tension. 

These photos are just some vibes, but I'm open to anything fiction with a strong 80s vibe -- be it a dusty desert, glitzy cocaine-house, neon arcade, sweltering summer camp, humming computer lab-- and lesbian desire. Massive bonus points for butch or masc lesbian characters. ","((to clarify when I say sapphic desire I do NOT mean erotica, just that there's like. Actual sapphic tension and chemistry as a driving part of the plot and relationships,not sapphic in like................ in a braiding hair girlfriends kind of way....))"
1l9cm4o,Dutch 17th Century Golden Age,Gh,Girl With a Pearl Earring and The Miniaturist
1l9b809,"divine,censored,uprising,worship,televised lies","https://preview.redd.it/nbeldikpoe6f1.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45a5ce66dca7a6ae0c4d834401b44f2037885e7d

https://preview.redd.it/gl29k6kpoe6f1.jpg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1909e2dfceb84d4c64dc1215e9403f4577cbeaa5

https://preview.redd.it/llijk1kpoe6f1.jpg?width=1160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=afbb7cbe43b307dd4e78b7f742ec9664d7e6fd98

https://preview.redd.it/jjlj8nw2pe6f1.jpg?width=468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70dc839609530ac00e36737b47e1ee2feffd62e4

https://preview.redd.it/b1gty0r5qe6f1.jpg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc6aef61f9a4b52ea080193ca2133b557515d373

",Between Two Fires
1l9b6no,"Beneath her moon, he knelt","A Pious/Knightly man falls for a witch. Not in the Judge Claude Frollo way, but instead more like a Gomez and Morticia way. Like of course he feels some conflict at first and feels like he's betrayed his people, but he genuinely loves how she's just her witchy self unapologetically.   
AND doesn't try to convert her, just accepts that they are different. Maybe he converts to her, or they just figure out how to coexist together in a relationship.   
Also maybe he likes how scary she can be. ","The witcher, Geralt and yen relationship kinda look like this."
1l97bir,Books that reminds of the ratliff brothers,"From the white lotus. 

Dynamics like theirs. It's weird. ",A separate peace
1l95n83,"British countryside, stalking beast and biologists","I’ve been loving this series of rewinding videos all around the world, some are in the U.K. 

And these biologists are basically in the middle of no where with little production, because bears, wolves and other megafauna isn’t here in the U.K.

So like any books with this feeling?

I want it to be scary but also focus on the environment and humanity’s impact on it, also how we can make it better.",Annihilation
1l94j8r,Robots developing feelings,Love the musical Maybe Happy Ending and really enjoyed Annie Bot (and Stepford Wives which I feel is in this realm!) ,Anniebot and Klara and the Sun
1l92b0i,Deep woods cult vibes,Doesn’t have to be horror necessarily but anything with a spooky edge. Some southern gothic / Appalachian type vibe,A History of Wild Places
1l91u2q,"Big war, but not too depressing",Things are miserable but characters arent. ,"Love this comic, ending is so stoopid that it wraps around to being brilliant again. and With that in mind, you can’t go wrong with Catch-22"
1l9061w,Rusty lake,,"I saw those images and immediately thought ""lovecraft""  specifically"
1l8zmfc,Early season X-Files,"Romance optional, rainy PNW vibes an absolute must ","No suggestions just commenting because
A) I want to be reminded to come back later to check suggestions
B) Scully’s giant ‘90s windbreaker means so much to me."
1l8ydtg,"Yearning, Moody, Horny, Romance","Think Jane Eyre, An Offer From a Gentleman, Pride and Prejudice (all of which I have read)

Like a weird lost guy finding a woman who completes him and he wants to give her everything (but also maybe a little feminist) ",Following 👀
1l8wij2,Technicolor scifi horror. Pastel nightmares.,"Looking for scifi horror that incorporates bright and/or pastel colors, especially books where the color adds to the horror in some way. I have already read Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer and The Color Out of Space by HP Lovecraft - all other suggestions are much appreciated! ",Philip K Dick! Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch specifically will satisfy this vibe.
1l8v3t7,Books that feel like Friends,"I'm looking for lighthearted books that focus on fun, dynamic friend groups (think Friends or Sex and the City). Fun, witty, cozy, easy reads. Wanting to avoid anything dealing with heavy, sad, depressing themes.

Thanks so much! :)",Last chance saloon
1l8squ1,Books with Trench Crusade feels,,"Although I only just started it, The Devils"
1l8qys7,Any books that come to mind,,"maybe something Terry Pratchett discworldy? Or, look, i hate neil gaiman, but i still love some of his works (and owned them before anything had come out about him) - perhaps the graveyard book? make sure you get it secondhand though, or borrow it from a friend - don't put any money in that bastard's pockets"
1l8q697,Looking for Books that feel like this 🤎☕🌃👡🍸,"Think the coziness of Gilmore Girls meets the overall vibe of SATC, no YA please!",Don't have a book but this feels exactly like the nostalgia of my late teens so I'm following to find out.
1l8lao5,"coming of age books about recovery, introspection",,It’s kind of a funny story
1l8h5x2,Something evil happened here…,,This gives such Something Wicked This Way Comes vibes.
1l8fd0o,"Books that feel like ""No I'm Not a Human""?",I recently played the demo for this game and I am ***obsessed*** with the setting and aesthetic. ,"Not to be sarky, but it's in the title. Also in very large letters in the first picture. *No, I'm Not a Human*"
1l8eu1y,"Looking for fiction, nonfiction, adult, ya, or mg","Just finished the Netflix docuseries ""Keep Sweet"" about escaping the FLDS, and Im looking for more stories of women stuck in small towns in the middle of nowhere, hungry for escape from a life theyve been told is righteous or better than ""normal.""

For example, Ive read both ""Educated"" and ""The Glass Castle,"" and found them to be both intriguing and inspiring. 



",Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer and Women Talking
1l8a07p,Surreal fantastical intricate -scapes,"""The Atrium"" by Tom Masse; cover art: ""Jerusalem"" by Alan Moore; The White Horse Silk Scarf by Pig, Chicken & Cow. Would prefer vibes no harsher than bittersweet.

(So sorry for the double post! My internet connection is being....spirted)",Obligatory Piranesi recommendation.
1l83pg4,mama mia vibes,I’m going to greece for a family wedding(very mama mia core) and i just want a good book for the plane/travels! ,Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants lmao
1l7wrx9,Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild MV,,"Even cowgirls get the blues, Tom Robbins"
1l7rynx,"grappling with faith, seclusion",,"Silence, the Samurai, both written by Shusako Endo.  Power and the Glory by Graham Green.  Revival"
1l7rcvj,Like Ben 10 but specifically this part,Can be either YA or Adult and have a strict magic system or not but I just want this kind of magic vibe,"Nope, all these images are from Omniverse, UA, and AF"
1l7pxuf,"Books that feel like this, only sapphic?",Just two gal pals silently yearning for one another while slow dancing.,Radcliff Hall's The Well of Loneliness
1l7ni2l,"Pensive, dreary beach vibes???",Literary fiction is also fine!,On Chesil beach is this exactly
1l7mtfr,Secret society/cult fiction book,"I’m looking for a book that involves a secret society or cult, like the Hellfire Club or Freemasons. Something dark. No fantasy or supernatural please. Thanks!","The closest I can think of is “The Club Dumas” by Arturo Pervez-Reverte.  There is a little bit of supernatural, but it’s relatively minor.   and You could also try “Foucault’s Pendulum”"
1l7len8,Mermaid/Siren Horror,"Generally looking for Horror, but Mystery/Thriller, and maybe some Romance will be acceptable too.  
Recently rediscovered my childhood love for merfolk/sirens and I'm now looking for reading material that suits my adult interests: Horror.   
Don't have a preference for time period or gender of characters but here's some examples of what I've already read:  
""Siren"" by Measha Stone

""Whispers of the Deep"" Trilogy by Emma Hamm

  
While those two are dark romances, I'm hoping for something more horror or mystery related. Maybe something more akin to ""The Lighthouse"" 2019, or the Sirens in Pirates of the Caribbean. ",*The Salt Grows Heavy* and Both the horror of mermaids and the horror of what was done to them.
1l7iwkq,Ancient Rome/other early cultures,"For context I’m currently writing my own fantasy novel, heavily inspired by Ancient Rome as well as other ancient societies. I want a rich fantasy world to get lost in and inspired by! Not Euro-centric. I’m also currently reading Upon a Burning Throne, which is also the vibe I’m loving rn!",The Women of Troy series is excellent.
1l7ivgj,Books that feel like Pirates of The Caribbean,"Bonus points if it has some romance, gypsies and/or royalty, a lot of adventure and fantasy elements (mermaids, magic, creatures). ",The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
1l7i52e,something that will make my heart ache,"I just want to feel something, love those stories  which are hauntingly beautiful and intimate. It doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic, it can be about the intimacy of connecting with oneself too. ",Our wives under the sea - still thinking about the characters after my recent read
1l7gwno,Night life x beachy,"I used a few movies / series i really lovee to display this. Moonlight, waves, mid 90s, euphoria.

Like a slice of life centrering around young adults. I really love open water by caleb azumah nelson and it really reminded me of this.

Really showcasing the ups and downs of life, the feeling of living your life in your 20s, love, parties, that deep connection and spark when you click with someone, the fall outs, family sagas, immigrant life / poc focused, well written characters that feel real, anything similar to the movies and books listed above ! ",Malibu Rising
1l7g8g6,Historical romance with longing and yearning,"For context, I've just watched Ophelia (2018). Also, i don't mind if it's fantasy or not.","The Tristan and Isolde books, and the Guinevere books"
1l7fs7h,"contamination by fungi/bacteria, gothic vibes","examples that come to mind are *What Moves the Dead* by T. Kingfisher, *Mexican Gothic* by Silvia Moreno Garcia, and (looser fit) *Fever Dream* by Samanta Schweblin. ",Annihilation
1l7dka2,"Ethel Cain, late 90s, mystery, slice of life","Books that feel like Ethel Cain's ""The Preacher's Daughter"". I want all of the pain and all of the anticipation of the album but in a book. I also want that Midwest vibe with romantic themes, coming of age, mystery, misery, drama and religious trauma. ",Sharp Objects? This is recommended all the time here but I really feel like it fits this time
1l7dho2,1940’s film noir,,7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo!!
1l7atat,Old-Timey Winter,"anything like this? i know a christmas carol is an obvious pick but is there anything else that has a warm, candlelit, old-timey, top hat wearing, wintery/christmasy feel?",Little women
1l7adtn,Books that feel like House of Balloons,My favorite album ever and I need goo inspired for my book i’m writing.,Following
1l7a3im,this specific 80s dark fantasy vibe,,Pulling up a chair 🪑
1l75b9v,Books with a femme fatale like Saffron in Firefly,"I'm looking for book recommendations featuring a **femme fatale character** who embodies the spirit of **Saffron from** ***Firefly***. Can be purely villainous, but would like if she is more of a trickster, a wildcard, or someone operating in shades of grey. Bonus points if she has great chemistry with an MC. ",Codename
1l730wc,Roman Empire,Visiting the Roman Baths today in England and I am obsessed. I want to read something with this vibe. ,The Wolf Den
1l70ep5,"Town with Evil Entity, Cult or Portal","Love suburb town cult vibes, demonic possession, or open to anything! Hoping for a non-Stephen King book. Thank you all in advance:)",Was not prepared for slide 4 while laying here in the dark
1l6yjbn,Modern person joins hunter gatherer tribd,,Nation
1l6y8fd,Fantasy/Romance books that has scenes like this?,"Basically, I am looking for fantasy/romance books where the male lead can fly without wings or brooms and takes the love interest flying. Bonus points if the scene is vivid with lush description of scenery and her going from fear to ecstasy. ",Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor or Strange the Dreamer
1l6wd4j,Hacker/Conspiracy Fiction,"Need book recs where the mc is hacking/trying to solve puzzles/conspiracies! I love games like Cyber Manhunt. I would prefer fictional, but also like sci-fi (mainly aliens; no cyberpunk). I started Three Body Problem recently and like the feeling of the research facility where they try to contact aliens.",Millennium Trilogy
1l6vse7,Warm summer days in the mountains,,"Not quite mountains, but you had me thinking of Where the Crawdads Sing"
1l6ucjk,"vampires, zombies, and demons, but cheesy","i just recently read lost souls by poppy z brite and loved it. im looking for something similar with some good old fashioned vampires, demons, or zombies. points if its cheesy or goofy in some parts but gritty in others. ",The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
1l6ua4g,Romance/coming of age book,"Kind of like True Blood (tv show—not the books). I would love romance that’s not just smut…more of a coming of age, well rounded story. Got any recommendations? :) ",Eleanor & Park
1l6u6ke,Books that feel like Infinity Frequencies music?,"A lot of his music is about computers and artificial intelligence, and the songs have a sort of dreamy / liminal vibe to them. His music is very unique so there might not be a lot of recommendations, but any suggestions would be appreciated!","It’s hard to describe without spoiling but you follow an unnamed narrator as he is exploring and documenting this dreamy liminal space with a bunch of connected Roman rooms that have a tide flowing through them. He can’t figure out what exactly is happening, but there is one other person there with him at times (The Other). It’s pretty dope, and utterly unique, highly recommend"
1l6sxll,Books that feel like this with no aggressive smut?,"Or dark romance, please they're so hard to find I just want regular romance with this feel ",American Psycho
1l6rjut,Books that feel like this,"Historical, secret magic society, solving magical mysteries and crimes, bonus if there’s a romance subplot. No YA or children’s fiction, please",Ninth House and especially Hell Bent!!!
1l6qej6,aka the manchild music video by sabrina carpenter,,"Daisy jones and the six!!! Very basic answer and hyped book but for a reason, it’s such a good book and cemented itself in my top books list years ago"
1l6ovjt,something weird and fucked up yet depressing,even better if it is horror but i dont mind any genre tbh. kind of like Mysterious Skin (that book genuinely makes me want to die every single time I think about it…). Also obviously preferred if it was queer in any way.  ,House of Leaves!
1l6ope9,books that feel like spy thrillers,"I have a hankering to read a novel or series about a woman spy, secret agent, assassin, government operative, what have you. Preferably no romance, but a little is fine if it creeps in. Just an action packed novel about a woman who can kick ass like no other. 

And fyi, I have already read the Red Sparrow series by Jason Matthews and the Villanelle novels by Luke Jennings. 


","nice, the original Nikita! here are my recs"
1l6o1ba,I just love my girlfriend,"I (M24) love my girlfriend (F23). She's also my best friend.
I got into listening Hozier this year, and 'Work song' and 'First time' are on repeat for me because in a cheesy, but warm-around-the-heart way they make me think of her.

I want to read some poetry or some novel about love between two who start out as young love and grow old together, sharing everything, being silly, also vulnerable.

We read poetry ""This much endures"" by John Purser and that felt like something I'm looking for. Novel would be nice, poetry is welcome, just as much.","I don’t have a recommendation for you unfortunately, (really wish I did bc I wanna support this wholesomeness) but I just came to say I’m happy for you homie"
1l6nnlj,Feels like it was written by Idles,"Idles are my fav band.
I love their lyrics, but I also love the vibe they give out, this vibe of healthy masculinity, male friendship and a harsh, but witty, often dry-funny critique on society.

What book does that make you think of?
Also, what book do these photos make you think of, even if unrelated to idles.

Fanks.",Following. I also want this
1l6ml45,"Gritty, introspective books set in a major city","I'm looking for dark, gritty stories about introspective characters in city setting. Can be any genre and theme with favor to adult characters, queer stories, and darker genres. Any suggestions with this vibe will be much appreciated. ",My Year of Rest and Relaxation
1l6ke0z,books that feel like an orangutan in a golf cart,"I want a book that makes me feel like a chill orangutan driving a golf cart. Something summery, whimsical, relaxed etc. The book does not need to be orangutan or golf related, although I am open to reading about those topics. [something like this](https://youtu.be/od_PmtmMDV0?si=uOAdiQ9NSEKftOE6).","Gods, I love this sub."
1l6k0en,"alone, gently","I’m looking for a book that captures a lonely but cozy vibe—something that feels like being alone but not in a depressing way, more like being quietly content in your own world. Think warm routines, small moments, and a gentle sense of slice of life. I love stories that meander a bit, maybe with a stream of consciousness style or a slow pace that lets you live in the character’s thoughts. Something that wraps solitude in a kind of softness.",Pond
1l6jo11,deep but undefined relationships between people,,Sorry for recommending a 16 book epic fantasy series where this rec doesn’t apply until book 3 but Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings. Trust me bro.
1l6hr2d,Ex or current military security slow-burn,"Inspiration:
-Netflix’s The Bodyguard: Love the sexual tension dynamic with a very competent man who is calm under extreme pressure and violence.

-13 Hours: It might just be John Krasinski himself that makes me love the character in this movie. But I specifically enjoyed the interactions and setting of the scenes with the CIA where the security team is very covert, and the woman, Sons, is focused on her job. Her character really comes around on Oz - they had great chemistry.

-Wind River: I liked elements of the very capable female protagonist in Wind River who was a little out of her depth, but still very capable and strong.

Similar to Linda Howard’s “Trouble Maker” book. I also really enjoyed “After Sundown,” mostly for the female protagonist and her strength and competency.  So, not a total damsel in distress, but definitely into men who can rise to the occasion and catch the blind spot. 

Love smut, but also a slow burn with semi-realistic relationship trajectory. No immediate love or possession vibes.

Many thanks in advance! I think this is my favorite sub.",The gray man series
1l6gyw7,"Supernatural, assassins, political intrigue",,This Is How You Lose the Time War
1l6gbac,Demon books. Like Lesser Key of Solomon maybe?,It doesn’t need to be romance or anything I want sth interesting. Can be occult or modern fiction ,Mister B. Gone
1l6g2et,Angel(falling or not) I want lore on angels,Can also be nonfiction ig I just want to read on angels lol ,I'm gonna be the one to say it
1l6fdn9,Troubled genius goes against the world,"Image is of wei wuxian(grandmaster of demonic cultivation). Basically the main character is charasmatic, genius, questions the status quo and goes against the world. He's punished/hunted for his uncoventional ways but comes out on top. Could be fantasy, could be science fiction, could be sports. ","Kvothe in Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles might tick the boxes for you as a charismatic, unconventional genius that goes about things his own way"
1l6cu7c,Fight for the throne. Books depicting competitors,"The recent norwegian chess championship gave me too many feels. The young boy genius fighting against the acclaimed genius. The genius who missed an year of chess and has his throne taken away. The whirlwind of emotions, ambition and rivalry. The difference between a boy starting to shine in his career and the genius who's fighting the boredom and monotony of his peak. It doesn't have to be chess but something similar will be great.",Queens gambit makes me think of this
1l6b3so,Any books that come to mind when looking at these;,,Howls moving castle
1l6asmx,"Secret, alone. Life according to their own rules.",,Colony
1l68vfc,Books that feel like the movie Her,,Convenience Store Woman
1l68rls,Books that are like TLC's my strange addiction,Books that explore paraphilias or eating unusual items !,Sky Daddy
1l67nvq,Gloomy regency espionnage,"It might not exist, but I'm looking for a drama set during the Renaissance or something like the Regency era... I'm not picky about the time period. What I think I want is a book where a female character is a spy, secret agent, or assassin in a royal setting but with parts of the story also taking place outside the court, like in the countryside...

Something with palace intrigue but also adventures beyond the walls, maybe even a hidden identity or a slow-burn romance. Any ideas?",You might like A Murder in Time
1l66r0x,Books that feel like a B movie?,,My Best Friends Exorcism!
1l64ump,Like Frida Kahlo paintings,,Dangers of Smoking in Bed - Mariana Enriquez
1l61ttm,"Gay, perversion, addiction",,sluts
1l61j21,Cosmic/god horror,"For this I’m essentially referring the god and the universe as mutually inclusive so you could give me suggestions for either. But I’d love anything insidiously exploring the idea that there is something out there, or there is nothing out there, or that we’ll never know which one it is at all. Maybe a touch of pantheism, or just any horror about an incomprehensible higher power would be nice.

1rst pic title included, 3rd is from the Night House, 4th is a monologue from the Empty Man with the original Beksinski painting it was inspired from (I don’t know if this counts as copy pasted dialogue? Lmk if that’s against the rules), 5th is the short film Portrait of God, 6th is Tom kings Mr miracle comic

Portrait of god if you’re interested: https://youtu.be/BI9fKfX5V68?si=N7RSntspQVYzCZWv",Ship of Fools (also called Thus Unto Leviathan) by Richard Paul Russo and The Employees by Olga Ravn and Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky and Blindsight by Peter Watts  and Ship of Fools (also called Thus Unto Leviathan) by Richard Paul Russo and The Employees by Olga Ravn and The Void
1l5zf8k,"sad, lonely western",,Blood Meridian
1l5ylr0,Someone’s Out There…,,The Outsider
1l5y9x1,Something is wrong with this town,Preferably first person and based in the Appalachian Mountains.,Starling House
1l5wtlk,Sci-Fi | Dystopian | Futuristic | Female MC,,- (https
1l5w8ch,"Non-romance centric, coming of age, red vibes",,"Crying in H -Mart, but it's an adult remembering coming of age."
1l5w0j3,Books set in dark gloomy jungles.,,Heart of Darkness
1l5vc2c,books that feel like old disney movies?,idk if this is obvious but… yeah!,The obvious answer is Hans Christian Andreson & Brothers Grimm. But I would pick The Last Unicorn
1l5upe4,"Taxi driver, cars, traffic, petroleum smells","As the title suggests, also motions, sensations heightened by night background, car crash, time slowing down, red and blue lights, shards ",Survive the Night - Riley Sager
1l5so0k,Sometimes the Apocalypse gets absurd,I’m looking for post-apocalyptic books that fit the vibe of games like Fallout and Bioshock. I love the retrofuturism and subtle humor of both series.,"A Canticle for Leibowitz is the easy mention, though I don't think it quite fits. Would also love to see some absurd apocalypse stories and Edit"
1l5snka,Monster Family,"Family of monsters, misunderstood weirdos. ",House on the cerulean Sea has a bunch!
1l5sh69,Books that feel like a Mary Oliver Poem,"Hey, i would love some books that feel like mary oliver poems. Mostly the poem ""i worried"" but since i like all her poems i am open for everything :) thank you",Braiding Sweetgrass
1l5r1ez,Books with Southern charm & small-town warmth,"Any books that feel like the show Hart of Dixie and evoke that feeling of Southern charm, small-town warmth, and a touch of romance! ",Fried Green Tomatoes
1l5euys,There is something wrong with my wife,,Our wives under the sea (it’s sapphic and soooo good)
1l5ecej,Sad/heartbreaking romance book recommendations.,"Need recommendations for some really sad and heartbreaking romance books.

I’m looking for stories that involve emotional pain, whether it’s due to miscommunication, a breakup, unrequited love, or any other tragic reason that tugs at the heart. I want something that will leave me feeling emotional and deeply moved.

Basically something which will make me sob so hard, something which will make me question “Why’d you do that?”, something which will make me feel hollow inside.

(Any genre is fine as long as it's heartbreaking and sad) 
",Atonement (my heart!)
1l5aoy9,BTFL Ballad of Love and Hate by The Avett Brothers,"Looking for a novel that tells a similar story to The Ballad of Love and Hate by The Avett Brothers, or a novel where the main characters have a similar dynamic. Romance is OK, but not required - I'm especially interested in books that explore this concept in a platonic way. Open to any genre, but prefer a more literary style. Thanks! ",Most of sally Rooney but definitely normal people
1l59hhm,80s slasher summer/summer camp vibes?,,The last time I lied by Riley sager and Camp Slaughter by Sergio Gomez and You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron and The Woods
1l59c7n,Long haired metal man,Bonus points if the FMC is alternative as well. ,I’m commenting so I can come back to this post I also want recs for a book like this lol
1l56tr6,Whatever these two have going on but make it canon,"Desperately wanting to save your best friend, the cycle of curses, and any other themes from Jujutsu Kaisen that I’ve read too closely into. Except make it on page gay instead of in my head gay. The golden retriever & black cat friendship/relationship between Itadori Yuuji and Fushiguro Megumi is haunting me 😭
Themes of violence, horror, vengeance, gore, unjust results, yearning, etc all accepted and preferred.",Hmm not sure if it's exactly what you're after(love jjk though!) but In Memoriam
1l542yw,I want a book like this,,If you're wanting something like The Game and There's Tuesday Mooney Talks To Ghosts by Kate Racculia and There's also The Wishing Game
1l52twd,50s/60s niche romance,"Or just romance. Preferably, from the USA or UK.",I know this gets recommended a lot BUT…. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
1l51mdj,Darker side of Slice of Life (Sapphic),I really don't know if this exists but I really want something that feels like a mashup between Euphoria and Girl Interrupted and definitely sapphic.,Strangers in Paradise
1l4zq00,Moody 90s/00s Suburbia with broken friendships,,*Little Fires Everywhere* - Celeste Ng
1l4zkkt,"Dreamy, nihilistit surrealism I think?",,"I would agree, although I think the ultimate message of that book is the opposite of nihilism"
1l4zgx3,Lost in the magnanimity of Space!,,project hail mary
1l4yp3i,Books About Getting Trapped in a Video Game?,"I'm a big fan of Sword Art Online and I've been rewatching it recently and it got me thinking. Are there any books that also have this concept of getting trapped in a full dive virtual reality? I'm getting the mangas to read, too, but I was looking for more of a novel style so I can possibly find an audiobook to listen to at work.","Not exactly an obscure one and doesn’t quite fit the brief, but if you haven’t read it yet -  Ready Player One?"
1l4yhpj,manic gritty glamorous southern summer,This was inspired by Sabrina's Manchild music video. I love 2015 Kali Uchis and Marina's Electra Heart phase too. Badlands and Shangri-La Suite have the same vibe. I just need the languorous pastel imagery in prose form. Are there any books like this other than Bunny and Valley of the Dolls? I've already read Lolita.,"gillian flynn’s “sharp objects” is extremely southern, though the glamor comes and goes. i love that book. donna tartt’s “the little friend” is also heavy on the southern feel, baking heat, antebellum ruins, but not extremely girly or glamorous. joan didion is more californian than confederate but if you want to lounge"
1l4yfyt,Young people facing horrors,"**doesn’t have to be horror** 
I know this is very Stephen King-coded but I’d like some recommendations that aren’t written by him! ",My Best Friend’s Exorcism
1l4x3mr,Obsession > Talent,"https://preview.redd.it/un0rqvv34c5f1.png?width=2734&format=png&auto=webp&s=e87df68ec2f6016d9b7ecd677c7a6bd8b652f37d

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",“Stephen Florida” by Gabe Habash and “After the Lights Go Out” by John Vercher and “Apartment” and “The Great Man Theory” both
1l4xvrb,Books that feel like this,,A Dowry of Blood
1l4vxtg,Suburban Cosmic Horror Liminal Space,,We Used to Live Here
1l4ts1e,Tower of London,I’m visiting the Tower of London today and the history there is so interesting. I want to find a book with a similar vibe! ,Rivers of London series
1l4p7u6,Horror with a hint of dangerous romance,,Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
1l4ocyp,Books that feel like this,,Four seasons in Japan
1l4lh6a,The mundane horror of everyday life,Books about people fucking hating their job,"The new me-Halle butler
Eileen- ottessa moshfegh
Convenience store woman- sayaka murata (she doesn’t hate her job but OH god the banality)"
1l4kov9,Books like the podcast Old Gods of Appalachia,"I have binged the podcast and now I refuse to wait for episodes to come out at a normal pace lol. The movie ""Sinners"" had a fairly similar vibe. An ""Over the Garden Wall"" feeling is also welcome.",Revelator
1l4k71f,Dystopian/post apocalyptic book recs..,Books that feels like this.. Bacically something like maze runner or hunger games. ,By far and away the best one is Stephen King's The Stand. Also Cormac McCarthy's the Road.
1l4ig8v,Books that feel like these movies,,Boudicca
1l4ig7k,"grungy, unsettling, and downright disturbing","bonus points for freaky creatures, folklore, body horror, true stories, and/or psychological horror",In the Miso Soup
1l4grih,Books that feel like cotton candy,a book that feels like cotton candy. ,Beneath the Sugar Sky! But I recommend reading the first two books in the Wayward Children series first!
1l4f2qk,small town horror classics or modern classics,september's three moons away and im really really excited about it :>,Salems Lot
1l4ecoc,Break my heart,"Looking for a book that rips my heart in two, really sad pls (clearly I enjoy the pain). Ideally a romance please! ",Song of Achilles!!!!
1l4d0ko,Fogy and mysterious with a twist,"Without child abuse or murder since I want to read it before going to sleep 😅

Similar vibes books I've read already : twin peaks ,  black water , all of Agatha Christie and Carlos Ruiz Zafon.","Snow Falling on Cedars, David Guterson"
1l4c1rx,A book with addicts,"Books that feel likeeee these photos addiction is present similar vibes to saving/redeeming 6, kid; the tragedy of jake and Felix ect.
","These images immediately made me think of those Ellen Hopkins books, which I haven’t thought of in a while. I think Crank was about addiction, and it has a sequel Glass."
1l482f5,Transcendental Summer,"Body heat, psychedelia, escaping the confines of disillusionment ",Ooh maybe Death Valley
1l4750i,Loneliness in the summertime,,the god of the woods
1l45avq,anything that fits this vibe,,"Orhan Pamuk!!!! *Mr Cevdet and his Sons*, *Silent House*, *A Strangeness in My Mind*. Honestly just go through his Wikipedia page and add the books that interest you to your ""to read"" list."
1l44pk7,"I only dreamt today, rest were as alive as today.",,No suggestions of my own but looking forward to what everyone suggests!
1l43osa,Evil spirits,,"Doesn’t really have nuns but Between Two Fires definitely has a religious/evil spirits/horror vibe. I’m almost done reading it myself and it’s an absolutely excellent book but as a word of caution, it is not for the faint of heart. I’d check trigger warnings first but it’s a real thrill if it’s a good fit for you!"
1l43kzm,Silent Hill,My favorite video game series!!,The Lost Village
1l40w39,I need a gentleman who loves deeply.,"Someone who is respectful, possesive, protective and focuses on the face of the woman while lending his coat to her! Slowest of romances please! ","Middlemarch!!! Will Ladislaw is the absolutely the most constant of constant admirers. At 880 pages, yeah, it’s a slow burn will they won’t they situation, and one of the best novels of all time besides."
1l3z0pj,books that feel like this,"mystery, thriller, found family trope in a small town. ",Remarkably Bright Creatures!
1l3wa18,"""Conventionally unattractive"" female MC",,Dont have a rec but I love this show so much 😭 I’ve done so many rewatches over the years
1l3qn3q,Something’s deeply wrong with the town.,,"I don’t have any recs, just wanted to say I loved looking through these pictures!"
1l3p0xg,Rhea Ripley insp. love interest xtra points for 🌶️,Please I need recommendations 😂,Gideon the Ninth
1l3o3iq,Tragic love story (historical romance?),"the story behind these paintings are tragic, in one the girl is trying to save her lover but he chooses to die ",The Song of Achilles fits this description perfectly
1l3nmn8,"Adventure/Fantasy, perhaps a large group of MCs?",,Six of Crows
1l3kzyt,PS2 Action Adventure Platformer,"Fantasy novels that have the same aesthetic of six generation 3-D action platforms. Jak and Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, Sly Cooper, Rachet n clank, Blinx, Vexx, Scaler etc.

I don’t know what it’s called, but there’s always been a unique but similar vibe to all of these games. ",🪑
1l3jde3,feral girl summer,"I’ve recently been obsessed with movies that have been noted as Female Rage Classics and am looking for some novels that match the feral vibes. Extra points for novels that involve a creature feature aspect, the woman being/ becoming the creature, women reclaiming their power through the process. Primarily asking for horror recommendations. Imagine the main character frantically asking, “What’s happening to me?”",Such Sharp Teeth
1l3hjvm,Sapphic books that feel like this,,this is giving me Mostly Dead Things vibes
1l3e9fq,"Books with this loose, familiar nostalgia...","I guess horror is the wrong word, but disturbing feminist fiction like Nightbitch or The Vegetarian.

Thank for for your time and consideration 💗","*Convenience Store Woman* by Sayaka Murato fits the 'disturbign feminist fiction' label. Also, *We Have Always Lived in the Castle*"
1l3e4ky,Magical realism the feels kinda like this!,"I really enjoyed ""Kitchen"" and ""Diary of a Void"", which I know aren't MR, but has a similar vibe to these photos!!!

Thank you all!! :))","Convenience Store Woman is similarly dreamy and neon-y. I would also recommend Yoshimoto's collection of short stories, 'Asleep'."
1l3a2zh,Dark Carnival/Fair,I’m looking for a book with a dark carnival setting. I would love if it had at least a subplot of dark romance and even some fantasy/magical realism aspects. I’m thinking along the lines of AHS Freak Show…,Something Wicked This Way Comes
1l39hcx,"""weird"", ""backrooms"" ""dreamcore""",I'm thinking something like A Wrinkle in Time but for an older reader,The most accurate thing I can think of is House Of Leaves
1l37ozg,books similar to the vibe of this album,"the album ""mellon collie and the infinite sadness"" by the smashing pumpkins. the books can be similar to the vibe of the cover art too something fantasy, space related ","110% THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON - By Kelly Barnhill and It’s a beautifully enchanting, dark-whimsical story about a witch, a swamp monster, and a little dragon who care for a young child with magical abilities in a volcanic swamp. And she may be the only one capable of stopping a villain intent on sucking all the happiness and replacing it with sorrow from the land. 
Truly enchanting!"
1l3235t,Endgame,"I’m looking for a book where two people are clearly meant for each other — that soulmate, endgame kind of connection. It doesn’t have to work out right away. They can try dating other people, drift apart, even convince themselves it’s over… but deep down, they never stop longing for each other.

I want that slow-burn ache, the magnetic pull they can’t escape. And when they finally give in — whether it’s lust, love, or both — it should feel inevitable. If there are some spicy scenes along the way, even better ;)",My thinking outside the box pick (pun wasn’t intended but there it is) is Dark Matter.
1l31nxu,Tom Waits Bone Machine vibes?,Menacing unhinged southern sorta thing ,"The Little Friend - Donna Tart
Bastard Out of Carolina - Dorothy Allison and To be fair, nothing hits that Tom Waits vibe but Tom. That's what makes him so special."
1l31l08,Whatever comes to mind - Anne Siems art,,Your best bet is to go into magical realism or even classic absurdism. Anything
1l2ydkz,books that feel like this(older but no classics),"I prefer older books bc the newer writing makes me cringe, anything after about 2002 I refuse to read IM SORRY😭(no classics please) ",Op simply reads books published in 2001 exclusively
1l2vr7l,Never ending rabbit hole,some sort of mystery involving tech and bureaucracy and endless associations being peeled back layer by layer to reveal a massive hidden network ,You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine
1l2vn27,cyber horror,,I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
1l2v7sh,Books that feel like this,,Dark Places
1l2sxq3,Books that might trigger my inner thalassophobia…,,Our Wives Under the Sea
1l2sdwu,Books that feel like Netflix’s One Day,"Something sad, introspective, ruminating, and romantic, please! 🖤",I have great news for you about where Netflix got the story for this series.
1l2ql2w,Books with swans,"I love swans. I'm just looking for a book with swans in it, or even about them. Books where swans have symbolism. I don't really care. But one thing though, can the books preferably be not about swan lake? I like that story but most books I find about swans feature it, so its a little tiring.",the trumpet of the swan
1l2pt7y,"Books that are dark, moody, on the coast","I’m looking for books that have a haunting and dark coastal vibe. Can be romance, historical fiction, horror as long as it has this vibe. ",Rebecca
1l2pj9f,Books that feel like Cruel Summer.,"The show. 

Small town, friend groups, secrets, thriller/drama. 

no fantasy, please. ",Ugh I forgot how gripping the first season was.
1l2kjha,Any books that feels like mindhunter ?,"i finished mindhunter a while ago but it honestly hasn’t left me since. there’s just something about the atmosphere—the stillness, the way it studies people so closely without ever really explaining them. it’s quiet, but intense. kind of haunting.

i’m kind of obsessed with how it looks at behavior, power, control, how people twist into what they become. and it’s not loud about any of it. just slow, sharp, and weirdly emotional underneath all the restraint.

also... the trio. holden, bill, wendy. all brilliant, all kind of broken. the way they move around each other—distant but deeply connected—it’s so subtle but it got to me.

i’d love to find fiction that hits a similar tone. something smart and psychological, with that quiet tension and character depth. any recs would be amazing",Just making sure you know the show is based off a book
1l2husf,"haunted , dark , rainy aesthetic",,"It doesn’t have supernatural elements, but Rebecca"
1l2gw1r,"The big apple in the 70s, 60s","Maybe a detective story? Comedy? Looking for something that gives the reader an everyday perspective from the street level of the Big City in this time period. Think midnight cowboy, confederacy of dunces, etc.",City on Fire
1l2eb8j,Adult fantasy novels w. FAIRY SIZED fairies!,"(inb4 fairies can be any size)

Why does every book featuring fae/fairies/faeries only have human sized fairy MCs!

Desperate for adult novels following tiny fairy main characters!

Adventures in a huge world, like The Borrowers, Ferngully, or Epic!",The Emily Wilde series has fairies in a range of sizes. Some are very small and some are human sized. It draws upon different fairy myths from different countries to have a big range. A decent amount of them is set in the Fae world.
1l2bn8t,Books like this,"https://preview.redd.it/v4txjjrmpp4f1.jpg?width=664&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0730884e8c34690ddfa2e371158d0a34758c0141

https://preview.redd.it/53x40krmpp4f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67345f9be88a51201cbbddb491c8315334002f94

https://preview.redd.it/i5m3igrmpp4f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4691f5da4334bd6c4c9ab8a2d99246985515e5f2

https://preview.redd.it/t24dhfrmpp4f1.jpg?width=673&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d0e8089f1ac59e20c8d4278ef6404fbd698d6b1

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","I wonder if you’d like Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson or, Neuromancer"
1l2ak21,"I need some comfort, please help","Other flairs: women’s fiction, witchy vibes, cozy vibes",I feel like someone has to recommend Practical Magic.
1l28un7,Literary fiction set in the English countryside,,If you like historical literary fiction
1l28q6o,Books like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?,,"Just going based on *vibes* all of these remind me of Eternal Sunshine for one reason or another. I know they’re all pretty popular books but I hope you find what you’re looking for!! 🥰
-Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
-Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
-Seven Days in June"
1l27ud1,Art and textile study,"I'm looking for stories to keep me inspired while I work on my DIY creative arts 'degree' since studying at Uni isn't an option for me. My main focus is on textile art and collage but I also study drawing, painting, and sculpture. Anything related to this would be great. ","Here are some fantasy picks for you! and Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is an East Asian inspired fantasy about a girl who’s trying to become a prolific tailor, so dresses up like a man and enters a royal competition.  She needs to sew gowns from the sun, moon, and stars.  This is a really engaging and fun one. and This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi is a fantasy based on Persian mythology, and the main character is great at sewing.  She might have sewing magic?  I’m not sure about this. and Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater is a regency fairy tale where the main character loves to embroider.  It’s the second book in a series (first is Half a Soul, which is delightful) but stands well alone I think. and A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft is a fantasy romance where the main character can sew emotions into garments and create clothes that make people view the wearer in certain lights. and Daughter of Smoke and Bone"
1l27hmm,Arcane Trickster character/s,,"""The Blacktongue Thief"""
1l25hgy,Books that feel like (lost hope in life),,Between Two Fires
1l255mh,Books that feel like The Lighthouse,"…or like a Turner painting will do. Doesn’t have to be set at a lighthouse, anything maritime or secluded by harsh nature is fine. I want to feel tiny. I want to feel humbled. I want to be nature’s playball, praising this merciless goddess with all the most beautiful prose language has to offer. 

Excluded on grounds of already having read them: Moby Dick, The Sea (Banville), To The Lighthouse. Though I’m not sure for the latter two I’d include them in the atmosphere I’m looking for. Just figured I’d tell you in case someone thinks to recommend these.

Flair says Literary Fiction because I’d love those recommendations best, but if you think of something from another genre that absolutely fits this prompt, don’t hesitate to comment anyway! I want to be surprised","Annihilation kinda fits, doesn't it? Not exactly, but. Saying why would be a spoiler."
1l248qf,Whimsical fairy nature books,"Wholesome books that make me feel like I’m a fairy living in the woods, mostly character based and for an adult!! 🧚‍♀️",Books by Juliet Marillier. I'm pretty sure some are ya and others are adult. My favorite is Wildwood Dancing. She also has the Sevenwaters series.  and Some others
1l243jg,books that feel like Nhelv by Silentroom?,preferably something from the 20th century.,"I can't explain why, but listening to the music made me think of ""Logan's Run,"""
1l21yzn,Books that feel like Gemini Home Entertainment,"I want some books that give off the same vibe as the series Gemini Home Entertainment, a sci-fi horror analog series on YouTube. I'm open to books that aren't horror but adjacent to it, as long as it has a sci-fi feeling to it still. ",I'll come back and forage this thread later
1l21o64,Something is wrong with the chosen one...,"I've been pretty invested in the three franchises/characters from above for a long time. Obviously all three of them meet completely different ends of varying bitter sweetness, but I really enjoy the basic plot idea of either a corrupt, lost, or tortured chosen one. I'd prefer sci-fi but I do still enjoy fantasy. Bonus points if it's a female MC just for a slight change of pace but it's also not a requirement (I have read The Locked Tomb and Poppy War trilogies and  felt that both sort of fit and I much more enjoyed the previous to the latter)",My TBR is bursting at the seams and freaking hates this sub!
1l203zy,simple pleasures and joys in life!,"morning sun, tweeting birds, coffee or tea, books, music, nature, lace curtains, vinyls, frolics, woods, forest, garden, rain, etc.... preferably classics or modern classics.",Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Anne of Green Gables
1l1z3ym,Yearning priest and ruthless woman,"Hello gorgeous people on this sub, I hope you’re doing amazing!

I have a request for books that feel like this, a priest who falls in love with a woman and it’s forbidden and painfullll could be a happy ending, could be not, I just don’t want the woman to suffer like please I don’t want any misogyny in it 😭

And not Priest by Sierra Simone, I’ve read that one. Shoot every option you got I’m not picky

Thank you 🥀🥀🥀",Are you having Fleabag withdrawals too? 😓
1l1v5re,Like “back to friends” by Sombr,[https://youtu.be/c8zq4kAn\_O0?si=ivm2K4Z6SqbiLM9k](https://youtu.be/c8zq4kAn_O0?si=ivm2K4Z6SqbiLM9k),Normal People
1l1ts5b,Blood for the Blood God,Looking for something that has that Khorne/World eaters love for the slaughter vibe but that's outside of warhammer. I've read the first law series so I'm already familiar with the bloody nine 😈. ,Thanks for responding! I've read berserk and watched all the anime adaptations.
1l1o8v8,Sapphic/lesbian weird horror,,"Carmilla, if you’ve not already read it!!"
1l1ny10,Fantasy books that feels like a fairytale?,"Please recommend me some non-romance fantasy books about fairies, princesses, elves, etc. that feels like this please🥹🩷 thankyou very much~","Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries and This is about a human researcher who goes into the world of fairy and her adventures and she writes her encyclopedia book. There is romance in it but it's not the main theme of the story, I would say that it may be takes up 10% or less of the book. and As a bonus, this is a series that is still being written, the second book is out and the third book is releasing soon."
1l1moau,Occult/Vatican Secrets/Indiana Jones,"Recently watched the series Evil and was interested in any novels in a similar vein to ""The Entity/Friends of The Vatican"" from the show meets an Indiana Jones/DaVinci Code (with less Christ lineage conspiracy and more Occult and supernatural). ",Night Film
1l1m5gi,PNW Summer,"Going on a trip to the PNW this week and want some books to match the vibe — not typically interested in crime thrillers and usually drawn to books with environmental themes. I love *Twilight*, but not what I’m looking for with this one. Thanks in advance!",Ok this is not set in the PNW but in scenery very similar to the PNW. It’s called Summer Book
1l1ktsz,female lighthouse keeper (or similar) vibes,,The lighthouse witches
1l1kgi5,What book have this aesthetic?,,Outlander
1l1ikwn,Books that feel like this,"Books that feel like this where he falls first and is obsessed with her, enemies to lovers, slow burn, would go to the ends of the earth for her. ","{dream by the shadows by Logan Karlie} 
People are going to recommend {one dark window by Rachel gillig} for sure 
{by chance or providence by Becky Cloonan} it’s short illustrations
Maybe even {the thirteenth child by Erin Craig}
{a court this cruel and lovely"
1l1h1pk,Books that feel like Peeta dropping baby bombs,"give me your most drama filled, gasp inducing books 
you know like the feeling of watching this scene for the first time 

possibly no YA",The Bee Sting
1l1fh2u,"Books that feel like this? No classics, please!",Looking forward to your recommendations! ,One Dark Window has this vibe.
1l1ehj0,books that feel like a red velvet mv,"especially cosmic and chill kill, very witchy ",Bunny
1l1emw8,Mean girl horror,"Okay so basically I’m looking for stuff that’s like heathers , Jennifer’s body , jawbreaker dealing with women, but with a twist there’s a supernatural element whether it’s demons, vampires etc , witches go crazy so kind of like eyes wide shut meets like mean girls ? So what I call mean girl horror, or c word horror, I like dark academia , I like magic, preferably not high school though I’d want them older unless the story is really really really good only then but I prefer older, and I would love if it’s sapphic, basically people who would sell there souls for beauty and that kind of stuff or like Jennifer’s body a girl becomes a demon, yeah since it’s pride month would love if it’s lesbian or sapphic but it doesn’t have to be! A coven of witches someone gets roped in etc … you get the drift!! Witches doing spells etc , rituals, turning girls to vampires stuff like that! I like how in suspria they switched it up by having a dance academy for example! And it can have a dark comedic tone too like I love that kind of tone as well!! it doesn’t have to be though! ",Since no one else has recommended it yet
1l1eo3t,city romance but maybe they don’t end up together,a sally rooney-ish modern type of love where they don’t work together for whatever reason but they are passionate about each other. like a sade song but make it a book that delphine de vigan wrote.,I mean I can write to you about my exes
1l1b1x6,Books that feel like this?,,Mother London
1l1anaq,Books that feel like this,"A powerful and striking FMC and a dominant as well as submissive MMC
I want that male yearning 
The male character is sometines submissive but in a masculine way 
Plot as well as smut
Smut not necessary if book is good enough ","Love a yearn. I really think you need to go back a few years generally to get that sick making heartache  and - The end of the affair by Graham Greene
-  Sense of an Ending and The Only Story by Julian Barnes 
- The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
- The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and Also  and - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
-  And, as ever, Normal People"
1l1a8ij,Dark Academia/Gothic books..,"Looking for book recommendations with dark academia or gothic vibes.
Would be great if it includes vampires, witches, or monsters (even if it doesn't, that’s okay too).
Think Harry Potter vibes, a magic system is fine. But mainly where students plot against each other, with some mystery and intrigue.
(Something whimsical or mysterious etc) 
",Ninth house and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo and An Education in Malice
1l1898u,Books that feel like this,,You could try Remarkably Bright Creatures
1l184wl,Long nostalgic summer days,The kind of days that remind you that your friends are your soulmates. Looking for a relatively lighthearted read to welcome in the warm weather! ,*The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants* books don’t get enough love here — reread them as an adult and was **obsessed**.
1l17934,Dark romance vampire recs!,Recs don’t have to be set in gothic times! The spicier and darker the better! I just read Our Little Monster by Lashell Rain and it was 😘🤌 ,House of Hunger
1l178kn,Books that feel like this,Or any genre ,Where The Crawdads Sing!
1l1601u,"Grief, complicated but powerful women","Been thinking a lot about WandaVision lately. Want to read about complicated, gray, and powerful female characters. Bonus if she's dealing with grief or loss. 
Not simply romance, no horror. 
Thanks!",Circe - Madeline Miller
1l150mi,Runaway from home,,Rainbow Black
1l14yai,Books that feel like this,,"Schmaybe ""The Lies of Locke Lamora"""
1l10m6e,Soft and heartwarming romance,,Exactly How It's Supposed To Be
1l102am,"Books like the game ""The Wolf Among Us""","Fairy tale characters living in a gritty ""real"" world. A noir detective story is a bonus but anything similar would be great.","The Wolf Among Us is actually based on the DC Comic book series ""Fables"" I'll link the reading order in this comment for you to check out. and [https"
1l0z58b,books that feel like a fleetwood mac song?,"not sure if this set of images makes much sense … but … fleetwood mac listeners, gimmie suggestions !",Daisy Jones & The Six.
1l0yhwq,Mythical Winter Fantasy,"Anything similar to The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. Can be male or female lead. Romance optional. Bonus points if Slavic tones 
(but no Naomi Novik please)","Not a perfect match, but *The Snow Child*"
1l0ui7e,The solemn emptiness & serenity of a Fromsoft game,I really enjoy the ,Piranesi
1l0u83b,Books that feels like this,,"How about 100,000 kingdoms? This book takes off when the main character goes to a new place and gets the ""dog"" sent on her"
1l0t1wx,Vibes like this!,,"You might like some of the books Ghibli movies are based on, like Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadano, and The Borrowers"
1l0s8v6,This is the vibe. Suggestions?,,Neuromancer
1l0odn2,Light-hearted hiking,Preferably European or Australian and light-hearted. Maybe similar to Glory by Nabakov but also more contemporary idk im open to anything!!,A Walk in the Woods
1l0m81h,Books with a moving father-daughter relationship,,Between Two Fires
1l0lg9d,Books where the (f)mc yaps to animals/birds/toys,"Inanimate objects.

No young adult fantasy..or wtv.. 

I want slice of life. Like I don't want them talking back to the mc. I sometimes talk to random objects just because.. But if its like that also no issues. Magical realism or something. ",Remarkably Bright Creatures
1l0jbba,"Books like For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver",,I'm gonna say North Woods
1l0j6jj,Deals with souls and magic and epic journeys,"So basically what I’m looking for is stories that deal with souls, and magic and epic journeys, a world to get lost in, I want it to kind of weird, it can be any kind of fantasy but I do not want grim dark, I’m looking for something also more magical feeling, I do not want magic tech, or robots I’m really over that and with the monsters I want them to be monster, monsters, preferably the lead character is not a teenager and it would be cool if she was a woman, but the character doesn’t have to be. Also not really looking for dystopian, if it’s sci-fi I’d like real aliens but I’m looking more for magic, but I also love Star Wars. I love trilogies and series or stand alones. love stuff like stranger things , Fullmetal alchemist, Star Wars , Harry Potter :/ , looking for something magical and other worldy. Thank you!  Also it could maybe be urban fiction if you got a really good rec but for this I think I’m wanting something set in a diff world. ",Little Thieves series by Margaret Owen and The Mirror Visitor series by Christelle Davis and The Old Kingdom series
1l0it6m,Books that feel like this. No explanation needed,,"eagerly waiting for these recs, jayvik is my jam lol  and i know you’re looking for scifi, but can i suggest a romantasy? and A Marvellous Light,"
1l0hrkx,Interpret how you will.,,No country for old men
1l0ff9v,Peaky Blinders in book form,Also interested in Irish stories from this time period.,"In fantasy genre, The War for the Rose Throne"
1l0ebic,Meeting people in the hospital/psych ward setting,"Preferably with happy endings, people dealing with anxiety, depression, bipolar all the works. Building relationships and healing. ",(https
1l0bktb,romance in the fall 🧡,looking for comfort & romantic vibes. not so much smut. (i love a smutty book but i’m looking for something else rn) ,"You, Again"
1l0ah73,"Young Closeted Love, Bonus for Religious Trauma",,Oranges are Not the Only Fruit
1l09b77,Books with this fantasy vibe?,Something fantasy with romance and a little magic please 🫶🏼,"Seconding Emily Wilde. Also, An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Roberson, A Deal With The Elf King by Elisa Kova, Half a Soul"
1l06824,Can I get some book recs that feel like this song?,"I'm looking for books that feel like this song: https://youtu.be/djCTbaYXd3k?si=TzdJn5bWm2hWptgo I'm mainly looking for graphic novels, but any medium and any genre would do as long as it fits the vibe of the song.

For me, the song is moody and atmospheric, kind of melancholic and contemplative with a touch of mysticism. Of course, others will interpret the song differently, so if you have any suggestions, I would be happy to take them!",Have you read The Girl From the Other Side manga series
1l03kmp,Any books with jungian themes?,"key words: symbolism, collective unconscious, psyche etc

(maybe Alice in wonderland vibes too)

","How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu has the collective unconscious element, if not the rest. and And you might like The Lathe of Heaven"
1l031eq,Surfing playing a major part in the book,"Looking for a book that gives off such a feeling, having surfing as a major part of the novel. Preferred genre is literary fiction.
",Malibu Rising
1l02rvh,Mamma Mia Vibes?,,In the 1960s Mary Stewart wrote a few romantic suspense novels set in Greece
1l01hmx,books with this kind of vibe?,genre doesn't really matter tysm <3,"These photos have a classic Twilight Zone vibe. If that's what you were going for, check out the short stories of Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont."
1kzzaop,summer romantic,"Looking for something romantic, beachy/any natural body of water/island themed. Not a summer romance in the sense of “summer vacation” but more a romance between two grown main characters that happens during summer/spring time. Also anything that has themes of growth, family, love and healing. ",call me
1kzylq1,Historical sapphic books,Any sapphic books in a historical or fantasy setting?,"I'm seeing several different parts of history here, so taking the broad view"
1kzxdwl,“No Grave Can Hold My Body Down” type of MMC,"Give me an MMC that literally crawls out of his grave to crawl back to her. I love the hozier song and I want to read it brought to life.

1000000x bonus points if the FMC put him in the grave and he’s groveling once he crawls out of it",a pretty literal interpretation but Warm Bodies is a zombie romance that I really enjoyed back in the day
1kzq5is,"layered, multidimensional, other worldly.","Layered, multidimensional books that feel other worldly?",The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass
1kzpurt,Books that feel like this,,Beauty
1kzpn9h,"I don't have words, just feels.",,Camping here because I also feel like I need this.
1kzohhw,People living with *powers in times of uncertainty,"https://preview.redd.it/told8odgk14f1.png?width=622&format=png&auto=webp&s=a681d137f962f7f94b876858833f3817df69fd2a

https://preview.redd.it/9osk50msk14f1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=fa8c39b38ca9a4d39d7c553b74e7f330c45fee76

https://preview.redd.it/xy9is6mnn14f1.png?width=1710&format=png&auto=webp&s=e51089cc2c2400c1f4a0c986a3ae9ae93aed6596

https://preview.redd.it/534o7vhvn14f1.png?width=1728&format=png&auto=webp&s=04b1ccb9838ae6862d4e151c4a3106d67524fc84

As the title suggests, I'm looking for stories about characters living lives with abilities but not adopting a public persona or a hero identity. Grounded in reality and tone reflecting real-world problems, but not resorting to gore, violence, edgy-ness or nihilism. Story structure can unfold unconventionally, like slices of life rather than a linear good vs. evil narrative. Also, don't have to meet all the criteria at once.",The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstein  and House In The Cerulean Sea - T J Klune
1kzog4r,Books that feel like this?,Not sure the vibe here? Any ideas? Open to any genre:),The Corfu trilogy
1kzobpg,Sf books that explore truly alien aliens?,"I'd love to read some sf stuff about aliens peacefully living alongside humans, where the aliens aren't just humans with funny makeup on. Preferably stories where humans are just one species among many and don't have a particularly prominent role in interstellar society.  
  
The first image is from an anthology book called Aliens! but it seems to be out of print and I can't find any copy that ships to where I live. The second image is from this post (https://www.reddit.com/r/AlternateHistory/comments/13hoz9t/pope\_pius\_vii\_with\_his\_first\_diplomatic\_meeting/)",I love Speaker for the Dead
1kznxtc,"Weird, awful, pathetic men?",Maybe a satire on masculinity? I don’t care! Gimme losers having a bad time and being the worst,Notes from the Underground
1kzn05k,Books with this vibe - rockstar romances?,,Daisy Jones and the Six
1kzlxcq,Grumpy/sunshine love; a safe place to land,,10 Things that Never Happened
1kzjkmc,books like this? 😼,"https://preview.redd.it/xdjl1c61e04f1.jpg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22f2c7aa98c8e063e20c4e40cfff3e3664a6a135

https://preview.redd.it/xbb66r42e04f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81eaa5c5d1551d28369a96a682554f95aca4845f

https://preview.redd.it/ovt6m1i2e04f1.jpg?width=729&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba804921297483fea7b86fb5be460cbb3fcb2b65

https://preview.redd.it/wtr9uv53e04f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f2539a3f277a25eaa3966f6e49997b3918eb7bf

https://preview.redd.it/vl5mwuc4e04f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5828fe9cbfb358e9df24b62fe3a3c6368b5502ba

https://preview.redd.it/qi2rul05e04f1.jpg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f29444078033ba752db866525d6e26b8db84ddd8

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","The third one is cute and hilarious at the same time. and I don't know if it can be your thing but in the idea of a fighting cat, Donut is a (talking) cat that fights monsters in a labyrinthine dungeon with her ""human servant, Carl"" (that's how she sees him lol), in *Dungeon Crawler Carl*,"
1kzjffk,"books like this? pale, depressing, girly vibe","https://preview.redd.it/gp2fhkkqc04f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=034353c609d71f827d5717a3b95942b087148508

https://preview.redd.it/4galpfzqc04f1.jpg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e24daa02af6275cd7719d205ab5916084735a7a

https://preview.redd.it/tzck3xirc04f1.jpg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50588bfe7a4d3b91419ec65e4a8a09d6425671be

https://preview.redd.it/jx9x9r7sc04f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9f392b4b5daba42181f30a0bf76fbe1b27c5ec1

[i havnet seen this movie- i know a bit about it, but im not looking for anything w a super similar plot, js that kinda vibe](https://preview.redd.it/ds75jhmsc04f1.jpg?width=689&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19d20c98db6ec52061f559d358059718c1f1d0ab)

https://preview.redd.it/idnovu1tc04f1.jpg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26e43a2e4bf47bf486ef50f639ef7f2b793f0e1e

",the virgin suicides seems the most obvious answer lmao
1kzk0zx,Any book recommendations that feel like this?,I recently have been reading alot of space/scfi horror written by SA Barnes. I’d like something similar that is just genuinely off putting and has a sense of being trapped. Examples would be some of her books feature groups of people being stranded in an abandoned environment (space station/space ship/foreign planet) while being tormented by something. ,The Expanse series has a lot of this.
1kziamg,Books that feel like:,"Romance, slightly dark/mysterious aesthetic, running away from a ball into a maze garden

Doesn’t have to be too easy of an easy read but nothing too “academic”… if that makes sense haha :)",Twisted Crown
1kzg2gz,Wanted couple fleeing/hiding in Dystopian society,"No alpha males please 

extra points if: male 1st person pov, high class female&lower class male","I guess **1984** fits, it´s the grandfather of dystopias, so it barely needs an introduction, and there is a romance at the center of the character´s story. and To be honest I was surprised"
1kzd565,Cold War exploration/ experimentation gone wrong.,,"Not horror, but ""Atomic Anna"" has a scientist involved in Chernobyl who creates a time machine to try and prevent it"
1kzbgcx,80s summer camp slasher with queer characters!,"extra points if there's (1) a cult/witches involved, (2) a big plot twist, (3) queer characters or (3) only girl characters ! (i don't mind if it's slow) but i'm looking for good storylines
i'd love if it had a small town coming of age vibe

some of my fav pieces of media if it helps:
yellowjackets, the secret history, lisa frankenstein, twin peaks, the scream saga, X (2022), ginger snaps, may (2002) 

i chose to flag it as mystery thriller but i love slashers, horror, romance (no smut if possible), witchy vibes...",You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron and The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan and Two Sides to Every Murder
1kzac8i,Books that feel like 10 things I hate about you,"Kind of craving a 10 things I hate about you in book format, not to the T but that has that dynamic. (no insta love, and if it is, done right)",Taming of the Shrew
1kz9zt3,Thinking Man of Action,,Ranger's Apprentice series for battle strategy and cool smart warriors.
1kz7ztf,Anything that feels like this?,I’m mainly looking for fantasy/horror but open to any genre ☺️,Dowry of Blood
1kz6gkq,There’s something wrong in the woods,"On a true crime kick lately, would love a mystery about a killer in the woods ","The God of the Woods and For a quick, “trapped in a house in the woods” thriller/mystery read, In a Dark Dark Wood"
1kz4yxl,Mountain adventures/living 1860s-1930s,Looking for mountain living or adventures in this time period. Not looking for romance (or at least not as the main point of the story). ,The Indifferent Stars Above
1kyxzhg,Books that feel like this ?,,Stalking Jack the Ripper
1kyt045,Crazy older woman with no f***s left to give,,Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead (I absolutely loved this book!!!)
1kystf2,Robot revolution through the robots perspective.,Bonus points if the robots develop their own society and culture.,A Psalm for the Wild Built
1kypr95,Dark cerebral supernatural slasher vibes,Home invaders working in cursed land (any time period),🪑
1kym2vr,Books That Feel Like This,"What if Napoleon was a world conquering sorcerer, yet love still conquered all? What if *Doom: the Dark Ages* was set in the early 1800s and had courtly balls in addition to the monster slaying? Dragons excellent but not required. Happy endings preferred over tragedies. 

I've already read *Scales & Sensibility*, *Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell*, and *Temeraire,* but none of them quite hit the mark. Comics, manga, novels, any format is good.",I kinda feel like Robin Hobb could fit… start with Assassin’s Apprentice
1kykwrp,"Books that feel like goddesses, feminine, pink",,"These pictures feel like Lady Tan’s Circle of Women to me—doesn’t have a goddess, but it centered on a woman making her own way despite opposition"
1kyjeyk,Life of a cool girl,,"nonfiction, down the drain"
1kyhcfb,This but during the war on terror/modern day,,"Nonfiction, but War"
1kyfk82,Books that give Zaun vibes,"Hazy atmosphere, showing the ugly sides of science, dripping with poverty, odd aesthetics and odder characters, sci-fi with a touch of fantasy, and etc

(Not sure why pic 2 is sideways haha)

Thanks for any replies!",Brandon Sanderson's “Mistborn
1kyg1pq,This is the vibe.,Historical fantasy romance with viking vibes please.  Any recommendations?,The first few images and I think of Shadow of the Gods
1kyep4h,Strong FMC who isn't scared to fight back..,"Need some book recs where the women isn't scared to fight back anyone and stand up for herself, takes no nonsense from any man nor women.
 
Any genre is fine, either fantasy or thriller or anything else just want the FMC to be powerful, savage and ""I'll not take any nonsense"" type, her being a psycho is okay too. 

Mainly it'll be good if she wields a sword or gun or screams ""powerful women"" just with her responses. ",Broken Earth Trilogy
1kyd83c,Carroll Cloar - optimistic and eerie,"Not usually into fantasy, but I'm in the mood for something thats surreal and unsettling without being too grim.

Deep south setting is not required but certainly appreciated.

Thanks!",Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance
1kyd4ih,Young free broke traveler exploring the world,,I think the photo of Leo there is from the movie adaptation of The Beach
1ky8z0t,I don't want a manga recommendation. Read body.,"I want to read something that makes you feel small... Like your existence is just a joke.

I've read all of hitchhiker's and I loved them.",Library at Mt Char would fit this I would say.
1ky4ii5,"Books that are melancholic, personal development","Was looking for a book with similar emotions as these filmes i really enjoy, a sad beauty, melancholy, self improvement, exploring the world. Idk any suggestions will be great",Into The Wild - Jon Krakauer
1ky3vkj,Books featuring interviews with serial killers,"Currently reading The Whisper Man by Alex North, and I’m loving the bits from Carter’s interrogations/interviews. Any recommendations? Preferably fiction but nonfiction works too :) ",Notes on an Execution
1ky3kku,Anything with these vibes,,The Employees
1ky3a5k,Us against the world,"The last image is from A Boy and His Dog, and it and its source material are good examples, psychic dog notwithstanding. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is another common rec. Does anyone know any featuring adult characters?  ",The dog stars
1ky1ykk,Hi I'd like something easy to read...my visuals:,,Dungeon Crawler Carl
1ky1sr1,Books that feel like..,"College boarding school, centered around older or younger men, an age gap trope (heterosexual), no smut. Rick kids. Idk how these mix of this trope exists.",If We Were Villains and The Secret History
1ky1dc0,Books that feel like it,"Rich college kids, boarding schools but NOT dark academia. Extra points if it’s a story similar to young royals. Open to mystery and romance tropes. Preferably not smut or same sex or age gap.",A Separate Peace.
1kxwijx,growing up as the opposite of what you were,"and trying to connect back with the child you were. 

I put the magical realism tag because I love it, but I'd also like to have literary fiction, sci fi, horror and all that you think fits this theme. 


I'm searching for a book about a woman (this is a requirement here) who may be a failure, or a cold and unsatisfied person, after growing up and suffering from life events, society's eye and pressure, etc. Something where you can understand how she became this person & shell of what she was, and where she tries to connect back with what was lost to shape herself into a third new person. 
Even better if she was a very curious, rebellious and fun little girl.
Let's make it angry, weird, sad, hopeful, funny, everything.

For those who have watched Severance, think about Helly and Helena and how they relate to each other and are in a constant conversation even though they never interacted. What their existence tells about them, etc. ",I don’t have recs but I love this ask!! (and I love Helly R👩🏻‍🦰)
1kxvw0b,its over and youre a teen girl,"preferably not YA (just bc i dont want the same tropes/dialogue things and YA has a lot of conventional stories like this) (also i dont like when the female lead in these kinds of stories is absurdly overpowered- i js want her to be a teenage girl) and preferably apocalyptic/horror (i LOVE extreme horror) (no rape though) and romance (if possible + sapphic is okay or hetero!)

https://preview.redd.it/pazawl9qtl3f1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=ec4d588f09b0cd8e8c0f27ee2e3df36ab4cae911

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https://preview.redd.it/gomkbpxdxl3f1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=679b63701c60146270b29120bd1321f91686468f

",Parable of the Sower
1kxusmt,1950s low conflict romantic slice of life suburbia,,"omg this is such an interesting concept, i too ned recs like this 😩"
1kxta1v,Lighthearted Summer Witches,"Taking a van trip to Salem and looking for some witchy books, but summery! I’ve read so many cute ones that take place in the fall, but it’s just not the vibe I want right now. The world is terrible so I need to escape! Bonus points for female friendships.",”A hat full of sky”
1kxp796,"rich, hot, american summer","looking for a book that feels like the National Anthem music video, like being a fly on the wall in the Kennedy summer home in the 1960s (but doesn’t have to be set in that era), like a rich and powerful couple living dangerously, immorally, and lavishly. i’d prefer fiction but it doesn’t have to be! ",Maybe a little earlier than you were looking for but I loved This Side of Paradise
1kxob0b,Culinary Fiction/Industry Underbelly,,Number One Chinese Restaurant- Lillian Li and Sweetbitter- Stephanie Danler and Empire Falls- Richard Russo
1kxmayi,"Corpse reanimation, horror","I’m looking for a title that deals with someone coming back from the dead and waking up in his or her casket, maybe even buried already. 

I read “Jake’s Wake” by Skipp and Goodfellow because it is this exact concept and I was all in. However, they dealt with this with a cartoony, stupid plot and I was disappointed. ",Pet Sematary
1kxji5c,Books with savage FMC..,"suggest books that feature savage female leads.. strong, independent, powerful women with sharp comebacks and zero tolerance for nonsense. Think of characters who don’t care about pleasing others, especially men. I’m looking for lines like:
""A man was speaking so I stopped listening"" from Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas.

(Any genre is fine as long as the FMC has all these mentioned above) ","I'll be honest, the disdain for men (and the capitalist rat race in general) is something I enjoyed in My Year of Rest and Relaxation"
1kxhjcd,Hazy NYC Summer,,"“Happy Hour” - Marlowe Granados and Also, “The Great Gatsby”"
1kxfxuk,"unsettling ,coming of age , teen girls ,",,Maybe Penance or Boy Parts by Eliza Clark. Or Bunny
1kxfahj,Cave crawler horror,,"Luminous Dead, Caitlin Starling"
1kxe5td,literary fiction aligned romance/romcom,"I’ve been looking for something with similar vibes to normal people, bridget jones, about time. That cosy, warm, maybe British/european vibe, with messy protaganists, not necessarily with a HEA!!",Beautiful World Where Are You
1kxd9sl,Weird Science,,The Southern Reach Series
1kxcxtq,Death Anxiety,I suffer from some pretty bad death anxiety so looking for some books with personification of death ,The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is narrated
1kxcr9o,Noir Fiction Detectives,,If your interests include sci-fi
1kxbqew,books that feel like this,,Cleopatra and Frankenstein
1kxbnyx,Low stakes fantasy with witches and animals,"Bonus points for sapphic/ found family/ cozy slice of life vibes.

Art source: https://www.tumblr.com/simzart",The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and The House in The Cerulean Sea (not witches specifically but definitely magical elements/creatures and found family/cozy)
1kxam0a,Normal life with a hidden interest,"Like the movie perfect days, where the main character has an interest in books and music, but lives a very normal life as a cleaner. Another example is the movie Paterson, where this bus driver writes poetry.

I'd like to know if there are any books that fit this vibe. I read a lot of Murakami, and find that his non-surreal elements seem to talk about normal life too, but I'd like to accentuate that element more.

If you know any, let me know. Thanks!",Sweet Bean Paste
1kx76dv,Cozy bug friends,"Looking for this vibe? Little people, nature village, insect friends, snail steeds, etc kind of vibe? I feel like every book I’ve seen that’s even close to this vibe is a children’s storybook. ",[The Cricket in Times Square
1kx6u58,Relaxation + water + natural beauty,,~~Tinker at Pilgrim Creek~~ and Edit
1kx5peu,Our first 80 degree day and I’m ready for autumn!,"Would love to ready something cozy and a little spooky. A dash of romance wouldn’t hurt either. I’m ready to crank up the AC, put on my cozy socks, and sip some cold pressed cider with a good book!",You could try the graphic novel Pumpkinheads
1kx5oh6,"Cold, Disconcerting & Feminine?","Looking for recs that could be described as “cold, disconcerting & feminine” please feel free to interpret those adjectives as it suits you. ",Obligatory recommendation for Eileen
1kx4bzu,retro/campy cabin in the woods,"horror preferred but i am open to other stuff! i just want that summer camp energy with an ominous vibe. 

No romance or YA please ",I promise you everyone’s going to say god of the woods 😭
1kx3nut,Anything with this general vibe,"Mystical/witchy, atmospheric, dark west coast vibes, cozy, a bit whimsical even. ",My favorite book with west coast vibes is Malibu Rising
1kx3jfu,Books like Young Royals 👑👑,I’m rewatching Young Royals right now and it’s giving me such queer nostalgia. Simone and Wilhem’s chemistry is phenomenal and so real.  Just need to know if there’s books out there that carries that same energy/weight✨,"A little too obvious but Red, White and Royal Blue"
1kx2lot,Books like this?,Something really romantic and moody or gothic! I don’t mind anything supernatural- just a romance with no huge drama or complication. I also like sapphic books! <3,Wuthering Heights
1kx1ikg,Rainy and moody!,,Obligatory Twilight. It really does hit all those notes.
1kx0vm6,Books that feel like this!,,Vicious
1kwytmg,Treasure hunting vibe for adults…,,The Cartographers
1kwxkjn,Dark Horror Fantasy Thrillers with mysterious hero,,Wolf in Shadow by David Gemmel and The Dark Tower series
1kwwvor,"Medieval Fantasy tragic love story, real/magical",,The Six Deaths of a Saint
1kwwblg,Books that feel like a Lana poem,,The Guest by Emma Cline and Paradise Logic by Sophie Kemp and Marlena by Julie Buntin and Brutes
1kwvw69,a sapphic western,"Gender inclusive, diverse, sapphic fiction set in the old American west","Not an exact match, but Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe"
1kwv6d1,"Esoteric, celestial, light,(US) western,",,Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1kwtqrk,Domestic/suburban thriller set in the summer.,"I've been chasing the high of *The Lifeguards* by Amanda Eyre Ward for years and am hoping to find something similar — a domestic/suburban thriller featuring upper-middle class families summering at the pool, in the neighborhood, at camp, etc.",Perhaps Liz Moore's The God of the Woods would fit the bill. It's on my tbr (so haven't read it to be completely sure of the vibes) but it takes place at a summer camp and seems to revolve around the wealthy family that owns the camp
1kwrcyv,Books that feel like this? Gay/queer 80s fantasy,,Yes i am fully aware that the second picture is klance fanart leave me alone /j
1kwku9t,Exploring old abandoned factories,"(Post)Apocalyptic/Adventure/Horror

Not looking for murder mystery thriller...or wtv","I admittedly only read the first few chapters because it was not the right type of content for me (I’m getting quite nervous in my old age) but I *think* 
The Mountain King Anders de la Motte? The blurb sets it up as a mystery though but I don’t remember it as such but I did DNF it early last year.  and I do remember the setting was atmospheric and creepy as fuck and I think an old 80s coal mine? Anyway, it might be a good lead.  and Besides all that, if you can stomach slow paced slice of life romance, Claire Kent wrote Last Light (and then an whole series called Kindled that takes place immediately after Last Light) that is a post apocalyptic world in the American south starting at three-four years after an asteroid hit Europe and disrupted the worlds entire society, weather, communication ext.  and The characters often have to traverse ruined buildings looking for old medications or whatever. I don’t think this will be a fit for you but I loved them so much I’d feel bad not telling you.  and Ps. Interesting prompt. Half the fun of this sub is seeing the interesting things people are searching to read."
1kwjfrb,Books that feel like a 2000s Tuscan home,,Did we get nostalgic over the same post on r/HomeDecorating?
1kwekco,"Whimsical, tender, otherworldly, romantic?",,Howl's Moving Castle
1kwehjq,The Monster Before the Mayhem,not a 'sympathetic villain' but more like...the 'monster's journey' ,"I mean, Frankenstein."
1kwe4q4,Heartbreaking medieval love story,Looking for BA knight in love,This reminds me of Paladin’s Grace
1kwdx7d,Contemporary/ Possibly Gothic Western.,"Not really looking for a romance, but don’t mind romance elements. ",Blood Meridian
1kwca8r,Books that feel like this?,"A sapphic, preferrably dark romance with an age gap? 🫵👀","thank you, THANK YOUUUUU. and I was hoping to get both novels and manhwa so I should probably edit the post to say so. 🤔
I haven't been recommended either of those books before, so I really appreciate it!!"
1kwcb8j,"Seaside Gothic, plus mermaids","I'm looking for something like these images - dark sea cliffs, ancient castles, ships, mermaids... They're definitely giving Jamaica Inn/Wuthering Heights, but I would love a bit of whimsy. Ideally nothing horror. Thank you for any suggestions! ",All the Murmering Bones
1kwc0hn,"Books that feel lovecraftian, stormy, fishing town",,The Fisherman
1kwbkmw,Summer reading,Looking for a book with costal charm. Cozy summer romance. Girly energy. giving southern socialite or summer in the Hamptons. I know it’s super duper vague but I just want something fun and kinda slop to read on a plane. And preferably not about teenagers. ,Any title
1kwb8q3,letting fam go/small town/adult siblings,"Books that main character realizes she won't ever be good enough for her family. Adult in her 30s+ preferably....definitely not for a specific reason or anything.
I usually read thrillers/horror but any genre would be great 
Thanks.
",How to Sell a Haunted House
1kwasy0,Tired women who hates her job,"A book about a woman (early twenties preferably) who hates her job.
Wants to accomplish more but not sure how and when 
Has a history of self sabotage and imposter syndrome. 

Has to have a hopeful ending 
",I’ll write an autobiography and you can read it 😂
1kw99po,Books that feel like this,The Art of Alariko,This is gorgeous art.
1kw6m3u,"Love, Death, + Robots",I have added a few pictures of compilations of specific episodes! I want books/books series’ that give off any one of these vibes! ,*Good Hunting* was originally a short story by Ken Liu. He has a whole collection called *The Paper Menagerie* that is nothing short of fantastic.  and *Annihilation* by Jeff Vandermeer  and *This Is How You Lose the Time War* and *Iron Widow*
1kw4ol4,Doomed lovers and vampires in a small town…,"before everything goes to shit. 

 I really just want a long form version of “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville” by My Chemical Romance. ",So Thirsty
1kw4oim,Books that feel like Netflix’s Sirens,"Low class inserting themselves into the life of the mega rich. Female rivalries. Martha’s Vineyard, east coast or British old money vibes. Literary fiction or thriller. ",The Guest by Emma Cline; The Perfect Couple
1kw4h1v,books that feel like this?,"I am looking for something infectious and dystopian. some of my favorite books are Annihilation/Southern Reach series, Station Eleven, Oryx and Crake/Maddaddam series. 

I also find the historical events like the Radium Girls, Chernobyl Disaster, the making of the Atomic Bomb, and plagues to be super interesting! 

think abandoned labs/hospitals, the last of us games, Marie Curie

If you have any recommendations that cover one or multiple themes I am looking for- it is greatly appreciated! ",*The Girl With All The Gifts* and it’s sequel *The Boy On The Bridge*
1kw4904,"Lonely Party Girls, Hollywood, Coming-of-Age",Basically looking for An Education meets Daisy Jones. No YA plz! ,The Guest by Emma Cline  and Aesthetica
1kw3khg,Books that feel like a mysterious carnival!!!,"Give me all your books about a mysterious carnival randomly coming into town and weird / unexplainable things happening. Kinda like Are You Afraid of the Dark limited series from a few summers ago or RL Stine’s Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls. 

Thanks in advance!! 

Also not my pics!!! ❤️
",*Something Wicked This Way Comes*
1kw0ave,book that encapsulates an 80s japan vibe?,not sure if this is too niche …… but something that feels like a city pop song?,1Q84
1kvzxx3,lonely witch/vamp meets the sunshine guy,"Pls give me lonely grumps meeting the cuties 🫴🫴🫴

Also give me a gist please !!!!! ","This reminds me of How to Dump a Vampire by Jamie Dalton.  The female main character is a reclusive witch who just wants to be left alone, and the male main character is a vampire who shows up at her doorstep needing to be nursed back to health, all while annoying her"
1kvxx9u,Books that feel like this?,"Books that give thriller, small town, found family,  rich, influential, damaged characters, romance/horror/thriller vibes. With each book having its own plot but an overall plot playing in the background in the series. 

I really loved Penelope Douglas Fall away and Devil's Night series. I'm looking for something similar. Please help me get out of my slump ",Twilight
1kvx426,Books for being hopeful after shattered dreams,"Hi guys, I am looking for books talk about unfulfilled dreams, hopelessness, and eventually finding something else. I read Rajiv Surendra's autobiography Elephants in my Backyard and was wondering if someone knows books like those? Here is the summary of his book:
""The Elephants in My Backyard is a profound and inspiring story of self-discovery in the face of failure poignant, funny, colorful, and absolutely unforgettable.""",The only thing coming to mind is The Midnight Library
1kvwpvs,Mature Pulp Sci-Fi,,"Some of the higher quality warhammer books can have that pulp Sci fi quality to it. The first 4 books of the Horus Heresy are quite good, fast paced, but can sometimes have too much emphasis on the battles. The in-between bits are good though. and The Eisenhorn books are often described as Bond-like, and I'm inclined to agree. They read like spy thrillers and I think the caveat is that they might be a little inaccessible since you may need to know a little about the lore, but that's also just my interpretation as someone who read them while knowing a good chunk of the background. Your mileage may vary."
1kvvi3q,Overgrown post-apocalyptic dystopia,,Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and The Gate to Women's Country
1kvr3gx,"Tick Tick Boom 2021, mainly sad, loving life","Time slipping away, emotional ups and downs. Love. (So much Andrew Garfield in the pictures Im so sorry)",The Rachel Incident
1kvqkll,Books that feel like caraval..,Want some book recs that has dark things but fantasy with something like caraval but not the caraval series. ,The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstein
1kvq3gm,Books for woman in her highest self journey,Recommend any nearest of your guesses,"Any Mieko Kawakami book I guess. Or, The Year of Magical Thinking"
1kvpxro,books that feel like dawson’s creek,"i remember when i watched dawson’s creek for the first time. i rewatched it a few months ago and i realized that i haven’t seen or read a book that has come remotely close to depths of this show. 

it’s like a cozy, coming to age — yet, romantic best friends to lovers that i absolutely love. the late 90s vibe makes it even better. i have yet to read any book that comes close to it. i’m begging for someone to recommend a series/book that gives me the feeling of this show. ",There was a Dawson's book series.
1kvn8f0,Books that feel like - wlw cottage core  🧚🏻,"Wlw cottage core - posh aesthetic, dainty ",Honey Witch
1kvn0gb,Books that feels like summer camp,"Any genre will do, would love to read about friendship. Thank you",The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  and The Last Time I Lied
1kvmhpp,Books that feel like medieval cosmic horror,,funnily enough i just finished *Starving Saints*
1kvknjc,Books that feel like Salt stained Pirate love,"I love pirates and I wish there was more modern media about them. I’ve watched Black Sails but now I’m looking for a crunchy, plot driven, pirate romance, with maybe a bit of magic. FMC POV please. Double points if they are a POC I need all the representation I can get . ",The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
1kvkioe,Book that feel like not a wonderland,Pls tell me as many as there are of this vibe,Bunny
1kviz35,old hollywood aesthetic,"that old film noir romance kind of feel, golden age of hollywood, preferably 1930s-1940s era but any older hollywood-themed book is great. some forbidden romance elements would also be amazing if that is possible. i have already read the seven husbands of evelyn hugo and greatly enjoyed it, so please recommend something else :) ",The Seventh Veil of Salome
1kvh4t4,books that feel like heartbreak,,"The Song of Achillies by Madeline Miller made me SOB deep from the chest, full on snot pouring from my nose and everything. I have a tattoo inspired"
1kvgy40,Classical anguish and rage,,Frankenstein
1kvgld4,Cozy Detective Thriller with a Diner Scene,"Need a cozy detective thriller preferrably with a female lead detective or in a duo, where they go to a diner for part of it or just gives you the same feel of a detective diner scene. Silence of the Lambs movie was my inspo obviously and i've read it so no need to recommend. ",Not cozy but definitely has black humor
1kvdkwj,"Mediterranean summer - family, friends or romance","Looking for a good summer read. Mediterranean vibes. Ideally stories about family, friends, romance or relationships in general but open to other stuff too. 

Preferably no mythology retellings. I've just read a lot of them already 

",If you've never read Call Me By Your Name
1kvdf4y,"Scottish, Sapphic, Sisterhood",Any of these themes would be great. Not Outlander though please. ,"okay but also ""Lesbian Outlander when?"" tho amirite"
1kvct6y,Coming of age/girlhood/spring break,,The Guest
1kvaikl,Books like this,Give me what you got,"Also not quite perfect, but Disco Bloodbath"
1kv8oro,help a lady out,,Some of it is giving me Circe vibes.
1kv8684,Books that have treehouses?,"Books that have treehouses?

Not sure how to properly describe this but something that has like a treehouse as part of its central plot or it being the location where things take place. 

A whole city or civilization or a large group of people live in/ around treehouses and the kind of society that it would be. Like a tight-knit community? Just the drama and stories of those people? 

Slice of Life, sci-fi, dystopia, fantasy any all genres that even fly close to anything similar I will greatly appreciate.

 (Again sorry for the bad description it sounds okay and makes sense in my head tho i swear)",The Baron in the Trees
1kv7r3b,warm / southern / country / americana,,Done & Dusted
1kv3pdd,Horror/thriller/sci-fi/dark fantasy books?,"I'm about to finish the Lovecraft collection, and I. NEED. MORE. His stories just *clicked* for me, they are exactly what I needed. So I'd like to read more similar books. The books suggested don't necessarily have to be lovecraftian/cosmic horrors, I'm open for anything dark/weird that more or less matches the pictures (that's why I added so much). The books can be series/novels/short stories/graphic novels basically anything. The era also does not necessarily have to be the first half of the 1900s, Victorian, modern, or any era is fine.

Please, suggest me some good books to read. Thanks a lot in advance!",The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins and American Elsewhere
1kv3lob,Books that feel like this…,"Tagged historical fiction, but I’m up for anything or any genre. Spent some time recently in Wyoming and west river South Dakota and kept wishing I’d brought a book that encapsulated the sights sounds and energies of the area. Isolation, growing up queer/misunderstood/alone.

We were on our honeymoon and I’m also from places like this, so queer themes are preferred, but also please tell me if it ends in tragedy like Brokeback Mountain so I can be prepared 😅

Currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass, more native authors would also be a plus 🙏",Outlawed
1kv3kep,durmstrang like vibe,"moody, cold settings (think: castles, forests, ships, libraries, candlelight)","UMM GRISHAVERSE 
aka shadow and bone / siege and storm / ruin and rising,"
1kv0fnt,Something that feels like this,A pirate adventure seeing and sea eldritch creatures that live in the depths of the ocean   with fantasy action and gothic elements to it ,The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
1kv09gv,books that feel like this?,"looking for something that gives the same vibes as the mummy, indiana jones, or even jumanji?? just want a duo or group going on an adventure to find treasure. would really prefer romance to be included. ty!! ",Empire of shadows!
1kux11m,Whatever this is,Thank you in advance!,this is giving me the vibes of vicious
1kuv8na,Books that feel like:,"Looking for the summer I turned pretty vibes but better. Summer, feel good, romance/fiction",Happy Place
1kusgnj,Books that feel like,,Fear and loathing in Las Vegas
1kusax9,Books that feel like this,,Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams for sure. Maybe Good Omens
1kuq8to,Space Horror?,"I just finished Ghost Station, Cold Eternity, and Dead Silence by SA Barnes and I'm completely hooked. Anyone have recommendations for something similar?","The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch (technically a thriller but leans horror IMO)
The Luminous Dead"
1kuoye5,Coastal summer,,Along For The Ride
1kuo2e8,Books that feel like this,,The Lies of Locke Lamora
1kuo29g,Letters to Juliet adjacent.,"I’d love to read a book that feels like the movie or one that’s like the love story the grandma tells. Some tropes are enemies to lovers, forces proximity, Italian summer, long lost love. ","Im in love with this movie! I’ve had a hard time finding anything similar. The closest I’ve gotten is You, With a View"
1kunf5c,Novels with Archibald Motley vibes,First two paintings,You might like Passing
1kunrrr,Pretty Late noon scenery,"Just a book that feels like pretty scenery vibes, the kind that can make you feel content, or the weird beautiful feeling emotion that I can’t quite describe.",I think this is reminding me a lot of the dallergut dream department store
1kumx14,"Dark and demented, horrific, mysterious, 0 murders","Want to read something dark and insane, most probably supernatural, that just gets worse and worse and their psyche starts to break. 
(References used was “Men” and “hereditary” but the psychological aspect of “silent hill”, “audition” and “Gozu” is what I’m expecting with it.) 
Been told about house of leaves.
If there is low to no murders even better but I don’t mind it. Just want to explore something a bit more haunting and psychotic ",A head full of ghost
1kulgts,literary books about cooking and savouring food,"https://preview.redd.it/tn5vgn0cks2f1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff6c1a99d002a50a715608103e4c8d2373265a98

https://preview.redd.it/p6dfxnklks2f1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=76127863b3c2760125857920baa73bf3f38b5f00

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https://preview.redd.it/7aonuj63ls2f1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=76e46755c65eceef4107155b35f206fc68eeff02

  


I'm looking for books similar to Alone in The Kitchen with an Eggplant which is an anthology of essays written by writers about what they cook for themselves when they're alone. Personal essays/memoirs are better. Descriptions of heart breakfasts or meals and maybe some solitude/loneliness themes People cooking/experimenting with food, feeding their loved ones, anything, anything at all. Doesn't have to meet all the criteria of course. The underrated the book, the better. I have already read Anthony Bourdain and Ruth Reichl and Laurie Colwin. Thanks in advance! :D","""Piglet"""
1kul9ss,Ice Magic in Fantasy,,Sword of Kaigen
1kug807,World where all women use rage to max,"Is there a world where all the women decides to max out on their rage as long as can, not hold it back, the women collectively decides to see if experiencing their rage in all possible sense can free them ",The Power
1kue3hy,Books written in the second person,I love horror and sci-fi. I'm on the third book of the Southern reach series and really enjoying the segments about the director where it shifts to second person perspective. They're very unsettling and I was wondering if there are more horror/sci-fi books where YOU are told who you are and what you're doing. ,I don't have recs but I love the pics you included to show second person xD
1kudltm,Final Fantasy X,"I would love to read a book with a similar theme or setting to FFX - South East Asian setting, temples and lore rich with spirituality or themes of cycles and grief. Anything that makes me feel even close to the magic woven into this game. It doesn't have to necessarily be a fantasy, just something that makes me ache with wonder at the tragic beauty of its setting. ",the floating world
1ku9gf7,Books that feel like a sun soaked desert adventure,"I’m looking for American desert (Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, etc.) set fiction books. Preferably those that take place in the 1960-70s. Down-on-their-luck protagonists are always a favorite. I loved Play it as it Lays, Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins. Looking for something that scratches that itch. ",lmao this is such a tame description of that book…
1ku8ass,Books that feel like a heat-drunk romance,"Like the title says, im looking for a romance that feels like almost melancholic lofi\nostalgic night feeling mixed with 2000s tumblrcore romance, something that gives off soulmate vibes",Seven Days in June
1ku4we1,this scene in Yellowjackets,my Lottie Matthew’s obsession is going on strong.,"Obvious one is Lord Of The Flies, and for good reason! and Two others spring to mind"
1ku4qgw,Whatever comes to mind - artist is Chloe Shao,,Natural Beauty
1ku3hdc,Major crackhead mmc,Preferably introverted fmc,Following for the viberinos
1ku3c61,national park vibes,Fiction please,The Overstory
1ku2tbb,Books about late bloomers/young adult disasters,"i’m thinking like booksmart, bottoms, even bridesmaids.. girls that weren’t cool in high school and do not know what to do at 22",the rachel incident!!!!!!
1ku1c3q,Summer romance/drama,"Something cute and addicting. Based in the summer. Bonus points for: 

A boardwalk or theme park moment 🎢🎡

It being a group of friends and love triangles or drama within them 💑

Camping another fun bonus 🏕️


***Note, already read ""The Summer I Turned Pretty"" series 😊",Beach read
1ktzexo,"Intense, dark southern gothic preferably w/ water",,Sharp Objects
1ktzdfs,anything that feels like this,any dark and broodish moorlands/castles are a big plus. fantasy/horror ,Not horror but the shepherd king duo might be up your alley! It’s gothic style fantasy and was easily a 5 star read for me
1ktytcs,Journalism vibes,"I love movies like Broadcast News and His Girl Friday and the show the Newsroom is one of my all time favorites. I’m looking for books to match the plucky reporter energy I’m obsessed with on screen. I’d like books that have the journalism setting (obviously lol), travel, fun banter, characters who are smart, and romance. ",Come & Get It
1kty9x2,Fungal horror,"I have finished The last of us 1... I liked mostly the fungal part of it.. I really need fungal horror !!! Or adventure or 

whatever just gimme the damn fungi please

Pls with a good writing.. nothing as shit like in all tomorrows (are all SFs like that??idk)

I have so far seen 
1. What moves the dead like everywhere.
2. Mexican gothic
So no. But u can tell me if you'd vote for these 2 into my fungal horror list",What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher  and Mexican Gothic
1ktxyaq,devastate me with your best doomed wlw,"Any subgenre, preferably little to no smut, but I'll make exceptions. Bonus points if it's historical or an older book (pre 2010's).",The Adult
1ktxg0q,Books that feel like this,,Spinning Silver and Uprooted
1ktwreq,Isle Of The Dead & The Monk By The Sea,"I love the feeling that Isle Of The Dead (Böcklin) evokes; namely dark, foreboding dread mixed with solemn inevitability. It goes perfectly with the Rachmaninoff symphony (same name), particularly Opus 29 where the swells in the music are meant to sound like waves lapping against the side of the boat. 

I also really like Monk By The Sea (Friedrich) - a lonely monk in robes of mourning staring at a vast sea of melancholy. Both of these works make me think about confrontation of our reality; a fragile spark of human existence amidst a cold, unknowable cosmos. ",You should absolutely check out The Invention of Morel
1ktq857,"This, but historical fiction/non fiction",,The Things They Carried
1ktp3px,Books that are gritty/romance/spicy 90s,"I want to read a book of the Reality Bites era. Ideal if it includes romance, friendship, music, messiness, and a good story arc! Fiction or non are welcome. 

https://preview.redd.it/955g32nhek2f1.png?width=318&format=png&auto=webp&s=9c17b8d3173fc038794c3ccce1526214531125d5

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https://preview.redd.it/ay9mo1nhek2f1.png?width=369&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ef0f3da9c6565d441b16eafec5354eb983b158e",Freak Like Me - Confessions of a 90s pop groupie
1ktnz35,"unemployed, late twenties...",...driving a shitty car. can also be historical or sci fi/have a romance aspect. bonus points if it's set in the midwest! closest thing that I've already read would propably be writers & lovers (lily king). thank you!,Margo’s Got Money Trouble!
1ktn0n6,"Isolated, desolate, abandoned places [in space]","I enjoyed Ship of Fools, Dead Belt (the podcast) and Iron Lung (the game) 

I appreciated Blindsight.

Please no YA, Luminous Dead (i really liked the premise but i didnt find either character interesting likeable or toxic enough to keep me engaged), or SA Barnes. ","You're probably looking for Hyperion. One of the Foundation books has some and Ancillary Justice has a cool scene,"
1ktjxw8,Books with reveals that blow your face off,I prefer something with a sci-fi/supernatural/weird element but I want something that will leave me reeling with the reveals/twists,Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - I’m so glad my mom read it before me so that I had someone to call up the second I finished it. I was FLOORED. and Rebecca
1ktif2h,Books that feels like this,"Books that gives vampire vibes.
",A Dowry of Blood
1kth545,Summer Camp!,"I'm fine with any age, any decade, I'm fine with anything except horror.",The God of the woods matches this. Crime novel set at a summer camp
1ktehhv,Fantasy books that feels like summer rain.,I'm usually reading desert fantasy during summer but wqnt something with more summer rain and green vibes this time!,The Raven Cycle
1kte4mg,Book likes love letter 1995 movie ❄️📚,Ive been looking for a book with the same atmosphere ,"Perks of Being a Wallflower, maybe"
1kt9v3h,Charming yet dramatic children's books,"I'm not super sure how to describe the specific vibe I'm looking for, but you know those stories with a plucky young protag where there's usually some kind of dramatic plotline going on that ends happily but has a lot of twists and turns? Think stuff like The Secret Garden or Matilda or maybe one of the Narnia books for something in the fantasy genre? I really don't know what to cal this little subgenre but I've adored it since I was a kid lol, so any recommendations would be super welcome!","A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables"
1kt95yv,"""Mystery Inc. but it’s the 1890s""",Art by [Lauren Illustrated ](https://www.tumblr.com/laurenillustrated/753096070431703040/mystery-inc-but-its-the-1890s),The Horatio Lyle series  and Book 1
1kt8kka,comfort reads? <3,,"The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman. so beautifully written and full of nature. it did make me cry, but in a happy sad kind of way. also The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches"
1kt0j56,Gross and unreal horror novels,"The horror novels I’ve recently liked have been Carrie by Stephen King, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Bunny by Mona Awad. I’d really love to read more books with this yucky, out of place style. I prefer female main characters but I don’t mind anything else. I also love when books don’t make sense and have no clear ending",Tender is the Flesh
1kt012e,Downtrodden/impoverished rural America,"Pictures provided from the music videos AMERICAN FOOD by They Are Gutting A Body of Water and Gretel by Alex G.

Interpret the pictures however you’d like but I’m looking for books that explore a darker unromanticized version of rural america, but is still empathetic towards it. Any surrealist themes would be a bonus but not necessary, thank you!",Demon Cooperhead
1kszr6t,"nomadic tribes, snow, mountain, mongolian inspired",not exactly mongolian but these aesthetic that I don't know how to name it,Eternal Sky series
1kszjac,"Books in Mark Twain's ""mysterious stranger"" vibe","I would like a book with the vibe of Mark Twain's ""the mysterious stranger"", a kind of magical, fantasy and reflective medieval. ","Mark Twain's, ""A Connecticut Yankee in King AR there's Court"". Has a similar vibe as his ""The Mysterious Stranger"" book."
1ksxhvj,Books that feel like this!,Can you guys help me?,The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea
1kswm33,Books About Substance Abuse/ Recovering Addict,On the road to recovery myself and trying to stay sober. Was wondering if anyone can suggest a fiction book with a main character going through something similar. I read Demon Copperhead recently and absolutely loved it. Was the closest I ever felt to a character so wouldn’t mind similar suggestions. Thank you. ,Infinite Jest
1kswl0c,Books about dolls,"Ethereal, surreal, melancholic ","Grady Hendrix How to sell a Haunted House, more puppets but creepy!"
1ksw2h3,Books with a protag like Debbie Jellisnkey,,Addams Family Values. She a femme fatale who marries Uncle Fester.
1ksuw87,The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,"Something whimsical, quest, high stakes :-)",Eye of the World
1kssq8q,Books with similar vibes to Life is Strange,"Hi there! I love books and games. I thinking about, is it possible to find a book that would be similar to the life is strange? Mystery of disapp.+school+maybe some frienship / or romantic line. Or something with disapp+super powers, (small town but it is not that imp). Young adult

I would be really thankful for any recommendations and ideas",I’m sat for this thread - constantly chasing the LIS narrative high
1ksrvk1,from friends to lovers,,The people we meet on vacation
1ksohk7,"""I don't need you, but I miss you, come here.""","This song has been stuck in my head for weeks and weeks. Everytime I think about the lyrics, I sort of find myself wanting for a book that gives off this messy, complicated, relationship Ravyn Lenae tries to break down in Love Me Not.

Side note, I don't do romance. In real life, and in books. Well, romance when sprinkled necessarily, or not explored too much, isn't entirely inedible (in books btw). I want to become someone who endorses, screams, and smiles romance. So I've decided I'm okay with romance that has its realistically stupid moments, its inevitable downs, but please don't give me recommendations that have romance begin quicker than a toilet flush. I always find romance that suddenly happens and works after two dates or a life or death situation the most irritating to read. Change my mind? Or give me something like Love Me Not? I'm not sure, up to you. Thank you >:D 

""Soon as you leave me, we always lose connection..."" >:O",I haven’t even finished it yet but All Fours
1ksngml,Nonfiction books that blow your mind?!,"Like tell some info that you never imagined, or tell how things work that blows ur mind?","The indifferent stars above and It's about the doomed Donner party. I think it's the best book I've ever read. It's so concise, there's no opinion, is not glorified. It's so great, so hard to read lol."
1ksmp97,Books about wandering or wanderer character,,The hobbit!!
1ksksb0,Feel like you're the character in Blue Prince,"Exploring a winding mysterious space, with a main goal and tons of puzzle pieces that seem to not be connected but slowly piece together when discovering new information. I love illogical and non-linear spaces, a place that traps you, has power, has a mystical purpose.",Maybe more on the literary side but
1ksiikx,British Urban Fantasy/Sci-fi,,"Rivers of London series is a police procedural with fantasy elements, he’s essentially a cop that deals with mythical creatures and citizens. If I remember right the author also wrote for Dr Who so it’s got a similar vibe.  and I think there are a heap of them too. Like 10+ books in the series. My library only had the first two and it wasn’t a good enough fit for my tastes to justify purchasing but I enjoyed what I read."
1ksfi9f,Take on the world inspirational,I want I'm looking for a book that makes me feel like I'm going from nothing to working through it to fighting gods maybe some exciting romance hero anti-hero level stuff doesn't have to be all for the right reasons but something that just lights your soul on fire to read and want to read everyday,Soon I will be invincible- Austin Grossman
1ksb2v0,Southern vampire gothic,,"The southern book clubs guide to slaying vampires 
By"
1ksap5y,Cult Vibe,"Just finished Mary by Nat Cassidy and I'm really feeling
anything creepy cult related, I need more!",Following this thread and adding Mary to my TBR 👀
1ksaj7e,"Unsettling, evil, fairy tale/legend-esque",,Between Two Fires
1ks9wn0,Books that Feel Like This (Scifi/Fantasy),"Completely up for interpretation, but please no YA (nothing against it, it just does not appeal to me).",Our Wives Under the Sea
1ks8msg,Books with forbidden love/feels gloomy,"I may get laughed at for this but I’ve been a huge twilight fan my whole life and I love how they make you feel, especially Midnight Sun! 
Any recommendations on books that have gloomy vibes, supernatural beings, forbidden love, etc? ",you may enjoy carmilla
1ks6iwa,the main character lives the same day everyday,Everyday he/she wakes up and lives the same day everyday. They need to get out of the repetive loop.,The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
1ks677p,Courtroom behind the scenes,Both fiction and non fiction recommendations welcome.,"The Rainmaker by John Grisham- fiction 
Imperfect Justice"
1ks4zy1,"warm summer nights, wlw, heartbreak, nature",Small town but big dreams,Sunburn
1ks3i1g,books that feel like CHALLENGERS,"hi everyone!!! i've been absolutely obsessed by challengers lately: the s\*xual tension btw the characters, the friendship of patrick and art, the aesthetic, the rivalry, EVERYTHING. do you have any recs? thx <333

https://preview.redd.it/6n6itr8n562f1.png?width=1105&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b240d03200add286a5c86b84cfc6aa862b6c3c9

https://preview.redd.it/4eb14u8n562f1.png?width=756&format=png&auto=webp&s=4a8cc06b0e2f66806f0f0676ca87fcc2f4353acc

https://preview.redd.it/le8u1s8n562f1.png?width=635&format=png&auto=webp&s=c338b920179e23444673682cceecb1c92c763c21

https://preview.redd.it/nr4pty8n562f1.png?width=865&format=png&auto=webp&s=53d8030d01f42f3ba21b46b10027e9da36309311

",The Favorites is comparable!
1ks2p0d,Books that feel like my childhood,"I used to go to my country's equivalent of Blockbuster and borrow the scariest movies I could find. My first one was 'Children of the corn' and last one was 'The ring', which I never returned(oops).",Try some of the OG Fear Streets
1ks0oeq,Books that feel like a Fumito Ueda game,"Big abandoned temples, silence, strange creatures. I played Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian a while ago and I’m craving more media with this specific atmosphere.",Piranesi
1ks0brd,books for the worst person in the world,fucked up family background/ no life perspective/ uncomfortable but strangely warming/ i want to feel something/ being an adult and take the responsibility of your life.,"My year or rest and relaxation, if you haven’t read it yet"
1krvike,Evil Family,,Brother by Ania Ahlborn and The Lamb
1krsecc,Lovecraft,,Lovecraft Country
1krsaws,Voidpunk,"Explanation: Voidpunk is a subculture that challenges societal definitions of humanity, particularly for those who feel dehumanized or demonized by mainstream norms.",Omg American Elsewhere
1krsaqy,Is this anything?,,American Tabloid and The Black Dahlia Murder by James Ellroy and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet and The Big Sleep
1krr1o1,These Images,I really want a book that feels like these images I saw on tiktok,Rebecca
1krq3uo,Looking For Surreal Scifi/Fantasy,"I'm looking for surreal sci-fi/fantasy. I prefer older sci-fi books, but I'm willing to look at anyone's suggestions. I'm okay with any subgenre attached to it like romance or horror (horror preferred).","John Darnielle's *Universal Harvester* is a quiet sort of surreal set in small towns where things are odd but people don't seem to mind, or at least don't remember. and In contrast, the characters in Thomas Ligotti's 1980s *Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe* mind very much. More surreal, wicked, and unmistakably beautiful."
1krodrv,"Grungy, midwest emo, reflective, 2000s",& doesn’t have to be about journaling (credit to kumbpeacea on tt for the images),Paper Towns
1krk4w7,👀?,"I started writing a story way back about a necromancer and his zombie boyfriend, and this image reminded me of it. Any similar books?

Christopher Moore's 'Bloodsucking Fiends' had kind of a similar idea, but the woman was a vampire. ",Warm Bodies
1krjpmx,Villain POV,"Lyrics
“I'll grab a mic till I make it 
overnight 
Making the world my own
So hold on tight I hope you enjoy the show”
Song- Overnight- qveen Herby/Le
Monde

I have these lyrics here that when I listen to them I can see it being play for the villain as he's talking to his love interest, showing them who he really is.
And because of this I want to read a book where it's the villain/bad guy pov. I want to read something where the villain wins, where he gets the girl or guy. I feel like every book I read is the girl pov but what about it being switch, what if instead of it being the hero it’s the villain?",I personally haven’t read this one so someone correct me if I’m wrong
1krh5k7,fun mysteries,,I’m halfway through “The Thursday Murder Club” and the characters are funny (even if the crimes they’re trying to solve aren’t)
1krgmla,Books that feel like this?,,Maybe Mexican Gothic
1krg5bw,Magical mothers,I'm looking for books about magical women in general and mothers in general. ,Circe
1krcpv1,set in a forest...,,Prodigal Summer - Kingsolver and The Overstory - Powers and Braiding Sweetgrass - Kimmerer
1krbpx4,"50s houselife gone wrong, think Patricia Highsmith","Please only recommend things if you know these references (The Hours -the Julianne Moore part-, Shutter Island -the Michelle Williams part-, Revolutionary Road)",The Hours is one of my favorite books. I'd recommend Mrs. March
1krboes,books that feel like this,"chose none/any for genre bc i couldn’t decide if it was gothic, sapphic/lgbtq, or horror. looking for something maybe kinda sinister, sapphic, or/and woodlandsy involving an independent woman or sapphic couple. 

any recommendations are appreciated <3",Carmilla is the gothic vampire version of this
1kr9mit,Whatever this feels like to you…,Southwestern gothic? Something else? I’m open to any suggestions. ,All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
1kr70pd,books like this?,"any genre is ok but horror, pls and thank you!",JADE 👏 CITY 👏
1kr44zo,"Feel Good, Nostalgia Books",,"I don't think this book really matches the images, but Dandelion Wine"
1kr3ye5,Folk/Gothic Horror about eclectic Witchcraft,"I'd love something without any elaborate magic systems and instead just individual witches or a small coven doing whatever seems to work (doesn't even need to be shown to actually work)

Bonus point if the main characters are witches and they are fighting off something in the woods.

Ideally taking place in summer.",Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
1kqzsf6,Books or stories that feel like these pictures...,,"this is really difficult, but *Never Let Me Go*"
1kqytgx,Like these charcoal drawings?,,Kafka maybe? The Metamorphosis
1kqw8n4,dreamy middle ages/folk fantasy,a book that feels like a medieval fever dream.,Nettle & Bone
1kquam2,Australian Gothic,,There’s picnic at hanging rock if you haven’t already read it!
1kqoqmf,Gay dark romance in fantasy / supernatural setting,,"malum discordae by ashlyn derrick, the darkest court series by M.A. Grant, the monster of elendhaven"
1kqjrst,Demon falls in love with an angel,,Daughter of Smoke and Bone… sorta.
1kqjrrj,The mundane lives of superheroes,"The quiet times; the love stories, the families they raise, wrapped up in the fantastical world of being superpowered. The secrecy, the hidden identities, the badassery mixed in with the day-to-day onslaught of laundry and dishes. The everyman superhero. Other TV & film examples of the kind of vibe I'm after might be in Gen V when >!Marie's blood powers are used as a period tracker!< or more recently in Thunderbolts when >!Bucky's arm was in the dishwasher!<. Thank you for reading this if you are, and thank you in advance! ♡ 


Image descriptions: Screenshots from Korean drama ""Moving"" and American film trailer for ""Superman"". In the first, a baby floats to the ceiling of a living room amidst concerned-looking parents. In the second, Superman lays on his bed with his dog resting on top of him. In the third, the same mother in the first picture is telling her child ""Empathy is what real power looks like."". In the fourth (and last) is a picture of a background detail in which the name ""Lois"" (for Lois Lane) has been written in the sky and framed at her place.


","This is more of the mundane lives of villains/henchmen, but it's called Hench"
1kqjc55,Massachusetts Gothic,Bonus points if historical fiction!!,North Woods by Daniel Mason  and This Other Eden
1kqj93n,Books that feel like...,"I just need dad/father figure willing to do anything to protect his kid. The more feral the better.

I've already The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Vicious by VE Schwab.",Between Two Fires and Empire of the Vampire have this exact trope.  Both are dark fantasy with a little horror.
1kqfesg,Dark Fantasy with Lore Based Around the Arts,Rose petals not necessary but appreciated.,Flesh and Spirit
1kqaest,something like this…?,"FEMININE, raw, painful, beautiful. maybe running away from something, running away from self? would love terrifying themes, horror, feeling watched/being watched, gore not necessary but great. love water themes!",Sharp Objects
1kq8lhd,I want a book that feels like this…,Just finished watching “The Cat O’ Nine Tails” and I want to read something that fit the aesthetic and vibe or a plot similar to it.,Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
1kq65ae,"Fiction, non-fiction, whatever works",,Hmm kind of thinking oryx and crake
1kq3oey,Coastal marsh/wetland setting,"Would love book recommendations that are set in or capture the coastal wetland setting of the south-eastern United States (e.g. the South Carolinian lowcountry or Floridian inter-coastal waterway). I have read Where the Crawdads Sing and love the beautifully descriptive nature of that book. I also enjoy the sunny, glistening vibe of the show OBX, which is filmed in Charleston. While both of these have Mystery plots, I care less about that aspect and more about spending time with characters in this beautiful natural setting. Genre can be flexible: mystery, romance, even sci-fi if the shoe fits! Thanks for the suggestions.",Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff Vandermeer
1kpzsqp,That feel like: Plastique Tiara’s magical drag,,Chuck palahniuk invisible monsters
1kpzqnw,this is where i’ll be doing most of my reading,"last summer i read killers of the flower moon and loved it! looking for my next summer read, these are actual photos of where ill be doing most of the reading. considering braiding sweetgrass but open to other suggestions!",i am jealous
1kpy130,"Sassy, witty maids","I'm aware of some maid/servant-focused books, mostly thrillers and dramas, but does anyone know of anything that errs lighter? ",Longbourn
1kpurbw,books that feel like this,"Just very loose description: 
(Post)-Soviet, winter time, grumpy (main) character ",It‘s more of a horror but Let the Right One In
1kpth9n,90s Sapphic,,Sunburn
1kpt9cg,Passionate French Sapphic,"Sonething a Kin to 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' 
French is not a necessity.
","If you read French I recommend Ann Scott's *Héroïne* and Nina Bouraoui's *La Vie heureuse*  and Bit older, but has been translated"
1kpqacf,I need mechs in my life!,Mechs in war. Mechs doing slice of life things. Mechs racing. Mech vs mech. Mech vs environment. Mech vs community. Mechanonmics. As long as it's piloted. Let's see what you got. No manga/manhwa please. ,I think Leviathan
1kppzoh,Help me chat 😭,"Suggest me book That Match This Theme 
Romance+Fantasy+based on 1700s 1800s or Victorian era 
Pls somebody help me 😭😭",Paladin’s Grace
1kppvsg,ones make your jaw drop when you connect the dots?,"wasn't sure what to put as the photos lol 😭

but i love books that have me hanging onto every word, flipping back and forth to remember something that could've foreshadowed something bigger, and have me going to sleep with the book being the only thing i can think about","The Locked Tomb comes to mind, at the end, you understand many things that you are meant to but also there are many subtle things that can be put together. The third book in particular has a lot of little jokes and comedies if you can read between the lines. and 1Q84 is a different book where you have to remember things from long ago and it is easy to sort of forget. This author in general writes this way, many subtle cues that you have to pick up on and carry with you in order to understand what is going on."
1kppm7c,Books that feel like this,Books that feel like a warm melancholic hug in a crowd,1. Normal People gives a pretty lonely lost vibe. But it's a 3rd person pov
1kpo7c2,Something magical and light feminine,,I think you might like Half a Soul and the sequel Ten Thousand Stitches
1kpn3az,"Gothic, vile and obscene. Obsessive couple",,If you had told teenage me that I would spend so much of my adult life recommending Wuthering Heights to people I wouldn't have believed you.
1kpmt9v,Books that feel like THIS,,We Sold Our Souls Grady Hendrix
1kpkqgk,"Misty Gothic horror, preferably supernatural","I’ve already read Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Dracula, and Frankenstein. Thank you!",Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.  and A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher.  and Mexican Gothic
1kpi983,books that feel like this? :),(tagged as literary fiction but I’m happy with any ideas!) ,(https
1kphn2e,Sapphic Urban Witches/Fantasy,"60s to 90s preferred, but not necessary ",Her majesty's coven
1kphj1d,Sapphic Academia,,A Dark and Drowning Tide
1kpfzxs,Like the art of Odilon Redon?,,Maybe Clarice Lispector books
1kpe872,Books that FEEL like this,,"- Wuthering Heights
- Jane Eyre
- Dracula 
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 
- The Mysteries of Udolpho"
1kpa7cx,“I know you. Don’t you recognize me?”,Also see: I loved you once. Now we’re strangers. ,"Ohh please🥺🙏 I *need* this, too. Love these, especially Ever After🖤"
1kp8llt,Forest monster cryptid don’t let it in vibes?,,This is exactly - The Twisted Ones
1kp7yaw,Is this anything?,The first image is from Fantasia. I did not intentionally use only Disney properties.,Wings of Starlight
1kp7or6,Dark books about ballet.,Any kind of dark elements are good with me! Please no “tiny pretty things” recommendation. Not sure if the dark academia flair fits but I consider ballet an academic? Fifth slide from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KbmBoQQF134&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD,The Turnout by Megan Abbott and Watch Her Fall
1kp5jlh,Liminal space or general weird girl books pls 💕,,I Who Have Never Known Men
1kp4imt,"Crime drama, Moody, procedural, psychological","Looking for books with the typical crime drama feel, would like a romantic dynamic between two main characters but not required, maybe found family trope too. Books that feel like the X-Files, The Rookie, Criminal Minds, Hannibal. I’m a sucker for procedural dramas <3
",Long Bright River by Liz Moore and In the Woods
1kp3qbk,Green Witches connecting to earth,,Weyward! Even has some feminine rage woven through it.
1kp359u,Cosmic Fantasy,,"Came here to recommend the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, such an incredible read."
1kp2xa5,"Desert devotees, dirtbags, and river rats","Something that captures the bone-deep devotion to the desert. I've read many nonfiction books about the Southwest, but fiction has been harder to find. There's The Monkey Wrench Gang, of course, but what else? I'm open to all suggestions, fiction and nonfiction. ","Don’t have any recs, but I’m obsessed. Following!"
1kp28a3,Books that feels like this?,,The Christmas Bookshop
1kp1pld,Books that feel like THIS,"Like a breath of fresh spring air. Lighthearted, cozy, low stakes. Emphasis on female character(s) and female friendship. Preferably no magic characters like dragons, fairies, giants, etc. (although witches and lighthearted magic could be an exception). Don’t mind if there is a small bit of romance, but would prefer it not be the emphasis of the book. Definitely no heavy/depressing themes. Looking for a very lighthearted, uplifting book to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the garden in the spring weather 💜☕️🫖💐
Thanks so much!!",The Spellshop
1kp075z,white collar / neal caffrey inspired romance?,,"Heart of the Steal by Roan Parrish and Avon Gale, To Have and to Heist by Sarah Desai, Love and Other Scams by Philip Ellis, The Long Con Series"
1kozxw8,BTFL: the grace year by kim liggett,,"The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Blueprint"
1koxzsc,Books that feel like The Lakes by Taylor Swift,"Specifically ones that feel like the lines, ""I want auroras and sad prose/I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet"". Thank you!",Ohh I love this song and Upstream
1koxw7a,Police/detective stories but with fantasy elements,,*The Dresden Files*
1kown7z,books that feel like this??,,I’m thinking of ending things
1kovwaa,Colonial era/ woodsy/ witchy,Can,Slewfoot
1kovjqh,Books that feel like THIS,"Anything that comes to mind. Any genre. 

I'm looking forward to your recommendations! ","If you’re okay with Chinese historical, Peony in Love"
1kovfg4,"Grand adventure, JRPG feel, wholesome","I love the feel of grand adventure in JRPGs like Dragon Quest and Xenoblade Chronicles. Looking for a book that has the same feel, havent come across something like that in books.",Waiting for recommendations as well ⛺
1koug52,Unhinged women in weird/alien/uncanny landscapes,I’ve read and adored “Annihilation” by Jeff VanderMeer and “In Ascension” by Martin MacInnes. I’m now obsessed with this concept and want (need) more!!,"Maybe, and this could be a very big maybe, THE GONE WORLD might scratch that itch. and With a female protsgonist it is like True Detective mixed with SCI-FI, its a mystery book, so there is not much I can say without spoiling, just know that when shit hits the fan in that book it hits hard. and One of the best mystery novels Ive read. and THE GONE WORLD. and EDIT"
1kot944,"Ocean steampunk, monsters, adventure",Sorry for the poor photo quality.,"This may be too obvious, but Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"
1kot7tu,army office and a wife,"Basically, I'm looking for a romance with a general and his wife, or a soldier, or some army officer. By the way, I like age gaps, and if it starts with something like an arranged marriage, all the better.",You might like The Kitchen God by Amy Tan but lots of trigger warnings. and I also liked The Cartographer of No Man’s Land
1kosx04,Greek islands,"I’m backpacking in the Greek islands this summer and am looking for the literature to match. I’ve already read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, but anything like that would work perfectly. Romance not compulsory, but bonus points for hot fishermen.",Gerald Durrell's Corfu trilogy could maybe work
1koqtmt,University (STEM) + romance,It doesn’t have to be a full on romance book; just should have some.  ,"I am a little slow, do you want it to be lgbtq?"
1koq5t1,"Disturbing, dark, uncomfortable, well-written","(Gore not necessary, but would be nice) 
I'm looking for the atmosphere I got from The Wasp Factory and Tender is the Flesh. Any recommendations would be appreciated!!",Maeve Fly and Perfume
1koq2p4,Classics/Literary Fiction that feels like this,,I'm surprised no one has said A Room with a View
1kopclx,"Fantasy, nature, woods, (village?), not too dark",Would love to find a fantasy book that feels like this ❤️ a book that sucks you in and where you dream yourself away with,The spellshop
1kop707,"Fantasy with war, romance, and tragedy",,Blood Song - Anthony Ryan and Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson  and Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erickson and Malice - John Gwynne  and Prince of Thorns - Mark Lawrence  and Half a King - Joe Abercrombie
1kok3ld,Feels like a deep breath of fresh spring air,Open to any sub-genre of fantasy or sci-fi ,The Spellshop.
1koja87,"starboy, magical prince, angelic, otherworldly","ever since I remembered the original Wish concept with Aisha and Starboy I’ve been wanting a book with similar vibes. I like the dynamic of fmc/mmc willing to die to protect this lil starboy but ofc doesn’t need this lol just some strong maybe soulmate-y bond (doesn’t need to be romantic). I’d also prefer if the POV weren’t of the boy. If anyone has any good recommendations THANK YOUUU

",Howl’s Moving Castle
1kogi7h,Master/Apprentice Relationship,,Assassin’s Apprentice
1kodlaw,"Complex, multi-layered characters and relationship","(second attempt at posting this--I really thought I had added the images the first time but apparently not)

I'll get straight to the chase: I'm a sucker for a story with one of its central focuses being a deeply moving relationship dynamic between its main protagonists, one where these people may perhaps find each other in the most unlikeliest of places. A story where these two characters come from such different backgrounds, with such different life experiences, and through their interactions with the world around them and with each other, both come to a new understanding and start to see through the illusion, the lies they may have perhaps been telling themselves about what it was they truly wanted from life, once upon a time. I want a story where the male and female leads are flawed, imperfect, beautifully human, and are influenced by their other half in the story to grow into the best versions of themselves. They should be characters who should learn, or remember, something of value with the either intentional or unintentional help of one another, in the end.

Whether it be fantasy, sci-fi, general fiction, historical fiction... really, anything outside of horror, grimdark, or some other scary, unsettling feeling genre, I'm cool with.

This may sound cliche or superficial, but my favorite movie from Disney is Tangled, and Flynn (Eugene) and Rapunzel's relationship, their dynamic over the course of that movie, and who they are as characters themselves is one of, if not my most favorite romantic representations I've read or seen or listened to. Even though it's a pretty straightforward story, there's something so captivating about both their characters to me. Rapunzel, the sheltered girl who approaches life with an eager, open-minded attitude, bubbly in her nature and wanting to always learn more and liven others up when they need it, but is also someone who behind it all is hiding some deeply rooted trauma which inhibits her from feeling as if she's worthy on her own and capable of achieving the things she's been dreaming of. Flynn (Eugene), who's had a rough go at it, abandoned as a child and raised as an orphan, forced to harden himself in a world that's been nothing but cruel to him, learns to value the wealth of material objects to fulfill himself because, really, what other purpose for him is there? And he grows an isolationist attitude, him against the world, and is willing to betray any and anyone to get what he wants. But when Flynn (Eugene) and Rapunzel travel together, through the rough times initially, they slowly grow fond of one another and, most evident in Flynn (Eugene)'s case, he starts to remember that idealistic, chivalrous side of himself he's had locked away for years, the loneliness of his life up until that point settling in, while Rapunzel grows more outgoing and adventurous, grows her confidence and feeling of self-worth, escaping her shell and seeing that there's more to life than what she ever could have thought of.

If there's any kind of story which evokes this kind of empowering, deeply moving feeling of seeing how two characters, through kindness, empathy, friendship, and eventually love, can grow into the best versions of themselves, finding their purpose in life with their other half beside them, I'd appreciate any and all comments!",I would recommend checking out the works of Robin McKinley! She does a lot of Beauty & the Beast takes that are always awesome and feel like they might interest you! and My fave B&tB send-up of hers
1kod4yt,Basically Treasure Planet,,You might like the Airborn series
1koa2z6,Fantasy with weird monsters,,THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN and It is an incredible saga full of unexpected twists as well as a plot that thickens and even changes with every re-read that you make of the saga. and The books go as follows. and 1. Shadow of the Torturer and 2. Claw of the Conciliator and 3. Sword of the Lictor and 4. Citadel of the Autarch and Definitely a big recommendation if you love weird fantasy and weird fiction in general.
1ko8zsf,Civilians forced to fight invasion/occupation,"Preferably historical fic and centered around the World Wars but open to any genre/era as long as it fits. Stuff like sci fi alien invasion, fantasy evil kingdom invasion, etc etc yada yada ","The Alice Network, All the light we cannot see, and the nightingale all have elements of this from WW2"
1ko8ntp,coming of age but in an urban area...,"I liked this one book called Homecoming by cynthia voigt if that helps, it was kinda like this. ",A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
1ko7aht,slasher summer books,"something with the energy of a 70s/80s slasher. over the top, camp-y, atmospheric, the heat amplifying it all… horror but lighthearted but still spooky lol… 

stuff like these books/shows/movies
- my best friend’s exorcism 
- saturday night ghost club 
- witchcraft for wayward girls 
- stranger things 
- midnight club 
- fear street 
- final girls
- friday the 13th 
- scream 

",Not a slasher but Camp Damascus
1ko79wb,Books like Wings of Starlight,I just finished reading wings of starlight and i’m OBSESSED- i was a pixie hollow kid and it made me feel connected to that again. i was hoping for book recs that either take place in pixie hollow or just have a similar feeling ,"If you’re down for middle grade, I loved the Avalon"
1ko41m4,That Answer: Where Do We Go When We Fall Asleep?,"I love this song by Billie Eilish. In it she poses the question, "" when we all fall asleep, where do we go?""

Looking for FICTIONAL books that fit the vibe of the song and answer that question. Something psychological or cerebral? A spooky book that makes you say, ""what the f*ck""?",*Beyond the walls of sleep*
1ko0pm1,Books that feels like clair obscur expedition:33,,"Actually wanted to post the same question, when I started playing this game"
1ko0f3z,Unfathomable pain,,A little life
1knz7ky,"Books Like This. (Southern Gothic, Occult Noir)","I'm a big fan of Occult Noir, owning the whole Dresden Files Series, but I'm also a big fan of stuff like True Detective (first season) and Sharp Objects. Also, I've already read and loved the Nightwise and Brotherhood of the Wheel series. And I'm just starting Southern Gods. Anything else would be sick as hell, thanks for the recs!",Blackwater series
1knyhhm,Books that feel like summer in Europe,,Call me
1kny1xa,Whatever comes to mind,,Perfume
1knwzku,Sci-fi/non-fiction/horror books with this vibe,"Looking for 00s alien sort of stuff with an air of the deeply ominous. Doesn’t have to be aliens, can be otherworldly and generally disquieting",The Tommyknockers
1knruxy,Post-Concert Depression Cure,"A book/story that just captures the essence of rock or concerts, or even just music in general. 
From the artists pov or from a concert goers pov, all sounds good to me to read:3
(Went to a PTV concert and am missing all of the vibes:,) ",Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid and Midnight Library - Matt Haig
1kns90a,Wrestling desperately with God,Open to fiction or nonfiction exploring a complicated relationship with faith/spirituality/religion,"""A Grief Observed"" explores the intersection of grief, faith, and loss, particularly how grief can challenge or strengthen one's faith. CS Lewis grapples with the emotional turmoil following his wife's death, questioning his understanding of God and wrestling with the validity of his faith amidst the pain of loss."
1kns642,boarding school/academia,"i love boarding school/campus novels, any genre except historical fiction, preferably queer. can be sad/happy/horror/etc
i have read; truly devious, ninth house, if we were villains, the secret history, looking for alaska, the starless sea and probably others but those are the ones i remember ",Never Let Me Go
1knrwg3,gothic religious horror,"""God loves you, but not enough to save you""
 
Open to supernatural and occult elements as well, though not needed ",The Unworthy
1knqa4v,Wilderness survival romance,"Looking for romance books where MMC is a survivalist taking care of FMC. Specifically hoping for forest, woods, or mountain wilderness. Not a fan of crashing on islands. ",If you're open to F/F Small Game
1knll6q,Evil and creepy things happening at school,,Summer Of Night
1knl8bi,Humans Being Messy As The World Ends,,Never Let Me Go
1knjkk2,"Introspective, intimacy stories.","I'm obsessed about introspective intimate stories. That's hard to get on Tv Shows - like Fleabag, This is Us or The worst person in the world - , i know some books about Sally Rooney and Philippe Besson, but im looking for some another writers and books. Help. I tagged ""Romance"" like the genre, not like (exactly) love stories. ",Cleopatra and Frankenstein
1knjais,Discovering the misterious dark continent,,Oh I’ve got a good one for you… and The Vorrh
1knj534,The Hound from Game of Thrones,"I need a book with a main character like The Hound (show version preferably)
Bonus points if there's ENEMIES to lovers slow burn 
BONUS bonus points if she's a princess ","Can try between 2 fires.   and Burnt out knight, nothing to live for, hates everything, finds a young girl in need, decides to try and maybe find a purpose in his life for her."
1knimq1,Humanity fighting overwhelming opposition.,I like books with a horror/action element. Preferably something that switches between the two and gives me some pseudo realism.,"Horus Heresy. Or ANY warhammer40k book, honestly. I recommend the Eisenhorn trilogy, it works as a great introduction."
1knei3h,Neon noir romance with a side of longing,Sci-fi or dystopian preferred!,Do android dream of electric sheep?
1knbaot,But not Count of Monte Cristo,,Erewhon
1kn9zam,"A feast for the senses, bacchanalian","Looking for either nonfiction or fiction about fine dining behind the scenes, someliers, wine culture, restaurant debauchery, descriptions of foods and ingredients and flavors. Could be something like a memoir from a chef/somelier(I've read Anthony Bourdain, Jen Agg, Bianca Bosker,and whoever wrote Wine Girl I can't remember) or fiction if something fits this description!","A Certain Hunger fits the bill, however, it is also quite violent."
1kn8jsl,Books about a mother and son,"I recently had a son and I’ve been on the hunt for books that center on the relationship between a mother and her son that aren’t creepy or incestuous or giving “boy mom”. Unfortunately there aren’t many. Any suggestions for me? I don’t mind sad novels, I just don’t want it to be weird lol.",Circe
1kn7jhq,Letting go the past - love and anger,,"Circe by Madeline Miller and \- yes, this rec comes up a lot, but fits this prompt really well and The Thirteenth Tale"
1kn5ljn,"Endless summer days, nostalgia, coming of age","Non-fiction *or* fiction. Think: the hazy glow of childhood summers, looking back, growing up in the sunshine, simpler times, fields of gold, slow country living, playing outside until it gets dark. Reminiscent of *Cider with Rosie* and, one of my all time favourites, *Dandelion Wine.* 

I'm pretty open to basically everything, including memoirs and literary fiction. Please no horror though and not too heavy on any possible romance. Thanks! 🌻",Tom Lake
1kn5kaq,Horror that feels Yellow,"What it says on the tin! Folk and body horror often have the most ""yellow"" vibes to me but I'm sure some weird fiction, historical horror, etc might also fit the ticket. Would love to see a kind of out of the box recommendation.",The King in Yellow
1kn4zre,A book like running away and joining the circus,"I want a book that feels like running away to join the circus 
",The Night Circus
1kn12h8,"Magic, culty, atmospheric",,Night Film
1kn0vhn,I wanna read about these people.,,Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart
1kn0j87,He's always felt this way - and she knows,,Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
1kmy447,"Cordyceps, apocalypse",Been watching and loving The Last of Us and would love to delve into a sci-fi/horror scary cause it kind of happens type of world.,The girl with all the gifts. And the prequel the boy in the bridge 5⭐️loved them
1kmxc6e,All of the yearning.,,First pic is literally Madonna in a Fur Coat and Normal People and Jane Eyre and Anything
1kmws3s,"reckless, partying, yearning, summer",idek if this vibe makes sense but please give recs if you get the vision! ,The Rachel Incident
1kmwmzc,Something Like This -- Preferably Queer,,Starving Saints
1kmvlzl,"Apocalyptic books, Please & Thanks","survivor vs the horrors weather it be zombies, tech abomination, Lovecrafts children, ever mutating bio weapons or other people

Looking for the vibe of ""**Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead**"", ""Project Zomboid"", and ""The Last Of Us"" that type of thing

A post apocalyptic story with resource management if thats a thing

Mega bonus points if its a set in a fantasy world",Getting two very different sorts of vibes from these images. and It's the end of the word!
1kmun3w,Something like this,"The bleakest, saddest, despairing fictional novel, with an amazing and complex prose. A novel capable to destroy you, even let you with a sentiment of dread for existing. (Something like the album deathconsciusness). No fantasy, no sci-fi. Purely fiction.",*Hunger*
1kmu709,Two psycho killers in love,Where they both match each of others freak. Thank you in advance ,Butcher and Blackbird
1kmpw97,"Windy, rainy, seaside town, mystery",,Ann Cleeves’s Shetland series. Also an excellent TV show
1kmplvr,Coming of age mystery,I’ve already read agggtm and pll but I’m craving books similar. ,One of Us Is Lying series
1kmouly,Bleak Lonely Future Corporate (not cyberpunk),,The Circle by Dave Eggers. Jennifer Government or Company
1kmomw7,looking for a book that feels like this album 😭,even in arcadia by sleep token specifically the songs dangerous and provider! like a troubled mmc and an understanding/also troubled fmc fantasy book 😭,I’m loving the new album! You might like The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
1kmmp8j,"intimate, domestic, art, emotional, nature",,The Dovekeepers
1kmlxc6,TAZ amnesty/Gravity fallls vibes? SFF preferably,,"If you haven't read the Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi I highly recommend it. It's juvenile fiction so you could probably read the whole series in a day. It's about three siblings who move into their old family home and find the forest around them is filled with magical creatures. It has elves, pookah, trolls, goblins, griffins, etc.  and That's the most on theme recommendation I have. These next ones have some, but maybe not all, of the themes you're looking for and Instead of hunting for magical creatures, solving a murder using magical powers - Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. A young Lipan Apache girl has a connection with ghosts and can raise the ghosts of dead animals. Her cousin is murdered and she goes on the hunt for his murderer with the help of her best friend.  and The winter edition of this theme - Notes from My Captivity by Kathy Parks. A girl trapped in the wintery forests of Russia has a run in with a family who had ""disappeared"" many years ago and were fabled to not exist. It's a survival, mystery, adventure story with some magical elements. and Cozy, myth and discovery, sci-fi. Has the same vibes as these photos but not really the same themes - A Psalm for the Wild-Built"
1kmlny3,Books that feel like this,"Preferably NOT an extreme horror. Some light horrors are fine, as well as other genres <3 I love mystery and world building as well as well as deep lore etc but honestly anything is fine except that extreme horror. Thanks!!",Obligatory Slewfoot
1kml220,"Animal humans , societies",,animal farm
1kmk5bu,"Grief, infertility, feminine rage, pagan undertone",,The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
1kmj9fi,Like Wednesday (show),"Gothic boarding school, mystery, vampires/monsters, maybe a little bit of romance and a good plot twist. ",'The Scholomance' trilogy
1kmiqop,something similar to the infernal devices,,The Night Circus
1kmio8l,Warrior Nun vibes,,The priory of the orange tree
1kmhxys,Books that feel like Ophelia,,*Circe* by Madeline Miller is often recommended
1kmhllw,like cemtary of forgetten books by Zafon?,,"If you're fine with fantasy too, The Starless Sea"
1kmhnee,"Hungry, pigs and filth",,"Animal farm by George Orwell - I’m sure you’ve probably read it though. Less graphic, more pig dystopia and Tender is the Flesh"
1kmhj2f,"Yearning, heartbreak, missed connections",The one that got away,Normal people
1kmgusz,"Thriller w/strange creatures, hybrids, horror!!","Something that is like the rebellious, hybrid kids of maximum ride but without “big government” and more like “horrifying unexplained”, and written for adults lol. No cozy fantasy here!

Also, Jeff VanderMeer’s “Annihilation” series is already on my list. I want something more fantastical with human animal hybrids, but with the same disturbing, twisted, psychological thriller themes.

Hopefully I explained okay!!",I think I only have slant rhymes here
1kmgqa9,Emotion Thriller psychological bok feel like this?,,"Can you say what the story is here? What does she want for her birthday, and why is a kid flying (war?) plane? It looks interesting"
1kmglvs,Viking politics/betrayal/strategy,"I’m really struggling to get back into reading. I basically get bored with books if it gets predictable. And im also having trouble starting new books! So trying to find a book that’s really gripping and maybe follows some elements from the last books I’d really enjoyed- asoiaf. And I’m really into Vikings right now maybe sprinkled with some Norse mythology. Also appreciate secret societies, strong female characters. Thanks! ",The Bloodsworn Saga
1kmfclx,Moody and mysterious w/ speculative elements,"Strong friendships and maybe a bit of romance that feels like the song linked? Open to all genres.

[https://open.spotify.com/track/0QaRx2XKtokeu8KIYslnRJ?si=5993d650535641fa](https://open.spotify.com/track/0QaRx2XKtokeu8KIYslnRJ?si=5993d650535641fa)

",It has younger characters than pictured but I absolutely adore The Saturday Night Ghost Club and I think it might fit the vibe you are looking for!
1kmfk9w,No romance :) preferably thriller or horror,,The first image really makes me think of Our Share of Night
1kmbg8u,Books that feel like this (preferably a mystery ),Thank you in advance :>,*The God of the Woods*
1kmaabd,a Katniss and Peeta type love,"""you're a painter. you're a baker. you sleep with the windows open and you never take sugar in your tea and you always double knot your shoelaces.""

I read the hunger games books years ago but Katniss and Peeta are still some of my favorite characters and probably my favorite fictional couple. I relate really hard to both of them in diff ways and I love how sweet and safe and loving their relationship is. Any genre is fine and I'm okay with a romance book but bonus points if the romance is not the main plot, but kind of the ""heart"" of the story if that makes sense. like the hunger games. I'm looking for book about love but not a romance per se.",The Scholomance - honestly I'm waiting for it to become the next Harry Potter
1km9uyc,"Egypt, Nile, Sahara, Mystery, Adventure","I loved Crocodile on the Sandbank but I'm looking for something with more contemporary writing especially in terms of romantic relations (couldn't stand Crocodile's main male character). I also really enjoyed Death on the Nile (both book and 70s movie) and The Jewel of the Nile but yet again I wish to read something with modern feel in terms of characters' personalities. It can be anything: fantasy, magical realism, mystery, crime, fictional chronicles (like Brennan's Lady Trent) etc as long as it's entertaining. Great if the plot takes place in victorian era or 80s (I know, quite odd paring).

I've already tried What the River Knows but the main character was too immature in the way she acted (and basing on goodreads review she did not improved throughout the plot) so I dropped it quite early.","City of Brass by SA Chakraborty is more fantasy than mystery, but it starts off in Cairo and the world is heavily influenced"
1km6cak,Dark moody vibes,All vibes; I want to be immersed. ,"These pics are giving off Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries to me! Though it's not necessarily dark and moody (and, full disclosure, I haven't finished it!) and Also"
1km68mh,Suggest me book that feels like these,"If you have watched Inception, u know what I want...

:>",An academy for liars is exactly all of these. But the action is very slow and doesn't really accumulate until the very end. and I think you might like the book this is how you lose the time war because it moves faster.
1km5o6r,DnD vibes. Adventure party with fun characters,,"Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and the sequel Bookshops and Bonedust are cute and cozy nods to D&D.  The story starts out with a D&D party, but the main character, a warrior-like orc, leaves her old life of marauding to open a coffee shop.  Her old party does come back into the story, but there are also other characters who make up a sort of found family aspect, and there’s a bit of romance as well. and For something not as on-the-nose for the D&D aspect you might like The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty.  You don’t get the classic D&D races, but there is magic, and members of the party/crew have their own designated roles, which kind of gives that D&D feeling.  It’s definitely an epic adventure with a huge found family aspect—they’re a crew of recently reunited pirates who have come out of retirement for a last mission! and Tress of the Emerald Sea"
1km4tcy,Creepy/weird radio broadcast???,,IT DEVOURS
1km4867,Fantasy/Horror heavy on the (found) family,,*John Dies at the End*
1km44kb,Books that feel like ...,"Assassins, magic, romance, angst, brooding, adventure (vibes)

no SJM recommendations please, she just isn't for me. ",Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald and One Dark Window
1km3483,Books similar to Let the Right One In,"I just finished reading Let the Right One In and I loved it. It was hauntingly beautiful and I can't stop thinking about it. I loved the movie too. I need to read more books like it, preferably about two outlasted, lonely characters who fall in love despite the other being a vampire/monster.","For books about two lonely/outcast characters falling in love despite one of them being a monster, I have a few suggestions. But please know none of these will FEEL quite as poignant as Let the Right One In.  and - Cold Skin by Albert Sanchez Piñol 
- Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls 
- ""The Werewolf"" from The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter  and Also the movie Spring"
1km2y4h,Open to interpretation…,,I immediately thought of Hope This Finds You Well
1km26sq,"Dark Academia, Affluence, LGBTQ+ Themes",,The Secret History
1km1rea,Sexy gothic romance horror novel save me,Gimme that classic sexy where authors had to hide sexual references in crazy fucking metaphors I want the kind of book that inspires decades of art ,"Carmilla By Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu - Before Dracula, there was Carmilla. A Sapphic, vampiric, gothic horror that was written in 1872. In this story there is a thin line between abhorrence and adoration, cruelty and love. It is only a novella but it has some of the most twisted and romantic lines I've ever read. and >!""*Think me not cruel because I obey the irresistible law of my strength and weakness; if your dear heart is wounded, my wild heart bleeds with yours. In the rapture of my enormous humiliation I live in your warm life, and you shall die—die, sweetly die—into mine*""!<"
1km13j4,Polar night/ Gothic horror,"Anyone have recommendations for books that feel like this? 
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver had this vibe. 
Ice Station Zebra has a little bit of this vibe too. 
There are a couple of others that I can't remember the names of but will update when I recall. 

Any other books you'd recommend?",The Terror
1klyjas,Books that feel like this?,(I already know about IT),Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
1klxyvd,Gay grumpy country men,,Frog and Toad lol and It’s not canon but Toad’s definitely a grumpy country gay
1klxv6o,Hiking into a secret society cult guru,,One cult book I always recommend is The Last Housewife
1klxi2v,Got anything like this?,,It gives me Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones vibes.  and I feel like you might also like Uprooted
1klxfw3,Books that feel like this,I am currently writing a film that takes place at a convent and tackling and criticizing Religion (not an anti Religious script) and I am looking for books with similar vibes,"The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy, The Starving Saints"
1klx8x5,Books that have cozy French vibes,Looking for a cozy paris vibe in a book. Bonus if it’s focused on cooking! I’ve already read Anna and the French kiss and Chocolat is on my list. Looking for more reccs to add to my list! TIA,"You should try My Life in France
by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme!  It’s Julia Child’s memoir of her time living in France and learning to love cooking!"
1klwbvb,I think I need a good cry.,,Atonement
1klw2v5,Books that feel like Andor,"The building of solidarity amidst the ruthless encroach of fascism. Internal and external sacrifices in the name of revolution. Political dealings discussed in codes and whispers. Everyone has their own rebellion.

  
Other sci-fi welcomed but not mandatory!",
1klvt3z,BTFL this post I saw on the Weird subreddit?,,You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine
1klvje5,Book that Feels like this,,Meddling Kids
1klv0lh,the movie ‘sinners’ (2025),,"- Lovecraft Country 
- Ring Shout
- American Vampire
- Bitter Root
- Killadelphia
- The Ballad of Black Tom"
1kluze9,Books that feel like Cherry Falls (1999),,Following because I loved that movie.
1klt3gu,cowboy/southern romance with bad boy/good girl,,Done and Dusted
1klsmx6,Big family/generational ties!,"Anything that includes a big dynasty and continuing plot lines stretching for generations. Big on sibling dynamics and generational trauma/curses. Loved the book 100 Years of Solitude, and shows like The Fall of the House of Usher. Something I can make a family tree out of, and know everything about all of its members.  

Extra points if it’s gothic!! ","I just recommended these is a similar thread, but you might try The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, and The Shadow of the Wind"
1klrcp9,Books that feel like this,,The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern
1klpzfk,"Mysterious ruins, strange protagonist, new home","Looking for a book that has it all, surreal elements, a protagonist who just doesn't fit in, Lost civilizations , alien tech, archeology, mysterious carvings, isolation, connection to nature, neurodivergence, singularity, mutation, evolution, mutation, and belonging - with a touch of romance if possible! ","Okay, I have no idea if this fits the theme exactly but it has a lot of these themes. I Who Have Never Known Men"
1klpwrp,Books with this feeling,,A Natural History of Dragons
1klpevv,"BTFL furyborn (romantic, dark, fall from grace)","i recently finished the empirium trilogy (furyborn, kingsbane, lightbringer) by claire legrand and i LOVED all of it. i'm looking for a similar book/series with (ideally) all of the following points:  
\-a hero's fall from grace, or a truly problematic hero, or one that has gone beyond the pale of their powers and now cannot return to normal life  
\-giving in to the dark, tempting character   
\-angels, vampires or demons  
\-heroes actually losing--not everything works in their favor, or they face significant challenges (up to or including major character deaths)  
\-YEARNING  
\-not necessarily a HEA  
\-FM/FF/MM/multiple is fine as long as there's romance  
\-no modern/urban fantasy please

i have already read poppy war, the grishaverse, TOG and dark rise/dark heir, so looking for something else, especially if it's an underrated/older series! thank you 💖",The Inheritance trilogy
1klmxjw,Books that feel like these vibes,,"The Bear and the Nightingale & the sequels by Katherine Arden. Set in medieval Russia, folklore/fairy tale retelling vibes, lyrical writing. It’s my favorite series I’ve read recently! and If you’re open to ancient Norse mythology, I also recommend The Witch’s Heart"
1kllipx,Charming small town cafe/bistro,"Just finished “Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe” and would love to read another novel similar to it! The coziness, emotions, and charm were all beautiful! ",Chocolat - Joanne Harris and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fanny Flagg
1kll5kc,books with the same vibe as these stills,"need book recs that are eerily similar to the overall vibe of these pictures (stills from starlet 2011). i don't care much for the plot, but i liked what the movie was about, so something similar would be nice! ",Maybe A Man Called Ove or My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry? Both
1klj8qg,A hidden world that you're not supposed to see,"I am looking for a book that reminds me of this album by Epica.

On the cover of this album, the woman, to me, looks like a fairy, with a forbidden fruit, that we are not supposed to see/want. This whole album gives me a glimpse into this world, but I want to be immersed in it! 

The main feelings I get when I listen to this album are: ethereal, immersed in nature, psychological questions and deliberations. ","Shin Sekai Yori (a novel that was adapted into an anime) and I read the novel in English online somewhere, it’s very good"
1klholb,"Western vampires, maybe a bit of romance?",,"I mean, I'm sure you already know of this novel but this is literally the plot of Vampires of El Norte"
1klgro0,Books that feel like this,,"It’s YA but Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and more"
1klgdp5,"70s to 90s Lowlife Bohemia, (UK prefered)",,"I think it might be '00s, but The Rachel Incident"
1klg7m8,Pacific Northwest/Appalachia/Desert Mystery Horror,"Folklore, Creepypasta, Twin Peaks, Stranger Things Season 1, Nope type of vibe. Rural natural setting and an ensemble cast. Any subgenre. ","1. Like Twin Peaks - Under the harrow by Flynn Berry - Thriller  
2. Like Stranger Things - The lost causes of Bleak Creek - YA Horror  
3. Appalachian Folklore - Dark Hollow by Brian Keene - Horror, Mythology  
4. Creepypasta PNW - Old clountry by Matt Query  
5. PNW Setting - Wildwood by Colin Meloy - Middle grade  
6. PNW Setting - The overstory by Richard Powers - Nature, Environment  
7. PNW Setting - A walk in the woods"
1klft6x,"City, autumn, mystery, friends","So, basically like Only Murders In the Building but books. Multi POV, some mystery, autumn vibes. The main characters don't need to be pensioners.",Flagging this in hopes that somebody comes back and give suggestions 🤞🏻
1klfj77,Strange stuff happens one evening in European city,,"The shadow of the wind (Cemetery of Forgotten Books series,"
1klcso1,Books that feel like romancing Ascended Astarion,"Title. I’m back to being obsessed with this fictional man and would love to read a bloody romance story involving vampires, depraved carnal lust, royal politics, and possession. ",I have no suggestions but this sounds like the summer read im looking for.
1klcm74,"Southern Gothic, 1800's, Supernatural.",,"It’s not 1800s, but you might like it - The Reformatory"
1klb8az,Inescapable Advertising,"Any books, fiction or nonfiction, that depict how ubiquitous advertising is becoming, its creep from the public into the private sphere, its effects on our thinking. ","Sadly a lot of these are decades old. Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451"
1klamok,Something that feels like this?,,You could try one dark window
1kla9ui,"Spring-like, floral","Hey y'all! Me again, trying to build a longer reading list because, well, you can't really ever have enough to read, can you?

I'm looking for books with a spring atmosphere, a lot of flowers, and a lot of birds... you know, preferably. However, I am not looking for something too heavily romantic or light in tone, because that's just not something I'm interested in. ",Emily Wilde Series
1kl8l0q,Biological conservationist in remote area,,Annihilation
1kl7uhw,AI/ female rage/revenge books,"Looking for books like these movies/photos 
",Annie Bot
1kl6evq,There’s something out there,,Contact
1kl5i9l,Something with this vibe….,"Dark, probably angsty, doesn’t necessarily have to be dark academia maybe just something set in like an old castle or something that’s sort of that vibe. ",Gilded
1kl2oqi,Something evil in the caves,"thinking like the Ted the Caver blog, As Above So Below, the M cave, etc. ",The Descent
1kl1w9c,"Fantasy, chosen family, cozy & lgbtq please",Not the house in the cerulean sea please.,Secret Society of Irregular Witches
1kkzvwk,They grew up in the circus.,,"Maybe The Night Circus? It’s more fantasy though, but definitely circus themed!"
1kkzcgy,"Jesters, Jokers, Clowns. Divine elements","Looking for anything from literary fantasy to historical to poetry, no ya please. Would be interesting to have divine elements and a royal backdrop","Actually it seems really interesting I think I might have to check it out, thank you!"
1kkyr26,"Books that feel like this, preferably LGBT",,We used to live here - Markus Kliewer (horror)
1kky75d,"Women aging boldly, whimsically, brightly",,"The Thursday Murder Club and More like four older people who are still hilarious and driven, despite being in a nursing home. And who solve murders and get caught up in them. Each personality is so different and great and the book is funny and heartfelt."
1kkxjni,"a soft earthy romance full of flowers, mist, food",,I just finished reading this cutesy book The mysterious bakery on Rue de Paris
1kkx04a,Outer banks vibes,"Unlikely friends, adventure, and solving some mystery or crime. Finding out an old secret. Something that makes you think!!",The Treasure Hunters Club
1kkvvws,Expansive and silent adventure,"Looking for something with Breath of the Wild vibe. Silent and expansive landscapes, crumbling architecture and mysterious past of ancient empires. If it has to do with historical/archeological plot it would be amazing. ",Piranesi
1kkvjq4,Fantasy romance recommendations,"Demons, fantasy, descriptive, war, passionate, sensual , witchcraft, intelligent, thrilling, victorian. I’m talking halls and mansions and palaces and strong, dangerous fearsome creatures going to war with one another and brave men. I love a good female lead too.

When I was younger I loved reading Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. Something that has similar essence, but more stimulating, intelligent, passionate romance and thrilling. Even better if it’s a series. Picked up A court of thorns and roses after all the hype but I did not LOVE it like I’d hoped 🥺 ",Try r/fantasyromance for some recs!
1kku8la,Books that feel like 🏝️🌊🐚🍉🦑🦜🌅🦋💦,,Comment to add
1kktgff,Cosy post-apocalyptic coming-of-age stories,"People setting up farmsteads and towns, teens growing up in a new kind of world, everyone's working towards a better world but with different ideas of how to get there.","Not centred exclusively on young people, but Station Eleven"
1kkryk6,"Something a little seedy, speakeasy vibes","I've been on a mafia romance kick lately, but anything kind of opulent would be appreciated!","Ooh, this makes me think of The Order and Chaos series"
1kkqptw,Sadness/loneliness ones,"Been having a tough time lately, looking for a book to match my headspace ",The Bell Jar
1kkovgs,"Hero abandons his wife, wife dies(Pls readcontent)","OK so hero leaves behind his wife..unattended for a long time. The wife keeps waiting for his return but kills herself or dies due to some illness which he doesn't know of. He comes back to realise that she's long gone. He feels guilty and sad. The wife haunts him. No happiness to the hero. Okay at this point I'm literally asking for a very specific story to be written. 

I was listening to this song: my tears ricochet and I really wanted such a story. 

""Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you
'Til my dying day ""

""You know I didn't want to have to haunt you
But what a ghostly scene""

""You wear the same jewels that I gave you
As you bury me""

""I didn't have it in myself to go with grace""

""And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed""

""And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)""

I just want sadness and pain. 

No cheating trope.

No fantasy acotar or wtvr. Please. I am not in Mood for any big fantasy stuff.

I'm not looking for horror..just sad stuff",Maybe you should just write it yourself. You have the whole outline there already. Give it a go.
1kkornk,Books that feel like this,"Victorian Historical Fantasy with a Romantic Subplot is what I'm looking for, Similar to Night Circus with elements of Lemony Snickets a Series of Unfortunate Events (with Harry Potter kinda as well)",A Discovery of Witches
1kko3oy,books that feel like this?,,Episode Thirteen
1kkmsec,…like The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,"Maybe something dark and mystical.
But overall how do you feel about this movie.",You might like The Night Circus
1kkm2ah,Prince x Knight,,this feels like The Captive Prince series
1kkmby7,books that feel like this?,I know I could've chosen better images...,'House of leaves' is all you need.
1kkldrs,late night worker is stalked any occupation.,,The sun down motel
1kkl3zy,"rich ya’s, 2 love interests (no why choose)","don’t need to be rich, but a yacht is fun lol ","Jennifer Lynn Barnes is your author! There's 'The Inheritance Games' which revolves around a poor girl who unexpectedly inherits the fortune of a billionaire. So it's filled with mystery as well. And yes, has two love interests! and Then there's 'Little White Lies' that's set in the world of debutantes. There's mansions, designer clothes, and plenty of cash flying around. Mysterious as well. Also has two love interests and yes, there’s a yacht!"
1kkkv73,Ghost in the house with uncertain intentions,Basis: I’ve read (and recommend) Incidents Around the House by Josh  Malerman and liked the set up. 🙏 ,Hidden pictures
1kkk994,Something like this please,,Murder on the Orient Express
1kkjkc5,Books that feel like this,"Not super into YA fiction, but will consider it. ",Normal People
1kkje28,Books that feel like white lotus S1,"Blood in the hotel lobby and a dead body covered in deception of rich priviledged people who probably need to touch some grass. Hotel staff putting up with too much all at once till the point of breakdown. Chefs kiss.

Bonus: if Armond the hotel manager becomes the narrator, in all his hypocritic cynical ways. 
",The guest list
1kkip6n,Books like this??,,"Obvious answer
Perks of being a wallflower"
1kki8lt,a book that feels like this,,The Kingkiller Chronicles
1kkhc7z,Books that feel like Myst/Riven,"Fantasy, SciFi, ANYTHING","I know it gets recommended here way too often, but Piranesi does kinda fit the vibe…"
1kkh9sg,It’s a vibe. And I need it!,,TTYL
1kkgm3g,America by Simon and Garfunkel,"Something with this vibe- coming of age, self discovery, romance, exploration. ",patti smith's memoir *just kids*
1kkgkon,a book that feels like this:,,Obvious one is Secret History
1kkg5k4,A book that feels like this,,You might like One Dark Window
1kkg25d,Transported to a fantastical land,"Anything where a person or people find themselves in another world by mistake? Underwater even? I’ve loved Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but I’m also a fan of any well-built fantasy world! ","The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire! Every odd numbered book in the series takes place at a school for kids who have traveled to other worlds, and the even numbered books are the backstories of those kids going into their ""doors"" to the other worlds. There are also underwater worlds in this series.  and Also, the Darker Shade of Magic series"
1kkfx7b,"Heists, con jobs, lifestyle criminals.","Heist jobs, conmen, lifestyle professional criminals, and the smartest people in any room. Double points if it is fantasy. ",‘Six of crows’ definitely!
1kkfv7f,silly & whimsical adventure,"I've been looking for fun, whimsical, silly, fantasy adventures that have that late 90s/early 00s vibe. Predominantly the fact that they are on ""important"" adventures but it's a bit quirky and the character(s) don't take themselves too seriously. I'm not really looking for a fairytale retelling/reimagining but I'm open to them.","Stardust, the Princess Bride."
1kkflw1,Boarding school/OxBridge-inspired mystery/thriller,,"If you will accept side helpings of magic and colonial theory, Babel"
1kkfa1b,religious trauma with fantastical elements*,"fantastical elements are perfered, but I'm open to books without it","Often recommended here, but Between Two Fires"
1kkd400,Books that feel like this,"Whimsical, witchy friends",Practical Magic- Alice Hoffman.  and Witchcraft for Wayward Girls- Grady Hendrix. (Not as peaceful as these photos though)
1kkd3zy,The Neon Revenge level from Split Fiction!,"Books (or even other media!) that have this time of cyberpunk, overcrowded city with neon signs everywhere vibes.",Closest I can think of is either Ready Player One by Ernest Cline or Snow crash
1kkctyn,Short sad read,I want a one sided love short novel and a good cry,Obligatory White Nights
1kkctgm,"Teenage girls, competition, darkness",If I could read Penance by Eliza Clark or Bunny by Mona Awad a million more times I would. Literary fiction or adult mystery please 🖤🗡️🩸🩰,Sharp Objects Gillian Flynn
1kkcnve,20 somethings in the woods,Basically what it says on the tin. Ideally I'm looking for something that's a little more character focused. I'm okay with almost any genre but please no romance unless it's m/m,Small Game
1kkcm1p,Crime / horror / Halloween,"Books that feel like these pics together 

For reference I read a wide range of books and the way I would describe what I’m looking for is akin to a mash up of the books Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay a Good Girl’s Guide’s To Murder by Holly Jackson, and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. 

I want crime, horror, Halloween, gritty but strong unique characters - however I’m not really looking for supernatural

Other books I love are Bunny by Mona Awad and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, also love the tv show mare of easttown and criminal minds which has the crime vibes I’m looking for but I definitely want more horror. ",Look Closer
1kkbirc,Any books with Hunters/Woodsmen/Lumberjack?,,"Ken Kesey, Sometimes a Great Notion"
1kkb8bn,Books that feel like this?,"Hey y'all! I'm probably gonna be posting a lot because I'm trying to make a summer reading list... anyways...

Books that feel like winter, with a more cold than cozy atmosphere? Also, preferably featuring more desolate and quiet places, as well as trains because I like trains.",The Snow Child
1kkawop,Books that Feel Like This  (Yearning/E2L),,A Discovery of Witches
1kkaw54,Books that feel like this please,,I have not read it but I think Night Circus may fit
1kk9fzm,"VR simulator of dubious, alien origins (like TBP)","given or found technology with alien/unknown origins, characters need to solve the problem of the simulation, “win the game” but with higher stakes, maybe inter-dimensional travel, familiar but foreign realms, grounded sci-fi, academic, little or no focus on romance and interpersonal relationships, perhaps from a masculine lens

like the set up of Three Body Problem. open to a variety of genres!","Either Virtual light, or Neuromancer"
1kk923x,Books that feel like this,B,days at the morisaki bookshop
1kk8zvl,religious queer desire,,Dayspring
1kk8b9n,Things are slightly off,Until they completely derail ,The Book of Lost Things
1kk840n,Books that feel like…,"Sedona, AZ & Jerome AZ AKA western, spooky, history, spiritual, gold (copper in the case of Jerome) rush, ghosts. We visited Sedona and Jerome a few months ago and I am now fascinated by it.",Sundial - Catriona Ward
1kk7i93,"Female main character who writes+reads, quiet",,Sylvia Plath‘s The Bell Jar
1kk52cw,"mafia vibes, strong fmc",mafia (or similar) w romance as a subplot and preferably a strong fmc!! thank you :)),"""Agnes and the Hitman"","
1kk4ykc,Books That Feel like This [Art:Hiroo Isono],,These images scream Annihilation
1kk31sc,books that feel like this,"Dyatlov pass incident

i prefer classics",The Terror
1kk27o4,80s Stephen King,"Been on a retro kick lately, and I read a Stephen King novel every summer. I love his older stuff, especially where he writes like he’s coked out of his mind. Any recommendations?",Try anything Stephen King wrote in the 80’s
1kk1dnf,Historical fiction or fantasy set in Mesopotamia,"Looking for well-researched historical fiction (or fantasy) set in Mesopotamia (Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer). Extra points if the mc is a princess/priestess such as Ennigaldi-Nanna (the first museum curator). 

Thank you in advance and for all of the other recommendations I’ve found thanks to this page!! ",Babylonia
1kk12f4,"cozy story in a small port town, beach",Similar vibes like in Safe Haven movie,Summer of 69 is exactly this- I just finished reading it
1kjsjv0,Books that feel like this,,The Last Unicorn
1kjsj56,Romance Books that feel like doom generation,,Atheists Who Kneel and Pray or Hitched
1kjru4m,Dark fantasy on the water,with masked characters.,House of salt and sorrows
1kjrdn3,The Fey with Faustian Bargains and Careful Wording,"I'm looking for books where the fey are a little creepy, a little whimsical, but very tricky and dangerous.  The fey where you have to watch exactly what you say around them lest you accidentally give away your own name. I keep finding things that are just fairy tale re-imaginings or mostly romance focused (some romance is fine).",The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
1kjpkrp,I just need somthing fun and preferably queer,,"The Raven Cycle.by Maggie Stiefvater, Heartstopperer series by Alice Osman, Taproot by Keezy Young, and Catherine House"
1kjotty,A knight returning home,,The Curse of Chalion
1kjot6e,Chaotic Academia,"Story can be anything: LGBT, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller, young adult, comedy, Witchy.",If we Were Villains by M.L. RIO and The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pully  and The Secret History
1kjopzw,"Beach/Sea Side, Small Town","Story can be anything: LGBT, Fantasy(maybe selkies or mermaids), Sci-Fi, paranormal, drama, romance, young adult, Comedy.","Some of the photos remind me of Spells for Forgetting. It’s magical realism murder mystery romance set in a coastal town in PNW.  and Also Wild Dark Shore. Not necessarily a small town, rather an isolated island but has more scenes set IN water, and also fits this vibe."
1kjo99j,Books that feel like this,Besides art of war and book of five rings.,Julius Caesar's own account of his conquest of Gaul is a very entertaining read.
1kjnoqo,"Alternative, DIY, sleaze, and music",,"'A Visit from the Goon Squad,'"
1kjn9g9,Books that feel like this (read descriptrion),"It's okay if it's one book per pic, no need to have a book feeling like all at the same time ",Ubik
1kjn2bt,Romantasy that feels like this :-),,The Saint of Steel
1kjmtcp,Books that feel like these images thank you,"Any recommendations for books that feel like this, i have read the first law, most of Sanderson’s work and popular fantasy and sci fi books. Looking for more niche recommendations. 

Thank you so much ",Chronicles of Amber
1kjmmc5,70’s coming of age,Adv,The Virgin Suicides
1kjkf5x,Deal with the devil / Wild West / Old prophecy,"I'm looking for book recommendations with a strong **horror Western** or **dark Americana** feel — stuff that includes: 

* Dusty, rundown old towns and saloons
* Crossroads-style deals with the devil
* Ancient or cryptic prophecies
* Occult elements

Something atmospheric, mysterious, even philosophical with the eeriness of something being off in the desert wind.

Bonus if it's bleak, violent, or leans into horror.",Blood meridian by McCarthy  and Red Rabbit.
1kjkenv,Looking for Nostalgia,What ever comes to mind really,The Swimmer
1kjikwb,"Mermaids, but not The Little Mermaid",,Sirena
1kjietc,"80's fantasy, anyone?","I'm dying for more romance novels with that 80s fantasy vibe, double point for monster/dark romances ❤️",The Last Unicorn
1kjid64,The Art of Frank Frazetta,,Maybe the Hainish Cycle
1kjeajn,Explosion and the aftermath ?,Bonus points if some weird species are born ,Swan Song
1kjbmld,Looking for stories about unconditional love,"Hey everyone :)
In one of those moods and looking to read some great  hurt/comfort with lots of emotion and just really interesting stories. Doesn't necessarily have to be romance centric, anything with a really great friendships would work too. I want to get attached to these characters and just kept swept away with the story. All help appreciated. Please and thank you 💚","The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (little bit horror just a heads up, but the depiction of fierce love made me weep) and This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow"
1kj9etu,WW2 Historical Fiction Romance,Bonus points if the main female character is a nurse. ,Dear Mrs. Bird
1kj4fco,Arcane TV series,,"The Locked Tomb Series… sorta and I always thought Vi reminded me of Gideon except Gideon is an absolute badass, lol, sorry Vi."
1kj2561,Deer Woman/Native American Folklore,,First in with The Only Good Indians!
1kj1smq,The life of an Artist/Art Lover,Same vibes as 'The Invisible Life of Addie Larue' by V. E Schwab.,I got similar feeling to Addie Larue from Night Circus
1kiyf41,"camp-y, 80s slasher, b-movie style horror","stuff like: 
- my best friend’s exorcism 
- meddling kids
- saturday night ghost club 

doesn’t need to be summer camp specific! ",Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (anything by Grady Hendrix really)  and I Was a Teenager Slasher
1kixyje,Academic/Punk Space Exploration,,The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
1kixvxn,Academic Ocean Exploration,,"Sphere by Michael Crichton immediately came to mind. Easily my favorite read of 2023.  and The Deep by Nick Cutter centers on an underwater research base trying to find a cure for a new infection running rampant across the globe, but all is not calm on the ocean floor.  and Rolling in the Deep"
1kixllb,What book makes you feel like this,https://preview.redd.it/0pg9esaemuze1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=77d00d0b8f00544eb429402e8d33c043488e7f23,A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and If We Were Villains
1kiwtsd,Us against the world. Bonnie and Clyde,,"Revolutionary Road, in a way"
1kiwfw8,Harlem Renaissance,Books set during the Harlem Renaissance featuring middle to upper middle class people. ,*Passing*
1kivdr0,"Calm, peaceful forest/hills in the summer",,Pan
1kitf8j,Goofy wizards please?,,The Wizards novels in the Discworld series. Start with the color of magic and the light fantastic
1kirssn,Prowler/Slasher in the neighborhood,,I Was a Teenage Slasher
1kipz0y,Warm Italian Summer,Looking for strong Call Me By Your Name vibes. Books that feel like a Luca Guadagnino movies.,Talented Mr Ripley
1kipjul,"Where it's a lot of dirt, rocks, and a bad feeling","I'm inspiration and spine chill hunting. Mysteries, so long as they're creepy or have horror as the subgenre would also do. The songz [""Dead of Night"" by Orville Peck](https://youtu.be/ZiotF04XBFY?si=eP6rp8041YZyFkGF) and [""Hotel California""](https://youtu.be/dLl4PZtxia8?si=7FLo7Bqy3pksiDjs) capture some of what I'm going for, too.",Blood Meridian and Not a typical horror genre book but it is definitely horrifying… and dusty and dirty.
1kik5ku,This fortress built by Nature for herself,especially audiobooks ,Omg following can’t wait to see the suggestions… I kind of feel like Circe
1kijtof,Sleep Token,Please I really need this ,Following this
1kijpqg,Like a Christmassy late 90s movie,,"There is something about the way movies looked in late 90s and early 2000s, especially rom coms and dramas. Give such a warm nostalgic feel. Following,"
1kigqpe,"must read wartime stories, experiences","A life lesson for everyone, a must read to know about wars","I mean ""All Quiet on the Western front"" is a very good WW1 novel"
1kif5zw,Dew - (Early morning green aquatic freshness),,"I can just hear David Attenborough’s voiceover. Would you like non-fiction? If so, Braiding Sweetgrass and Mary Oliver come to mind."
1kieqty,small town coming of age horror?,soooo my recent obsessions are Donnie Darko and Buffy The Vampire Slayer and I’m looking for something similar. Yknow small town Northern California in the 80s/90s with angsty teens and a whole lot of strange supernatural happenings? Thanks,IT
1kiaspj,"Dark academia, preferably in a magic school","I’m looking for a fantasy series with a dark academia, vibe and aesthetics, preferably at some kind of magic school.",Scholomance series -Naomi Novik. Takes place in a school that magical children are sent to that is infested with monsters.
1kiag8v,Kaufman/Fielder Flavors,The flavor of The Rehearsal which also owes quite a bit to Charlie Kaufman. So obviously I'm already aware of Antkind and I'm Thinking of Ending Things. But anything else that gives you similar vibes to Nathan Fielder or Charlie Kaufman?,My first thought is anything
1kia64t,Sons of Anarchy type romance books?,Books that are similar to SOA with the gang and illegal/outlaw activities but also with romance. ,"If you're looking for gritty (sometimes violent) but sexy biker romance, you'll love Susan Fanetti.  Start with the Signal Bend series, move on to Night Horde SoCal (which is a spinoff of Signal Bend), and follow up with the Brazen Bulls and Brazen Bulls Birthright series.   and Joanna Wylde's Reapers series is also pretty solid."
1ki87uk,"Southern, romantic elements","Southern gothic vibe, not overtly fantasy, romance elements ",The Witching Hour
1ki873f,female friendships that feel like this,,definitely the neapolitan novels
1ki38s4,Whatever comes to mind,,"Rogue by Mona Awad - dark fairytale, approximately and Goddess of Filth by V Castro - seance gone wrong and Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito - a governess who hates her charges and Bloom"
1ki18um,London during the industrial revolution,,The Yard by Alex Grecian and Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas and The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman and The Black Hand by Will Thomas and The Candle Man
1ki12sz,Something that has this feeling and atmosphere?,,The Goldfinch
1khwegk,Medieval Fantasy Gay Romance,Starting with an intense romance development between two men (Knight/Knight). End with a disastrous sad ending. (I need to cry) ,It’s not medieval but Song of Achilles might scratch this itch! and I’m hoping someone will share some medieval recs though! 👀
1khw5rq,Dark Academia re telling of Jesus’ life story?,"I’m looking for any dark academia-like retellings of jesus life story just to bring me closer to Him & the religion itself as i didn’t grow up w it. Could be modernized, less about his tragic crucifixion and that really shows his thought processes throughout his life. I love learning about this man’s life through people telling me stories they come to love & understand from the bible as it is already.","I haven’t read them personally, but you might like One Perfect Life"
1khvw4l,"grungy beach read, i don't want any romance",,The Guest - Emma Cline
1khu7r7,family saga circa the 19th century,"Hi, I’m looking for a multigenerational family saga preferably focused on a wealthy families fall and decline, with siblings and a forbidden-ish romance and maybe some travel. I’m open to anything I would like to think I read pretty widely. Please and thank you!!",Anna Karenina
1khu6ht,Books that feel like this,"A knight/guard and his charge, lots of yearning ♡",Paladin's Grace
1kht1ak,Books that have this vibe,"Books based on families, neighbours and friends gossiping, something like that? Thank you!! ",One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell      and Rant by Chuck Palahniuk      and Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum     and Dangerous Liaisons
1khpr6w,Romance between princess & her lady in waiting?,"Like a slow burn between a princess/noble and her devoted lady-in-waiting/servant? Tender, quiet moments in the morning when they're alone in the bedchamber. Both of them holding their breath as she helps the princess undress. Fingers grazing her neck as she puts up her hair. Lots of tension. Many layers of clothing. And two women who don't know the other lives and breathes for them. Ok I'll stop now 😅 Ty!","It’s fantasy, but"
1khpebw,Something that goes with these themes & vibes?,,*Ninth House*
1kho1e9,The Favourite,"Lesbian, a bit literary, and power dynamics preferred. ",📌 coming back when you have answers
1khnxsh,Books that feel like this,"Literary fiction, historical fiction, post apocalyptic fiction is all great. Thanks in advance. ",The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
1khnuja,Books that feel the way shoegaze sounds,"Shoegaze to me sounds both big and intimate at the same time; both introspective and loud; quite often wistful or melancholic, but rarely downbeat. Just fuzzy comfort music. I know this is kind of a vague one, I’ll take anything you’ve got 😅","Perks of Being a Wallflower — this may just be my association since I read it when I was first getting into shoegaze, but it’s a classic"
1khhtol,"Men, Taverns, maybe Absurd/Dark?",,Following.
1khhqwc,Whatever you call these vibes please!,"Images from Ligtning Returns and FFXIII-2. I have no idea how to describe it except surreal sci-fantasy near apocalypse?

I like how someone on here described LR: We failed to prevent the end of the world...now what?

Anyway, I am open to anything that evokes the images' feelings, not only apocalyptic etc",Gideon the Ninth
1khfg2p,"Romance, friendship, secrets, affairs, dysfunction","Desperate Housewives, Sex in the City, Devious Maids, Mad Men, Women Who Kill etc",Big Little Lies!
1khfccj,700+ page 20th century books that make me feel—,"like an aging man in his study or an english major at a prestigious university in a library (which i will be, in 4 months). i love the way stephen king and michael chabon write, dense and wordy, and do not want anything written past 2007 ♥️ ",The Historian
1khev5f,Nancy Drew / Sherlock Holmes / Scooby-Doo esq?,,How to Solve your own Murder has some of these vibes! Its a mystery that goes back and forth from the present day to the sixties.
1khcf58,60s/70s Occult,"Vintage black magic vibes, but less anti-woman than Dennis Wheatley. Sapphic would be great but not required. ",Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
1khbxow,ballet school !,"especially with themes of body image, ""beauty is pain"", and competition. open to other sports as long as they fit this",Tiny Pretty Things
1kha9j3,Steampunk fantasy city type vibe,Extra points for a mystery storyline,Perdido Street Station
1kh9yi9,2010s nerdy teenagedom/early internet US suburbia?,"Books about what it feels like to be a nerdy US teen in 2015. A book by the Brontë sisters if they went to Sakura-Con? The Perks of Being a Wallflower in your Pennsylvania cul-de-sac in 2012? I don't know, teenage wasteland but with clip-on neko ears. Or anything matching that vibe.

Any type of nerdiness works: tumblr, therians, cosplay, emos, bronies, neopets, the works. It can be slice of life, horror, diaries, anything. Even sociology books, if they're about 2010s teen nerds/geeks/""outsiders"" or something with a similar energy",Luster
1kh7zhn,"Main characters with ""fall from grace"" arcs","I'm looking for books where MC transforms from innocent, moral, or powerless to guilty, manipulative, or powerful - maybe through slow, emotionally-driven choices.

Something that in the end makes you ask: is he a hero, a victim of circumstance, or a villain after all?","The Count of Monte Cristo... my favorite book of all time. It's long but worth it. Originally the MC is good and innocent, but through wrong doings becomes manipulative and vengeful."
1kh6qbx,When god was a woman,"Looking for books that take place in times in history or fantasy places where the goddess is worshiped over a patriarchal god . I just finished “When God Was a Woman”, by Merlin Stone and it left me so curious about seeing into daily life in cultures where the goddess is worshipped. Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt , Ancient Greece ! Anything that gives a little look into a different time when woman was sacred . ",Look into
1kh60w7,Hotel/motel/diner/gas station but sth is off/eerie,,The Sun Down Motel
1kh4x9e,Books like this with a bit of MLM,,"I don’t have a rec, just wanted to say I was confused what boxing/fighting had to do with pyramid schemes."
1kh39w1,"Immersive, fast paced, recommend to everyone","I'm in a book slump and I'm about to go on a 6-hour flight so I need something that will immediately capture my attention! I love a blend of realism and fantasy, also a plus if it has found friendship. Can be a standalone or series (no Horror or YA please).",Dungeon Crawler Carl
1kh2lum,Gothic Romance HEAVY TENSION AND SLOW BURN!!!,"Hello all, I am in need of a burning romance with heavy tension and eventual spice. I love an aspect of magic or fantasy but focus on the romance and gothic elements. Maybe an old castle or manor, sorcerers or witches etc. 

Something like ‘Doctor D’Arco’ possibly… I ate that up far too fast. ‘Fairydale’ has been on my list but the writing is bad…","I feel like Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights are the standards for gothic romance (although as classics, there’s no explicit sexual content)"
1kh261q,Books that have homoerotic undertones,"But aren't explicitly classified as romance. I prefer M/M but could be F/F too! Contemporary, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, anything is fine.",oh BABY i’m gonna go CRAZY on this post  and If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio and Vicious series by V. E. Schwab and The Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover (i’m not kidding. i’m so serious) and (obv) Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice and She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (Ouyang and Esen) and The Poppy Wars
1kh1dxe,"Surreal eldritch ""somethings wrong"" ocean horror",,our wives under the sea maybe?
1kh051d,"Just… books about people, if you get what I mean",,"One of my personal favorites, East of Eden"
1kgzlgs,Books that feels like this,Any genre will do as long as it doesn't involve *murder* and has those weirdly cozy vibe to it iykwim ,I’d love to see some responses! All books I can think of with rainy vibes has murder or ghosts!
1kgyl4h,"Horror, 1970s/80s, romance?","I have a really niche interest when it comes to books, I don’t really enjoy reading but I am a pre law student and need to start training my brain to like _something_, lol. I’ve found that I always am really interested in books that are Stephen King-esque hence the images lol. Book readers, please give me something that’s raunchy, scary, romantic, but not by Stephen King!",Look at the pulpy gothic romances that were being published in the 1960s and 1970s.  Things
1kgxa7h,What if life had unfolded differently on earth?,Looking for humanity surviving in alternative ways. I find myself asking what if (insert event or technical invention) had never happened/ happened differently. I like magical realism and fantasy but can be anything really.,The Man IN The High Castle - Philip K Dick  and His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
1kgsui9,dreamy fantasy or YA,"i really liked books like we were liars, throne of glass and carval too. books with a bit of romance and mystery will be appreciated!!",A Winter's Promise
1kgrghb,"haunting, delicate, dramatic love",,"The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. It's ghostlike with a romantic ache, about a girl who is cursed to be forgotten until someone remembers her one day. and Or Uprooted"
1kgoy5l,becoming one with nature (sapphic/wlw preferred),no YA please! ,"Definitely Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Sapphic and pretty much exactly fits what you're looking for, but becoming one with the sea rather than plant life. and The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton also might be a good fit; in the second half it becomes about survival/adaptation in nature and has a late-in-book WLW romance. and Annhilation by Jeff Vandermeer 1000% has the vibe of becoming one with plant life, in a sci-fi/horror way that fits these pictures. It's not sapphic per se, though various characters have partners and relationships across the spectrum, but there's not much actual romance in it at all. and Lastly, maybe The Vaster Wilds"
1kgoey7,Winter Medieval Fantasy,Inspired by me enjoying the first third of ACOFAS because I’m an absolute sucker for any cozy winter/holiday feeling.,The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden and Spinning Silver
1kgnwqf,"old Hollywood, vintage, glamour, can be dark","ever since I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and The Seventh Veil of Salome, I’m chasing the high of these types of books. I love the golden age of Hollywood or just old Hollywood vibes. Something with glitz and glam but also the reality of what comes with that life! Any genre works :)) ","did you hear about kitty karr? is a great one. its a little dark, but its also about the backstory of a hollywood actress"
1kgmy8k,A classic battle of good and evil!,"https://preview.redd.it/r4lxme5hw9ze1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=f5d494b6f1285b40440e4b464e18913c37a96160

https://preview.redd.it/uxy45vgow9ze1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=6644dcbed18b20b50c8e242e6eafa2d595133790

https://preview.redd.it/4aqrgopxw9ze1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=79bc734de60b0fb14bc5278bf5cc25cf3526b77f

",Between Two Fires for sure.
1kgmtdq,Recommendations,"Books that feel and look like this. Based in the 1970s-80s-90s. Small towns, quaint little communities. Homey feel ",Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
1kgmd3f,Gritty,"I used stills from movies and music videos that can be used out of context or if you have seen them in the context of their original form that would be helpful too! I want something dark, gritty, original, feral… ",The Molly Southbourne series
1kgln6s,Horror isolated sea men going insane,,"\-The Terror by Dan Simmons.  and \-Not sea, but isolated water men going insane"
1kglmwa,Books about futuristic city life,,Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by PKD or Snow Crash
1kgkpnw,mute/selective mute characters,"i need characters i can relate to, I'm begging </3",Speak
1kgk5h5,"Books that feel like this. No YA, please.",,The Spellshop
1kgiulk,Books that start like this but end like that.,,Slewfoot
1kghshp,Books that feel like this,,Something Wicked This Way Comes
1kge2a4,any slavic feminine folklore fantasy books?,"Hello, I would love to get some recommendations that feel like any of this! Whimsical, a bit dark, a bit cosy, a bit unnerving...

Female protagonist if possible. c: Bonus point for sapphic undertones, but it's not a requirement! It can be written in English as well as Polish.",The bear and the nightingale
1kgcec5,A cosy winter,"Warmth. Softness. Community. Peace. Love.

I want a book that feels like a warm hug on a cold night. A cosy place, surrounded by pets and family or friends. Just warmth all around. I don't care for conflict in the story. I want to be hugged by words and be a part of the idealistic world. If that makes any sense ",Little Women. Heidi.
1kgbq4b,"Friends to lovers, sunshine-y, filled with giggles",Soft romance that can make me smile,Lovelight Farms
1kgbfqb,Main character isn’t aware of evil force ?,I’d like to read a book that’s similar to the show “Evil” on paramount plus/ Netflix. Where the main character is just trying to live their life but evil/bad things just happen to them and it’s an evil force against them that they’re not really aware of. Like it just lays low and gradually becomes worse. I kind of prefer “real world” types of stories but if you know a book that’s like this and it’s sci-fi or fantasy then I’m willing to give it a try! Idk if what I’m describing makes sense but Thanks anyways yall ,"This really reminds me of the plot of Shakespeare’s Othello, maybe look into different retellings of it if you’re not into reading Shakespeare"
1kg9vm9,books that feel like this,,Paladin’s Grace
1kg9eyy,Fargo/History of true crime story in the midwest,Any book like this whole world surrounding the Gerhardt family and their Native American killer in tv show Fargo second season?,"No NA references, but true crime in Midwest"
1kg64sz,The ingenue catches the attentions of the villain,"Please don't judge but I've always been drawn to this concept, so any recommendations would be very appreciated! ",Fruit of the Dead
1kg5nyo,Haunted House Horror,,Hell House by Richard Matheson is a classic. and The Haunting of Hill House
1kg559q,MC who just wants to be loved,,"This one is surprisingly hard. and Perfume- a guy is born without a body scent and so people subconsciously avoid him. He tries to make a perfume that will make people like him. (It’s a pretty dark book, the methods of perfume making are pretty messed up)  and Very remotely, Berserk? lol like it’s not the vibes of the examples at all, but it’s a Manga about a very lonely MC. Read every single warning about this story cause it’s rough. But it’s a personal favorite."
1kg0bbs,"Cool, mysterious, beautiful",I need a book that feels like Natalie Portman in the movie “Closer”. ,Also looking for books that feel like my crush on Natalie Portman ❤️
1kfybnb,"Cozy Nostalgia like those old ""I Spy"" books",,The Only One Left
1kfw9tm,playing with language or reading/writing,"basically looking for any kind of book (non/fiction both welcome) that sorta ""breaks the fourth wall"" ala Mark Dunn's books. ",Embassytown
1kfv007,"atmospheric, gloomy, mysterious",Mystery or any fiction with rainy PNW/ British Columbia setting that feels like this ,My brain just started playing decode from paramore lmao this is so twilight coded
1kfuw25,Strange philosophical/psychological horror,"Artistic philosophical horror, weird other worldly concepts that leave you both confused and wondering, yet can still be applied to our reality.  
Game is ""Who's Lila?"", an absolutely fantastic game on steam that my description does not do justice haha  
",Any/all Thomas Ligotti.
1kfur32,"Medieval Sapphic ""I'd burn the world down for you""",Bonus points if they spend most of the book fighting to be together and they get some type of revenge on their way out,The Dance Tree
1kft0vj,"Wholesome, pastoral family (but not the classics)","I’m looking for a book to give to my mom - she grew up with Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, etc. But of course she’s already read them! So I’m looking for something written more recently that has those vibes, and aimed at an older audience. ",Tom Lake!!!!
1kfsgmn,"Uncanny, unsettling, lovecraftian.","Looking for something that feels unsettling but with a mystery. 
Film/tv examples include: True Detective S1, Cure, Archive 81 & Perfect Blue. 
",The fisherman gets recommended on this sub a lot. I really enjoyed it.
1kfqave,Classical music/orchestra,,The Light from Uncommon Stars
1kfolos,Cybercore ?,With bionics for sure ,The big book of cyberpunk volume one and two.  and Altered Carbon by Morgan.  and 80s-90s William Gibson.  and Bruce Sterling and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson and Hardwired by Walter John Williams and Synners
1kfng4x,Gone girl,"Female rage, unhingedness, more than meets the eye, a bit deceptive, justified ",Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
1kflu6b,books that entirely take place at night,,The Night Circus. - Morgenstern   and Dallergut Dream Department Store. ( Takes place in dreams)  and After Dark - Murakami and Something Wicked This Way Comes...Bradbury.... sort of. The meat of the story takes place at night but there is daytime as well.
1kflopa,Books that feel like this?,,Geek love
1kfjndw,Books that feel like this?,"Heartwarming, romantic, and completely drama-free. The kind that actually brings peace and happiness to your soul.","I think these are screenshots from games! First one, I believe, is called ""Lake"", second from Life is Strange"
1kfj566,finding peace after a breakup,,Funny Story by Emily Henry and My Best Friend’s Honeymoon
1kfhic6,Angsty boy falls for angsty girl,"something that feels like kat and patrick, looking for adult romance primarily (20s) but welcome other recs too!!","Patrick's not all that angsty, though, he just lets himself be perceived that way. He's secretly the sunshine of grumpy/sunshine. and That being said, if you're up for some YA, try Maggie Stiefvater. I was going to say the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but pretty much anything"
1kfgqbf,Interpret how you wish,Went through a Pinterest rabbit hole. Is anyone able to interpret this into a book lol?,Maybe something from Flannery O'Conner?
1kfenr7,Like Julia Fox's Down the Drain?,I also just finished Cat Marnell's How to Murder Your Life and LOVED it.,Definitely The Liar’s Club and especially Cherry
1kfdhb0,books that feel like channel orange by frank ocean,warm & nostalgic ,It may just be that i read this book around the same time the album came out but
1kf9jsr,Books that feel like this?,,The Gormenghast Trilogy
1kf9grz,"Sleepy, Cozy, Don't have to work.",,Required my year of rest and relaxation
1kf7g42,"Obsessive, one sided love","All consuming. Dark and disturbing is a bonus. Any genre is fine.
The Collector by John Fowles is what inspired me to make this post. ","Perfume, if you want disturbing"
1kf4unc,witchcraft/occult/dark/coming of age,Any books that combine both coming of age and witchcraft? The Craft is one of my favorite movies. Looking for something along those lines. Some dark elements mixed with the struggles of being a teenager/young adult. ,Witchcraft for wayward girls
1kf3nw6,"Ambient, empty places at night, liminal spaces",One book that came to mind was *After Dark* by Murakami. Any others?,The Black Maybe
1kf30p1,Tookish outdoor adventures,"Looking for a fun little adventure, most likely fantasy, that feels like a hobbit journey. Obviously something other than Tolkien! 
I’ve read Emily Wilde and love the idea of a fantasy genre field journal! 🍀 ",In terms of fantasy field guides... Gnomes by Wil Huygen illustrated
1kf2y3y,"Awakening consciousness, enlightenment, spiritual",,*Siddhartha*
1kf2eix,"cottagecore, nostalgic, cozy, lesbian",,A person could be forgiven for reading a sapphic vibe into Anne of Green Gables and her intense feelings for her best friend Diana. I know I did. It fits this vibe perfectly if you don't dwell on the knowledge that she marries a man later in the series.
1kf2bw8,"Creepy, whimsical, dreamy","I'm looking for books with vibes like these photos, something mysterious, creepy, and magical

Bonus if the book has a heavy focus on the moon or the night",Following because I want this too
1kf2alr,"Humid nights, newness, atmospheric and immersive","I also enjoy books with gothic undertones, not super into romance but prefer sapphic. Something escapist and calming",I only read the first one but wasn't that more like the opposite of humid nights?
1kf1xs4,Books that feel like “Free Fallin” by Tom Petty,,Maybe **The Virgin Suicides** by Jeffrey Eugenides. and Also **The Perks of Being a Wall Flower**
1kez7zs,"Artsy, flamboyant queer narrator",Featuring Keith Harring paintings for a vibe. Thank you for any rec's! ,"Less by Andrew Sean Greer definitely has this. I'm struggling to remember if the narrator is artsy, but the main character certainly fits this description in my mind. He's a ~faily novelist~. There's also a sequel, Less is Lost.  and This one I haven't read yet, but perhaps This Brutal House"
1kexpde,Books that feel like this?,I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland. Looking to experience that joy & excitement with another book! ,The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lives of Christopher Chant
1ketbhr,"Balmy, dreamy, neon nights",Doesn’t necessarily need to be set in the 80s,Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon   and The City and the City
1kes955,"Preferably Literary fiction, but anything",,Maybe some of the stories
1kes1el,a book that feels like this,"looking for a book like this, vintage cars, outcast friend group, scraped knees kinda stand by me vibes ",If you haven’t read The Outsiders
1ker5lp,Deep Betrayal Lovers to Enemies Best ifMorallyGrey,,wuthering heights
1keq8qm,need book recommendations 🙏🏼,"okay, so the ideal book for me right now is a fantasy type book with old disney vibes. fantasy like fairy’s, princesses, “magical” world that type of vibe but little romance or no romance. basically a book where romance isn’t the whole plot. could be a story like harry potter where the character goes to a magical boarding school or alice in wonderland vibes?? really anything. i added some pictures to help with the “aesthetic” i want the book to be like? if it helps or even makes sense (the books don’t have to have exactly aesthetic like the pictures)","Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries!
Maybe also A Sorceress Comes to Call?
Six Crimson Cranes"
1kept0g,"Lost in the woods, not alone spooky vibes","A first person experience of not being alone, paranoid in the woods ,like the movie(the blair witch project)",The Ritual
1kepnwv,Old apothecary,"Want: old apothecaries, medicine, healing, turn of the century-1940s, female lead (if possible)
Don’t want: romance",The Lost Apothecary
1kepgqi,Grotesque / Nihilism / Psychological,,Any Dostoevsky; *Notes from the Underground* or *Crime and Punishment* especially
1keopfz,Books That Feel Like This,A ‘mountain town’ mystery of some sort 👏🏻 ,The God of the Woods
1kempno,Books That Feel Like the Early to Mid-2000s?,"They can be any genre, and it doesn't exactly have to be written in the 2000s either... just takes place during that time! Preferably adult or upper YA... I know the pictures are very childhood-centered, but that's just because I was a kid during that time period.",Sarah Dessen writes a lot of YA from that time period.
1kel6nx,Bookish thriller,,*The Shadow of the Wind* - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
1kelpc5,Books that feel like (its set some here),,"Nonfiction, but Salt On Your Tongue"
1kelvcs,Preferably books that go into japanese culture?,Preferably based in Japan and delving deep into its religious and mythological practices?,The Fox Wife
1kekf14,Slavic aristocracy with folklore/magic,"Any genre is fine but preferably fantasy, horror, or mystery! ",[The Bear and the Nightingale
1kejv5d,Old academia researching strange worlds,"Not necessarily steampunk (Though I'd certainly consider steampunk with this premise)

By strange worlds I don't (just) mean alien worlds, it could also be unexplored fantastical regions of our own, fairy, strange artifacts, etc etc. ","I feel like this may be too on the nose, but Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies and the other books in this trilogy are exactly this."
1kej3ix,A girl and her horse on an adventure,Any genre is fine!!! Thank you. Preferably not entirely stereotypical country living though. ,The Winternight Trilogy
1kei99t,witchcraft within convent/church,,The Monk
1kegsia,Goddess worship/Priestesses (already read MOA),"Books like Mists of Avalon, can be fantasy or historical fiction. I want Goddess worshipping Priestesses, women-led communities, magic, rituals, healing. Can take place anytime in history. ",If you're open to YA
1kegnyl,"Secluded island/countryside, supernatural","I'm looking for a story about a group of family or friends in an isolated natural setting such as an island, in the countryside or a forest with supernatural themes and an unsettling undertone. Preferably some combination of literary fiction/romance/coming of age/horror/thriller.",The Beach - Alex Garland
1keelr9,Medieval fantasy that feel like a legend or a tale,"Looking for a medieval fantasy book that doesn't feel ""realistic"" like for example ASOIAF, but more like an arthurian legend or a fairy tale. Much better if it's character-driven or at least has well-written 3d characters, and little to no romance.",A Wizard of Earthsea
1kedm26,"a love letter to words, books, writing",something that makes me feel like *Inkheart* when I was 10 or even what was displayed in martyr,The Starless Sea
1kedhx6,Any book with this vibe!,En,Divine Secrets of the YAYA Sisterhood
1kecq7z,Morally gray sapphic characters set in the PNW,"Recently watched and enjoyed this movie. Most of it is set in Leavenworth, WA. I love any books that take place in the PNW especially WA. 

The characters are morally gray and at times unlikeable/unethical. 

There is a love triangle with a sapphic undertone. I really enjoyed the scenes with Ally and Cassidy and would like a more sapphic leaning book. 

Here is the plot:
On a trip to her hometown, workaholic TV producer Ally reminisces with her ex Sean and starts to question everything about her life. Things only become more confusing when she learns Sean is getting married to Cassidy, who reminds her of the person she used to be.

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
 ",The closest I can think of is Patricia Wants to Cuddle
1keaugy,books like the background animation at a party,"Like this video, but with no sound: [https://youtu.be/Iqt8tzH4c6Y?si=r9pgda1e0d8VDXR_](https://youtu.be/Iqt8tzH4c6Y?si=r9pgda1e0d8VDXR_)

you ever been to a party where there was some animation playing on silent in the background? aimless, hard to follow, subdued, maybe doesn't make any sense, but mesmerizing. You watch because it's beautiful, not for the plot. Maybe it's scifi/fantasy, maybe it's magical realism, or maybe the narrator is just losing their mind.

Any book recs? Similar books might be One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez or The Life Before Her Eyes by Laura Kasischke. ","Caraval and The Mirror Visitor Quartet  and The Starless Sea and The Rathbones (comes with content warnings. I won't list them, because I probably don't remember them all. Worth looking up before jumping in.)"
1keamdd,"Secret societies, Occult, Dark, Rituals","Looking for something dark involving secret societies/cults, ritualistic murder, occult, dark hidden knowledge etc",Ninth House obvs
1ke9rb0,"Small town cozy horror, but eldritch","Basically the title. Also, I would love if the book had a growing sense of unease, a feeling that something is seriously wrong in this town. Unexplainable events, old things awakening, the forests whispering, that sort of stuff.",{American Elsewhere
1ke81h8,"kentucky derby, rich people drama, class politics",bonus points for star crossed lovers!!!,The Bluegrass Conspiracy
1ke7oca,Something with angels,Bonus points if it has a good vs evil dilemma or makes me question my existence.,The City in Glass
1ke6sul,All ideas welcome!,"My husband is desperate for anthropomorphic animal adventures, fantasy-ish or horror-ish; timeless stories like Watership Down or Animal Farm are good too.  He read Winterset Hollow and loved it.  Don’t say Redwall, though.  He tried and just wasn’t hooked.  ",MRS. FRISBEE AND THE RATS OF NIMH
1ke2k1a,Books like this Masterpiece,,"You do know the horror maestro has written three books lately, right? *TerrorTome*, *Incarcerat*, and the latest is in preorder but I forget the title. and also all  have audiobooks narrated"
1ke1d9x,books with jerma type main characters,preferably funny ,American Psycho
1kdxln6,you get what I mean?,"I recently finished the Sevenwaters series by Juliet Marillier, and ever since, I’ve been yearning for another book that captures that same rich, immersive atmosphere—the kind where the forest feels alive with ancient magic, and nature is more than just a backdrop. I’m especially drawn to books where characters share a deep spiritual connection with the natural world—where the bond with the land, trees, and wild things feels intrinsic. I’d love to find something that echoes that hauntingly beautiful, folkloric tone.

Any recommendations? :)",I can literally smell this picture.. so dreamy
1kdtzd6,Staying in an already drifting relationship?,"Any genre. Except horror, gore, anything that would scare the freak out of me.",Revolutionary Road. Forgot the author. and Edit
1kdsbk6,Books that feel like cartoons meeting reality,"Recently watched the ""Lux"" episode of Doctor Who and loved it. Got me kickin' for nostalgia so I watched *Who Framed Roger Rabbit?* I don't know of much media that's similar to these, so I'm looking for books that, if they don't have cartoons roaming around our reality, feel like it.","Check out the source material for the movie, Who Censored Roger Rabbit"
1kdqqg1,There are THOSE THINGS out there in these woods,"Monsters you see in the corner of your visions, overgrown ruins, abandoned rituals…",The Twisted Ones
1kdnbze,Pirate books with a little bit of romance,,Tress of the emerald sea
1kdjo27,Books that feel like late night Japanese lofi,,Water Moon
1kdj8pm,Books that feels like this song.,Video Link :- https://youtu.be/3Kikh-IzmLg?si=31l3TlAfOB-IL5c4,Waiting for recommendations
1kdj7ij,feel like an east coast summer,also with the vibe of the song futile devices by sufjan stevens,anything elin hilderbrand i think
1kdi9tz,post apocalyptic ride-or-die,"the world is destroyed and violent and lonely but at least i have you - post apocalyptic stories that punch you in the gut, found family at the end of the world. i want to feel like im reading the road by cormac mccarthy or playing the last of us for the first time again. bonus points for queer characters. manhunt by gretchen felker-martin is a fav. pls no YA","Station 11.  I read it ages ago so I could be misremembering but there are lots of ride or dies, between the acting troop, the airport survivors and the child cult. and ETA"
1kddneo,Dark fantasy like the Jon Snow chapters in ASoIF,He had some of my favorite chapters I,"I don’t know if you’ve read Memory, Sorrow, Thorn, but its one of the books that inspired GRRM. It’s a coming of age story with snowy winter monster, red priests, children of the forest style elves, and many other similarities."
1kda5h4,Gods Behaving Badly and Fighting,Just finished The Games Gods Play and really enjoyed so looking forward more Gods books and Pantheon  ,*Inheritance Trilogy*
1kdb7gs,"Decaying, (haunted or hauntING) coastal towns","All genre's welcome, but thriller, horror, gothic is the vibe I'm looking for :) ","The Devil and the Deep is a good anthology of all water-based horror/thriller stories. Some take place on ships and in the ocean, but a number of them take place in these sort of towns"
1kd97dk,Southern bayou with a voodoo vibe,Fictional books work too ,Wide Sargasso Sea
1kd89zl,Murder Mysteries with this vibe,,Check out some classic noir. Anything
1kd2n3p,"Whimsical, Soft Fantasy, Wonder, Dreamlike",,A Psalm for the Wild Built
1kd1yxp,Spring/summer in London (for ‘artsy types’),"All pictures are mine. Kinda already my life, but I’d love suggestions of literature to inspire some art I’m trying to make document whatever this life is right now. Historical, fictional, historical fiction (yum)

Bonus for characters and narratives that are queer, global majority/poc, disabled. Any acts of resistance. Artsy, punk, indie, planting the seeds in this fine weather. 

Thanks ♥️","girl, woman, other   
the rachel incident (they get to london eventually)  
evenings and weekends"
1kd12oc,mourning childlike wonder/purity,"Something in the lines of ""mother/god/lover, if you hold me once more I promise I'll go back to the version of me you once loved"" or ""If I follow the rules, will this sorrow ever quiet down?"" Or whichever books remind you of these pictures! ",Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng; Dear Edward
1kd13ym,Seemingly lotsa collateral damage.,,The Stand
1kd12bt,Zombies and Medieval Times,"When I picked up the book *Between Two Fires* (stunning book by the way, best thing I have read all year) when I saw it was a ‘Medieval horror’ and set during 1300 France during the black plague, I thought for some reason it was going to be zombies. It wasn’t and the book didn’t need them as was amazing. BUT I realized I am missing this kind of book and would love to read something with zombies during this time/setting. ",The best i can suggest is the show Kingdom lol. Which is fantastic
1kd0gdt,Books that feel like the movie About Time,"Has nothing to do with time travel, just the overall vibes. ","Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Midnight Library"
1kcwfv1,Whatever comes to mind,,*Carmilla*
1kcwdrf,A person with a low IQ/disability facing world,,"The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump"
1kcuwij,Books that feel like Far Cry 2,,The Night Manager
1kcu20l,when life gives you tangerines,"life struggles, complex family dynamics, a daughter's guilt ",Don’t have a rec but these screenshots made me tear up a lil 🥹
1kctfdc,Book recommendations please,Small town Christmas turned into a zombie outbreak type ,"Station Eleven, not necessarily Christmas market but has a collapse of civilization"
1kcss9i,I need recs for this vibe! ✨,"Fantasy only please, but wouldn't mind a good romance plot line too (adult themes are fine). I read The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi which has these vibes and I loved every page of it, can't wait for the next book in the series. I've been trying to find something similar but I'm not having any luck. Please help! ",*The City of Brass*
1kcruwu,Anything and everything please!,,Why does this keep getting posted? Literally exactly the same images.
1kcqsn4,small town / “god is coming” / “i’m just a girl”,"Looking for material in the realm of southern gothic or American folklore. Characters suffering from some breed of religious fear. Ideally, female main character(s). Novels that feel like being in grandma’s house, but grandma is out to get you and a higher power is on its way.",I think Black Sheep
1kcpm32,"Hopeful, Comforting, Encouragement, Gentleness","Not a story where problems magically go away or are super simple to solve, but more of moving through difficult times and pains that never fully go away. ",A Psalm for the wild built
1kco0uv,fantasy books with this vibe,,Lies of locke lamora
1kcmc5n,Historical Sapphic novel (lighthearted),,"funnily enough ""historical fiction"" and ""sapphic"" are mutually exclusive lmao and ahhhh shit im tapped out, all of them are heavy due to comp-het and suffering and Maybe Devotion by Hannah Kent! For that good ol' yearning/pining and and uh, maybe Safekeep"
1kcljf7,Black authors and happy endings please !,,A Love Song for Ricky Wilde by Tia Williams and Bad Witches by HB Akumiah and Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown and The Brown Sisters Series by Talia Hibbert and Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola and Maame by Jessica George and People Person by Candice Carty-William and Wahala
1kckx0q,This book should star Vincent Price,,"""Daemonic"""
1kck08b,Summertime fever dream/zoning out of reality,,Untold Night and Day
1kcjwfs,Female rage or coming of age,Sapphic or philosophic undertones are a plus but not necessary!!!,The Bell Jar!
1kcjuge,"Toxic, tortured, compelling sea captains.","Need more Nemos, Ahabs, and Wolf Larsens please!",The Terror by Dan Simmons — historical horror about the Franklin expedition. The two captains featured I think check all the boxes and McGlue
1kci92u,Books similar to Hackers 1995,,Keeping my eye on this one. and I feel like you can get some of the vibe in *Snow Crash* from Neal Stephenson
1kchmf6,book that feels like this.,"https://preview.redd.it/lpz4sufv38ye1.png?width=506&format=png&auto=webp&s=91aaada7fc265fe580659873764a59afc5cec2c1

https://preview.redd.it/gqk62vfv38ye1.png?width=502&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0b3d9489b99f6c3f671a27646766411449c597c

https://preview.redd.it/wonvuvfv38ye1.png?width=494&format=png&auto=webp&s=4fc117a7ffe0a20b9f09ad41f8f972e4b0234716

","-The Anne of Green Gables series and Emily series, both by L.M. Montgomery and -The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and -The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge and -A Girl of the Limberlost"
1kchi9v,A book that feels like Winter Light,,"*The Grapes of Wrath,* *To a God Unknown,* *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck  and *A Farewell to Arms,* *The Sun Also Rises* by Ernest Hemingway  and *Dubliners* by James Joyce and *The Orchard Keeper,* *Outer Dark,* *Child of God* by Cormac McCarthy  and *Post Office,* *Ham on Rye,* and *Women* by Charles Bukowski  and Anything"
1kccgm4,A book that is like Felicity for adults…,"Any genre as long as it’s not horror. I want 1700s American coziness, if it exists!",I don’t know of anything that matches unfortunately. Only commenting to say this sounds interesting to me as well. American Girl should capitalize on its aging millennial fans and create books about the girls in their adult years.
1kc8hg2,Robots from an alien plant or civilization,That was lost time however they are going to defend it or something with the similar vibe as transformers or different I would appreciate the recommendations ,Axiom's End
1kc8c5k,Books like this,"I like fantasy and mystery, not spicy at all. Some of my favorite books are Uprooted, Honey Witch, and the Shady Hollow series.",wizard's guide to defensive baking
1kc64pd,Narrative non fiction or memoir,History of science ,omg that picture of dorling kindersley jolted back to my childhood
1kc31t0,Plague doctor-centric!,They have to be the mc but if there's a book/novel that at least has them regularly I won't mind,The salt grows heavy Cassandra khaw
1kc0mmy,books like this,"something where a girl is living in her own world but doesn’t mind a man yearning for her. warm, coming of age, soft, comfortable w/ the unknown, optimistic, wise vibes.",Hmmm I love this prompt and am keen to see what others say. My suggestion is Kitchen
1kc0d25,Any Kingdom Come Deliverance fans?,I desperately need more of their dynamic!,"Hans is a lord, he’s arrogant and spoiled but grows throughout the game. Henry is his knight and best friend, he’s more grounded and noble and calls Hans on his shit but defends him to everyone else, they bicker but they always have each others backs and would protect the other with their lives if needed. Anything you can recommend will be great! Thank you!"
1kc0bbn,"Fairytale, adventurous, fantasy yet historical.",Looking for something that has a fantastical spin on medieval history and its common tropes. Doesn’t have to be historical fiction or accurate! ,The Once and Future King
1kbzc0h,Cheesy Haunted House Vibes,,how to sell a haunted house
1kbyok4,"ETL, fae, he falls first, grew up together",Make it extra spicy. No cheating. both mc’s have always wanted each other but pretend to hate each other. Fae and human relationship. I’ve already read acotar ,*Cardan Greenbriar*🖤
1kbxpog,Bunker living after apocalypse,,I who have never known men
1kbxpju,Bunker living after apocalypse,,"I who have never known men, sort of, but not really the kind in your pictures"
1kbw8la,cozy found family fantasy but also spooky & weird,I just finished The Raven Cycle and I’m trying to fill that void ,"I need to stop hanging out here, it's not good for my tbr"
1kbvguy,"Family drama 60s-70s, maybe a little mystery",,Commonwealth
1kbsdva,Scifi thriller/horror ?,,Blindsight?
1kbs9hq,"Noir, modern, Max Payne adjacent. Introspective.",,"I can't think of contemporary modern, but the images you shared to me really remind me of pulp novels. Max Payne's dialogue is very pulpy as well. and Payback - Richard Stark (His Parker Novels are all gritty and introspective)  and The Maltese Falcon - Samuel Dashiell Hammett (A major inspiration for the games I have heard)  and Any work of Elmore Leonard."
1kbrtqe,Books that feel like Anora,"Books that feel like the movie Anora. No horror, fantasy, or sci-fi please. Open to nonfiction too!",Parts of Julia Fox’s memoir definitely fit this theme
1kbq3lx,Friend group/ensemble vibes coming of age,These kinda vibes. Friend group coming of age. Maybe a little romance in there. ,Looking for Alaska- John Green
1kbpms4,Queer books with this vibe,,Maybe Maurice
1kbpm4o,Books that feel like the Submachine games,"Looking for something like these games - vibes are kinda lonely and steampunk-ish. Wandering an abandoned land and trying to piece together what happened there. A mix of mysticism and metaphysics. Technology alongside ancient ruins. And a big mystery at the center of it all. 

No House of Leaves please. ",I have no mouth and I must scream?
1kbp63f,Books that feels like FINAL FANTASY XVI,,Ok so I have been recommending this one a lot lately but the Codex Aleria series
1kboxxp,Books like this,"I've read Lord of the rings, acotar etc. I would appreciate some underated Medival or dark fantasy that is immersive and hard to put down.",Spinning Silver
1kbj9hp,"A creature feature, featuring the creature","Anything with huge creatures, playing on megalophobia. Any genre is okay, but I’m mainly looking for horror. ",American Elsewhere - Robert Jackson Bennett
1kbidbc,student at an old university experiencing life,"Student (woman) at an **old university** (like one of those cool oxford-y, harvard-y, edinburgh uni campuses) experiencing a **coming-of-age**, **friendships** (making them, falling outs, etc) and **relationships** (situationships, relationships, crushes)  
Kind of ""Everything I know about love"" by Dolly Alderton but set it in an at uni vibe.  
Chatgpt told me ""One Day"" but I saw the series already, and it's not entirely the vibe i'm going for as it leaves uni after some time !",The idiot and either/or
1kbh6fz,two godlike beings in a liminal space of their own,,I feel like This Is How You Lose the Time War sort of fits this description!
1kbfajs,Weird/Dark Fairytales & Myths,,Anything
1kbet96,The fate of kingdoms is settled in a 1v1 duel,"Looking for fantasy/sci-fi/space fantasy, prefer magic/sentient swords; bonus for space opera and extra bonus if magic is prominent in the story but used by characters other than the swordsmen.",Most of The Cosmere
1kbenh8,Thriller/horror with a hot summer vibe,+1 if it’s set by the sea ,The God of the Woods
1kbegvi,"Lost in Chaos: Nostalgia, Nature v City, Hope”",,"This is kind of hard one but the ones that come to mind are Taipei by Tao Lin, Green Girl by Kate Zambrano, Writers and Lovers"
1kbcxwh,Survival in the aftermath of natural disaster,,Five Days at Memorial
1kbct93,Dangerous love with an old money European vibe,"Old money, bad boys, fast cars, femme fatales, sexy, summery, dangerous love ",The Talented Mr. Ripley
1kbc7tt,Picnic at hanging rock with samodivas,"mystery of girlhood, womanhood, secrets, reality or illusion, distant dreams, sirens, samovili - not opposed to non fiction",The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow
1kbayns,"1910s, close-knit male friendships",,Maurice
1kb6kfw,he goes evil/berserk for her,"Looking for a book with a romance plot or subplot where the guy goes absolutely evil or berserk for girl. Maybe he is good by the end of the book, maybe he isn’t. I’m thinking Anakin Skywalker, Phantom of the Opera, Wuthering Heights. Not necessarily looking for a dark romance or something heavily sexually explicit. Bonus points if it has fantasy themes AND was published more than 15 years ago! 

Artist credits: lotusbubble
peachcreep
samanthadoodles
",The novelization of Revenge of the Sith is supposed to be *really* good fwiw
1kb63dc,Small Town Thrillers,,sharp objects
1kb5rco,Interpret this as you like,,I who have never known men is basically exactly this vibe
1kb34z1,Modern Social Media Drama,,A Touch of Jen
1kb529j,I BEG,Can be any type of book.,Maybe *The Golden Compass*
1kb055j,Books that feel like a Radiohead song or similar,,I found this at the Dollar Tree of all places when I was in high school. and It feels so good when I stop
1kazxh6,Retrofuturistic industrialism,,White Noise
1kazi7p,Books like season 1 of prison break,"I really enjoyed Season 1 of Prison Break, especially Michael Schofield’s character and the relationships he built inside the prison. I’m looking for book recommendations with a similar vibe: stories set in a ruthless prison with a really smart, strategic inmate as the main character. Any suggestions?",This is a brilliant prompt! 👀
1kawrab,"Consciousness, free will, divine machinery.",,No recommendations but very curious to see what is posted here.
1katn6g,books that feel like this,"scifi, urban fantasy, crime.

please and thankyou",Perdido Street Station and Against the Day.
1kasli1,A desperate reaching/search for something,"But being held back by regrets/mistakes/self-loathing. Finding contentment. 
closest I’ve read to this feeling: murderbot diaries (only read the first), in the dream house","Jonathan Safran Foer does this a lot. Everything is illuminated, Here I Am, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,"
1kar0sj,Mercenaries fighting in Africa,"I'm looking for a book about mercenaries fighting in Africa or Southeast Asia in the 20th century. I prefer something nonfiction, but that's not a requirement. I would like it to focus more on the absurdity of war rather than its horrors, but that's not a requirement (and probably a big ask, considering the topic). *My Friend the Mercenary* by James Brabazon is on my list. Thanks!

",This might be what you are looking for and https
1kapc4d,years of unrequited love and admiring from afar,,Never let me go - Kazuo Ishiguro
1kap3ta,Anything with this vibe?, ,The bear and the nightingale
1kanxg3,"Childlike wonder, countryside, classic",I love the kinda nostalgic feeling the Milly Molly Mandy books gave me if that helps ,Anne of Green Gables?
1kamosf,Book recommendations with the same dynamic,"PROVIDED it’s HEA, no cheating and no love triangles
Also it doesn’t have to be DOM-SUB 
Just a shy introverted boy and more forward girl ",Source of the first picture?
1kal4jt,"Utopia,wonder, awe, everything is beautiful/sacred","Like in the title, I am looking for books with the following themes:

* Utopia
* Awe and wonder inspiring
* Everything is beautiful as it is, we can appreciate each other and everything around us if we try
* Everything is sacred, worthy of care, compassion and respect.
* Everything is interconnected.
* Existence is beautiful, there is nothing and everything to accomplish

Art created by **Christian Riese Lassen**",Playground - Richard Powers
1kakbni,books that feel like this,wh,A Classic short story
1kaji2d,Suggest by however you feel,,These make me think of A Wrinkle in Time
1kaiwd8,Romance not to be the whole plot but a part,Title ,Scholomance series
1kaf6na,"Corporate girl stuck in a loop, losing it","woman in the city, stuck in a routine, burnt out, lonely, stressed, detached. can’t sleep, has nightmares. zones out, does drugs, daydreams - anything to disconnect from her life. surreal/dreamlike elements/imagery is a plus. doesn’t matter if there is romance and open to all genres, but prefer fiction. ",Severance
1kaf39k,"Surreal, slight horror, nostalgia",,Perhaps “Mister Magic”
1kae49y,Books you’d smoke/drink whiskey to,,All The Pretty Horses
1kac4sp,"Spooky, odd, unsettling, but also a bit glamorous","Spooky, odd, unsettling, but also a bit glamorous in a way? ",Invisible Monsters
1kabx45,books that feel like this..,where horror hides behind romance or where the romance aspect is misleading to the actual horror of the plot ,Mexican Gothic
1kabw0b,books with this kinda vibe,with a teenage girl protagonist preferably ,"I’ve recommended this before but Heartstopper, Looking for Alaska, Catcher in the Rye"
1kaa3oa,Dark academia,"Bonus points if the main characters are lesbians!! University, mystery, thriller, horror, historical fiction any of the above ",The Secret History
1ka9yxg,Spooky fall,Open to historical fiction and fantasy as well!,"Ray Bradbury’s fall / Halloween themed works (Something Wicked This Way Comes, October Country and The Halloween Tree are my personal favorites) are my go-tos when I need a dose of spooky fall. My favorite intro of all time is from October Country"
1ka8y4k,"Luxury Hotel, focus on guests / FOH / BOH",Thank you for your recommendations!,Gentleman in Moscow?  Although technically the main character isn't a guest.  But the hotel is practically its own character and its' a great book!
1ka8s72,Women trying to survive the night,,No Exit
1ka79kk,"Horror/thriller books, plus points if its sapphic",,We Used To Live Here
1ka5d0i,Taylor Swift's seven,I'm looking for books that feel like Taylor Swift's song seven. Please only recommend books that were published in the last 5 or so years. Thanks!,Paper palace
1ka4gov,Witches (and animal sidekicks) with these vibes,Art by Simz and Guzweiz,Hell of a Witch
1ka4b2y,books that feel like this,"I am going through a difficult time and would enjoy light-hearted cozy books set in nature, cafes or bookstores. I’m okay with romance but don’t love too much spice ",Every Summer After
1ka0ua1,A horror book that feels like I Saw The TV Glow,Basically a coming of age horror novel that has a chance of making me cry. ,This Thing Between Us
1ka00nt,Biblical political strife,"Angels fighting demons, large scale battles and dealing with the fallout, political machinations of angels and demons hierarchy and showing they're more human then they care to admit, etc

Audiobooks preferred!",Between Two Fires
1k9ym6h,Summerween !,"Hi! I am looking for a can’t-put-down read to get me into the summer season. It can be horror, but doesn’t necessarily HAVE to be. Looking for a mystery or adventure with maybe a romance? Let me know if you have any leads! ",*Joyland*
1k9w78v,Water monster horror,"Lake monsters, fishmen, bog creatures, vengeful water spirits.  A quiet horror lurking in the lake.  A small town plagued by unexplained drownings.  Gruesome underwater deaths.  Picnickers dragged beneath the surface.  Can be a little campy, but I’m looking for some true down to earth horror. ","Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep. Remember that faux mermaid mockumentary from years back? In this book, the ship making that mockumentary has its entire crew killed, with some very mermaidy footage that most people believe is part of the whole stunt. It wasn't, so another research crew is going out to figure out what the hell happened."
1k9uy5a,Small Town Romance :),"I’m looking for a book that follows the trope of a woman who moves to a new town and meets a guy. 

Preferably if the main characters have a slow burn kind of love and the people of the town know what’s happening way before they do. 

(Side note: I usually don’t read romance genres but I’ve been re-watching a lot of 2000’s rom-coms and I’m wanting to expand my current tbr list)

Thanks! :)",Book Lovers
1k9ss1w,Books like The Boys From Blood River?,"I recently read the anthology Vampires Never Get Old and the 2nd story, The Boys From Blood River really captivated me. It's got a similar plot to the movie The Lost Boys so I suppose that's what I'm looking for. Vampire group, boys, gay undertones(or overtones, I won't complain), that sort of thing. Sorry if this is a sorta specific ask.","regrettably it’s not vampires, but you might enjoy boys with sharp teeth"
1k9spyo,"Mafia in the old country, in old times",,Murder In Matera
1k9ok01,"Books that feel like this, however u interpret it",,Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu and Rouge by Mona Awad and Maeve Fly
1k9mtzz,Powerful but powerless.,"Looking for a novel(s) where the main character lacks powers that other characters have, but is still able to hold their own due to sheer strength and determination. Typically interested in fantasy or sci-fi.",Name of the Wind (second book fits the images the most… sorry there is no third book)
1kuqxgr,What’s one book that genuinely rewired the way you think or live your life?,"‎I've always been fascinated by how our brains anchor emotions to stories — especially stories we experience through books. A few months ago, I stumbled upon a book (I won’t name it here to avoid biasing responses), and it triggered something I can't fully explain. It didn’t just change how I think — it changed what I notice, how I react, and how I show up in life.
‎
‎Since then, I've made it a habit to collect these transformation stories — not summaries, not reviews — but real-life shifts triggered by reading a book.
‎
‎It's incredible how the right book, read at the right moment, acts like a psychological lever.
‎
‎So I’m asking this out of pure curiosity (and maybe low-key research):
‎Have you ever read a book that changed your internal wiring in any way — your mindset, habits, or how you see the world?
‎
‎If yes, I’d love to hear:
‎– The book name
‎– What changed in you
‎– Was the shift immediate or gradual?
‎
‎Sometimes the best books aren’t bestsellers — they’re just the right words hitting us at the right time.",48 Laws Of Power
1b3pxbx,What was the last book you read that changed your worldview?,,Power Of Now
1lliqf5,What’s one book that genuinely rewired the way you think or live your life?,"Life purpose, passion, philosophy... would love to know your life-changing books",Adult Children Of Emotionally Immature Parents
1c18nw4,What books made you realize what kind of life do you want to live for?,"I know there’s an influx of books stating that sometimes it’s better to go against the status quo and rest more while classical books emphasize the need to strive for success. 

But are there really books that will let you know what kind of life do you wanna live from all the choices out there? 

Or is the answer one that could only be known by experience?",Die With Zero
1ks7slx,Recommend me a book that changed your life🚀,It can be your own experience or your friends',Stop Smoking
198e6hk,Feeling depressed among the realization my Christian Faith was a lie.,"I’ve been listening to philosophers, debaters,  people I respect etc, daily, for the past few years. I’m 19M. Up until the last year or so, I’ve been trying to find good reasons to believe in Christianity, because everyone around me is a Christian, friends, family, etc, so I thought it must be true. 

Once I threw out my confirmation bias, and really started from the ground up in terms of finding truth, I’ve pretty much landed on Nihilism. I don’t even think free will exists.

I’m unemployed at the moment, with little passion for anything other than working out. Which has also been seemingly diminishing. I try my best in social situations, but I usually don’t say much, which could be blamed on being homeschooled, and not getting out much as a kid. Lots of video games. 

But…. I know there are so many beautiful things in the world to experience. Deep connections in Relationships.. love, laughter. And those all might just be illusions, based only in our evolved biology, all just for the purpose of staying alive and procreating. Maybe relationships, love, etc, hold no meaning. Whatever ‘meaning’ means. But they do at least seem to hold meaning. So I want them. I want my life to turn out well. I want to have lasting peace of mind.

Ah, so now that I done complaining… I’d appreciate it if anyone could recommend a book for someone in my.. mental state I guess. Someone that’s trying to find motivation to chase those beautiful things in life. I want to stop feeling so sorry for myself. The world isn’t fair, so I need to just play the hand I’ve been dealt, and stop thinking so deeply about everything I guess. 

I want to be more optimistic. Whether that’s rational or not

Edit: The Title seems to assert that the Christian faith is a lie, which I guess is why the post is getting downvoted. I’d like to remind you that it’s merely my opinion. This is just my experience. 

Edit #2: Words cannot describe how thankful I am to everyone who has replied to my post. Seriously.

I really appreciate everyone who’s given advice… this post has sparked so much thought, and at the same time has given me the realization that I think I’ve been thinking too much. I just need to get out, and enjoy life. 

Edit #3: I've been thinking a lot about why I've been feeling nihilistic, and whether or not that's a rational thing to feel. And by nihilistic I mean that It seems that there are no reasons to act, other than biological drives. And what I've come to realize is... I  think as a previous Christian, I've always thought (Because this is what you're told as a Christian) that Meaning... is something that can only exist so long as it is tethered to, or bound up in something 'deeper'. God, religion, ect. Meaning only exists if Christianity is true. This is what I've always heard, and have thought. 

But I think that was a trap. It seems to me now, that anything that you value, can give you meaning. A Friendship, job, relationship, book, etc. Meaning can be in anything, including religion. But where I got stuck, was thinking that meaning can only exist within a religion, which is something that I think Christians 'know', but rarely question *why*.

So I am feeling much less nihilistic. I'm still not sure what the most rational position is, or where logic leads exactly. It does still seem that scientifically, the only reason we can prove, behind where our actions come from.. is just our biological drives. Atoms bumping into atoms. But of course, it seems that there's something more than just that. So I'm feeling optimistic now. I wasn't feeling so great when I made this post, but now, after reading through everyone's amazing advice, from all different perspectives, I think I'm in a much better place. And the book recommendations have been great too. I've got 6 books ordered so far from everyone's recommendations. 

So Thanks for everyone commenting. This post has really made me think about things I've not thought about before. And there's still more comments to read through.

FINAL EDIT: I want to present to you, one of the best quotes I've ever read.

""A turkey sandwich with mayo is just particles held together by an electric field, but I'll be damned if I don't enjoy the shit out of it."" - u/perplex1

That beautifuly sums up a decent amount of what I've learned through this post.",God Or
1k92ir9,What’s one book that really changed the way you see the world? --------And what’s the biggest thing you learned from it?,"Hi there, I was never really into reading books — I preferred videos. But lately, it feels like reading opens up your mind and changes the way you see the world, in a way videos just can't.  
I'm in my 20s and would really appreciate it if you could share some mind-blowing, eye-opening, perspective shifting, big the banginggggg books.

Please suggest something you've actually read yourself, not from some tiktok or insta reel. thanksssssssss",Don'T Take Things Personally
1kvz66v,What book completely changed the way you see life?,"Hey everyone,
Let’s turn this post to a store where people, interested in changing their perspectives on life, can find books that will help

Please share not just beautifully written or easy to read works, but the kind of books that leave you staring at the wall after the last page, feeling like your brain just did a backflip.
Books that rearranged your thinking. That made you question things you never even noticed before.

I will start. For me, it was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It hit hard because it helped me to renew the vision on villains. The real villain wasn’t the creature, but the creator (Victor) who abandoned him. It made me realize how neglect and lack of responsibility can create the very monsters people fear. ",A Behavioral Model For Persuasive Design”
yj4x0h,The Courage to be Disliked - detailed summary,"*The Courage to be Disliked* features a series of conversations between a youth and a philosopher. The philosopher has three central claims, based on the philosophy of Austrian psychiatrist, Alfred Adler:

* The world is simple.
* People can change.
* Everyone can be happy.

A long-form summary of the book and my thoughts on it are available [on my website](https://www.tosummarise.com/book-summary-the-courage-to-be-disliked-by-fumitake-koga-and-ichiro-kishimi/).  Below I set out my key takeaways.

The ideas in the book seem to have a good deal of overlap with Stoicism. It's an interesting read - initially, I found many claims in it a bit odd. But with time, the wisdom behind those ideas has become clearer to me. There have recently been several occasions where a friend or I have faced an interpersonal conflict which shed new light on the ideas in the book, particularly the stuff about vertical relationships and separating your tasks.

**Key Takeaways**

* Life is a series of moments, and we should live in the here and now.
   * There is no trauma. We are not determined by our experiences, but by the meaning we give them.
   * We can change our lifestyles (worldviews), and therefore our lives. But change takes courage.
* Live your own life, not someone else’s.
   * Every person has their own “tasks”. Conflicts arise when people try to intrude on others’ tasks.
   * Courage to be disliked – liking or disliking you is someone else’s task.
* The key to happiness is community feeling – a sense that you belong.
   * Everyone is part of a community. No one lives completely alone. At the same time, no one is the *centre* of the community – we are each just a part of a bigger whole.
   * To get a community feeling, we have to switch from self-interest to social interest. This requires three things: self-acceptance, confidence in others, and contribution to others.
   * Your relationships should be horizontal (equal), not vertical (hierarchical). You should see people as your comrades, rather than as superior or inferior.",A Ton Of Personal Development Type Books
h9k21k,Here’s how to change yourself with consistent small habits with James Clear’s Atomic Habits,"**Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear**

In Atomic Habits, Clear lists out the importance of habits, the fundamentals on how habits work, and how to set and stick to them. If you are at a low point in your life or want to know how to stick to your reading habit, this summary will have the answer. If you want to see a formatted pdf version of this post, I have it on my Google Drive: 

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZqnQHdite1vWENYaCcKL28MDvfIfRTWo/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZqnQHdite1vWENYaCcKL28MDvfIfRTWo/view?usp=sharing)

Note: This summary is formatted with ADVICE followed by QUOTEs and FACTs. If you want a tl;dr of this summary, just skim through the ADVICEs and only read the quotes, facts, and examples if you're skeptical. 

**Contents of the summary:** 

* The Fundamentals
* How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)
* The 1st Law: Make it Obvious
* The 2nd Law: Make it Attractive
* The 3rd Law: Make it Easy
* The 4th Law: Make it Satisfying

**▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃**

# The Fundamentals

**▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃**

**Advice** To make earth-shattering improvements, do not seek for massive changes, but change by just making small improvements on a daily basis

**Quote** “If you want to predict where you’ll end up in life, all you have to do is follow the curve of tiny gains or tiny losses, and see how your daily choices will compound ten or twenty years down the line.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

**Advice** Be patient with your habits

**Fact** The effect of small habits are delayed. You don’t immediately see good results from good small habits, and neither bad results from small bad habits. But, overtime, they compound to something much larger. 

**Quote** “Your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. ”

**Fact**: Why people stop building positive habits: They see that they’re failing to make a tangible result and decide to quit. 

**Quote** “It is not until months or years later that we realize the true value of the previous work we have done.”

**Quote** Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

**Advice** Focus not only on making good habits, but also removing bad ones

**Quote** Habits are a double-edged sword. They can work for you or against you

**Positive compounding**

&amp;#x200B;

* Productivity compounds: Accomplishing one extra task every day or automating an old task every day can lead to a lot over an entire career. 
* Knowledge compounds: Learning one new idea every day not only makes you know more, but allows you to see old ideas through new perspectives. 
* Relationships compound: Helping others more and being nicer in each interaction can result in a network of strong connections over time. 

**Negative compounding**

&amp;#x200B;

* Stress compounds: Stressing every day can lead to serious health issues
* Negative thoughts compound: The more you think of yourself or others negatively, you will spiral uncontrollably towards that direction. 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

**Advice** Focus on systems rather than setting goals. 

**Fact** Society worries about setting specific, actionable goals, but the real results lie when you focus on the system. 

**Quote** “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

**▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃**

# How Your Habits Shape Your Identity (and Vice Versa)

**▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃**

**Three layers of behaviour change**: 

**Outcomes**: Concerned with results (ex: publishing book, general goals)

**Process**: Concerned with changing your habits and systems (ex: new gym routine)

**Identity**: Changing your beliefs, worldview, self-image, and judgements. 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

**ADVICE** Focus on who you wish to become rather than what you want to achieve

**EXAMPLE** Being offered a cigarette and saying “No thanks. I’m trying to quit” vs. “No thanks. I’m not a smoker.” Small difference but one is a goal and the other is a shift in identity. 

**QUOTE** The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.

**FACT** Once your pride gets involved in your habit, you’ll fight hard to maintain them.

**QUOTE** “True behaviour change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is that it becomes part of your identity.”

* The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
* The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
* The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.

**FACT** The reason why your positive habits fail to stick is because they conflict with your current identity. 

**FACT** Feedback loops: “Your habits shape your identity, and your identity shapes your habits.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

**ADVICE** Know what result you want, work backward to find what type of person could get those results. Work to become that person by continuously accumulating small habits. 

**TWO STEP PROCESS TO CHANGING YOUR IDENTITY**

1. Decide the type of person you want to be. 
2. Prove it to yourself with small wins. 

**QUOTE** The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.

**QUOTE** “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

**QUOTE** The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.

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**The Science Of How Habits Work**

**QUOTE** The process of building a habit can be divided into four simple steps: cue, craving, response, and reward.

1. Cue: Triggers brain to initiate a behaviour
2. Craving: Motivational force behind every habit. “Every craving is linked to a desire to change your internal state.”
3. Response: The actual habit performed. If friction is low and the reward is great, the response will be carried out. 
4. Reward: End goal of every habit. “The cue is about noticing the reward. The craving is about wanting the reward. The response is about obtaining the reward. 

**FACT** We chase rewards because they satisfy us and because they teach us that these actions are worth remembering in the future. 

**FACT** “If a behaviour is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit.”

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**THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOUR CHANGE**

   

**How to Create a Good Habit**

* **The 1st law (Cue):** Make it obvious
* **The 2nd law (Craving):** Make it attractive
* **The 3rd law (Response):** Make it easy
* **The 4th law (Reward):** Make it satisfying

   

**How to Break a Bad Habit**

* **Inversion of the 1st law (Cue):** Make it invisible
* **Inversion of the 2nd law (Craving):** Make it unattractive
* **Inversion of the 3rd law (Response):** Make it difficult
* **Inversion of the 4th law (Reward):** Make it unsatisfying

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# The 1st Law: Make it Obvious

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**ADVICE** Create a habits scorecard to observe what is going on

**QUOTE** This is one of the most surprising insights about our habits: you don’t need to be aware of the cue for a habit to begin. You can notice an opportunity and take action without dedicating conscious attention to it. This is what makes habits useful.

**FACT** Many of our habits are performed subconsciously 

**QUOTE** Once our habits become automatic, we stop paying attention to what we are doing.

**QUOTE** The process of behaviour change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.

**HOW TO CREATE A HABITS SCORECARD**

1. List out all of your daily habits 
2. Looking at each habit, ask yourself if that habit is a good, bad, or neutral habit. Mark each habit on the list as such. 
3. If a habit is hard to determine with step 2, ask yourself: “Does this behaviour help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?”

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**ADVICE** Create an implementation intention: “I will BEHAVIOUR at TIME in LOCATION”

* Studying. I will study Spanish for twenty minutes at 6 p.m. in my bedroom.
* Exercise. I will exercise for one hour at 5 p.m. in my local gym.
* Marriage. I will make my partner a cup of tea at 8 a.m. in the kitchen.

**FACT** The two most important cues that can trigger a habit are time and place.

**QUOTE** People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through.

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**ADVICE** Use Habit Stacking to build new habits

**QUOTE** One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behaviour on top. This is called habit stacking.

**QUOTE** Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit.

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**ADVICE** Create a habit using the habit stacking formula: “After CURRENT HABIT, I will NEW HABIT”

&amp;#x200B;

* Meditation. After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.
* Exercise. After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.
* Gratitude. After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.
* Marriage. After I get into bed at night, I will give my partner a kiss.
* Safety. After I put on my running shoes, I will text a friend or family member where I am running and how long it will take.

**FACT** Once you have a basic structure, you can begin creating longer stacks by chaining your small habits together using the Diderot Effect. 

Case 1: 

* After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I will meditate for sixty seconds.
* After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will write my to-do list for the day.
* After I write my to-do list for the day, I will immediately begin my first task.

Case 2: 

* After I finish eating dinner, I will put my plate directly into the dishwasher.
* After I put my dishes away, I will immediately wipe down the counter.
* After I wipe down the counter, I will set out my coffee mug for tomorrow morning.

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**ADVICE** Create general habit stacks:

* Exercise. When I see a set of stairs, I will take them instead of using the elevator.
* Social skills. When I walk into a party, I will introduce myself to someone I don’t know yet.
* Finances. When I want to buy something over $100, I will wait twenty-four hours before purchasing.
* Healthy eating. When I serve myself a meal, I will always put veggies on my plate first.
* Minimalism. When I buy a new item, I will give something away. (“One in, one out.”)
* Mood. When the phone rings, I will take one deep breath and smile before answering.
* Forgetfulness. When I leave a public place, I will check the table and chairs to make sure I don’t leave anything behind.

**FACT** “Habit stacking works best when the cue is highly specific and immediately actionable.”

* BAD: When I take a break for lunch, I will do ten push-ups.
* GOOD: When I close my laptop for lunch, I will do ten push-ups next to my desk.

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**ADVICE** Design your environment such that cues of preferred habits are obvious. 

**FACT** “When the cues that spark a habit are subtle or hidden, they are easy to ignore.”

* If you want to remember to take your medication each night, put your pill bottle directly next to the faucet on the bathroom counter.
* If you want to practice guitar more frequently, place your guitar stand in the middle of the living room.
* If you want to remember to send more thank-you notes, keep a stack of stationery on your desk.
* If you want to drink more water, fill up a few water bottles each morning and place them in common locations around the house.

**FACT** “Gradually, your habits become associated not with a single trigger but with the entire context surrounding the behaviour. The context becomes the cue.”

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**ADVICE** “Create a separate space for work, study, exercise, entertainment, and cooking.”

**FACT** It is easier to build new habits in a new environment because you are not fighting against old cues.

**QUOTE** Every habit should have a home.

**QUOTE** A stable environment where everything has a place and a purpose is an environment where habits can easily form.

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**ADVICE** Cut bad habits off at the source by changing your environment or eliminating the cues.

**QUOTE** So, yes, perseverance, grit, and willpower are essential to success, but the way to improve these qualities is not by wishing you were a more disciplined person, but by creating a more disciplined environment.

**FACT** “A habit that has been encoded in the mind is ready to be used whenever the relevant situation arises.”

**FACT** People with high self-control tend to spend less time in tempting situations. It’s easier to avoid temptation than resist it.

**FACT** You can break a habit, but you’re unlikely to forget it. Once the mental grooves of habit have been carved into your brain, they are nearly impossible to remove entirely—even if they go unused for quite a while.

&amp;#x200B;

* If you can’t seem to get any work done, leave your phone in another room for a few hours.
* If you’re continually feeling like you’re not enough, stop following social media accounts that trigger jealousy and envy.
* If you’re wasting too much time watching television, move the TV out of the bedroom.
* If you’re spending too much money on electronics, quit reading reviews of the latest tech gear.
* If you’re playing too many video games, unplug the console and put it in a closet after each use.

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# The 2nd Law: Make it Attractive

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**ADVICE** “If you want to increase the odds that a behaviour will occur, then you need to make it attractive.”

**FACT** “It is the anticipation of a reward—not the fulfillment of it—that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike.”

**QUOTE** Whenever you predict that an opportunity will be rewarding, your levels of dopamine spike in anticipation. And whenever dopamine rises, so does your motivation to act.

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**ADVICE** Combine habit stacking + temptation bundling: 

**QUOTE** Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do.

**HOW**

After CURRENT HABIT, I will HABIT I NEED.

After HABIT I NEED, I will HABIT I WANT.

Case 1: If you want to read the news, but you need to express more gratitude:

&amp;#x200B;

* After I get my morning coffee, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened yesterday (need).
* After I say one thing I’m grateful for, I will read the news (want).

Case 2: If you want to watch sports, but you need to make sales calls:

&amp;#x200B;

* After I get back from my lunch break, I will call three potential clients (need).
* After I call three potential clients, I will check ESPN (want).

Case 3: If you want to check Facebook, but you need to exercise more:

&amp;#x200B;

* After I pull out my phone, I will do ten burpees (need).
* After I do ten burpees, I will check Facebook (want).

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**ADVICE** “Join a culture where (1) your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour and (2) you already have something in common with the group.”

**FACT** “Behaviours are attractive when they help us fit in.”

**FACT** “The culture we live in determines which behaviours are attractive to us.”

**FACT** “The normal behaviour of the tribe often overpowers the desired behaviour of the individual. Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves.”

**FACT** “We tend to imitate the habits of three social groups: the close (family and friends), the many (the tribe), and the powerful (those with status and prestige).”

**QUOTE** One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour.

**FACT** People imitate the habits of the close, the many, and the powerful

**FACT** “Whenever we are unsure how to act, we look to the group to guide our behaviour.”

**FACT** We try to copy the behaviour of successful people because we desire success ourselves.

**FACT** “If a behaviour can get us approval, respect, and praise, we find it attractive.”

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**ADVICE** Associate hard habits with positive experience

**HOW:** Reframe your habits to highlight their benefits rather than their drawbacks

Case: Exercise

* NOT: I need to go run in the morning. 
* DO: It’s time to build endurance and get fast.

**QUOTE** Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings and unattractive when we associate them with negative feelings. Create a motivation ritual by doing something you enjoy immediately before a difficult habit.  
 **FACT** Every habit has a deeper underlying motive other than surface desires.

**FACT** Your habits are modern-day solutions to ancient problems.

* Find love and reproduce = using Tinder
* Connect and bond with others = browsing Facebook
* Win social acceptance and approval = posting on Instagram
* Reduce uncertainty = searching on Google
* Achieve status and prestige = playing video games

**FACT** “Your current habits are not necessarily the best way to solve the problems you face; they are just the methods you learned to use.”

&amp;#x200B;

* Smoking to relieve stress vs running to reduce anxiety

**QUOTE** Once you associate a solution with the problem you need to solve, you keep coming back to it.

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# The 3rd Law: Make it Easy

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**ADVICE** Focus on taking action rather than planning and strategizing.

**QUOTE** The most effective form of learning is practice, not planning.

**QUOTE** We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action.

**FACT** Planning, strategizing, and learning makes it feel like you’re making progress real when you’re not. 

**QUOTE** You don’t want to merely be planning. You want to be practicing. 

**QUOTE** Habit formation is the process by which a behaviour becomes progressively more automatic through repetition.

**QUOTE** The amount of time you have been performing a habit is not as important as the number of times you have performed it.

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**ADVICE** Make your habits convenient 

**HOW** Increase the friction associated with bad behaviours and reduce the friction associated with good habits. When friction is high, habits are difficult, and vice versa.

**QUOTE** Human behaviour follows the Law of Least Effort. We will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.

**FACT** The less energy a habit requires, the more likely it is to occur

**QUOTE** Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible.

**QUOTE** Reduce the friction associated with good behaviours. When friction is low, habits are easy.

**ADVICE** Set up your environment so the next time you perform a good habit will be very easy and very hard to do a bad habit. 

**QUOTE** Prime your environment to make future actions easier.

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**ADVICE** Use the two minutes rule

**QUOTE** The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”

* “Read before bed each night” becomes “Read one page.”
* “Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat.”
* “Study for class” becomes “Open my notes.”
* “Fold the laundry” becomes “Fold one pair of socks.”
* “Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.”

**ADVICE** Enforce the two minute rule if you believe you are tricking yourself. Force yourself to quit after exactly two minutes if you don’t feel like working on it. 

**QUOTE** The more you ritualize the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.

**QUOTE** Standardize before you optimize. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist.

**QUOTE** Instead of trying to engineer a perfect habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis.

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**ADVICE** Consider habituating an easier habit if it leads to working on a more difficult habit

&amp;#x200B;

* Make your habit stepping into the bus rather than the gym workout. 

**QUOTE** Habits can be completed in a few seconds but continue to impact your behaviour for minutes or hours afterward.

**QUOTE** Many habits occur at decisive moments—choices that are like a fork in the road—and either send you in the direction of a productive day or an unproductive one.

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**ADVICE** Make doing bad habits difficult by using a commitment device

**QUOTE** A commitment device is a choice you make in the present that locks in better behaviour in the future.

* Buy food in individual packages rather than bulk size to prevent overeating
* Ask to be added to the ban list at casinos to prevent gambling sprees
* Buy a device that shuts internet off at 10pm to sleep early

**QUOTE** Onetime choices—like buying a better mattress or enrolling in an automatic savings plan—are single actions that automate your future habits and deliver increasing returns over time.

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**ADVICE** Find ways to automate your habits whenever possible

**QUOTE** Using technology to automate your habits is the most reliable and effective way to guarantee the right behaviour.

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# The 4th Law: Make it Satisfying

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**ADVICE** Add immediate pleasure to good habits and immediate pain to bad habits.

**FACT** “We are more likely to repeat a behaviour when the experience is satisfying.”

**FACT** ”The human brain evolved to prioritize immediate rewards over delayed rewards.”

**FACT** “The Cardinal Rule of Behaviour Change: What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.”

**QUOTE** To get a habit to stick you need to feel immediately successful—even if it’s in a small way.

**QUOTE** The first three laws of behaviour change—make it obvious, make it attractive, and make it easy—increase the odds that a behaviour will be per formed this time. The fourth law of behaviour change—make it satisfying—increases the odds that a behaviour will be repeated next time.

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**ADVICE** When selecting rewards for habits, do not select rewards that run counter to what the habit is about. 

* Do NOT reward buying a new jacket if habit is to save money
* CAN reward buying a new jacket if habit is to read more. 
* Do NOT reward eating ice-cream if habit is to lose weight

**QUOTE** Incentives can start a habit. Identity sustains a habit.

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**ADVICE** Use immediate pleasure to start a habit, but slowly it would be unnecessary and habit will become self sustaining

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**ADVICE** Track your habits

**QUOTE** One of the most satisfying feelings is the feeling of making progress.

* Moving paperclip from one jar to another for each sales call you make

**QUOTE** A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit—like marking an X on a calendar.

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**ADVICE** Tracking habits should be as automated and simple as possible

**FACT** It is difficult to start a habit, it is even more difficult to start a habit and start a habit tracking habit at the same time. 

* Credit card statement tracks how often you go out to eat
* Fitbit tells you how many steps you take and how long you sleep

**ADVICE** Only manually track your most important habits. 

**ADVICE** Immediately measure and mark your habit after finishing a session. 

**QUOTE** Don’t break the chain. Try to keep your habit streak alive.

**QUOTE** Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.

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**ADVICE** Get an accountability partner to make doing bad habits unsatisfying

**FACT** We are less likely to repeat a bad habit if it has immediate painful consequences.

**QUOTE** In general, the more local, tangible, concrete, and immediate the consequence, the more likely it is to influence individual behaviour.

**QUOTE** An accountability partner can create an immediate cost to inaction. We care deeply about what others think of us, and we do not want others to have a lesser opinion of us.

**QUOTE** A habit contract can be used to add a social cost to any behaviour. It makes the costs of violating your promises public and painful.

**QUOTE** Knowing that someone else is watching you can be a powerful motivator.

Advanced Tactics: How to Go from Being Merely Good to Being Truly Great

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**ADVICE** The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities.

**QUOTE** The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.

**QUOTE** As habits become routine, they become less interesting and less satisfying. We get bored.

**QUOTE** Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated. It’s the ability to keep going when work isn’t exciting that makes the difference.

**FACT** Really successful people feel the same lack of motivation as everyone else, however, they still find a way to practice despite the boredom. 

**QUOTE** Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.

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**ADVICE** To master a field, you need to layer improvements on top of one another. 

**QUOTE** Right when things are starting to feel automatic and you are becoming comfortable—that you must avoid slipping into the trap of complacency.

**ADVICE** Engage in reflection and review to make sure you are still improving

Every summer: 

* What are the core values that drive my life and work?
* How am I living and working with integrity right now?
* How can I set a higher standard in the future?
* Every new year: 
* What went well this year?
* What didn’t go so well this year?
* What did I learn?

**QUOTE** Reflection and review is a process that allows you to remain conscious of your performance over time.

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**ADVICE** Keep your identity small

**QUOTE** The tighter we cling to an identity, the harder it becomes to grow beyond it.

**QUOTE** The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adapting when life challenges you.",The Relative Short Timespan
xu6zub,"Can we all just agree that Rich Dad, Poor Dad is bullshit?","It is not a guideline or instructions on how to start a business but a series of admitted bullshit stories about a rich dad who didn’t exist and whom he never met. It’s by a person who encourages MLMs which should be outlawed. 

Look, he may have hated getting an education and he probably flunked out. But the number of people I know who are more successful all had degrees and great careers. Many of whom retired early or could retire early because they are doing so well. Also everyone who graduated at the top of their class is probably happier than that washed up asshole. 

You can’t be a doctor, lawyer or engineer without the right credentials. Also, compared to hustle idiots, these people work criminally fewer hours and make much more money. 

If you want to start a business and do your own thing, that is fine. But there are better resources than this nonsense. It isn’t even good motivation. You aren’t exceptional or treading new ground. 

And for the love of God, do not justify this book as a gateway into financial independence or entrepreneurship. He has sullied the concept of entrepreneurship and getting people to fake it as opposed to making it.",Any Vast Reserves Of Wealth Earned
1kdjre9,The book that finally made me stop overthinking and start doing,"I didn’t need more insight.  
I needed a call-out.

Most books gave me frameworks.  
Lists.  
Tips.  
Systems.

But none of that helped when I was stuck in my head, convincing myself I “wasn’t ready yet.”  
Planning instead of moving.  
Refining the vision while avoiding the first step.

Then I read *Do the Work* by Steven Pressfield.  
Tiny book.  
One idea: **start before you're ready**.

It hit me like a punch.  
Not because it was new, but because it was *undeniable*.  
I saw how much of my so-called “preparation” was just resistance in disguise.

Since then, I’ve gotten way less romantic about change.  
I start faster.  
I tweak on the move.  
I let it be messy.

And for the first time in years—I’ve actually built momentum.

Curious if anyone else has read something that cut through the noise like that.  
Not the “feel good” kind of book—the one that lit a fire under you and made you *move*.",Atomic Habits
obdygp,Tiny Habits is what I wanted Atomic Habits to be,"I’ve seen a couple of posts here about Atomic Habits by James Clear, but I haven’t seen any posts about Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg.
I’m a little over halfway done and I am realizing that this book is everything I wished Atomic Habits would’ve been. While AH had some great tips and was pretty practical, I feel as though TH brings the practicality up a notch by outlining a step-by-step process to create and grow habits. 
I was curious to see if anyone else has read this book and what they thought of it. I would also like to know if anyone has used his Tiny Habit method and how its worked for them.",Atomic Habits
1g8hdpj,Books that make you smart,"No books like atomic habits or something like that please, Need some genuinely-good book abt something historical or philosophical maybe. I honestly dk what im looking for but i sure as hell dont want to read fiction &amp; these “Motivation” Books lol",A More Learned Person
u654a1,How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie,"For anyone seeking to grow their social circles, move up the corporate ladder, be a better leader, or acquire new clients in a *genuine* manner; I strongly recommend reading this book in it's entirety - and not just once. It has already had a positive impact on my life, so I wanted to share this summary in the hopes that someone else can benefit from it - or even be spurred on to reading the book itself!

&amp;#x200B;

## Part One: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

## 1. “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.”

\- People don’t criticize themselves for anything, no matter how wrong it may be.

\- Reward for good behaviour, don’t criticise for bad behaviour.

\- Criticism and ridicule lead to resentment and hatred.

\- Sharp criticisms and rebukes almost invariably end in futility

\- Instead of condemning people, let’s try to understand them.

\- **Principle 1: Don’t criticise, condemn or complain.**

## 2. The Big Secret of Dealing with People

\- There is only one way to get anybody to do anything, and that is by making the other person want to do it.

\- The deepest urge in human nature is “the desire to be important.”

\- Appreciation is sincere; flattery is insincere.

\- Appreciation comes from the heart and is unselfish; flattery comes from the teeth out and is selfish.

\- Appreciation is universally admired; flattery is universally condemned.

\- **Principle 2: Give honest and sincere appreciation.**

## 3. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot walks a lonely way.

\- The only way on earth to influence people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.

\- Focus on their wants, not your own.

\- Increase your tendency to think always in terms of other people’s point of view, and see things from their angle.

\- Self-expression is the dominant necessity of human nature.

\- **Principle 3: Arouse in the other person an eager want.**

&amp;#x200B;

## Part Two: Six Ways to Make People Like You

## 1. Do this and you’ll be welcome anywhere

\- You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

\- People are not interested in you, they are interested in themselves.

\- A show of interest must be sincere. It must pay off not only for the person showing the interest, but for the person receiving the attention.

\- **Principle 1: Become genuinely interested in other people.**

## 2. A simple way to make a good first impression.

\- The expression one wears on one’s face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one’s back.

\- Your smile is a messenger of your good will.

\- To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds. Especially when that person is under pressure from his bosses, customers, teachers, parents, children, a smile can help him realize that all is not hopeless – that there is joy in the world.

\- **Principle 2: Smile**

## 3. If you don’t do this, you are headed for trouble.

\- Remember everyone’s name

\- Make an effort to call people by their full name, even if it is particularly difficult to remember or pronounce.

\- Andrew Carnegie, “The Steel King”, knew little about the manufacture of steel. He knew how to handle people, and that is what made him rich.

\- People are so proud of their names that they strive to perpetuate them at any cost.

\- If you don’t hear the person’s name distinctly, say “So sorry. I didn’t get the name clearly.” Then, if it is an unusual name, say “How is it spelled?”

\- Repeat the person’s name several times during conversation.

\- **Principle 3: Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.**

## 4. An easy way to become a good conversationalist.

\- Listen.

\- Listening is just as important in one’s home life as in the world of business.

\- Dealing with angry people: Listen intently to them and their complaints without butting in.

\- Many people fail to make a favourable impression because they don’t listen attentively. “They have been so much concerned with what they are going to say next that they do not keep their ears open.”

\- ""A person’s toothache means more to that person than a famine in China which kills a million people.""

\- **Principle 4: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.**

## 5. How to interest people.

\- Theodore Roosevelt had an astonishing range and diversity of knowledge. Whenever he expected a visitor, he sat up the night before, reading up on the subject in which he knew his guest was particularly interested in.

\- Talking in terms of the other person’s interests pays off for both parties.

\- Do your research and investigate what other people are interested in.

\- **Principle 5: Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.**

## 6. How to make people instantly like you.

\- There is one all-important law of human conduct: “Always make the other person feel important.”

\- The desire to be important is the deepest urge in human nature.

\- Little phrases like “I’m sorry to trouble you,” “would you be so kind as to \_\_?” “would you mind?” – These oil the cogs of the monotonous grind of everyday life.

\- The life of many a person could be changed if only someone would make him feel important.

\- **Principle 6: Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.**

&amp;#x200B;

## Part Three: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking.

## 1. You can’t win an argument.

\- There is only one way under the high heaven to get the best of an argument – and that is to avoid it.

\- Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right.

\- If you win an argument, you lose it. Why? You have made the other person feel inferior. You have hurt his pride. He will resent you triumph.

\- Would you rather have an academic, theatrical victory or a person’s good will? You can seldom have both.

\- **Principle 1: The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.**

## 2. A sure way of making enemies – and how to avoid it.

\- You can tell people they are wrong by a look or an intonation or a gesture just as eloquently as you can in words – and if you tell them they are wrong, do you make them want to agree with you? Never! For you have struck a direct blow at their intelligence, judgement, pride and self-respect.

\- Never begin by announcing “I am going to prove so-and-so to you.”

\- If you are going to prove anything, don’t let anybody know it. Do it so subtly, so adroitly, that no one will feel that you are doing it.

\- Use phrases such as: “I may be wrong. I frequently am. Let’s examine the facts.” if someone makes a statement that you believe – or even know – to be wrong.

\- Don’t argue with your customer or your spouse or your adversary. Don’t tell them they are wrong, don’t get them stirred up. Use a little diplomacy.

\- **Principle 2: Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, “You’re Wrong”.**

## 3. If you’re wrong, admit it.

\- When we are right, let’s try to win people to our way of thinking, and when we are wrong – and that will be surprisingly often – let’s admit our mistakes quickly and with enthusiasm.

\- This will not only produce astonishing results, but it is a lot more fun than trying to defend one-self.

\- **Principle 3: If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.**

## 4. A drop of honey.

\- “It is an old and true maxim that “a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.” So with men, if you would win a man to your cause first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what you will, is the great high road to his reason.” – Abraham Lincoln.

\- Kindliness, the friendly approach and appreciation can make people change their minds more readily than all the bluster and storming in the world.

\- **Principle 4: Begin in a friendly way.**

## 5. The secret of Socrates.

\- In talking with people, don’t begin by discussing the things on which you differ. Begin by emphasizing – and keep on emphasizing – the things on which you agree.

\- Emphasize that you are both striving for the same end and that your only difference is one of method and not of purpose.

\- Get the other person saying, “yes, yes” from the outset. Keep them from saying “no”.

\- Socrates developed the “Socratic method”, based upon getting a “yes, yes” response. He asked questions with which his opponent would have to agree. He kept on winning one admission after another until he had an armful of yeses.

\- **Principle 5: Get the other person saying “yes, yes” immediately.**

## 6. The safety valve in handling complaints.

\- Let the other person talk themselves out.

\- If you disagree with them, you may be tempted to interrupt. Don’t. Listen patiently and with an open mind. Be sincere about it.

\- Almost every successful person like to reminisce about his early struggles.

\- Only mention your achievements when you are asked.

\- **Principle 6: Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.**

## 7. How to get cooperation.

\- You have much more faith in ideas that you discover for yourself rather than ideas that are handed to you on a silver platter.

\- **Principle 7: Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.**

## 8. A formula that will work wonders for you.

\- There is a reason the other man thinks and acts as he does. Ferret out that reason – and you have the key to his actions, perhaps to his personality.

\- Try honestly to put yourself in his place.

\- By becoming interested in the cause, we are less likely to dislike the effect.

\- If you get an increased tendency to think always in terms of the other person’s point of view, and see things from that person’s angle as well as your own, it may easily prove to be one of the stepping stones of your career.

\- **Principle 8: Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.**

## 9. What everybody wants.

\- One phrase that stops arguments, eliminates ill-feeling, creates good will, and makes the other person listen attentively: “I don’t blame you one iota for feeling as you do. If I were you I would undoubtedly feel just as you do.”

\- Three-fourths of the people you meet are hungering and thirsting for sympathy. Give it to them, and they will love you.

\- **Principle 9: Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.**

## 10. An appeal that everybody likes.

\- All people you meet have a high regard for themselves and like to be fine unselfish in their own estimation.

\- Individuals who are inclined to chisel will in most cases react favourably if you consider them honest, upright and fair.

\- **Principle 10: Appeal to the nobler motives.**

## 11. The movies do it. T.V. does it. Why don’t you do it?

\- This is the day of dramatization. Merely stating a truth isn’t enough. The truth has to be made vivid, interesting, dramatic. You have to use showmanship. The movies do it. Television does it. And you will have to do it if you want attention.

\- **Principle 11: Dramatize your ideas.**

## 12. When nothing else works, try this.

\- Stimulate competition.

\-  “The way to get things done is to stimulate competition. I do not mean in a sordid, money-getting way, but in the desire to excel.” – Charles Schwab.

\- Every successful person loves the game. The chance to prove his worth, to excel, to win.

\- **Principle 12: Throw down a challenge.**

&amp;#x200B;

## Part Four: Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offence or Arousing Resentment.

## 1. If you must find fault, this is the way to begin.

\- It is always easier to listen to unpleasant things after we have heard some praise of our good points.

\- A barber lathers a man before he shaves him.

\- **Principle 1: Begin with praise and honest appreciation.**

## 2. How to criticize – and not be hated for it.

\- Many people begin their criticism with sincere praise followed by the word “but” and ending with a critical statement. This makes the person question the sincerity of the original phrase. This can easily overcome by changing the word “but” to “and”.

\- Call attention to one’s mistakes indirectly – works wonders with sensitive people.

\- **Principle 2: Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.**

## 3. Talk about your own mistakes first.

\- Don’t expect great things of inexperienced people. Think about the mistakes you made when you were in their shoes, and share those with them.

\- A few sentences humbling oneself and praising the other party can turn a haughty, insulted person into a staunch friend.

\- Admitting to one’s own mistakes – even when one hasn’t corrected them – can help convince somebody to change his behaviour.

\- **Principle 3: Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.**

## 4. No one likes to take orders.

\- Rather than saying “Do this or do that” or “Don’t do this or don’t do that”, try saying “You might consider this,” or “Do you think that would work?”

\- Always give people the opportunity to do things themselves. This can save a person’s pride and give him or her a feeling of importance.

\- Resentment caused by a brash order may last a long time.

\- Asking questions not only makes an order more palpable; it often stimulates the creativity of the persons whom you ask.

\- **Principle 4: Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.**

## 5. Let the other person save face.

\- Few of us ever stop to think of this. We ride roughshod over the feelings of others, getting our own way, finding fault, issuing threats, criticizing a child or an employee in front of others, without even considering the hurt to the other person’s pride. Whereas a few minutes thought, a considerate word or two, a genuine understanding of the other person’s attitude, would go so far toward alleviating the sting!

\- “I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him, but what he thinks of himself. Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

\- **Principle 5: Let the other person save face.**

## 6. How to spur people on to success.

\- Use praise instead of condemnation.

\- Praise even the slightest of improvements. That inspires the other person to keep on moving.

\- “The principles taught in this book will work only when they come from the heart. I am not advocating a bag of tricks. I am talking about a new way of life.”

\- **Principle 6: Praise the slightest improvement and every improvement. Be “hearty in your appreciation and lavish in your praise.”**

## 7. Give a dog a name.

\- “If you want to improve a person in a certain respect, act as though that particular trait were already one of his or her outstanding characteristics.”

\- Give the other person a reputation to live up to.

\- There is an old saying: “Give a dog a bad name and you may as well hang him.” But give a dog a good name – and see what happens!

\- **Principle 7: Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.**

## 8. Make the fault seem easy to correct.

\- Tell a person that he or she is stupid or dumb at a certain thing and is doing it all wrong, and you have destroyed almost every incentive to try to improve. But use the opposite technique, and he will practice until dawn comes in the window in order to excel.

\- **Principle 8: Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.**

## 9. Make people glad to do what you want.

\- The technique of giving titles and authority has worked for many and will work for you.

\- It is naïve to believe that you will always get a favourable reaction from other persons.

\- **Principle 9: Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.**

&amp;#x200B;

I write these book summaries for my own learning and development, although I would gain great joy if other people find them useful too. For anyone interested in reading a slightly more ""full"" summary of this book with additional quotes and key points, you can find it [here](https://enjinerd.com/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people/).",How To Make Enemies And Alienate People
hs8c3h,Physically reading a book while the audiobook plays at the same time has been a big help to reading speed and consistency.,"This is definitely not a new idea by any means, I've seen it mentioned several times but I felt it is worth sharing.

I've always felt my ""inner reading voice"" helped me a lot academically for comprehension, slowing down and grasping text better and things like that but as I've grown older I've found it sometimes lengthens the time needed to read a book needlessly. I've learned from googling that removing your inner voice while reading is one of the things that can greatly increase reading speed. 

I've got an Audible subscription since the start of the year and have found myself bumping the reading speed up but I have noticed comprehension and memory of key parts is poorer, I always feel the need to see the words. I've therefore started to use audiobooks for topics like history and fiction, books that I don't need to highlight parts and transfer them to my journal.

Anyway for whatever reason I came across a post mentioning reading the physical book while listening to the audiobook at x2.0 speed and being able to fly through a book in great time. I tried it out with a book I was re reading for thw purpose of transferring key points into my journal and low and behold it worked a treat. I have since started doing it with new books and it is working great too.

Above all else I am now finding my inner voice to be much quieter while solely reading phsycial books which has increased my reading speed too. I sometimes find my own reading voice to distract me while I read so hopefully this can somehow help that too. So far so good. 

Although I like audible, I do know a lot of audiobooks are free, whether legally or not so I'm not saying buy the book and the audiobook but I'd definitely recommend to give it a try.",Experience For Me Though
18ww59o,Book Summary: Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal,"I’ve followed Ali Abdaal on YouTube for some time. He seems like a nice guy and I find his laidback style appealing. So I pre-ordered his first book, *Feel-Good Productivity,* and rushed to read it when it came out last week.

I've summarised the key takeaways below, but you can find a more [**detailed summary and my full review of it here**](https://www.tosummarise.com/book-summary-feel-good-productivity-by-ali-abdaal/).

**KEY TAKEAWAYS**

* Feeling good makes us more productive.
   * There’s a limit to discipline and working harder.
   * Negative emotions may motivate us in the short-term, but take a toll in the long run.
   * By contrast, positive emotions boost our creativity and build up our emotional and mental resources in the long-term.
* Incorporate **Energisers** into your life:
   * Play. Finding ways to make things fun and less stressful will make you more productive.
   * Power. When you feel empowered and confident, your performance increases.
   * People. People can fill us with energy and motivate us to perform better.
* Overcome procrastination by **Unblocking** the root cause:
   * Clarity. We often procrastinate when we feel uncertain about at ask. Overcome this by clarifying: *why* you are doing a project, *what* your tasks are, and *when* you will do them.
   * Courage. Fear can also block us, triggering our brains’ ‘flight’ response. Overcome fear by labelling them, gaining perspective, and lowering the stakes.
   * Get started. It’s often much harder to get started than to keep going. Overcome inertia by reducing friction, taking just a small step, and tracking your progress.
* Burnout can occur due to overexertion (too much work), depletion (not enough breaks), or misalignment (doing the wrong things). Make your efforts Sustainable by:
   * Conserving. Don’t overcommit. It may be tempting to say yes to things in the future, but weigh up the opportunity costs.
   * Recharging. Take quality breaks. Do creative activities that make you feel CALM (Competent, Autonomous, Liberty and Mellow). Go for a walk, maybe incorporate nature. It’s also fine to recharge mindlessly sometimes, doing whatever you want guilt-free.
   * Aligning. When our behaviour is driven by external forces, instead of our values, we can burn out. Reflect on what matters most to you and experiment with ways to incorporate them into your daily life.

Overall, I found *Feel-Good Productivity* to just be “okay”. It’s a short and easy read, clocking in at just 304 pages (including occasional diagrams and illustrations). If you’re new to the whole productivity scene, it could be a good place to start.

But the book is not terribly original and I found the ""analysis"" be on the shallow side. If you’ve already read a few books in this genre, I think you can safely skip *Feel-Good Productivity* without missing too much.",In The Past
1kjwsd1,Badly screwed in life? Here are the three books to start with.,"1. Atomic Habits by James Clear - Motivates you to keep going because change will not be visible in a day. Habit creation will take time, will cause you inconvenience, but it'll change everything - for good.
Well, as I keep saying, one day at a time and one more time. :)

2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - a top class and daring assumptive explanation. Without going into too much, it takes the greatests as examples, and tells you how there's so much more that needs to work for you other than hardwork and determination. So again keep going! 

3. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson - I feel he has cracked it - the life. It's just a guide as to what you really need to do to move ahead. You'll read it and you'll realise that you may already know, but nobody ever really reminded you of all that. 

Good luck! And no particular order to be followed for the above. And no pressure at all! Only start when you feel like, but just give it a try. ",3. The War Of Art
1m7eih1,What's one book would you recommend for a man?,"If you had a choice of reading just one book in your whole life, what would it be?",The Superior Man
1ddh59e,Summary and review- Models: Attract Women Through Honesty by Mark Manson,"
Although a broad range of topics are covered in Models, I believe the book is defined by the following key concepts:

- Non-Neediness

- Vulnerability

- Polarization

- Re-framing rejection

Non-Neediness: The opening chapters of the book cover the concept of neediness, and why it’s so deeply unattractive to women (and people in general). According to Manson, neediness is “…when a man places a higher priority on other’s perceptions of him than his perception of himself.” Manson’s theory is that a man’s attractiveness is inversely proportional to how needy he is. The less needy he is, the more attractive he will be to women on average.

Now, this may seem like common sense, but Manson does an effective job of providing “case studies” of how men demonstrate neediness through various behaviors. For example, he gives the story of how a sociable, popular guy in college settles down, gets worn down by nine-to-five life after college, and puts all of his identity into his relationship—rather than himself—and his girlfriend slowly loses attraction to him. Regardless if these are ‘real people’ or made-up examples, they help bring the concepts of neediness and non-neediness to life.

Vulnerability: According to Models, the ability to become comfortable with your emotions, faults, and being able express yourself without inhibitions—i.e. vulnerability—is crucial to building attraction and deep connections. This is different than unloading all of your issues on someone; Manson does a good job of distinguishing between the two again through several examples, and gives an honest assessment about learning to become emotionally vulnerable. It’s difficult, uncomfortable, and doesn’t happen overnight, but being real and authentic, rather than trying to be perfect and hide the rough edges of our personality.

Polarization: “Everything that is attractive is polarizing.” This is a bold statement which seems counterintuitive for a lot of guys. Traditionally, we’re taught that we’re supposed to do everything to make a woman like us, as a opposed possibly act in a way that could potentially make us disliked.

Manson clarifies that this isn’t supposed to be an act—if you’re controversial for the sake of a certain reaction, you’re being needy. It has to be rooted in honesty: “A man who is uninhibited about expressing his emotions and what he wants will demonstrate non-neediness, thereby attracting a woman immediately forcing her to decide whether she’s receptive or unreceptive.” Manson concedes that being polarizing will sometimes invite rejection—even harsh rejection—but the more polarizing a man is, the more dating opportunities with women he’ll have.

Rejection: The biggest mental hurdle for many men is the ability to handle rejection. Models argues that rejection is often times a good thing, rather than something that is shameful and should be avoided at all costs. Manson states that most men fear rejection because they’re operating on other people’s truths, and not their own.

Most men with weak grasps of their own truth fantasize about never being rejected, ever. This of the section of the book aims to re-frame rejection as something that is shift away from someone that isn’t good for you to being with, arguing that someone should either be a ‘fuck yes’ or ‘fuck no’ about you.

Ultimately, it’s better to get a ‘no’ rather than a ‘meh, maybe.’ A great point of view that Manson promotes is that most of the time, the rejection isn’t about you. Yes, sometimes men deserve to be rejected, but there often a million extraneous circumstances outside of your control. Although this view of rejection provided by Models might be a little idealistic or avoidant, it’s a better alternative than making every single rejection a personal failure.

The Good:

Perhaps the best thing about Models is that it simply puts you in a great state of mind and motivates you to take action. You feel more hopeful, grounded, and actually feel like a more attractive man after reading it. If I were to recommend a book to start rehabilitating an Incel, or a guy who is divorced and angry with women, I would start with Models. It can provide a profound mindset shift if the reader is open to it. One of the harsh, yet fundamental truths that men need to hear is: “You are not a victim.”

Although Models was published back in 2011, it doesn’t feel dated in terms of the keys concepts. That’s quite an accomplishment— considering that the dating landscape has changed so much over the decade-plus since it was released.

I felt that the examples the Manson provided in his book— both his own personal stories and the “case studies”—really rounded out the concepts and brought them to life. After re-reading my own book, it’s something I wish I had done more; I might incorporate more personal stories in a revised version down the road. Stories and examples bring ideas to life, rather than straight-forward “do this, not that” advice.

Although the concepts of non-neediness and vulnerability are perhaps what Models is best known for, it contains some really valuable advice about outward physical appearance and presentation. In my opinion, the book has some underrated advice on body language and voice tonality that shouldn’t be skipped.

Although the focus of this book is geared more towards Inner Game and mindset, the logistical dating advice is solid. The best overall concept related to actual dating logistics was Demographics in chapter 7. At a very high level, this is essentially the idea of putting yourself in social circles where you are more likely to meet the type of women you want to date. On the surface it sounds like a basic concept, but the chapter details this crucial component of dating logistics that is never really thought of. After you read it, male Demographics a key consideration of you dating strategy moving forward.

Critiques:

My biggest critique of Models is that it doesn’t delve into how to achieve certain mindsets needed for success. Being non-needy requires a lot of work, self-reflection, and development. So does vulnerability. Although Manson provides examples and stories of needy behavior—what not to do—I wish he would have spent more time on the specific steps or actions needed to achieve those mindsets. To his credit, he’s very upfront and realistic about how it can be a difficult path to be emotionally vulnerable and non-needy.

My other primary critique is that Models can be a little too idealistic for today’s dating world, especially considering what men have to deal with. In one part of the book, it surmises that “She’s rooting for you.” Meaning, that a woman who you just started dating believes in you, and somehow knows that you can be the most attractive version of yourself. Call it cynical, but in today’s world I just don’t think that’s the case. 

Models was written in 2011, before online dating really became mainstream. The dating world is far more competitive than it was back then, and society in general is more hostile towards men. That being said, I think it’s better to be positive and idealistic rather than paranoid and generalizing of women than a lot of the Red Pill content that is popular nowadays.

My final minor critique is that the sex advice in Models—particularly on dirty talk— is cringe and terrible. Just take it for what it is and move on.

Rating:

9/10. An undeniable classic—still the GOAT of men’s dating advice books—and this is coming from someone who wrote my own book on the topic (although The Foundation is close).

Models isn’t perfect, but it should be one of the first books you pick up if you want to set yourself on an upward trajectory to improving your dating life. What’s so impressive is that it was written back in 2011, it still feels fresh and impactful in 2024, although it understandably is missing important logistical advice on topics such as Online Dating.

I would recommend Models to ANY man who is feeling hopeless, bitter, or is just starting from ground zero in his dating life. Simply reading a book won’t change your life, but it’s a damn good start.

Full review: https://modating.substack.com/p/book-review-models-attract-women
",The Advice Just As Well
ltrasz,"""Atomic Habits"" - my insights from the book","I recently learnt a lot about how to control my habits from an amazing book called [Atomic Habits](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habits). It’s an incredible book that’s had a massive positive impact on my life. I’m sharing the main insights i got from the book below as i hope they can help you too!

I’ve also put the insights into a [deck](https://saveall.ai/shared/deck/17&amp;4&amp;x-HV4S5EmsE&amp;reddit_posts) on save all to help you remember them over the long-term. I would **massively recommend using a spaced repetition app like anki or** [**save all**](https://saveall.ai/landing/reddit_posts) **for the things you learn** otherwise you’ll just forget so much of what is important. Here’s the insights i used to start mastering my habits:

&amp;#x200B;

* **Each time** you **successfully do a habit** you **will find it less effortful to do next time**
* So the **most important thing** is to **make it as easy as possible to START a new habit.** Then you will start benefiting from the **powerful compounding effect**: you do the habit, it becomes easier to do, you do the habit some more, it becomes even easier to do etc…

&amp;#x200B;

**Making it easy to START habits:**

* Best way is to **make sure it only takes 2 minutes to begin with**. You can increase the time later, e.g. start off by reading 2 minutes a day, then when the habit is solidified increase it to 5 minutes etc...
* **Habit Stacking** \- this is when you attach a new habit to some pre-existing habits you already do. e.g. if you want to create the new habit of reading 2 minutes a day, and you already have the habit of eating breakfast every morning, then schedule your new reading habit to happen just after you finish breakfast. I’ve found stacking habits like this helps me massively
* If you can, **try and join a group of people** who are **already doing the habit.** e.g. if you want to exercise more then join a football club. We are tribal people and so linking in some way to others who do something makes us much more likely to do it ourselves

&amp;#x200B;

**Best ways to STICK to habits** once you’ve started them:

* **Reward yourself after completing the habit**. This gives you a dopamine hit which means you will be more likely to do the habit again next time, this works even though you know what is happening!
* Use **commitment devices** if you can e.g. if you want to stop going on some websites then install a chrome plugin that literally blocks you going on them. Setting public goals that you tell lots of people about can also act as a good commitment device
* If you can, have an **accountability partner**
* If you can, **pick habits that align with your natural abilities** as they will be easier to maintain
* **Ritualise the start of a habit** to minimise the thinking required to start the habit and so therefore make it less effortful
* **Reduce friction for good habits**, e.g. leave your gym shorts out overnight if you want to go to the gym in the morning. e.g. put an app you want to use on the first screen of your phone not on later screens.

&amp;#x200B;

**Best ways to STOP doing bad habits**

* **Reduce exposure** to the **CUE** of the bad habit, e.g. if you want to stop smoking and you’ve noticed you always smoke when drinking a coffee in your garden then stop drinking coffee in your garden (that’s the cue). Note that Time and Location are the 2 most common cues.
* It is **MUCH easier to avoid temptation than to resist it** so if you can just **avoid situations where you know you will be tempted**
* **Increase friction for bad habits** e.g. if you want to stop eating all the chocolate then make sure the chocolate is kept in a hard to reach place rather than somewhere that is easy to get to
* **Punish yourself after doing a habit you want to stop** e.g. everytime you smoke decide to throw away $5 afterwards so that the smoking was made more painful to you

&amp;#x200B;

Let me know if you found this helpful and if you think there are any important insights about habits i missed?",
l8rnb7,Meditations by Marcus Aurelius introduced me to Stoicism and it’s helping me take control of my life,"Over the course of my life, I’ve begun to realize that so many of us spend so much time concerning ourselves with things that are not within out control. Personally, this has affected my peace of mind and productivity as a whole.

That’s when I came across Stoic philosophy, which has given me a roadmap to mental clarity and better living.

Stoicism presents a concept called “The Dichotomy of Control” which is a lot like The Locus of Control, and talks about a concentrated focus on factors that are completely within one’s control and doing the best that you can with that. I discuss this in depth here - [https://youtu.be/pMa3RMpbGH8](https://youtu.be/pMa3RMpbGH8)

With regard to my productivity, there are so many variables that shape my day; impromptu meetings, family emergencies, shifting priorities, etc.

But what I’ve done is understand that a lot these variables are exceedingly common and I will only benefit from not wasting too much time thinking about them and instead channel my energy towards being efficient and effective with my time.

It might help to explore stoic philosophy if you’re looking to live a happier, more productive life.",Called The Tao Of Pooh
1jq4pf6,“Atomic Habits” made me productive. “The War of Art” made me dangerous,"I used to think discipline was just about habit stacking and morning routines.  
Turns out, that was the warm-up.

“Atomic Habits” got me consistent.  
But “The War of Art” made me confront the real reason I was stuck.

It wasn’t a lack of systems.  
It was Resistance.

The inner voice that says “later.”  
That floods your brain with dopamine just before you’re about to write, create, or train.  
That convinces you comfort is self-care, and momentum is burnout.

Pressfield named it.  
And once you name the enemy, you can hunt it.

I’ve read dozens of self-help books. Most give you tools.  
But “The War of Art” gives you a mirror.  
It calls out your ego. Your addictions. Your excuses.  
It doesn’t coddle the artist, the writer, the entrepreneur.  
It demands that you go pro.

Since reading it, I’ve built what I used to talk about.  
Written what I used to procrastinate.  
And said no to what used to seduce me.

It’s not a long book.  
But if you read it honestly, it cuts deep.

If “Atomic Habits” was the blueprint…  
“The War of Art” was the sword.

Curious if anyone else here has read it.  
How did it land for you?

**Edit:** if “The War of Art” slapped you awake, [**Why Motivation Fails and How to Take Action Anyway**](https://nofluffwisdom.com/p/why-motivation-fails-and-how-to-take-action-anyway) from NoFluffWisdom hits the same nerve—no hype, just a dead-on breakdown of how resistance really works",Atomic Habits
1bo0cim,Book you couldn't put down?,"Even better if it's something you thought you wouldn't like. Mine would be Atomic habits, I thought it'd be all hype but it changed my life. ",Atomic Habits
1fo9m1o,What's a novel that moved you and became a wake up call for you to start living your life?,"If there's one book that inspired you to start living the life you want, what would that be? ",Can’T Hurt Me
prrud0,7 Books That Changed My Life...,"I want to share the 7 books that have changed my life the most with a brief explanation why...

# 1 - The UnTethered Soul - Michael A Singer

I recently posted about this book, but to summarise again, this book helps you find inner peace by raising your consciousness and understanding how to objectively be aware of your thoughts and feelings, instead of being at the mercy of them.

# 2 - Never Split The Difference - Chris Voss

This book at first look seems like a Negotiation book, but it gives you so many practical approaches to improving your communication with people when it matters the most. By using some of the suggested approaches in this book, I have saved many thousands of dollars in my business as well as resolved otherwise tense situations easier.

# 3 - Atomic Habits - James Clear

I first read 'The Power of Habits' by Charles Duhigg which was great, but Atomic Habits (AH) seemed to be an easier and more applicable read. AH taught me how to understand what causes habits, and how to modify the 4 laws of habits to either stop bad habits or start good habits. Mastering your own habits is hard work, but this book gives you an advantage over them.

# 4 - Deep Work - Cal Newport

Intuitively I knew that my own command of productivity would make or break the goals I have in life and Deep Work gave me the insight and steps to harness my focus, concentration and output. As a result of doing Deep Work, I developed a new startup, reinforcing the big promise of the Deep Work which states ""You will do your best, &amp; highest value work when you do Deep Work.""

# 5 - Thinking Fast &amp; Slow - Daniel Kahnmann

Our ability to make decisions will determine the destiny of our lives, and this book, Thinking Fast &amp; Slow is a well-researched and powerfully insightful book on trying to understand and navigate our own cognitive bias that can cause us to make incorrect decisions and judgements.

# 6 - The One Thing - Gary Keller

The One Thing layers nicely with Deep Work by Cal Newport, as it helps you to understand how to work smarter by working on the highest priorities first, and why this helps with productivity. By embodying this philosophy, it improves your ability to see the critical path in both small and large projects.

# 7 - Made To Stick - Dan &amp; Chip Heath

For the last decade my business has been about educating people, so my intention is that what I teach sticks in their minds for longer than the initial motivation and excitement. This book, helped give me a framework that enabled me to deliver transformational and inspirational knowledge in a way that I knew would be easily remembered and therefore increase the chances of it have a positive impact on my students lives. By embracing these concepts, I've had the pleasure of teaching 10,000's of people and even gone on to train other trainers &amp; experts in how to deliver memorable &amp; entertaining knowledge.

&amp;#x200B;

# 5 Other Honourable Mentions:

1. **Purple Cow - Seth Godin** \- Taught me that Packaging is just as important as the Product
2. **Indistractable - Nir Eyal** \- Compliments Deep Work really well, as well as Atomic Habits for being more focused.
3. **Pitch Anything - Oren Klaff** \- A must read for anyone in Sales or Pitching ideas to people.
4. **Authentic Happiness - Martin Seligman** \- Understanding Positive Pyschology and how to become more Optimistic in life.
5. **The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work - John Gottman** \- Don't try to have a successful marriage/relationship without knowing the science of what makes it work successfully.

I might have left some off the list, but these are at the forefront of my mind right now.

Let me know what you think of the list and tell me about your own list of Life-changing books.",Atomic Habits
6bt4mx,The most impactful books you've read,"The question is pretty straight. What are the most impactful books you've ever read? It could be one, a top 3 pick, whatever you want from whatever field you want. It would be great if you can share in what way the book/s changed your behaviour. 

Just to get it started my top pick would be The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, those pages are filled with ass moving insights. Now is your turn :) 

Long live this subreddit

Edit: I greatly appreciate the high participation we are having. Keep those recommendations coming! Don't underestimate the power of your comments.

",7 Habits Of Highly Successful People
vz7vfb,Chris Voss - Never Split The Difference Fully Summarized," Have you ever felt like you came out on the losing side of a discussion, whether it was at home or in the workplace? Have you ever felt that you didn’t know how to get what you wanted out of a negotiation? 

If so, you’re in the right place! This summary highlights how negotiation comes up in your everyday life. It walks you through several techniques that’ll arm you with the confidence and skills to make the most out of your negotiations – and keep your losses to a minimum.

It won’t teach you problem-solving; conflict is, to some extent, inevitable. But it will give you the tools to get the results you want – drawing on the expertise of Chris Voss, a former lead FBI negotiation expert.

 

***Before we dive in: If you're into topics about mischievous, power, crime, and money*** [***I turn books into video essays***](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Q3Vxq-sqyRpzn1nqTJIKA) ***on these topics, and I'll be releasing more summaries on this subreddit if everyone wants them.*** 

# Negotiation is a part of life – and there’s more to it than rationality and intellect.

Let’s start by laying some common ground. Negotiation is not just something reserved for lawyers, corporate boardrooms, and the FBI – it’s a part of everyday life. It happens at work and with friends, your partner, and even your kids who beg to stay up past their bedtime or have one last try at a videogame level. Every time there are two or more people who want different outcomes from the same situation, negotiation comes into play. 

So, what makes for a successful negotiator? Well, accepting that your life is filled with and fueled by negotiation is the first step. There are lots of ways to negotiate, but the most effective techniques incorporate human nature. Connecting with others in a psychologically conscious way will help you understand your own mind as well as your peers’ motives – which will give you a significant advantage. Let’s see how.

For years, negotiation theory was based on the assumption that people acted rationally. But more recent studies, like the one by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, revealed that the majority of people actually act irrationally and unpredictably. That’s because their behavior is governed by a series of psychological mechanisms called *cognitive biases*. There are over 150 of them – but the main point is this: people act instinctively, emotionally, and irrationally. 

Even rational thoughts are often influenced by irrational ones. And since rational thoughts take longer to formulate, people tend to default to irrationality. Just think about how you came up with that perfect comeback or answer to a discussion – minutes or hours after it ended!

There’s one key technique to negotiating effectively, and that’s listening. In order to gain knowledge of how a person thinks and feels, you have to listen actively, strategically, and empathetically. 

Let’s look at some techniques to put this active listening into practice.

 

# Apply active listening techniques to your everyday interactions to build trust.

“Cheeseburger, no onions, sure. And for you?” Have you ever experienced this situation – where a waiter repeats your order after you say it? This is called mirroring, and it’s a technique you can use to develop trust with someone. 

Trust is a key element in negotiation. It’ll give you information about how the other person thinks and feels. And by understanding their wants and needs, you’ll be able to predict how they’ll act. This is where active listening comes in.

By actively listening to your counterpart, you’ll achieve two things: First, you’ll stop listening to your own irrational biases. And second, you’ll make the person in front of you feel safe. You’ll start talking about their wants, which will help you discover their needs.

That’s why mirroring is such a simple but enormously effective technique. When you copy another person’s behavior or words, you comfort them. They get the feeling that you’re similar to them, which generates trust and gets them to talk more. So just as a waiter repeating your order at a restaurant conveys that they “got it,” when you repeat another person’s words, they feel you “get them.”

Furthermore, mirroring transmits the feeling that you want to better understand what the other person is saying. This will make them reword their statement – and hopefully disclose more information. 

Another useful technique is the deliberate use of your voice. The voice is one of the key instruments used in negotiations – sometimes the only one – and your tone can heavily influence the outcome. 

There are two main voice tones to focus on here. The first is positive and playful; this should be your default voice. Try to speak while smiling, and you’ll notice that your voice has an easygoing tone – that’s what you’re aiming for. When you project a positive attitude, people are more likely to collaborate with you and find a solution to the problem. The second voice is the late-night FM DJ voice, which should be used selectively. It includes a downward inflection and has a calm, slow pace. If used correctly, it should create a feeling of authority without triggering defensiveness. And it should communicate that you’re in control of the situation – but generate a safe space for both parties.

Decide which techniques to use and draft a negotiation roadmap according to the personality of your counterpart. Then hone your rapport and keep the conversation flowing to build trust.

 

# Emotion and empathy are tools you can use to create trust.

Listening can shed light on someone’s emotions – the main instruments for a successful negotiation. A psychotherapist dives deep into their patient’s emotions to understand their problems and get them to change their behavior. In the same way, the more you can understand your counterpart’s emotions, the more you can influence their actions to your advantage.

Picture this situation. You’ve waited for this day for months – your boss has finally made some time to meet and discuss your salary. You tell them about all the projects you’ve completed, all the extra time you’ve worked, how well you’ve performed, and how you deserve a 10 percent increase. But all you get is a pat on the back while they say, “You’re doing OK, just hold tight. There’s no budget for a raise right now.” You’re devastated, angry, and sad. You’ve put in so much work, but it seems they don’t value or even try to empathize with you! 

A scene like this would probably make you less empathetic in turn, which would close you off to the possibility of resolution.

Empathy – more precisely, *tactical empathy* – is key to keeping a negotiation open and forward-moving. Empathy entails trying to understand what another person is feeling; it’s putting yourself in their shoes. Tactical empathy is all this and more. It involves trying to hear what’s behind those feelings so you can increase your influence on them. It’s emotional intelligence combined with strategic thinking.

The technique associated with tactical empathy is called *labeling*. It consists of recognizing and verbalizing your counterpart’s emotions. In this way, you validate and acknowledge them; you act as if you feel the emotions yourself, which again leads to trust.

It may sound easy, but detecting emotions is something that needs to be learned. The first step is to become aware of body language and voice inflections. When talking about a certain subject, the tiniest clench of the lips or movement of the hands can say a lot about a person’s feelings toward it.

To formulate labels, take yourself out of the equation. Start your sentences with “It sounds like” or “It looks like.” By taking out the “I,” you demonstrate a selfless, more empathetic interest. And after uttering a label, be quiet so that your counterpart has space to expand on it. A label is not a question; it’s a statement, which makes the spectrum of answers quite wide.

Labeling works because it addresses underlying emotions rather than superficial ones – and it does so in a way that can diffuse any negative feelings.

Let’s go back to the salary discussion example. Instead of insisting on your achievements and long hours, maybe you answer something like, “It sounds like you’re under pressure from upper management.” In turn, they recount some internal management issues and their feelings toward them. You’ve gained their trust, which is why they now say, “I know you’ve been working hard, and I truly appreciate it. Let me see how I can move some numbers and get you an incentive.” Through this approach, you show your boss that you understand their position – which makes them more open to understanding yours.

Ultimately, empathy is a human instinct. It’ll allow you to create more meaningful connections and have healthy relationships while serving as a tool to help you get what you want. After all, everybody wants to be understood!

  

# Just say no!

So far, it’s been all positive thoughts and feelings. You should have a pretty solid tool kit of techniques to generate trust in your counterpart, which will help you gather information about their wants and needs – and direct the negotiation to where you want it to go.

Now let’s get into the negative side. We’ll start by talking about a tiny word we all fear: no. This negative word can be the end of so many ideas. A buzzkill. A fun-stopper. But, for a negotiator, it can be a fundamental weapon – when used right.

Essentially, saying “no” allows you to clarify what you want and don’t want. It gives you control, kicks off the negotiation, and hands you the lead. When you say “no,” you temporarily protect yourself by providing space to consider options in a relaxed way. “No” buys you time, and time gives you opportunities to persuade your counterpart into accepting your position. But your counterpart also has the right to say “no” – and that’s a good thing. By letting them conserve their autonomy, you give them the illusion of control. 

So, for instance, if your boss denies you your salary raise, you could force a “no” by asking him, “Are you dissatisfied with my work?” or “Have I been underperforming?” By doing this, you give him the decision-making power – but nudge him into a corner where there isn’t much else he can say.

The next time you find yourself in a negotiation situation, keep this in mind: getting a “no” can be advantageous, so push for it. Find a way – a question – that will generate a “no,” and when you get it, embrace it. 

The word “no” can be hard to implement because it’s sometimes interpreted as being mean. “No” creates friction and conflict, yes, but it also allows people to feel safe and in control. Of course, there are many different, more subtle ways to express a negative answer – like asking “how?”

Through disagreement, people’s real desires are expressed; false politeness crumbles to reveal what everyone really wants. By expressing and seeking negativity, you can uncover your counterpart’s thoughts and feelings and get closer to your ultimate goal: a real, committed “yes.”

 

# Don’t compromise, don’t give in, and never, ever split the difference.

Maybe you’ve been taught that the best outcome for a conflict is one where both parties meet halfway*,* or *split the difference*. But this can lead to dissatisfaction for everyone involved. Meeting halfway also exposes you to the possibility of being pushed into a corner. That’s why we’re going to explore ways to avoid compromise, and instead create leverage in your favor. 

First up: time. Time is an immensely powerful tool that can cause tranquility or anxiety. In negotiations, you can use time to create pressure. By establishing deadlines, you can force your counterpart to make rushed decisions because they’re afraid of losing something in the future. At the same time, most deadlines are flexible. Knowing this, you can confidently use time to your advantage. 

Let’s come back to the salary raise discussion. When your boss asks you to give them some time, set a date. Tell yourself that if your raise request isn’t met by then, you’ll start looking for a new job where you feel more appreciated.

The second tool is fairness. We often think we make decisions based on rational thinking. Experience shows that logic is present in describing *how* we reach these decisions, but the actual moment of decision-making is dictated by emotion. Fairness is linked to logic and respect. If, say, the answer to your salary raise request is a counteroffer, you’ll likely feel that you’re being played and deserve better.

The word “fair” can have a huge influence on your negotiation counterpart. For example, you could tell your boss you “just want what’s fair.” It’s a defensive accusation that can induce feelings of discomfort toward their own actions – a strong statement that comes in handy. Another gentler way of using the word “fair” is to drop it early in the negotiation. When you say you “want to be fair,” you let the other person know you’re taking them into account from the beginning – which boosts our old friend, trust.

People will always act emotionally and irrationally. If you can learn to work with their emotions and perception of reality, you’ll be one step closer to getting what you want.

 

# Find the black swan, and use it to your favor.

Black swans were once thought to be mythical creatures – until they were discovered by Europeans in an expedition during the seventeenth century. As a metaphor, a black swan represents the discovery of something unforeseen, surprising, presumed to be impossible. In a negotiation context, a black swan represents the appearance of an unpredictable piece of information. Being able to identify and use black swans to your favor is a critical skill that’ll allow you to generate breakthroughs in your negotiations. Let’s discover how.

In most negotiations, there’s some information about your counterpart that you know for sure – like their name or offer. Then there are things that you know exist or are probable – like the possibility of your counterpart leaving the negotiation altogether. Finally, there are things you don’t know you don’t know – unimaginable information that would completely twist the outcome. These are the black swans, or *unknown unknowns*. It’s impossible to totally conjure the unimaginable, so the best you can do is to stay flexible and never overvalue your experience or your knowledge. 

There are also a couple techniques you can use to make black swans visible. For starters, ask lots of questions, and be attentive to the nonverbal cues they may trigger. Be open to receiving information beyond what you expected, and then ask yourself why the other person is communicating this right now.

Uncovering black swans is easiest when you’re negotiating in person. There’s no way to get important, deep information through email – virtual, written communication gives people the time to reason and consciously avoid revealing too much. It also conceals voice tones and body language. You also need to be hyperaware – especially outside formal meeting environments, where people are more likely to let their guard down. And try employing tools like mirroring and labeling to unearth useful information. 

So say you’ve determined a black swan – now what? A piece of information isn’t worth much if you don’t know how to use it. Discovering a black swan gives you one essential thing: leverage. 

If you possess something your counterpart wants, you already have *positive* leverage – the ability to make their desire come true. So by learning what they truly want, you can ask for what *you* want in return. 

*Negative* leverage, on the other hand, is closer to a threat. It draws on a basic cognitive bias called *loss aversion*. Negative leverage entails making the other person know you have the ability to make them lose something if they don’t accept your offer. So learn what’s important to your counterpart – maybe it’s their reputation or status within a community – and use this to your advantage. 

Negative leverage is dangerous and should be used with caution. Issuing threats can result in very toxic negotiations, which can potentially ruin a good relationship. Instead, try combining labeling with negative leverage. For example, say, “It seems that you value the reputation you’ve built.”

Finally, *normative* leverage is using the other person’s set of rules and moral principles to your advantage. If you have evidence that demonstrates discrepancies between a person’s words and actions, you have normative leverage. To understand their ideas, you just need to ask questions and be attentive to their answers. 

Remember, *perception* is key. Keep your senses alert, and search for anything that could give you unexpected information about your counterpart. In this way, you’ll be able to get ahead in any negotiation.

  

If you like these summaries let me know and I'll post more, and thanks for reading thus far!",The Couple That Arrived Before Him
n24hf6,"Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: this booked changed the way i view sleep. Sleep is so undervalued. After reading this book, i give my self a non negociable 8-9 of sleep every single day, even if it means having less free time in the rest of the day"," 

i am a resident doctor in canada and i recently had a 3 week work stretch (in obstetrics) where i had to work 5 24h shifts in 3 weeks + regular 10 hour work days. In totally i worked 189h in the delivery room, which is 63 h /week or 12.6h/day. In those 24h shfits, i get on average 0-1h of sleep.

i knew this was going to be brutal going in, so i made a commitment: im going to focus on one thing and one thing only , and that was my sleep. I made sure to get 8-9 h of sleep every single night that i was sleeping at home. the results were subtle but truly impressive

1. thanks to my impeccable sleep, i recovered quicker from the 24h sleep deprivation and i felt so energetic on days where i was not working 24h. as a result, i went on runs 2-3 times a week and was able to ramp up my training. at the end of my rotation, i completed a HALF MARATHON UNDER 2 hours (i was already a long distance runner, so this was not from 0 to 100) which was a personal record for me
2. by prioritizing my sleep, i reduced time spent on social media which was SO MIND LIBERATING. i felt lighter emotionally, i had more energy and life just felt less stressful.

here is a video where i talked more in detail

[https://youtu.be/1sAajsbOWYs](https://youtu.be/1sAajsbOWYs)

i really recommend you start by improving your sleep. this cannot be overlooked. nothing can be optimized if your brain is chronically sleep deprived and fatigued. on a side note, the medical training system really needs to be re-examined, its not healthy or safe to make resident doctors work 24h shifts!",Has Generated A Lot Of Criticism About Its Scientific Veracity
1l2z15m,What’s a book that changed the way you see yourself/the world?,"I’m collecting people’s most meaningful books like infinity stones! I’m struggling amongst the feeling that I will never know so many things, and that so many perspectives and philosophies will remain unheard/unseen. For me it was The Anthropocene Reviewed and all its rambling, deeply touching, intelligent wisdom - what was yours? (So I can add it to my TBR.)",Atomic Habits
ofljj3,"All benefits in life come from compound interest, whether in money, relationships, love, health, activities, or habits.","The above quote is from [The Almanac Of Naval Ravikant ](https://bulletpointreading.com/2021/04/05/the-almanack-of-naval-ravikant-by-eric-jorgensen/) which is a super insightful book. Highly recommend. 

You can also check a long list of beneficial [BOOKS](https://bulletpointreading.com/view-all-books/). I’ve written the key takeaways, check em out, you might find one that interests you, learn a quick thing, or pick up some wisdom.",Atomic Habits
1lr9kbk,What's one book you think every man should read in his life?,"Any genre is welcome, fic, nonfic, health, relationship, wealth... would love to hear your advice",How To Win Friends And Influence People
q89us2,What is the best Psychology/mindset book you have read?,"Everyone needs to read ‘Thinking Fast &amp; Slow’ by Daniel Kahneman

To put this recommendation into perspective by understanding it’s competitors and comparisons, I’ve also read:

* Flow
* Psycho Cybernetics
* Flourish
* Unlimited Power
* Grit
* Atomic Habits
* The power of Habits
* How to Win Friends &amp; Influence
* Influence
* Pre-suasion
* Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself
* Can’t Hurt Me
* Ego is the Enemy
* Learned Optimism

What has been the most impactful Psychology/Mindset book you’d recommend?",A Book Called ‘The Happiness Trap’ On Act Psychotherapy
le2a9g,"David Goggins’ Can't Hurt Me introduced me to the Cookie Jar Method, which showed me how to overcome any obstacles throughout my day","Each of us has dealt with our own share of challenges and hardships over the course of our lives. David Goggins, an ultramarathon runner and former Navy SEAL, has as well. Having run the toughest marathons, and been through all kinds of military training, Goggins came up a with a simple technique to overcome any obstacles going forward.

The Cookie Jar Method works like this -

* Imagine you have Empty Cookie Jar into which you place all of the challenges that you have overcome or the accomplishments that you have achieved (Cookies).
* Whenever you are facing an obstacle or hardship, refer back to your cookie jar to remind yourself of everything that you have been through and how resilient you are.
* This cookie jar serves as a mental reserve to dig into and serve as a reference point for your ability to make it through whatever you’re encountering.

It would also help to keep a physical jar and place a few notes with all of those “Cookies” that you have. I discuss this entire method in depth here - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll16Oy45\_uQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll16Oy45_uQ)

Definitely give it a shot and let me know if your motivation and productivity sees the incredible uptick that mine did.",The Cookie Jar Method
jll1a6,"James Clear's Atomic Habits introduced me to the 100-Year Old Ivy Lee Method, which showed me how to approach Productivity in a STRESS-FREE manner","Productivity can often be over complicated. When in fact, the most efficient productivity approaches are super simple. There are very few methods as simple and effective as the Ivy Lee Method, which is over 100 years old. It’s essentially a 5 step process that looks like this:

1. At the end of each day, write down the 6 most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow
2. Prioritize the 6 items in order of true importance
3. The next day, concentrate only on the first task until completed. Then, move the next task.
4. Work your way through your list. Any unfinished items move on to the next day with a new list of 6 tasks.
5. Repeat this process each working day

So often our propensity for following some elaborate technique can inhibit our ability to be truly productive. This method simply relies on creating a to-do list with a fixed number of items and approaching it in a smart way. I explain this more in depth here - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYsYD1c\_HVA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYsYD1c_HVA)

Give this a shot and let me know if it changes the game for you…",Of Upcoming Duties
hxpx4u,The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin introduced me to the 5 hour rule for long term productivity and growth," I’ve been feeling like I was hitting a wall with my productivity and development until I recently came across this wonderfully simple concept called the 5 Hour Rule. No matter how busy successful people are, they always spend at least an hour a day — or five hours a work week — learning or practicing. And they do this across their entire career.

The 5 Hour Rule has been traced all the way back to Benjamin Franklin, who was constantly setting aside time to learn each day. It’s also been embraced by several leaders like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Oprah. 

The rule has been broken down into 3 buckets that learning takes place through:

* Reading: Investing in a reading habit can, expectedly, help you grow each and every day
* Reflection: Taking the time to assess what you’ve learnt and how you can get better will set you up for success in the future
* Experimentation: Experiments show you what’s working and where you need to improve.

I highly recommend you try this out. I explain this further here - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7071k1J0O0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7071k1J0O0)

Once you make learning a habit, I have a strong feeling that you’ll likely be more successful and productive across different areas of your life.",A Few
1exkqma,Recommend me the book that changed your life the most ,As the title. I need something new to sink my teeth into,Atomic Habits
voq8b4,📚 The Psychology of Money - Book Summary - Chapter Break-down,"The Psychology Of Money is written by Morgan Housel, who is a partner at Collaborative Fund and who was previously a columnist at The Wall Street Journal...and this book shifted my entire perception of money, 

Here is an outline of each chapter and the brief value offered in each, paired with my thoughts and how this has impacted me.

## INTRODUCTION

**2 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Doing well with money has less to do with how smart you are and more to do with how you behave
2. Financial Success is not a ‘hard science’. It’s a soft skill determined by how you behave, and the meaning you give to your decision, largely based on your experiences during your teens and early adult years

**My Thoughts:**

* It’s interesting how being born in the late 70’s in Australia, I haven’t really experienced a recession or true financial hardship compared to many other countries through my 40 years of life.
* And therefore to reflect my own financial decisions, even ones that now seem crazy in hindsight, but were what I thought were the ’right’ decisions at the time.
* I had over $1,000,000 in net worth before the GFC in 2008. Within a week, I lost it all and actually owed $300,000 for which I had to get a loan out to repay. Went from $1M+ in net worth to -$300K in approx a week.
* That was my wake up call to recognise that I didn’t really know enough about money, and became more consciously aware of how fallible my own decision-making skills actually were. Sure I made some good decision to create the $1M, but lost it all, plus more.
* So what is very apparent from the intro’s content is just how susceptible we ALL are to making financial decisions based on our psychology, not just what logically makes sense.

## CHAPTER 1 - NO ONE'S CRAZY

**3 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Your personal experience of the world make up approx 0.00000001% of what has actually happened in the world, but is approx 80% of the way you think the world works.
2. Some Lessons need to be experienced before they can be understood. You don't develop emotional scars and resilience without actually experiencing some things.
3. Your personal history regarding money will determine your willingness to take risks and how you perceive opportunities when they present themselves.

**My Thoughts:**

* This chapter helps remind me to stay in perspective of how I perceive the world and the opportunities that present themselves. It reminds me that my perception is not true for most other people and therefore my perception could be wrong...and therefore to seek further information &amp; evidence to counter this or confirm this.

## CHAPTER 2 - LUCK &amp; RISK

**4 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Luck &amp; Risk are siblings. Every outcome in life is guided by these forces. Not just individual effort.
2. Your success might be due to luck and chance. Your failure might be due to bad luck (risk) and have nothing to do with your approach.
3. Bill Gates was lucky enough to attend one of the only schools that had a computer. His good friend, who equally was skilled in computers died in an accident in his late teens (bad luck/risk). 2 completely different outcomes due to luck/risk.
4. The line between 'Inspiringly Bold' and 'Foolishly Risky' is millimeters thin and only seen in hindsight.

**My Thoughts:**

* The key point I've taken from this chapter is not to get too focused on specific approaches by individuals. (they might have gotten lucky). Instead, focus on broader principles and approaches that are proven to work for larger numbers of people. E.g. Don't try to invest like Warren Buffet (individual). Invest like the top 20 Investors (Group)

## CHAPTER 3 - NEVER ENOUGH

**3 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Don’t risk something important to you for something that is lower importance to you. E.g. Don’t risk losing $100 for $10 increase.
2. Never feeling like you have enough can cause you to keep moving the ‘goal posts’ and reduce your happiness for what you actually have.
3. There are some things not worth risking, no matter the potential gain.

**My Thoughts:**

* It’s such an interesting idea to become aware of the ‘trap’ of continually wanting more and more, and not feeling like you have enough, as well as risking so much for so little.

## CHAPTER 4 - CONFOUNDING COMPOUNDING

**4 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. The ice ages are proof that you don’t need tremendous force to create tremendous results. Using compounding, a small base can lead to extraordinary results.
2. To generate Warren-Buffett-like results, you’d need to invest when you were 10 years old, like WB did. His skill was investing, but his secret was time &amp; compounding.
3. Most people discount Compounding Effect because it’s ‘Exponential Thinking’ which seems to defy logic.
4. Good investing is about earning ‘good’ returns that you can stick with and repeat over the longest period of time, to allow compounding to run wild.

**My Thoughts:**

* It’s a sobering idea to realize that my lack of financial literacy in the first half of my life, has reduced the opportunity for compounding to work its best for me, however, it’s still a valuable idea to understand what is truly going on for people and how they generate wealth, so as to instill this into my daughter, and still make the most of compounding as much as I can.
* This also explains why WB still drives the same old car, and lives in the same house despite his huge wealth. He wants to keep that money compounding.

## CHAPTER 5 - GETTING WEALTHY VS STAYING WEALTHY

**4 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Getting Money is one part of the equation. Keeping money is the other part.
2. Very few gains are ever worth risking so much that you get wiped out.
3. Learn what Warren Buffet DIDN’T DO:  
Didn’t get carried away with debt  
Didn’t panic sell during 14 recessions he lived through  
Didn’t risk his business reputation trying to cut corners  
Didn’t attach himself to ONE world view or one belief.  
Didn’t rely on others for money decisions  
Didn’t burn himself out or quit or retire.
4. Have a Survival Mindset:

* Be Financially Unbreakable more than chasing big gains
* Planning is important but also have a plan for when your plan doesn’t work.
* Optimistic Future Outlook, with paranoid short-term view.

**My Thoughts:**

* It’s good to get this reminder again. I remember going to an event in 2017 where I got to speak to a Billionaire, (Not a famous celebrity billionaire), who said that Wealth creation is really about wealth preservation. This message is repeated in Tony Robbin’s ‘Unbreakable’ book. I enjoy the approach of looking at things with ‘paranoia’ in the short term, whilst being reassured by the longer, optimistic outlook.

## CHAPTER 6 - TAILS, YOU WIN!

**5 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. You can be wrong half the time and still make a fortune. Don't underestimate how normal it is for most things to fail.
2. Walt Disney made 400 cartoons before one, ""Snow White"" was a success that paid all his debts and bought a new studio. 400 failures: 1 success.
3. Your success is largely determined by how you react when everyone else around you is going crazy and in those moments of 'terror'.
4. Expect to make some bad decisions. No one is capable of making good decisions all the time.
5. It's not whether you are right or wrong with your decisions. It's more about how much money you make when you are right, and how much you lose when you are wrong.

**My Thoughts:**

* This was a really simple yet powerful chapter to expect and plan for failure and getting things wrong. It also helped to remind myself not to harshly judge failures because these can often be stepping stones to the big successes as long as your loses don't take you out of the game.

## CHAPTER 7 - FREEDOM

**4 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. The highest form of wealth is waking up each morning and saying “I can do whatever I want today”
2. Having a sense that you can control your time is the greatest predictor of happiness and well-being than objective conditions in life such as money in the bank or income level.
3. Money's greatest intrinsic value is its ability To give you control over your time.
4. Reactance - doing something you love on a schedule you can’t control can feel the same as doing something you hate.
5. Your kids don’t want your money. They want you and your time.

**My Thoughts:**

* This was a really sobering chapter that helped me to really take stock of how I’m using my time and the “demand creep” that has slowly started controlling more of my time. But perhaps the biggest heart-driven awakening was the truth that my 3 yo daughter wants to play with me all the time and doesn’t like it when I go into the office to work. She doesn’t want the money or the profile or the contribution. She just wants me and my time. This chapter will change some of my near future decisions to claw back control over my time, for her and my wife.

## CHAPTER 8 - MAN IN THE CAR PARADOX

**2 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Rich car driver paradox - driver buys a rich car to seek significance from people, but most people ignore the driver and give significance to the car. We look at the car, not the driver.
2. Respect &amp; admiration comes from Humility, Kindness &amp; Empathy. Not from having expensive things.

**My Thoughts:**

* This was a short but poignant chapter on how to be so aware of our unconscious drive for significance, that might actually not achieve what we want.

## CHAPTER 9 - WEALTH IS WHAT YOU DON'T SEE

**4 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Real wealth is unseen. It’s the assets and savings that hasn’t yet been converted into the things you can see. It’s not what you can see.
2. Rich is income. Rich people like making themselves seen. Wealth is income not spent, which is why wealth is harder to conceptualize.
3. It’s easy to find rich role models. Wealth role models are much harder to find because their success is hidden
4. It’s much harder to learn something that is unseen and harder to imitate. Be wary of idolizing rich people as they may be on a razor edge to being insolvent.

**My Thoughts:**

* This was a good reminder. I know how much of a showreel social media &amp; media is for celebrities, influencers, and even avg people trying to seek that “look at me” feeling. Sometimes I too get caught up in that. And I’m also aware of how pervasive these “drip-feed” of influences can be to gradually eroding away our ideals and values for ideals and values that are more aligned with the ego, significance-driven “look at my fancy life and things”.So this chapter was a great reminder to connect back with what really matters, not what looks like it should matter.

## CHAPTER 10 - SAVE MONEY

**5 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Building wealth has less to do with your income and investment returns, and more to do with your savings rate.
2. We can’t control many forces that influence our wealth but we have 100% control on our personal savings rate.
3. You can build wealth without a high income by creating a high savings rate, by learning to be happier with less spending to create a larger gap between income &amp; expenses.
4. Your savings rate can be defined as the gap between your income and your ego to having material things to impress others or make yourself feel worthy.
5. Flexibility and time control is the unseen return on wealth.

**My Thoughts:**

* Such a great way to conceptualize savings. To challenge our ego and need for ‘things”, in favour of investing or savings rate. This chapter has motivated me to review where we can reduce our unnecessary spending even more to increase our savings rate even more.

## CHAPTER 11 - REASONABLE &gt; RATIONAL

**3 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Because we are human it’s unreasonable to expect to be completely rational and unemotional about Money decisions, so aim for 'reasonable' decision-making instead
2. Rationally, a fever helps the body heal, but parents &amp; even doctors often do what they can to quickly end a fever because fevers hurt. We naturally want to avoid hurt, even if it’s not rational to do so.
3. The goal is to minimize ’future regret’

**My Thoughts:**

* My wife and I currently use a ‘system’ for our money to avoid the variation of emotions that are caused by money fluctuations and unexpected events, but this chapter also explains the human ‘reasonable but maybe irrational’ responses we are trying to nullify using this system.

## CHAPTER 13 - SURPRISE!

**3 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. Historians as Prophets Fallacy - Relying too heavily on past data as a way to forecast future events. It's not a failure of analysis. It's a failure of imagination.
2. Some of the biggest events that have changed the world were hard to predict. Very few people can IMAGINE the next widely disruptive event.
3. Plan for surprises because the world is Surprising.

**My Thoughts:**

* This chapter helps us to be humble and realise that anyone that claims to have an edge in knowing what will happen next likely doesn't, because the unexpected could happen at any time. It helps us to prepare as best we can for surprises and layers into the previous chapter about being short-term paranoid and long-term optimistic.

## CHAPTER 14 - YOU'LL CHANGE

**4 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. ✅ We, as people, are poor forecasters of what our future needs will actually be. Approx only 27% of people use their degree in a relevant career.
2. ✅ The First Rule of Compounding is to not interrupt it unnecessarily.
3. ✅ When considering Long Term decision remember:  
\- Avoid the extreme ends of financial planning - Endurance is the key  
\- Accept the reality of changing your mind
4. ✅ The devil in the world where people change their minds, is in anchoring decisions to past efforts that can't be refunded. Avoid 'sunk costs'.

**My Thoughts:**

* This chapter helps to explain why we don't always make the best decisions for our future, and why it's inevitable that we'll likely change our minds and change paths, which, unless we have flexible plans, may minimise the value of all previous efforts. So it raises the question of how can I develop a 5-year, 10-year and 25-year plan that caters to my future change of mind and path?

## CHAPTER 15 - NOTHING'S FREE

**5 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. ✅ Every job looks easy when you aren't the one doing it, because the full spectrum of challenges are often invisible to someone outside of the situation.
2. ✅ Our biggest challenge is not being able to identify what the price of success really is from the sidelines, but everything we strive for comes with a price. E.g. Successful investing comes at the price of dealing with and handling volatility, fear, doubt, uncertainty &amp; regret.
3. ✅ The price of good investing is not immediately obvious and so because it's not a price tag you can see, it doesn't feel like a reward. Instead it feels like a fine, and we all try to avoid fines.
4. ✅ If you view a decline in your assets as a 'fine' or 'penalty' that you didn't expect from investing, then your future actions will likely be to avoid future fines, but if you think of the decrease in value of your assets as the 'fee' you pay to have the long-term success, and ride out the volatility, you'll stick around long enough to see those gains.
5. ✅ Just like paying for admission to Disneyland. It's not a fine for having a great day with family. It's the fee you pay, but also, there's not guarantee that it won't rain that day either. Find the price you need to pay and pay it.

**My Thoughts:**

* I found that this reframe of experiences we encounter with investing and the volatility was uplifting and reassuring. It instantly changed how I felt about the ups and downs of my portfolio. Previously I was simply ignoring the ups and downs, which was more like sticking my head in the sand with them, instead of having the courage to see them as the 'fee' and price that is paid for the long-term benefits. Mind blown.

## CHAPTER 16 - YOU &amp; ME

**3 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. ✅ Don’t take cues about financial decisions from people who are playing a different game than you. Day traders play by different rules. Long-term investors play by different rules.
2. ✅ Few things matter more with money than understanding your own time horizon, and not being distracted by others’ different time horizons.
3. ✅ Write down your mission “I’m a passive investor optimistic about the world’s ability to generate real economic growth and I’m confident that over the next 30 years that growth will accrue to my investments” to determine which part of the game you are playing and not playing. Short-term fluctuations may not really matter to you.

**My Thoughts:**

* This chapter helped me to gain clarity on the type of investor I am and how to put fluctuations and volatility into more perspective based on the type of ‘game’ I’m playing. It also made me question who I decide to take financial advice from and whether we are playing the same game or not.

## CHAPTER 17 - THE SEDUCTION OF PESSIMISM

**5 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. ✅ Optimisim is the best bet for people, because the world does tend to get better over time, but Pessimism is more seductive, because it’s more captivating and is viewed as being less ‘risky’.
2. ✅ Optimism is believing that the odds will fall in your favor over time, despite occasional set-backs along the way.
3. ✅ Prophets of Doom are taken more seriously than forecasters of Outrageous Optimism.
4. ✅ Pessimism sounds smarter and more plausible than Optimism, which makes it more compelling for people.
5. ✅ Money and Health affect everyone. Improvements take time, but set-backs can happen overnight. Often progress happens so slowly we hardly notice it. But Setbacks stand out in our memory.

**My Thoughts:**

* This is a great reminder not to get swept up in the sensationalism of doom and gloom news and outlooks, but instead to hold on to the optimisitic outlook for the future.

## CHAPTER 18 - WHEN YOU'LL BELIEVE ANYTHING

**3 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. ✅ We are more likely to fill in the gaps of our knowledge and awareness with stories that tends to support what we want to think is right.
2. ✅ When we want something to be true, we tend to think of the odds being in our favour, when this might not be the case.
3. ✅ We like to think that much of the world is predictable, and certain, when in fact it's unpredictable, uncertain, and any plans we make could easily be largely affected by luck, risk and even other people's plans &amp; actions.

**My Thoughts:**

* This chapter helps to remind me to stay humble and aim to stay in perspective of how out-of-perspective I might actually be. We all tend to generalise, distort &amp; delete the vast quantities of information that is presented to us every moment, in order to make sense of what we think is the objective world, even though this process of filtering &amp; selecting information to give meaning to, is highly subjective.

## CHAPTER 19 - ALL TOGETHER NOW

**10 x Core Messages that Really Stood Out to Me:**

1. ✅ Be humble when things go right, and be forgiving when they don't.
2. ✅ Control Your Ego to Grow Your Wealth - Avoid ego-driven spending.
3. ✅ Manage Your Money in ways that help you sleep at night. There is no sense in taking risks to chase higher returns if you don't sleep well.
4. ✅ Extend Your Time Horizon to get bigger returns on your Wealth - The longer you can leave your money compounding, the better.
5. ✅ Be Ok with being wrong a lot of the time.
6. ✅ Use money to gain control back over your time. Getting your time back is what wealth is for.
7. ✅ Save for the sake of Saving. Save for things you can't even imagine.
8. ✅ Define the cost of the success you want and be willing to pay it.
9. ✅ Risk Pays off over time, so enjoy it.
10. ✅ Always cater for Room for Error - May sure you can survive the times when you are wrong.

**My Thoughts:**

* This chapter summarises most of the chapters into the key points. I love it when a book does that, wrapping it all together into a succinct format.

### 

### THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY by Morgan Housel - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To help put this book, 'The Psychology of Money' into context I've read (in order):

1. Think &amp; Grow Rich - Napelon Hill
2. Rich Dad Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki
3. The Richest Man in Babylon - George Clason
4. Money - Master the Game - Tony Robbins
5. Unshakeable - Tony Robbins
6. Barefoot Investor - Scott Pape
7. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

...And for me The Psychology of Money explained things in more profound ways than similar concepts were conveyed in other, similar books.

Of course, maybe it's because of where I'm at in life, and with this recent experience compounded together with the existing financial knowledge that I had gained, but I felt like the Psychology of Money, has significantly changed my relationship with money, and reminded me of many pitfalls to avoid, and what to aim for instead. Admittedly some of the concepts were challenging to accept, but this was simply just my mind wanting to go back to 'fictional comfort' instead of facing the 'uncomfortable truth'.

I recommend this book to ANYONE that wants to 'tune-up' their 'Money Mindset'.

**TLDR:** The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is a great book for anyone that wants to upgrade their money mindset, and discover some of the hidden mistakes that we all tend to make when it comes to money, wealth and riches  


Link to Book: [https://www.amazon.com.au/Psychology-Money-Morgan-Housel/dp/0857197681](https://www.amazon.com.au/Psychology-Money-Morgan-Housel/dp/0857197681)

Thanks,

[Fozrok](https://www.reddit.com/user/fozrok)",After Reading The First 6 Chapters
1l5kt77,What’s the best “book combo” you’ve ever read that unlocked a deeper understanding of life?,"

I’ve been thinking about how sometimes reading two seemingly unrelated books back to back back can unlock insights neither book could’ve given alone.

Like maybe one book gave the framework and the second one provided the fuel, or one gave you theory and the other had  with a story that made it click. Almost like the two books were meant to find each other through you.

So I’m curious if  you ever read two different books in a row that, together, amplified a life lesson or shifted your worldview in a powerful way?

Bonus if they were unexpected pairings.

I’ll go first. I recently read “Don’t believe everything you think” and The courage to be disliked”


 The first one helped me step back and see that my thoughts especially the ones wrapped in selfdoubt and overthinking aren’t necessarily true. That alone started to loosen the grip of needing approval from others.

Then The Courage to Be Disliked built on that by introducing the idea of separation of tasks in relationships. Because I had already started thinking differently about my thoughts, I was more open to letting go of responsibility for how others feel or act.

Together, the combo gave me a whole new lens on interpersonal freedom. It wasn’t just mindset it was how I relate to people in a way that’s lighter and more honest.

",All Are Published
10vx3gg,Atomic Habits vs Tiny Habits,"Last month I read *Atomic Habits* and *Tiny Habits*, one after the other. For two books about habits, they're surprisingly different. *Atomic Habits* is more like a smorgasbord, while *Tiny Habits* is more like a set menu. 

Which is better? My personal pick is *Tiny Habits*. I set out [**my reasoning and full comparison of the two books here**](https://www.tosummarise.com/2023/02/07/atomic-habits-vs-tiny-habits-which-is-better/). 

If you're after a book about how to become a successful blogger, athlete, or businessperson, you may like *Atomic Habits more*. But I preferred *Tiny Habits*' nicer, modest tone, which aligned better with my goals and general approach to life. I'm more interested in an enjoyable ""normal"" life than in ""vaulting to the top of my field"". *Atomic Habits* made behaviour change seem demanding, and I found myself instinctively recoiling and questioning what the point of it all was. *Tiny Habits* made behaviour change seem approachable and easy.  

What do others think? Especially if you preferred *Atomic Habits*, I'd be interested in hearing why.",Atomic Habits
1ko4k53,This book reframed my overthinking as fear pretending to be productivity,"I found this book on Amazon called *7 Lies Your Brain Tells You: And How to Outsmart Every One of Them*, and one line absolutely stopped me:

“Your brain would rather be right than move forward.”

That one sentence helped me realize I wasn’t overthinking because I’m analytical - I was overthinking to avoid risk.

Planning, refining, researching... it all looked productive, but really it was just a way to delay action until it felt “safe.” I hadn’t seen it that clearly before.

The book goes after those internal scripts that quietly run your behavior - stuff you believe without even realizing it’s optional.

Definitely one of the more useful things I’ve read in a while.",No Bad Parts
pdygf4,"if you were to create a reading list or syllabus for an 18 year old to read, in order to be the most productive, healthy, wealthy and successful in any chosen path, what would that consist of?",,7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
lhvvxv,Jordan Peterson - 12 Rules For Life [ An in-depth summary ],"Here's 12 rules for life summarized, but if you don't have time, here's the video version I just made, [12 rules for life in 12 minutes](https://youtu.be/3J9W1MiWwsk)

# 1. Stand up straight with your shoulders back

You’ve probably heard of the phrase, “the pecking order,” right? But do you know where it originated?

It comes from the Norwegian zoologist Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe, who was studying barnyard chickens in the 1920s when he noticed that there was a clear hierarchy among these birds. At the top were the healthiest, strongest ones that always got to peck first when the chicken feed came. At the bottom were the weakest chickens, with their feathers falling out, who only got to peck at the leftover crumbs.

Pecking orders like this aren’t limited to chickens; they occur naturally throughout the animal kingdom.

Lobsters, for instance, whether they’re in the ocean or raised in captivity, will aggressively fight over the best and most secure spots for shelter.

Scientists have found that these competitive conflicts will lead to the winners and losers having different chemical balances in their brains. Winners will have a higher ratio of the hormone *serotonin* to *octopamine*, while the ratio in losers will tilt in the opposite direction.

These levels can even affect the posture of lobsters: more serotonin will lead to the winners being more agile and upright, and more octopamine makes losers tense and curled up. This difference will factor into further confrontations, as the upright lobsters will appear bigger and more intimidating, causing the tense ones to remain submissive.

As you may have guessed, similar hierarchies and cycles of winning and losing play out among humans.

Studies have shown that those in the grips of alcoholism or depression are less likely to enter a competitive situation, which only reinforces more inactivity and continued low self-esteem and depression.

Conversely, those on a winning streak often present a swaggering and confident body language, which can help them keep their streak alive. Just like lobsters, humans are constantly measuring themselves up against each other, and we associate a person’s intelligence with their physicality.

So if you’re trying to give yourself an advantage, follow the first rule: hold your head high and strike the posture of a winner.

# 2.  Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping

If your dog was sick and the vet prescribed it medication, you wouldn’t second-guess the doctor and leave the prescription unfilled would you? And yet, one-third of people ignore the medical prescriptions they’re given by doctors, which begs the question: why do we take better care of our pets than ourselves?

Part of the reason is that, because we’re always conscious of our own flaws, we feel self-loathing, which, in turn, can lead to unnecessary self-punishment and a sense that we’re unworthy of feeling good. Thus, we take better care of others than ourselves.

This belief that we’re unworthy goes at least as far back as the story of Adam and Eve being exiled from the Garden of Eden. In this metaphorical tale, Adam and Eve represent all human beings, and they’re tricked into eating the forbidden apple of knowledge by an evil serpent. By following the advice of the snake, humans are seen as being forever corrupted with wickedness.

While the story of the Garden of Eden makes us self-conscious about this dark side within ourselves and can reinforce the sense that we don’t deserve good things, it can also be read another way: it’s not just us, but the whole world that is corrupted. The humans and the serpent of the garden can be seen as the entire world’s natural mix of order and chaos.

This duality of nature can also be seen in Eastern philosophy as well, and represented in the two sides of the Yin-Yang symbol: there’s a light and a dark side, yet both sides contain a portion of the other within them, and neither can exist without the other.

In this scenario, harmony is achieved by finding the healthy balance between light and dark, and one should strive not to go too far in either direction.

For example, if a parent were to try and protect their child from being exposed to anything “bad,” they would only be replacing that chaos with the tyranny of too much order. In other words, it’s futile to try to be perfectly good.

This leads us to the second rule: care for yourself like you would a loved one\*.\*

So, look after yourself, but don’t fight against chaos, as this is an unwinnable fight. And rather than only doing what makes you happy, try to do what is *best* for you.

As a child, you may not have wanted to brush your teeth or wear your mittens, but these are things that *should* be done. As an adult, you must determine the goals that help define who you are and the direction you want to take in life. Then, you will find the steps that you *should* take, and the actions that are best for you.

# 3. Make friends with people who want the best for you

One of the author’s childhood friends never left the prairies of his northern Canadian hometown, Fairview, Alberta. Instead, he stuck around and ended up among the town’s other ne’er-do-wells.

Every once in a while, the author would return home and catch up with his friend – and each time, his friend’s slow, sad decline became more apparent. What was once youthful potential became aging resentment.

For the author, it became clear that those ne’er-do-wells were bringing his friend down and holding him back in life. And this is something that can happen to anyone anywhere.

In a workplace setting, a similar dynamic can play out when an underachiever is put into a team of high performers. The manager might think that this will result in the problematic employee picking up good habits from the others. But studies have shown that the opposite is more likely to happen, and the bad habits will start to spread and bring down everyone’s performance.

This is why the third rule is to make sure you surround yourself with supportive friends, as these are the kinds of friendships that can bring about positive change.

Being picky about your friends is a smart move and is not selfish or snobby. Supportive and encouraging friendships run both ways: when you need a boost, they’ll be there for you, and if your friend needs help to rebound from a setback or make an improvement, you’ll be there for them.

This dynamic can encourage individual success and, as part of a team, it can lead to great social accomplishments.

When the author left Fairview for college, he joined a group of like-minded individuals who helped each other in their studies and in many other accomplishments, such as creating a newspaper and running a successful student union.

You’ll know you have good friends when they don’t tolerate your wallowing in negativity; they’ll want what’s best for you, so they’ll encourage you to snap out of it and get back on track.

# 4.  Compare yourself with who you were yesterday, not with who someone else is today

There used to be such a thing as being a big fish in a small pond. But now, thanks to the internet, even the concept of a small community is a thing of the past. These days, we’re all part of a global community, and no matter where you are, there is always someone better than you.

This brings us to the issue of self-criticism. Now, it’s important to be critical of one’s self – if we weren’t then we’d have nothing to strive for, no motivation to better ourselves and our lives would quickly become meaningless.

Luckily, it’s a human tendency to always see the present as lacking and the future as promising much better. There’s a reason for this tendency, as it helps us stay motivated to push forward and take action.

However, self-criticism can get ugly when it becomes all about comparing ourselves to others. When this happens, we quickly lose sight of our progress.

First of all, this leads to thinking in black-and-white terms: we’ve either succeeded or failed. This prevents us from seeing the incremental improvements that are often small, but nonetheless important.

Comparisons also lead to losing sight of the big picture by focusing on a single aspect of our lives and blowing it out of proportion.

For instance, let’s say you’re reviewing the past year and notice that you weren’t as productive at work as some of your peers. You could instantly end up feeling like a total failure. But if you were to zoom out and look at all the aspects of your life, you might realize that you made some real improvements in your family life.

This is why the fourth rule is to never compare yourself to others, and to always judge yourself against your own prior accomplishments.

Comparing current results to past ones will also keep you moving forward. If you start to think that you’re always winning, this is a red flag that you need to do a better job of taking risks and giving yourself challenging goals.

When checking in on your progress, think of yourself as a home inspector. This means looking at things from top to bottom and categorizing every problem. Is it a cosmetic or a structural fault? Before you can give a stamp of approval, make a list of things that need to be improved.

This detailed approach is likely to keep you so busy on yourself that you’ll be unconcerned with how you stack up against others.

# 5.  Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them

If you’ve ever seen parents ignoring a child who’s wreaking havoc, you may have wondered: are they just bad parents or are they being clever by allowing the child to tire himself out?

Approaches to child-rearing have changed over the years, often as a result of the age-old nature-versus-nurture debate, and differing opinions about the kinds of instincts we’re born with.

In the eighteenth century, there was a popular belief championed by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau that suggested our prehistoric ancestors were sweet, gentle and child-like. They blamed our history of war and violence on the corrupting influence civilization has had on us.

But nowadays, we have a clearer understanding of the fact that people are indeed born with aggressive instincts, and must *learn* how to become kinder, gentler, more “civilized” adults. After all, you likely remember how vicious kids on a playground can get; most workplaces are a picture of tranquility in comparison!

According to the author, it’s really up to parents to make sure their naturally aggressive youngster learns how to be a well-adjusted adult, which brings us to the fifth rule: parents need to be more than a friend – they need to raise a responsible and likable human being.

This can be a challenge since no one likes being the “bad guy.” But children are aggressive because they have the natural instinct to push boundaries so they can find out where society’s lines are drawn. So a parent must be firm and decisive in drawing those lines.

While this may not sound like fun, think of it this way: if they don’t learn these things from a loving, understanding parent, they’ll learn it later on in a way that’s sure to involve less love and understanding.

So let’s look at three key methods for good parenting:

The first is to *limit the rules*. Too many rules lead to frustrated kids who are constantly hitting barriers. So limit things to a few basic, easy-to-understand principles, such as don’t bite, kick or hit anyone unless in self-defense.

The second is to *use the minimum necessary force*. Effective and fair discipline can only be applied when consequences are made clear. The punishment also needs to “fit the crime,” which means it should only be as severe as necessary for a child to learn not to break the rule again. Sometimes a disappointed look is all that’s needed; other times it might be a week without video games.

The third is to *come in pairs*. Children are clever and will try to get their way by playing one parent against the other – so a unified front is important. Also, every parent makes mistakes, but if you have a supportive partner, you’ll be likelier to notice and catch those mistakes.

# 6.  Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world

There’s no point in mincing words: the world is full of challenges and suffering – but this isn’t cause for despair.

Nevertheless, many people throughout the ages have seen life as so cruel and unfair that drastic responses are justified. The Russian author Leo Tolstoy saw existence as so absurdly unjust that he suggested there were only four valid responses: childlike ignorance, hedonistic pleasure, suicide or struggling on despite it all.

Tolstoy analyzed these positions in his essay “A Confession” and concluded that the most honest response was suicide, while struggling on was a sign of his weak inability to take the appropriate action.

Others have responded in a similar fashion, yet decided to take other lives along with their own, in acts known as *murder-suicides*, such as the Sandy Hook or Columbine school shootings. In June of 2016, there had been a thousand shootings in the United States over the preceding 1,260 days, in which someone had killed four or more people before, in many cases, shooting themselves.

But despite Tolstoy’s bleak worldview, and no matter how much you’ve suffered or however cruel and unjust you find life to be, you shouldn’t blame the world.

This is the gist of the sixth rule for life, which states that you should take responsibility for your own life before you judge the world.

There’s another Russian writer, by the name of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who believed it was possible to reject the cruelty of life, even when it’s being cruel to you.

Solzhenitsyn was among the communists who fought against the Nazis during World War II, yet despite his service he ended up imprisoned by his own state after the war. And as if life in a Russian gulag wasn’t bad enough, he found out he had cancer while serving his sentence.

But despite all this, Solzhenitsyn didn’t blame the world for his lot in life. He accepted his role in supporting the Communist Party that had imprisoned him, and took it upon himself to use the time he had left to contribute something good and meaningful to the world.

What he did included writing the book, *The Gulag Archipelago*, which provided a history, as well as a damning indictment, of the Soviet camps he’d experienced firsthand. The book played an important role in extinguishing any lingering support that Stalin’s brand of communism had among intellectual circles worldwide.

# 7.  Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)

Have you heard the story about the monkey who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar? As the story goes, there was a cookie left inside an open jar, and the opening of the jar was just big enough for the monkey’s hand to enter – but not big enough for his fist to come back out with the treat in it. So, if he insisted on trying to hold onto his treat, he would be stuck.

The moral here is that there is a price for greed: the monkey got himself captured because he refused to just let go of the cookie.

How different is this from human behavior? How many people pursue pleasures every day that aren’t in their best interests? And how many are unwilling to make sacrifices that *are* in their best interest?

One of the side effects of seeing the world as a pit of despair is that it makes it especially easy to justify a life based in immediate pleasures that will make it more bearable. Plus, if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad, right? This is the logic behind binge eating and drinking, drug use, sexual debauchery and other self-harming behaviors.

The other side of this argument is sacrifice, the kind that brings better things in the future by giving up something now. This goes back to ancient times, where tribes would put food aside to make it through the winter or to help those in the community who couldn’t hunt or farm.

This is another topic heavily represented in the Bible. When God kicks Adam and Eve out of paradise, it’s made clear that their original sin is the cause of the harsh and cruel life that everyone must face. However, our suffering in life is the sacrifice we must make so that we may experience the joys of the afterlife.

This brings us to rule seven: seek meaningful goals over instant gratification.

Now, you might think this is a simple concept and something that most people already do. After all, we sacrifice our time to go to work and put in hard hours now so that we can take a vacation later on or relax on a beach in the summer.

But this goes deeper than sacrificing for your personal gain; there are big and small things we can sacrifice for the greater good, and the bigger the sacrifice, the more rewarding it can be.

It can help to think of the lotus flower. This plant starts its life at the bottom of a lake, and inch by inch it escapes the darkness until it breaks through the surface of the water and blossoms in the sun’s rays.

In other words, stick with something and be ready to make sacrifices to reach your goal, and you will be rewarded.

# 8.  Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche believed that you could measure the strength of a person's spirit based upon how much undiluted truth they can tolerate. While truth is often considered a valuable commodity in our culture, we nevertheless tell lies all the time.

One of the main reasons for lying to ourselves and to others is to get what we *think* we want. The Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler called these *life-lies*, and they’re characterized as the things we’ll do and say to turn a poorly-thought-out goal into a reality.

For example, you might picture your retirement as taking place on a secluded beach in Mexico, with an infinite supply of margaritas. This kind of goal can be so attractive that you’ll continue fooling yourself into thinking it’s possible, even as events pile up that make it increasingly far-fetched.

You could even develop allergies to sun, sand and booze, but continue lying to yourself about this perfect plan – even though it’s not really a plan at all, since you haven’t identified any concrete steps that could potentially make it a reality.

These kinds of delusions often go hand in hand with our ability to fool ourselves into thinking we already know everything we need to know. This is an especially foolish perspective to have, since it shuts off our natural desire to learn and grow.

But worse, and far more evil, things can happen when you’re living a life-lie and unwilling to recognize the truth. In John Milton’s epic poem, *Paradise Lost*, Lucifer is portrayed as a reasonable character, but one who becomes too proud and enamored with his talents – so much so that he and his followers are kicked out of heaven for daring to challenge God’s ultimate truth.

This sets up rule number eight: stop lying and be truthful.

You don’t need to give up each one of your ambitious goals, but you should be flexible so that your goals are realistic and reflect the truth. So, as your understanding and worldview changes, so should your goals. And if your life is off track, it might be time to challenge the current truth you’re following, the one that has you feeling weak, rejected or worthless, and reaffirm your personal truth so that you can get back on the right track.

# 9.  Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t

Thousands of years after his death, the ancient philosopher Socrates is still considered one of the wisest men who ever lived. One of the reasons for this is his belief that the only thing he was certain of was that he knew nothing, and this was a driving force in his conversations and his openness to learn.

When you engage in genuine conversation, it should be a similar process to thinking.

Thinking things over is essentially listening to yourself as you explore two sides of an issue. So, in a way, you’re creating your own internal dialog, which can be difficult since you need to accurately represent both sides while also remaining objective in your conclusion.

This is one big reason why people talk to each other, so that they can more easily present the two sides of an issue and come to a conclusion. Even children will do this: if one kid thinks it would be fun to play up on a roof, they might suggest this idea to a friend who then points out the dangers of this idea. The conversation that ensues allows the child with the original idea to take in the new perspective, consider how likely it is that someone will fall and hurt themselves, and hopefully make the right decision.

However, conversations often don’t go this way. Instead, one person – or perhaps both people – will refuse to listen and treat the dialog as a competition they need to win, in order to validate their preconceptions. So, rather than hearing what the other person has to say, they’ll be thinking about what to say next or act like it’s a contest of one-upping each other.

This is why the ninth rule is listen to what others have to say, while presuming you have something to learn from them.

An easy tip for being a better conversationalist is to listen and then summarize, or recap out loud what the other person just said. This serves multiple purposes: it helps assure that you’ve heard things correctly, while also helping it stick in your memory; it also reduces the likelihood of distorting or oversimplifying details in order to suit your side of the conversation.

Sometimes the truth hurts, and it’s painful to take in information that means you have to change your ideas and preconceptions. But this is the price you pay as part of the beautiful process of learning and growing.

# 10.  Be precise in your speech

Life truly is an enormous and complicated tapestry, and yet we tend only to see the isolated parts we need to see. If you’re walking along and see an apple on the ground, you probably don’t think of the branch, tree, roots and soil that were all connected before it fell.

The reason is that we tend only to recognize or pay attention to the things that are either useful to us or stand in our way. The apple catches our attention because it represents food and sustenance. But we don’t consider the tree and the soil because they are of no use for satisfying our needs.

Of course, we can’t be thinking of everything all the time – the world is far too complex for that, so the mind simplifies things and makes it easier for us to get on with our lives. However, every once in a while, something can happen to shatter our conception of the world and make things seem chaotic.

This is why rule ten is extremely important: use precise language.

How does this help? Well, think of the word “car.” You know what a car is right? It’s a vehicle that gets you from point A to point B. But when this vehicle breaks down halfway between A and B, do you know the precise ways in which a car works? Can you pop the hood and fix this piece of complex machinery?

There’s a good chance that when your car breaks down, you feel primal urges to curse and maybe even kick the car for not being such a simple thing anymore. This is what happens when things get complex and chaotic, so in order to recover, you must reestablish order by clearly and precisely explaining what went wrong.

The same thing needs to happen when your body breaks down and you get sick. There could be any number of problems going on, so you need to tell your doctor the precise symptoms. Does your stomach hurt or is it a fever? Did it begin after you ate something? What was it? By being precise, you can restore order and take steps to start feeling better.

Precise language can make your relationships run more smoothly as well. Does your partner do something that bugs you, like failing to clean up after themselves? The sooner you’re honest and precise with them, the easier life will be.

# 11.  Do not bother children when they are skate-boarding

In George Orwell’s *The Road to Wigan Pier*, the author comes to the conclusion that socialism was attracting defenders in England, not because of sympathy for the harsh conditions facing miners, but out of hatred for the rich and powerful.

Today there are similar attitudes toward the male-dominated leadership known as the patriarchy.

One influential source of this hatred for the patriarchy is Max Horkheimer of the Marxism-based Frankfurt School, a proponent of so called “critical theory”. He felt that education and intellectualism should focus on social change, and, instead of working to empower women, it should seek to combat and destroy the powerful oppressors in a culture – i.e. the ruling males. Likewise, in humanities courses around the world today, the recommended political action is the dismantling of our macho culture.

Everything is about destroying rather than fixing or creating, and according to the author it has left us with an *outrage* directed at male behavior that can tend to be excessively harsh and shortsighted.

For example, many male students are regularly confronted with hostile accusations of being part of the patriarchy – but the path of righteous change shouldn’t involve treating every man as a potential sex offender.

While it’s true that many men have behaved deplorably, the author argues that men have also used their naturally aggressive attitudes for good, like engaging in healthy competition, exploring dangerous areas and making much-needed progress.

It reminds the author of skateboarders. Outside some of the buildings on the University of Toronto campus, there were amazing skateboarders showing off admirable fearlessness and a willingness to embrace danger. But then, city officials decided to prohibit skateboarding on the campus.

Which brings us to rule number 11: don’t bother young people skateboarding.

We can’t establish rules that go against the very nature of who we are as people. Our rules should definitely protect us, but they shouldn’t do so in a way that suppresses the good qualities in people.

We’ve actually seen a fairly good fictionalized account of what can happen when men are stripped of their masculinity. As the story in *Fight Club* shows us, aggression can then become a forbidden fruit that manifests itself in fascist tendencies. Another, real-world reaction to emasculation is the current resurgence of right-wing politics.

The truth is, women don’t want boys to grow up without a chance to learn things for themselves and be independent. He posits that every boy has a mom, and what kind of mom would want to care for a dependent man-child?

# 12.  Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

Have you ever had to care for a sick person? It can be one of life’s more difficult challenges. The author’s daughter has been coping with severe arthritis since she was six years old. She has suffered from constant pain, requiring frequent injections and multiple surgeries for joint replacements.

If you had a daughter in this situation, you might think life is unfair – but it’s important to recognize that the dark bits of pain, suffering and sorrow are what give the good moments their value.

Consider Superman. When this character was first introduced, he was hugely popular. But then, the comic book writers kept giving him power after power until he was virtually invincible. Naturally, readers starting to find him super boring.

If there is no risk of danger, Superman’s victories are hollow. And in the same way, good moments would be meaningless if we didn’t have to fight through difficulties and suffering to reach them.

This is why it’s important to follow rule 12: make the best out of even the smallest joys that life offers.

By following this rule, you’ll be sure to embrace life and appreciate every good thing that comes your way. You’ll also be sure to see yourself through the tough times, even when they’re prolonged.

After years of pain and discomfort, the author’s daughter eventually found a new physiotherapist who helped her find greater mobility, a fair amount of normality and a lot less pain. There may be further complications down the road, but they’re both happy to enjoy the improvements for as long as they last.

This is the best attitude to have; it’s the kind that makes you take your time to stop and pet a cat when you cross one on the sidewalk.

Remember, there is no day without the darkness of night, just as there’s no order without chaos. There is suffering in life, but it’s also what gives meaning to our perseverance and makes the moments of peace so rewarding.",Just Do Not Make Anything Worse
l9ngo0,89 notes on Atomic Habits and a review at the end,"Atomic Habits is the #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 1 million copies already sold. Authored by James Clear and published in 2018.

This book distills so much value into forming new habits and is very practical and to the point when explaining the four laws of behavior change to better understand human behavior.

On a personal level, I've created a new good habit while reading this book being consistent in writing every single day.

I hope you find [these notes](https://medium.com/the-brainwave/atomic-habits-ab0f2dd0b5c5?sk=f336d8581e8fda0bbe9a12c6bba94615) helpful to get disciplined. Thanks!",
1kk87ez,"How ""Thinking, Fast and Slow"" transformed my ADHD productivity struggles (+ the system that finally worked)","After years of failed productivity systems, I finally found one that works with my ADHD brain instead of against it. I want to share how concepts from Kahneman's ""Thinking, Fast and Slow"" helped me understand why previous systems failed and how I built one that sticks.

For those unfamiliar, Kahneman describes two thinking systems:

* **System 1**: Fast, intuitive, automatic
* **System 2**: Slow, deliberate, effortful

My breakthrough came when I realized my ADHD brain strongly favors System 1, making traditional productivity approaches (which require sustained System 2 thinking) feel like swimming upstream.

**The struggle was real:**

* I'd start new systems with enthusiasm (System 2 engaged)
* Inevitably abandon them when the novelty wore off (System 1 taking over)
* Feel shame about another ""failure"" (reinforcing negative patterns)

Kahneman explains this as ""cognitive ease"" - our brains naturally gravitate toward what feels effortless. For ADHD minds, this tendency is amplified.

**My solution: design for System 1 thinking**

After this realization, I researched tools specifically designed to work WITH attention challenges. I found this article about [Todoist ADHD strategies](https://baizaar.tools/todoist-adhd-productivity-hacks/) that perfectly aligned with Kahneman's concepts.

Three features fundamentally changed my approach:

1. **Natural language processing** \- Reduces cognitive load by allowing me to input tasks conversationally (""meeting with Jim Tuesday at 3pm"") rather than through multiple fields and clicks
2. **Visual priority system** \- Appeals to System 1's quick pattern recognition with color-coded priorities that my brain processes instantly
3. **Calendar integration** \- Removes the cognitive switching penalty between planning and scheduling

The psychological principle at work is what Kahneman calls ""reducing cognitive strain."" Rather than fighting my brain's natural tendencies, I'm now leveraging them.

**Results after 4 months:**

* 78% completion rate (up from \~30%)
* Morning anxiety reduced significantly
* Finally finished three projects that had been ""almost done"" for years

Has anyone else applied psychological insights from their reading to solve practical problems? Or found tools that specifically work with your cognitive quirks rather than against them?

",The Future
1lkjkzo,I’m 23 and I want to change my mindset and understand life better — what books changed you?,"Hey everyone,
I’m 23 and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about life, purpose, and who I really want to become. I feel like I need a serious mindset shift — to grow, find direction, and understand myself better.

The thing is, I’ve never been much of a reader. I want that to change. I want to fall in love with reading — but I need something powerful to start with. Something that will not just entertain me, but inspire me to keep going, to become someone, to live better and think deeper.

So I’m asking you:
What books changed your life? What opened your mind or gave you a new perspective when you needed it most?

I’m open to anything — philosophy, psychology, biographies, self-development, even fiction — as long as it hits deep and makes me want to keep reading.

Appreciate any suggestions. I’m ready to start this journey. 🙏",Atomic Habits
jqg2g7,"James Clear's Atomic Habits introduced me to the Marginal Gains Theory, which showed me the key to long-term improvement and growth","I’d been feeling fairly stuck with my personal growth and development until I came across this pretty simple concept called the Marginal Gains Theory. The principle behind this theory is that all successful people consistently strive to make small 1% improvements to whatever they’re working on, every day.

The Marginal Gains Theory can be traced back to the 2003 British Cycling team. New performance director Dave Brailsford wanted to create a championship winning team and began to make 1% improvements from the mechanics of the bike to the diet of the riders to the training schedules. Ultimately, the British Cycling team ended up becoming the most dominant team in the history of the sport.

This is true for anyone who is striving to achieve a degree of success. Small, steady 1% improvements over time will eventually compound and set you apart from the rest of your peers. The same is true for marginal losses which can lead to great failure.

I highly recommend you try out this practice. I explain this further here - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUttbcVanw4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUttbcVanw4)

Once you make steady improvement a habit, I have a strong feeling that you’ll likely be more successful and productive across different areas of your life.",The Change In The Short Term
7car2c,How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big,"*How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams (2013)*

**1. Goals vs. Systems**

This chapter was the highlight of the book for me and can help you in life, business and health. Let’s start with definitions. 

-	A goal is a specific objective that is set to be accomplished in the future. An example of a goal is to lose 10lbs in 2018. Or going to the gym 3-4 times per week. 
-	A system is a daily practice that is general by nature. An example of a system would be to eat healthy everyday. Or being active everyday. 

The problem with goals is that you never feel accomplished until you reach the goal. If you reach the goal, you might feel disappointed because you no longer have a goal and need a new one which you haven’t accomplished yet. If you don’t reach your goal, well you know how that feels. 

The difference between a goal and a system is that a system is more process-oriented rather than future-oriented. You do a little bit everyday and you build a habit. The habit of staying active everyday and expecting the reward of a tasty meal (hopefully it’s healthy too!) afterward makes you feel better on a regular basis. Systems provide a different perspective to help you improve your health, personal life, and professional life in the present moment. 

**2. Every Skill You Acquire Doubles Your Odds of Success**

This was another major point of the book that provided me with an idea that you can combine skills to be better than someone who is advanced in only one skill. The author states that each of the following skills can double your odds of success in business:

-	Public Speaking
-	Psychology
-	Business Writing
-	Accounting
-	Design
-	Conversation
-	Overcoming Shyness
-	Second Language
-	Golf
-	Proper grammar
-	Persuasion
-	Technology
-	Proper Voice Technique

You can increase your marketability by merely being good at more than one skill rather than being extraordinary at only one skill. And these skills are general so that they can be applied to any field. Are you a great musician?  You can connect with your fans more deeply through conversation and technology. Are you a programmer? You can lead a team to build great products if you understand psychology and persuasion. We treat these subjects as things we learn on the job, but consider how studying these skills on your own time will set you apart from someone who isn’t comfortable speaking, writing or designing. You don’t need to be great at it. You just need to connect the skills together.

**3. Health is the foundation**

Life will be easier if you eat well, stay active and get enough sleep. Easier said than done, but it can be done more easily if you understand how your body responds to food, exercise and your sleep schedule. What works for you will be different from what works for somebody else, so it is a process of figuring out what is best for you. This is where the author focuses on knowledge rather than willpower being the key to health. If your diet or your workout plan requires willpower, this can set you up for failure. My willpower tanks at night, but having a system of removing unhealthy foods from my house, having healthy options available, and knowing that certain carbohydrates can cause a greater impact on blood glucose allows me to live healthier. And a healthy lifestyle is connected with higher energy levels.  

**Recommendation:** 

9/10, I haven't followed Scott Adams or the Dilbert comics, but I enjoyed reading the book. There are many interesting anecdotes that I didn’t cover here including his list of failures, climbing the corporate ladder and his affirmation practice that led to surprising results. I think that the book provides a different perspective on how to view the world which can be a great resource for people (like me) who tend to be laser-focused on goals at the detriment of other aspects of their life. I am improving my daily habits of eating healthier, staying active, learning new skills, and spending more time with family.
",Are Worth The Time
izremw,Unshakeable by Tony Robbins - Highly recommended,"Hello everyone, Unshakeable: by Tony Robbins was my read for this week and I’m here to recommend it to you guys.

This book teaches you how to remain unshakable on your journey towards financial independence by presenting facts and principles that the most successful investors use. It’s a great guide on staying the course during market downturns and also has a LOT of great general life advice in it, I highly recommend it!

As per usual I’ve also made a summary of it and you can find it here if you don’t wanna read the whole book: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI5K\_qhqiIU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI5K_qhqiIU) but just read it instead, it’s a short read and a very good and valuable one :)",All The Tony Robbins Books
qtk0ss,11 books that have influenced my career. What are yours?,"Hi there,

After a 20 year career in which I was lucky enough to be promoted 8 times. I’m often asked which books have helped me.

Maybe not an exhaustive list, but these 11 books have impacted me.

**The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey**  
This book is my favorite, both personally and professionally. It has been a guide that has allowed me to make lasting progress over the last 20 years.

**Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck**  
Your mindset is critical to your success. And Carol presents it compellingly.

**Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown**  
Make sure you focus on the essentials. Greg made an impact on me with his book. He got me to change my sleeping habits, and it had a massive difference in my personal and professional life.

**BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company by Jim Collins**  
I have enjoyed all of Jim Collins' books. But this one has a particularity. It takes all the concepts from the previous books and offers a MAP to keep the big picture in mind.

**Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)by Verne Harnish**  
A book that reminds us of Rockefeller's habits in business. It taught me how to put rhythm into operations.

**Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr**  
The famous method used at Google. I discovered the quarterly rhythm in Scaling up and was able to democratize it even more with the OKRs.

**The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded by Michael D. Watkins**  
If you intend to move up in the company, learning how to negotiate your first days in your new position is essential.

**The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More &amp; Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier**  
Everyone talks about coaching but no one simplifies it like Bungay. I've used his method in hundreds of one-to-ones.

**Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing by Mark Levy**  
I have used Mark Levy's creativity techniques in seminars with my teams on several occasions. A practical book.

**Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller**  
A renowned writer describes how to turn your messages into a story. A treasure to improve your communication.

**The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million by Mark Roberge**  
Even if you're not in sales, this book gives you the blueprint of how Mark organized Hubspot's growth from 0 to 100 million.

Which ones have impacted your professional career?  
Thank you.  
[Mr. OTG](https://optionstogrow.com/books-ive-read/)",The Coaching Habit
1l8s3tb,So many of us forget what we read,"A few days ago I posted about forgetting what I read, especially nonfiction. A bunch of people replied saying they had the same problem — some mentioned book clubs, some use journals, and a few even said they ask ChatGPT to quiz them (which is actually really clever).

I thought those were all pretty good ideas, but personally I wouldn’t want to go to the effort and hassle of keeping a separate physical book just to memorise stuff. ChatGPT would be good, but that would always be a one-time thing, and I feel it would do little for retaining knowledge from books over time (especially if you go through books like we all do). Maybe some way to reflect on key parts of the book later, like nudges or deeper questions, without it feeling like homework.

I don’t really know what the answer is — maybe it’s something really simple we’re just not doing. Curious what others think helps things actually stick long-term.",About Ww1
uzk9gf,📝 An Action Guide to Atomic Habits,"I'm probably late to the game but I recently read Atomic Habits and found it a game-changer for my own life! Due to the sheer volume of tips and content covered, I found myself writing a summarised version of each chapter after reading. But I went beyond to include my own tables and exercises based on James's suggestions. And thus the **Action Guide to Atomic Habits** was born. 

I'd like to share it here in the hopes that someone will find it useful in improving their own lives! 

For starters, I recommend selecting one habit – and only one – that you hope to build and focusing on it via the exercises in this guide. The habit I’ve been working on is reading academic journal articles every day. 

The [full post](https://www.gwynethtyt.com) is much longer at 5,000 words (first 10 chapters) and includes tables and more subpoints. But I’ll put a truncated version here in case you'd just like to scroll through briefly:

Would also love to hear from everyone the habits that you've tried to build recently and if you have any tips for other readers!

\+

**CHAPTER 1: THE SURPRISING POWER OF ATOMIC HABITS**

* Small habits compound over time to make big differences - positive or negative.
* If you improve just 1% every day, you will be 37 times better after a year!
* However, we often do not see changes early in the process even though we expect to. This is called the valley of disappointment.

**CHAPTER 2: HOW YOUR HABITS SHAPE YOUR IDENTITY (AND VICE VERSA)**

* Behavioural change should go in this direction: identity -&gt; processes -&gt; outcomes, rather than the other way around.
* True behaviour change is identity change. Your habits reflect your identity. Every time you practice a habit and engage in an action, you are reasserting your identity.
* The two-step process to behavioural change:

1. Decide the type of person you want to be
2. Prove it to yourself with small wins

* You can also start with goals and work backwards - what kind of person would try to achieve those goals?

**Exercise 2.1: Consider your ideal identity, and the goals and actions associated with this identity. Respond to the questions in the headings of the box** (&lt;- can't insert here)

**CHAPTER 3: HOW TO BUILD BETTER HABITS IN 4 STEPS**

* Thorndike’s law: behaviours that produce satisfying consequences tend to be repeated, while behaviours that produce unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated
* All habits follow this pattern: Cue -&gt; Craving -&gt; Response -&gt; Reward (CCRR)
   * Cue: something in the environment that triggers behaviour on our part; a bit of information that predicts a reward
   * Craving: stimulated by the cue; the motivational force behind any habit or action
   * Response: the actual habit you perform; depends on 1) how motivated you are and 2) how much friction is associated with the behaviour
   * Reward: the outcome of performing the response. They 1) satisfy us and 2) teach us what is worth repeating in the future

**Exercise 3.1: Apply this CCRR framework to 1-2 habits you have in your life, preferably related to those you wish to change.**

**CHAPTER 4: THE MAN WHO DIDN’T LOOK RIGHT**

* We don’t need to be aware of a cue for a habit to begin. This  can be a good or bad thing, since we engage in habits unconsciously
* Pointing-and-calling strategy: identify steps in a sequence of events (i.e. habit) and call it out. This makes you mindful of what you are doing and allows you to change it.
* **The habits scorecard – create a list of your daily habits**
   * Once you have a full list, indicate each as a good habit, bad habit, or neutral habit. Ask yourself “does this behaviour support or contradict my desired identity”?
   * There is no need to change anything for now. Just use it to notice how you respond to your environment.  

**Exercise 4.1: Your Daily Habit Scorecard**

*The following table is a modification of James’s habit scorecard.*

**CHAPTER 5: THE BEST WAY TO START A NEW HABIT**

Implementation intentions

* **Implementation intentions:** a plan made beforehand about when and where to act (note: time and location are essential components)
   * Once an implementation intention is set, you don’t have to wait for inspiration to strike
* **Format: I will \[behaviour\] at \[time\] in \[location\]**

Habit stacking

* The Diderot effect: the tendency for one action to lead to a similar one, creating a domino effect
* **The habit stacking formula: After \[current habit\], I will \[new habit\].**
* Habit stacking pairs an old habit with a new habit. You can use this strategy  to add new habits before or after old ones, or insert them somewhere between events.

**Exercise 5.1: Create your own implementation intention**

* I will \[read a journal article\] at \[11am\] in \[the study\] (+)

**Exercise 5.2: Now habit stack by putting your new habit intention with existing habits**

* After I \[brush my teeth\], I will \[read a journal article\] at \[11am\] in \[the study\] (+)
   * After I \[read a journal article\], I will \[open my laptop\]. (=)

[Full post available here.](https://www.gwynethtyt.com)",Atomic Habits
cqkujn,What are some books that have profoundly affected your life?,,About A Real Life Sith
oibjez,Is there a book like Atomic habits but for anxiety?,Something practical and mind blowing like Atomic habits.,How To Stop Worrying And Start Living
mtvox4,Books on becoming more articulate?,"I have great ideas. But where my problem lies, is in expressing them in clarity and to completion (for example, it took me like 3 minutes to figure out how to say that). I wanna get better at compressing my ideas into sentences that’r digestible to whoever i’m talking to. any suggestions?",Articulate About What?
1l2dpgy,Searching for a life changing book,"I have been wanting to read a book so philosophical , simple but also life changing .I couldn't choose one . So fellow reddittors help me out . ",7 Habits Of Highly Effective People
xvezdq,"Just finished reading ""So Good They Can't Ignore You"" by Cal Newport. I am still unsure on how to find things I have to get good at. Am I missing something?","I loved the book, but now I am stuck on what should I do, I have done engineering, programming, Computer science, sports, and many other things. I am still unsure what I should be focusing on and building career capital on. I am aware of the "" Law of Financial Viability"" or “Do what people are willing to pay for, still unsure on how to proceed next. ”Is there a book I should read next to supplement?

TL;DR Finished reading ""So Good They Can't Ignore You"" by Cal Newport and am still unsure about what I should be pursuing to get the top trait that is control and financial freedom. Am I missing something?",Deep Work
wwszk1,17 Best Bits from 'The Psychology of Money' written by Morgan Housel,"**The Psychology of Money** has been one of the best Money-Mindset books I've read in a long time.

To put this into context, I've also read: 

* Rich Dad Poor Dad, 
* Money - Master the Game, 
* Unshakeable, 
* Richest Man in Babylon, 
* Think &amp; Grow Rich,
* The Barefoot Investor

# 17 Best Bits from 'The Psychology of Money' written by Morgan Housel

1. Your personal history regarding money will determine your willingness to take risks and how you perceive opportunities.
2. Every outcome in life is guided by 2 forces, Luck &amp; Risk combined with your individual effort.
3. Don’t ever risk something important to you for something that is lower importance.
4. A small base of good returns can compound over time into extraordinary results.
5. Have a Survival Mindset. No returns are worth risking getting wiped out.
6. You can be wrong half the time and still make a fortune. Don’t underestimate how normal it is for most things to fail.
7. The highest form of wealth is waking up each morning and saying “I can do whatever I want today”. Money’s greatest intrinsic value is it’s ability to give you control over your time.
8. Respect &amp; Admiration come from Humility, Kindness &amp; Empathy, not from having expensive things.
9. Real Wealth is Unseen. It’s the Assets &amp; Savings that hasn’t yet converted into things you can see.
10. There are many things we can’t control, but we can control our personal savings rate.
11. Don’t expect to be rational when it comes to money. Your focus should be to minimize future regret
12. Plan for surprises because the world is surprising
13. The first rule of Compounding is do not interrupt it unnecessarily.
14. Everything we strive for comes with a price. Creating wealth through investing comes with the price of handling declines, fear doubt, regret and volatility. Realize the price you need to pay for what you want and pay it.
15. Don’t take advice from people who are playing a wealth creation game with different timelines and playing by different rules. Day traders and Long Term Investors play by a different set of rules.
16. Improvements take time, but setbacks can happen overnight. Progress is sometimes hard to see, but setbacks stand out in our memory. Remain optimistic that the odds will fall in your favour over time, despite occasional setbacks.
17. Don’t strive for Riches. Strive for Independence, which means you only do work you enjoy with people you enjoy.

I love putting these types of lists together because it's part of my 'spaced repetition', optimised learning protocol.

A great book is worth re-reading, but my time is limited, so I take the summary of my notes, and I summarise it further (like this). I hope it gives you some value.",About Money
p0auld,The discipline of reading. What if your next book was the trigger for a major life-changing decision?," 

Hi there,

I recently read an article that explained the impact of the book **“Nonviolent Communication**” by Marshall B. Rosenberg in the transformation of Microsoft.

I don't know Microsoft from the inside, but I know the book. I read it many years ago. And that does not surprise me.

It's an excellent book that helps to develop your emotional intelligence.

What I like about this story. It's the power of books and the role they can play in our lives.

I can't count the number of times this has been the case in my life.

* **The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People** by Stephen Covey. A framework for approaching my life in the proper way
* **Use Your Head** by Tony Buzan: I discovered Mind Mapping, a tool I use daily to clarify my thinking
* **The Simple Path to Wealth** by J. Collins helped me achieve financial independence
* **Awaken the Giant Within** by Tony Robbins: Created ambitious plans for my future.
* **ChiRunning** by Danny Dreyer: has transformed the way I run. I have run several marathons and even a 100 km thanks to this running philosophy.
* **Think Again**: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant. To get out of binary thinking.
* **Getting Things Done** by David Allen: Give me a structure to Improve my productivity
* **The Life‑Changing Magic of Tidying Up** by Marie Kondo : to adopt a more minimalist life. I think twice before buying a new object.

And I could go on like this for a long time. Books have radically changed my life.

Alone, comfortably installed in my armchair, I can choose a person who inspires me. I can read their life story and take out what interests me the most.

What if your next book was the trigger for a major life-changing decision?  
[Mr.OTG](https://optionstogrow.com/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-how-it-has-transformed-my-life-and-why-it-can-change-yours/ow%20it%20has%20transformed%20my%20life,%20and%20why%20it%20can%20change%20yours.)",Can'T Hurt Me
qayejw,Atomic Habits By James Clear. What did you think of the bestseller? Key takeaways below.,"[Atomic Habits By James Clear](https://bulletpointreading.com/2021/10/18/atomic-habits-by-james-clear/)

• Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.

• The road less traveled is the road of delayed gratification. If you’re willing to wait for the rewards, you’ll face less competition and often get a bigger payoff. As the saying goes, the last mile is always the least crowded.


• When you can’t win by being better, you can win by being different.

• Your actions reveal how badly you want something. If you keep saying something is a priority but you never act on it, then you don’t really want it. It’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your actions reveal your true motivations.

• “Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more.” -Seneca",A Few Similar Book As But
9icnb3,[BookSummary] How To Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren (10 minute read),"**Book title/author/year:** How To Read A Book / Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren / 1972

**Summary:**

0\. Intro

The authors define four stages of reading (1-4 below). And give a guide on how to ideally practice these stages. All this advice is mostly applicable to non-fiction. In general the authors see the goal of reading (as taught here) in gaining understanding/knowledge and not information.

&amp;nbsp;

1\. Elementary Reading

The first stage of reading: ""What does this sentence say?""  
The authors define four sub-stages, but in the end aren't interested in teaching at this stage, as you should already have attained some skill here and getting better would fall into the domain of speed-reading, with which this book isn't concerned.

&amp;nbsp;

2\. Inspectional Reading

""What is the book about as a whole?"" (Theme) ""What is being said in detail and how?"" (Main ideas, assertions, arguments)

Answer these questions and find out whether you want (/need) to read the book more thoroughly.

2\.A. Skimming

The first way to do inspectional reading: It should take no more than an hour.
Take a look at the title, preface, table of contents, index, publisher's blurp (back of the book), pivotal chapters (&amp; eventual chapter summaries at beginning/end of chapters) and dip in here or there (not reading more than a few pages, especially read the last few pages).

2\.B. Superficial Reading

Read a difficult book through to the end without stopping to look up difficult words or thinking through all the concepts.
Now you understand part of the book, which might be enough or help in a second reading.

&amp;nbsp;

3\. Analytical Reading

""What does the book say?""

Not all books deserve to be read in this manner and the rules the author describes are a proposed ideal:

*Identifying the structure*  
1\. Know the type/category of book you are reading. (Quickly done, e.g. by reading the title)  
2\. State the unity of the book in brevity. (""What does the book say?"")  
3\. What parts make up the unity. Not just chapters, but their parts, etc. (Be as thorough as the book deserves)  
4\. Find out what the authors problems were. (""What questions does the author ask? (Sometimes stated by the author)"", ""What answers does the author provide?"", a bit like 2&amp;3)  
5\. Come to terms with the author. (Find important words, then find their meanings)
Words that trouble you are important, technical vocabulary often is; Deduce meaning by context.  
*Interpreting the contents*  
6\. Grasp the author's leading propositions by marking the most important sentences. (Analogous to 5, important sentences are the ones you read  slowly. These shouldn’t be information-heavy, but knowledge-heavy) [Test your understanding by stating them in your own words or giving an example]  
7\. Locate/construct the basic arguments by finding them in the connection of sentences. (Take note of every step made in the argument; Are steps missing/omitted?)  
8\. Find out which problems the author solved and which he (admittedly?) failed to solve. (ties together 2-5)  
*Before Criticizing*  
9\. You must be able to say with reasonable certainty ""I understand"", before you can say ""I agree"", ""I disagree"" or ""I suspend judgement""  
10\. When you disagree, don't do it disputatiously or contentiously  
11\. Give reasons for your critical judgement  
*Criticism*  
12\. Show wherein the author is uninformed. (The author lacks some piece of knowledge)  
13\. Show wherein the author is misinformed. (The author asserts something which is not the case)  
14\. Show wherein the author is illogical. (The author has committed a fallacy in reasoning.)  
15\. Show wherein the author's analysis or account is incomplete. (The author has not solved all the problems he started with.)  

Failing all of 12-14 means you cannot disagree.  

&amp;nbsp;

When failing analytical reading you can use external help:

*Other books* can give context: read chronologically; importance of other books per genre: philosophy  &gt; history &gt; fiction = other sciences.  
*Summaries/Abstracts/Commentaries* should be read only after finishing the book: Might be wrong/incomplete; Can help in Syntopical Reading (see below); can remind you of read books (especially your own summaries!)  
*Dictionaries* can help with missing vocabulary. ""A dictionary is about words, not things.""  
*Encyclopedias* can settle disputes of fact. ""An encyclopedia is about the order and arrangement of knowledge, but not knowledge itself.""  

&amp;nbsp;

*Feel free to skip 3.X. if you're not interested in tips for that specific genre.*

&amp;nbsp;

3\.A. Analytically reading Practical Books

Practical books (typically economics, politics, morals) are about stuff you can do better.

Identifying an author's problems becomes the dominant rule:
What are his goals? Which did he solve and which didn't he? How does he want you to accomplish the goals?

Practical books give general rules (e.g. ""X leads to Y"" or ""Do X"")  and may contain the reasons behind them. Sometimes you need to read between the lines to find rules.  
If a goal of the author is one you share and a rule (in your eyes) leads you to that goal then you have to follow the rule, because:  
**Agreement with a practical book implies action.**  
*Except the goal is selective (does not apply to everyone). If it doesn't apply to you (it most likely does, you may just be denying it) no action is required.*

&amp;nbsp;

3\.B. Analytically reading Imaginative Literature

Instead of knowledge these works convey experience. It's an end in itself.  
Don't look for terms, prepositions, arguments, because what it states can't be found in its words.  
Since the rules differ greatly to the ones defined above, here's a quick guide:  

1. Classify the work (e.g.: Lyric = one emotional experience or Play = complicated plots involving multiple characters)
2. Grasp the unity in a sentence or two (Unity = Plot)
3. Discover the parts and how they work together (the Temporal Scheme)
4. Become acquainted with the world, characters and actions
5. Become at home in that world
6. Follow the characters in their adventure

*Stories* should optimally be read in one sitting for full immersion.  
*Epics* are the hardest to write and not easy to read, but there's great reward in reading them. Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Milton along with the Bible should be in any serious reading program.   
*Plays* should be read like stories. By reading you lacks physical aspect, so try directing it in your mind. Read troubling passages out loud.  
While most *Tragedies* are not worth reading, there are great exceptions: the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the plays of Shakespeare, Moliere's comedies. These contain men's greatest insights.  
Reading *Lyric Poetry* isn't as difficult as you'd expect and it's worth the effort. Read without stopping, then read again, but out loud. Don't come to terms, but discover key words: Why do words pop out? (Rhythm, Rhyme, Repetition) Great poems deserve to be revisited over time.

&amp;nbsp;

3\.C. Analytically reading History

Biographies also fall into this category.  
Remember that history is closer to fiction than science, because the historian has to fill the gaps.
You need to read more than one history of an event to get at the truth, which might not be necessary for us, only for a professional historian.
Historical books often lead to real changes/action (e.g. political), and can thus influence the present.
Thus: Read more than one history, if you can and read not only to learn what happened, but also what happens generally, especially now.

For reading about current events (e.g. news) know the reporter (he or his sources may have an interest in you understanding it in a certain way)

1. What does he want to prove?
2. Whom does he want to convince?
3. What special knowledge does he assume?
4. What special language does he use?
5. Does he really know what he's talking about?

&amp;nbsp;

3\.D. Analytically reading Science and Mathematics

The authors recommend reading the great classics to become more knowledgeable not in the science itself, but to understand its history and philosophy. In general, as a layperson, you read science to become aware of the problems the scientists are trying to solve. So, it's not necessary to read it from beginning to end, but a skimming might suffice. If there's mathematics in a book often no understanding of it is needed.

&amp;nbsp;

3\.E. Analytically reading Philosophy

The philosophical questions can be answered only with thought, so look out when a philosopher mistakenly takes on a scientific problem.
Don't read summaries about philosophers (or their ideas). Sometimes it takes many readings and years to grasp philosophy. There is utility in reading other philosophers about the same topic.
Find and pay attention to the principles.

&amp;nbsp;

3\.F. Analytically reading Social Science

Social science (here) is anthropology, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, law education, business, social service, public administration.  
Reading Social Science might seem easy, but these points are simultaneously pitfalls:  

&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Familiar terms **vs** Terms might be confusing (If writer is confused about terms, so will you be)  
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We have strong opinions about the topics/issues **vs** You have to leave your opinions out of the reading  
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Type of book is familiar (fiction, history, etc) **vs** What type is this specific book?

Because there are no authoritative works on the social science topics, the authors recommend *Syntopical Reading*.

&amp;nbsp;

4\. Syntopical Reading

In Syntopical Reading you read many books about a topic and construct an analysis that may not be in any of the books to answer ""What is this topic?""

1. Read many books (inspectionally) that you think might be on the topic to refine the topic and to decide whether the book is relevant.
2. Identify the relevant parts of the book (not the whole book is about your topic). This can be done together with 1 once the topic is refined enough. (In an example they state to have identified 450 relevant works for the topic of ""progress"")
3. Bring the authors to terms: Establish terms yourself and bring the authors to them.
4. Define questions that each author answers(explicitly or maybe implicitly). Order of questions might be if the subject exists, how it exists and what follows from that.
5. Define the issues: Where do the authors differ in answers?
6. Analysing the discussion: Point out how and why the answers differ. This may prepare for further productive work.

Because the aim is an objective report (""What is this topic?""), not one more opinion (""What do I think of this topic?"") you should refer back to texts to stay objective.

Where to start?
The Syntopicon (1940s) indexes many books under different topics without saying how they should be interpreted. May get you interested in the rest of the book. May reference a passage under different topics: Multiple interpretations. 

&amp;nbsp;

5\. Closing remarks

Taking notes helps in going through these stages and you can more easily remember your answers to the questions you're asking yourself. The authors propose the system of Addendum A and making a habit out of using it.  

Remember that your reading needs to be challenged to improve.

\&gt;99% of books don't make demands and are thus only good for information/amusement.  
0.01~0.1% are good books, worth reading analytically - once: It stretches your mind and increases your understanding, but future readings won't reward you.  
&lt;100 books can be read analytically multiple times.  
After reading you might suspect there's more. On returning you may find there wasn't more: you've outgrown the book (category two). Alternatively there is yet new things to learn, the book has grown with you (category three).

There's also a recommended reading list you can find [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_a_Book#Reading_list_\(1972_edition\)).

&amp;nbsp;

A\. Note taking system

Where? | What for?
---|---
Underlining | Major points 
 | Important or forceful statements
Vertical lines at the margin | Emphasize a statement already underlined
 | point to a passage too long to be underlined
Star, asterisk, other doodad at the margin (Use sparingly) | 10-12 most important statements/passages in the book
Numbers in the margin | Sequence of points in developing an argument
Numbers of other pages (even of other books) in the margin | Reference same points
  | Reference relevant points to or in contradiction
Circling words/phrases  | Same as underlining
Writing in the margin/top/bottom of the page  | Record questions (and perhaps answers)
Writing on the endpapers  | personal index of the author's points in order of appearance
Writing on the table of contents (while reading inspectionally)  | Answer questions about structure:
  | What kind of book is it?
  | What is it about as a whole?
  | What is the structural order of the work whereby the author develops his conception or understanding of that general subject matter?
Writing on a separate sheet of paper (while reading syntopically)  | notes about the shape of the discussion

&amp;nbsp;

**Actionable points:**

* To improve reading speed: Place a finger on what you want to read. Move it along the text faster than you normally read. Keep up.
* Take notes while reading (Refer to the table in Addendum A of the summary for some guidelines)
* Check out some of the [authors' recommended reading](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_a_Book#Reading_list_\(1972_edition\))

&amp;nbsp;

**Recommendation:**  
Like I said above: ""*Summaries/Abstracts/Commentaries* should be read only after finishing the book: Might be wrong/incomplete"" ;)  
The book is a light read and it gives some more background. It, for example, goes into a bit of detail for the Elementary Reading and explains why learning to read is harder than learning to ski. It also has some really nice quotable passages like ""Great speed in reading is a dubious achievement; it is of value only if what you have to read is not really worth reading.""

&amp;nbsp;

**Discussion:**  
Since I do agree with the author and share the goal of reading better I will (/do) have to act according to the rules proposed. While I did not explicitly ask and (try to) answer the questions this time around, I did use some form of note taking for this book: I (digitally) highlighted passages, sentences and words I felt were important to reconstruct the arguments of the book. I then uploaded screenshots of each highlight into OneNote and summarized each chapter individually. Finally, I composed this full summary out of all the chapter summaries.

What do you guys think about doing the proposed process digitally? Highlighting is of course really easy, but writing stuff in the margins seems more difficult. My reading app allows to write notes, but only attached to a highlight. Maybe I should just switch to OneNote and write my notes/thoughts there?

There's also a [recent thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/comments/9hfvgr/how_do_you_read_your_books_to_make_the_better_out/) that discusses note taking and some people also write (digital) summaries and some make mindmaps.

If you want me to clarify anything, or want more in-depth info on any of the points do let me know!

PS: This book was read in this sub 2 years ago. The threads can be found [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/wiki/how_to_read_a_book_discussion). Sadly I did not know of this sub back then, so that's why I'm here now.",Active Reading
ii9o6r,Sapiens: A brief history of humankind – Yuval Noah Harari (Book review)," **Definitions**

* Humans = Everyone from the genu ”homo”
* Sapiens = Homo sapiens (Our species)
* Species = Similar living organisms that can reproduce with each other.  

   * Every two species that have a common ancestor were at one point two populations of the same species.

The book in a nutshell:

Why are humans so powerful?

**Cognitive revolution:**

* We could communicate more information about the surrounding world  

   * This allowed better planning and complex actions
* We could gossip  

   * Up to 150 people could cooperate
* We invented fiction (Religion etc.)  

   * Cooperation between EVEN more than 150 people!
   * Rapid behavior change! (Independent of our genes)

**Agricultural revolution:**

* We started producing our food for ourselves, so we had more food per area and then we multiplied
* We also started writing and using money

**Scientific revolution:**

* We admitted ignorance and started using the scientific method.
* Capitalism created growth
* We started believing in progress!

Overall timeline

* 13.5 billion years ago: Big bang
* 4.5 billion years ago: Planet earth
* 3.8 billion years ago: First organisms
* 5-7 million years ago: First human ancestor evolved from the apes
* 2 million years ago: Humans traveled through continents and evolved into different species  

   * Homo sapiens evolved from the ones (Homo erectus among others) that had traveled to East Africa
* 300.000 years ago: We started using fire daily
* 150.000 years ago: Homo sapiens date back to this date at least
* 70.000 years ago: ***Cognitive revolution***
* 12.000 years ago: ***Agricultural revolution***
* 10.000 years ago: Now homo sapiens are the only type of humans left.
* 500 years ago: ***Scientific revolution***

How the past shaped us

* The agricultural revolution and everything from there on is the blink of an eye, compared to our years of hunting and gathering. So our bodies aren’t optimized for our modern environment  

   * That’s why we binge on sweets and greasy food.
* Foragers needed more skills and knowledge about the natural world than we do today  

   * Today we only need specialized knowledge about our work, while relying on others for everything else
* We rose quickly to the top of the food chain compared to other species.  

   * This is the reason that we are still filled with fears and anxieties because we used to be in the middle of the food chain.

Cognitive revolution

* Accomplishments from 70,000 to 30.000 years ago:  

   * Boats
   * Clothing
   * We traveled to Australia
   * We made the first known art.
* Living conditions:  

   * Most sapiens lived on the road
   * They ate a more varied diet and were less likely to suffer from malnutrition.
* It’s believed they were animists  

   * So they believed that all objects have feelings, desires, awareness and could be communicated with.
* Humans jumped to the top of the food chain:  

   * We have walked on two legs, used tools, had complex thinking and complex social structures for millions for years  

      * Still… It’s only in the last 100.000 years that we jumped to the top of the food chain
   * The proposed reasons we jumped to the top of the food chain:  

      * We could communicate more information about the surrounding world
      * We could gossip
      * We invented fiction

The agricultural revolution

* We started producing food for ourselves
* This required settling down to one place  

   * We significantly altered the places to suit our needs.
   * We treated animals in cruel ways
   * Luxuries (food) become necessities and often produce new responsibilities
   * We started worrying about the future because we somewhat had control over it and it affected the production of food.
   * People worked more but got a worse, less varied diet.
* Since more food was available per area, humans multiplied exponentially.  

   * Thereby, increasing our evolutionary success, because we get more copies of our DNA.
* Money  

   * The first kind of money (barley) was used 5000 years ago
   * Money is the most efficient and most universal system of mutual trust

The scientific revolution

* It’s only in the last 500 years, that there has been a connection between science, technology, and war.
* Before the scientific revolution, most people didn’t believe in progress
* We started working according to clocks in the industrial revolution, because we only produced parts of products, and thereby were dependent on other people showing up.
* Families and local communities used to be the norm but were now replaced with the state and the market.  

   * You used to be as good as dead if you left your family and local community
* We became individuals:  

   * Choosing who we marry (Instead of our parents influencing us)
   * Choosing our job (Instead of working in the family business)
   * Choosing where to live (Even if we can’t visit our family weekly)

Why did the Europeans rule the world when we weren’t more advanced technologically?

1. Modern science.

* Three Characteristics:

1. Admitting we don’t know (ANKI)
2. Focus on observations and mathematical models
3. Possibility of new technology

* When the British conquered other countries they brought scientists with them  

   * When they conquered India they examined ruins that Indians had ignored and discovered the first Indian civilizations.
* Science is often financed with political, economical or religious agendas

1. Capitalism

* Economic history = Growth
* We achieved growth by creating credit (Loaning from the future)  

   * The reason we haven’t done this before is that, before the scientific revolution, people didn’t believe in progress.
   * Capitalism works when profits are reinvested in production
* Should markets be completely free?
* Slaves were sold to make sugar for Europeans because it made sense from the perspective of supply &amp; demand.  

   * Ethical considerations should also be made
   * Profits should be gained in a fair way

Advancements in the scientific revolution

* Good things about our advancements:  

   * In the nineteenth century, hospitals were still cutting off soldiers’ arms and legs (without anesthetics), because we didn’t know about antibiotics and sterilization methods.
   * All production used to come from the muscles of humans and animals.  

      * Then came the steam engine, electricity, etc.
      * In the seventeenth hundred England, 1/3 of children die before age 15, while today it’s only 7 out of 1000.
   * Things have gotten more peaceful  

      * In 2000 only 1.5% died because of war and violent crimes.
      * Reasons that we have less war:
* Bad things about our advancements:  

   * Bad for all animals
   * Bad for the living environment we can live in.
* Today supply has outpaced demand  

   * So what should buy all this stuff?  

      * Consumerism is born

Other topics from the book:Happiness

* It’s not an evolutionary advantage to be happy all the time. Happiness needs to fade, so we are motivated to pursue new things.
* We tend to stabilize at some happiness level, which is different for everyone.
* What makes us happy?  

   * Money helps up to a certain point
   * Family and community is important
   * Illness doesn’t affect long-term satisfaction  

      * Unless:
* Happiness depends on our expectations  

   * This is why mass media and advertising can destroy our happiness
* Different perspectives  

   * We only experience happiness because of chemicals in our body
   * We experience happiness if our life seems meaningful and worthwhile.
   * According to Buddhism our happiness neither depends on external events nor internal feelings

Meaning of life

* From a scientific view, no meaning seems to exist for humans  

   * The planet could go on existing without us.

Humans are moving towards unity / Globalization

* From a birds-eyes-view, humans have moved towards bigger and more complex civilizations  

   * 12.000 years ago we had thousands of disconnected human worlds that didn’t know about each other
   * 500 years ago we had just 5 disconnected worlds, where one of them contained 90%
   * Now all previously disconnected human worlds are influenced by each other. No original/authentic culture exists
* Factors that facilitated the movement towards unity  

   * Money  

      * Reciprocity didn’t work with strangers, who would never return the favor.
      * Trading was inconvenient
      * The soviet union tried gathering and distributing according to everyone’s needs
   * Empires  

      * We are all shaped a lot by the roman empire, Arab caliphate, and the European empires
      * In the 19th century the British empire covered more than half of the globe, and spread European ideas and norms, like:

Religion:

* Most religions started as animism  

   * Believing all object have awareness and desires
* Then things turned towards polytheism  

   * Because if there only was a single god, he wouldn’t have desires and biases
   * But often they still had some kind of universal creator
* The first monotheist religions started around 350 BC.  

   * Before this, there were also beliefs about an all-encompassing faith/atman, but now god also had biases and desires.
   * Monotheistic religions were more missionary
   * Doesn’t make sense why evil exists, if an all-encompassing loving God created everything.
* Dualist religions  

   * Believe in the battle between good &amp; evil.
   * Are better at explaining why evil exists
   * Doesn’t explain the common laws between the fight of the good and the evil.
* Other religions like Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, cynicism, and stoicism believed in natural laws, rather than divine will.  

   * According to these religions: If gods exist, they are also governed by the same laws.
   * Buddhism believes the cause of suffering is craving, which is a product of the mind. Wanting bad things to go away and wanting more of the good things.
* The book also sees communism, liberalism, nationalism, Nazism, etc. as religions  

   * 3 types of humanists

1. Liberal humanists: Every individual is sacred and should have freedom
2. Socialist humanists: The collective is sacred, so we should have inequality
3. Evolutionary/Nazi humanists: We should help those races with good genes while getting rid of the rest.

How homo sapiens are different

* Most other species have close relatives
* Multiple species of humans existed before us, and many at the same time, but the last one died 10.000 years ago.  

   * Our closest ancestor now is the chimpanzees
   * Two theories of why the other human species went extinct
   * The interbreeding theory: We mated and mixed with the other species  

      * There is some proof of this. Europeans DNA is 1-4% the same as Neanderthal DNA.
      * The replacement theory: We killed all other species
      * Most likely it is a mix of both
   * Humans are born prematurely compared to other species  

      * Therefore, there is more time to educate and socialize the children
      * Tribes are needed for help because women can’t take care of these prematurely born children.
* The most unique thing about our language is that we can talk about things that don’t exist  

   * Examples of things that only exists in our collective imagination:  

      * Religion, gods, nations, laws, justice, human rights, money, companies.
   * Three things that maintain these fictions

1. They are manifested in the physical world
2. They shape our desires

* “Follow your heart” was implanted in our minds with romantic myths in the nineteenth century
* Romantic ideas of having as big a variety of experiences as possible
* Holidays  

   * Egyptians build pyramids, but would never travel
   * Consumerism

1. They exist across almost all peoples minds

* Why is fiction so powerful?:  

   * Biology sets the foundation, while fiction allows us to play more complex games.  

      * We can change behavior based on fiction (nations, laws), while most animals can only change based on genetic alterations and environmental changes.
   * But they allow extremely flexible cooperation  

      * Individuals in other species can only cooperate with a few trusted others or their relatives.
      * When looking at individuals one by one, we are not that different from chimpanzees, but the way we can cooperate and build on top of each other is what makes us powerful.
      * No other species engage in trade
* We write
* We first began writing about 5000 years ago  

   * The first writing was for record-keeping (taxes)
   * Writing changed our thinking
* Homo sapiens destroy/change the environment more than any other animal.
* No other species cares about the rest of the species
* We probably only care because of the recent globalization/movement towards unity
* All other animals have a “us and them” mentality
* The things that are considered masculine and feminine varies across time and cultures.

The end of sapiens

* We can change the course of nature with intelligent design (Biological engineering)
* Since we are motivated by saving lives, and science helps us in this pursuit, we are likely to move towards of world of superhumans

That was it...

You could also have read this summary on my [blog](https://learnfromnotes.com/index.php/2020/07/24/sapiens-a-brief-history-of-humankind-yuval-noah-harari-book-review/). (In the future I will have more blog posts)

Please tell me what you think about this bullet-list type of summary :)",Has A Big Impact On Me A Lot Recently
niqowz,How I was able to read 52 books a year for the last 8 years in a row,"I won't make you click the link but I'll just tell you straight up: the best thing you can do (or, one of the best) to read 52 books in a year is to schedule your reading every day so that you don't miss it, and then schedule everything else AROUND it. I do that with my workouts, too. Basically anything that I NEED to make a part of my day.

I made a [5-minute YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKsbMAGPEmE) about this, and it has some other tips in there too for reading 52 books a year.

I'll be near the computer all day so ask away if you have any more questions about this. Last year I read 179 books (front to back, with accompanying notes), so I know a thing or two about a thing or two.

Let me know! Always glad to be helpful. Likes and comments on the video help get it shown to more people on YouTube, so if you think it's helpful, pass it on!

All the best,

[Matt Karamazov](https://www.mattkaramazov.com/reading-list/)",A Similar Amount
1fcrk4o,What books made you who you are?,"I'm looking for books that have deep insights. books that helped you become proficient in valuable areas, such as career, relationship, investment, health, and other aspects of life",For Young Adults And All Adults
1011s2a,Business and Self-Development Books NOT Overhyped and Overexposed on any Best Seller List,"## Not sure what to read in 2023? Here's an interesting list I'd like to share. I am not affiliated with the creator.

&amp;#x200B;

""*If your entire worldview is only shaped by curated best-seller lists that every media conglomerate recommends, you’re not getting a diverse viewpoint. More importantly, you’re not receiving a broad spectrum of intelligence or information—you’re quarantined in what is deemed acceptable reading material.*

*My “ask” went out to over 10,000 entrepreneurs and individuals interested in success, happiness, and motivation. I received 1000+ responses, and after excluding the overexposed best-sellers and the blockbusters, I compiled the answers.*

*If a book recommendation made a big best-seller list, you won’t find it here.*

*If a book recommendation had 10,000+ reviews and was only released in the last few years, you won’t find it here.*

*If a book is by a uber-famous author or media personality, you won’t find it here.*

*If a book enjoyed $1000s in free publicity, you won’t find it here.""*

&amp;#x200B;

Extracted list:

**The Road Less Stupid**

* Avoiding the Dumb Mistakes that Sabotage Growth, Profits, and Business Success - by Keith Cunningham

**The Zigzag Principle**

* The Goal Setting Strategy that will Revolutionize Your Business and Your Life - by Rich Christiansen

**Ask for It**

* How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want - by Linda Babcock

**With Winning in Mind**

* The Mental Managment System - by Lanny Bassham

**Work the System** (4th Ed)

* The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less - by Sam Carpenter

**See, Solve, Scale**

* How Anyone Can Turn an Unsolved Problem into a Breakthrough Success - by Danny Warshay

**You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar**

* The Sandler Sales Institute’s 7-Step

**The System Club Letters**

* 57 Big Ideas to Transform Your Business and Your Life - by Ken McCarthy

**A The Like Switch**

* An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over - by Jack Shafer, PhD

**How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World**

* A Handbook for Personal Liberty - by Harry Browne

**Someday is Today**

* 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life - by Matthew Dicks

**The Alter Ego Effect**

* The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life - by Todd Herman

**Winning through Intimidation**

* How to Be the Victor, Not the Victim - By Robert Ringer

**Hard Times Create Strong Men**

* Why the World Craves Leadership and How You Can Step Up to Fill the Need - by Stefan Aarnio

**Mate**

* Become the Man Women Want - by Tucker Max, Geoffrey Miller, PhD

**Little Black Book for Stunning Success** \+ Tools for Action Mastery - by Robin Sharma

**Third Circle Theory**

* Purpose Through Observation - by Pejman Ghadimi

**Make No Small Plans**

* Lessons on Thinking Big, Chasing Dreams, and Building Community

**Personality Isn’t Permanent**

* Break Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story - by Benjamin Hardy

**How to Get Lucky**

* 13 techniques for discovering and taking advantage of life’s good breaks - by Gunther Max

**Hell Yeah or No**

* What’s Worth Doing - by Derek Sivers

**Good Profit**

* How Creating Value for Others Built One of the World’s Most Successful Companies - by Charles Koch

**12 Months to $1 Million**

* How to Pick a Winning Product, Build a Real Business, and Become a Seven-Figure Entrepreneur - by Ryan Moran

**Refuse to Choose!**

* Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams - by Barbara Sher

**Start Small, Stay Small**

* A Developer’s Guide to Launching a Startup - by Rob Walling

**Obviously Awesome**

* How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It - by April Dunford

**Street Smarts**

* An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs - by Norm Brodsky

**The Inside Track**

* An Inspirational Guide to Conquering Adversity - by Peter Sage

**Halftime**

* Moving from Success to Significance - by Bob Buford

**The Perfect Week Formula**

* Build Your Business Around Your Life, Not Your Life Around Your Business - by Craig Ballantyne

**Dynamic Digital Marketing**

* Master the World of Online and Social Media Marketing to Grow Your Business - by Dawn McGruer

**I Forgot to Die** by Khalil Rafati

**The Way of the Intelligent Rebel**

* Succeed Outside the System, Teach Yourself Anything, and Achieve Ultimate Freedom - by Olivier Roland

**The Wealth of Connection**

* A New Approach to Making Business Personal - by Vincent Pugliese

**Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got**

* 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition - by Jay Abraham

**The Path to Wealth**

* Seven Spiritual Steps for Financial Abundance - by May McCarthy

**If You Can’t Wholesale After This: I’ve Got Nothing** \* by Todd M Fleming

**Live Life Aggressively!**

* What Self Help Gurus Should Be Telling You - by Mike Mahler

**Finding Your Own North Star**

* Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live - by Martha Beck

**The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class** \* by Keith Cameron Smith

**Business Brilliant**

* Surprising Lessons from the Greatest Self-Made Business Icons - by Lewis Schiff

**Never Be Sick Again**

* Health Is a Choice, Learn How to Choose It - by Raymond Francis

**The Mom Test**

* How to Talk to Customers &amp; Learn if Your Business is a Good Idea when Everyone is Lying to You - by Rob Fitzpatrick

**The Worry Trick**

* How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It - by David A Carbonell, PhD

**The Inside-Out Revolution**

* The Only Thing You Need to Know to Change Your Life Forever - by Michael Neill

**Fascinate**

* How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist - by Sally Hogshead

**33 Myths of the System** \* by Darren Allen

**Peaks and Valleys**

* Making Good And Bad Times Work For You... At Work And In Life - by Spencer Johnson, MD

**The Soul of Money**

* Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life - by Lynne Twist

**Procrastinate on Purpose**

* 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time - by Rory Vaden

**Dying for a Paycheck**

* How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance, and What We Can Do About It - by Jeffrey Pfeffer

**177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class**

* The Thought Processes, Habits and Philosophies of the Great Ones - by Steve Siebold

**Neuro Web Design**

* What Makes Them Click? - by Susan Weinschenk

**The Bottleneck Rules**

* How to Get More Done (When Working Harder Isn’t Working) - by Clark Ching

**Dropping Ashes on the Buddha**

* The Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn - by Seung Sahn

**Ecommerce Evolved**

* The Essential Playbook To Build, Grow &amp; Scale A Successful Ecommerce Business - by Tanner Larsson

**One Plus One Equals Three**

* A Masterclass in Creative Thinking - by Dave Trott

**The Drummer and the Great Mountain**

* A Guidebook to Transforming Adult ADD/ADHD - by Michael Joseph Ferguson

**The Millionaire Fastlane**

* Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime - by MJ DeMarco

**Overdeliver**

* Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing - by Brian Kurtz

**Outrageous Openness**

* Letting the Divine Take the Lead - by Tosha Silver

**Prosperity Consciousness**

* Leading Yourself to Money with Conscious Awareness - by Chutisa Bowman

**Bionomics**

* Economy as Ecosystem - by Michael Rothschild

**Think Like a Breadwinner**

* A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More (and Worry Less) - by Jennifer Barrett

**Thou Shall Prosper**

* Ten Commandments for Making Money - by Rabbi Daniel Lapin

**The Brain Audit**

* Why Customers Buy (And Why They Don't) - by Sean D'Souza

**Decisions**

* Making the Right Ones, Righting the Wrong Ones - by Jim Treliving

**Thick Face, Black Heart**

* The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life - by Chin-Ning Chu

**Existential Kink:**

* Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power - by Carolyn Elliot, PhD

**Microadventures**

* Local Discoveries for Great Escapes - by Alastair Humphreys

**Storyworthy:**

* Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling - by Matthew Dicks

**Bluefishing**

* The Art of Making Things Happen - by Steve Sims

**Running on Empty**

* Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect - by Jonice Webb, PhD

**Never Too Late to Startup**

* How Mid-Life Entrepreneurs Create Wealth, Freedom, &amp; Purpose - by Rob Kornblum

**Zero to Sold**

* How to Start, Run, and Sell a Bootstrapped Business - by Arvid Kahl

**Find Your Red Thread:**

* Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible - by Tamsen Webster

**Covert Persuasion**

* Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game - by Hogan, Speakman

**The Automatic Customer:**

* Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry - by John Warrillow

**The Human Predicament**

* A Candid Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions - by David Benatar

**Buy Then Build**

* How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game - by Walker Deibel

**The Art and Business of Online Writing**

* How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention - by Nicolas Cole

**The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence** \* by Baltasar Gracián

**Getting Naked**

* The Bare Necessities of Entrepreneurship and Start-ups - by Joel Primus

**Generating Product Ideas**

* Actionable Techniques for Finding New Business Ideas - by Artiom Dashinsky

**The Quest for Cosmic Justice** \* by Thomas Sowell

**Straight-Line Leadership**

* Tools for Living with Velocity and Power in Turbulent Times - by Dusan Djukich

**The Complacent Class**

* The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream - by Tyler Cowen

Original document:

[https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/great-little-known-books.pdf](https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/great-little-known-books.pdf)",The Titles Listed
l72yqi,"Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life (Bill Burnett &amp; Dave Evans)","## Overall

* Don’t move forward by thinking, but by building!

## Following your passion is bad advice

* 80% of all people don’t have a single dominating passion/purpose
   * Most people have many passions!
* Mastery causes passion. Not the other way around!

## Dysfunction beliefs

* Your degree determines your career
   * 2/3 work in a career that is unrelated to their major
* It’s too late to change
   * It’s never too late to change course

## Life design requires a design mindset!

* One clear goal → Engineer mindset
* No clear solution in sight → Design mindset

# 5 mindsets of design thinking

1. Curiosity
2. Bias to action

* Prototype your life!

1. Reframing

* Pivot
* Choose new point of view based off knowledge about the problem

1. Be aware of process

* Accept mistakes, move on
* Let go of the destination

1. Radical collaboration

* Don’t design your life alone!

# Chapters

## Start where you are

* Begin with a beginner’s mind, so you ask the right questions!

## Find the right problem to work on!

* Problem finding + problem solving = Well designed life!
* Avoid gravity problems! (Those that are not actionable)

## Building your compass

* Dysfunctional belief: I should know where I’m going!
   * Reframe: I won’t always know where I’m going, but I can always know whether I’m in the right direction!
* Meaningful life = Congruence between who you are, what you believe &amp; what you do!

## Wayfinding

* Look for activities that make you feel engaged &amp; energized
* Ultimate engagement = Flow
   * Complete involvement in activity
   * Ecstasy or euphoria
   * Inner clarity: Knowing what to do and how to do it
   * Calm &amp; peace
   * Time standing still or disappearing

## Getting unstuck

* Dysfunctional belief: I need to find 1 right idea!
   * Reframe: I need to find many ideas, so I have a lot to chose from!
* 2 principles

1. You choose better when you have more ideas to choose from!
2. Don’t choose your first idea!

* Many designs of your life could be amazing!

## Design your lives

* Dysfunctional belief: I need to figure out my best possible life, make a plan, and then execute it!
   * Reframe: There are multiple great lives (and plans) within me, and I get to choose which one to build my way forward to next!

## Prototyping

* Avoids premature commitment
* Design experiments to answer your career questions
   * Talk to people who do what you want to do
      * They should not think that it’s a job interview
      * Listen to their story
   * Job shadow
   * Try the job yourself

## How not to get a job

* The standard model of applying to online job listings often fails
   * Many of the most interesting jobs go unlisted (only 20% get listed online)
      * They get filled first by word-of-mouth or referrals
      * Small companies with less than 50 people often don’t publish all jobs
      * Large companies may hide some listings for all other than its own employees
* How to make applying online work for you
   * Use their exact keywords!
   * Make yourself sound like a fit (don’t sound too unfocused)
   * Avoid employers with unrealistic expectations
      * It’s a bad sign if the position has been open for more than 6 weeks in a good labour market

## Designing your dream job

* Life design interviews may be more effective at getting you a job, than applying!
   * You seem very interested
   * It gives you access to the 80% of job listings that aren’t posted online!

## Choosing happiness

* It isn’t about making the right choice, but about choosing well!
* Live some days as if you had to already made the choice, rather than just contemplating the choice from outside!
* Process

1. Gather &amp; create options
2. Narrow down the list

* Most of us can only effectively choose between 3-5 options!
   * If you have so many options that you freeze, you effectively have 0 options!
* If you cross out the wrong one, you’ll know!
* If you can’t find any meaningful preference among your 3-5 options, then you can’t lose!

1. Choose discerningly

* Our best choices comes from a combination of using the basal ganglia &amp; rational mind
* Basal ganglia
   * It’s not connected to our verbal centers
      * It communicates to us through feelings and our intestines (gut feelings)
      * So we need good access to our feelings &amp; gut reactions to our options!
   * It draws upon our memories of what has and hasn’t worked for us previously!

1. Let go &amp; move on!

* Avoid agonizing like:
   * “Did I do the right thing?”
   * “Am I sure this is really the best decision?”
   * “What if I’d done option four instead?”
   * I wonder if I can go back and do it over?”
* In a study, subjects were told to evaluate 5 paintings and were told they could get their number 3 or 4 choice. Those who were then told that they could later switch were less happy with their choice!
* Knowing that you’ve made the “best choice” is impossible (all consequences would need to have been played out first)
   * It will keep you agonizing and drain all satisfaction from your choice!
* Move on by focusing on something else!
   * We can’t take our focus of something, but we can focus on something else!

## Failure immunity

* Failure is a natural part of the path!

## Building a team

* Radical collaboration!

&amp;#x200B;

You can also find a summary of the exercises [here](https://learnfromnotes.com/index.php/2021/01/28/designing-your-life-how-to-build-a-well-lived-joyful-life-bill-burnett-dave-evans/)!",The Law Of Attraction In Work
evr37a,Books for improving romantic relationships?,"I've found that educating myself on the principles of attraction and successful relationships has been very useful in my own relationship.

I'm interested in reading more good books, especially those that provide a different perspective. As a male, I found ""Open Her"" by Karen Brody excellent in this regard as it gives insight to men on how women experience relationships and this helped me become more thoughtful and build better habits.

If you know of any authors or educators worth learning from, that would also be great. For instance, I found some of Jordan Peterson's talks wonderful as he talks about relationships in his lectures.

Nothing tops learning from experience, but I'm sure we could all benefit from some external wisdom to get us thinking now and then. Thanks!",The Relationship
vfal95,James Clear's Atomic Habits showed me the Ultimate Hack to Stay Motivated No Matter What," When striving for success, we tend to have all the hope and aspirations but somehow end up losing some of that drive and motivation along the way. This was true in my life. I wanted to change things up and then I stumbled across The Goldilocks Rule by James Clear (author of Atomic Habits).

The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right. This is the sweet spot that we should all seek to find.

I’ve talked in depth about a 2 step process to employ the Goldilocks Rule in your own life here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0M737AYhdc

Let me know if it helps shift the way you approach whatever you’re working on.",Atomic Habits
okyyix,How to Stop Worrying and Start Living Summary - Dale Carnegie," If you suffer from anxiety or constant stress, here's a summary I made of [another great book](https://youtu.be/ZthYZ-uAVf0) I recommend.

# Stressful jobs can be dangerous: excessive worrying is bad for your health.

Everyone worries. Few of us realize, though, how damaging it is to our health: worrying excessively can actually make you physically ill.

As Plato already knew, the mind and the body are intimately linked. In fact, the Mayo brothers, famous physicians, once declared that over half of our hospital beds are occupied by people suffering from frustration, anxiety, worry, and despair.

Arthritis, for example, is one of many debilitating conditions which can be brought on by worry. In fact, the two leading causes of arthritis are worry-related: marital shipwrecks and financial woes. There are also medical cases that suggest that worrying can increase the likelihood of insanity and diabetes. Clearly, worrying is bad for your health!

Unfortunately for us, there are causes of worry everywhere, and they’re especially common in the work we do. High-pressure jobs tend to generate more worrying and, predictably, more illness than calmer, more tranquil jobs. The high stress levels we associate with high-pressure jobs can lead to heart disease. One study showed that more than a third of business executives suffer from heart-disease, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure. Another study found that twenty times as many doctors as farm workers die from heart failure.

This means that if you’re in a highly stressful job that causes you worry, you need to find a way to fight worrying or you may soon wind up with an ulcer, or worse.

# Confusion causes worry: get the facts about your worries and solve the problem.

How would you feel if someone told you on Sunday evening that, come Monday morning, you would be thrown into a torture chamber? Would you worry? Probably. But there would be a way to deal with those worries.

Confusion is the chief cause of worry, said Herbert E. Hawkes, Dean of Columbia College. According to him, few people bother analyzing the facts of their situation when they are worried.

He proposed that all kinds of worries can be resolved by applying a simple three-step analysis.

That is precisely what Galen Litchfield did in 1942 when, stuck in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, he got news that a Japanese admiral had found out about the assets he’d hidden from the Japanese. His punishment was to be thrown into the notorious torture chamber of the Japanese secret police on Monday. Litchfield heard the news on Sunday, and wondered what to do.

His solution was to follow these three steps:

First, get the facts about why you’re worried: Litchfield took a typewriter and wrote down what he was worried about – being tortured to death in the morning.

Second, analyze those facts: Litchfield wrote “What can I do about it?” and underneath listed his various options, like fleeing, explaining himself or acting like nothing happened.

Third, make a decision about what to do, and do it: Litchfield decided his only option was to go into work like nothing had happened.

Apparently, the Japanese admiral had calmed down, for he merely scowled at Litchfield.

As you can see, analyzing your worries carefully can even save your life sometimes. 

# Once you’ve decided how to address your worries, take action and never look back.

Have you ever made a decision in life only to constantly second-guess it afterwards? This tendency is very common in people; we constantly wonder whether we did the right thing and whether there might still be time to take another path.

Although this tendency is common, it can also be very damaging when you’re trying to find ways to address your worries.

When you’re trying to decide how to resolve a worrying issue, you do of course need to start by analyzing the facts. But once this analysis is complete and you have chosen a course of action, you should not revert back to the analysis phase.

Remember: you’ve already made your decision, so act decisively on it and dismiss all your anxiety about it. Don’t stop for a moment to hesitate, to reconsider or to retrace your steps. Even the slightest doubt can lead to a chain reaction of doubts, unraveling all the analysis and work you’ve already put into addressing your worries.

Once you’ve chosen a course of action, stick to it and never waver. Otherwise you will find yourself back at square one. 

# Live for today: keep the worries of yesterday and tomorrow out of your head.

Have you ever spent a night tossing and turning, mulling over something that happened in the past or that might happen in the future? If so, you’re not alone – most people have. But to what end?

Worrying about the past or future is pointless. Writer Stephen Leacock described this absurdity aptly by describing a child who speaks of “when I am a big boy.” Then when the child is a big boy, he says, “When I grow up.” As a grown-up he says, “When I am married.” And as a married man, he thinks, “When I can retire.” But when he has retired and looks back over the distance he has come, he will feel a cold wind, and realize he has missed it all, and it's too late.

Therefore, to avoid such a sad fate, you should live only in the present.

Much as a ship has different watertight compartments, you need “daytight compartments” – a way to limit your attention to the present day, and protect yourself from useless rumination on the past or speculation about the future. The rule is simple: whatever happened in the past or might happen in the future must not intrude upon today.

Of course, you can and should still plan and prepare for the future, but there’s often little use in worrying about it. The best kind of preparation for the future is to do the very best that you can, in your life and work, in the present moment.  

One example of someone who benefited from this advice is a widow who was near-suicidal with grief and loneliness. While reading an article one day, she stumbled across the quote: “Every day is a new life to a wise man.” Inspired by these words, the widow repeated them to herself each morning thereafter, ultimately finding success and happiness in her life.

Yesterday is dead and tomorrow is unborn – so do not worry about them. Instead, focus only on what you can do today. 

# Don’t sink energy into hopeless situations or grudges: set a limit for yourself after which you stop worrying about them.

Most people have the unfortunate capacity to fret and stress endlessly about any negative experiences they encounter, when, in fact, they’d be better off simply walking away from them. Fretting is senseless – by giving in to it we allow misfortunes to exact a terrible cost on our happiness.

So how can we avoid fretting over misfortunes? One surprising solution lies in a well-known strategy taught by a famous stock trader: the “stop-loss” order.

A stop-loss order means that shares are bought at a certain price, and then their price development is observed. If things go badly and the share price hits a certain point, say 10 percent below the price they were bought for, then they are sold off immediately. This stops the loss from increasing further, hence the name.

One person who probably would’ve benefited from applying a stop-loss order to his life was the Russian literary giant, Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy lived in a pure hell of a marriage, where both parties placed the blame solely on each other for 50 years. Why did he not simply say, “Enough is enough!” and stop the losses he was incurring by languishing in this marriage?

The stop-loss order can also be applied to grudges. It is simply not sensible to expend your own time and energy on resenting someone personally. Abraham Lincoln, for example, said he never felt that any benefit came from quarreling, and he immediately forgave those who attacked him once they stopped.

So, from here on out, put a stop-loss order on things that cause you stress and grief. 

# Don’t expect gratitude; give for the joy of giving.

Think back to the last time you did a favor for someone. Were they grateful? If not, did you feel slightly offended and frustrated? When we perform acts of kindness, we often do so with the expectation of gratitude.

But harboring such expectations will probably leave you disappointed. People tend to be thoughtless and ungrateful – it’s just human nature, and you can’t change that.

One person who knew this well was the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who wrote in his diary one day that he will meet “… people who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful. But I won’t be surprised or disturbed, for I couldn’t imagine a world without such people.”

Another person well aware of people’s innate selfishness was the lawyer Samuel Leibowitz. Over the course of his career, Leibowitz saved 78 people from going to the electric chair. Guess how many thanked him? None.

So stop expecting gratitude when you’re kind to someone. Instead, take joy from the act yourself. This will make you happier and give you pleasure, even if the other does not appreciate the act.

Finally, remember that gratitude must be cultivated. This means that if your children are ungrateful, this is your fault. You must teach them to be grateful for the things they receive. 

# Don’t envy or imitate others; be yourself.

Congratulations, you are unique. There is no one else like you, nor will there ever be on this earth.

Your genes are completely unique. Even if someone had the same parents as you, the likelihood of someone identical to you being born is one in 300,000 billion.

Despite this amazing fact, many of us long to be someone else; for some reason we’re convinced the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. But living your life this way is pointless. It’s far better to embrace your uniqueness and be comfortable with who you are.

In fact, there’s a great risk in wanting to be someone else: If you don’t accept yourself and embrace your uniqueness, you could trigger many psychological afflictions. No-one is as miserable as someone who longs to be someone else.

Not only will such longing likely lead to misery, but it’s also a huge waste of potential. According to the psychologist William James, people who have not found themselves use about only 10 percent of their potential. It makes sense then that we should not waste a single atom of that potential trying to be someone else.

One person who learned this valuable lesson was Edith Allred. Due to childhood traumas, Allred was very nervous and unsure of herself – feelings which were exacerbated by the fact that her husband’s family were extremely self-confident. Compared to them, she felt like a failure. As time went on, Allred began to contemplate suicide.

What saved her? One day, her mother-in-law revealed, in passing, that she’d taught her children that they should always be themselves, no matter what. Inspired, Allred began thinking about who she was, not how she could try to be like others. She is now happier and more confident than she ever thought possible. 

# Learn to relax and rest before you get tired.

Have you ever noticed that after a rough, tiring day, you’re prone to be more gloomy than at lunchtime? Most people would assume that all the intellectual labor at the office has worn them down.

But those people would be mistaken – mental work alone cannot make you tired. Scientists have discovered that, even after twelve hours, mental labor alone will not tire out the brain.

So what’s behind this exhaustion? Psychiatrists agree that emotions are the most common cause of fatigue. Not positive emotions, like joy and contentment, but negative ones, like feelings of boredom, of anxiety, and of being unappreciated.

But psychiatrists have also found that it works the other way around too – fatigue produces more worries and negative emotions.

It should be clear, therefore, that you must rest and relax regularly *before* you feel tired. Otherwise, worries and fatigue will accumulate on top of each other. It’s impossible to worry when you are relaxed, and regular rest helps you maintain your ability to work effectively.

Consider Frederick Taylor, who was employed at Bethlehem Steel where his aim was to increase the rate at which workers could load steel onto freight cars.

What do you think he did to accomplish this goal?

Somewhat counterintuitively, he instructed the worker he was experimenting with to rest *more* than the other workers: 36 minutes out of every hour, in fact. The result?

The worker in question was able to load almost *four times* as much steel as his colleagues, who did not conserve their strength by resting in such an organized fashion, but rather did so only when they became tired.

The lesson from the psychiatrists and Mr. Taylor could not be simpler: rest and relax before you get tired, and your worries greatly decrease.",
kynf1p,"James Clears Atomic Habits introduced me to the Don’t Break the Chain Method, which is helping me stick to my New Years Resolutions","Let’s face it. Every year, I’ve had a hard time stick with my New Years resolutions. Before I know it, I’ve fallen off the wagon. I’ve learned that the major issue with any resolution or habit is maintaining some level of consistency. This year, I’m taking this into my own hands by following the Don’t Break the Chain Method. It goes like this:

* Every day, mark an X on your calendar if you’ve stuck with your resolution that day.
* Over time, each day will turn into weeks and months of Xs
* Your goal is to try and not break the chain of Xs

\*Note: You can perform variations of the habit which will certainly count as an X. So you could do a full workout one day and another day, you could do 20 pushups.

I discuss this in great depth here with my own experimentation - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qmkkq1uSuE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qmkkq1uSuE)

As long as you engage with your habit or resolution in some way every day, you’ll soon discover that you won’t want to break the chain after all the work you’ve put it and your resolution will end up working in your favor.",Over Effect Where The Habit Strengthened
htjyde,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey gave me the framework I needed to distinguish between urgent and important tasks,"I’ve often felt like I’m in firefighting mode - dealing with a constant stream of urgent issues. There are also several instance when I’m spending too much time on the wrong tasks and not really accomplishing anything of real significance.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management and prioritization tool to helps split your tasks into 4 precise quadrants.

1. Urgent/Important: These are tasks that you need to DO
2. Not Urgent/Important: These generally are aligned with longer-term objective and you should SCHEDULE them
3. Urgent/Not Important: This tends to be busy work that doesn’t necessarily align with your goals. Try to DELEGATE or AUTOMATE these, if possible.
4. Not Urgent/ Not Important: These don’t add truly add value. Think browsing social media. Try DELETE them from you To-do list.

This is such a great tool to help you manage all the things that you have to do. It’s helped me a ton and I’ve broken it down more here - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMbc4vCLb5k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMbc4vCLb5k) . If nothing else, the Eisenhower Matrix could just help you identify whether the things that are stressing you out are really that important at all!",Is Incredible
8xy47z,"All 452 Book Recommendations From ""Tools of Titans""...","So, I recently spent the better part of two days extracting and organising [every book recommendation from ""Tools Of Titans""](https://fastertomaster.com/tools-of-titans-by-tim-ferriss/) (Fiction + Non-fiction; I'm usually a non-fiction reader but the fiction list ROCKS!)

This feels like [a good place to share it](https://fastertomaster.com/tools-of-titans-by-tim-ferriss/).

With all my blood, sweat and tears. Arthur",All 452 Books To Be Productive
ox50cc,"Navy SEALs believe when your mind is telling you that you’re done, that you’re exhausted, that you cannot possibly go any further, you’re only actually at 40% done.","The above quote is from [The Art Of Resilience](https://bulletpointreading.com/2021/01/18/the-art-of-resilience-by-ross-edgley/) which is a super crazy book. Highly recommend. 

You can also check a long list of beneficial [BOOKS](https://bulletpointreading.com/view-all-books/). I’ve written the key takeaways, check em out, you might find one that interests you, learn a quick thing, or pick up some wisdom.",Body Limits
jhbltu,David Allen's Getting Things Done Introduced Me to the 2 Minute Rule Allowed Me To Eliminate Procrastinating On My Habits,"I’ve been feeling like I’ve had been falling prey to procrastination so much more than I would like until I came across this extremely practical concept called the 2 Minute Rule. No matter what’s going on in your day, if there is a habit that you are trying to stick to, you need to have a 2 minute version of it that you can rely on.

The 2 Minute Rule was first mentioned in David Allen’s legendary book Getting Things Done and then popularized by James Clear, who wrote Atomic Habits. It’s perhaps the most realistic hack to managing habits that I’ve come across.

For every positive activity that you are doing, try to have a 2 minute version of it.

* Exercising: My 2 Minute Version would be 20 pushups and 20 setups
* Writing: My 2 Minute Version would be opening up my laptop and writing one new sentence
* Reading: My 2 Minute Version would be reading just one more page before bed

I highly recommend you try this out. I explain this further here - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq2dQyTlyYk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq2dQyTlyYk)

Once you start incorporating small versions of your habits into your life, I can assure you that procrastination will gradually start to slip away.",S A Great Approach For Marking Students
1ke3yfx,"This book didn’t teach me new habits, it made me question who I was becoming","A lot of self-help books try to fix your behaviors.  
Few ask if those behaviors even belong to the version of you you *want* to be.

Then I read *Personality Isn’t Permanent* by Benjamin Hardy.  
And it hit me sideways.

Because I realized I wasn’t stuck because I lacked discipline.  
I was stuck because I kept trying to upgrade a version of myself I should’ve outgrown.

I was chasing habits that made sense for old goals.  
Sticking to routines that served a smaller life.  
Trying to “optimize” a self I didn’t even want to be anymore.

This book flipped it:  
→ Start with who you want to *become*  
→ Reverse-engineer habits that match *that* future identity  
→ Drop the old narrative instead of tweaking it endlessly

It’s not about better habits.  
It’s about *becoming unrecognizable* on purpose.

Curious if anyone else has read something that made you rethink not just what you do, but *who you’re doing it as*.

  
What was the book that made you shed an old identity instead of just upgrading it?",Is Pure Unadulterated Trash
zka8ro,Summary of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman,"Hi all, I've just posted a [**book summary of** ***Four Thousand Weeks*** **by Oliver Burkeman**](https://www.tosummarise.com/2022/12/12/detailed-book-summary-four-thousand-weeks-by-oliver-burkeman/) on my website.

Four thousand weeks is roughly the number of weeks you’ll have if you live to about 80. Although the book’s subtitle is “Time management for mortals”, it’s not really about time management (in the conventional sense). Rather, it’s about values and priorities and making the most of our limited time on this earth. 

Below are my key takeaways from the book (you can find the full, detailed summary at the link above). 

## KEY TAKEAWAYS

* There are certain truths we have to accept:
   * We are finite, so we will never be able to do everything no matter how efficient or productive we are;
   * We can’t control time (and the fact that we think of it as something we *can* use and control is kind of weird, historically-speaking);
   * We can’t control the future, no matter how much we plan;
   * From a cosmic perspective, we are ultimately insignificant.
* Sometimes we focus too much on the future:
   * Living mentally in the future makes us miss out on the present;
   * If we see childhood as merely a training ground for adulthood, it deprives childhood of any intrinsic value;
   * We even try to use our leisure time productively, as a means to an end, instead of as an end itself;
* And we often overlook the meaningful things in life:
   * If we don’t make trade-offs consciously, we end up prioritising the wrong things;
   * Convenience can end up taking away the meaningful parts of life; and
   * Individual time sovereignty comes at the expense of sharing time and being synchronous with others.
* Once we recognise the above:
   * We free ourselves from unrealistic expectations that we could never meet, along with the anxiety that those expectations create;
   * We can make better trade-offs and prioritise the things that matter; and
   * We get to actually live our lives, focused on the things that matter to us, now.",Has To Offer
cg80cf,How to Win Friends and influence People by Dale Carnegie Summary," 

Chapter 1

The main point of this chapter is to highlight the fact that criticism often times does more harm than good. He stated that most people often react to rewards or positivity. Blaming someone does not solve the problem so instead we must be positive because that offers more productivity. Often times people shut down due to criticism and that leads to no good results.  He also states that instead of criticizing another man’s flaws we should improve upon ourselves.

Chapter 2

He starts by saying that the only to make someone truly do something is to make them want to do it.  He also reinforces the concept that everyone likes a compliment. The fact of the matter is that it must be sincere. If it’s not sincere then it will end up having the opposite effect.  He also states the everyone craves a urge of importance and that is equivalent to sex and eating. If you want to motivate someone to do something for you. Then add a sense of importance to request. Everyone wants a sense of importance and each person derives it differently from things. He shows that people will go insane for importance so imagine the effect that it has in reality.

Chapter 3

He starts this chapter by instead of talking about what we want we should talk about what others need. That’s the best way to attract people because they find it easier to relate to then your needs. Since the day we were born we all wanted something and if you want to get something then we most exploit others desires. He also states that arguing is the worst vice to have. Instead of proving your point and damaging another pride isn't it better to be empathic. If you do this is it is much easier for you to see eye to eye with another. The main point of this chapter is push the point that one who can see another's perspective and see their desires has a bright road ahead.(basically get people to eagerly want something).

Chapter 4 

He states that it’s easier to be interested in someone then getting someone to be interested in you. People are not interested in anything but things that concern themselves. Something truly profound was something written by vietnamese psychologist we can be simplified as “ those who are interested in the concerns of others are often the worst of us.” He shows an example by talking about president Theodore and his love of people and how he greeted everyone equally. Another thing that he states was that if we want to befriend people we must first do things for people that show we care.

Chapter 5

The first point made in this chapter was the fact that actions speak louder than words. It doesn't matter the clothes you wear if you don't have a likeable persona.  He also states the most people are better off smiling and that if they do then have a better chance at life. He also states that unless you’re having fun doing something then you want put your all into it. IF YOU WANT TO BE HAPPY YOU MUST YOU MUST THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS. He states that acting is the first step then soon true happiness will follow. People look for happiness so if you’re happy then people will follow.

Chapter 6

This chapter teaches you how to make people like you. He starts off saying that to make someone like you. You have to compliment something about them with honesty.  He then states that there’s nothing wrong with complimenting someone without an ulterior motive.  The most important thing about human conduct. Basically the fundamental law is that you most make others feel important. “ The desire to be important is the deepest urge of human urge in human nature.”. This rule applies to everyone you don’t have to be a public speaker or political speaker. He states that many life could have been different if they felt importance.Every man i meet is superior in some way. 

Chapter 1B

The main point of this chapter is to highlight the fact that most times arguing damages both sides. Basically kindness often times helps you then being obsessive over the right answer. He states that instead of purposely getting aggressive over who’s right. Don’t worry about it because often times all it does is make them go on the defensive and get more rooted. He states that a drop of honey goes a long way. The best way to get them to see the light is to be nice and suave about it. Make them see that there in the wrong in a nice way or don’t argue with them at all.

Chapter 2B

The main point of this chapter is to show you how to not make enemies.  The best way is to never say that they are wrong. If you can’t even be sure that your right then what right do you have to judge them.  That’s basically say that i’m saying i’m smarter than you. That will hurt someone’s pride and it’s a sure fire way to make enemies. The point is similar to the point made in 1B and that is we as people know nothing and as such all we can do with confidence is make them see our way but not through force but through subtly.  Instead of judging them you must understand where they came from.

Chapter 3B

The main point of this chapter is to highlight the fact that in most scenarios is better to just admit that you're in the wrong. He does this by highlighting the pro’s and con’s  of admitting your wrong. He states if say all the things in your in the wrong for it will deescalate the situation. Not only does this take away their ammo on things they can talk about and it also  feeds their sense of importance. It also ends the problem  quickly and efficiently.

Chapter 4B

The main point of this chapter is to express the point that in most scenarios getting more angry does nothing ,but increase hostility. In most scenarios it will be better to talk it out normally. If you get angry all it does is escalate the situation.  If lets others know how what they're doing is affecting you in most cases they will probably try better and harder. To conclude he’s basically saying that being nice works a hundred times better than being rude or angry.

Chapter 5B

He starts off this chapter by talking about an ancient greek philosopher. Then he talks about that no often causes people's pride to interfere in rational thought and makes them bitter. Then talks about in most cases if you take time to talk to others about what they're interested in. You might understand why he said no and you can make a turn around . No doesn't mean that it's over all that means is that you most retry your approach. You will find often times that if you get people to say yes then you have won.

Chapter 6B

The chapter is basically labeled how to handle complaints. He starts off by saying you saying that everyone has a point. It will do more good for you to listen to what others say.  He states that sometimes we have to step back and let others speak. He states this by giving an example on a relationship between a mother and daughter. The summary of that story is once all communication ends and it is bound to lead to negatives on both sides. When you give commands without listening to the struggles of those who perform those acts. A simple solution to this matter is to let others talk.

Chapter 7B

If you want people to cooperate with you then must make deals with them. You must give something to get. He highlights this by telling a story of a boss saying that he will do certain things ,but then he asks what he should expect in return. If you people to something you must make it seem like a commitment not a drag. He states by letting others think that it's their idea makes them more dedicated and convinces them. Instead of asking other people to get something or sell something you should conversate about it and it will often sell itself.

Chapter 8B

Everyone can be wrong sometimes. If you don't understand their think then talk to them. It will be more beneficial in the future to avoid or help you make a decision. He applies this to people and their desires. He says this when he talked about a time he saw a couple of boys making a fire to relax and camp out. He could have been extra mean and used laws and facts to make them leave and ruin their fun and build up resentment and cause them to ignore him. Instead he saw how he looked from their point of view and realized that with words of kindness and caution he could make them and the park safer and keep their enjoyment.

Chapter 9B

He states that in often cases that being understanding to another person situation. We are only what we are because of the people in our lives. So instead of wasting our times judging their mentality and belittling them. We should understand where they came from and what they think like that. It will be use of both your times show some empathy. 

Chapter 10B

A good way to get people to do something is to appeal to their goodness in their hearts. He says often times people have to reasons to do something the look good reason and the real reason. If you want someone to do something then appeal to their basic goodness. For instance if someone takes pictures of you then appeal to their beliefs and say how would they feel if someone did that to their family. We go to understand that all humans are built and beliefs and values and we can use that to get people to do something.

Chapter 11B

Make your ideas pop out more specifically make them dramatic. If you want people to react or talk about your ideas make them interesting.  You can just say ideas but what can make them interesting it acting them out. Most people will have a hard time not being interested in dramatic things. It will get you their attention and then your words will keep them there.

Chapter 12B

A good way to get people to do something with earnesty is support competition. It will stimulate their pride to do better. When you see someone doing something better than you. Often times you want to do it better then them. So it will have a repetitive effect that it will push both of you to do better. The second thing you can do is to boost productivity is to add a little challenge in the long term it will make push others to be better. It will make them search for ways to overcome these obstacles.

Chapter 1C

The best way to criticize someone is after a compliment. It will cause them to appreciate what you’re saying and it adds that you’re on their side. It will make them understand that you’re not doing this to better yourself ,but to help them for the future. It shows that you have their best interests at heart. It adds more emotional impact. It shows that you believe in that person ,but letting them know their are things they can do better.

Chapter 2C

This chapter is to highlight the proper way to critique without the hate. He talks about how different people used the same way to make people change their ways. By not reprimanding people with negativity using kindness can make them appreciate and make them think a second time when doing something that might upset you. The best way to do this by making them realize their mistakes by doing it subtly.

Chapter 3C

This chapter is to basically an extension to chapter 2C. It’s basically another way to critique people on their mistakes. He states that if you emphasis you made the same mistakes it can lessen the blows from you critique. He states that you have more experience so don’t forget that you were in the same position as them. Instead of hurting their pride just let them know their mistakes known but not alone in that position.

Chapter 4C

Everyone hates to take orders so instead of giving them direct commands it’s best to ask them questions. Let them come to their own conclusion on what's needed to be done. Often times it will result in the same results. It will give them a sense of freedom,but also less of a oppressing feel.

Chapter 5C

This is brought up in an earlier chapter ,but the point of this is to highlight the fact that letting others saving face is often beneficial to both parties. When you push to hurt others pride it just damages your rep as much as the others. Be the better man and in often times it will come to benefit you in the future.  It will help you make less enemies.

Chapter 6C

If you want people to live a good life. Then you must compliment their good decisions. Not just some of them you must compliment all of them. If they understand that good things happen when they make good things it will lead to betterment for them.

Chapter 7C

This chapter main point chapter is to highlight the effects of giving someone a good name. If you give someone something to live up to then they will to live up to your expectations. It will make them do this because it adds a sense of failure. If they fail to live up to the one person that believes in them then it cause distress. So to avoid the pain they will do what is expected to keep that good name.

Chapter 8C

The main point of this chapter is pretty simple. If people think that they have a fault that’s too big to fix then what motivation do they have. So you have to encourage them and reassure them that they can do it if they believe. No fault is too big to fix.(expect death)

Chapter 9C

This chapter is pretty simple because it just goes over everything you read. If you want people to do something then you must want them to do of their free will. The best way is to mix match ways for instance making them thinks it’s their own idea or ask questions that will lead them to that path there own way.",The Remainder Of July
q66onw,Shoutout to whoever recommended Psycho-Cybernetics By Maxwell Maltz. Great book! Highly recommend! Takeaways below.," [Psycho-Cybernetics By Maxwell Maltz](https://bulletpointreading.com/2021/10/11/psycho-cybernetics-by-maxwell-maltz/)

[List of other beneficial books and takeaways](https://bulletpointreading.com/view-all-books/)



• All your actions, feelings, and behaviors —even your abilities—are always consistent with your self image. You will “act like” the sort of person you conceive yourself to be.

• “Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinions of the things that happen.” -Epictetus

• You make mistakes. Mistakes don’t make you.

• Get yourself a goal worth working for. Always have something ahead of you to “look forward to”—to work for and hope for. Look forward, not backwards. Develop a “nostalgia for the future” instead of for the past.",The Secret Types
ns6b5a,"What are your ""hidden gem"" self-improvement books?","Books like ""Atomic habits"" and ""How to win friends.."" are popular(and rightfully so) but I am looking for some hidden gems.

Edit: Removed the name of one book from my post because some idiots are saying I am the author lol.",The Detail And Insight
kj4wd5,5 Best Books of 2020,"My goal was to read 15, but I only made it to 12 (so far).

The 5 best books were...

Indistractable by Nir Eyal - Taught me how addicted I was to my phone and how to break this addiction.

Baby Makes Three by John Gottman - Taught me how to navigate the change in a relationship when a baby arrives on the scene, based on the science of relationships.

Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman - Taught me more about the Art of Fulfilment and how we need to embrace 'the struggle'.

Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday- Taught me about how to be more humble and what to look out for in order to control and police my own ego.

No Bad Kids by Janet Landsbury - Taught me how to speak and treat my toddler daughter like I would as a compassionate CEO speaking to a trainee employee, by setting clear boundries, being respectful of them and what they are doing, &amp; giving them assistance when they need it.",By Scott Adams Again
jgpn1v,"""Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less."" How it has positively changed my sleeping habit.","Hi BettermentBookClub community,

I've got many questions based on my recent post on reddit on my morning routine

A lot were on how do I manage to get to sleep earlier.

So by searching how I did it. I recall one of my inspirations. And as often it comes from a book.

I qualify ""good books"" not on the quality of the writing ( as a non-English native, it's quite difficult for me to judge) but more on the author's ability to help me make a change.

And the one who made that is **Greg Mckeown with his book ""Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less"".** (and by the way, it's also well written 😃 ).

&gt;""Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it's about how to get the right things done.""

The book covers 4 main parts :

* Essence
* Explore
* Eliminate
* Execute

&amp;#x200B;

In the Explore part, I was touched by the ""Sleep : Protect the Asset"" chapter. It has helped me to understand and apply a positive change habit. With few sentences (see below), he succeeds in changing my mind on how I see ""sleeping.""

He associated that with the concept of ""Protect the asset.""

&gt;""Protecting the Asset The best asset we have for making a contribution to the world is ourselves. If we underinvest in ourselves, and by that I mean our minds, our bodies, and our spirits, we damage the very tool we need to make our highest contribution.""

**""One of the most common ways people – especially ambitious, successful people – damage this asset is through a lack of sleep.""**

""It challenged the notion that sleep was an enemy of productivity, convincingly arguing that in fact sleep was a driver of peak performance.""

""Non-Essentialist Essentialist THINKS:  

&gt;One hour less of sleep equals one more hour of productivity.  
&gt;  
&gt;Sleep is for failures.   
&gt;  
&gt;Sleep is a luxury.   
&gt;  
&gt;Sleep breeds laziness.   
&gt;  
&gt;Sleep gets in the way of ""doing it all."" .""  
&gt;  
&gt;  
Essentialist KNOWS:   
One hour more of sleep equals several more hours of much higher productivity.  
Sleep is for high performers.  
Sleep is a priority.  
Sleep breeds creativity.  
Sleep enables the highest levels of mental contribution

Since that, I go to sleep earlier (9h30/10 pm) and wake up earlier ( 5 am), which allows me to perform my morning routines with all the benefits I have described in my previous post.

If you struggle to implement new sleep habits. Or if you want to discover a book that can have a tremendous impact on your productivity, **I warmly advise ""Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less"".**

Thank you.[Mr. OTG](https://optionstogrow.com/category/blog/)",
xciuqu,The Self help book/s you owe a lot of your improvement to.,"What self help book do you owe a lot of your improvement to?

Hi! 
May I ask for your list of the best self help books you've ever come across, those that really pushed you to improvement and discipline. 

Thank you! 

Note: I understand that a book cannot simply change your life without you deciding to change it yourself. I'm simply asking for a book that spoke to you or influenced you more than others. Thank you! :)",Atomic Habits
do89py,THE 4-HOUR WORK WEEK by Timothy Ferriss - my full book notes and full summary/review,"Hey everyone,

I try to do at least one full book summary a month, so here's my second one. Did Richest Man in Babylon before. So in this post, the book was quite long, so below I've first put my summarised version, and below that is a much longer version of my original notes that i made whilst reading the book.

Hope you find it useful, for those wanting to read my summarised notes I've also made an animated version of them here: [https://youtu.be/K4JXPebwedU](https://youtu.be/K4JXPebwedU), so you can go over my summary via whichever form you prefer.

**Summary notes:**

* Hello, optimum insight here, in today’s post I’m going to summarise ‘The 4-hour work-week’ by Timothy Ferriss.
* Now this kind of work week is said to be for the new rich. Who are the new rich, you ask? The new rich are those whose currencies are time and mobility. They use these currencies to achieve full lifestyle design.
* Why is lifestyle so important, well think about this: when people talk about having £1m, usually what they really mean is that they want to have the lifestyle that this money can provide. Thus, the new rich focus on the lifestyle they want and leverage factors like currency differences to help them achieve this faster.
* The goal of the book is for you to obtain the lifestyle that the new rich have. The key to this lifestyle is to free your time and automate your income. This income must be location-independent, as once you free your time and location, your money is automatically worth 3-10 times as much.The point of this kind of freedom is to give you options as this is what real power is in life, having the ability to choose.
* Now there are four steps to achieving this life which anyone can follow.
* These four steps can summarised by the word: DEAL, which stands for definition, elimination, automation and liberation. This is the order I will follow in this video, but for those of you watching that are employees you must follow this as DELA, focusing on liberation from your job before automation.
* So the first step is definition. We all have different goals and priorities, Tim recommends having defined dreams to chase with timelines and written-out steps. Most people will never know what they want, hence the first step is the most important. The book specifies that these goals are not for happiness, they are for excitement which is actually a more practical synonym for happiness. So to help you with the definition step here are two things I want you to do:

1. Firstly, Ask yourself what would excite me?
2. Secondly, Use dreamlining to set goals. This is simply where you apply timelines to dreams. Tim splits his dreamlining into three parts, which are having, being and doing, for both a six and twelve month timeline. After having goals for each category, there is a number you must calculate called your required target monthly income. You work it out add the monthly cost of reaching these goals and add 1.3 times your monthly expenses to them represented by A+B+C+(1.3\*monthly expenses).

* Now the second step is elimination. To eliminate inefficiencies in any tasks, following the Parkinson's law and the 80/20 rule is vital. Parkinson’s law states that a task will swell in importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted to it. For instance, the more time available to write an essay, the more important and complicated the task may seem.The 80/20 rule on the other hand says that 80% of your outputs come from 20% of your inputs.
* Now looking at automation, you must learn how to outsource and be able to define clear rules and processes for assistants to follow before hiring them. Tim recommends that you identify your top five time-consuming non-work tasks and five personal tasks you could outsource for sheer fun. The result of this should be that you have more free time, whilst still creating large work outputs.
* Now outsourcing is important, but having the right type of business can increase your chances of success. The ideal business for those who want the 4-hour work week lifestyle would be one where you sell information products which you can micro-test with advertisements. Before I move on, remember that the goal is not to automate everything, you first want to eliminate as many things as possible, and thus only automate what is left, which should only be what is most important.
* The final step to be part of the new rich is liberation. For employees this means persuading your company to let you work remotely, which the book tells you how to achieve. Liberation means having a business or job giving you cashflow and location independence, whilst you put in fewer inputs and achieve higher outputs.
* One last thing I’d like to mention is that the dream lifestyle mentioned in this book is more doable that most people think. Why? Well because travelling can actually be very cheap, and furthermore rather than trying to retire completely, why not just have mini-retirements? why not work for 2 months and retire for one month and then repeat?
* Remember: true freedom is about having enough income and time to do what you actually want to do with your life.
* If you liked this post, please support me in making more by subbing to my channel 'Optimum Insight,' thank you.

&amp;#x200B;

**My full notes:**

**My story and why you need this book:**

* Tango for 5months, 6hr practices vs. couples with average 15 yrs together, they won.
* Epidemic: job descriptions = self-descriptions.
* New Rich (NR) use the currency of the NR: time and mobility = Lifestyle Design.
* **Leverage currency differences**
* People don’t want £1m, they want the lifestyle it can provide.
* Test the most basic assumptions of the work-life equation:
   * How do your decisions change if retirement isn’t an option?
   * What if you could use a mini-retirement to sample your deferred-life plan reward before working 40 years for it?
   * Is it really necessary to work like a slave to live like a millionaire?
* Goal: free time and automate income
* Be a dealmaker:
   * Manifesto: Reality is negotiable
* Deal: definition, elimination, automation, liberation.
   * Employees must implement as DELA

**Chronology of a Pathology:**

* ‘Karooshi’ - phenomenon where people work themselves to death.
* Speed reading classes: found a market before designing the product = smarter.

**Chp1: Step1: D is for Definition:**

* Different goals/priorities, e.g. not the boss, but to be the owner.
   * E.g. make a ton of money, but with specific reasons and defined dreams to chase, timelines and steps included. What are you working for?
   * Rather than big payday, aiming for cashflow first.
* ‘If you can free your time and location, your money is automatically worth 3-10 times as much.
* Money is multiplied in practical value depending on the number of W’s you control in your life: **What** you do, **when** you do it, **where** you do it, and with **whom** you do it. This is called the freedom multiplier.’
   * Using this as criterion: the 80-hr per wk $500k pyear investment banker is less powerful than the employed NR who works ¼ hrs for $40,000, but has complete freedom of when, where and how to live.
* **Options** \- the ability to choose = is real power.
* Options are limitless but first step: **replacing assumptions**

**Chp 2: Rules that Change the Rules:**

* Won gold medal in Chinese Kickboxing National Championships by exploiting opportunities in the rules.
   * Sports evolve when sacred cows are killed, when basic assumptions are tested. Same is true in life
* Different is only better when it is more effective or more fun
* 1.) Retirement = a hedge against becoming physically incapable of working and needing capital to survive. Shouldn’t be goal because:
   * Based on assumption you hate what your doing.
   * Most people will never be able to retire + maintain a good standard of living
   * You’ll get damn bored.
* Thus, retirement shouldn’t be the goal, but yes do plan for the worst case.
* 2.) Interest and energy are cyclical
   * Alternating periods of activity and rest is important, thus do mini-retirements for higher productivity overall = having cake + eat it too.
   * Timothy does 1 month overseas relocation or high-intensity learning for every 2 months of work projects.
* 3.) Less is NOT laziness
   * Our culture rewards personal sacrifice rather than personal productivity. Thus, not lazy to do less meaningless work to focus on things of greater personal importance.
   * Focus on being productive instead of busy.
* 4.) The Timing is Never Right
   * conditions are never perfect, but if its important to you, just do it and correct course along the wat.
* 5.) Ask for forgiveness, not permission
   * Try it and then justify it, as long as not going to devastate those around you.
* 6.) Emphasise strengths, don’t fix weaknesses
* 7.) Things in excess become their opposite
   * Goal is not idle time, but more positive use of free time doing what you want as oppose to what have to do.
* 8.) Money Alone is not the solution
   * By pretending money is solution you create a constant distraction preventing you from seeing just how pointless it is.
   * The problem is more than money
* 9.) Relative income is more important than absolute income
   * Absolute income is measured via one variable: the dollar
   * Relative income uses two variables: the dollar and time, usually hours.
* 10.) Distress is bad, Eustress is good
   * New Rich (NR) don’t aim to eliminate all stress.
   * Distress: harmful stimuli that make you weaker, less confident.
   * Eustress: healthy. Role models push us to exceed are limits.
   * Its destructive criticism we need to avoid, not criticism in all forms.

**Chp 3: Dodging bullets:**

* Conquering Fear = Defining Fear. Once defined, looked at how he could deal with these scenarios.
* Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough clever rationalisation.

1. Define nightmare
2. What steps could you take to repair the damage?
3. What are outcomes of more probable scenarios?
4. If you were fired today, what would you do to get things under financial control?
5. What are you putting off out of fear?
6. What is it costing you to postpone action?
7. What are you waiting for?

**Chp 4: System reset:**

* Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic.
   * As 95% people are convinced incapable of achieving great things, they aim for mediocre. The level of competition is most for “realistic” goals, paradoxically making them the most time- and energy-consuming.
   * Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides endurance to go along with any goal.
* **Most people will never know what they want.**
* Goals are not for happiness, are for **excitement** which is the more practical synonym for happiness. E.g. follow your passion (your excitement).
   * Thus real question is not what you want or your goals, BUT it is **what would excite me?**
* Boredom is enemy not some abstract failure.
* He uses ‘**dreamlining**’: applying timelines to dreams. Differs from goal-setting:
   * 1.) The goals shift from ambiguous wants to defined steps
   * 2.) Goals have to be unrealistic to be effective
   * 3.) It focuses on activities that will fill the vacuum created when work is removed. Living like a millionaire requires doing interesting things and not just owning enviable things.
* Gave students tasks of reaching impossible people. Goal is to have 3-4 email exchanges before asking for help from these powerful people.
* Dreamlining process:
   * 1.) What would you do if there were no way you could fail? If you were 10 times smarter than the rest of the world?
      * 2 timelines (6 months, 12 months) - list up to 5 things you dream of:
   * 2.) Drawing a blank? 5 being questions
      * One place to visit
      * One thing to do before you die
      * One thing to do daily
      * One thing to do weekly
      * One thing you’ve always wanted to learn
   * 3.) What does “being” entail doing
      * Convert each being into a doing to make it actionable.
* 4.) What are four dreams that would change it all?
* 5.) Determine the cost of these dreams and calculate your target monthly income (TMI) for both timelines. A+B+C+(1.3\*monthly expenses)
* 6.) Determine three steps for each of the four dreams and take the first step now.

**Step 11: E is for Elimination:**

* Aim is not to do more, aim is to accomplish more by doing less via elimination
* Last chapter you defined what you want to do with your time (definition), now you have to free that time whilst maintaining or increasing your income.
* Remember its DEAL, but employees must do DELA. Entrepreneurs can automate, then liberate themselves in turn.
* Effectiveness: doing things get you closer to your goals.
* Efficiency: performing a given task in the most economical manner possible.
   * 1.) Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.
   * 2.) Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important.
   * WHAT you do is infinitely more important than HOW you do it.
   * Apply efficiency to the right things using Pareto rule: 80/20 principle
      * 80% of the outputs result from 20% of the inputs.
* Goal: find your inefficiencies in order to eliminate the and find your strengths to multiply them.
* Tim didn’t realise that working from every hour from 9-5 isn’t the goal; it’s simply the structure most people use, whether it’s necessary or not.
* Maximum income from minimal necessary effort is the primary goal.
* Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. *Being busy is a form of laziness - lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.*
   * **Being selective is the path of the productive.**
* Employees should have goal of negotiating a remote work arrangement
* **Parkinson’s Law** dictates that a task will swell in importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion.
* Solution: use Parkison’s and 80/20 to identify few tasks contribute most to income and schedule them with very *short* and clear deadlines.
* Poisonous people don’t deserve your time, to think otherwise = masochistic.
* **Have clear list of priorities made the day before.**
   * Learn to ask yourself “if this is the only thing I accomplish today will I be satisfied with my day?
* No multitasking
* Make shorter deadlines - use a countdown timer

**Chp 6: The low-information diet:**

* Cultivate a selective ignorance - learn ignore all things are irrelevant, unimportant or unactionable.
* Reading 200% faster in 10 minutes, no comprehension loss:
   * a.) Use pen or finger under each line
   * b.) Begin focusing on third word then move third from last word = peripheral vision.
   * c.) Try again but with only two snapshots/fixations per line
   * d.) read too fast for comprehension but with good technique for five pages, then go back to reading at a normal speed.
* 1.)Go on immediate one-week media fast.
   * Use LeechBlock to block sites for certain time.
* 2.) Develop habit of asking yourself, “Will I definitely use this info for something immediate and important?”
* 3.) **Practice the art of nonfinishing:** starting something doesn’t automatically justify finishing it.
* Comfort challenge: get phone numbers - 2 per day for 2 days.

**Chp 7: Interrupting Interruption and the Art of Refusal:**

* Learn to be difficult when it counts, e.g. school, having reputation of being assertive will give you preferential treatment without having to beg every time. E.g. asking 2-3 hrs of questions when don’t get an A.
* Interruptions:
   * 1.) Time wasters: e.g email that is unimportant.
   * 2.) Time consumers: tasks need to be done but often interrupt high-level work, e.g. responding to emails or phone calls, personal errands.
   * 3.) Empowerment failures: times where someone needs approval to make something small happen. E.g. fixing customer problems.
* First limit email consumption and production, never do first thing in morning, do most important task first.
   * Have 2 times for checking emails, tell your colleagues. Or call if emergencies.
* Have 2 phone numbers = 1 urgent and 1 non-urgent.
   * Don’t encourage people to chitchat, make them get to point immediately.
* It is your job to train those around you to be effective and efficient
   * 1.) Order preference/urgent nature of issues; email, phone, in-person meetings.
   * 2.) Respond to voicemail via e-mail. Use ‘if...then’ structure. This prevents follow-up questions.
   * 3.) Make sure they define PURPOSE of the meeting. ‘What are topics? Thanks in advance’ then answer these questions/topics via email so no need for meeting.
   * 4.) If you cannot stop a call from happening, *define the end time.*
   * 5.) Again pretend your busy if someone comes to your cubicle, wear headphones/fake phone call. Ask intruder to email you.
   * 6.) Puppy dog close: use to help superiors develop the no-meeting habit. Say, “lets just try it once” reversible trial.
   * Make sure you achieve more outside of meetings to covert to permanent routine.
* Time consumers:
   * Only produce in batch - utilising economies of scale.
   * Apply batching to other things, e.g. bill payments, you will save time which you can measure the cost savings off via working out your hourly rate.
      * Can do this by removing 3 zeros and halving your annual salary to get hourly rate approximate.
      * If problems from batching E.g. losing sales, cost more than time savings, then scale back to a less-frequent batching, otherwise increase batching time gaps.
* Empowerment failures: establish rules to give employees power, e.g. to fix problems themselves as long as cost is under $100. Suggest a one week trial to your boss.
* Summary of this chapter:
   * Create systems to limit your availability via e-mail and phone and deflect inappropriate contact.
   * Batch activities to limit setup cost and provide more time for dreamline milestones
   * Set or request autonomous rules and guidelines with occasional review of results.
* Tools:
   * Evernote
   * GrandCentral
   * YouMail
   * Doodle
   * Timedriver
   * Xobni
   * Jott
   * Copytalk (dictate up 4 mins, get transcription in hrs)
   * Freedom
* Comfort challenge: say no for next 2 days to all that won’t get you fired.

**Step 111: A is for Automation:**

**Chp 8: Outsourcing life:**

* 1.) Get an assistant - even if you don’t need one. Learn to command, start with a test project
   * Use domestic help for language-intensive tasks and foreign assistants in the early stages.
   * Elance
   * Virtual assistant ($6.98)
   * Remember your goal is *to free your time to focus on bigger and better things.*
   * *Remember:* eliminate before you delegate/automate - make sure its important.
   * **Principle one: define rules and processes before adding people.**
   * Hiring a team rather than solo VA is safer, e.g. if gets ill.
   * Forbid VAs from subcontracting work to untested freelancers without your written permission. Brickwork is good.
   * Never use debit cards for online transactions or with remote assistants. Reversing unauthorised credit card charges is painless.
* 2.) Start small but think big  

   * Look at what has been on to-do list the longest
   * Each time change tasks or are interrupted, ask “could a VA do this?”
   * Examine pain points - what causes you the most frustration and boredom?
* 3.) Identify your top five time-consuming non-work tasks and five personal tasks you could assign for sheer fun.
* 4.) Keep in sync: scheduling and calendars
   * BusySync
   * SpanningSync
   * WebEx Office

**Chp 9: Income Autopilot 1:**

* This chp is for those who want not to *run* businesses but for those who want to *own* businesses and spend no time on them.
* Ideal model: a product where test less $500 and can lend itself to automation within four weeks, and when running can’t require more than *one day per week* of management.
* **Cash flow and time:** with these two currencies, all other things are possible.
* 1.) Pick an affordably reachable niche market
   * Find your market, then develop a product for them.
   * Ask yourself:
      * What groups do you understand? What do you own and what groups of people purchase the same? Find related magazines and find out cost of advertising
* 2.) Brainstorm (do not invest in) products
   * Create a premium image and charge more than competition
      * So can sell fewer units
      * Lower-maintenance customers
      * Higher profit margins = safer. 8-10x markup.
      * Should take no more than 3-4 wks to manufacture.
   * Option 1: resell product
   * Option 2: License a product.
      * 2 parties:
   * Option open to most people = option 3: create a product
      * Make prototype, then take to a contract manufacturer or find generic or stock product that can be repurposed for a specific market. Have then make, stick a custom label on it = “private labelling”
      * **INFORMATION** products meet our criteria best

**Chp 10: Income Autopilot 11:**

* You must micro-test your products using inexpensive advertisements
* 1.) Market selection
* 2.) Product brainstorm
* 3.) Micro-testing, e.g. auctioned products on eBay to test demand before purchasing inventory.
* 4.) rollout and automation

**Chp 11: Income Autopilot 111:**

* Once you have a product that sells, it’s time to design a self-correcting business architecture that runs itself.
* Contract outsourcing companies and allow them to communicate among themselves to solve problems and give them written permission to make most inexpensive decisions without consulting you.
* The more options offer customer = more indecision and so fewer orders.
* Art of “undecision” minimizing the number of decisions your customers can or need to make.
* Not all customers are equal: prevent problem customers from ordering in the first place. Those who spend the most complain the least.
   * Use a ‘lose-win’ guarantee, e.g. delivered in 30mins or less or its free.
* Look Fortune 500
   * 1.) Don’t be CEO or founder
   * 2.) Put multiple e-mail and phone contacts on website
   * 3.) Set up Interactive Voice Response (IVR) remote receptionist.
   * 4.) Do not provide home addresses

**Step IV: L is for Liberation:**

**Chp 12: Disappearing Act:**

* Steps for employees to work remote:
   * 1.) increase investment: want company to invest in you as much as possible, so larger cost if you quit.
   * 2.) Prove increased output offsite, e.g. by calling sick.
   * 3.) prepare the quantifiable business benefit
   * 4.) Propose a revocable trial period
   * 5.) Expand remote time
      * Sherwood ensures his days outside of the office are his most productive to date.
   * Alternative: Hourglass approach: where you get a short remote-agreement and then negotiate back up to full-time out of the office.
   * Practice the art of getting past “no” before proposing.
   * 6.) Extend each successful trial period until you reach full-time or your desired level of mobility.
      * Don’t underestimate how much your company needs you. Perform well and ask for what you want. If you don’t get it over time, leave. It’s too big a world to spend most of life in a cubicle.

**Chp 13: Beyond Repair:**

* Most people aren’t lucky enough to get fired and die a slow spiritual death over 30-40 years of tolerating mediocre.
* The phobias keeping people on sinking ships:
   * 1.) Quitting is permanent. No it isn’t, can continue career at later point.
   * 2.) I won’t be able to pay the bills
      * Well you should have a new job or source of cash flow before quitting.
      * Also, not hard to eliminate most expenses temporarily and live on savings for a brief period.
   * 3.) Health insurance and retirement accounts disappear if i quit
      * Untrue.
      * Can get medical and dental coverage for $300-500 per month
      * Transferring 401 (k) took less 30 mins
   * 4.) It will ruin my resume
      * Do something interesting and make them jealous.
      * Fine as long as you don’t sit on your ass after quitting.

**Chp 14: Mini-Retirement:**

* Most people dream of pot of gold at end of career rainbow. But travelling can be done VERY cheaply.
* Why not redistribute usually 20-30 yr retirement throughout life instead of all at end.
* Mini-retirements are recurring = lifestyle. E.g. Tim does 3-4 per year.
* True freedom is more than having enough income and time to do what you want.
* Must also be free from the stresses of a speed- and size-obsessed culture, for which you must be free from the materialistic addictions, time-famine mind-set.
* Use credit card points for free travel and purchase tickets far in advance (3 months or more) or last minute, and aim for departure and return between Tuesday and Thursday.
* You may realise that travelling the world and having time of your life can save you serious money.
* Clutter creates indecision and distractions, consuming attention.
* Tim says take absolute minimum with you when travelling, and set aside a “settling fund” to purchase things needed.
* Most lifestyle for dollar: Argentina, Thailand, Berlin.
* Minimalism: eliminate 80% belongings. Keep 20% use 80% of time.
* Give a trusted member of family and/or your accountant power of attorney.
* Get all required and recommended immunisations and vaccinations for your target region.

**Chp 15: Filling the Void:**

* Don’t want too much idle time, want to live more.
* Questions: if you can’t define or act upon it, forget it. Be smart and put your effort where it can make the biggest difference for yourself and others.
* Continual learning and service is key in life
* To live is to learn - go abroad and learn language + one kinesthetic skill, e.g. sport.
* 1.) Revisit ground zero: do nothing
* 2.) Make an anonymous donation to the service organisation of your choice.
* 3.) Take a learning mini-retirement in combination with local volunteering.
* 4.) Revisit and reset dreamlines
* 5.) Based on the outcomes of steps 1-4, consider testing new part- or full-time vocations.

**Chp 16: The top 13 New Rich Mistakes:**

* Perform a 80/20 analysis every two to four weeks for your business and personal life
* Surround yourself with smiling, positive people who have absolutely nothing to do with work.

**Review:**

If you've reached the end of this post, thank you so much for reading, I hope you learnt a lot! I would give this book an **8/10**, I thought it explained the steps very well, but I still think Timothy could've explained better how employees could actually gain the location independence he mentioned as in many jobs I still think gaining liberation is the hardest step.

I'm trying to put out more book summary posts, so I would appreciate it if you supported/motivated me in doing so by either commenting etc. on this post or by subbing to my channel 'Optimum Insight' thanks!!!",For Sure
1leqzx7,Any book recommendations that feel like therapy?,"Hi guys! I’m 26F and overwhelmed 
Do you have any book recommendations that work like therapy (I know that nothing compares to psychotherapy but you know what I mean)
for healing but not those classic self growth books with titles like “ change now!” , “how to be the best version of yourself” etc
Some real deep books that can make you think, reflect, redirect, etc
(Not novels or fiction) 
Thank you!!🫶🏻",Already Free
yngeew,"which books are good for people in their 20s, for self growth such as building confidence, discipline mindset and determination? something like motivational inspirational.","I was wondering what books are good to read that helps us find the purpose in life and something that helps build a strong mindset to reaching out goals and working on life. 

I'm 26 now but I just feel overwhelmed and confused about how my life is going. I don't know what am I doing but I just want to get some inspiration and motivation to get a better clarity on life.

I'm not a book reader at all but I would like to read free book whether it's an ebook or pdf or something from a website. What do you guys recommend?",Atomic Habits
po1p4x,Are you introverted? Then this book is for you!,"
Susan Cain [Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking](https://bulletpointreading.com/2021/09/13/quiet-by-susan-cain/) super interesting, if you haven’t heard of it, it’s worth checking out! 

Here are some favorite takeaways from the book that I found beneficial:

•“Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you’re supposed to.” 

•The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers — of persistence, concentration, and insight — to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems. Make art. Think deeply.

•We have two ears and one mouth and we should use them proportionally.

• “Prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.” -T.S Eliot

• Extroverts think less and act faster. Introverts are “geared to inspect” and extroverts “geared to respond.”

•Stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don’t let others make you feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy depth, don’t force yourself to seek breadth. If you prefer single-tasking to multi-tasking, stick to your guns. Being relatively unmoved by rewards gives you the incalculable power to go your own way.",M Constantly Repeating To Other People
mr2sa3,"Acing the art of negotiation —Insights from ""Never Split The Difference""","Let’s be honest here. Negotiation has never been an easy task. The situation makes people uncomfortable and induces anxiety. Our primal response of ‘fight or flight’ kicks in, and we end up settling for mediocrity. We don’t compromise because it’s right; we compromise because it is easy and saves face.

With every aspect of our life being influenced with small negotiations along the way, it’s better we brush up some skills to save ourselves from lifelong regrets and ‘WHAT IFs’.

A short read of 260-odd pages co-authored by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz, *‘Never Split the Difference’* is filled with interesting anecdotes and actionable insights that will equip you with life-changing strategies. 

Remember — being right isn’t the key to a successful negotiation —  having the right mindset is. Here are some of my learnings that you may find useful:

# 1. Why the old ‘win-win’ mindset doesn’t work

We all have been there. The ‘win-win’ mindset only works if you’re dealing with close friends and don’t mind compromising in good faith. This mindset in business and political world is often disastrous. It satisfies neither side. If the opposition party is of ‘win-lose’ approach, you’re sure to lose. Just remember, **‘no deal is better than a bad deal!’**

# 2. Use ‘MIRRORING’ to your advantage

Our biggest challenge is that we get easily distracted. We engage in selective listening, hearing only what we want to hear.

The best way to ensure active listening is through MIRRORING. MIRRORING is a powerful technique wherein you just repeat last 3 words of the speaker. It is an art of showing familiarity, which facilitates bonding. It keeps people talking, which buys you more time. It also establishes trust and other party believes that you understand them.

# 3. ‘Tactical Empathy’ is the way to go

Avoid sympathy. Use tactical empathy instead. It helps you get closer to someone without asking them nonsense stuff about their family, pets etc. It’s a shortcut to intimacy, a time-saving emotional hack.

How do you use it?

**Use tactical silence**

* Don’t underestimate the power of silence. Whenever the other party finishes conversation, don’t just jump with your side of argument. Take a short pause. This will imply that you’ve been eagerly listening and weighing the opinion of the other party

**Apply LABELING**

* LABELING is a process where you acknowledge concerns of the other party. You can also use labeling to diffuse any negative in the beginning. It could be your behavior or your decision that might’ve made you appear like a jerk to the other party
* Think of all the worst negative things the other can accuse you of. And then, use LABELING to clear out all the doubts and the friction that is pushing the deal farther away
* Here’s an example- Your business associate is hesitant to close the deal. You sense that uneasiness even before they say it out loud. This is when you apply LABELING. You confront them by saying, *“it looks like you are hesitant to close the deal because you find it less profitable (or whatever the reason)”.*  You can start your sentences with- “IT SEEMS LIKE…”, “IT APPEARS THAT….” etc. It might feel awkward in the beginning, but you’d get used to it pretty quick

**Apply MISLABELING**

* The methodology is similar to LABELING, though a little more aggressive in its approach.
* Instead of correctly labeling the other party’s fears, you take it up a notch and raise hypothetical concerns which practically don’t exist. What this will do is make the other party more defensive. They will take extra steps to open up and correct you with their actual concerns. Hence, you gain insights that were not visible earlier

# 4. Beware ‘YES’ — Master ‘NO’

We all think of ‘YES’ as a desired positive affirmation that can seal all the deals. But in reality, it is ‘NO’ that starts the negotiation.

‘YES’ is only positive in the final stages. ‘NO’ starts conversations and create safe havens to get to the final ‘yes’ of the commitment. An early ‘YES’ is often just a cheap assurance.

Here’s how you use this skill — You use a question that prompts ‘NO’ for an answer, and your counterpart will feel they are turning you down. Never gun for a ‘YES’ straight of the bat. For example- ask ‘hope I’m not disturbing you’ or ‘hope this is not a bad time’. Possible answer that you will get is ‘no’ along with the right time/thing to do.

‘NO’ allows all issues come forward. ‘NO’ slows things down so that people can embrace their decisions and the agreements they enter into.

You can use ‘MISLABELING’ here as well. Just say something totally wrong. That forces other party to say ‘NO’ (and yes later on) and make their intentions even more clear.

If your potential employer is ignoring you, ask questions that could be answered in ‘NO’. For example- ‘Have you given up on my hiring process?’

# 5. The power of calibrated questions

The most important ammo in your arsenal. If applied correctly with the skills mentioned above, you’ll get to hear the most powerful two words — **‘THAT’S RIGHT’**

Don’t confuse ‘THAT’S RIGHT’ with ‘YOU’RE RIGHT’, they technically mean different things. ‘THAT’S RIGHT’ implies that the other party agrees with your universal notions, whereas ‘YOU’RE RIGHT’ just means that the other person acknowledges your personal concerns but won’t necessary agree to it.

**Rules to follow:**

* Ask calibrated questions using ‘HOW’ and ‘WHAT’. Make sure you frame your questions in a way that they can’t be answered with a simple ‘YES’ or ‘NO’
* Avoid ‘WHY’ since it sounds like an accusation. Instead of saying ‘WHY DID YOU DO IT?’ you can say ‘WHAT CAUSED YOU TO DO IT’? But when the situation demands for a ‘WHY’, use words like ‘PERHAPS’, ‘MAYBE’ or ‘I GUESS’ as they take the aggression out of the confrontational argument
* After hearing the other party’s reasoning, Trigger ‘THAT’S RIGHT’ with a summary. Paraphrasing + labeling = summary. This will make people think that you understand them. They will eventually open up more 
* When verbally assaulted, don’t fire back. Ask calibrated questions. ‘WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT’. ‘WHY DO YOU BELIEVE SO?’ ‘HOW IS IT EVEN FAIR?’

# 6. There’s always a leverage

Negotiation is never a linear equation where you apply X to get Y. We all have irrational blind spots, hidden needs, and undeveloped notions.

To get the real leverage, convince your business partner/employer that they have something concrete to lose if the deal falls through. The *Prospect theory* says that people are drawn to surety, even if probability is a better choice. People will take greater risk to avoid loss than to achieve gains.

**Rules to follow:**

* Use the power of odd numbers. They sound more believable
* Use the fear of deadlines to your advantage. Deadlines are a self-made infliction that kills more prospects rather than enhancing efficiency. Hence, always keep your deadlines secret.
* When negotiating a salary, always quote in a price range. The lower amount in the range should be higher than your expectations. This way, you set the anchor at the right position. Word of advice: mostly let the other side anchor monetary negotiations first. If the negotiation proves tough, pivot to non-monetary things like parking spot availability, early appraisals, flexible working hours etc
* If you’re an employer; set a target price. Offer 65% of that price. Progress to 85, 95 and eventually 100% (if the person is really deserving) with using empathy and lots of other ways of saying no.

# 7. Execution is everything

Without execution, all theories and self-help books are empty promises. Our focus should go beyond the mere act of negotiating the agreement. It is only with successful execution in later stages that negotiation succeeds.

**Rules to follow:**

* If body language and words don’t match, confirm the deal once again
* The Rule of Three: get someone agree to the same thing thrice. It’s hard to repeatedly lie or fake conviction. First time, just ask directly. When it’s the second time, paraphrase the agreement to get the response ‘that’s right’. For the final time, ask a calibrated question on the lines of “how are you going to deliver this?”

# 8. Some points to remember

Miscellaneous tips in the book:

* Honest conflict is necessary to solve problem via collaboration
* No matter if its an office or dinner table, there will always be a conflict. Deal with it. It will get you the best job, best car, best partner, and best everything
* Experienced negotiators delay making offers. Best way to deal with them is to warn them of other offers you might be having and create a fear of deadline
* Similarities play a huge role. Use your common connections, city, upbringing etc. to your advantage",Tactical Silence
bay94k,[BookSummary] Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker (7 minute read),"**Book title/author/year:** Why We Sleep / Matthew Walker / 2017

TLDR: If you just want to sleep better, just read the Actionable points.
If you are not convinced you should sleep better, read parts 3 and 4 of the summary and then the actionable points.

&amp;nbsp;

**Summary:**

0\. Intro  
The author writes about the importance of sleep: It's beneficial effects and the detrimental effects of not getting enough sleep. He further explains the different sleep phases, sleep illnesses and sleep in animals.

&amp;nbsp;

1\. Sleep Phases and the Sleep Cycle  
Every waking moment the body generates adenosine which makes you feel sleepy. Sleeping reduces the adenosine.
Additionally you've got your circadian rhythm that's a bit longer than 24h, but external factors help your body keep it on track. These are (sun)light, food, exercise, temperature and regularly timed social interactions. Your rhythm is strongly determined by your genes and differs in length and timing from person to person.
Adenosine and the Circadian Rhythm are two distinct systems: [Normal cycle](https://i.imgur.com/vYocrnd.png), [Skipping a night of sleep](https://i.imgur.com/IIsnOXy.png)
(The distance between S and C is the drive to sleep)

When you are sleeping you go through sleep phases approximately 90 minutes in length. These contain different stages (or depths) of sleep. These stages have different functions and measurably different brainwave activity: REM sleep, where you dream, has similar activity to when you are awake. Here connections in your brain are strengthened.
NREM 1-4, where it gets progressively more difficult to wake you, weed out connections in your brain.
As you can see in [this Figure](https://i.imgur.com/loZuvDw.png), the amount of each state varies in a night from phase to phase. Thus, losing 2 of 8 hours of sleep (25%) actually loses  60-90% of your REM sleep.

&amp;nbsp;

2.A Animals  
While all animals sleep, only birds and non-aquatic mammals experience REM sleep. Animals sleeping in water only sleep with half a brain at a time. Partially aquatic mammals experience REM sleep when sleeping on land, but not when sleeping in water.
During migration period, birds only sleep for a few seconds mid-flight. Depriving such birds, like sparrows, during migration period has no ill effects, while it does harm the birds outside of their migration period.

&amp;nbsp;

2.B Humans  
Almost all time prior to birth is spent in a REM sleep-like state. Babies sleep polyphasically (multiple times a day) and each sleep session only lasts a short duration. The duration gets longer with age, while the amount of sleeps decreases.
The circadian rhythm takes about 4 years to fully develop, although it starts already having a small effect at 3-4 months. Do note, however, that the circadian rhythm of a young child is shifted approximately 2h later than adults.
As teenagers we have a sleep efficiency (percentage of time spent sleeping of the time spent in bed) of about 95%. This slowly deteriorates, until, in our eighties we are left with a sleep efficiency of only 70%-80%.
In old age, we still need the same amount of sleep that we needed before, but find it harder to get, due to reduced sleep efficiency, quantity and quality.

&amp;nbsp;

3\.
Sleep deprivation and Illnesses  
Not sleeping enough can lead to a whole bunch of problems:

- Higher chances of heart attacks, cardiac arrests and strokes  
- Higher risk for diabetes
- Weight gain, as two hormones associated with hunger (Leptin and Gherlin) are regulated by your sleep.
- less attractive look
- less testosterone in your blood (for men)
- more likely to have a miscarriage (for pregnant women)
- weakened immune system
- Less emotional control
- Higher risk of accidents (when driving)
- Deadlier accidents (when driving), because of microsleep, where you do not react to traffic at all

Infants and children with autism don't have normal sleep patterns or amounts.

More than 50% of all children with an ADHD diagnosis actually have a sleep disorder.

Somnambulism (Sleepwalking) arises during NREM and most cases are considered benign.

Insomnia is a disease where you have the opportunity to sleep, but are unable to. While one in nine people suffer from insomnia, it is twice as common in women than men.

Narcolepsy causes the effected to experience daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis (no ability to talk/move when waking up) and cataplexy (a loss of muscle control that leads to total collapse on the spot, which is commonly triggered by positive or negative emotion)

&amp;nbsp;

4\. Benefits  
REM sleep decreases how emotional you feel and after waking helps with creative problem-solving. Further, it increases the ability to recognize facial expressions.
Dreaming about painful experiences helps dealing with them.
Sleep can also help with learning. It refreshes the ability to make new memories, moves facts from short-term to long-term memory, allows you to move motor skills into muscle-memory.
In relation to physical activity, it helps with physical recovery, keeps your time to exhaustion high and lowers your risk of injury.

&amp;nbsp;

5\. External Factors  
*Caffeine* blocks the built up adenosine in your brain from making you feel sleepy. But, after the caffeine wears off, the adenosine is back and even stronger than before, since it continues building up even when the caffeine is blocking it.
Caffeine reaches its peak effectiveness roughly 30 minutes after oral ingestion and has a half-life of five to seven hours, being longer for older individuals.

*Alcohol* is the most powerful suppressor of REM sleep we know and also causes several brief awakenings at night which lead to next day exhaustion. A study has also shown that sleeping under the influence of alcohol the night after learning something reduces retention (tested 7 days later) by more than 50% compared to sleep unaffected by alcohol.
Maybe more surprising: Even sleeping under the influence of alcohol three nights after learning the facts leads to a retention of only 60% compared to baseline.  
TLDR: Don't drink if you've learned something in the past days.

*Light* delays melatonin-release. Blue light more than other colors (e.g. red/yellow). Reading on an iPad (vs Physical book) delays melatonin rise by up to 3 hours that night and 90 minutes for several days after.

*Sleeping pills*: No medication induces natural sleep: the largest, deepest brainwaves are missing in medication induced sleep. Sleeping pills' effectiveness [""rather small and of questionable importance""](https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/345/bmj.e8343.full.pdf), while also having a lot of side effects.

&amp;nbsp;

6\. Tips for Better Sleep  
For parents: Put your child to bed when they are drowsy rather than when they are asleep. This way they are more likely to develop an ability to self-soothe at night.

For the elderly: Have a side lamp that you can reach easily. Use dim or motion-activated lighting for your way to the bathroom. Remove obstacles and rugs. Keep an emergency phone by your bed. Wear sunglasses in the morning and go out into the sun in the late afternoon to shift your rhythm back. Ask your doctor about melatonin pills (These are supposedly ineffective for non-seniors)

For Jetlag: Take a melatonin pill at 7-8pm local time to signal the earlier bed time.

When driving and feeling sleepy: Stop. If you need to continue, take a 20-30min nap and wait another 20-30min afterwards (You are still experiencing sleep inertia)

Follow the 12 Tips laid out below for the Actionable points.

&amp;nbsp;

**Actionable points:**

*Diagnose whether you get enough sleep:*

- Could you go back to sleep at 10/11am?
- Do you need caffeine before noon to function optimally?
- If you didn't set an alarm, would you oversleep?
- Do you find yourself re-reading sentences?
- Do you sometimes forget what color the last few traffic lights were while driving?

Every ""Yes"" is an indication that you are not getting enough sleep. Too much adenosine is remaining (Sleep debt) resulting in chronic fatigue.
If you are giving yourself enough opportunity to sleep, you might have a sleep disorder: Speak to a doctor and do NOT seek sleeping pills as a first option (see 5. of the summary).

&amp;nbsp;

*12 Tips for healthier sleep ([Source with more elaboration](https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/summer12/articles/summer12pg20.html)):*

1. Stick to a sleep schedule (Also on weekends) (Set an alarm for your bedtime)
2. Exercise, but not later than 2-3h before bed
3. Avoid caffeine and nicotine
4. Avoid alcohol
5. Avoid large meals and beverages late at night (Light snacks are okay)
6. Avoid medication that delays/disrupts sleep
7. No naps after 3pm
8. Relax before bed (Journaling, reading, listening to music)
9. Take a hot bath before bed
10. No light, 18.3°C and no TV, phone, etc. (No clocks for some people as that may cause anxiety)
11. Get some sunlight during the day
12. After trying to sleep for 20 minutes, get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy.

&amp;nbsp;

*Edison's Trick*

Thomas Edison allegedly used this trick to use REM sleep to find creative solutions/ideas:

	You need: Chair with armrests and pen and paper handy
	1. Place a metal saucepan below armrest
	2. Hold metal ball bearings in hand above saucepan
	3. Go to sleep
	4. Entering REM relaxes muscles, sending ball bearings crashing down
	Awaken in a creative state

&amp;nbsp;

*For parents, elderly and jetlag look at 6. of the summary*

&amp;nbsp;

**Recommendation:**  
I really did _not_ like this book. In the first half of the book it felt like every second sentence was some variation on ""We will come back to this topic in chapter X."" In the second half those were replaced by ""As I mentioned in Chapter X we now talk about Y."" Then there were unhelpful and clunky metaphors like this one: _""Rather like double-clicking open a Word file on your computer and then sending it to your printer, when genes are activated and read by the cell, a biological product is printed out, such as the creation of an enzyme that helps with digestion, or a protein that helps strengthen a memory circuit within the brain.""_ (p. 186)
But the information presented mostly has actual studies cited for it. If you want some more practical information on how sleep works I would recommend the Sleep Mechanics section [here](https://polyphasic.net/polyphasic-sleep/basics/sleep-mechanics-2/).

**Discussion:**  

If you don't want to sleep the required ~7:30h a day, you could look into polyphasic sleep (/r/polyphasic and the [website mentioned above](https://polyphasic.net/)). Its biggest drawback is that the proposed schedules all are very difficult to adhere to in a school or work setting since they place 20 minute naps throughout the day. Some lifestyles do allow to try it out though (self employed or university student).

Do you get enough sleep? Do you keep to a strict schedule, what is that schedule like and how do you enforce it?

As always, if you want more information or sources on anything I've said here, just ask.",The Above Tips
1aqwtct,My notes on How to Stop Worrying and Start Living,"I hope this summary is helpful. You can find more like this on [Littler Books](https://littlerbooks.com).

1. The author wrote this book after years of teaching public speaking and human relations classes. He found that a major problem for many adults was worry, and there were no good resources available to help them overcome it. So, he researched the subject extensively by reading philosophers and biographies, interviewing prominent people, and learning from his students' own experiences to create a practical guide for conquering worry.
2. Worry can be overcome by living one day at a time in “day-tight compartments” instead of dwelling on the past or future. This advice has been given by the likes of Jesus, William Osier, and Edward Evans.
    * We should focus on making the most of today and handle its tasks one by one, rather than anxiously trying to control things beyond our reach.
    * “Today is our most precious possession. It is our only sure possession.”
3. When facing trouble, you can ask what's the worst that could happen, accept it mentally, and calmly take steps to improve upon it.
    * A man with terminal ulcers accepted his inevitable death. This empowered him to enjoy his remaining time and led to an unexpected recovery.
4. Worry and emotional stress can lead to real physical illnesses like ulcers, heart disease, arthritis, tooth decay, thyroid problems, as well as mental health issues.
    * According to experts, up to 70% of doctor visits are related to issues caused or exacerbated by worry rather than direct physical causes. Yet we fail to protect ourselves from the proven damages of worry, even though controlling our thoughts and emotions can help cure or prevent these health conditions.
    * “Men who do not know how to fight worry die young.”
5. You can resolve most of worries by employing the following steps:
    * Get the facts and analyze the facts. “Half the worry in the world is caused by people trying to make decisions before they have sufficient knowledge on which to base a decision.""
    * Write down precisely what you are worrying about. (“What is the problem?”)
    * Write down what you can do about it. (“What are the possible solutions?”)
    * Decide what to do. (“What's the best solution?”)
    * Start immediately to carry out that decision.
6. To master conquering worry, develop a deep desire for it, practice principles you learned at every opportunity, and evaluate your progress and mistakes often.
7. Worry can be crowded out of your mind by finding a purposeful activity and staying busy, as keeping occupied does not allow space for anxiety and other negative emotions to take hold.
    * A businessman overcame worry by staying ultra-busy. He took on more responsibilities, tackling complex problems until exhaustion. After three months, he returned to a normal schedule, free from his anxieties and insomnia. The constant engagement broke his habit of worrying.
8. Don't allow yourself to be upset by small things.
    * A man survived a 15 hour submarine attack, during which he realized how absurd it is to have worried about the little things in his life like his boss, the scar on his head, and quarrels with his wife.
9. Apply the law of averages: What are the chances that what you're worried about will actually happen?
10. Cooperate with the inevitable. Accept the circumstances that's beyond your power to change.
    * Despite facing the daunting prospect of leg amputation at 71, actress Sarah Bernhardt gracefully accepted the inevitable. With composure, she comforted her son and even entertained the medical staff before her surgery. Her resilience allowed her to continue her career and captivate audiences.
11. Put a “stop-loss” order on your worries. Set a boundary of how much worry a problem may be worth and refuse to give it any more.
    * Stop-loss: Buying a stock and setting a sell order if it falls below a certain price to prevent excessive losses.
12. You can't change the past. Calmly analyze it, learn from it, and focus your energy on the future.
    * Worrying about the past is like trying to saw sawdust. You won't get anything useful out of it.
    * “Acceptance of what has happened is the first step in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”
13. Fill your mind with thoughts of happiness, peace, courage, health, and hope. Think and act cheerfully, and you will feel cheerful.
    * “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” - Marcus Aurelius
    * ""A man is what he thinks about all day long.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
    * “What you think, you are.” - Norman Vincent Peale
    * “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” - Abraham Lincoln
14. Don't waste effort on getting even. It hurts you more than them. Don't waste a minute thinking about people you don't like.
    * “When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness.”
15. Don't fret over ingratitude. Happiness is not from receiving gratitude but from the joy of giving.
    * Gratitude is cultivated. Express gratitude frequently yourself to set an example for your children.
16. “Count your blessings, not your troubles.”
17. Be your authentic self. Don't try to become someone you are not.
    * “Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
    * “Nobody is so miserable as he who longs to be somebody and something other than the person he is in body and mind.” - Angelo Patri
18. Make lemonade when life gives you lemons.
    * Embrace a positive mindset focused on learning from failures and finding the opportunities rather than wallowing in the mud of self-pity.
    * “Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw the mud, the other saw stars.”
    * “If I had not been so great an invalid, I should not have done so much work as I have accomplished."" - Charles Darwin
    * Dostoevsky and Tolstoy's masterpieces were inspired by their tortured lives.
19. Forget yourself and your own happiness. Become interested in others and create happiness for others.
    * “When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.” - Benjamin Franklin
20. Prayer is a powerful tool for managing worries, even for non-believers. Prayer helps articulate anxieties, creates a sense of connection, and fuels the will to act.
21. Unwarranted criticism or insults are actually disguised compliments. They're a result of envy or jealousy.
    * “Nobody kicks a dead dog.”
22. When faced with criticism, do the very best you can and then ""put up your umbrella"" to let it roll off you.
    * ""Never be bothered by what people say, as long as you know in your heart you are right."" - Eleanor Roosevelt
23. Keep a record of foolish things you've done and evaluate yourself. Ask for unbiased constructive criticism.
24. To gain one extra hour to your day, take frequent rests, and rest before you get tired.
25. Most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional attitudes.
    * “100% of the fatigue of the sedentary worker in good health is due to psychological factors, by which we mean emotional factors.”
    * To combat fatigue, relax in odd moments, relax completely (mimic a cat), and work in a comfortable position.
    * “I measure my accomplishments not by how tired I am at the end of the day, but how tired I am not. When I feel particularly tired at the end of the day, or when irritability proves that my nerves are tired, I know beyond question that it has been an inefficient day both as to quantity and quality.”
    * The death rate from hypertension disease would plummet if we took care to be less tired.
26. Talk about your anxieties. “Getting it off your chest” works.
27. Good habits to prevent fatigue and worry:
    * Keep your desk clear except for items relevant to the immediate task at hand.
    * Do things in their order of importance.
    * Solve the problem immediately as soon as you have the necessary info to do so. Don't delay.
    * Learn to organize, deputize/delegate, and supervise.
28. Boredom is a major cause of fatigue, worry, and resentment.
    * If you find your job dull and you can't change the job itself, you can change your attitude towards it to one of enthusiasm, and find ways to make it more engaging and fulfilling. This can lead to reduced fatigue, increased happiness, and improved job performance.
    * Samuel Vauclain was bored with his repetitive factory job, and he turned it into a game by racing a coworker. Eventually his speed and accuracy impressed his supervisor, leading to a series of promotions. Ultimately he became the president of a major company.
29. Insomnia itself is not dangerous -- successful people like lawyer Samuel Untermyer still thrived with very little sleep -- but worrying about lack of sleep can be extremely damaging to one's health.
    * Relaxation techniques, prayer, exhausting physical exercise, accepting wakefulness calmly, and avoiding fretting over sleeplessness can often alleviate insomnia more effectively than sedatives.
    * Since sleep requirements vary widely between individuals and sleep has many mysteries science can't explain, it's best not to obsess about optimal hours slept but simply find what works for you.
30. Young adults should carefully consider their career options.
    * Take the time to research thoroughly before committing to a profession. Consider factors like enjoyment, potential, and the job market.
    * Conduct informational interviews with professionals in your desired field.
    * Don't limit yourself to one perceived perfect career.
31. Survey says 70% of our worries are financial. To lessen them:
    * Budget and spend wisely.
    * Build credit by any means.
    * Protect yourself with medical and fire insurance. Have an emergency fund.
    * Do not pay life insurance in a lump sum. It'll be spent quickly.
    * Teach your children fiscal responsibility.
    * If necessary, have a side gig.
    * Don't ever gamble.
    * Be good to yourself and don't resent what can't be changed.",The Summary
r1p4f5,Sharing My Collection of Book Notes (100+ books),"Hi everyone. It's about a year ago I [posted](https://www.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/comments/je75w0/sharing_my_collection_of_book_notes/) my collection of notes here, and it seemed to be well received.

I'd like to share it with you again. There's 100+ books by now.  It's not that the quantity matters a ton, but I think you're more likely to find something you resonate with because of it. I learned a ton in the past year, so I hope you gain from my notes as much as I have.

[https://bagerbach.com/books](https://bagerbach.com/books)

Hope you enjoy.

Best regards,   
Christian",Or Use An App To Take Notes Whilst Reading
o52fel,Here’s a better way to build good habits that last you a lifetime,"**Actionable insights from Atomic Habits, the NYT bestseller by James Clear**

Okay, so hear me out. This is a self-help book that you’ll find everyone raving about which may make you think if it is one of those works of pop psychology that promises big results with too little effort.

But trust me on this. Once you go through it, you’ll find lots of evidence, methods and advice that will help unlock your great potential.

James Clear wrote this book in a clear (no pun intended) and concise way that makes it one of my favorite reads and sits on top of my recommendations list.

Let’s take a deep dive into this book.

# The surprising power of Atomic Habits

Habits take time to build. But even a small 1% improvement can have an astounding effect on your performance in the long run. At first, the changes will seem unnoticeable. But once you build your habits strong enough, you’ll experience your breakthrough moment.

Contrary to what people expect, the progress in life is never linear. We get disappointed early when we compare what we thought we’d achieve in a time frame versus what we actually achieve. This is why most people give up within a few weeks of starting a new habit.

The 1% improvement process works like the compound interest. Overtime, it would become easier to learn more and getting better without thinking too much about it.

Just remember to take small steps everyday!

Instead of setting ambitious goals, focus on the process instead.

Goals hinder your progress. Once you achieve them, you just stop improving. They restrict happiness because you falsely believe you’ll be happy when you achieve them. Remember, **winners and losers have the same goals**. The only difference is the process they build that separates them.

# How your habits shape your identity

The changes happen at 3 different layers of behavior:-

* **OUTCOME** (lose weight, earn more money, buy new car)
* **PROCESS** (exercise everyday, write daily, save more)
* **IDENTITY** (Believing in yourself to be rich, creative and health conscious)

**Outcomes** are about what you get. **Process** is about what you do. **Identity** is about what you believe.

Think of it as the layers of an onion with ‘outcome’ being the outermost one.

Instead of leading with outcome-based goals and habits (what you want to achieve), focus on identity-based habits. (what you wish to become)

&gt;*“It’s a one thing to say I’m a type of person who wants this, It’s something different to say I am the type of person who is this”*

So instead, the goal shouldn’t be:-

* To finish the book, but to become a reader
* To lose weight, but to become a healthy person
* To learn an instrument, but to become a musician

And that is why we should be more careful while criticizing ourselves. Your negative thinking gets enforced the more you think about how bad you are at something.

# How to build better habits in 4 simple steps

Building habits in the present allows you to do more in the future. Successful habits are built when you know the process behind it. In the habit building process, the habits go through 4 stages namely **cue, craving, response** **&amp;** **reward.**

First, there is the **cue**. The cue is a bit of information that predicts reward. Our mind continuously works in the background searching for cues in our environment. That leads to the second step of craving.

**Cravings** are the motivational force behind every habit. Without it, we have no reason or desire to act. What we crave is not the habit itself but the change it delivers. You don’t crave a cigarette, you just crave the feeling of relief it provides. Every craving is a desire to alter change your internal state.

Then comes the third stage of **response,** which is basically the action or habit you perform to fulfill your cravings. The response depends on how motivated you are to take an action.

Finally, the response delivers the **reward** which are the end goals of every habit. We chase rewards because they serve two purposes:

1. They satisfy our cravings
2. They teach us which actions are worth remembering in the future to get the same reward again.

Rewards close the feedback loop and complete the habit cycle.

In summary, the cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.

If a behavior is insufficient in any of the 4 stages, it will not turn into a new habit.

Let’s take a look at the four laws of building good habits and getting rid of the bad ones.

# The First Law- Make it obvious

The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. Create a habit scorecard listing all the habits you want to learn. For a few weeks, just observe how sincerely you follow them. Give yourself points for each habit done on a given day.

## 1.1 The pointing and calling method

Verbalizing your actions make it obvious and doable. If you’re procrastinating to workout, just call out loud, “I will be working out since I want to get in a good shape and this will help me put on more muscle.”

## 1.2 Using implementation intentions

If you’re being vague, implementing habits will be difficult. How many times have you promised yourself to work out from tomorrow, only to find out your motivation disappearing the next day?

Hence, the formula is to BE MORE SPECIFIC:

**I will \[BEHAVIOR\] at \[TIME\] in \[LOCATION\]**

Now insert the responses as deemed fit and you’d see it becomes easier to take action.

## 1.3 Use habit stacking method

Rather than pairing new behavior with time and location, you pair it with your current habit using this method.

Here’s the formula for habit stacking:

**After \[CURRENT HABIT\], I will \[NEW HABIT\]**

For example- After I pour my coffee, I will go exercise ORAfter I eat my lunch, I will write at least 100 words.

The fourth stage (reward) of your current habit will become the cue for your new habit.

&gt;*“The key is to tie your desired behavior into something you already do each day. Once you have mastered this basic structure, you can begin to create larger stacks by chaining small habits together”*

## 1.4 Design your environment. Make the cues of good habit visible

The people with the strong will power are the ones who don’t have to use it often. You become a more disciplined person by creating a more disciplined environment.

The closer the water bottle, the more you stay hydrated. The more visible the books on your desk, the more you try to read them.

A “cue-induced” wanting — an urge that arises from specific behavior or the environment — is an external trigger that causes compulsive craving to repeat the bad habit.

**Hence, this method also applies to the reverse of the 1st Law of Behavior Change. Rather than making the cues obvious, you make them invisible.**

It is better to reduce the visibility of such cues. if you feel distracted, leave your phone in the other room. If you’re wasting hours on gaming, it’s better to shut off the console and hide it for a while.

# The Second Law- Make it attractive

## 2.1 Use temptation bundling

Take a close look around and you will find exaggerated cues all around us. These cues act as supernormal stimuli. Advertisement has made junk food look tempting, while carefully edited photos with perfect lighting are flooding the social media, setting unrealistic standards for all of us.

Here’s one interesting fact. When it comes to performing a habit, dopamine is released not when you experience pleasure, but also when you anticipate it. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike. Just like gambling addicts who have a dopamine spike right before they place a bet.

Habits are a dopamine driven feedback loop. When dopamine rises, so does our motivation to act.

The habit stacking + temptation building formula that works:

**After \[CURRENT HABIT\], I will \[HABIT I NEED\]**

**After \[HABIT I NEED\], I will \[HABIT I WANT\]**

For example- After waking up, I will read 10 pages. After reading 10 pages, I will have my favorite food for breakfast.

## 2.2 Join a culture where your desired behavior is the normal behavior

In early times, being cast out meant death sentence. *“The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”*. On the other hand, those who collaborated and bonded with others increased safety, mating opportunities and access to resources.

To make your habits attractive in a modern world, join a culture where **a)** your desired behavior is the normal behavior and **b)** you already have something in common with the group.

This way, you can sustain motivation for long. It transforms a personal quest into a shared one. If our behavior in the group can get us approval, respect and praise, we find it attractive. The community help behaviors last over the long run.

## 2.3 Find and fix the causes of your bad habits

Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive messaging and vice-versa.

To do that, let’s look at some of our underlying motives below. A craving is a specific manifestation of a deeper underlying motive. Hence, our habits — whether good or bad — become modern-day solutions to ancient desires

* Find love and reproduce= using dating apps like Tinder
* Connect and bond with others= browsing Facebook
* Win social acceptance and approval= posting on Instagram
* Reduce uncertainty= searching Google
* Achieve status and prestige= playing video games

Now the same motive also works for **the inversion of the 2nd Law of behavior change, that is, to make it unattractive.**

It’s up to you either you smoke a cigarette or go for a run to reduce anxiety.

Sometimes, all it takes is a new outlook towards hard habits.

**Exercising:** Instead of saying “I need to go run/lift weights early morning”, say “ It’s time to build endurance and get fast”

**Finance:** Saving is associated with sacrifice. Instead of associating it with limitation, think of it as a means of freedom in the near future

**Pre-game jitters:** Those moments are full of anxiety. You can reframe “I’m nervous” to “I’m excited and getting adrenaline rush to help me concentrate”. In fact, your favorite playlist can do wonders here

# The Third Law- Make it easy

## 3.1 Reduce Friction. Decrease the number of steps between you and your good habits

As Voltaire once said, *“The best is the enemy of good.”* Don’t wait for perfection. Just perform the action. Action delivers outcome. If you outline 20 ideas for your next blog, that’s motion. If you actually sit down to write them, that’s action.

Sometimes, motion is indeed useful, but it will never produce an outcome by itself. We all fall into this loop. We keep on thinking and planning because motions makes us feel like we are making progress. We also try to avoid criticism, and hence we never perform any action fearing judgement.

When it comes to quantity vs quality, simply putting in more efforts will make you produce quality in the long run. You learn from simple mistakes while doing the same thing repeatedly, or sometimes through constructive feedback. Basically, 2 quality essays in a month &lt; 30 low effort ones.

All efforts follow similar trajectory from effortful practice to automatic behavior, a process known as automaticity.

Habits are formed based on frequency, not time duration.

Your current habits have been internalized over the course of thousands of repetitions. So now new habits will require the same level of frequency to produce visible results.

## 3.2 Prime the environment. Prepare your environment to make future actions easier

You are what your environment is and the people you surround yourself with.

Habits are easier to build if they fit into the flow of your life. You are more likely to go to the gym if it’s on your way to work and doesn’t add much friction to your lifestyle. You’ll follow a better diet if there’s no junk in your fridge.

Priming the environment:

* Want to read more? put your books visible on desk
* Want to exercise? put your workout clothes and gym bag a night before sleeping

Invert the same principle and you can avoid the bad habits. Watching too much porn? just block the sites in your browser. Too much social media? just delete the apps. Wanna quit smoking? stop hanging out with people who smoke.

## 3.3 Master the decisive moment. Optimize the small choices that deliver outsized impact

Everyday there are handful of quick moments that deliver outsized impact: The moment you decide to use car or riding your bike to work. Between cooking healthy or ordering takeout for dinner.

These decisive moments set the options available to your future self. Hence, we need to master those small moments as habits are an entry point, not an end point.

## 3.4 Use the two minute rule. Downscale your habits until they can be done in two minutes or less

One effective way to master habits— the two minute rule. When you start a new habit, it should take less than 2 mins to do it. This is how it impacts:-

* Reading books everyday becomes reading one page
* Working out everyday becomes 10 pushups
* Cleaning your room becomes cleaning one area at a time

As these habits become ingrained in your lifestyle, you eventually increase your frequency and duration. The point here is not to finish the task everyday, but to master the habit of showing up.

Strategies like this work because they enforce a new identity you want to build. If you show up at the gym every day even just for 5 mins, you’re casting your vote to a new identity of a person who is health conscious and never skips their workout.

## 3.5 Automate your habits. Invest in technology and one-time purchases that lock in future behavior

Automating habits using technology is reliable and effective. To lock in your habits, you can create what psychologists call a *commitment device —* A choice you make in the present that controls your action in the future. These devices are useful as they take advantage of good intentions before you fall victim to temptation.

Here’s an example:- buying a good mattress for sound sleep, buying meditation app or gym subscription, buying writing and coding courses online. Buying small plates to reduce calorie intake etc.

This technique will deliver increasing returns over time.

# The Fourth Law- Make it satisfying

## 4.1 Use reinforcement. Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit

Why would someone smoke if they know it is cancerous? Why would someone overeat knowing it increases obesity? Why would anyone have unsafe sex if they know it can transmit STD?

It is because the consequences of bad habits are delayed while the rewards are immediate.

Bad habits feel good at first. With good habits, the process is reversed. At first they are unenjoyable, but the ultimate outcome feels good. In other words, the costs of your good habits are in the present. The cost of your bad habits are in the future. We all want better lives for our future selves, but the instant gratification often takes control over our decisions.

This plays out with the cardinal rule of behavior change: what is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.

The solution is to make delaying or avoidance better visible. Like putting a small amount of money in savings every time you skip on impulse shopping or ordering junk food. The process makes sacrifices worth doing.

## 4.2 Make “doing things” enjoyable. When avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the habits

The short term reward you give yourself after a successful completion of a habit should be something that reinforces your identity in the long run. If you want to be known as a health-conscious person but the reward for a workout is having an ice cream, then it creates a conflict. Instead, your reward could be getting a massage or going for a hike.

## 4.3 Use a habit tracker. Keep track of your habit streak and “don’t break the chain”

It is satisfying to cross every item off your to-do list, to see your performance graph soar high, to make an entry in your workout log etc.

It keeps our focus on the process instead of the result. You’re not fixated with a book deal, but you’re just trying to keep your streak alive of writing 1000 words per day.

In short, a habit tracker (1) creates a visual cue that reminds you to act, (2) is motivating because you see the progress and don’t want to lose it and (3), it feels satisfying whenever you record a successful entry or cross off the item from the list.

How to make tracking easier?

* Some measurements need to be automated. Like credit card bills. Apps counting steps. Your savings account receipts etc.
* Record each measurement immediately after it happens. The completion of the behavior is the cue to write it down

## 4.4 Never miss twice. While you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately

This is the most simple yet transforming strategy. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit. If you miss one day, make sure you go back to it the next day. No excuses.

JUST DO IT.

This is the distinguishing feature between winners and losers. Anyone can have a bad performance or a workout session. But when winners fail, they rebound quickly.

Showing up on bad day is what matters. Skipping in-between effects the nature of compound interest. The slow and sluggish days or sessions maintain the compound gains you accrued from previous good days. Don’t let losses eat into your compounding.

It doesn’t matter what happens during that one single workout session. It’s about being the type of person who doesn’t skip the workout. Showing up everyday re-affirms your identity.

A word of caution here. You should know when NOT to track a habit. People sometimes become driven by the numbers rather than the purpose behind them. The focus should be on:

* Getting meaningful work done and NOT working longer hours
* Creating meaningful content and NOT obsessing about the follower count
* Being fit and eating healthy and NOT focusing on weight scale and losing ‘certain number of pounds’

**The inversion of the fourth law is to make bad habits unsatisfying.** We present our best selves to get positive reaction. We care deeply about what others think of us and we do not want them to have a lesser opinion of us.

Contracts like bets and conditional commitments can make bad habits unworthy and help you stay on track. A bet of 500 bucks if you don’t show up to the gym or any similar penalty for slacking on your tasks could work like a charm.

&amp;#x200B;

For more detailed resources on this book, make sure to visit James Clear’s [website](https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits/resources) where he has put all the important resources from his book.

If you'd like to read this article with supporting images, please give it a read here on my [medium blog](https://medium.com/@darpan93/heres-a-better-way-to-build-good-habits-that-last-you-a-lifetime-108bb45a86cf)",Again The Fundamentals Of The
a7f1be,19 Books Every Man Should Read In 2019 To Jumpstart His Growth,"I've put together this list of books that have helped me grow tremendously over the past few years.

After showing a few of my friends, they encouraged me to share with more people. Even though the title seems to be geared towards men, I believe anyone can benefit from this list. Hise is the

 [19 Books Every Man Should Read In 2019 To Jumpstart His Growth](http://www.phaeton4kast.com/19-books-every-man-should-read-in-2019-to-jumpstart-his-growth/)

I hope this helps!

Definitely get the conversation started by recommending some books you would have liked to see on this list!

I would love to discuss the ones I've missed! :) ",For Men
bjmvpp,[BookSummary] How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett (6 minute read),"**Book title/author/year:** How to Live on 24 Hours a Day /  Arnold Bennett / 1910

If at any point in this summary you think that the ideas sound interesting go read the full original, it should only take 1-2 hours to read and I really enjoyed it. You can get it for **free** on [Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2274) or [web-books](http://www.web-books.com/Info/580R6209) or listen to the audio book on [LibriVox](https://librivox.org/how-to-live-on-twenty-four-hours-a-day-by-arnold-bennett/).

&amp;nbsp;

**Summary:**

1\. Time

Everybody has 24 hours in a day. You always did and you always will. There will never be ""more time"" and, even if you wasted time yesterday, there will never be less time. Make the most out of your time.

&amp;nbsp;

2\. Using Your Time

If you are convinced that you should make the most of your time, *living* instead of merely *existing*,  and you have braced yourself for the difficulty that comes with implementing that change in your life, then you can use these strategies to use your time more effectively:

* View the 24h as two days, the 8h work day and a 16h personal day. Don’t call your work day ""your day"".
* Spend about an hour a day training your mind to focus on a single thing (maybe while commuting to work)
* Reflect on yourself (maybe on your way home from work)
* Set aside 90 on three weekdays for ""serious reading"" (or other self-improvement)
 * This time is sacred: if you get asked to join another activity, decline it. 

&amp;nbsp;

3\. FAQ - Clarifications

*Why do the concentrating?*  
""[W]ithout the power to concentrate [..] true life is impossible. Mind control is the first element of a full existence.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*How to do the concentrating?*  
Concentrate on a subject and keep thinking about it. When you notice your mind wandering away (or, more likely, having wandered away) bring it back to the original subject.

&amp;nbsp;  
*What to concentrate on?*  
Anything, but  ""you may as well kill two birds with one stone, and concentrate on something useful. I suggest -- it is only a suggestion -- a little chapter of Marcus Aurelius or Epictetus. Do not, I beg, shy at their names. For myself, I know nothing more “actual,” more bursting with plain common-sense, applicable to the daily life of plain persons like you and me (who hate airs, pose, and nonsense) than Marcus Aurelius or Epictetus. Read a chapter -- and so short they are, the chapters! -- in the evening and concentrate on it the next morning. You will see.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*Why reflect on myself?*  
""you are in search of happiness, are you not? Have you discovered it?
The chances are that you have not. The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it by realising that happiness does not spring from the procuring of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*What is serious reading?*  
It is a time set aside to work on yourself with the help of books. You should also be thinking and not only reading:
""Unless you give at least forty-five minutes to careful, fatiguing reflection (it is an awful bore at first) upon what you are reading, your ninety minutes of a night are chiefly wasted. This means that your pace will be slow.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*What to read during serious reading?*  

* No novels. Do read them, but not as part of serious reading. ""the reason is that bad novels ought not to be read, and that good novels never demand any appreciable mental application on the part of the reader.""
* ""[Imaginative poetry] produces probably the severest strain of any form of literature. It is the highest form of literature. It yields the highest form of pleasure, and teaches the highest form of wisdom. In a word, there is nothing to compare with it.""
 * If you don't know how to read poetry: ""On Poetry in General"" - William Hazlitt
 * Then: Narrative poetry
 * ""Aurora Leigh"" - Elizabeth Barrett Browning
 * ""Paradise Lost"" - John Milton
* If you can't get into poetry: Try History or Philosophy
 * Define the direction and scope of your efforts (e.g. time period, subject or author)
 * ""The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"" - Edward Gibbon
 * ""First Principles"" - Herbert Spencer
* Other authors or works namedropped:
 * George Meredith
 * Stephen Phillips
 * William Wordsworth
 * Alfred Tennyson
 * Blaise Pascal
 * Jean de La Bruyère
 * Ralph Waldo Emerson
 * ""Lombard Street"" - Walter Bagehot
* Mentioned in other sections, but added here again for completion:
 * Marcus Aurelius 
 * Epictetus
 * ""How to Listen to Music"" -  Henry Edward Krehbiel
 * ""How to Look at Pictures"" - Robert Clermont Witt
 * ""How to Judge Architecture"" - Russell Sturgis

&amp;nbsp;  
*I'm not interested in literature. Are there alternatives to serious reading?*  
""Of course it is [very difficult] properly to study anything whatever without the aid of printed books. But if you desire to understand the deeper depths of bridge or of boat-sailing you would not be deterred by your lack of interest in literature from reading the best books on bridge or boat-sailing.""
If you are interested in the arts, you can read books about them and learn to appreciate them more deeply:

* ""How to Listen to Music"" -  Henry Edward Krehbiel
* ""How to Look at Pictures"" - Robert Clermont Witt
* ""How to Judge Architecture"" - Russell Sturgis

&amp;nbsp;  
*I hate all the arts! What alternatives are left?*  
Learn about the sciences! Especially cause and effect.
""When one has thoroughly got imbued into one's head the leading truth that nothing happens without a cause, one grows not only large-minded, but large-hearted.""
""Cause and effect are to be found everywhere.""

&amp;nbsp;

4\. FAQ - Pitfalls

*Why can't I read the newspaper on my way to work?*  
""Newspapers are produced with rapidity, to be read with rapidity.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*I don't have the energy after work to be productive.*  
""Can you deny that when you have something definite to look forward to at eventide, something that is to employ all your energy -- the thought of that something gives a glow and a more intense vitality to the whole day?""
""What I suggest is that at six o’clock you look facts in the face and admit that you are not tired (because you are not, you know), and that you arrange your evening so that it is not cut in the middle by a meal.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*Why not do more?*  
One failure, one setback, can destroy your self-esteem and cause you to abandon the project completely.

&amp;nbsp;  
*Can I extend this program?*  
See above. But after sticking to the program for an extended period of time (e.g. three months) more ambitious goals can be set.
""But in the average case I should say: Confine your formal programme (super-programme, I mean) to six days a week. If you find yourself wishing to extend it, extend it, but only in proportion to your wish; and count the time extra as a windfall, not as regular income, so that you can return to a six-day programme without the sensation of being poorer, of being a backslider.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*I should tell others about my productivity and insights!*  
Don't. ""[W]hen one sets forth on the enterprise of using all one's time, it is just as well to remember that one's own time, and not other people's time, is the material with which one has to deal; that the earth rolled on pretty comfortably before one began to balance a budget of the hours, and that it will continue to roll on pretty comfortably whether or not one succeeds in one's new role of chancellor of the exchequer of time. It is as well not to chatter too much about what one is doing, and not to betray a too-pained sadness at the spectacle of a whole world deliberately wasting so many hours out of every day, and therefore never really living. It will be found, ultimately, that in taking care of one's self one has quite all one can do.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*Can I skip a day? Do I have to cancel appointments because of my program?*  
""[The program] must be respected, but it must not be worshipped as a fetish.""
""To treat one's programme with exactly the right amount of deference, to live with not too much and not too little elasticity, is scarcely the simple affair it may appear to the inexperienced.""

&amp;nbsp;  
*Got it. I'll start with the books on Poetry, then Philosophy. I also want to learn about evolution. Maybe pull that forward?*  
""[A]nother danger is the danger of developing a policy of rush, of being gradually more and more obsessed by what one has to do next. In this way one may come to exist as in a prison"".
""The evil springs [..] from originally attempting too much, from filling one's programme till it runs over. The only cure is to reconstitute the programme, and to attempt less.""
And, again: ""A failure at the commencement may easily kill outright the newborn impulse towards a complete vitality[, it] must not be over-taxed. Let the pace of the first lap be even absurdly slow, but let it be as regular as possible.""  
""Finally, in choosing the first occupations of those evening hours, be guided by nothing whatever but your taste and natural inclination.""

&amp;nbsp;

**Actionable points:**

See the list in Section 2 of the Summary and the books listed under *What to read during serious reading?* in Section 3.

&amp;nbsp;

**Recommendation:**

As you might have noticed, throughout most of this summary I was just quoting the original work. That's because I really enjoyed the old writing style (released in 1910). Furthermore, I think many great points are raised. And since it is a [quick and easy read and furthermore free](https://i.imgur.com/BBccBK3.jpg), I would recommend it wholeheartedly. Especially if you know ""the feeling that you are every day leaving undone something which you would like to do, and which, indeed, you are always hoping to do when you have “more time”"".

Again, get it for **free** on [Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2274) or [web-books](http://www.web-books.com/Info/580R6209) or listen to the audio book on [LibriVox](https://librivox.org/how-to-live-on-twenty-four-hours-a-day-by-arnold-bennett/).

&amp;nbsp;

**Discussion:**

This book is over 100 years old now (published in 1910). And while some parts have not aged well (playing cards, bridge and tennis are mentioned as common past-times) I think the general philosophy and advice still holds.  
Do you feel the same? 

What advice is outdated or has more modern alternatives?  
I feel that the hour spent focusing your mind on something aims to achieve the same thing as meditation does. For meditation, of course, there are more guidelines and rules you can use to practice. The authors advice has the advantage of being simple to understand and easy to implement.

Lastly, have you read any of the recommended reading? Is it still readable today or are there better, more modern books about the same topics?  
I would just add that - especially on the topic of science - we have other great resources to learn from, like [educational YouTube channels](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw) and [online-resources from universities](https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm). Here, just as with serious reading, you run the risk of not putting in the work required. Maybe even more so, since with video materials you can consume them without putting in any work at all.  
This availability of large amounts of resources also increases the risk of developing that policy of rush and also attempting too much at once.  
I see this with my what-to-read list, which currently holds over 200 non-fiction books. And I've furthermore got some lectures and whole video-courses bookmarked.

It is difficult to slow down and focus just on the book (or other learning media) at hand, without re-ordering the what-to-read list on every page-turn and DuckDuckGoing^\(privacy ^matters) some videos on another cool topic that just came to mind.

Do you share these struggles or am I alone?

&amp;nbsp;  
Like [last time](https://old.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/comments/bay94k/booksummary_why_we_sleep_by_matthew_walker_7/); If you want me to clarify anything, or want more in-depth info on any of the points do let me know!

If you do take the authors recommendations to heart, and especially want to start reading (more) seriously, may I recommend ""How to Read a Book"" - Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren ^(which I also summarized) ^[here](https://old.reddit.com/r/BettermentBookClub/comments/9icnb3/booksummary_how_to_read_a_book_by_mortimer_j/)",Any Of The Reccomended Reading Yet
1c832v8,Books on moving away from a money scarcity mindset? ,I have deeply ingrained money scarcity issues that I can’t seem to shake despite having worked hard to be in a space where money isn’t scarce (not that it’s completely abundant either). Would love to work towards being able to think and feel more logically about spending money and seeing it for what it is— a tool to live a good life with. Thanks 💚,Power Of The Past
tx9hx1,Books that will make me want to live life fully?,"I mean books that’ll give me a strong urge to go talk with strangers and have fun because life is short. To get out of my comfort zone and do things I may be too “shy” to do.

I *don’t* mean books to help with discovering myself, getting over trauma or related, or making the most of my opportunities.

I want to read something that’ll change my perspective in a way that’ll make approaching people to be friends an easier task. This could be a book with a moral of “life is short, do while young” or “there are no bad results from taking action so just do it.” I am *not* looking for books on what to say in these situations, however. 

Fiction or nonfiction is fine!",The Midnight Library
lij1kn,6 Things I learned from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield,"# 1) A mental force called resistance opposes all our endeavors, and affects everyone.

Have you ever had an ambitious dream but hesitated to act on it? Maybe you wanted to write a great novel or start an innovative new business, but a certain feeling held you back?

That feeling is called *resistance* – it's the force that forever keeps us from realizing our dreams and accomplishing what we were meant to do.

Anything new in our routine that takes us away from the habitual will be naturally accompanied by resistance. Resistance is negative, and it always opposes change or anything new. For example, if you feel a call to start a new business, resistance will be the voice that urges you to stay at your current job and not take a risk on a project that may fail. If you want to start a new diet, resistance will be the voice that tells you, “I can always start the diet tomorrow, even if I don’t today.”

This feeling of resistance is perfectly normal. It's impersonal and universal, and it affects anyone and everyone. Resistance also doesn't discriminate between interests – you'll feel resistance if you want to do something for yourself, like diet, or something to help others, like start a charity. We need to accept that resistance is natural and stop thinking that it targets us personally.

In fact, resistance even affects people who are experienced at what they do. For example, actor Henry Fonda, even in his late age, threw up before every theatrical performance. Being an accomplished actor didn't stop him from feeling fear each time he had to go on stage.

Resistance can manifest in many ways. Fear of failure, self-doubt or procrastination are different forms of resistance. We can learn how to defeat resistance by constantly refocusing on our dreams, committing to our craft and accepting that challenging resistance is a natural and necessary part of the journey.

# 2) Resistance keeps us from becoming who we're meant to be, unless we use it to our advantage.

Is there something in life you feel you were meant to do? Maybe you want to write short stories, or design furniture? That's your *calling*: your greatest passion that satisfies your soul’s hunger.

We each have two separate lives, our *lived* and *unlived* lives. We live everyday in our regular life, but we have another *unlived* life where we have an unrealized dream.

Why are you waiting for the future to start working toward that dream? Probably because you feel fear and self-doubt, which are both forms of resistance. Resistance prevents us from realizing our unlived dreams. For example, if your dream is to write a great novel, you'll feel fear – maybe a fear of rejection by publishers, or of not meeting other people’s (or your own) expectations. That fear may stop you from even trying to write.

Instead of letting resistance stop you, use it to your advantage. It's okay to feel fear and self-doubt – these emotions mean that you truly care about your dream. You wouldn't be afraid of failing at something if you weren't deeply passionate about it. Fear can be a good indication that your dream is meaningful enough to pursue.

Even accomplished people still feel fear. This is illustrated by a sentiment often expressed by Hollywood actors. The host of *Inside* *the* *Actor’s* *Studio* often asks guests why they chose certain roles. Many professionals answer that they choose roles they're afraid of; they acknowledge that fear indicates their passion for those roles, so they should pursue them.

Like these actors, you can use fear to motivate yourself. Don’t be controlled by fear and self-doubt – instead recognize that these emotions can help you orient yourself toward the dreams that mean the most to you.

# 3) The best way to fight resistance is to be a professional, and treat your dream like a full-time job.

How are you pursuing your dream? Do you try to work on it a few hours here and there? This is a mistake. Instead, try to think of yourself as constantly working on it – immersed in it, like a full-time job.

You can be quite creative in how you utilize your time for your dream, even if you still have a “regular” job. For example, Quentin Tarantino didn't go to film school but instead worked in a video rental store. He watched films at work and used his “free time” to direct small projects. Once, one of his projects was destroyed in a fire. Instead of feeling as if he had failed, Tarantino realized that even though he never got to finish the film, the project had still taught him more than any film school class could have.

A person like Tarantino who is dedicated and does not give up when faced with a setback is a ""professional."" His commitment to his craft proves it.

You can also transfer skills from your day job to your dream, even if your day job is very different. Do you go to work every day, on time? Do you keep working even when you have distractions in your personal life? You probably do. The self-discipline skills you hone at work can be applied as well toward your passion.

Like your regular job, working full-time toward your dream isn't always fun. But you often have the ability to power through your day job when you don't enjoy it, so you can also use that ability toward your dream.

Consider author Somerset Maugham, who was once asked if he wrote according to a schedule. ""I write only when inspiration strikes,"" he replied. ""Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine sharp.""

This is an important truth about professionals: they don’t sit around waiting for inspiration, but rather work hard, day in and day out.

# 4) A professional defeats resistance by being organized, patient and boldly facing adversity.

Let's say your dream is to write a book, and you develop the self-discipline to sit down and write every day. You'll soon realize that resistance doesn't immediately go away. In fact, resistance may even increase as you keep writing, making you doubt your passions even more. However, you can weaken resistance by being persistent and organized.

To be a professional, you must be organized and patient. The author John Updike embodied this well in his writing process. He wrote every day, but focused on pacing himself evenly through the writing process. He didn't set unrealistic goals, such as speed-writing a novel in a week.

Like Updike, try to focus on the process of your work, rather than only imagining the end result. Focusing on the process instead of trying to achieve the goal as quickly as possible will help weaken resistance. It’s okay if the process is slow, as that's normal – you must be patient if you want the best results.

As part of focusing on the process, also learn to accept that you'll always face adversity along the way. Instead of quitting when you face a problem, train yourself to view new challenges as steps to overcome to reach your goal.

Oprah Winfrey is a great example of a professional who has overcome challenges. At the onset of her career, few people expected that a talk show hosted by a black woman could gain a following, as the field was dominated by white men. She also wanted to focus on her guests' personal lives and emotions, which was uncommon at the time.

However, Oprah remained dedicated to her vision. Within months of starting, she created the most-watched morning show in America, and helped bring to light many previously undiscussed issues, such as obesity and bullying. Instead of backing down against criticism, Oprah used it as motivation to work harder, as a true professional would.

# 5) Professionals battle against hierarchies to achieve their goals.

Whether in the workplace, on Wall Street, in Hollywood or even in high school, everyone has had to face the structure of social hierarchies in their life. Hierarchies exist everywhere. The one thing hierarchies share is that they always oppose change, dictating a fixed place for every member of the hierarchy.

Most people define themselves in and are defined by hierarchies in their lives, and usually hierarchies are quite restrictive.

For example, many people struggle in workplaces that oppose giving creative freedom to employees. The work hierarchy instead keeps everyone in a particular role. In such environments, thinking “outside the box” is not tolerated.

When we're working within a hierarchy, we're forced to censor our actions by trying to guess what our audience (or customers) will want from us. We're forced to evaluate our success by our place in the hierarchy, and thus we're compelled to constantly try to climb within the hierarchy. Also, hierarchies encourage us to view other people as a means to achieving our goals, rather than as individuals.

Professionals do not define themselves by their place in a hierarchy. Rather, professionals battle hierarchies by remaining true to their craft, and working for themselves rather than for an audience.

For example, Steve Jobs, an exceptionally noteworthy professional, was a notorious perfectionist and steadfast believer in his vision. He insisted on deciding everything about the products he developed, from their design to how customers would interact with them. By working to realize his own vision, rather than trying to guess what others might like, he created the successful consumer electronics company, Apple.

Another example can be found with the German author Rainer Maria Rilke, who once told a young poet that he should write to please himself, not the critics. He spoke of an important truth regarding professionals: when your goal is to be proud of your own work, the work will be better.

# 6) Professionals commit themselves to a certain territory where they work to achieve their goal.

Whether it's writing a hit song or directing an Oscar-winning film, each one of us has our own specific calling. And the place where professionals work on their calling is called their *territory.*

For example, in the case of former Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger, body-builder, actor and politician, his territory is the gym. So how do you know where your territory is?

First off, your territory is where you feel “sustenance.” In this place, you feel satisfied and challenged, as if you’re bettering yourself when you spend time and work there. You can bet every time Schwarzenegger went to the gym, he felt much better afterward than he did before!

Second, your territory is the place you lay claim to through hard work, and through hard work only. Of course many other people used the gym as well, but Schwarzenegger made the space his own by working out there, day after day after day.

Third, your territory is an endless resource. The only limit to how much your territory can give you back for your work is determined by how much you put into it. Consider Woody Allen, whose territory isn’t physical like Schwarzenegger’s, but rather is the realm of film. Allen has written over seventy screenplays and directed nearly fifty films! By working hard in his territory, he has received more and more opportunities to be creative and has been able to work in his territory even more – and even expand it.

Like Woody Allen, you can shape and claim your territory through hard work and dedication.

Professionals who successfully commit to their territory don’t only benefit themselves but also even change the larger field in which they work. For example, the early work of entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs in their territory of computing completely changed the world. Personal computers went from being expensive, complex machines to user-friendly tools that anyone could own and operate.",
kb6of5,Deep Work by Cal Newport - summary of one of my favorite books,"Deep Work is one of the most impactful books I've read in the last few years. It gives insights into the importance of mastery and the value of doing deep work. I really like, and agree with, the thesis and hypothesis of the book. If you haven't read this before, I encourage you to check it out.

The book's thesis: A deep life is not just economically lucrative but also a life well lived.

Deep work hypothesis: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy.

### My Favorite Quotes

* Deep work has a high value in this age of shallow work and shallow thinking.
* The deep work hypothesis: the ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy.
* If you can't learn, you can't thrive.
* Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.
* Thesis: A deep life is not just economically lucrative but also a life well lived.
* The skillful management of our attention is the key to improving every aspect of our experience.
* Choose your targets (goals) carefully and then give them your full attention. A focused life is the best kind there is.
* The best psychological moments usually occur when the mind or body is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
* Tasks that leverage your expertise tend to be deep tasks and provide a double benefit.

### Key Questions

* What is most important right now?
* How long would it take, in months, to train a smart recent college graduate, with no specialized training in my field, to complete this task? (how to evaluate the depth of work you are doing)
* What is the project represented by this message and what is the most efficient, in terms of messages generated, process for bringing this project to completion?

Reasons deep work is valuable:

1. Learning. We live in an information economy that depends on complex systems that change rapidly and require learning new skills. You must master the art of quickly learning complicated things.
2. The impacts of the digital network revolution cut both ways. Good products will explode and bad products will be ignored.

Two goals of the book in two parts.

* Part 1: convince you the deep work hypothesis is true.
* Part 2: teach you how to take advantage of this reality by training your brain and changing your work habits to put deep work at the core of your professional life.

More of my summary is at [http://jsilva.blog/2019/08/15/deep-work-book-summary/](http://jsilva.blog/2019/08/15/deep-work-book-summary/)",Another Summary Of This
meh0t2,The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz is helping me COMPLETELY change how I approach my life decisions," There are so many tough decisions and choices that we have to make throughout our lives. Not just the day to day stuff like what to eat or what to wear, but also the major stuff like careers, relationships, finances, etc. 

I found myself developing a habit where I’d worry about pretty much everything and it was truly consuming me. That’s when I came across the principle of The Paradox of Choice, which explains that more choices can often trap us into dissatisfaction instead of freeing us. It also highlights two types of individuals with regard to choice making:

* Maximizers: Constantly fret over making the most perfect choice possible
* Satisficers: Content with the options they have and the freedom it provides

This is a really great concept to understand and help you think differently about your productivity and all the decisions you have to make in your life. 

I explain this in depth, show you your individual type and describe the concept for your understanding here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq0B\_NkwZZk

Hopefully this might help shift the way that you think about choices and change your approach to them altogether.",Most Prominent
1d50ns6,Self-Help Author Mandy Hale Just Married the Ex-boyfriend she Labeled a Toxic Narcissist! ,"Self-help relationship author Mandy Hale recently got married. She deserves love and I would be thrilled for her. Except she married a man that she herself labeled a narcissist. This man is an ex who strung her along and broke her heart multiple times over 17 pitiful years. She wrote many scathing articles and books about his pathological emotional abuse and betrayals. Yet after reconnecting for 2 weeks after a 7 year period of No Contact (both of which she initiated) they eloped. This man is known to her followers as the ""Mr. E/John"" character from her books, blog, and essays. Now Mandy is shouting with happiness from the rooftops, and shaming/gaslighting her followers who are understandably confused and worried. This man treated her like dirt for literal decades. Her comments sections on Instagram and Facebook are limited because of the backlash. Make it make sense that she would trust this man who nearly destroyed her!",Other Authors Who Can Give Different Perspectives On The Issue
1gl1xx8,Female Rage,,A Certain Hunger
1f0cnz0,Books that feel like this ,,The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
1hznixu,Books that feel like this ,,House Of Salt And Sorrows Series
1kky75d,"Women aging boldly, whimsically, brightly",,Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood
1hag7zb,Horror themed kids books popular in the 80s/90s,,All Three Of These But For Sure The Bailey School Kids
1ecs68u,Books that feel like this?,,The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle
1ele6v6,Books that feel like this?,,The Alienist
1m0b4lu,Books about women being fat and happy,"This is Hilda, a pinup girl designed by Duane Bryers from the 1950s and 60s. These drawings make me think of a woman who is unapologetically herself, lives her best life, and loves herself for who she is, fat and all. Romance or other genre fiction is fine, as are non-fiction like biographies. ",Earthly Delights
1g6hkwg,Books that feel like I'm overhearing gossip. ,,Big Swiss
1ewx3hc,Books that feel like these but for grown ups?,,Costanza Casati And Circe
1fduqjs,Fantasy meets sci-fi and mystery ,,Elder Race
1jr4qm8,Rediscovering the beauty in life,,Camus As A Philosopher
1k82yrv,Something evil is lurking in the countryside,,In The House In The Dark Of The Woods
1f6i3kp,Books that feel like this,,The Covers For School Gothic Romances
1iyr5vu,Something’s not right in the Wild West,,Cowboys And Fits This Vibe To A T Edit
1iq6gzv,Surrealist fantasy with a tinge of horror,,How Has No One Mentioned Perdido Street Station
1j93i9t,the beauty of a woman's existence,,Diary/Diaries Of Anais Nin
1fzecjr,books that feel like this ,,The Columbia River
1jg6660,They control everything &amp; we don’t even know it,,About Giant Women Who Control A Fantasy World
1hhr9i7,Midwest hometown that’s full of dark secrets,,A Simple Plan
1mr283v,Books that feel like this,,A Wrinkle In Time
1hqdn47,Something doesn’t feel right in a small town,,A Simple Plan
1elp3nl,"books that feel like this? spooky, romantic, dark",,Goblin Market
1hco4l3,Living alone (little to zero romance),,Diary Of A Void
1jmyejk,Girl in her mid 20s feeling like a loser.,,Body Like Mine
1ianlru,Something like...,,Jane Eyre
1mesuww,Books that haunt you for days after finishing,,Due The Haunting Of Hill House
1emyu9h,Any book that gives off this vibe? ,,Best Hot Dog Recipes Around The World
1flpqam,books that feel like this? 💋💋,,A Dowry Of Blood
1i3edb6,Surrealism that feels like a dream or a bad trip,,Anna Kavan Lost Gods
1f2s108,Books that feel like this ? ,,The Tale Of Peter Rabbit
1m9d8iu,basically fall 2010,,Feels Like This To Me
1irb5i2,Feminine Rage Without the Misogyny,,S Inspired
1lekvty,Books that feel like this,No YA ,The Glass Hotel
1i8ycw4,I need a book that‘ll destroy me,,Alice Winn Song Of Achilles
1ilbdue,Never fitting in but finding your place,,Mandanna The House In The Cerulean Sea
1gc15yh,Books that feel like this painting/commentary?,,T Welcome In This Community
1i5dfpd,"Genderless, non-human souls/entities in love",,The Left Hand Of Darkness
1esak21,Books that feel like this (genre unimportant),,Adjacent Tangents On Twitter)
1hkgn4n,Mysterious boarding school filled w secrets ,,A Great And Terrible Beauty
1b9r4dt,Books that feel like this.,,Redwall Series
1eefabf,I want a book that feels how salted caramel ice cream tastes and I dont even know what i mean by that.,,Because This Is
1iwand1,Books like these pics with no romance,,Little Witch Hazel
1f4i44y,"I’m sorry mods, I just had to say it ",,Books That Feel Like This
1n3f1l4,recommend me horror books like this,Currently reading slewfoot so please dont comment it lol. I’ve just wasted 33 euros on it. ,Cunning Folk
1lzrw6b,books for girls who were obsessed with this story,"any genre, doesn’t have to be horror, just any books for the people who grew up obsessed with “the girl in the green ribbon”, in whatever way you take this request!! :)",Body And Other Parties
1ibe7ml,Something that feels like this?,,A Night In The Lonesome October
1j0zn2j,Books that have this vibe.,,Anxious People
1mw8w8x,"Female hysteria, rage, beauty standards, aging",,The Bell Jar
1e12bsj,Any books that feel like this?,,
1icryhg,"Alaska, small town, gray, dark, rain, mystery",,S Sense Of Snow
1jprq7m,something that’s so gripping i can’t put it down,,Donna Tartt
1hxpx9y,Women being haunted but they’re kinda into it? ,,Gideon The Ninth First
1hzc9ns,Perfectionism and letting it consume your life ,,First Picture Is 100% Rouge
1j5rbni,apocalypse caused by a virus,,An Oral History Of The Zombie War
1k4ia4p,Magic school (NOT Harry Potter),"I used to love the Harry Potter series, but not so much anymore – mostly because of the author who shall not be named, but I also outgrew them. I've read the Earthsea books by Ursula Le Guin (LOVED them), and more recently Her Spell That Binds Me by Luna Oblonsky. Looking for a well-written, warm-feeling – hopefully diverse – magical school or college. I do like a good romantic plot or subplot, too, but my white whale book would be something like the fantasy version of the film **3 Idiots**.",Carry On
1f1ppbn,something that feels like this,,City Of Brass
1gyoms8,"something codependent, twisted &amp; dark",,The Castle
1gjlmg6,books that feel like this: messy girls,,All'S Well
1j5hnr5,Gothic Appalachian Folk Horror. I wanna be spooked,,Outer Dark
1ens3hy,Books that feel like this?🏹🌿,,Anime Exactly Like This
1f4t58h,"Books that feel like this, or: NYC in winter",,Of Dares Is This Exactly
1jcrsjz,something feels wrong/horror just out of sight,,Garcia And The Haunting Of Hill House
1im6mlo,Fallen angel x human romances,,Daughter Of Smoke And Bone
1fo18nk,Books with this vibe pls ,,John Dies At The End
1m7lb2y,Autumny/academic vibe?,Bonus points if it’s sapphic!!,A Discovery Of Witches
1jnqksg,missing my grandpa a little extra lately!!,,A Man Called Ove
1dedpme,Books that feel like this??,,A Great And Terrible Beauty
1esxubf,books that feel like this?,,Mister Magic
1efhgdf,Books that feel like this.,,Dreamer’S Pool
1f767p1,Books that feel like this…,,A Thousand Ships
1lsxj3y,Books that feel like this?,,Edit: Spelling
1hrwlum,"Secret societies, cerebral, boarding school.",,The Maidens
1ff7itm,Books that feel like this,,The Podcast But The Actual Books
1ixge1q,Woman teaches stoic male character his humanity,,Paladin Series
1f1v1un,Need a small town autumn horror for the fall,,Female Friendship Wildwood Whispers
1ffqsy8,Books with this vibe? ,,Gael Song Series
1ic1as3,A book that feels like this,,Me Of Invisible Life Of Addie Larue
1my1zv1,Books with this vibe,​Books set in magical or interdimensional libraries/bookstores (or not!). Excluded: The Midnight Library and The Bookshop of the Found and Lost.😁,Jorge Luis Borges
1fja6vq,books that feel like this?,,The Dead
1etgikv,Books that feel like this?,,
1gnq6h0,books that feel like the gales of November,,Jamaica Inn
1l2pt7y,"Books that are dark, moody, on the coast","I’m looking for books that have a haunting and dark coastal vibe. Can be romance, historical fiction, horror as long as it has this vibe. ",Sub A Lot But The Southern Reach Series
1frurew,Books that feel like this?,,All Of This
1jgindt,"small coastal town. secrets, mysteries, etc",,Looking Glass Sound
1eix4h3,Please recommend me a book that feels like this ♡,,A Midsummer Night'S Dream
1g75pgm,Books that feel like a Ghibli Film,,A Wizard Of Earthsea
1e7mc1i,books that have this sort of setting or aesthetic,,Fi The Shades Of Magic Trilogy
1j7mk13,Interpret as you wish,,Every Day
1l6b3so,Any books that come to mind when looking at these;,,D Say Piranesi
1gujwzm,Here's a fun one 👀,,Alison Rumfitt Model Home
1ey3b6s,Any book that feels exactly like this?,,Bisexual Panic
1eks5vc,Books that feel like this?,,Parable Of The Sower / Parable Of The Talents
1f4xmyc,"Victorian women, Gothic, Haunted ",,London Seance Society
1gy8grv,"Gothic, isolating winter reads? ",,The Shining
1gj1o24,"Books that feel like dystopian, uncanny suburbia. ",,Blake Crouch A Better World
1mclr28,Southern Horror (Especially period-pieces),"Saw Sinners in theaters a few months ago, and have seen it twice since. Really loved it and would love to read something similar.

 
Someone reccomended Interview with The Vampire, which was a big miss IMO. Didn't really care for the plantation owner perspective or Claudias whole.... character. Going something rich with interesting black characters and creativity to that was disappointing. 


Basically Looking for something set in the south, with a similar feel, and similar impactful multilayered messaging as Sinners! ",American Vampire
1n426y2,Acting normal in the face of deep  weirdness,Just finished a reread of The September House and looking for more of the same energy.,The Edible Woman
1hkzij5,"Found family, or basically whatever this is :’)",,By Neil Gaiman
1epeu0p,Books that feels like this ,,
1jifi1q,Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology,,The Author Blurbs At The End Of Each Story
1i980z7,Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer,"What to even say? This book is amazing. It’s basically a collection of narratives that have to do with the natural world. They are told through the author’s personal experiences as an indigenous woman and a botanist. 

One thing I really liked about this book is that it makes topics that normally make me feel hopeless — like climate change — and offers a radical hope perspective. It calls the reader and the community at large to task, to lean into our communities, to be mindful and intentional, and to live in harmony with nature. 

I’m an audiobook kind of gal and I have to say that the audiobook in particular is so comforting to me. Dr. Kimmerer herself narrates it and her voice is so beautiful. ",Changed Me
1hdho07,The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot,"My goodness this book was incredible! As a researcher, who has actually used the titular cell line, I've been meaning to read this book for a long time. 

Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman, was diagnosed with aggressive cervical cancer. Before starting radiation treatment, her physician at John's Hopkins - one of the few hospitals that would even treat black people, let alone without charging - took (without consent, although that was standard for any treatment at the time) a biopsy of the cancer and provided them to another researcher who was working to establish the first human cell line for research. Henrietta's cells were the very first cell line to grow indefinitely. Designated HeLa, these human cells helped advance scientific research immensely - from using them to understand chromosomal DNA, to being instrumental in developing the polio and HIV vaccines, medicine would not be where it's at today without these cells. Yet her family didn't even know they existed until 20 years later, and they never saw any financial benefit from the commercialization of these cells. This book tells the story of Henrietta, of course, but also the story of the author's difficulty in reaching the family, the story of the family from the 50s to 2009, and even the history of cell culture and medical advancements. Rebecca does an amazing job simplifying complex science, so this is a book anyone can appreciate, but I especially think every cell biologist should read this. The afterward discusses the state of tissue collection for research, but more than that it helps remind scientists that there was/is a real person behind the cells or tissue samples we're studying. 

One of the more shocking things I learned was the studying of cancer by injecting these cells into people without consent. And the court argument for continuing this practice was simply ""it's what everyone does, and if you tell the patient it's a cancer cell line they won't consent to the study"" 😳 The discuss of how ethics in science has evolved since the 50s was fascinating.",Written About This
1bs7j1j,The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by  Taylor Jenkins Reid,I intended to listen to this audiobook during the morning shifts during work for the week and I ended up binging the whole thing in two days. I’ll admit I wasn’t as invested with Monique’s divorce story but I was hooked on everything else and those parts did serve as a nice way break up the main story. ,A Juicy Gossip Column
1inzgf3,Obsessed with this book series,Title is self explanatory but I devoured this book the first time I read it and have also thoroughly enjoyed the second and third in the series. I’ve re-read this book at least 2 other times that I can recall. Amazing and definitely a recommendation! ,Is Heartbreaking
1btrv65,Eleanore Oliphant is completely fine,"A fantastic book to jump into both e and audio. I think I’ve listened to the audio book about 4 times. 

It’s like pulling pieces of Jenga. Each one having more understanding who this peculiar person Eleanor is. When you think you know, you find a new facet that changes everything. One thing for sure is the entire time you just want to be her friend.

From gut laughs to punches in the gut. If you haven’t read this please do!",Try Anxious People
1lexas2,Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel,"In Station Eleven, a deadly flu pandemic collapses civilization, and a group of traveling actors and musicians, the Traveling Symphony, roam the Great Lakes region bringing Shakespeare to scattered settlements. Told across multiple timelines and perspectives, the novel explores life before, during, and long after the collapse, with interwoven stories centered around an actor named Arthur Leander and a mysterious graphic novel he left behind.

  
What I love most about Station Eleven is its quiet, reflective beauty. It’s not just about survival; it’s about what makes survival worthwhile, art, connection, and memory. It’s haunting but hopeful, and it reminded me how deeply literature and performance can tether us to our humanity. Few books have made me cry and feel uplifted in the same breath.",Sea Of Tranquility…
1brw6uv,I'm Glad My Mom Died - J. McCurdy,"I literally read it in a few days, because I wasn't able to put it down. It's terrifying, but also so funny and vulnerable. Very small chapters, super easy to read. Highly recommend to all the girls with mommy issues! :)",The Audiobook
1b3vce3,Probably my favorite book of all time,I could literally flip from the last page back to the beginning. ,Story And Questions Social Alienation And The Futility Of Life
1agcq72,Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez,,"Once At Work To A Woman Who Had ""Atypical"" Heart Attack Symptoms"
1jpft4l,"This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone","I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and I still can’t get it out of my head. It’s a time travel story about two special agents from warring groups. The agents, known only as Red and Blue, establish an unlikely dynamic by writing each other letters. 

The novella is written from both Red’s and Blue’s perspectives, in alternating chapters, with each chapter ending with a letter that character found. 

The growing relationship between Red and Blue was so engaging to watch, but that wasn’t what blew me away. The way time travel is described, as strands and braids, was so immersive. The creative ways that Red and Blue left their letters left a big impression on me. 

The book was short, and I enjoyed every minute of it. ",So Much
1c1vtu1,The Song of Achilles was  fantastic ☆☆☆☆☆☆,"
There have been about 5 books I consider great enough to get 6 stars and this is one!

This is one of the best books I ever read! The writing from Miller was so powerful! It is a retelling of the lives of Patroclus and Achilles

I am planning on reading Circe soon too so really looking forward to that.",So Much
1ev9157,I will never not recommend this book,I read this book 3 months ago and still think about it. Only book that had me crying on my bedroom floor for hours. If there are any recommendations for similar books PLEASE SHARE! &lt;3,The Additional Information For This Sub
1maozdu,I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman,"https://preview.redd.it/3bnqtk6bofff1.jpg?width=343&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=fe7e576c4599666d1aedbd04d37a54d9ea9b51da

I read “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman. The book is about 39 women and a girl trapped in an underground cage for an unknown amount of time. They’re watched 24/7 by guards who never speak to them. The lights never dim and they have no sense of time. By a stroke of luck, they manage to escape into a strange, barren world.

I suspected that I would like this book, but I never imagined it'd make such an impact on me. I cried through so many chapters. When I finished it, I was in a daze for several days.

I think of the quote, ""art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,"" because this book did both for me. I’ll never pause to think when someone asks what my favorite book is again.",A Good Artsy
1kjt14x,The Song of Achilles,"What a fantastic read. It took me exactly a week to finish this wonderful novel, yet it felt like I had been reading it for years. I say that with the highest praise. This novel takes you on an emotional journey with our narrator, Patroclus, as he recalls his life with his true love, Achilles. 

Thanks to the millions of times I watched Troy in middle school, I am generally familiar with the story of The Iliad. Miller's novel and unique depiction of Achilles has prompted me to download The Iliad on my eReader and go through it in its entirety. I learned so much about the story itself that I did not know. We are given a powerful glimpse into a world that feels strangely familiar yet completely new. 

The narrative device of using Patroclus as the narrator was a welcome surprise and I was fascinated the whole time. The pacing of the story was perfect and there was not a single dull moment. 

Really looking forward to reading more of The Iliad and eventually making my way to Circe. 

Highly recommend this book! ",The Other Day
1idtk40,The Overstory by Richard Powers,"Some of my favorite quotes:

“Join enough living things together, through the air and underground, and you wind up with something that has intentions.”

“People aren’t the apex species they think they are. Other creatures-bigger, smaller, slower, faster, older, younger, more powerful-call the shots, make the air, and eat sunlight. Without them, nothing.”

“To be human is to confuse a satisfying story with a meaningful one, and to mistake life for something huge with two legs. No: life is mobilized on a vastly larger scale, and the world is failing precisely because no novel can make the contest for the world seem as compelling as the struggles between a few lost people.”",Is A Million Stars Out Of 5
1h5s7vd,Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver,,The Dickens Novel
1hz008r,Song of Achilles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨,"Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is and will always be one of my absolute FAVORITE books of all time! Soooooo beautiful, heartwarming, and tragic all at the same time. The aching love between Achilles and Patroclus is one that rivals and surpasses that of Romeo and Juliet’s, one over which Shakespeare himself would be awestruck. 

",Greece To Fit The Narrative Required
1bmt522,Educated - Tara Westover ,"A memoir written by a woman who grew up in a family of Idaho survivalists. She was 'homeschooled' until 17 when she left home to attend college. This book focuses on her reevaluation of her family/childhood in the face of her new experiences and education. 

I really enjoyed this book for her full honesty. This is a side to people with extreme religious beliefs or paranoia of the government that seems unrealistic until you experience it. A really good book for expanding your understanding of the types of people that are out there raising children. ",Can Be Raised In The Same Household
1ms77bi,North Woods by Daniel Mason,"*Note:* I edit the actual book covers onto my kindle so I can do justice to the actual colours!

MY SYNOPSIS: North Woods is an epic tale about a patch of woods in New England and its various inhabitants spanning across centuries. 
In the beginning two young lovers flee from their Puritan colony and build a small house in the woods to live off the land together. Over the course of centuries this small cabin and the surrounding woods will see: an English solider devote his life to building an orchard, twin spinster sisters, a hungry catamount, a painter in the midst of an illicit love affair, and a family dealing with Schizophrenia, among many others.

WHY I LOVED THIS: North Woods is a strange and sweeping narrative that spans centuries. It is told through what is essentially short stories all connected to this one specific location in Massachusetts. I found it to be incredibly unique although I didn’t connect with every story. It was fascinating to see this area change with time and human settlement and how the previous residents and their stories connected to other individuals who made their home in the same woods. There was so much to this book! There were supernatural elements, a story of a beetle and its journey to this same patch of woods, and even multiple murders just to name a few.

This was certainly beautifully written. It’s also the type of book that involved numerous vocabulary searches in the dictionary. I wouldn’t say it was the easiest book to sink into as I had to take frequent breaks and couldn’t read for long stretches. I felt it was dense but fascinating. It is a worthwhile read, a unique format and concept, and it is understandable why it is award winning. Also that ending! It was incredibly well done. ",The Different Styles
1auaqm6,"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow","At it’s core, this book is about two platonic soulmates. They meet as children and bond over a shared love of gaming, and you get to follow their complex, at times contentious, relationship as they grow up and begin programming games of their own. 

You don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy, and I honestly only picked it up because it was free at my library. I fell so in love with both of the protagonists, and I appreciated all the little details and that the book touched on like disability, gender and sexuality, depression, and resilience. 

(Repost because I forgot to add a description)
",Destroyed Me
1c74ua2,Crying in H Mart,My heart is shattered in a million pieces and I will be grateful for every day I have as my daughter’s mom.,Broke Me- In A Good Way
1ld9j7b,Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt,"An octopus made me cry, in a good way  
I did not expect to love this book so much, but here we are. It’s about a grieving widow, a lost young man, and a wise old octopus who lives in an aquarium. Sounds quirky? It is. But it’s also heartbreakingly human.  
It’s gentle and wise and deeply hopeful. I adored the way it blended grief, healing, and found family. I recommend it to literally everyone.",Apocalypse Book Narrated
1f23up5,I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman,"I finished this in one day. Not entirely difficult, as it's only 184 pages, but I wouldn't have stopped reading until I got to the end even if it was 500 pages!

Synopsis / what it's about - Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only a vague recollection of their lives before.

As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl-the fortieth prisoner-sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.

I had seen this book floating around a lot and thought it was a modern, easy-reading weird girl book. It was actually intensely bleak, moving feminist speculative sci-fi. This story is so unique. So bizarre and singular. I've never read anything like it and I doubt I will again. I loved the prose, simple and clear as running water. I loved the main character. I loved every second I got to live in that sad world. I wish I could read it for the first time again!

(Not my photo, best image of the cover I could find)",Is So… Inexplicable
1mjqcuf,Hatchet by Gary Paulsen,"It’s been years since I’ve read this book. Reading this again after so long really brought back memories. 

For those who don’t know, Hatchet is about this teen boy, Brian, who’s on a small plane to visit his dad for the summer. When the pilot suddenly has a heart attack &amp; dies, Brian has to quickly land the plane to save his life (which he does, crashing in the middle of the wilderness). 

With nothing but a trusty hatchet (a gift from his mother) and his own survival skills, Brian has to make it on his own in the great outdoors. 

I remember reading this book in 5th grade, and was instantly hooked. I couldn’t tell you why. I’m a city boy through and through. The premise of the book literally sounds like of my worst nightmares. But I loved it, and still do. 

It’s a raw narrative of resilience humanity, how this boy is molded by such wild circumstances and forced to adapt and in the process gain a deeper understanding of himself. 

This book seems to be a rite of passage for many boys. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve talked to over the years (friends, coworkers, even in the most random places) who have core memories of when they first read this book, and the effect it had on them. It affected everybody differently but it seems we were all connected and grew up with Hatchet. I even recently bought it (this exact edition as you see in the photo) so that I’d always have a copy. 

For those of you that read Hatchet, what did you think? ",Growing Up
1b0xhoq,Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi,Love the unique way the story follows so many generations of characters. A gorgeous book!,Follows 7 Generations Of Two Branches Of A Family (14 Characters Total
1jia8x9,My Year of Rest and Relaxation,"Holy shit. “There she is, a human being, diving into the unknown, and she is wide awake.”

I have never had a book echo my feelings of depression and anhedonia more and also the desire to break free of that magically and become a different person?

I’m going to need a minute.",The Cover Of This
1l53jzq,The Wedding People by Alison Espach,"Full disclosure: I bought this book up with a handful of others when I was gifted a chunk of $$ in Amazon gift cards. I sort of looked around at books people had been mentioning and after reading the synopsis quickly, decided to go for it, probably because someone mentioned it was funny.


I think I thought to myself that reading a funny book would be good, since I’d been in sci-fi/fantasy world and just wanted to change things up.

So, based on the cover my thought was, I can’t wait to laugh! And don’t get me wrong there are some legit hilarious funny moments in this book. It’s written in a way that to me feels like I was watching a really well written tv show on like, HBO or something. 

The main character, Phoebe, is someone who I very quickly found myself connecting to on so many levels. 

The journey this book takes is so wild and unpredictable while also being pretty grounded in reality and the tendencies we all have as humans navigating relationships of all kinds. I highly recommend this book. It was a fun read for sure, but it has so much more substance to me than just laughs- and I love laughs. So take a chance on this one! I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I did. ",Club Book Too
1lqgjmo,The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas,"Hello everyone! I'm pretty new to Reddit, but I stumbled across this sub and felt obligated to leave this here...

The Count of Monte Cristo is genuinely the greatest book I've ever read. I get it's somewhere around 1200 pages and that this can be a large time commitment, but I promise the unabridged version is so worth it. The way Dumas winds through the plot admittedly drags in some places, but the conclusion is all the more satisfying for it.

Also, for anyone interested in French history, specifically the Bourbon Restoration, and the mannerisms that characterized that period, this book is so absolutely for you. I'm scared to give away too much of the plot, but I'll just say that, even though there are tons of characters, everyone fits into their own niche so perfectly that everything makes sense and is relatively easy to follow. 

Even if you're not that into historical fiction, I still recommend you give it a try. If you are into the genre, I REALLY recommend you give it a try. And if you've already read it...go for round 2!",Of All Time
1ch8x3t,The Secret Garden is perfect,"Its my new favorite book of 2024 

Its a classic so shouldnt have to deal out to much details but its about girl who makes friends with a couple boys and their overall bond and connection when they stumble upon a secret garden

The writing characters length and overall atmosphere were incredible

☆☆☆☆☆☆",As An Adult Was Very Enlightening
1lpr8uz,I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz by Gisella Perl,"I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz by Dr. Gisella Perl was first published in 1948, and is a testament to the power of survival, the brutality of unchecked evil, and the quiet, unshakable resilience of a woman who was both witness and healer amidst one of the darkest periods in human history.

Gisella Perl was a Jewish gynecologist from Romania who was deported to Auschwitz in 1944. Stripped of her family, dignity, and tools of her profession, she was assigned the unthinkable task of practicing medicine in a death camp under Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor known as the “Angel of Death.”

The book begins in the cold of December 1943, when the author fist met a German gentleman, Dr. Kapezius in Transylvania. He gained the trust of the author and her family by claiming to be in favour of a united Germany and against Nazism. Five months later, Perl (who was arreted by the Gestapo in March 1944 and sent to a Ghetto) met him again at Auschwitz (after travelling in a cramped cattle car for eight days) where he was the camp commander and appointed her the 'camp gynecologist'. During her time in the Ghetto, Perl predicts the future that, “only death was to deliver us from our suffering”. Throughout the book, Perl recounts the fear of selection and brutal deaths of many a Elizabeths, Julikas, Jeanettes, Charlottes, Roses, Katis, Lilys, Ibis, Bettys, etc.
Towards the end, Perl mentions a brief account of Belsen Bergen, where she was transferred to in January 1945: “Belsen Bergen was the terminal. It was supreme fulfillment of German sadism and bestiality. Belsen Bergen can never be described, because every language lacks the suitable words to depict its horrors. It cannot be imagined, because even the most pathological mind balks at such a pic-One must have seen those mountains of rotting corpses mixed with filth, with human excrement, where once in a while one noticed a slight movement caused by rats or by the death convulsion of a victim who had been thrown there alive. One must have smelled the unimaginable stench which lay over the camp like a thick cloud shutting out the air. One must have heard those unearthly screams of. agony which continued through the day and the night, coming from hundreds of throats, unceasingly, unbearably....”

After living through and witnessing the horrors of Holocaust, of German Culture, Perl says; “Let no one speak to me of German culture, German civilization! Belsen Bergen was the faithful portrait of German civilization -Belsen Bergen mirrored the German soul ....”

I Was a Doctor in Auschwitz is not an easy read—but it is an essential one. I must admit it was one of the most difficult reads of my life. Each page was more harrowing and traumatising than the last and I had to take several breaks to reach the end.",Isn'T As Famous As Night
1ji48u6,Remarkably bright creatures by Shelby Van Pelt,"
This book is about three characters, an older woman who works at an aquarium, a down on his luck young man and an octopus.

The woman is a widow whose son is dead and spends most of her time with her knitting group and her night job at the aquarium cleaning, where she develops a lot of relationships with the aquarium inhabitants, but she develops a special relationship with the octopus.

The young man didn’t know his dad and his mother’s out of the picture, he jumps from job to job and overall isn’t happy because of his lack of parents.

The octopus is kind of omnipotent, he seems to know a lot about humanity and cares deeply for the older woman and helps her on multiple occasions.

He has his own chapters where to tells his times in captivity and usually monologues about either himself, his escapades or his human friend.

This is a beautifully hopeful story about family and grief and growing old and friendship and so much more.

I nearly cried at the end it’s so good.

I highly recommend reading this!",Goes Along Toward The Denouements
1m8wqio,I just finished The Midnight Library and I’m not okay… in the best way possible.,"I closed The Midnight Library about an hour ago, and I’m still sitting in silence, just… processing.

This book didn’t just entertain me, it reached into my chest and gently rearranged things. It made me rethink regrets, choices, and the small, quiet moments that make a life worth living. The concept is simple, a library between life and death, every book a different version of your life, but the execution? Stunning.

I didn’t expect to see myself in Nora. But I did. So many of us live with “what ifs” whispering in the background. This book felt like a warm, philosophical hug reminding me that maybe, just maybe, I’m not doing as badly as I think.

Also… that ending? Not flashy. Not dramatic. But perfect.

Has anyone else read this recently? I feel like I need a group hug or a support group or a long walk in the rain. What did this book make you think about? And if you read something afterward that helped you recover, please send help.",The Collected Regrets Of Clover Is Also Good
1bjqtfn,Never Whistle at Night,"First, a confession: I agonized over which flair to give this post, because I fear genre snobbery and am protective of the books I love. But horror and the kinds of sociological insights it can achieve deserve more defenders.  

This “dark fiction” short story anthology showcases Native writers from communities and backgrounds all across “America” (quotation marks Jones’s). As a woman whose own dissertation needlessly reached 400 pages, I adore a writer who can convey worlds of meaning and emotion and history and culture in a couple dozen pages or less.

But the best selling point of this volume is the centering of the various Indigenous storytelling methods featured in it. There is, beautifully, no concern for Western narrative conventions here, no hand-holding or mass marketing of perspective, and it makes for such a compelling reading experience. Every writer in this anthology, from the well-established (eg, Tommy Orange) to newer voices, is offering something unique from the others, a rebuttal to the typical flattening and assumed monolith of specific Native cultures in American media. And, as is important for the genre, the stories are genuinely creepy/scary/uncanny. 

Come on now, please give me all your best Native horror recommendations!",Club Pals
1kof5e6,Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller,"Wow. As a kid I was always fascinated by Greek Mythology so when I kept seeing this book continue to be recommended I decided to go ahead and get it. I had just come of a fantasy/sci-fi series, and was excited to read something different.
The Song of Achilles is the story of the rise &amp; fall of Achilles told from the perspective of his companion &amp; lover, Patroclus. 
The writing on this was so good. I felt like I could immediately pick up the specific voicing of the narrator. Prior to reading it, all I knew was that it was told from a different perspective… I had honestly forgotten a great deal about Achille’s story. I found myself wanting to read more and more. About half way through I decided to watch the movie, Troy, as I realized it must have told the same subject matter, more or less. Boy was I disappointed, LOL. What a terrible movie. Not just in terms of storytelling, but execution. 
This book, this story… ahhh this epic love story is so freaking good, I know I’m not doing it justice right now, but I’m trying my best here! It’s so good, I’m launching into Circe, another of Miller’s work because I am firmly in the, I-can’t-get-enough of Greek Mythology. I got the enhanced version which has a lot of super helpful info on other Greek gods and Demi gods, as well as visuals. Two thumbs way up on this one! ",A Good Greek Mythology Novel (Or Novella)
1l84jo8,The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern,"This book felt like stepping into a dream. The atmosphere, the magic, the writing and everything was so beautifully done. I honestly didn’t want it to end.

I’m sad it’s over, but also happy I got to experience it.

Has anyone else here read it? Or have recommendations for books with a similar magical, dreamy vibe?",The Best Surprise
1heot82,The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett,"This book is about an insufferable little girl who gets orphaned in British India and gets taken in by her uncle near the Yorkshire moors.

Oh my this girl was insufferable, but her character growth was truly remarkable, also the interactions of the servants, the boy and even the minor characters like the robin were all lovely.

I can see why this book has been such a classic after well over 100 years.

But it is a product of its time, the Indian servants were very stereotypical, but I wouldn’t say it’s inherently racist, just a view from a long gone time, I’m south Asian so I can say this.

Honestly everyone should read this, it’s free as an audiobook on YouTube and i can see this getting children into reading.",Feel Progressive Even As The Culture Is
1bhxyyd,Just finished Lonesome Dove and absolutely loved it,,The Characters And The Multiple Story Lines
1jab5vq,The god of the woods by liz Moore,I absolutely loved this. ,Is About Two Children Who Go Missing And The Whodunnit
1m8ij9r,God of The Woods by Liz Moore,"Ok- I was finally able to finish this one. I have to say I was super excited to read it, and then, maybe in the last month or so, saw some very mixed opinions on it that had me a little worried.

Well, I can say that for me, I found this story super immersive and engaging. I find that - because I’ve become a much more voracious reader after finally getting an e-reader- I make a lot of movie &amp; film references when reviewing a book.

To me this was such a good slow burn. I’m not even sure I’d use slow burn, but a show like True Detective (HBO), that takes its time with the town, all the characters, the flashbacks… Mindhunter (Netflix), is another one that comes to mind. I got so into the backstories of the main plot, and then the backstories of all the characters, not to mention, I am in love with, and hope to move to, this upstate NY area, so I was constantly going to google maps to reference the lesser known locations. 

The Ralph Waldo Emerson reference as well… just it was really good to me.

*** This is a murder mystery. In order to understand what happened, the story goes deep into the family involved and all the people involved with them. 

There is a summer camp at the center that some of the characters, young girls, go to every summer. Two girls from this camp have disappeared. But there’s also another story from the past-another disappearance- that ties into this mystery as well. 


Because it’s a murder mystery, you as the reader are also introduced to a freshly promoted detective, Judy, her background and her experience in this part of town. 

There are so many layers and it felt to me like one of those books you wanna curl up with, two you’re time with and enjoy. The ending for me was also very satisfying. For me, this was a solid 5/5. ",All Those Changes Are Outlined At The Beginning Of The Chapters
1c28mz5,Loved this book!! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,,Death In The Spires
1bmp4a5,Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr. Julie Smith,"This book felt like ""therapy 101,"" containing a ton of powerful insights and practical tools for anyone dealing with a variety of life's most universal struggles. I've read a LOT of self-help books, and this one was one of the most comprehensive and useful. I learned SO much, took many notes, and put it on my ""read this again later in life"" list. The writing is concise (not too many examples), there were many thought-provoking journal prompts and exercises, and if you listen to the audiobook, her voice is very soothing. Personally, I think this would be a great book for people who can't afford therapy, don't think they need therapy, or are feeling some internal resistance about going to therapy. ",As Well Or Of The Material Covered Is Pretty Similar In Nature
1ifuirj,Animal farm by George Orwell,"This amazing book is about totalitarianism and the rise of fascisim.

I didn’t think I’d like it but Orwell’s characters and way of writing drew me right in.

The story is about animals on a farm who overthrow the farmer and how the pigs slowly take power and were worse than the humans to begin with.

The use of animal stereotypes were amazing, the sheep literally representing sheep, the chickens and cows representing the oppression of women under totalitarianism, the horse and donkey representing the purposely uneducated working class oh my goodness it’s so good!

No wonder this book is a classic and gets banned all the time, everyone should can read should read this!

This book changed my brain chemistry and it’s crazy how much is put into this short book.

I’m getting this physical copy soon and I can’t wait!",The Rise Of The Soviet Union
1hqrick,Watership Down by Richard Adams,"This book has given me the worst book hangover I've ever had. I finished it days ago and can't bring myself to start a new book!

Watership Down is about rabbits, but it's also about much, much more than rabbits. The plot follows a group of rabbits who decide to leave their warren to escape humans (one of the rabbits has a feeling something very bad is about to happen). The book is their journey finding a new home, acquiring some does for their new warren, and escaping various challenges and enemies. 

The book is broken up by stories of rabbit lore being told by one of the bunnies. You'll find a glossary at the end to help with the lapine words!

I live with a beautiful free roam bunny, so I am already a rabbit person. Even if I weren't, this book has lovable characters, incredible suspense (there were chapters that had my anxiety through the roof), incredible lore, masterful literary tools (great use of foreshadowing throughout), and beautiful prose.

This is the kind of book I will treasure for a lifetime. I would recommend it to anyone.",Is 52 Years Old
1ak10lt,This was an absolute 5 star masterpiece! If you havent read go read it immediately!,Words cant even begin to describe my feelings towards this book. The story is beautifully written!,As Well
1i0j1zz,‘The Goldfinch’ by Donna Tartt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,"This novel was beautifully written—crafted, I would say—by Donna Tartt. It tells the story of a young boy named Theo who experiences a terrible tragedy in which he loses his mother and he has also absconded with the 1654 painting ‘The Goldfinch’ by artist Carel Fabritius. We see Theo grow up, trying to fit into the world, living with a friend’s family, then with his father (with whom he has a really strained relationship), as well as with an elderly owner of an antique store. All while still holding this centuries-old painting that no one has any idea is in his possession. 

I would say people generally love or dislike this story. While I absolutely loved the book, there were a few things even I took issue with. There are a lot of non-magical parallels between Theo and Harry Potter, and some of the plot points are iffy. 

Overall, however, this is a novel that fits the dark academia aesthetic perfectly, and Donna Tartt’s prose is gorgeous! I recommend this novel for sure! ",Horribly Done Movie Adaptation Sigh
1i1om8c,Weyward by Emilia Hart,"This was an incredibly well done novel that depicted female resilience and connection across three different centuries. For me magical realism is a genre that I am skeptical of but this did it so well. The author was able to make all three of the perspectives uniquely interesting and you’ll fall in love with each of these women and their stories. I’m shocked that this was the authors debuts because it was soooo incredibly well done! Highly recommend and don’t let the multiple perspectives scare you it’s honestly one of my favorite books I’ve ever read!

Plot — Weyward is an atmospheric, multi-generational novel about women. Identity, freedom, and nature take center stage. Spanning three timelines (17th century, 1940s, and present-day) with three central female protagonist—Altha, Violet, and Kate—in differing eras who are pursued by similar obsessive men, troubled pasts, and buried family secrets, the become interlaced across time and space until they realize that the horrible happening to them have happened before, and the only way to escape—and stay alive—is to utilize the powers of nature that they’ve learned throughout their lives associated with the Weyward legacy.",Magical Realism So Thanks For The Rec
1isgjnf,I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue,"I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I bought it a while ago because I saw it on TikTok and thought the premise sounded interesting, but only got round to reading it last week as I had post-buying regret thinking it would be another average BookTook recommendation. I also hate hardbacks but it wasn’t out in paperback yet. 

Anyway, it’s about a woman living in Calgary, who is struggling at her generic corporate admin job. She suddenly gets access to all the emails everyone in the company sends and receives and shenanigans ensue. 

Aside from that deliciously silly premise, the book really blew me away. Did not expect it to be so beautifully touching and life affirming. A compassionately written glimpse into life with debilitating anxiety and low self esteem that I think everyone can relate to. Really funny as well. Read it in 3 days. 

If you’re of Persian heritage you’ll love this even more - the protagonist is from a Persian family and it pays a loving homage to Iranian culture in the west. ",Is Both Unique And Memorable
1krnfgs,The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls,"This memoir is about a girl living her adolescence in a distorted family from Southern America, with the narrative starting with how the author got her burnt scars throughout her body at age 3. 

Her mother allowed her to cook her own dinner, claiming that she was old enough to boil hot dogs for herself — an excuse for her seemingly careless parenting. After that, it only goes down hill from there, consistently. 

If you’re looking for a shocking page turner, and a story containing a very well written, structured, and descriptive narrative, then I highly recommend adding this book in your summer reading list.

10/10 🎊

TW: Rape",The First Time
1lw1rir,The God of the Woods by Liz Moore,"Wow!! This book told so many stories in one. And all of them intrigued me to no end. The book follows different characters and captivatingly shows how all their lives intersected.
In the 1970’s a girl from a prestigious family goes missing from her summer camp. People are suspected, framed and secrets are revealed. It’s clear that someone or multiple people are hiding the truth and it won’t be revealed until the facts of the past are uncovered.
I went through a range of emotions while reading this book. It felt like a true journey that I traveled with some intricately written characters. No detail went unnoticed and this book was full of exciting surprises.",The Ending
1g3vkhw,It’s over and I’m so sad about it! ,"To think I almost stopped reading somewhere around 15%. My heart feels something that I can’t even give a name after reading this book- and that hasn’t happened to me before. Is this melancholy, maybe? Not at all what I thought i was going into, but so much more than I could have imagined! Now I need to read all of her books, but I think I’ll be disappointed they’re not this one. I wish there was a sequel- I’ll be watching the movie tomorrow though. Wistful sigh 😞 ",For Me
198vtk1,Our Wives Under the Sea,"Leah's 3 month submarine research trip turns into one lasting 6 months. When she returns home, her wife Miri realizes that something is deeply wrong

While this is a vaguely supernatural story, it's really a story about grief. Not just about when a loved one dies but when something happens like dementia or a physical or mental ailment that fundamentally alters our loved ones and by extension our relationship to them. It's a book about the grief of knowing that the person you love is gone and they are not coming back and how you deal with that. It was a beautiful book, beautifully written, and I am glad I read it",S Nobody
18kfo7s,The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell,"This book is pure class. I even preferred it to her Hamnet.
It tells a story of Lucrezia, a young girl of an upper class Florence family who is being married off to a richer high ranking older man.

How will she fare away from home? Will she learn to love her husband? And why is she convinced he's plotting to murder her?

The book is also about women's pressures - looks, behaviour, sex, relations etc.

To my huge surprise, the ending is nerve wrecking. I wasn't expecting that. 

Solid plot, great historical detail, fantastic writing, social commentary that you can oddly relate to and a hair raising ending. Yes please.",Anything Else
1fdjnka,The Overstory by Richard Powers,"So excited to have found this sub! First of many recs I must make is the Overstory, which rocked my world. 

It follows a group of strangers who get pulled into the conflict surrounding the efforts to protect the last of the giant sequoias from logging. Much of the book is based on true stories, including an activist who lived in a giant sequoia for nearly two years to protect it from logging and a pioneering scientist who discovered that trees communicate with each other via fungal networks but was shunned by the ecological community for decades because of her gender. The writing is so beautiful and the weaving of true elements gave me a much deeper appreciation for the activism of a small group of radicals that preserved some of the oldest and most unique organisms in the world.

I’ve gifted this book to many friends since I first read it two years ago and cannot recommend it more highly to you.",Made Me Cry
1fc8fcl,My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth by Wendy E. Simmons. In which a woman is gaslit by an entire nation for ten straight days.,,Is Well Forth The Full Price
1d1vpb0,"""Circe"" by Madeline Miller",,Is Amazing
1eupqmo,The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt,"The Goldfinch is a 2013 novel about a young boy who survives a terrorist attack at an art museum, and in the rubble, saves Carl Fabritus’s painting, “The Goldfinch” from destruction.  The boy’s mother does not survive the attack, and the story’s central focus is the grief and trauma of that event. The book follows the character all the way into adulthood as he deals with this and other tragedies and tries to find a sense of home and stability again.

The book is not always easy to get through. It is long and tedious at times, and the characters are flawed and occasionally tough to root for.

However, the book is, at its heart, a love letter to art and beauty and an examination of those works (paintings, songs, movies, books) that connect us to humanity as a whole and make us feel part of something greater. the assertion that “It is a privilege to love the things that death doesn’t touch” is what ultimately made me adore the book. 💕",Again 😂 Beautiful Prose
1gpzhx2,The Midnight Library (Matt Haig),"I'm finally getting back into reading, I've decided to switch from listening to podcasts to listening to audiobooks. After hearing about the Libby app, I used my library card to borrow this gem because it was described as being uplifting and inspirational. I'm not going to lie, it starts out a bit difficult - ugly crying during my drive in to work was NOT on my to-do list. But it really is a fantastic story, I listened to the entire story while working today (at 1.5x, because the narrator speaks extremely slowly) and it's made me feel good. 

Content warning for death and suicide.",For Me And Art Is Subjective
1bag2os,Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder,,A Feral Girl
1bkbm86,The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon ,Great gothic horror novel. Also very human despite its otherworldliness. Would make a great limited series or movie.,Is About
1acu0t5,Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez- review in comments,,Had Me Hooked From The Get Go
1azw0mh,Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer,"An incredibly well written personal account of the 1996 season of Everest expeditions, written by a mountaineer and journalist who was sponsored by Outside magazine to participate in an expedition and write an article about the rise of commercial guiding on the mountain. 

Disaster strikes on the mountain, and Jon writes an incredibly detailed timeline involving members of his own and other expedition parties that attempted to summit around the same time.

This retelling was concise, riveting, easy to follow, and emotionally devastating. I read this 374 page book in 3 days, I could not put it down once I started. ",D Also Recommend Reading The Climb
1bek7zu,Like Water for Chocolate by Laúra Esquivel,,Like Water For Chocolate
1bnwjr1,Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth,"Bought on a whim at the Strand as a “blind date with a book” that was labeled “sapphic gothic horror.” Best blind date ever!

Each new layer in this wasp’s nest is enchanting— I felt compelled by every character  and every timeline. Tongue-in-cheek asides to the reader made me a little nostalgic for Lemony Snicket.  The spooky-but-not-terrifying aura this story creates was exactly my cup of tea. ",For Me
1iq5qvn,Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro,"an incredible ""science fiction"" book. I put quotes around science fiction because its so much more than a book about wacky science or dystopian futures, it holds within it a struggle for humanity and a beautiful sadness that ive never found in a book before.

I finished it and it made me think about the content for weeks after",Another Novel
1e7x4sk,The House in the Cerulean Sea- TJ Klune ,"I just recently finished this book and I loved it so much! 


This book has a great overarching themes about difficult topics while simultaneously being a light and gripping read. There is a lot of discussion about magical racism throughout the story that acts as a fitting allegory of our world and the systemic oppression of marginalized people. 


Fav quote: “Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but as long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.”


The first couple of chapters are a bit lingering but I think that is a creative choice given the subject matter of those chapters acting as a contrast with more fast paced sections later in the book.


Without spoiling anything major: there is also a very wholesome bit of gay romance that is built  up perfectly. 


I highly recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and I’m excited to read the sequel book coming out in September. ",Baldree Lonely Castle In The Mirror
1icq20w,The wild robot by Peter brown,"Last week I found out that wild robot movie from dream works was originally a book series, I was curious and had a look, it had beautiful illustrations and mid grade so I looked at the audiobook on YouTube and.

Omg this is amazing!

It’s about a robot that gets stranded on an island how how she slowly becomes wild, the animals characters are also kinda realistic, like the carnivores go hunting and there’s mentions of them eating the herbivores.

The main plot is about her raising a goose after she accidentally kills its parents and siblings and how she also grows and wins the trust of the animals on the island and how she kinda becomes to protector of the island, especially when war robots come to take her back.

And that ending?

Oh boy I can’t wait to read the two sequels! 

I haven’t watched the movie so I don’t know if it was loyal to the book but the first book is soo good! The illustrations are great too.

It reminds me of the iron giant movie if you guys remember that.",The Book)
1jqntn6,City of Thieves by David Benioff,"Really enjoyed Benioff’s WW II egg hunt in Leningrad. 

Lev and Kolya combine to make one of the most entertaining odd couple pairings I have read about since finishing Zorba the Greek. 

The story’s tightly constructed plot keeps the pages turning as Lev and Kolya encounter some of the grizzliest scenes of Russia under siege; battle the cold and hunger; and find incredible ways to hide things and keep them warm. 

I’d recommend it for anyone seeking a novel on their quest for 52; anyone seeking a thesaurus on how to describe hunger; and anyone who likes stories of mismatched friendships on a zany adventure. 

If you have a recommendation for another Benioff book or other follow-up, let me know.",Great Characters And The Plot Is Gripping And Moves Quickly
1aj2rp0,A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher,"I went into this expecting the kind of subtly creepy, slow-burn horror I got in What Moves The Dead, and while I did get it, there was so much more. 

The end was so unexpected and surprising and I absolutely loved it. The story really resonated with me and made me think about aspects of my own life and relationships, which always makes me enjoy and remember a book. 

I also think the more casual, almost conversational writing style just adds to the creepiness. It has funny moments that disarmed me, and then creepy moments that I thought about for a long time after reading them! I just loved it!",Cover Art
1ay7u2g,Red Rising by Pierce Brown,,S Good. There
195stej,Pachinko by Min Jin Lee,"I finished this beautiful novel in front of my window, the pages being kissed by the stark white background, while tears streamed down my face. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me.

 I told myself not to read this too quickly because the Spring semester just started, but I literally couldn't put it down. There's nothing seemingly incredible about the prose, but Lee's words had me completely enchanted.",Anything About The Wwii Era From The Korean Perspective
1d4xhsx,Educated: a Memoir by Tara Westover,"I absolutely adored reading this memoir from Tara Westover. This memoir is truly haunting as Westover examines her trauma, the mental illness of her father, and the extremist beliefs common in her household growing up. Westover was raised by doomsday prepper Mormons and was denied an education because of her father’s paranoia. She then worked to receive an education and eventually her PhD from Cambridge University. This book was hard to put down as I was completely transfixed by Westover’s writing. If you want a good memoir to read, consider reading this one.

My favorite quote from the book:
“But vindication has no power over guilt. No amount of anger or rage directed at others can subdue it, because guilt is never about them. Guilt is the fear of one's own wretchedness. It has nothing to do with other people”",Made Me Ugly Cry In The Best Way
1ch9l3g,Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland — Patrick Radden Keefe ,Review in the comments! ☘️,About The Sackler Family And Purdue Pharmaceuticals Is Also Absolutely Incredible
1k0ywha,Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg,"

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg weaves together two timelines. In 1980s Alabama, an unfulfilled housewife named Evelyn Couch forms an unexpected friendship with elderly Ninny Threadgoode, who tells her stories about life in the small town of Whistle Stop during the 1920s and 1930s. At the heart of those stories is the spirited bond between Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, who run the Whistle Stop Cafe. Through these tales, Evelyn begins to rediscover her own strength and purpose. 

I adored so much about this book. The setting felt nostalgic and magical, and it was so wonderful to imagine a time when community was prioritized. Additionally, the characters were unforgettable. Idgie was full of adventure, kindness, and spirit. It was also amazing to see how the queer relationship was presented.

Evelyn was also relatable as someone who had tried to be “good” all her life and needed help finding her own purpose. It’s a joy to watch her grow. The story feels like a warm hug.

As a disclaimer, there is a lot of discussion of race in this book and several Black characters. Some of those comments and plots lines aged quite poorly. ",Daisy Fay And The Miracle Man Too
1k8cy0d,Stoner by John Williams,"Just finished this absolutely incredible story last night. I think this is the greatest book I have ever read. It is simple, melancholy, and heart wrenching. It beautifully captures the story of a human being that could be anyone or no one. 

We have seen so many stories about people who do great things, become people of status and reputation. We don't really see stories about people who are mostly forgotten and leave little impact on the world. Stoner tells that story, and it's a story that needs to be told. 

Most of us will share his fate. I found this novel deeply comforting and also disturbing. 

10/10 ",The Recommendation
1eb8aup,Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell,"I just finished reading Cultish and I really enjoyed it. This is a super easy non-fiction book to read and I love the formatting Montell does as it flows perfectly. 


This book is a linguistics, psychological, and sociological deep dive into why people join cults and cultish groups. She covers everything from Scientology, Multi-Level Marketing schemes, cult fitness groups, cult ish fan groups, and political groups. She doesn’t equate these groups but the language they use to grow their following. 


My favorite thing I learned was the specific thought terminating cliches that are a through line of cultish language. 


Fav quote: “That’s because language doesn’t work to manipulate people into believing things they don’t want to believe; instead, it gives them license to believe ideas they’re already open to. Language—both literal and figurative, well-intentioned and ill-intentioned, politically correct and politically incorrect—reshapes a person’s reality only if they are in an ideological place where that reshaping is welcome.”


Montell interviews people who have joined and left cults/ cultish groups and I appreciate the level of respect she has about each individual’s scenario. I think a lot of other media on cults is pretty pejorative to people who were roped into cults / cultish groups. 


Overall, a great read that explored a side of linguistics that I had no previous experience with at all. ",Is Such An Excellent And Important Read
1ae2oah,"*The Five Wounds* by Kirsten Valdez Quade. It might be my favorite book of all time, but it’s definitely one of the best I’ve ever read","Valdez Quade takes inspiration from the boarder towns of New Mexico where she grew up. The book is a true exploration of the human experience from life to death told from the perspectives of 4-5 central characters. It is an amazing, gripping story that’s entirely focused on its characters and who they are as individual people. 

It particularly resonated with me as a first time mother of a newborn. One of the main characters is young and pregnant and the way Valdez Quade writes her journey into motherhood is astoundingly resonate. I’m now 12 weeks postpartum with my 2nd baby and I’m still gushing to people about this book. 

Her book of short stories, *A Night at the Fiestas* is also wonderful, in case anyone is interested. Her novel, *The Five Wounds* actually began as a short story within *Night at the Fiestas* that she then fleshed out. I really can’t recommend her writing more, especially if you have any Mexican American heritage or have experience with life on the boarder.",The Border
1kozi3x,Braiding sweatgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer,"
This books about indigenous history and they ties to the land, this woman and her families stories, how Europeans destroyed Americas land and a bunch of other things.

It’s not got much of a plot, each chapter is kind of its own thing.

This books kind of like a short story collection, but with real stories and events.

I love this book so much and I’ve learned so much about America and its indigenous people’s.

Also that windego chapter gave me chills.

This is an amazing book and I’d highly recommend to nature lovers and people who enjoy a relaxing but educational read.",So Much
1gfw2wi,Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,"Hoooooly smokes. I loved this book. I think it’s my second favourite read of the year, coming after Fight Night by Miriam Toews. 

When local hunters start showing up dead, a witchy older woman looks to the stars to interpret their deaths. 

I loved her prose, the images of the Polish countryside, the folklore, and her humour. ",Covers Should Look Like This
1myfprd,“The Family that Couldn’t Sleep: a Medical Mystery” by Dr. T. Max,"So this book is about the history of prion diseases, and the story is framed around an Italian family (surname not given to protect their privacy) who since the 1700s has been plagued with a mysterious condition. The “family curse” as they thought of it strikes many of the family members down and stops them from sleeping and causes a slow horrible death. It most commonly strikes in late middle age but sometimes symptoms develop in the patient’s prime years and sometimes even as early as adolescence. For generations the family had no idea what was killing them and neither did the doctors they consulted. Eventually science would determine they had a genetic prion disease, which was named Fatal Familial Insomnia.

The book is about other prion diseases as well, such as scrapie and Mad Cow (Creutzfeldt-Jakob) Disease and kuru, and about the humans that were investigating these diseases and trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn’t until very recently in human history that we discovered the existence of prions. They’re basically a messed up protein that mis-folds causes other proteins in your body to also mis-fold and then you get sick and you might as well start writing your will and putting your affairs in order because there is nothing to be done. The usual treatments that work on bacteria and viruses don’t work on prions, which are extremely difficult to eradicate. It’s hard to kill something that was never alive to begin with.

There are lots of colorful characters in the book and I really enjoyed reading about them. It’s a real page turner which can be hard to do for books on scientific/medical topics. This is the human story of prion diseases.",Any Oliver Sachs
1fle8u5,Babel by R.F. Kuang,"Babel is now one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. I don’t think I’ve ever read a 500+ page book as quickly read this book. Kuang is an expert writer who balances huge world shifting themes with deeply personal moments among the main cohort of characters. 


Babel is a historical fiction from 1830’s England with occasional trips to other areas of the world. It mainly takes place in a more fantastical version of Oxford university and the Tower of Babel located in the university. The fantastical elements of Babel are subtle, brilliantly crafted, and are emblematic of larger themes within the book focused on the power of language. 


This book is written in the 3rd person and we mainly follows our protagonist, Robin, as he studies to become an expert translator. Robin is a Chinese student and is given so much with scholarships to pursue his linguistic abilities but this puts him in serious conflict with his morals. Robin does his best to exist between two worlds but ultimately he has many difficult choices to make. 


The other primary characters in Babel are fantastically written and bring about important discussions on imperialism, racism, sexism, and resistance movements. 


TW: the book does include violence, slurs against Asian people, and racism to justify colonial occupation


Babel is the pinnacle of dark academia based on the tone, location, and overarching themes of the book. 


Great quote (I couldn’t give out my favorites without spoiling 🫣): 


“And Robin found it incredible, how this country, whose citizens prided themselves so much on being better than the rest of the world, could not make it through an afternoon tea without borrowed goods” ",For Months
1ifcstr,Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao,"So I bought this book blindly because how much I love the cover art. It was being recommended by a bookstagram influencer I follow and trust his opinion, so as soon as I saw the cover I was sold and decided to go in blind and not hear his review. 

I do believe that is the best way to go into this book, but since none of you know if you can trust my recommendations I’ll give you some details and vibes to help see if it’s for you!

A girl inherits her father’s pawnshop on the day of his retirement. This is not your normal pawn shop, as it can only be found by the people who need it. This pawn shop doesn’t deal with material items, what they trade is choices that you regret in your life. An interesting customer comes into the store, and they embark on an  adventure together. 

I don’t want to give away anymore of the actual story, but I just want to talk about the overall vibe of the book.

The book deals with choices, regrets, forks in the road, destiny and fate. The prose is so damn poetic. I almost regret not reading it on my kindle, because I wanted to highlight a quote on almost every page. 

Magical realism that feels almost dreamlike? It’s odd because it was very peaceful and cozy, but at the same time the pace was very fast. I’m a slow reader and I flew through this book. Partly because of how short the chapters are, and partly because the story was so intriguing and mysterious you wanted to just keep reading to find out a little more. 

A lot of people who read this say it feels like reading a Studio Ghibli movie, I’ve never seen one so I can’t vouch for that but maybe that helps you want to read it. If Japanese culture and folklore is your thing, then this is definitely for you as well. 

The ending will have you just staring at a wall, but all loose ends tied up well and explained. Such an easy 5 stars for me, and great to get you out of a slump. ",The Same Vibe As Before The Coffee Gets Cold
1arhqby,The 0verstory,"If “the Giving Tree” or “Lorax” were acorn’s, “the “Overstory” is a mighty oak !",A Book That Shared That Love
1gz7mu5,Nothing To See Here by Kevin Wilson,"The only thing I knew about this book going into it is a) it is a short book (important, I'm behind on my reading goal) and b) it is about a nanny and the children she nannies who.....spontaneously combust. Yes.

This short story spans a summer of her taking care of these children and the challenges and victories they experience together. Every page was a treat. Every character was ridiculous in the right way. Truly a great time. 

If you're a bit behind on your goal this book was a 10/10 for me!",The Audiobook Narration
1bi81yv,Project Hail Mary - tears of bone deep satisfaction ,"I realized I was crying when I closed the book, not out of sadness over plot or anything, but just out of pure joy that the book was so good. It's not even my favorite book of all time, but it's the best book I've read in a while. Just loved the writing, the main character, the humor, and how it made science totally enthralling. Action packed and just never made me think of putting it down. Highly recommend!",Is Best Listened To
1b1deot,Stoner by John Williams,A simple story where you deeply feel the highest highs and the lowest lows. Proof that an ordinary man’s story is still an extraordinary one. ,Butcher'S Crossing
1i0y7fr,"Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982","I want to preface this by saying that I truly believe this book should be required reading for everyone, and I’m begging everyone I know to read it so I can talk about it with someone! 

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is about a Korean woman who is a new mother. She is experiencing a mental breakdown that causes her to believe and act as if she is different women in her life instead of herself. The book is written from the perspective of her psychologist, and it reads very much like a biography of her life and what led her to this point. 

The description I wrote and the synopsis of this book truly don’t do it justice - it sounds boring and clinical. Despite the narration style, it captivated me and really did such a great job of making you feel like you are living Kim Jiyoung’s life along with her. What makes this book stand out in my opinion is the exceptional way the writer depicts microagressions. Many of the things that occur in Kim Jiyoung’s life seem minor and like they wouldn’t cause immense pain, but the combined lifetime of these experiences  culminate in extreme mental distress.

This novel heavily comments on misogyny and the ways that it can compound and hinder someone’s life. Another thing I adored about this book was that although it was fiction, it heavily follows real-life events in South Korea that affected women. In at least the English version, not sure of other versions: The book provides footnotes explaining certain details further and directing the readers to sources where they can learn more which helps contextualize things. Despite me being very unfamiliar with South Korean culture as a reader, the story was still incredibly relatable and easy to follow. That being said, I think it’s written in such a way that it will still be captivating even if you don’t personally relate to the story, and I believe it will give readers in that category a lot of insight into others’ lived experiences.

All in all, this is easily in my top 5 books I’ve read in my lifetime (although I’m relatively young - ~30 years old). I’d love if this motivates anyone else to pick up this book or if gives others a space to share their thoughts (whether positive or negative). Hope this all made sense since this is my first time making a post like this :) ",Out The Window And Scream
1n1vtdd,So What If I’m A Puta by Amara Moira,"I picked this book up over the weekend and could not put it down!!
This book is adapted from her popular blog where Amara Moira details her first year as a trans sex worker in Brazil. 
It’s an extremely captivating easy read (150 pages total.) Moira’s style of writing is casual, it feels like she’s having a conversation with the reader one on, like a couple of friends catching up. She effortlessly examines her femininity and the ways in which it’s tied to the work she does, how the men who bought sex from her made her feel more like a woman, but also an object. She grapples with feeling used, overlooked, and even abused by her clients while simultaneously finding pleasure in those moments. Overall, this book is funny, tantalizing, awkward, and a necessary read for anyone who is interested in feminist literature. ",The Recommendation
1hjltrc,Tananarive Due The Reformatory is honestly one of the greatest books ever written,"This book was so powerful and sad! Due's writing spoke volumes in every word. Tananarive had reportedly took 10 years to write it. I am so happy I took a chance on this book because it absolutely blew me away.

It's 110% my new favorite book in 2024 and will go down as an all time favorite!

Run don't walk and go read this book

Gracetown, Florida
June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.",Of The Year
1c54diy,The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern,"
Hey! 

I read The Night Circus as part of a read along on The StoryGraph (great app for readers!).

It really resonated with me. The conflicts between the men and magic, the idea of legacy, the parallels between performing and loving… An amazing read I highly recommend!

The world building is incredible, blurring the lines between what’s real and what’s not, and the ensemble of characters is colorful yet nuanced.

It’s the theatrics with the subtleness of film acting.
 
It’s the mystery with an emotionally charged denouement.

Beautiful.",For Me
1bso7yz,A Tale for the Time Being,"I know I’m late to the party for this book…. But you know life.

Such a beautifully written book. A great premise and story. It evoked so many feelings. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of Zen, philosophy and modern physics. So different, but not in a gimmicky way. 

Definitely made me want to read more by this author.
",Meats But Have Been Wanting Another Read
1akj6uj,Slewfoot by Brom - Atmospheric Folk Horror with some great world building!,,Because The Artwork Is As Hauntingly Beautiful As The Writing Is
1hyf49x,"🎉🎉 50,000 members and still growing fast! Thank you all so much for being a part of it! 🎉🎉","The title says it all. I never expected this to happen. I remember thinking we could probably be self sustaining at 5,000 readers and I was so happy when we got there. 

Thank you all for being a part of this and being so kind and generous with the time and effort you put into your quality posts and comments. You’ve made it incredibly easy for one person to moderate a good-sized sub. 

And thank you for the wonderful books I’ve found here and for blowing up my TBR 😂","Hated, Overrated, And Dnf"
1j9764s,Red Rabbit - fantastic horror western,"Grecian’s horror western feels a bit like Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight if it had been elevated by the writing of Ambrose Bierce. It starts with a farmer placing a bounty on Sadie Grace, a witch in Kansas. This attracts a group that eventually includes: a witch hunter, a mute girl with unique abilities, two Civil War veterans (one a freedman with medical experience), a man on the run, a widow, and the ghost of her husband. The seven are hunted by supernatural forces as they encounter multiple intense adventures on the way to Sadie’s farm. Not everyone in this found family story makes it to the final confrontation. The various turns kept me wondering what would happen next all the way through the satisfying finish. 

The cover is also one of my favorite book covers in a very long time. I’m mildly upset the recent paperback release didn’t keep it. ",
1hu99yp,Grendel by John Gardner,"I originally picked this book up over a decade ago and recently reread it. You may be familiar with Beowulf - it’s a poem known for its length and history. I read excerpts of Beowulf in highschool, and remembered the epic story of a Scandinavian warrior who went to fight a myriad of monsters before eventually dying in battle (like a true Viking would want it). Grendel is one of the main monsters, who has been routinely attacking a village.

This book is a take on the story from Grendel’s eyes, starting from his unceremonious birth to his death. When I was a young teen, I resonated with Grendel. I felt like it was the first time someone captured how I felt: isolated, misunderstood, discarded. Grendel was born into the world unwanted. He brought himself up, trying to make sense of the natural world and the other creatures that inhabit it - including the village he stumbles across one day. Initially curious, he learns to hate the humans as they attack him for being an unfamiliar beast. This starts Grendel’s development into a monster. 

Reading this book as an adult, I have to give Gardner a lot of credit. Not only is he a great writer, but it’s evident he knows a lot about the psyche as he looks at those born into a world with little to no guidance on how to navigate it. Grendel’s own actions leads to his demise, but we can see where Grendel wasn’t given much opportunity for an alternative course. There were times he was curious, happy, loving, even. But when presented with the cruel outside world, he lack the support necessary to not mirror that same hatred back. 

I love this book, and would recommend it to anyone, but especially those who are coming of age (even though I don’t believe that’s its intended audience). This is a book that does not infantilize the reader; it is a well-written story of a monster who dies in battle, scared and alone - like much of his life spent.",Known As A Bit Of A Bon Vivant/Wildman
1bxbmxg,Starter Villain,"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hilarious and thought-provoking. This book has it all, talking animals, evil villains, an active volcano.
Our mild mannered protagonist finds out that his deceased uncle has beqeathed him an lair on an island and was a part of a group of super villains. Will he embrace the dark side or finally defeat them once and for all? If I told you, I'd have to drop you in a volcano!",The Chair Is Indeed Covered In Cat Fur
1ba5lhp,Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer,"This book single-handedly got me out of a three year reading slump. A lot of people don’t like the other two books in the trilogy. I personally loved them all, but even so, Annihilation can be read as a stand-alone, in my opinion.",The Inspiration From The Everglades
1hx6x2v,Just Kids by Patti Smith,"“Nobody sees as we do, Patti.”

In this memoir, Patti Smith explores her coming-of-age in 1960’s New York City alongside her partner, Robert Mapplethorpe. This book follows her path from starving beatnik to artistic success. We get to see her interact with a lot of quintessential figures from 1960’s NYC, including Allen Ginsberg and Jimi Hendrix. 

What I loved most about this memoir is the story of she and Robert’s partnership. They essentially grew up together, learning about the world and themselves together. The way that Patti felt about Robert was so powerful, it reminds me of the way I feel about my own partner. It’s one thing to fall in love with someone; it’s entirely another to love someone across the context of a lifetime, through all of their seasons and experiences and life changes. Her pain and anguish come through in a way that is raw and powerful, but not campy or overdone. ",Is Excellent
1c2kw9u,The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride,"**In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven &amp; Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.**

**As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.**

**

Just finished it!

Wow. Where to start… 

5/5 even though I have to point out a few shortcomings.

Overall amazing! I love James McBride’s witty prose and deconstructed dialogues. It’s organic, with beats. Every character has a different voice and mannerisms. Probably one of the greatest American novelists.

The story is more of a slice of life. A recollection of the experiences the residents of a small town in PA have in the 20s and 30s. Don’t expect big blockbuster action or even a full blown whodunnit/crime drama as the summary is a bit misleading.

It’s a slowburn, but a good one. This is a good way to educate yourself on racial and economic segregation as well as how disabilities were perceived then and now.

The ending is a bit anticlimactic but it’s common with historical fiction. The afterword was very touching though (I cried a bit).

Highly recommend!",Deacon King Kong
1mfowt7,A Psalm for the Wild-Build by Becky Chambers,I feel like this book would be a comfort to a lot of people right now with everything going on in the world. it made me laugh and it made me emotional. it's short but it packs a punch. a simple little story about finding your purpose in the world - and what finding your purpose actually means. ,
1l61q64,a bookmark I made,"made bookmarks for the little sapphic book club I just joined... is this a cool hello gift, or are they gonna think I'm coming on too strong lmao ",The Tiny Lettering
1kuq99i,I’m rewatching Arcane and realizing this book’s artwork I obsessed over is same vibes 😭🩷,"It’s from one of my fave reads (When Flowers Wilt, it’s a duology) and I can’t stop re-obsessing over it ALL OVER AGAIN 😂😭🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷",Or A Movie
1m6xt20,10/10.,Putting this recommendation out there because I’ve just finished it after being glued to it constantly. Of course if you mention lesbian vampires I will be interested but I wasn’t expecting the absolute elegance of the way this book is written and how the story is so beautifully and tragically played out. ,Axtually Made Me Give Up On The Author
1lspkfp,Wish it was a different book,"Not trying to come off like a jerk. I personally liked that mistakes were made, but I thought this book was meh at best and kind of wish there was a different book they made into a series like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for her and of course love to see the sapphic thrive, but just my opinion. ",Ask The Passengers
1hfhg05,I've Read Over 300 Sapphic Romance Books This Year - Here's all my 5 stars,"So this year I made it a goal to dive into sapphic romances and ended up hyper fixating on the genre as a whole and just devoured a bunch of sapphic romance novels. I've read all of the popular ones as well as a bunch of lesser known (under 100 reviews on Goodreads) indie books as well. Taking inspiration from a few other posts, I thought it'd be fun to list out all my 5 star reads of the year to summarize the overall reading journey I went on.

As a disclaimer, 5\* to me does not necessarily mean the most well written masterpiece. My scale is purely based on how much I enjoyed the book, and some of these on the list might be ""trashy"" but they were really fun or entertaining trash that either surprised me or made me fall in love with it one way or another.

EDIT: A few folks suggested I compile the books I read into a spreadsheet, so I did that:  
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xmq8BMmLWn10XyMSenssw8YFBjNyxH7OjamB2gzgpJk/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xmq8BMmLWn10XyMSenssw8YFBjNyxH7OjamB2gzgpJk/edit?usp=sharing)

The sheet is still a work in progress and I'm still filling out the books I read earlier in the year and will also have a tab for wlw manga/graphic novels as well. 

# My Top 10 Reads of the Year

**Those Who Wait** (And pretty much every book by Haley Cass) - Haley Cass  
I absolutely loved every Haley Cass book ever and ended up reading all her books this year and her Patreon bonus chapters. Those Who Wait is still my favorite and is the reason why I got so into reading sapphic romance this year. Cass is the best at slowburn that actually pays off with excellent spice scenes that are always emotionally driven. I will day 1 read all of her books for the foreseeable future.

**Iris Kelly Doesn't Date -** Ashley Herring Blake  
Book three in the Bright Falls Trilogy. Most people like Delilah Green Doesn't Care the most, but I honestly loved Iris Kelly Doesn't Date more because I thought both Iris and Stevie were so incredibly well rounded characters that I just absolutely fell in love with them. This book did such a good job at portraying a character with severe anxiety and how she works through that anxiety and copes with it.

**Aurora's Angel** \- Emily Noon  
Definitely my favorite paranormal fantasy book of the year. The characters are excellent, the plot was really tight, and the world building was really fun. The only downside to this book is that the author hasn't written anything else yet.

**Here We Go Again** \- Alison Cochrun  
For an enemies to lovers lesbian road trip book, it really punched me in the feels and I ended up crying multiple times throughout the book. There were also moments of pure joy and humor, and I found myself laughing in between bouts of crying. Overall excellent.

**Bloom Town -** Ally North  
I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction, but this one just really hit the spot for me. Had some of my favorite spicy scenes as well as characters that had some of the best character development arcs I've read all year. This duology really should be on every sapphic romance list.

**Kiss of Seduction** \- Rawnie Sabor  
Definitely toes the line between romance and erotica, this was another paranormal romance that I absolutely adored. It's a monster romance (succubus x human) that deals with a lot of really rough topics surrounding trauma, and for it being super edgy with BDSM themes, the love in the novel is actually really sweet and soft.

**Hearing Red** \- Nicole Maser  
Post apocalypse zombies that made me absolutely fall in love with the two main characters. This book stressed me out more than I care to admit, but I absolutely loved it all the way through.

**Loser of the Year** \- Carrie Byrd  
It's kind of wild that this is Carrie Byrd's debut novel, because it was definitely one of the most well written romances I've read this year. You start out absolutely despising the love interest and the book takes you on a journey of falling in love with her right alongside the main character and it ends up being the most poignant character development arc that I've read this year.

**Saving Graces (Grace Notes #3)** \- Ruby Landers  
I had a really hard time picking out my favorite Ruby Landers book that I've read (her new book Ribbontown came very close to beating this one out) but book #3 in the Grace Notes trilogy ended up being my overall favorite. You can see Ruby Landers growing as an author throughout the trilogy, and she just ended up knocking the third book out of the park. It also had some of my favorite spicy scenes.

**Passing Through (Three Rivers Trilogy)** \- Katia Rose  
Honestly I couldn't decide which of the three books in the trilogy I liked most, they all got 5\* from me. These books have the comfiest small town vibes and the three sisters are all such uniquely written characters that I loved each of them.

# All My 5* Reads This Year

(Mostly in order of when I read them)

**Those Who Wait -** Haley Cass  
**Falls From Grace** (Grace Notes, #1) - Ruby Landers  
**Saving Graces (Grace Notes, #3)** \- Ruby Landers  
**Here We Go Again** \- Alison Cochrun  
**Losing Sam** \- Nicole Maser  
**Better Than Expected** \- Haley Cass  
**Chemistry** \- Rachael Sommers  
**Delilah Green Doesn't Care** \- Ashley Herring Blake  
**Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail** \- Ashley Herring Blake  
**Iris Kelly Doesn't Date** \- Ashley Herring Blake  
**Come Away with Me (Midnight in Manhattan, #3)** \- Rachel Lacey  
**Anyone But Her** \- Erica Lee  
**If It's Meant to Be (The Bayview Romances, #1)** \- Lily Seabrooke  
**Against the Current (The Bayview Romances, #2)** \- Lily Seabrooke  
**Every Little Thing (The Bayview Romances, #3)** \- Lily Seabrooke  
**Hearing Red** \- Nicole Maser  
**Passing Through (Three Rivers, #1)** \- Katia Rose  
**Turning Back (Three Rivers, #2)** \- Katia Rose  
**Chasing Stars (Three Rivers Book 3)** \- Katia Rose  
**Aurora's Angel** \- Emily Noon  
**Tempting Olivia (Oxford Romance Book 2)** \- Clare Ashton  
**11:59** \- Erica Lee  
**Kiss of Seduction (Court of Chains, #2)** \- Rawnie Sabor  
**A Little Sin (Court of Chains, #3)** \- Rawnie Sabor  
**Let Me Be Yours (Seventh Star, #1) -** Lily X  
**Never Yours (Seventh Star #2)** \- Lily X  
**Yours to Remember (Seventh Star, #6)** \- Lily X  
**Cleat Cute** \- Meryl Wilsner  
**The Devil Wears Tartan** \- Katia Rose  
**Truth and Measure (Carlisle, #1)** \- Roslyn Sinclair  
**Above All Things (Carlisle, #2)** \- Roslyn Sinclair  
**Satisfaction Guaranteed -** Karelia Stetz-Waters  
**The Lily and the Crown** \- Roslyn Sinclair  
**The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo** \- Taylor Jenkins Reid  
**Outdrawn** \- Deanna Grey  
**Fly with Me** \- Andie Burke  
**Symphony in Blue (Symphony, #1)** \- MJ Duncan  
**Pas de Deux (Symphony, #2)** \- MJ Duncan  
**She Gets the Girl** \- Rachael Lippincott  
**Late Bloomer** \- Mazey Eddings  
**Down to a Science** \- Haley Cass  
**The Queen’s Heart (Soul Match Series Book 2)** \- J.K. Jeffrey  
**Twisted Sorcery (Midnight City, #1)** \- Kira Adler  
**Fury Heart Alpha** \- Winter Thorn  
**Puppy Love: A Queer Romance (Greenrock Valley Series Book 1)** \- Elle Sprinkle  
**The Curse of the Goddess: The Queen and the Heiress Book 1** \- C.C. González  
**The Piano in the Tree** \- Jo Havens  
**Guava Flavored Lies** \- J.J. Arias  
**Relinquishing Control (Dominion #3)**  \- J.J. Arias  
**Born to Be Mine (The Alpha God #3)** \- Lexa Luthor  
**Of Wulf and Wynd, Part 4 (The Kingdoms Of Gyldren Book 5)** \- Lexa Luthor  
**Two of a Kind** \- Eden Emory  
**Loser of the Year** \- Carrie Byrd  
**Houseswap 101** \- Jaime Clevenger  
**Three Reasons to Say Yes** \- Jaime Clevenger  
**Informed Consent** \- Rachel Spangler  
**Say You Love Me** \- Rachel Murphy  
**The View from the Top** \- Rachel Lacey  
**Sucker Punch: Pretty Devils** \- Kayla Faber  
**The Fixer (The Villains Series, #1)** \- Lee Winter  
**Chaos Agent (The Villains Series, #2)**  \- Lee Winter  
**The Brutal Truth**  \- Lee Winter  
**The Awkward Truth** \- Lee Winter  
**Make the Season Bright** \-  Ashley Herring Blake  
**The Lovers** \- Rebekah Faubion  
**Who'd Have Thought** \- G. Benson  
**Bloom Town: Genesis** \- Ally North  
**Bloom Town: Exodus** \- Ally North  
**The Lay of You** \- Corrie MacKay  
**Set the Record Straight** \- Hannah Bonam-Young  
**The Snowball Effect** \- Haley Cass  
**Charon Docks at Daylight** \- ZR Reed  
**No Shelter But the Stars** \- Virginia Black  
**Goddess of the Sea (Lesbians, Pirates, and Dragons #2)** \- Britney Jackson  
**Make Room for Love** \- Darcy Liao  
**Ribbonwood** \- Ruby Landers",Haley Cass
1k0475b,What's with the kindergarten-style bookart?,"Hey everyone, so i've been on a spree lately of buying sapphic books, a passion i just discovered about a month ago, and while i was going on a shopping spree on amazon by recommendations and such, i noticed something, no hate to the artists, but what's with this generic bright color scheme mixed with a crude drawing style?

I attached the pictures, maybe u can substract ""cleat cute"" and ""those who wait"" those are alright, but the artwork for mistakes were made, falling for who and a lesbian's guide to women look very similar and if u don't know what the books are about, u could almost think it's a child's book, judging from the cover art alone.

Now compare that to the other picture i attached, last night at the telegraph club, sliced ice and especially the brutal truth have beautiful cover art, something i don't mind sitting on the park bench and reading in public, as a 33 year old.

So is anyone else bothered by it? And also why is that artwork so prominent? It's not the author, given those books are all written by different authors, it's not because they have some spice in them, because falling for who i think doesn't fall into that equation. So is it because of corporate decisions, so people can more easily identify  sapphic books?

Just curious about this, because i haven't seen anyone talking or being ""bothered"" about it.",Itself Is 18+ 😅
1ivaqug,Enemies to lovers slowburn ?,"Soooo, I want smth makes me cry so damn hard but I get a happy ending (cuz I could kms if it doesn't have a happy ending) also I want it to have these:



1. Dual pov (and the characters speak themselves not in a storyteller way)



2. spicy and I mean SPICY



3. Ofc happy ending



4. Not (elle mae, ruby roe, harper bliss, haley cass, eden emory, j.jaries) cuz I read all of their books



5. Grown women not kids (not in highschool or college)



6. Mascfem, and the fem isn't pathetic





Thank you, also Idk the artist of these artworks I got them from Pinterest",Bloom Town (Genesis And Exodus)
1l6l9oz,The Woman From The Waves by Roslyn Sinclair- omg.,,The Author Of Truth And Measure
1guz7yj,"I’m looking for period romance (anything before 1950, yes anything). Bonus points if it’s smutty but doesn’t have to be. Thank you 🤍",,A Sweet Sting Of Salt
1kr640y,The cover is sweet but it’s anything but!,I did not expect the level of spice in this book! So good  and it has me blushing at work!!! ,A Silly Romantic Comedy Type Of
1i99xff,OMG??!?!,SHES WRITING AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE VERSION OF SUTTON AND CHAROLETTE?!?! IM SOBBING IM SO EXCITED ,The Alt Universe Better Than The Original
1ip0tas,Arcane vibes ?,"I didn't watch arcane yet but from what I've heard the end was painful and the whole thing wasn't about the wlw relationship between the characters , so I wan the complete opposite 

Happy ending 

Spicy (a lot of spice , I MEAN IT)

The main idea is abt the wlw couple 

(I don't mind if it's dark)

And one Last thing I already read all of elle mae's (eden emory) , tryst six venom , loathing you , ruby roe's 


Thanks ",A Little Sin
1ig2u1t,Smth with these vibes ?,"Spicy (smutt) , first person pov , happy ending :)",Cover Story
1lk23xv,"I recently had the pleasure to illustrate this cover for a coming-of-age sapphic fantasy book. I had the pleasure to read it during the creation process for this cover, and it’s a beautiful book that I highly recommend. What do you all think of the cover?:)",,The Colors
1mbju2a,150+ Sapphic Books Coming Out in the Rest of 2025,"A few weeks ago, I shared my list of [300+ Sapphic Books Out in 2025 (So Far)](http://lesbrary.com/sapphic-books-out-in-2025-so-far/). Now, I have the matching list to share with you: the sapphic books out from July-December of 2025, sortable and searchable by genre, release date, and representation. (These should all have a sapphic main character, but not necessarily an F/F romance.) Just make a copy and you can sort, filter, and edit the list.

[Here's the list!](https://lesbrary.com/sapphic-books-july-december-2025/)

Let me know if I missed any that you're excited about.",About More Adult-Like Topics With Some Spice
1fxtnbd,Late to the party ,Going to be starting this is how you lose the time war so if anyone has read it and wants to talk about it with me hello 😬☝🏻,The Language Better
1g0a4uo,ashley has done it again !!!,"if anyone here hasn’t yet read make the season bright, i’m here to say it was a great read!! i’ve been waiting for this novel to drop and it did not disappoint :)) i’d also like to know others thoughts on it!",Fuck Me?
1gx21b7,Any Burning Kingdoms fans? Book 3 is finally out! 🔥🪷,"I have been waiting two years for the final book of the trilogy and devoured it in 2 days as soon as I knew it was released. It did not disappoint and I need people to obsess over it with! 

For those unifamiliar with the series, the story and world-building is incredible. While most fantasy has a setting based on Medieval Europe, this one is inspired by ancient Indian dynasties, which is expressed in the clothing, food, architecture, etc described. Plus there's magic, gods, wars, political intrigue, and complex characters, including a tormented romance between what I've heard the author describe as ""two morally gray lesbians.""

If you like dark epic fantasy with sapphic representation, I highly recommend! Book 1 is called The Jasmine Throne.",Morally Grey Lesbians Burning Down An Empire
1l4uu4l,Ashley Herring Blake’s new book announcement,"Any thoughts / expectations about this?
Personally I couldn’t get through her newer books (Make the Season Bright and Dream on Ramona Riley) and mourn this as I liked the Bright Falls trilogy ",M Always Intrigued
1gc330j,It's Release Day for The Snowball Effect by Haley Cass!! ,"If you looooove Haley Cass, she just dropped her new book today!

It's Regan and Emma's story (Sutton's besties from Those Who Wait)
 [https://a.co/d/2fVML3X](https://a.co/d/2fVML3X)",M Currently Reading Through Ashley Herring Blake
1lbowi8,New Books added to my TBR.,Today was my off day and went out after a few errands was done and went to B&amp;N to see what other books they had available that was on my list to get. And found these two that was on my radar for the past couple of weeks now. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was almost sold out again by the time I got there when they had to restock their shelves again lol. Single Player is up my alley for everything Gaming and will enjoy sitting back to read this once I go through my other pile of books to read through first. Btw if you love Arcane. Katie Leung who does the Voice of Caitlyn in the show is also one of the Narraters for the Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil toxic lesbian story in audiobook form as well. ,Single Player
1lf3cb5,Finished Book 3,All done ✅ reading Book 3 of Tea You at The Alter. And I fell in love with the 3rd book a lot with so many great moments and more characters being introduced. I can’t wait to read the final installment in August. ,The Backbone Of The Plot
1mow0ho,One Last Stop Fanart! Did I miss the fandom train? HUHU,"Haven't posted this anywhere yet! I have been depressed for a while so I combined two things i love doing the most! Reading fiction and drawing fanart, here's the result of that! unfortunately no one i know has read this book T oT so I have no one to geek out with! I finished the book and i cried twice. I love the writing so much!  
  
Here's my visual interpretation of August and Jane (in my artstyle!) I proud of it uwu. 

for anyone curious! I am Narurein in IG but I made a new account (dounia.raniela) for sapphic art content since ij hiding from my family (lols), ill be posting this + colored version there! uwu &lt;3 ",A Few Weeks Ago And Still Have A Massive Book Hangover
1lh9xe1,Queer Liberation Library has a lot of sapphic audiobooks and ebooks for FREE through Libby (unlimited copies!),"I know a lot of people may already know this but in case you didn’t know you can very easily get a library card from the queer liberation library website (it took me like two minutes) and have access to a lot of sapphic audiobooks and ebooks in the Libby app using it! I’ve been using Libby for a bit for my audiobooks but I didn’t know about the QLL and that they have unlimited copies so no more waiting in line :)! They have all of Haley Cass’s books too. Also, if you have Spotify premium you get a free audiobook every month essentially (I think it’s 12 or so listening hours free). For all my people who like audiobooks but hate how expensive they can be ",The Local Library Defend The Collection
1l8c3ni,On the Pain of Symbolic Violence,"As I read the book, something inside me began to shrink. My heart grew smaller with every page, tightened by the anxieties that filled Lily’s chest. The perfect Chinese daughter. The good friend. The model student. All of it weighed on her like a silent burden.

But what hurt me the most—what I couldn’t stop thinking about—was how the author managed to portray a kind of violence that is so subtle, yet so deeply brutal. A symbolic violence that doesn’t leave visible marks but tears you apart from the inside. Lily couldn’t tell her best friend she was in love. She couldn’t hold the hand of the person she loved. She had to hide. 

The silence forced on those who love in “unauthorized” ways is a form of erasure. And erasure is a form of violence, perhaps the cruelest of all: the one that convinces the victim that it’s safer not to exist fully, that it’s better to hide.

I loved this book and I’d like to know, for anyone who’s read it: what were your thoughts on it?
",A Lot
1ku8x11,I illustrated this character art for a sapphic book series exploring the blurred lines between friendship and love. Any thoughts/cc welcome!,,The Blurred Lines
1jf0tsx,Selena as Evelyn!?,"Saw this on Instagram today, I am hoping it is not true. I don't think Selena is a good fit. :(",Body Like Evelyn Hugo
1lt0pb6,Books with female characters like this.. (but gay),,Lone Wolf
1jj6msb,I think I have an addiction…,"Hear me out. I just need a little advice. I started reading sapphic romance sometime last year. Figured, I’m a woman, I like women, this might be fun. 

Christ it IS fun. I love sapphic romance *so much.* Enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, fantasy, sci-fi, slice of life, slow-burn, fucking EVERYTHING! I’ve read so many books in such a short amount of time, like one every two to three days. 

I love how reading makes me feel giddy and breathless and euphoric. It’s such a good feeling that it CANNOT be healthy. I’ve started getting concerned. 

When reading I find it hard to stop reading. I’ll put off doing important things to just finish one more chapter, then one more, then one more. (Though that might just be my adhd) When I finish a book, especially one that I absolutely love, I get a bit depressed. I start immediately searching for my next read. It feels like an obsession. 

Is there something wrong with me? Have I somehow gotten myself addicted to these lovely stories? Idk. Maybe I’m just being dramatic. Anyone else who has had thoughts like this before? 

(This might be a little different than a lot of the other posts here but I figured if anyone had advice, it would be fellow readers of queer romance.)",Fiction Also Makes The Reader More Empathetic Towards Others
1hvyv76,I read 133 sapphic books last year (and a handful of other books too) and made a spreadsheet ,"I made a spreadsheet to track all of the books I read last year, I thought I'd share it here for people looking for something to read. The titles should all be clickable links to The StoryGraph (I just prefer that over GoodReads) you'll notice I only started writing notes/comments after a few months, and at first it was just a quick line to help me remember which book was which, and it eventually evolved into full on stream of consciousness reviews so please no judging! Lol 


Legend:
⭐ I plan to buy a copy
👑 My favorite of the year
📚 From my own collection
❌ did not finish ",Slump Period
1l1fxls,Rescued this book from the bin store!,I have not seen a physical copy in the wild and I had to get it!,
1kit6za,"""AI rip-offs targeting sapphic books"" like actually.","I know this sub isn't for Sapphic authors, but as a shadow lurker of this sub, I encountered [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/sapphicbooks/comments/1kbl3ym/the_ai_book_problem/) post a few days ago. My first reaction was ""Damn, I just published my first actual book, and now it's never going to see the light of day outside of my Wattpad following because of all of this AI crap.""

Oh man, oh man, was I in for a bigger ride.

For some context, I'm a pretty decently big Sapphic author on Wattpad, my most popular work is a clean teacherxstudent story I wrote 10ish years ago as a teenager. And that I used to despise for more reasons than the trope. Readers loved it, though, and constantly begged for a physical copy of it. I would never publish it in its poor grammar and controversial state so I rewrote the damn whole thing in the spawn of about a year until I was no longer ashamed of it, got it professionally edited, a lot of money from my pocket went into it, and then hit publish.

It's doing pretty decently. Just broke about 100 sales on Amazon, which is more than I ever expected. I never expected to break even, it's just something I wanted to do for my most loyal readers.

Now I'm no newcomer to people stealing my work, I've had dozens of word-for-word copies of my story on Wattpad and AO3 where they only changed the characters' names to make it into a fanfic. It's pretty easy to deal with.

What I never expected was for 2 readers to come forth at around the same time to report to me about [this](https://www.amazon.com/New-Equation-Lesbian-Age-Gap-Romance-ebook/dp/B0DJPS61HJ/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7JpG32shng0bNEREyHDd-ytC6IL2ml3zMLNYJxuZiD_GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.McMu5FELT6nfbkj1k5PLphh08L0puh0c3KIckTGaK7I&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;qid=1746820673&amp;refinements=p_27%3ACherice+Sonia&amp;s=digital-text&amp;sr=1-3&amp;text=Cherice+Sonia+) book being sold on Amazon, which is undoubtedly a word-for-word copy of my story with an Ai rewording of its original description.

Not the new-version, no. The Wattpad one.

The terribly written one, with bad grammar.

Being sold on Kindle.

Sold about 200 copies already per the estimates in the one year it went unnoticed.

I don't have words to describe this kind of feeling, heartbreaking might be one of them. It's one thing knowing your silly story is being spread like wildfire on free websites, for free, by teens that want to insert their fandom into a story they loved. It's another to sell it as yours without making any slight change to it, make money out of it. And in fact, make MORE money than the original author.

To the authors that I know also frequent this sub, please quote search the first sentence of your story, character names, etc. To the readers, please read the [article](https://jae-fiction.com/ai-rip-offs-targeting-sapphic-books/) I mentioned above so you're able to tell scammers from real authors.

I know an author's feelings don't mean much to some, but do you really want to give your money to scammers and promote this kind of behaviour that will 100% make looking for original Sapphic books worse for everyone? Just like it is to find a coloring book with barn animals that don't have extra limbs, and a wild mushrooms guide that won't kill you?",Cover And Deciding On A Pen Name
1klv6ul,Catfishing sapphic fiction author,"I can't tell you how sad, exhausted, and furious I am right now: As if we aren't dealing with enough already, the sapphic book community is facing another catfishing situation. 

There's a pattern of obvious lies and deception by a well-established author, but I want you to draw your own conclusions. 

I laid out the entire story and the ""evidence"" on my blog, so please check it out: 

[https://jae-fiction.com/another-catfishing-sapphic-fiction-author/](https://jae-fiction.com/another-catfishing-sapphic-fiction-author/)",A Couple Of Books
1hshhg7,Any books with this vibe?,,Cushing Nevada Chronicles
1lsn8kr,300+ Sapphic Books Out in 2025 (So Far),"I made a [spreadsheet of more than 300 sapphic books that came out in the first half of 2025](https://lesbrary.com/sapphic-books-out-in-2025-so-far/). Feel free to make a copy and sort by genre or representation. This includes any book with a sapphic main character, but you can filter by F/F relationships.",Like 3
1gnd3md,New to Sapphic Books? Beginner's Guide,"Howdy folks, been seeing a lot of posts in a few different subreddits with folks new to reading sapphic books so I figured I'd make a ""Beginner's Guide"" and list that can be linked for new folks looking for the starting (more common) recommendations.

Please also be aware of this excellent source for finding new sapphic books:  
[I Heart Sapphic Fic](https://iheartsapphfic.com/)

I'd say these are by far the most popular, but feel free to correct me if I missed any big ones. Most of the tags are me going off from what I remember, I'll make any edits as necessary if I get them wrong.

# Contemporary Romance

**Delilah Green Doesn't Care (Bright Falls Trilogy) -** Ashley Herring Blake  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54756850-delilah-green-doesn-t-care?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=Q3viScB0pM&amp;rank=1) Rating: 4.08  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Grumpy/sunshine, small town, secret relationship, love interest with a kid, found family, dead parents, mommy issues, lesbian x bisexual, femme x futch  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Written in the Stars -** Alexandria Bellefleur  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51179990-written-in-the-stars?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_11) Rating: 3.86  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Grumpy/sunshine, fake relationship, astrology talk, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**One Last Stop -** Casey McQuiston  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860443-one-last-stop) Rating: 3.92  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: soft science fiction, time travel, bisexual x lesbian, butch x femme, asian love interest, opposites attract  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Kiss Her Once for Me** \- Alison Cochrun  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321485-kiss-her-once-for-me) Rating: 3.85  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Second chance romance, fake relationship, forced proximity, demisexual, holiday romance, butch x femme, family drama  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Those Who Wait -** Haley Cass  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63826960-those-who-wait?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_14) Rating: 4.43  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Slow burn, friends to lovers, friends with benefits to lovers, secret relationship, first time with a woman, newly coming out, closeted character, lesbian x bisexual, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Mistakes Were Made** \- Meryl Wilsner  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808269-mistakes-were-made) Rating: 3.94  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Age gap, mature lead 40+, taboo relationship, secret relationship, bisexual x bisexual, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Truth and Measure (Carlisle Series)** \- Roslyn Sinclair  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60147284-truth-and-measure) Rating: 4.39  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Age gap, grumpy x sunshine, ice queen, slow burn, pregnancy, boss x employee, femme x femme, bisexual x lesbian, office romance  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Anyone But Her** \- Erica Lee  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49498260-anyone-but-her) Rating: 4.09  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Coming out, fake relationship, love at first sight, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Back in Your Arms** \- Monica McCallan  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59396385-back-in-your-arms) Rating: 4.16  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Second chance romance, return to hometown, girl next door, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

# Literary Fiction

**Our Wives Under the Sea** \- Julia Armfield  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58659343-our-wives-under-the-sea) Rating: 3.77  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: Horror, grief, tension, marriage troubles, mind-fuck  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit** \- Jeanette Winterson  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15055.Oranges_Are_Not_the_Only_Fruit) Rating: 3.73  
Tags: 1950's England, semi-autobiographical, coming of age, religious trauma, homophobia  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead -** Emily R. Austin  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366182-everyone-in-this-room-will-someday-be-dead) Rating: 3.86  
Tags: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, mystery, religious trauma  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Fall on Your Knees** \- Ann-Marie MacDonald  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5174.Fall_on_Your_Knees) Rating: 3.97  
Tags: 19th/20th century Canada, taboo themes, religious trauma, racial tension/racism, sexual abuse trauma  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: No

**Big Swiss** \- Jen Beagin  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60701439-big-swiss) Rating: 3.68  
Tags: morally questionable protagonist, sexual assault trauma, parental death trauma, dark humor  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Milk Fed** \- Melissa Broder  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54304105-milk-fed) Rating: 3.57  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: eating disorder, mommy issues, dark humor, Jewish protagonists, gross sex scenes

# Historical Fiction

**Fingersmith** \- Sarah Waters  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8913370-fingersmith) Rating: 4.02  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️  
Tags: suspense, historical London, nobility, criminal  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Tipping the Velvet** \- Sarah Waters  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25104465-tipping-the-velvet?from_search=true&amp;from_srp=true&amp;qid=Yny19As8BF&amp;rank=1) Rating: 4.05  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: historical London, victorian, disguised as a man, heartbreak  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo** \- Taylor Jenkins Reid  
[Goodreads ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32620332-the-seven-husbands-of-evelyn-hugo)Rating: 4.41  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️  
Tags: old hollywood, celebrity, secret relationship, angst, in the closet, bisexual x lesbian, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Pull of the Stars -** Emma Donoghue  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52722079-the-pull-of-the-stars) Rating: 3.96  
Tags: Early 20th century Ireland, pandemic, wartime, abuses of power, religious trauma  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics** \- Olivia Waite  
[Goodreads ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42117380-the-lady-s-guide-to-celestial-mechanics?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_29)Rating: 3.99  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Age gap, united kingdom, rich girl x poor girl, grieving, femme x femme  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend** \- Emma R. Alban  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127823335-don-t-want-you-like-a-best-friend) Rating: 3.80  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: 1800's, friends to lovers, rich girl x rich girl, secret relationship  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Bloom Town: Genesis (Bloom Town Duology)** \- Ally North  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216398926-bloom-town) Rating: 4.78  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: 1800's America, wild west, enemies to lovers, slow burn, age gap, kidnapping, religious trauma, main character with kids, survival  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: No

# Sci-fi/Fantasy

**Gideon The Ninth** **(The Locked Tomb Series)** \- Tamsyn Muir  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42036538-gideon-the-ninth) Rating: 4.21  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: Science fiction, necromancy, space/other planets, soulmates, magic, ghosts  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Priory of the Orange Tree** \- Samantha Shannon  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40275288-the-priory-of-the-orange-tree) Rating: 4.19  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️  
Tags: fantasy, dragons, ice queen, royalty x servant, magic, angst, curse  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**This Is How You Lose the Time War** \- Amal El-Mohtar &amp; Max Gladstone  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43352954-this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war) Rating: 3.88  
Tags: Science fiction, time travel, letters, rivals, against all odds  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor Series)** \- Shelley Parker-Chan  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48727813-she-who-became-the-sun) Rating: 3.86  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: Fantasy China, asian protagonists, wartime, magic, mythology  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Jasmine Throne** **(The Burning Kingdoms Series) -** Tasha Suri  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50523477-the-jasmine-throne) Rating: 4.12  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: fantasy, middle eastern, political intrigue, wartime, bisexual x lesbian  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan Series)** \- Arkady Martine  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37794149-a-memory-called-empire) Rating: 4.12  
Tags: science fiction, political intrigue, society trauma, colonialization themes  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: No

**Legends and Lattes** \- Travis Baldree  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61242426-legends-lattes) Rating: 4.10  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: fantasy, cozy, monster x monster, low angst, found family, magic  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Space Between Worlds** \- Micaiah Johnson  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43301353-the-space-between-worlds) Rating: 3.94  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: science fiction, multiple universes/worlds, multiverse hopping, trauma  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Light from Uncommon Stars -** Ryka Aoki  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56179360-light-from-uncommon-stars) Rating: 4.06  
Tags: transgender, scifi and fantasy, music, donuts, asian protagonist  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Auidobook: Yes

**The Once and Future Witches** \- Alix E. Harrow  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49504061-the-once-and-future-witches) Rating: 4.04  
Tags: 1800's fantasy, speculative fiction, magic, mythology, paranormal  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Hearing Red -** Nicole Maser  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211078779-hearing-red) Rating: 4.53  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: zombie apocalypse, main character with disability, touch her and die, on the run, survival  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Charon Docks at Daylight** \- Z.R. Reed (Zoe Reed)  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34742668-charon-docks-at-daylight) Rating: 4.63  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: zombie apocalypse, slow burn, enemies to lovers, survival, touch her and die, soldier, criminal  
Kindle Unlimited: No, but the book is available as a free download from the author's Patreon.  
Audiobook: Yes, but unofficially narrated on YouTube

# Dark/Paranormal Romance

**Tryst Six Venom** \- Penelope Douglas  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54661258-tryst-six-venom) Rating: 3.87  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: bully romance, toxic romance, younger protagonists, enemies to lovers, rich girl x poor girl, parental death, in the closet, coming out  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Aurora's Angel** \- Emily Noon  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58208210-aurora-s-angel) Rating: 4.33  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: paranormal fantasy, shifters, forced proximity, slow burn, opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, butch x femme, adventure  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**A Dowry of Blood** \- S.T. Gibson  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60521937-a-dowry-of-blood) Rating: 3.99  
Spice Rating: 🌶️  
Tags: paranormal fantasy, gothic, vampire, polyamory, yearning, murder/violence  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**Kiss of Seduction** \- Rawnie Sabor  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220255501-kiss-of-seduction) Rating: 4.52  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: paranormal fantasy, succubus x human, BDSM themes, sexual abuse trauma, sex worker, femme x femme, touch her and die  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: No

**House of Crimson Hearts (Kingdom of Immortal Lovers Series)** \- Ruby Roe  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205646943-house-of-crimson-hearts) Rating: 4.20  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: paranormal fantasy, vampire x hunter, enemies to lovers, BDSM themes, addiction, touch her and die  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

# Young Adult

**Last Night at the Telegraph Club -** Malinda Lo  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35224992-last-night-at-the-telegraph-club) Rating: 4.22  
Tags: Historical fiction, United States: pacific, interracial, Asian protagonist, butch x femme, homophobia, coming of age, coming out, slow burn  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Miseducation of Cameron Post** \- Emily M. Danforth  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40801157-the-miseducation-of-cameron-post) Rating: 4.07  
Tags: 1980's/90's America, conversion camp/therapy, religious trauma, homophobia, coming of age, found family  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Crier's War (The Crier's War Duology) -** Nina Varela  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41951626-crier-s-war) Rating: 4.12  
Tags: fantasy, grumpy x sunshine, ice queen, political intrigue, steam punk, wartime  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**I Kissed Shara Wheeler** \- Casey McQuiston  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58756420-i-kissed-shara-wheeler) Rating: 3.88  
Tags: coming of age, coming out, enemies to lovers, girl next door, opposites attract, femme x femme, small town  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**She Drives Me Crazy** \- Kelly Quindlen  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52516406-she-drives-me-crazy) Rating: 3.96  
Tags: coming of age, coming out, sports, cheerleader, enemies to lovers, futch x femme, asian protagonist, opposites attract  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**We Are Okay** \- Nina LaCour  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28243032-we-are-okay) Rating: 3.94  
Tags: college, depression, loneliness, coming of age  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Wilder Girls** \- Rory Power  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42505366-wilder-girls) Rating: 3.46  
Tags: horror, mystery, feminist themes, boarding school, violence/death  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Sunburn -** Chloe Michelle Howarth  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75715117-sunburn) Rating: 4.33  
Tags: historical fiction, 90's Ireland, coming of age, religious trauma, first love  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: No

**She Gets the Girl -** Rachael Lippincott &amp; Alyson Derrick  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58437812-she-gets-the-girl) Rating: 4.10  
Tags: opposites attract, coming of age, self discovery  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

# Classic Literature

**Carmilla** \- J Sheridan Le Fanu  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48037.Carmilla) Rating: 3.86  
Tags: classic (1800's), vampire, gothic, castle  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: No

**The Color Purple -** Alice Walker  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52892857.The_Color_Purple) Rating: 4.27  
Tags: early 20th century United States (south), black protagonists, racism, family relationships, sexual abuse trauma  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Well of Loneliness** \- Radclyffe Hall  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129223.The_Well_of_Loneliness) Rating: 3.75  
Tags: early 20th century UK &amp; Europe, wartime, butch protagonist, gender questioning  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**The Price of Salt (AKA Carol) -** Patricia Highsmith (Claire Morgan)  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52258.The_Price_of_Salt) Rating: 4.02  
Tags: 1950's America, rich girl x poor girl, age gap, main character with kids, homophobia  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Rubyfruit Jungle** \- Rita Mae Brown  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165395.Rubyfruit_Jungle) Rating: 3.92  
Tags: 1950's/60's/70's America, explicit language, found family, coming of age, homophobia  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe** \- Fannie Flagg  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9375.Fried_Green_Tomatoes_at_the_Whistle_Stop_Cafe) Rating: 4.28  
Tags: 1920's/1980's America (south), tomboy, domestic violence, found family, menopause  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Orlando** \- Virginia Woolf  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18839.Orlando) Rating: 3.87  
Tags: 18th/19th century England, transgender/gender themes, satire, feminist themes  
Kindle Unlimited: No  
Audiobook: Yes

**Annie on My Mind** \- Nancy Garden  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/595375.Annie_on_My_Mind) Rating: 4.02  
Tags: Young Adult, 1980's America, rich girl x poor girl, coming of age, homophobia  
Kindle Unlimited: Yes  
Audiobook: Yes

# Graphic Novels/Manga

**Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic** \- Alison Bechdel  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26135825-fun-home) Rating: 4.08  
Tags: memoir, college, family relationships

**Paper Girls** \- Brian K. Vaughan  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28204534-paper-girls-volume-1) Rating: 3.89  
Tags: Young adult, 1980's America, mystery, coming of age

**Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me** \- Mariko Tamaki  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864841-laura-dean-keeps-breaking-up-with-me) Rating: 3.86  
Tags: Young adult, toxic relationship, butch x femme, coming of age

**The Girl from the Sea** \- Molly Knox Ostertag  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54776523-the-girl-from-the-sea) Rating: 4.14  
Tags: Young adult, mermaid, friends to lovers, coming of age  
Audiobook: Yes

**How do We Relationship?** \- Tamifull  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52757844-how-do-we-relationship-vol-1) Rating: 4.07  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: College, adults, manga, friends to lovers, realistic representation, coming out, stone top, unrequited love  
(Available on Viz app with Viz subscription)

**Bloom Into You** \- Nakatani Nio  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30139738-bloom-into-you-vol-1) Rating: 4.04  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: High school, manga, coming of age, demisexual themes (subtextual), family trauma, love triangle, coming of age

**Mooncakes** \- Suzanne Walker  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44774415-mooncakes) Rating: 3.83  
Tags: Young adult, werewolf, witch, magic, found family

**Blue Is The Warmest Color -** Jul Maroh  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465574-blue-is-the-warmest-color) Rating: 3.90  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Coming of age, time jumps, angst

**On a Sunbeam** \- Tillie Walden  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36952615-on-a-sunbeam) Rating: 4.30  
Tags: Young adult, science fiction, grief, found family

**My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness** \- Kabi Nagata  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33113683-my-lesbian-experience-with-loneliness) Rating: 4.11  
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️  
Tags: Manga, biographical, non-fiction, eating disorder, depression, mental illness

**Monstress** \- Marjorie M. Liu  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55883882-monstress-volume-1) Rating: 3.97  
Tags: Horror, fantasy, steampunk, child abuse, trauma

**Batwoman: Elegy** \- Greg Rucka  
[Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6911529-batwoman) Rating: 4.16  
Tags: Superhero, ex-military, don't ask don't tell, supernatural themes, family drama

Edit: Added a Classic Lit section. Thanks u/mild_area_alien for the Classic Lit suggestions!  
Edit: Added a Literary Fiction section. Thanks u/sadie1525 for the suggestions!  
Edit: Added a Graphic Novel/Manga section",
1mamb7f,I have a problem,"I use to have a problem buying clothes. Instead of restraining myself and getting rid of some items, I bought more hangers. I just finished my 200th book since last year. I have two other shelves full of (mostly) sapphic books. Every flat surface was slowly becoming a storage area for books. Instead of restraining myself, I built a bookshelf. Must fill with more lesfic.",Aurora'S Angel
1fs1q8m,Finding wlw books in homophobic countries is another kind of happiness 💗💗💗💓💓💓,,
1io4f6v,"Can someone recommend me a really well-written, intensely gripping book with a femme4femme romance? Bonus points if it’s spicy!",,Anything Written
1lmn8x3,I loved this book.,,Is Reaching Its Intended Audience
1l6mhjn,New Sapphic Romantasy,"“Her touch stirs something raw inside me—a hunger soft and wild, nothing like the monstrous cravings I’ve known before.”

🩸🩸🩸

This is for readers who crave vampire kisses, slow burn romance, and the occasional sword fight.

If you love...
💖 Protective butch sword lesbians
💖 Vampire angst
💖 Touch her and die energy
💖 The one bed trope (aka my FAV trope)
💖 A love that refuses to die quietly
...then I hope you’ll fall for Roan and Aria. 

You can check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F3RKVQ3Z

💀 💀 💀 

A Hunger Soft and Wild is my debut book. I hope you enjoy Roan and Aria’s story if you give it a try! 

What are some of your favorite tropes? ",The Actual Make And Model Lol
1ig1f6o,YA sapphic recommendation,"This was such a cute book and I will continue to recommend it! I went to the book launch for it last Tuesday since it was her debut novel. I devoured it so quickly and I’m generally not a rivals to lovers reader. 

During the talk about the release, she was saying that Target decided to remove it from their book releases days prior to the pub date. This is the type of book I wish I had in high school that celebrates queer joy. Which is all the more reasons why I’m going to promote the shit out of it. 

Also, look how cute the art print is, I’m literally obsessed with it. 

",Is Good
1lpwjyg,This declaration was so beautiful.  I’m at work crying!,,By Far
1l88khd,Any read this book lately?,Just started reading it and I’m excited to see where it goes! I’m in love with the idea of a Lady Knight saving the damsel in distress 🥰⚔️,Is Currently Only $0
1iipem4,This might be the sappiest sapphic love story ever—and it’s TRUE!,"I don’t know if there is anything sapphics love more than a real-life, ridiculously romantic love story so here’s one. 

For nearly a decade, a woman quietly wrote poetry about her wife. Not in hindsight, not as reflections of what once was, but in the moment—capturing every rush of emotion as it happened. The butterflies of the first meeting, the overwhelming certainty of soulmates, the quiet intimacy of life together. And somehow, through it all, her wife NEVER knew. 

Until now. 

For her birthday, she was gifted a book. A decade of secret love poems all written about her. And if that wasn’t enough to melt your heart, the lips on the cover? They’re hers! The same ones that are spoken about throughout many of the words inside. 

This book isn’t just poetry; it’s a love story. One that grows in real time. What starts as simple journal entries turns into deep, breathtaking metaphors, as the love itself deepens. It’s raw, it’s intimate, it’s sapphic love in its purest form. 

And honestly, it’s the kind of love story we all dream of. 

So, I have to ask—what is the sappiest, most romantic thing you’ve ever done for someone you love? ⬇️⬇️ I NEED to know that I’m not the only one out here going full-on hopeless romantic 😭🥰",S A Lot. So Here
1la72zt,Finished Book 2 of Tomes &amp; Tea Series,"So, I have been enjoying this cozy fantasy series quite a lot for the past couple of weeks. And just finished reading book 2 of A Pirates Life for Tea that really had some great moments of lesbian yearning that reminded me of Catradora from She-ra. There was an additional bonus one shot chapter at the end that got really spicy at the end for the main characters and phew was it 🌶️. Now moving onto the third book and preorder book four before that comes out this August. ",Books 1 And 2
1l7m3hp,My TBR 2025 Stack,My current stack of tbr sapphic books I bought this past month including some Critical Role Books I’ve had on my list to read. Currently going through the Tea &amp; Tomes series by Rebecca Throne and should be getting to the third installment this week after I finish reading the last 8 chapters of the second book. If you guys have any other recommendations please drop them down in the comments. Looking for more Fantasy/Scifi Sapphic stories to add in the future to read. ,Charlotte Bond
1hd2z8n,Every Sapphic Book I've Read This Year (With One Sentence Reviews),"Sorted by genre and star rating for simplicity! There is a **\*\*** next to any book that's YA. The rest are adult.

# FANTASY

**A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft - 5 stars**

I am OBSESSED with grumpy, tortured, masc Lorelei falling head-over-heels for sunshiney, bubbly, effervescent Sylvia, and this has every trope I've ever loved in one perfect book. Sapphic yearning so thick you could drown in it. My top read of 2024.

**Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs - 5 stars**

Stunning POVs from three magical people that converge in the most satisfying way with a unique magical system, and a good example of not judging a book by its cover because there is so much depth here that is not conveyed by the art.

**\*\*The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland - 5 stars**

I support women's rights, and I also support women's dark magic and necromancy. Three female perspectives, very sapphic, good body horror.

**\*\*Crier's War by Nina Varela - 4 stars**

Magical AI princess that killed your family and you've sworn to avenge is kinda sexy and you fall in love with her while posing as her human handmaiden with a fast-paced plot and good writing. Part of a duology, but I haven't read the second book yet.

**\*\*So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole - 4 stars**

My actual enjoyment of this was more like 2.5-3 stars, but this is solid for a YA audience and I'm glad there is diverse, unique, fun fantasy being written firmly for this age group. Dragons and very casual lesbian representation with a sprinkle of sisterly relationships.

**A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland - 4 stars**

A tender love story and queer reimagining of The Selkie Wife with the most stunning writing. I could barely believe this was a debut.

**Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland - 3 stars**

Should have liked this in theory, but was let down by incredibly purple prose and pages upon pages of needless description. (Also a criminal use of third person present tense that I will not excuse).

**This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings - 3 stars**

Excellent concept and 1920's Jazz Age vampire vibes, subpar execution of plot and character development BUT I still want to read book two when it comes out next year.

**House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson - 2 stars**

Great premise with a severely underdeveloped to downright bad everything else. Weakest character motivations in existence, meandering plot, and inconsistent descriptions of characters.

**Faebound by Saara El-Arifi - 2 stars**

A lot of adults that communicate like children, despite them being gown military commanders and supposedly the most logical and diplomatic of their kind. Needed an editor. Read like three YA fantasies in a trench coat.



# ROMANCE

**The Senator's Wife Trilogy by Jen Lyon - 5 stars**

This is my favorite series of the year. Forbidden romance between a senator's wife and an elite soccer star with incredible conflict, tension, and character arcs. Alex and Catherine FOREVER. 

**\*\*Wish You Weren't Here by Erin Baldwin - 3 stars**

Unsuccessful in executing the rivals to lovers trope and filled with some epseically cringe lines, but this has great sapphic summer camp vibes and the ridiculousness of the conflict made it a good time. Recommended for a light summer read.



# LITERARY

**Perfume &amp; Pain by Anna Dorn - 5 stars**

Whip smart, a plot that feels like a car crash, and filled with poignant commentary about the queer community and lesbians. Her last book was so shocking I couldn't take it seriously, but this one hit the mark with the immersive, funny writing without the taboo.

**Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg - 5 stars**

The only fiction I've ever read that reflects on the pandemic in a way that has truly resonated with me, an artist that roadtripped during the pandemic. Vivid, stunning, immersive. Feels like it was written just for me.

**Old Enough by Haley Jakobson - 5 stars**

For anyone reckoning with past trauma, with past lives, with their identity, with friendships, with acceptance of queerness, with the complicated nuances of being a human, this is for you. A book I wish I had in high school.

**Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Allen Samantha - 5 stars**

A cheeky satire of the compulsory heteronormativity of dating reality TV shows paired with a good-for-her narrative. Specifically recommending this to lifelong fans of The Bachelor frnachise who discovered they were a lesbian later in life and have a private account where they stalk Christian/Mormon influencers.

**Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin - 5 stars**

Compelling writing style and a way of plotting that makes the most mentally unwell people feel seen. For sapphic fans of Fleabag.

**The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer - 5 stars**

Lush writing combined with the feeling of coming-of-age while being obsessed with someone who should be out of reach. (Check trigger warnings). 

**Experienced by Kate Young - 5 stars**

If Casual by Chappell Roan were a book.

**Big Swiss by Jen Beagin - 4 stars**

Absurd (compliment) narrative with a strong main character voice that lacked a bit of cohesion, but was a good time regardless.

**Nightshift by Kiare Ladner - 2 stars**

A book about obsession, but with zero plot or character payoff. This skimmed the surface of being sapphic, but never made any interesting or insightful points, and never got weird or crazy enough to make up for the boring first half.



# NON FICTION

**The Selected Works of Audre Lorde by Audre Lorde - 5 stars**

Surprisingly relevant to the current political climate. Evergreen observations about blackness in America, lesbianism, and intersectionality. Gorgeous prose, stunning poetry.

**High School by Tegan + Sara Quinn - 5 stars**

A perfect celebrity memoir. Bounces back and forth between chapters from each of the twins and there are some truly introspective bits about what it was like to discover queerness in the 90s. Even if you're not a fan of their music (a crime), I think there is a lot to be gleaned from these pages.

\---

Thanks for reading! Would love if anyone has recommendations based on the ones I loved!",The Great Reviews
1gf060x,Anyone else excited about this book? As a trans Sapphic I am so damn excited!!!,A BISEXUAL Butchfemme pairing with the MC being a trans femme?! This is the romance I want!!! And it’s the one I need!!,The Deep Dark
1l5fvd1,Atmosphere -Taylor Jenkins Reid,"This was everything I hoped for and more. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an incredible storyteller. Every story I've read from her is so unique and this one is special.

Atmosphere is historical fiction that takes place in 1980s NASA. Women astronauts, space, stargazing, falling in love, found family! I loved it.

The audiobook was fantastic. Julia Whelan has recently become my favorite narrator and I'm so happy she did this one. 

🌌 🚀 Sapphics! It's an astronaut love story!! Come on, I know y'all dressed up as astronauts as kids. This is for us.👩🏻‍🚀

🌶️: Nope, no smut. Just love and feels. Pretty much closed door.",For Pride Month
1lozd59,Can we talk about how cute Sutton’s daughter is?! Today is the pub day for the Midnight Rain audiobook,,The Audiobook
1hpwg5g,Best sapphic book you've ever read? ,I want to read something that has me staring at the ceiling for a solid hour after I'm finished. Or the type of book that's always at the back of your mind. A book that really impacted you when you read it ,Our Wives Under The Sea
1gqc425,This slow burn is very sexy,Haley Cass. The writer you are!!! The tension in this chapter is so spicy. I can’t wait for it to finally break…It’s killing me!!!,A Sapphic Holiday Romance Every Year
1i2c688,Books Whose Main Couple Have This Aesthetic?,,Astrid Parker Doesn’T Fail
1gmt45j,Best sex scenes in sapphic books,"Very specific, I know, but I'm curious. 

Any scenes like that that stood out to you or any book that you think had simply a really good one? Genre doesn't matter, I'm looking for a good book with one or even more really good sex scenes.",Anal - The Anal “Practice” Scene In
1i454w1,Not enough sapphic f/f books,"So as a lesbian woman my self who only ever reads sapphic literature it sucks how much of limited resource we have, and the stories that we do have that are f/f are terribly made either they have a horrible plot or the characters lack any chemistry, I can honestly name like 3 good wlw books of the top of my head and this is coming from someone who only ever reads wlw stories, my favourite trope when it comes to romance books is yearning between both characters, genuine attraction and soulmate/fated sort of plot which is impossible to find, and the ones that do exist are badly written, im so envious of people who enjoy straight and gay romance because you guys have so much genres to choose from. (Anyways if anyone has sapphic books to recommend me, preferably anything similar to Camilla and Laura would be very appreciated)",Both M/F *And* M/M
1bsqq7t,The April group read book is Gideon the ninth by Tamsyn Muir,"The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.",
1hwwpoo,Which book should I buy? I’m going to a bookstore tomorrow and can’t decide!,,In The Ashley Herring Blake Series And Haven'T Touched The Other Books
1h8ecy7,Haley Cass,"so. i just finished my first books by haley cass (on the same page + novella). to say i’m obsessed is an understatement. 

i don’t think i’ve read another wlw romance with better development than this one. i wanna order all the rest of her books and absolutely devour them but i know i should savor them &amp; space it out 😭 she has 100% become my favorite author. 

what is your favorite haley cass novel? ",Books That Just Cover So Much Of Human Emotion And Trauma
1lot1hs,Don’t hold back,"Give me your dirtiest, smuttiest sapphic book rec that you could not put down. Bonus points if the story is actually good outside of the sex. 

I have no limits, all types of kinks are welcome! I need to recover from the heavy disappointment on my last read 🥲",Contract Bound
1le5njk,The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,don't judge me. this book is a great read for me and i can't seem to find another book that is THIS good. i'm sorry if i sound so basic but please help a girl out by giving recommendations!,Ordinary Love
1ik2jvb,WLW fangirling,Anyone else just really happy that this seems to be a growing genre?,App Is Thankfully Loaded With Lesbian Literature
1l3q1jj,Di-Curious by Erin Branch,Hey everyone. I am new to the sapphic book club and was wondering if anyone has read this cute indie book call Di-Curious by Erin Branch that’s highly based off dungeons &amp; dragons roleplaying &amp; irl events happening between the characters. As a huge nerd this was one of my favorite books to read and such a wholesome story that’s very cozy but also has some spicy moments too. If you’re into DnD &amp; other RPG games then this will be great book to read. ,The Recommendation
1ijk06b,This but sapphic and spicy💕,"I’m open to pretty much any setting, time, place, etc. Any magic or none. Open to fantasy characters and most non human entires (not as into aliens). Anything with “if you touch them I’ll kill you because they are mine” vibes or just general worship. 

Currently reading House of Crimson Hearts. The explicit scenes are great but the plot is…holy and rushed. Truly on the hunt for the perfect match of plot and smut. So far I’ve loved Blood on the Tide. My perfect book would be that setting with a few spicier scenes. ",Is Pretty Plot Heavy
1l2nk33,Which sapphic book is your favorite for each of these popular tropes/categories?,"Simples question! Curious to see if we get many similar answers. 

Friends to lovers:  
Enemies/Rivals to lovers:  
Slow Burn:  
Second Chance:  
Ice Queen:  
Age Gap:  
Opposites attract:  
Fake dating:  
Workplace romance:  
Celebrity romance:  
Young Adult novel:",A Little Sin
1mcr1jp,Bound by Words - Sapphic Romance Comic,,Sapphic Fantasy Romance Comic: Bound
1hi46gp,Every sapphic book I rated 5 STARS in 2024,"Nobody asked for this but I have to share: my top 3 YA and Adult sapphic reads of 2024.   
  
**YOUNG ADULT**

* ***The End Crowns All*** **by Bea Fitzgerald.** Lesbian retelling of the Trojan war. Greek mythology, beautifully written, full of sapphic yearning and asexual protagonist.
* ***Gwen and Art are not in love*** **by Lex Croucher.** Hilarious YA comedy romance set in Arthurian times. Gwen and Art are betrothed to be married but they're both actually gay and end of being each other's wingmen instead. I wish I'd read this one when I was younger. It fixed something inside of me. 
* ***Lover Birds*** **by Leanne Egan.** Set in Liverpool, England: the cutest little coming-of-age set in high school. Enemies to lovers OR ""I can't tell whether I hate her or want to kiss her""

  
**ADULT**

* ***Can't spell treason without tea (*****and** ***A pirate's life for tea)*** **by Rebecca Thorne.** These characters actually mean the world to me now. Treason is the first book and begins with an already established relationship between Reyna and Kianthe which was so refreshing. Essentially, a queens guard and a powerful mage run away together to start a book &amp; tea shop in the country. The cosiest of all cosy fantasies. Obsessed. (Next book is out in March!)
* ***Interesting facts about space*** **by Emily Austin.** Are you a disaster lesbian obsessed with true crime podcasts? This book was a glorious messy whirlwind. A book for everyone who secretly thinks they are a terrible person, is a little bit paranoid, and fucking loves space.
* ***Gideon the Ninth*** **by Tamsin Muir.** Here's the review I wrote for this book... ""I don’t know how to say this. This terrible lovely book is so hard to get into and there’s so much plot and if you asked me what this book is about I’d really struggle to tell you. At 35% through I still really had zero idea but I pushed through because these characters (Gideon in particular) truly leap off the page. I didn’t know what exactly she needed to do, but I was rooting for my girl Gideon. 73% of the way through and the characters I’d been silently wishing would follow through on the enemies to lovers arc finally…. Talked nicely to each other. This is the slowest of all slow burns and it never even really burns. But did I cry? Yep. Was I wholly invested in the end? Yep. Will I read the sequel? Absolutely. 5 stars. I hated this book.""",Start Writing Adult Books
1lerm9s,Anyone reading A Treachery or Swans? Gothic sapphic enemies to lovers retelling of Swan Lake,"I don’t think it’s supposed to be out yet but it was at Barnes and Noble for me and some other people. I’m halfway through and love it, I love sapphic fantasy with plot first and romance secondary but driving the plot! Main character is also the villain which is so fun ",
1hopplp,I read 100+ books this year. Here are the ones I gave 5 stars,"I read (and listened to) 115 books this year and counting. Here are all the books I gave five stars in no particular order. I will include Title x Author (goodreads rating): genre or trope// a brief synopsis and what was memorable for me. Sorry.. may include some spoilers.

  
Beneath the Willow x Kenna White (3.73): friends to lovers// A cardiologist returns home to oversee repairs to a house she inherited from her grandmother. While home she runs into a childhood friend and love interest. Is there enough spark for her to stay? A feel-good happy ending and decent spice.

The Killing Room x Gerri Hill (4.21): murder mystery// there's always a cop.. A cop injured in the line of duty has a run-in with a psychologist at a hotspring while on recovery in a remote cabin. She returns to the force to help find the suspect for a string of serial murders and runs into the psychologist she met while on vacation. A good plot, a good twist, and engaging storyline.

Conflict of Interest x Jae (4.23): crime mystery// sexual assault therapist is assaulted and develops feelings for the lead detective in the case. Can they manage to avoid....the conflict of interest? EXCELLENT character development, storyline, realistic banter and spice.

Next of Kin x Jae (4.34): crime mystery// sequel to Conflict of Interest; Includes follow on from Conflict of Interest plus perspective from two other characters. District Attorney from an affluent family (who is still trying to find her a good man) coming to terms with her sexuality and another detective/cop from the Portland Police Bureau. They work together to find her stalker. More excellent character development, storyline, banter, good twists and conflicts. Spice is even spicier.

Wild Things x Karin Kallmaker (3.94): forbidden love// Award-winning, successful conservative author in a lack luster relationship with longtime boyfriend meets his lesbian-politician-of-a-sister who can't afford bad press in her run for office following her recovery from alcoholism and womanizing. She thought she prayed the gay away. Truly undeniable magnetic attraction and happy ending.

Keepers of the Cave x Gerri Hill (4.05): Paranormal horror &amp; thriller// Listened to this during the spooky season. Two detectives who had a one night stand are paired to go undercover as a couple to investigate a string of murders in a close-knit small town. Very thrilling and captivating. I did not know it was paranormal before I started it. Gerri Hill writes excellent thrillers. Audiobooks paired with narrator Abby Craden make up for any deficits.

Weeping Walls x Gerri Hill (4.30): Paranormal Thriller// Sequel-esque to Keepers of the Cave that takes place about a decade later from the same characters' perspective. Two detectives, now in a committed relationship, travel to investigate murders linked to an abandoned house. Another great Gerri Hill and Abby Craden pairing. I had to stop listening once the sun went down.. Maybe I'm a wimp or maybe the book was that good. 

Simple Pleasures x Kenna White (3.72): enemies to lovers// Main character loses her home and is injured during a tornado and experiences PTSD whilst fighting an attraction to her dead lover's sister. Roller coaster of emotions and a steady burn.

Requiem for Immortals x Lee Winter (4.22): enemies to lovers?// Cellist by day, hired hitwoman by night. PD employee hires a hit on herself to find, track and trap the assassin. Excellent storyline, good twists, and hard to put down. One of my all time favorites. Also five stars is the epilogue short story Love is Not Nothing (4.28).

Ask, Tell x E. J. Noyes (4.37): military fiction// MC, military doctor, goes through rough breakup while deployed and fights attraction to superior officer (also military doctor; complicated by DOD DADT policy), especially when they both find themselves on leave from deployment at the same time. Things get rough after they return to Afghanistan and MC's convoy is ambushed by rebels. Another roller coaster of emotions. One of the few books that hit me in the feels.

If I Don't Ask x E. J. Noyes (4.60): military fiction// Technically the 3rd book in the series but mirrors the first book from the superior officers perspective. Storyline is pretty similar but the books are still different enough to be well worth the read. Another of the few books that hit me in the feels.

Ask Me Again x E. J. Noyes (4.47): military fiction// Book 2 in the series but takes place after books 1 and 3. MC is now openly in a relationship with the retired officer and battling PTSD from the ambush. This one flips between the two MC's POV. All three books are in my top five. 

Scissor Link x Georgette Kaplan (3.54): Rom Com// An aerospace engineer falls hard for her boss at a defense contracting organization. While looking for a mole in the company, the boss finds a naughty email sent by the MC. Can you guess how she'll be reprimanded? A bit spicy and touches on some of the boundaries of BDSM and kink.

The Art of Us x K. L. Hughes (4.22): romance// An artist (MC1) runs into an ex-lover (MC2) taking her gf to MC1's gallery opening. After meeting, both MCs struggle to find value in their current relationships. MC1 never really got over MC2 and has an art shrine to prove it. I think this book flipped between past and present. Good character history and development. Realistic storyline and banter.

The Brutal Truth x Lee Winter (4.36): enemies to lovers// I read this earlier in the year and can't remember much about the story other than the fact that the two MC promise to tell the truth, however difficult.. sorry but I did give it five stars! It is a Lee Winter book so probably ice queen and a warm and cheery character. She is one of my favorite authors.

A Matter of Blood x Catherine Maisori (4.01): crime mystery// Book 1 of 4. Each one contains a murder mystery solved by a veteran detective, battling PTSD from tours in Afghanistan and a recent PD undercover op (aborted when she was asked to kill to prove her loyalty) where she attempted to uncover corruption in the force, and rookie in the field. A good mystery series and very, very slow burn between the veteran detective and one of the suspects in book one. No spice but great storyline.

A Message in Blood x Catherine Maisori (4.51): crime mystery// Book 3 of 4. This mystery includes a 3 very public figures (a pastor, senator, and some music guy) and  dead 4th guy. All caught up in some kind of child trafficking orgy? Great mystery series. The veteran MC I think invites the love interest over...in book 3. The slowest burn but fantastic storyline and plot twists!

Legacy in the Blood x Catherine Maisori (4.37): crime mystery// Book 4 of 4. An investigative reporter is found dead in a park. Things are complicated when they realize he has been blackmailing people for money. The two detectives work to find who was peeved enough to off him. Another great mystery book with good banter and unpredictable storyline. Top of my charts for mystery. \[idk why book 2 didn't make the cut...it was still good\]

Gold x E. J. Noyes (4.47): romance// Retired US Olympic skier, now instructing at a resort in Australia after a nasty fall leaves her unable to compete, falls for the mother of one of her students. She wants the trysts to continue after the snow season ends in AU and she returns to the US but her love interest is unsure if she has dealt with some other issues. Magnetic attraction, very steamy, humorous, good conflict, and a happy ending.

Three Reasons to Say Yes x Jaime Clevenger (4.16): romance// MC is on a girls trip to Hawaii when she meets butch mother of young twins who does not have the capacity anything beyond casual. This book made me laugh audibly. Steamy. This author features at least one masculine-presenting character. Good spice from that perspective, too.

Breaking Character x Lee Winter (4.37): ice queen// Another great from Lee winter. Ice queen actress agrees to fake relationship with another accident prone actress to land deal on a new production. They struggle to sell their ""relationship"" to the director but do some soul searching in each other to find the spark. Good banter, storyline, and spice. Angela Dawe is the Abby Craden to Lee Winter.

The X Ingredient x Roslyn Sinclair (4.01): forbidden romance// MC ice queen is a lawyer in search for a personal assistant. Why does she find herself thinking about her southern belle assistant while she's showering? She struggles fighting what she's afraid to call an attraction while dealing with her failing marriage to her 2nd husband. I personally love books from 1st person POV and this one switches between the two MCs.

Aurora's Angel x Emily Noon (4.31): fantasy, shapeshifter// A tiger shape shifter is on a quest to find all of her father's murderers so she can runaway and escape the history and trauma. In comes a lone and lost avian who is only going to slow her down. Both are working to find who is behind the black market selling shapeshifter body parts. Another one of my top fives. Excellent storylines, plot twists and feel-good romance. Unfortunately, this is the only book by this author.

Those Who Wait x Haley Cass (4.42): romance// graduate school student coming into her sexuality meets MC2, an up and coming politician, via a dating app. They navigate how to keep their relationship discreet during a campaign season. Steamy, decent storyline, and a feel good ending in the short story sequel Those Who Wait - Bonus Content (4.63)

Delilah Green Doesn't Care x Ashley Herring Blake (4.08): romance// This book had me laughing out loud on page one. MC, a photographer making ends meet in NY, is hired to photograph her stepsister's wedding. MC flirts with one of the bridesmaids at a bar before the wedding when she doesn't recognize MC from young adulthood. No one likes the groom. Lots of sexual tension in this one and spice. Hilarious, feel-good banter and a happy ending. 

When You Least Expect It x Haley Cass (4.31): romance// MC reaches out to an old friend who is a divorce lawyer (MC2) while she navigates separation from her husband who happens to MC2 collegue. Feelings develop when MC2 agrees to watch MC1 and her kid with increasing frequency. Does this breach some attorney client boundary? Somewhat of a forbidden love and a slow burn. Good spice.

Pirates of Altheria x Britney Jackson (4.43): fantasy, magic, enemies to lovers// A dragon witch has escaped captivity and is trying to find her way back home and her dragons after her entire family and village is destroyed. (Un)Lucky for her, she makes a deal with a pirate who happens to be sailing in the same direction. For some time the only thing they have in common is their dislike for each other and their hatred for the antagonist who managed to capture and torture them both. A humorous tale of how the two plot to get their vengeance. Honorable mention for the sequel, Goddess of the Sea (4.57). The only reason this one didn't get five stars is because the true vengeance takes place in book 3 which hasn't been published yet. The plot is slow but the story telling and banter is so good.

A Shadow Crown x Melissa Blair (4.10): fantasy, magic// Book 2 of 3. MC is the king's Blade, his personal assassin tasked to go after halflings hiding under the king's rule. Namely the infamous Shadow who's been stealing the King's trade. Tired of killing ""innocents"" and other halflings she, with a band of elves, fae, and other halflings tired of seeing their people murdered, enslaved and abused, plot to take down the king and restore the magic to their land. 1st person POV. Excellent portrayal of internal struggles. Not particularly sapphic but queer enough

The Fixer x Lee Winter (4.32): ice queen// Activist MC is hand selected by the CEO of a secretive organization to prevent a politician from winning an election. She leads the city on a daily riddle + scavenger hunt puzzle to uncover what the politician is really up to. All while updating her ice queen boss too much and not enough. A slow burn romance with humorous banter between two opposites.

The Chaos Agent x Lee Winter (4.49): ice queen// Sequel to The Fixer. MC is hired full-time by a villainous corporation and is technically excelling until she discovers what the company really does. Just after she quits she is mugged and brutally attacked. She limps to the uppity apartment foyer of the boss she's supposed to hate. Excellent story telling, justice-serving plot, and funny banter. Slow burn but spicey at the end. Honorable mention for The Red Files. Not part of the series but features many of the characters.

Hearing Red x Nicole Maser (4.51) post-apocalyptic zombie fiction// The population has been destroyed by some zombie flesh-eating disease. First person POV flips between one expertly trained woman (MC1) searching for her father's safe house and a blind survivor(MC2) finding her way back to her family. The two pair and search for a rumored military safe zone with abundant food and supplies. Things change when MC1 runs into the group she stole supplies from who are holding a grudge. MC2 must navigate an injured and unconscious MC1 to safety battling the begrudged group and a horde of zombies. Excellent story telling, especially from the blind perspective. Hits you in the feels at the end. ",Ej Noyes
1h3cnvf,Need recommendationsssss,"Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely amazing read!! Couldn’t put the book done ( I haven’t done that in ages!!) 

I got this book out of curiosity and do not regret it! This is my first sapphic/butch romance read. I love,love,love the characters and their chemistry so much ✨

If anyone read this book and have read some books similar to this one, I would love any recommendations ☺️",Beyond The Blues Has Been Released On Amazon
1g5rrsu,Our Wives Under the Sea ,"To everyone that recommends this book: we need to talk. I have not been this confused, angry or heartbroken by a book in quite some time and I’m still processing. ",
1gkht5s,Book Club/November Pick,"Hey everyone 😊

Just wanted to share an invite for an online book club!

This month, to kick off the “unofficial” start of the Christmas season, we’re reading Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake.

Feel free to join us for the low-key, casual discussion on November 25th!

https://discord.gg/xRHz43zU

Happy Readings and Season’s Greetings! ~H 📚🎄",The Library
1ccsui9,Three sapphic reads with queer women of color that I’ve absolutely loved reading,,Adds To Cart\
1lkiexc,"Femmes with fangs. Butches with swords. Women with feelings. That’s the vibe. 🩸⚔️ (hi, these are my books)","I can't wait for A Curse Bright and Breathing to release this August! I've been commissioning character art nonstop. &lt;3 A Hunger Soft and Wild is out now and (as of yesterday) it has over 200 reviews! &lt;3

If you want to check out my books, here is my link: [https://linktr.ee/authormoiradarling](https://linktr.ee/authormoiradarling)",
1hurorc,Hearing Red,Just started reading Hearing Red! Any fans? ,A Lot Of Sapphic Literature Yet
1n3palz,I loved this book,That is all ,The Dangers Of Female Curiosity
1khs7bo,What are your 5 star reads?,"I’m going through a reading slump and I’m curious to see what are your favorite 5 stars books! (Shamelessly gonna use it as book recs too 🙂‍↕️ or if you want you can just drop recs)

Ideally I would love some spooky books but with happy endings! (I cannot handle grief well and I get overly attached to characters 😭) and if there’s any 🌶️ EVEN BETTER! (but I’m open to reading any non-spooky books too)

Please help me out of this awful slump! &lt;3",A Desolation Called Peace
1hoyrna,Bloom Town,"I feel like I would be doing WLW readers everywhere a disservice if I did not spread the word about this Duology. Bloom Town by Ally North is absolutely incredible! I'm so shocked it's not talked about more!
",After A Decade Long Slump
1lm6202,New Release 🫶,"This hit Amazon today (a day early) if you want a quick weekend read! 🫶 

Perfect for anyone that: 

💍 loves a book with a playlist 
💍 is a fan of pining and angst 
💍 enjoy best friends to lovers 
💍 love a HEA 
💍 has ever left their wedding to run off with their best friend 👰🏻‍♀️👰🏻‍♀️

#sapphicbook #sapphicromance #lgbt #youareinlove #bookswithspice ",
1kt74mk,self-promo: free dark-but-cozy f/f/f romantasy w/lesbian vampires 🩸,"Hey Sapphic books friends, I’m biting the bullet and dropping my first post here. 💜 I’m a polyamorous lesbian author writing the books I wanted to read, just starting out my self-published career and trying to find my readers out there!

My debut, Indecent by Gwin Savage, is FREE from today through the 24th. It’s available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes &amp; Noble, and BookFunnel. (BF link is in my bio!)

If you’re into a toxic, hate-to-love dynamic, 2nd chance romance, a slightly unhinged FMC, a side order of sweet strangers-to-lovers, and plenty of spice in a unique fantasy world, this will be for you. I had a reviewer say it reminded her of Her Spell That Binds Me by Luna Oblonski, so if you loved that book, check it out!

Thanks for reading! 💜
",For Me
1m98yxb,This but sapphic PLEASEEEE,,The Goddess Has This
1kol4g9,Happy ending?,Title basically explains it but does this have a happy ending? thanks!,The Final Sequel
1kbl3ym,The AI Book Problem,I subscribe to Jae's mailing list and there's an article that was sent in the last email. I think it’s very informative and important for everyone to read. I hope this is allowed. ,The Whole Article
1m8lmte,Haley Cass,"Read my first book by Haley Cass and really enjoyed it! I loved the main character Ellie and I found it an engaging read.

Has anyone read any others by her they can recommend or any authors like her? This was friends to lovers but I enjoy many other tropes ! 
",Check Out {On The Same Page
1lgq5dj,another bloom town post 🤠,"bro. i just finished both books and i feel ABANDONED.

i haven‘t had a book crush in a very long time and joey really did it for me. she‘s SO hot. the dirty talk? do i need to add anything?

these books gave me this feeling i‘ve been chasing for years: reading something that captures you entirely, allowing you to immerse yourself in the world without letting you down too soon. i haven‘t felt that way about a novel in a looong time.

i feel like i need a support group after finishing this duology. you need to all read bloom town so we can connect and bond over it (it‘s a demand 💗)",Crush Is Right
1knapaf,What are some phrases that most annoy you?,"I have read far too many sapphic romances in the last year - most with not a lot of depth. I just finished another and have decided I simply must find more literary options because if I read one more time about someone’s hands “finding purchase” on one thing or another, or how the interaction makes them feel “heady”, I may scream. This got me wondering what are some other phrases or tropes that are over used that get under your skin?
",Chocolate Skin
1iwk2ev,Sapphic Stuff Your Kindle Day,"Hey guys, I haven’t seen any posts on here about this yet but lots on instagram so thought i’d share for anyone who hasn’t heard about it yet ! 

Year of Queer Lit (yearofqueerlit.com) is hosting a sapphic stuff your kindle day this year! Sapphic authors have signed up to sell their books for free-99c. Books of all genres included. I think it only lasts for 1 day. The website will post the list on February 26th 2025 and I believe it includes title/author/rep/synopsis and a link to purchase the book. All are ebooks, I don’t think it includes audiobooks. 

Make sure to check it out on the 26th and get some free/cheap sapphic books!!",The Day Amazon Is Locking Kindle Purchases
1csjhzg,Those Who Wait by Haley Cass,"Hellooo- I have read Those Who Wait by Haley Cass at least 3 times (and the sequel) and I just haven’t found anyone in my real life that has read it and loved it and had such an all consuming experience with it. 
Someone gush with me over it pls 🥰",Charlotte And Sutton And Everything
1fngfwk,a book you didn’t know was sapphic but it ended up being sapphic and was absolutely amazing ,"very random, i do realize

but are there any books you have read that don’t overtly seem sapphic but THEY ARE, and are good at it too?


",The Corrections
1kudcgn,"Pride Month Book Calendar (Giveaways, free books &amp; sales)","After all the negativity and struggles this year, I think the sapphic book community could something positive to look forward to.

That's why I'm happy to let you know I've joined forces with 100+ fellow sapphic fiction authors and put together a Pride Month Book Calendar. 

From June 1 to June 30, you'll get daily book surprises: free ebooks, book giveaways (ebook, paperbacks &amp; audiobooks), and books you can get at a discount. 

On the last day of the event, the big finale will even include 75+ books!

You can already sign up for the daily reminder emails and enter a giveaway to win one of 24 book gift cards.

Check out the Pride Month Book Calendar on my website: 

[https://jae-fiction.com/pride-month-book-calendar/](https://jae-fiction.com/pride-month-book-calendar/) ",The Newsletters
1hyh246,The Senator’s Wife series,"If you haven’t read The Senator’s Wife book series, please do. You HAVE to read it.



Last year, I decided to start reading more sapphic books, since, as a lesbian myself, my life lacked sapphic content, especially because of the lack of representation. So, I did some research on what were considered the best books to read, and a lot of people recommended The Senator's Wife book series. So many people recommended it that I thought to myself, ""Ok, I have to read this!"" Then, I downloaded it on my Kindle Unlimited account and started it. Honestly, it was the best decision I made last year. Finding Jen Lyon's books was surely a magical experience. I simply couldn’t put it down. The story was so well-written, the characters' personalities well-constructed and because of this, just like Alex, I also fell in love with Catharine. It was impossible to put it down. It really was. I finished in about 2 or 3 days (would be just one if college wasn’t getting in my way). So, after I finished the first one, I immediately started the second, and oh boy, what a story. Definitely my favorite book out of the three (my opinion, though). And lastly, the final book was also more than an amazing experience, and the ending! Oh, the ending! What an ending. Now, I’ve found out that Jen Lyon is writing a fourth book, and I can’t wait to read more of this amazing story created by the incredible Jen Lyon. And, of course, I miss Alex and Catharine so much! I can’t stop thinking about them, even months after finishing it. I really recommend it to anyone who is interested in not just sapphic stories, but to everyone! Because it is really, really good.",Is Coming
1j89ovz,Just finished “Mistakes were made” by Meryl Wilsner and I enjoyed it SO much,"Okay. I read “Mistakes were made” by Meryl Wilsner and I need a little rant. In the best possible way, of course. 

I absolutely loved it. 
Okay. Rant over. 

No, seriously. It was so good. Couldn’t put it down. Finished it in 4 days or so… basically spent every free moment of my evenings reading &amp; regretting going through it so fast. but also regretting putting it down to sleep. 
How the characters grew. How they mentioned self-care and growth… Yes, the 🌶️ scenes were good, too. But it really was the whole picture that made it so good for me. 

Okay… now the rant is really over. 
So. 
Please. 

Please, please, please. 

Recommend me some more of these feel-good books that will probably make me feel like shit when it’s finished because… well, it finished.. “what am I supposed to do now??” If you get what I mean. 

It doesn’t have to be an age-gap romance like this one. But I appreciate the fact that everyone is an adult. Like, a lot. So.. books with adults please. 🙏 

Honestly? Just throw your favorite book at me at this point. I will absolutely, gratefully, check it out",Between The Lines And No Rings Attached
1gr7xd9,Lesbian Witches,"Between Agatha All Along and some witchcraft-heavy fanfiction based on another series I've been reading I have a lot of witch on the brain. There HAS to be some books featuring lesbian witches but I don't recall coming across any aside from Malice/Misrule (which I was very much not a fan of). Anyone know some worth checking out?

Edit: Thank you for all the great suggestions and please keep them coming, I will definitely be reading at least a few of these!",A Lesson In Vengeance
1i0mh8q,Just finished reading this one… please tell me I’m not the only one who found it painfully boring,,Felt Way Too *Teen* For Me
1ehbe0z,Fantasy sapphic recs with spice?,"
EDIT: Hell yeah thanks for the recs people, upvotes for all

I almost exclusively read the fantasy genre, and it is SO HARD to find lesbian romances in that genre, let alone once with spice!

I already read The Priory of the Orange Tree, the Dragonoak series, Her Spell That Binds Me, Treasured, Coils, and Legends &amp; Lattes. Gideon the Ninth is on my to read list but it's more sci fi than fantasy.

Any good recs for sapphic fantasy with spice? I need my fantasy gayer and my gay fantasyer.
",Check Out Girl Games Series And Kingdom Of Immortal Lovers Series
1mujq09,WLW Poetry,"I wrote a poetry book covering my sapphic journey and experience from identity crisis, being in a relationship with a man, finding my first love, lust and heartbreak to finally self discovery. The book covers it all. However, apart from the book I’d love to know what area of sapphic life do you look for when looking for a sapphic book? ",
1lbs7sz,"Bloom Town, this is your sign","I started reading the Bloom Town series a couple days ago. Got through the first and started the second and I have never laughed, cried and been angered so much in such a short amount of time. This will easily be my #1 and 2. If anyone is looking for a sign to start the series let this be it. I can't stop reading it.",Both Books In Just 2 Days
1jqkx6z,My sapphic short story was published! 🥹,"Proud to say that my sapphic short story, “Love, Christine” was featured in this horror anthology. Now available on Amazon!

Trigger warning: mention of violence ",
1iqewqn,Sapphic fantasy book where the main plot isn't romance?,"In desperate need of a good fantasy book series. The thing is, it's so hard to find a good sapphic one. Does anyone know any good recommendations? I love a good slow burn, enemies to lovers, all types of fantasy. I read Crier's war and loved it. I also am a huge hunger games lover. I like when there is a main plot  with a sub plot of romance, I don't really like books that are just romance. I want some good action and world building. It has to have a good happy ending where they are endgame. I hate sapphic books that kill one of them or make them never get together, it feels so unsatisfying. 😭",A Day Of Fallen Night
1hfhw20,Anyone else struggling to read books in the right season?,,
oa6z1q,"It’s been almost a year since we’ve done this, so let’s go again! List two books and get a third recommended.",Tip: sort comments by new to give someone a recommendation!,S Promise And Howl
il9cnu,"Suggest me 2 books. One you thought was excellent, one you thought was horrible. Don't tell me which is which.",,Douglas Adams Dune
uj6akn,My last ever post on Reddit,"Hello internet friends and reading aficionados!

I come to you today with a humble request. This will be my last ever post on Reddit. In one week, I will be permanently disabling my account. 

However, my hope is to create the ultimate reading list. The list to end all lists. 

You see, my life was once full of letters and lines, of stories and poems. Then, as time went by, I let these endlessly scrolling universes take over my attention and dominate my free time. 

I don't want to live that way any more. 

This community has provided me with innumerable wonderful recommendations as I have lurked at the edges. Now I'm asking for your help directly. 

Give me one book. Any genre, fiction or nonfiction, long or short, it doesn't matter. Give me a book that has touched your soul, made you question what you thought to be true, caused a shift in your world view. 

One book that you wish some other person in this wide world would read. 

In a week, I will compile the ultimate reading list, and I will take my leave from this last vestige of social media that keeps such a strong hold on me. One week, and I will go off on what I hope will be a lifetime's worth of literary adventures.

[Edit] I am absolutely astounded by the number if responses! In all honesty, I though I might get 20 or so, but at last check there were 610 individual comments!

Humbled is the proper word. I am humbled that you would share your favorite books with me. 

Many of you have asked me to compile the list and put it here for everyone to share. I will ABSOLUTELY be doing this! I promise you there will be a full list before I step away. 

Again, thank you to everyone. I have loved watching the recommendations roll in, and can't wait to start reading. I just wish that there was a way I could share what looks like it will be an amazing literary journey with all of you some how. 

Thanks, all!

[Edit 2]

It is 5:30 in the morning on the East Coast of the United States, and I am sitting in the silence of my living room vibrating with a sense of contentment. 

When I fell asleep last night, around 600 people had commented and left recommendations. That was already beyond what I had thought would happen. 

This morning, that number has tripled. 

I imagine each of you, taking a few seconds out of your day to recommend a book you love. I imagine a small smile on your face as you decide which book (or books!) to send along. 

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

When I was in high school, I read a biography of the Harvard economist, Alexander Gerschenkron, written by his grandson, Nicholas Dawidoff. In it, it was said that a well-read person would only read about 5000 books in their lifetime. 

My hope is to take this list and push past that number. Thanks to you all, that looks absolutely possible. 

Keep the recommendations coming! I will take a snapshot of this post on 5/12 and start the task of compiling the full list to share with this community. 

And I am going to add the following: my reading languages are actually English, French, and German. If you have any recommendations that are originally in those languages, please send along the original titles!

You are all beautiful, and if I could I would share this morning cup of coffee with each and every one of you.

[Edit 3]

Again, I am blown away by you all. I don't know why this post was removed from the subreddit. I was under the impression that all of my formatting was correct and in line with the rules, as well as the actual content of the post. 

If I broke a rule unknowingly, I am sorry! I will still be compiling the final list, however, and I will find a way to share it in some format. Thank you, friends.

[Final Edit] 

Hello again, internet friends. This will be my last update for what has been an amazing final experience on this site.

As many of you know, the post was removed. I reached out to the (awesome) mods who got everything righted around. 

Unfortunately, they informed me that posting the final list would go against the rules of the sub. As such, I will not be doing the full compile as I had initially promised. My desire is to respect the rules of the sub.

However, I have printed out a hard copy of this entire thread. This is my list, and I cannot thank you enough for all of the wonderful suggestions. I hope you scroll through here and look at some of the amazing pieces of writing that have been suggested!

Thanks again!",Braiding Sweetgrass
g0dnto,I've been reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower to my girlfriend before she sleeps over the past few days. I need suggestions on what to read to her next,"edit: she broke up with me lol

We're both teenagers (18 and 16) She's been going through a bit of a rough time recently and asked me to read her a book over video chat before she sleeps to keep her mind off things. I actually really enjoy it and she wants me to read another one when we're done with this one. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was just what I had downloaded on my Kindle at the time. It can be anything. Adventure, biography, another corny teen novel (we both relate to Charlie a lot), fantasy (we're both big fantasy nerds), sci-fi, poetry, anything as long as it's not horror and is at least somewhat happy, it doesn't have to be about teenagers. Previously we read American Gods and 1984 simultaneously in a two person book club type deal. We loved American Gods. The Kingkiller Chronicles are both our favorite books.

I've been thinking of The Tale of Despereaux, The Catcher in the Rye, 11/22/63 (but it's quite long), The Hobbit, Wonder, or a John Green novel.",Eleanor And Park
k262sz,"I'm one of those people who got praised too much as a kid as ""naturally gifted"" in academics to the point where I now abandon everything I'm not ""naturally"" good at (so, basically everything). I think I'm afraid of hard work at this point.","Please suggest me a book that will help me get out of this mindset. I want to be able to stick with something despite failing at it, and working on it until I fail less. Thanks a lot!",Atomic Habits
i6uzth,Just want to say I love this sub-Reddit. There’s always so much hope when I see the suggestions people give. The sub constantly gives people something to look forward to. Nothing more wholesome than good book. Cheers everyone!,,Count Of Monte Cristo
rua4dr,"In 2019, I read one book. In 2020 I read 4 books! In 2021 I read 7 books!! This subreddit has reignited my love for reading…","First and foremost: Thank you so much for that! :)

Some of the books I read:

Rutger Bregman - Humankind (in 2020)

Walter Isaacson - Steve Jobs (in 2019)

Marieke Lucas Rijneveld - The Discomfort of Evening (in 2020)

Mario Puzo - The Godfather (in 2021)

Kari Hotakainen - Kimi Räikkönen (in 2020)

Bernie Sanders - Our Revolution (in 2021)

I’d love to hear your suggestions for 2022! Just started today with Oliver Todd’s Jacques Brel: Une Vie (a life)",A Somewhat Long Read But Are Really Great. Both
nwlv3r,"Congratulations, /r/suggestmeabook! You are subreddit of the day!",http://www.reddit.com/r/subredditoftheday/comments/nwlunz/june_10th_2021_rsuggestmeabook_repost_because_who/,Terry Pratchett’S Discworld
hq6b7o,Are there any adult coming of age books? Like you're in your 20s/30s and struggling to come to terms with the meaningless drudgery and boredom of adult life?,"I'm not talking about The Myth of Sisyphus or whatever, but like a straight up narrative exploring the disappointment and desperate quiet sadness that a huge majority of adults feel and how it's actually okay. Maybe.",A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius
lgg4um,"My 13 year old daughter just explained to me, in tears, that she is suffering with social anxiety. Until we can get a therapist appt, the right book might help a little. She is a true bookworm and likes to read through her problems.","Any suggestions on a self help book for teens with social anxiety, general anxiety, depression? I'm determined to get her the help I wish I'd gotten. A therapist is definitely at the top of the list. I'm just thinking a book might give her some comfort in the meantime. Therapists are hard to get in with in my town. As far as the book goes: she obviously doesn't like to be spoken to like she's a child, being 13, so probably nothing geared towards *children*. Thanks so much for your help.",7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens Has Helped Me A Lot
17p1f3u,Whats 1 book you will never stop recommending?,"Basically the title, Whats 1 book you will never stop recommending?",Lonesome Dove
10bbcrf,An update from u/goodreads-bot,"Hi everyone.

Sorry for the late update. As you all have probably realized, I have not been posting comment replies linking to Goodreads anymore. This is definitely not my choice (I have been happily paying the small monthly cost to keep the bot running and would have continued to do so indefinitely), but rather a result of Goodreads finally revoking my API key.

I don't think I have ever mentioned this, but I created this bot after having been laid off from my job in 2020. I needed something to keep my mind off of things while I searched for another one and I thought combining two things I enjoy (reading and Reddit) would make for a fun project. To be honest, I can't believe how much usage the bot got and how long that usage has lasted. Anyone who starts a project knows that one of the biggest hurdles is finding users to *actually use* and enjoy it. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to create a project that had an (albeit, very tiny) impact on some people's lives. The fact that there were people that read (and hopefully enjoyed) books they might otherwise not have because of the bot is incredible to me.

I really wish there was something I could do about this, but unless Goodreads decides to reenable their API the options are few.

I appreciate everyone who used and loved the bot, and I am sorry to those who felt it was spammy (I understand those points and probably could have done more to make it better).

Farewell, everyone.",A Book'S Description Right Here Instead Of Switching To Google
p0hidl,"Help! I'm a traditionally masculine adult male. I just finished ""Little Women"" and loved it, and now I want to expand my horizons by reading more feminine literature.","I grew in a traditionally masculine/patriarchal household where I was discouraged from traditionally feminine interests. I played sports, but was discouraged from things like theater. I never watched the Princess Bride because it had the word ""princess"" in it, I never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer because the main character was a girl, etc, etc.

I've been reclaiming these things as an adult, and now I am a huge fan of both Buffy and The Princess Bride.

I've recently started reading feminine literature, and one of my friends recommended ""Little Women"". I absolutely fell in love with the book. The characters, the setting, the prose, the drama, everything was amazing. So now I need more book recommendations. I've been looking at ""Pride &amp; Prejudice"" and ""Interview With a Vampire"", but I'm not sure about starting them yet.",Anne Of Green Gables
gru97i,A book with a female main character by a female author about literally anything but love,,Bell Jar
nd8wnp,A “reverse murder mystery” where we know who the killer is from the start and watch as they try and stop the detective from cracking the case,"A bit like the movie &gt;! Knives Out !&lt; or Death Note. I’d prefer if the book advertised the fact that it was from the killers POV. I don’t want it to be a surprise twist at the start because then asking about here would ruin the surprise for me. Thanks.

Edit: To the people who keep recommending Death Note, I’ve already read it. Read the post.",Mr Mercedes
16oydxn,What was a book that ripped your heart out and left you feeling empty for days?,That book for me was Flowers for Algernon. I haven’t been able to find anything that moved me like that since. Anyone have any recommendations for me?,Never Let Me Go
kwzmtg,"I'm homeless and mentally ill and losing the will to live. Looking for a book that maybe shows some new perspective, and how others have gone through hardships where there's seemingly no escape.","I'm in a deep search, and have been for months now. I will be losing phone service soon, and would like the inevitable free time without internet to be used to read. I'm not too picky, just curious what's out there. I'm big fan of Poe and Frost, if that means anything at all.

Edit: wow thank you guys so much, I hope to learn and grow from these. Thank you.

EDIT: wow getting a lotta people here! Once again thank you guys a lot, I've got so much to read, and am looking forward to it. Already started a book!

Edit: Wow i'm overwhelmed but trying to get to everyone who reached out to me! I really appreciate everyone, so so much, i'm kinda shocked to have gotten so much attention

Seriously, thank you everyone for the real support, love, hope and genuine kindness. I'm sorry for my slowness/not very good responses. I've never interacted with so many people before, and I'm pretty tired/and processing. I'll be getting back up to speed though, and thank you everyone

Edit: a big life lesson being currently learned is to accept help. You guys have been getting it through my thick thick skull and I feel that I really have to learn how to let myself accept it. Thank you so so much. This is monumental to me, seriously",In Immigration Detention
fdp8cn,Need book recommendations for an old blind man.,"[This](https://imgur.com/4S8M6WA) is my neighbor, Nemo.  He is 87, and legally blind.  He can't watch read or even watch TV, so he just sits around all day doing nothing.  I've gotten him enrolled in the Texas [Talking Book program](https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/gstarted.html), and they've sent him [this device](https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/tbp/images/PrototypeDTB.jpg), along with several digital cartridges containing audiobooks.  Unfortunately, he hasn't liked any of the ones that they've sent.

I'm pretty sure the reason that he hasn't liked them is that they had fairly complex plots, and he has trouble following anything very complex these days.    So, I'm thinking he needs simpler books, and I'm coming to reddit for recommendations.

In short, here are some criteria I've thought up for recommendations:

1. First person perspective.  I think this will tend to be easier for him to follow.
2. Generally simpler books, but not kids books.
3. Police/detective stories.  This is what he asked for.  I'm thinking what he means is probably those Humphrey Bogart-esque ""I knew this dame was trouble the minute she walked into my office"" type stories.
4. Preferably more recent books.  The reason for this is that the ones they've sent so far have obviously been copied from tape, and the audio quality isn't the best.  I'm hoping more recent books will have come from CD and be higher quality.


#EDIT:

Thanks for all the suggestions!  I think I have a good list to be starting with!  Here's the list I plan to send to the audiobook people, for anyone wondering:

Mickey Spilane
-I, the Jury

Raymond Chandler
-The Big Sleep
-Farewell My Lovely

Dennis Lehane
-A Drink Before the War

Isaac Asimov
-The Positronic Man

Robert B. Parker
-The Godwulf Manuscript
-God Save the Child

Dashiell Hammett
-Red Harvest
-The Maltese Falcon

Original Radio Broadcast:
Dragnet: Big Crime

Ed McBain
-Cop Hater

Zane Grey
-The Lone Star Ranger

John D. MacDonald
-The Deep Blue Good-By

Louis L'Amour
-The Lonesome Gods

Jack London
-The Call of the Wild

James Patterson
-Triple Homicide

Richard Stark
-The Hunter",Hardy Boys
lkpj0o,"Non-Americans of Reddit: My wife and I wanted to collect children's books from different countries showcasing local myths/folklore, but 2020 stopped that plan. Now we're officially expecting twins, so where are you from and what is the best children's myth book from your country?",,Myths In Form Of Comic Books
g7y48g,A book where the protagonist loses his sanity more and more in the course of the story and you no longer know whats real and whats not?,,American Psycho
ow1xhc,My friends are starting a book club where we all read the same murder mystery without reading the last chapter and discuss who the killer is. What are some good murder mysteries that only reveal who the culprit is in the FINAL chapter?,"I just thought this would be an interesting spin on a book club where we all discuss the same thing, but we all don't read the last chapter and we all have to do our deductive reasoning to find out who the culprit is. But the problem is: there are a lot of books that reveal it in the penultimate chapter, or even halfway through and it is dealing with the fallout of that. Not that these are bad tropes mind you, it's just that it obviously does not go with what we are going for this time around.

I'm looking more for murder mysteries like ""And Then There Were None"" where there is no explanation as to who the killer is until the epilogue. It just ends. 

But in the same vein, Agatha Christie's ""The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"" tells who the murderer is in the last line of the penultimate chapter (IIRC) and while it was a great reveal - it sort of ""kills"" the fun discussion we were going to have with this.

Obviously, I am trying to keep this vague as possible and not trying to spoil anything so I would appreciate the same for the recommendations. I know it's a super specific recommendation type but I thought it was worth asking. Thank you!

EDIT: perhaps revealing it in the penultimate chapter is fine too. We can stop reading before that

EDIT 2: Wow this blew up! To all those interested in joining this ""Guess Whodunnit"" (name a WIP still), sorry this is just for friends. BUT I encourage everyone to DM each other that is interested in starting this on their own!

Just recently created a subreddit: /r/GuessWhoDunnit for all those who want to join",Sharp Objects
nbqisn,"My city is being bombed and I’ve spent too much time in my shelter this week. Looking for something really engaging, not too heavy, somewhere I can totally escape from reality.",I’m under a lot of emotional stress and just want a getaway. Any genre okay.,Of All Time
sgkp2j,Starting a Banned Books club at my high school,"Was hoping for some suggestions for books for us to read. So far I've got Maus, 1984, The Great Gatsby, and Catcher in the Rye. Would have Of Mice and Men or To Kill a Mockingbird, but that is required reading at my school. Nothing too sexually graphic please

Edit: So, this blew up. Was honestly expecting just a few recommendations but now I have enough to sustain the club for years! Thanks everyone

Edit 2: someone from school found my reddit cause of this post lmfao 💀",Is Considered
l6w3r3,"My fiancé died a month ago. I usually prefer dystopian fiction, but I mostly am looking for a strong female character that has been thru hell and back and comes out strong in the end.","I’m just searching for a solid voice of strength, with a lot of distracting fiction in the background. Something that will keep me entertained and wanting to keep reading (action/war/magic/twists and turns) but also contains calming reason and emotionally settling words. I hope that makes sense. Thank you.

Edit: 
I type this with tears in my eyes.  I am filled with gratitude from all of your recommendations. The days since I lost my best friend have been cloudy and long but I have been embraced by so many internet strangers that the hurt has subsided a little. Thank you all so very much.

Edit: It’s now been over a year. I occasionally go back to this post and read everyone’s comments but to be honest, I usually avoid it…. There is still a lot of trauma. 

Anywayyyyyy. I just wanted to say that I am so grateful. Looking back…The fog is THICK during those first few+ months… but reading every comment tonight pulled me back down to earth. It means the world to me. 

I just added some books to my cart... and I still have a TON of books to read! You lovely beautiful internet strangers helped me and continue to lift me up through a year of hell. It has been hell within hell. I am still struggling, but I am so thankful for the love and care and notes from everyone. I wish you all happiness and comfort and I hope you have found some new amazing books to get lost in too.",Any Octavia Butler
gmjyeu,An extremely boring and badly written book,"Hello, I'm looking for a really bad and boring book. It's for my friend who made me read a boring book and now I wanna get back at her. Please give me your worst suggestion


Edit: hey guys, first of all thank you all for the responses. Unfortunately I went to sleep after I made the post so I couldn't interact with the post as much as I wanted. But I'm going to read the replies nonetheless. Thank you all

Some background: she made me and another friend read TWO dan brown books (the Robert langdon series) when we both said we didn't like it. But she hyped it up a lot and we didn't wanna break her heart and gave it a chance either way.

But now as a little revenge,  me and the other friend were looking for a bad book to make her read it. We wanted to also hype it up a lot and tell her not to look online or stuff since it might ruin the story. 

Before this post blew up I searched online and found ""Irene Iddesleigh"" I gave her a wrong spelling intentionally so she doesn't find it online.   But I'm reading the comments now to maybe find a better one.

She likes YA books and is also into politics btw.",
o3e3vj,"I'm in my 20's and feel handicapped about my knowledge. Recommend me books to expand my horizons! (philosophy, economics, history, psychology, physics, politics, theology, sociology)","Hi! I'm in my 20's and I'm hungry for some knowledge! Unfortunately, I have limited time to read, so that's why I'm looking for books that either are extremely relevant in one of the topics from the title (or another, for that matter) or that can offer me a general preview of the field (i.e. a general view on eastern philosophy/western philosophy/physics, summary of human history/economics, etc.) — this kind of stuff.

Thank you in anticipation and I look forward to your recommendations!

EDIT: Although I'm not able to respond to everyone, I upvoted all of you. The recommendations are excellent and I'm happy beyond measure!",A Very Short Introduction To \_\_\_\_\_
hlm3ft,My kid is reading too fast! Help!,"My 9-year-old is ripping through books faster than I can get them in the house. Every book series I've been able to find that's suitable for him he's devoured. He'll often read a 300+ page book in a day or two.

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Trials of Apollo, Timmy Failure, Spy School, Wings of Fire, and a bunch more that I can't remember right now. Pretty sure all of the Roald Dahl books have been read several times over. He's only read the first few Redwall and Animorphs books, so we'll probably work through more of those this summer. Tolkien is a favorite as well, though LOTR we've still only done as an audiobook.

Some things I have on deck include Discworld, the Myth series, and the Wheel of Time. But in addition to more adventure/fantasy/sci-fi series, what I'd love to find is some beefier and more challenging material that's also age appropriate.

We're about to go a 2-week vacation, so any recommendations are super appreciated!",Growing Up
j9uc23,Just lost my fiance to suicide. Reading has always been my healthiest coping mechanism.,"I know its a difficult topic to tackle but if anyone has any suggestions (spiritual, fiction, self help, or even just your favorite book this year) it would be greatly appreciated. Im currently working my way through Frankenstein, one of his favorites, and its oddly helpful. 

We used to talk about alternate realities alot and the idea that we are out there living the lives we wanted on some other plane is comforting. I've been looking for something along those lines as well. 

Thank you!

Edit: 

WOW. I am so grateful for all of your wonderful suggestions and kind words. You have provided me with a much needed respite from these past few weeks and I cant wait to dive into all of your suggestions. 

Thank you all for your concern as well. I have sought counciling and I am lucky enough to have a wonderful support system including both of our families. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Edit:

I was reading through our old text messages and found a quote he had texted me when we first started dating. The reason I started reading Frankenstein. I hope it resonates with those of you who have suffered anything similar. 

""These are the reflections of the first days; but when the lapse of time proves the reality of the evil, then the actual bitterness of grief commences. Yet from whom has not that rude hand rent away some dear connection? and why should I describe a sorrow which all have felt, and must feel? The time at length arrives, when grief is rather an indulgence than a necessity; and the smile that plays upon the lips, although it may be deemed a sacrilege, is not banished.""",A Grief Observed
g1fq9t,"Ok so the quote “and one day, unknowingly, your friends said goodbye for the last time without knowing it” filled me with an immense sense of sad nostalgia for times past. Suggest me a book that will give me this feeling.","I like to feel heavier, deeper emotions especially in times like this where I am just so incredibly bored. Bonus points if the book is 350 pages or less since my attention span is very weak.",The Brothers Karamazov
hts01x,For someone who is dying,"I’m terminally ill and have been kind of in a slump emotionally. I recently started reading again and am looking for suggestions for when I’m awake and alert. I really am truly open minded. I would love to find some books that I can just wrap myself around and disappear in if that makes sense. My only request is no self help you can will your sadness or illness away. Nah. I’m dying and have accepted it, let me have my feelings. I have read Fault in Our Stars and loved it. I’m cross posting this in another suggestion group too. Thank you.

Kindle available titles especially kindle unlimited books are the most accessible for me if it helps...",A Reflection On Illness And Dying
lludyk,"What is that ONE book that slapped you across the face? *THE* book. The one that forever changed the way you view and feel about the world and yourself, and you wish everyone would read it...","I see a lot of obvious recommendations (for good reason, so no shade!) such as Orwell, J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, you know, the stuff we read in school that was obviously very impressionable. I'm all for these, and plan to re-read some in mid-life, *but...*

&amp;#x200B;

I'm looking for those books that we might not all have heard of. Those gems that you came across later in life that you wish someone had told you about sooner. That book that propped your eye lids open with toothpicks, so that you'd never be able to un-see the thing freshly uncovered. It punched you in the gut. It made you go \***aha!**\* with your fist shaking at the sky. It made you \***face palm**\* while you read it. You know the one...

&amp;#x200B;

Last year I read Marcus Aurelius, *Meditations*, and am dumbfounded by the realization that most grown adults I know have never even heard of Marcus or Stoicism. What other incredible things are out there waiting to be discovered!? Maybe it's non-fiction, maybe it's sci-fi, it can be anything. **Tell us what it is, and what it did for you!**

EDIT/UPDATE: Floored by the amount of recommendations and comments! You guys are awesome. Thank you for sharing your stories of personal growth with such thoughtful replies! 🙏 Can't reply to all of you, but will read every comment :)",A River Runs Through It_
hrkv0j,Post two books you like and get the third recommended.,,Ruiz Zafon And Then There Were None
jzhrcv,"I'm reading 52 books next year and I want as many of them to be strange, dreamlike, bizarre, disturbing, or odd as possible. Suggest away!","I've read all the main suspects like House Of Leaves, Annhilation and Perdido Street Station. I'm hoping there's some hidden gem out there I haven't found...help me find it!",D Suggest Kafka On The Shore
lqj059,People who write in a way to make you read half or all the book in two days and be able to see it like a movie in your head. Also they have to be captivating.,"I always loved Hunter Thompson and finish his books in a day to day in a half and I recently have been reading Neil Gaiman. I've read like 800 pages of american gods in two days without missing a beat in-between working and daily things. Already read Anansi bros. I'm gonna blow through all Neil's books in a couple of weeks. Anything y'all would suggest by  anyone else that captivates in the same manner?

*Thank you all so much!! I will be using this as a reference point from here on out for years to come!!",A Book Past The First Few Pages
rbzwl1,Recommendations for a transphobe?,"I may get downvoted and I understand, but I have been transphobic my entire life. Coming from a blue collar neighborhood with immigrant parents it’s definitely been instilled in me. 

However I am open to changing and feel like books have definitely helped me open my perspective up about different topics in the past. 

Are there any books you guys recommend to help me get started in understanding? Any other recommendations other than books would be great. Appreciate you all in advance and I’m just looking to understand more.

EDIT - thank you all for your recommendations and kind words. I decided to pick up “This Is How It Always Is” by Laurie Frankel based on one of the recc’s. Thank you all again and looking forward to the novel!!",The Wayfarers Series
jjc3s9,11/22/63 by Stephen King,"If you have suggested this book on this sub within the last year I think I hate you.
Actually, I love King but stopped reading him years ago because I'm old and scare too easily. This book held absolutely zero appeal to me so I never even considered reading it.
Then I find this sub and it's suggested all the time and you love it and it's great and blah blah blah.
So, I picked it up and could not freaking put it down. I stayed up late, used my full lunch hours, missed TV shows.
It was the Stephen King I fell in love with so many many books ago and it didn't scare me, although it did freak me out in a few places.
I have never had much interest in Kennedy, never cared about the conspiracy theories or really any historical stuff like that.
But I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was not at all what I expected and just like every King book I've read, I really didn't want it to end.
So, now I'll be the jerk and invite others to go to bed way too late and spend an extra twenty in the bathroom just trying to absorb it all.
So, for those of you who haven't read it, I offer it as my suggestion for your next read. For those of you who have, what do I read next?

EDIT/update: thank you all so much! I've read almost all of King's books but I'll grab the others. Thanks for the other suggestions too.",A Non-Horror
mzrfgr,I want books about unattractive people who aren’t suffering because of their appearance and are able to form healthy relationships with others.,"If you haven’t guessed by the title, I’ve been dealing with a lot of self-esteem issues relating to my appearance as of late and I could REALLY use a book where the main character is ugly but isn’t consumed by negativity and/or learns how to deal with their own insecurity.

No, I don’t want a book where the plain, nerdy heroine gets a dramatic makeover and transforms into a social butterfly. No, I don't want a book where an extremely attractive person falls for the outcast main character for an unexplained reason and it magically fixes all of their life problems. I just want books where ugly people are allowed to exist as they are and live happy lives. I hope this isn’t too much to ask lol.


edit: I don’t want to do an award speech but...wow, this blew up?? Thank you so much for the recommendations and also the emotional support. You guys are the best.",Jane Eyre
gbzbsi,Post Not Showing? PLEASE READ,"Hello everyone,

We get a lot of mod mail about people's posts not showing up and I wanted to explain why.

We are very fortunate in a subreddit of our size to have limited reasons to moderate, as we are all united by our love of reading and you all do a good job of positively contributing to this community.  Thank you for that!

On the other hand, you might be surprised at how much spam we get from authors and bloggers, and by keeping our spam filters high it helps us to catch a lot of what gets posted.  You all do a great job of reporting the rest, and we appreciate you.

Due to the spam filters and automod settings we have in place, some of your posts get temporarily filtered until we can review them.  Reddit recently created an automated message site-wide that creates a lot of confusion, saying your post has been removed.  PLEASE do not post again.  We aren't able to edit this message and we can't turn it off.  Your post hasn't been removed, it is just awaiting moderation.  If your post is removed by us, we will always give you a reason why and reference which rule has been violated.  If there isn't a reason, it was either removed by Reddit (you might be shadow banned and don't realize it) or it is in the moderation queue and will be actioned.  Either way, multiple posts won't help.

Thanks for understanding as we keep up with Reddit's changes.  We love this community and all of your passionate posts about books.  Keep reading and sharing, everyone!",
l5irq8,I am a Liberal leaning American that is surrounded by families and friends that are conservative. I want to read a book that can educate me on their perspective but I don’t want it to be a hot head media person like Rush Limbaugh or Ben Shapiro. Does such a book exist?,,Politics And Religion
cliq1c,A dystopian where it slowly becomes clear to the reader that the protagonist is wrong and the government/ institution is right,,The Information
i2g1du,I'm looking for a book to help me understand the anti-intellectualism movement in the United States,"With social medias  putting the spotlight on extreme reactions during this pandemic, I feel like the whole world is going crazy. This has caused me to become quite apprehensive of the future.

&amp;#x200B;

Is there any book out-there to help me understand why people seem so drawn to chaos and extreme ideas?",Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse Of Science
nev7rs,"I used to read in order to be ""smarter"", now I just want to read because I want to enjoy it","My relationship with reading has been rough. When I was a teen I used to buy lots of books that I thought were ""must reads"" and the only reason I really did it was to check some mental box and to appear ""smarter"" or ""more educated"", and because I felt that if I read a lot of books then I'd be ""better"" in some way. What actually ended happening was that most of them just ended up in my bookshelf without ever being read.

I've enjoyed reading in the past. A lot. I loved Animal Farm, I loved I, Robot; I loved The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I loved IT, I loved The Perfume... but I never developed a habit. 

The last book I read was 1984 about three months ago, then I started Dune, I didn't finish it, I started The Shack recently because my gf really liked it, but I didn't finish it. I've started and quit after a while soo many books (probably more than the ones I've read) that now I just kind of avoid starting a book in order not to ""disappoint"" myself. But I know I love reading.

Any advice or recommendation is very much appreciated.

EDIT: Wow, this blew up. Thank you everyone so much for all the recommendations, I've read ALL of you and will keep on reading any further responses because you've been really helpful. Unfortunately I don't have time to answer to everyone but I've considered everything you've said.

And thank you so much to the people who awarded me!

EDIT 2: This has officially become my most liked and awarded post so far. Thank you all!!",About 50 Pages
kuv1j3,What’s the most immersive book you’ve ever read? Cause I want to read it too.,You know the one - the one that kept you up till 3 am because you just...needed...one...more...chapter. I want them ALL.,A Thousand Splendid Suns
nmykh3,suggest me a book on how to treat/view women nicely.,"(1st don't judge please)i grew up in a really fucked up country where women is seen as nothing but a S machine, and i want to get me out of that awful view of women, andi want to see them as a human and treat/view them the nicest i can, but i don't think i can get out of that believe easily i need some other believes to replace it, so yeah, help (it's better if it's written with simple words)",A Memoir
j9317r,"Suggest me 2 books, one relaxing, the other terrifying. Don't tell me which is which. I'll read them without googling the synopsis.",Edit: So glad this blew up! You guys saved the upcoming autumn for me!! Thanks so much to each and every one of you!,Eyes Of The Dragon And 'Salem'S Lot
et3kk2,"I need a book that will F me up. I don't care if it's emotionally, psychologically, scary, maddening, philosophical... Just do your best to ruin me.",,A Little Life
g6eda7,"Does anyone remember that episode of spongebob squarepants where he is stuck at the bottom of a canyon (?) and he needs to take the bus to get home, but he can never catch the bus in time? Well, if anyone has a book recommendation that’s similar to that episode, please suggest it to me!",,Autumn In Peking
mjx17s,"A book where you slowly realise that the protagonist is actually the villain, or slowly becomes the villain.",Bit of a spoiler in and of itself but oh well.,Alice Feeney And The Silent Patient
gvul8b,"Fiction books written by black authors that do not contain trauma porn, oppression or racial injustice but still have black characters.",I will continue to educate myself on oppression and racial injustice it's just that I would like a lighter read (for mental health purposes) to fit in my tbr to help balance out the type of content I'm consuming.,Archivist Wasp
hi9wne,"i am a teen girl with a facial deformity, i want to read books about people like me...NOT WONDER.","edit: WOW i am overwhelmed by the number of responses this got! thank you all so much for helping a reader out! books for days!

hi! i have cleft lip and palate and i'm really frustrated by the lack of books whose characters are ugly, unconventional, or even average. i'm begging you, reddit, i'm desperate for representation. please suggest me some books, preferably fiction, but nonfiction works too, where the main character is disabled/disfigured/just not conventionally attractive, and NOT A VILLAIN. i don't really like fantasy, and i don't care for anything too old, but i'm willing to read whatever. and for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE don't recommend Wonder. that book is wayyy too overhyped and frankly not good representation. if you find me a good book i will love you forever. thank you. that is all.

love,

a desperate bookworm",About Eleanor’S Journey
ggc50a,I need books that will completely destroy my toxic ego,"I've always been an overachiever at school. Although I know that it's only because I put the effort in, years of compliments from my teachers and friends have led me to develop this subconscious impression that I'm 'naturally smart and talented'. I hate it. I have a toxic ego that I'm sure is going to bite me in the ass when I go to uni next year and is already hindering me from being creative in my hobbies. Do you have any books that will completely destroy my ego and humble me? Something that will put me back into that beginner state of mind.

I haven't read Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday yet but it is on my reading list.

I'm willing to read any genre, from nonfiction to fantasy to mythology. Just not something super depressing.

Thanks in advance :)

Edit: Wow, thank you for all the advice and suggestions!",An Introduction To Quantum Mechanics
enww7x,I saw a tweet “All I want is a book where the girl falls in love with the villain but instead of her making him “good” and “ethical” she joins the dark side with him and STAYS” that’s what I want. Any suggestions?,YA or Adult fantasy. Preferably heavy on the romance.,Best Served Cold
lk6abq,"Today is Presidents' Day in the United States. In honor of that, I've compiled a list of biographies for all 45 former U.S. Presidents!","I made this list last year, but I've updated it with some new works and added Donald Trump to the list. On this President's Day I want to give people a chance learn about all the good, bad, and forgettable Presidents.  
  
*I should note, that these recommendations are my opinion and If you think you know of a better biography for a President, say so!*    
  
Enjoy!
  
1 **George Washington** (1732-1799) President from 1789-1797  
  
There are few figures in American history stand as tall as the country's first President. George Washington helped lead America during the Revolutionary War, helped create and lead a new nation, and became a celebrity in his own time. One of his most important legacies was the two-term tradition that followed him after he voluntarily stepped down. The capitol of the nation, the $1 bill, the Washington monument, and a U.S. state all bear his name. Bestowed with an almost Olympian stature for centuries, more recent authors have strived to uncover the true Washington from beneath centuries of propaganda and legend to reveal the entire complex scope of his life.  
  
*Washington: A Life* by Ron Chernow - Authored by the master behind *Alexander Hamilton*, Chernow's biography is an joy to read and a great starting place for those with an interest in the Washington.  
  
*Washington: The Indispensable Man* by James Thomas Flexner - This single volume work on Washington is the condensed version of the massive, 2,000 page, four-volume tome by Flexner that won a National Book Award and Special Pulitzer Prize. Flexner combines elegant writing with fantastic research to paint a full picture of the First President.  
  

2 **John Adams**(1735-1826) President from 1797-1801  
  
The first Vice President and first President to lose a re-election, the legacy of Adams is sometimes overshadowed by the titanic stature of his predecessor and successor. On the contrary, I think Adams is among the most interesting Presidents. The man possessed a fiery, explosive temper, a hatred for slavery (of the first 12 Presidents, only Adams and his son John Quincy Adams never owned slaves), and played a crucial role in the Revolution and the creation of America.  
  
*John Adams* by David McCullough - McCullough's Pulitzer Prize winning biography is incredibly accessible and there is a reason is incredibly popular. It ranks among my favorite biographies of anyone, period. It reads like a novel and covers Adams' entire tumultuous career and his amazing 90-year life. While McCullough may smooth over some of the rougher parts of Adams, it is still absolutely worth the read.  

    

3 **Thomas Jefferson** (1743-1826) President from 1801-1809  
  
Despite being among the best known Presidents, Jeffersons remains one of the least ""knowable."" Jefferson was incredibly calculating, taciturn, and careful with both his personal and private papers so much so that many of those who knew him did not fully ""know"" him. Considered for over a century to be on the same stature of Washington, Jefferson left behind a legacy that has come under scrutiny in recent years, particularly his relationship with slavery and his slave/mistress Sally Hemings.  
  
*American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson* by Joseph J. Ellis - Part biography part psychological analysis, Ellis looks to uncover the human that Jefferson was, contradictions and all. Jefferson was a man of undeniable brilliance but also had a darker, vindictive side. He preferred to work behind the scenes, having many political discussions over private dinners and was always one to let others do the talking, quietly listening and watching.  
  
*Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power* by Jon Meacham - Meacham's fantastic single-volume biography on Jefferson is a very readable and engrossing portrait of the third President. Meacham shows us that Jefferson was a man of contradictions but nonetheless a genius.  
    

4 **James Madison** (1751-1836) President from 1809-1817  
  
While James Madison is one of the less known Founding Fathers, he played in integral role in the early history of the United States as a key figure in the drafting of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, served as an co-author of the the *Federalist Papers*, and co-founded the first American Political party, the Democratic-Republicans. As Secretary of State under Jefferson, he took the lead on the Louisiana Purchase and as President he led America through the War of 1812.    
  
*James Madison* by Ralph Ketcham - This is probably the best single-volume book on Madison. Ketcham examines the full breadth of Madison's career and life. Madison had a small frame (He was also the shortest President in history standing at just 5'4.) and was frequently in ill health and as such never saw battle during the Revolutionary War but used his talents in politics to aid the war effort from his native Virginia.  
 
    

5 **James Monroe** (1758-1831) President from 1817-1825     
  
The last of the Founding Fathers, today Monroe is best remembered for the Monroe Doctrine, the American opposition to European colonization of the Americas, and for the capital city of the African country Liberia named in his honor, Monrovia. He also singed the 1820 Missouri Compromise, further increasing tensions over slavery. Monroe was a Governor of Virginia, a U.S. senator, ambassador, Secretary of State, and Secretary of War.  
  
*The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness* by Harlow Giles Unger - Unger's book is very well written and quite a fun read. He brings Monroe to life as a cunning and stubborn politician who, while not in the same charismatic or intellectual league as his predecessors, was able to do great things.  
  
6 **John Quincy Adams** (1767-1848) President from 1825-1829  
  
Adams the first President to be related to another (his father was John Adams). Adams had a long and distinguished career as a diplomat and Secretary of State and ranks among the nation's best. Adams narrowly won the hotly contested, highly venomous, 1824 election against Andrew Jackson. He later lost the 1828 election to Jackson. He later served in Congress (the only former President to do so).  
  
*John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life* by Paul C. Nagel - Nagel uses Adams' diary (which he kept for nearly years, from 1779 to his death in 1848) and this reads almost like an autobiography. It is unique among other Presidential biographies to peek inside the mind of a President to not only see what he thought about the issues of his day, but what it was like to live in the early United States.  
  
*Mr. Adams's Last Crusade: The Extraordinary Post-presidential Life of John Quincy Adams* by Joseph Wheelan - Adams was the only former President to return to public office after his presidency. In Congress, Adams channeled the firebrand personally of his father and became a a fearsome opponent to the expansion of slavery, the annexation of Texas, and the Mexican-American War.   
  
7 **Andrew Jackson** (1767-1845) President from 1829-1837  
  
One of the most intriguing, influential, and controversial Presidents in history, Andrew Jackson transformed the office of the President. Jackson's forceful personality saw him climb through the ranks of the military, winning renown in the War of 1812. Jackson was both lauded and hated in own time, he frequently dueled people whom offended his or his wife's honor, traded slaves, and was the first President to suffer an assassination attempt (he proceeded to beat his would-be assassin with his cane). The most controversial parts of Jackson's legacy was the 1830 Indian Removal Act which forced thousands of Indians from their lands to Western reservations (known as the Trail of Tears) and his longtime support of slavery. However, Jackson remains one of the most widely studied and debated of the American Presidents.  
  
*American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House* by Jon Meacham - Meacham's Pulitzer Prize winning biography tries to get inside the wild mind of Jackson while following him through his tumultuous career.
  
*Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times* by H.W. Brands - This single-volume biography covers Jackson's long life and career.  
  
8 **Martin Van Buren** (1782-1862) President from 1837-1841  
  
Martin van Buren has generally been forgotten and his administration was generally considered to be a failure. The exact opposite of the rambunctious Jackson Van Buren was a by-the-books New York politician. He was an intelligent man and a successful politician but his administration faced one of America's first major economic crises, the Panic of 1837, which he was underprepared for. He was also the first President who's first language was not English (it was Dutch)  
  
*Martin Van Buren* by Ted Widmer - Widmer's concise biography of Van Buren paints him as an a man who's administration was underwhelming but points to a man with a lifetime of accomplishments, a shrewd politician, an autodidact, and a great American deserving of more respect and attention than has been bestowed on him.  
  
9 **William Henry Harrison** (1767-1841) President from 1841-1841  
  
William Henry Harrison hold the unsavory double-distinction of being both the first President to die in office and the shortest serving President. He died exactly one month after being sworn in from pneumonia. Due to this fact, there is not really any biographies on his presidency but Harrison had a distinguished career in the military and was influential in the development of the American frontier.  
  
*Mr. Jefferson's Hammer: William Henry Harrison and the Origins of American Indian Policy* by Robert M. Owens - While he died a month into his term, Harrison had a long career on the frontier. This book looks at his exploits in Old Northwest and Midwest and his role in the shaping of Indian policy in the mid 18th century.  
  
10 **John Tyler** (1790-1862) President from 1841-1845  
  
John Tyler is America's first ""accidental"" President and the death of Harrison caused a short Constitutional crisis when there was disagreement whether Tyler should take over the Presidency or simple execute the office as Vice President. During the Civil War, Tyler sided with the Confederacy and was elected to the Confederate Senate and when he died in 1862 he was given a full Confederate ""state"" funeral.  
  
*John Tyler, the Accidental President* by Edward Crapol - Crapol argues that Tyler was not the as irrelevant a President as history suggests, but sees him as proponent of Manifest Destiny and as an architect of the growing power of the Presidency, for all the good and bad that entailed.  
  
11 **James K. Polk**(1795-1849) President from 1845-1849  
  
Polk is famously referred to as the the ""least known consequential president"" for famously laying out his agenda, promising to accomplish it in one term and then to step down and then surprising everyone by doing just that. Regarded as one of the most effective pre-Civil War Presidents, Polk saw the massive westward expansion of America through the annexation of Texas and the Mexican American War which saw the inclusion of whole or part of seven states. He did not run for reelection in 1848 and retired to his Tennessee plantation where he died of cholera three months after leaving office.  
  
*Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America* by Walter R. Borneman -Borneman shows a ""President often overshadowed in image but seldom outdone in accomplishment.""  
  
12 **Zachary Taylor** (1784-1850) President from 1849-1850  
  
Zachary Taylor emerged from the Mexican-American war as a hero and was reluctantly urged to seek the presidency the Whig Party, despite him not having any political experience (the first President to have no prior political experience). His Presidency only lasted 16 months as Taylor died of an intestinal illness in 1850. He was the last President to own slaves while in office. 
  
*Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest* by K. Jack Bauer - Bauer does a fantastic, and amazingly in depth and well researched, job on this biography of Taylor. Despite his short time as President, Taylor had a very full life and career and he is a lot more interesting than most people realize.  
  
13 **Millard Fillmore** (1800-1874) President form 1850-1853
  
Millard Fillmore clawed his way out of poverty to become a successful attorney in New York. He was only selected as Taylor's vice president to bring geopolitical balance to the ticket in an era. Among the biggest issues of his Presidency was the Compromise of 1850, which temporarily brought a temporary cooling to the growing tensions over the question of slavery in the lead-up to the civil war. Interestingly, Queen Victoria thought that he was the most handsome man she ever seen.  
  
*Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President* Robert J. Rayback - While this book may be from 1959, it still remains the among the best books on Fillmore (there aren't exactly a whole lot of them).  
  
14 **Franklin Pierce** (1804-1869) President from 1853-1857  
  
Franklin Pierce is often placed near the bottom in Presidential rankings due to a series of disastrous decisions that set the stage for the Civil War. The Fugitive Slave Act and the Kansas-Nebraska act enraged anti-slavery advocates without decreasing tensions between slave and free states and also caused violence to erupt on the Western border.   
  
*Franklin Pierce* by Michael F. Holt - This books shows Pierce as an intelligent and charming man who was placed into an impossibly tense and violent time in American history and as such showed he was fatally ill-suited to the Presidency.  
  
15 **James Buchanan** (1791-1868) President from 1857-1861  
  
James Buchanan has the unfortunate distinction as being generally ranked among the worst Presidents in history. As tensions between slave and free factions in the country came to a boil, Buchanan was unable to reduce animosities and his inaction over the tensions earned ire from both sides. However, as smart as Buchanan was, he put into an almost impossible position, ""His many talents, which in a quieter era might have gained for him a place among the great presidents."" Buchanan is also the only President to remain a lifelong bachelor and is believed by some to have been gay.  
  
*President James Buchanan: A Biography* by Philip Shriver Klein - Klein argues that Buchanan's entire Presidency was doomed from the start and that Buchanan was not given the a fair chance by history. He wanted to avoid war at all costs and believed that, while he did not support the practice, slavery was protected by the Constitution.  
  
16 **Abraham Lincoln** (1809-1865) President from 1861-1865  
  
The man, the myth, the legend. Abraham Lincoln is widely considered to be the greatest President in American history. Lionized as the man who held America together when it was trying to tear itself apart, the author of masterpieces of speech craft such as the Gettysburg Address, and as a martyr, Lincoln has rightfully earned his place in the Pantheon of American heroes. The gangly, tall, Congressman from Illinois started from modest means and rose to become on of the greatest Americans, so it is no surprise that there are few books on him. 15,000 books, in fact.  
  
*Lincoln* by David Herbert Donald - The Pulitzer Prize winning biography is a accessible and readable option for anyone interested in Lincoln's incredibly complex Presidency.  
  
*Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln* by Doris Kearns Goodwin - This Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece is a biography of not only Lincoln, but of members of his cabinet as well. Goodwin explores the quagmire of incompetence, hostility, and butting personalities that Lincoln masterfully overcame to lead the Union to victory in the Civil War and to abolish slavery. Barack Obama said it was one of his favorite books and it influenced his cabinet selections.  
  
17 **Andrew Johnson**(1808-1875) President from 1865-1869  
  
In short, Andrew Johnson was never supposed to be President. Johnson was selected for the Lincoln ticket in the 1864 election primarily as a means of reconciliation with the South and because he was only sitting Senator of a Confederate State who did not resign when his state seceded. Johnson is most remembered for being the first President to be impeached (current events have brought him back into the spotlight) in aftermath of Lincoln's assassination and the onset of Reconstruction. While he did not get convicted in the Senate, Johnson has been consistently ranked low by Presidential historians for his attempts to role back Lincoln-era policies and interfering in Reconstruction.  
  
*Andrew Johnson: A Biography* by Hans L. Trefousse - Trefousse understands that Johnson was not a good President, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong things. However, this books also looks at the unlikely rise of Johnson out of poverty and his ascension through hard work and loyalty.  
  
*Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy* by David O. Stewart - this book looks at Johnson's incendiary relationship with his cabinet secretaries and the events that led to his impeachment trial and acquittal.  
  
18 **Ulysses S. Grant** (1823-1885) President from 1869-1877  
  
Ulysses S. Grant was the war hero of the Civil War. His victories in the Western theater culminating in the siege of Vicksburg and his victories in the East broke the rebellion and ended the war. It is not surprising that he was elected to the Presidency in 1868 despite having no prior political experience. Unfortunately for Grant and despite his honest efforts, his administration was mired in corruption, scandals, and incompetence.  
  
*Grant* by Ron Chernow - Grant is just as fascinating character has Hamilton and Chernow captures the unique mix of military genius and political naiveté found in Grant.  
  
*Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant* by Ulysses S. Grant - Dying of throat cancer and nearly bankrupt, Grant in his last years labored on his memoirs. Published after his death the memoirs were a instant success and Grant's crisp, to-the-point style makes it one of the best memoirs out there.  
  
19 **Rutherford B. Hayes**(1822-1893) President from 1877-1881  
  
Rutherford's election in 1876 was one of the most contested, and controversial, in American history. Known as the compromise of 1877, in which Hayes agreed to remove Federal troops from the South in exchange for the Presidency, essentially ending Reconstruction. 
  
*Rutherford B. Hayes* by Hans L. Trefousse - A solid biography on a lawyer who started out defending runaway slaves and then, at age 40, joined the U.S. Army and led soldiers though several battles and sustained five wounds.  
  
20 **James A. Garfield** (1831-1881) President from 1881-1881  
  
James A. Garfield was another short lived President. His assassination six months into his Presidency proved to be most interesting (if horrific) time of his tenure. Shot in the back by a mentally ill man who claimed Garfield owned him a cabinet position, Garfield may have survived the wound if not for medical malpractice from his incompetent doctors causing a fatal infection.  
  
*Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President* by Candice Millard - An absolutely incredible book for a man who was President for so short a time, Millard's book reads almost like a thriller. Her description of the man Garfield could have been and the carelessness that led to his death make it a fantastic read and a personal favorite.  
    
  

21 **Chester A. Arthur** (1829-1886) President from 1881-1885  
  
Arthur was not an exciting President, and many of his contemporaries respected him for it. After he left office a journalist said of him ""No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation."" His greatest political achievement was the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act mandating most government positions to be awarded on merit, not political favoritism and putting an end to the Spoils System.
  
*The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur* by Scott S. Greenberger - Arthur may be one of the least remembered Presidents, but he was an unexpectedly effective politician and his administration has left a bigger mark on history than most people know.  
  
22 AND 24 **Grover Cleveland** (1837-1908) President from 1885-1889 1893-1877  
  
Cleveland is the only President in history to have been elected two non-consecutive times. He is also notable for winning the popular vote in three popular elections. Like many Presidents of the Gilded Age, his administration has not left a particularly strong legacy but he was respected during his time for his honesty, integrity, and willingness to take on corruption.  
  
*An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland by H. Paul Jeffers* - A solid biography about a President who was honest and effective, if not the most interesting.  
  
23 **Benjamin Harrrison** (1833-1901) President from 1889-1893  
  
Harrison was the grandson of the ill fated 9th President William Henry Harrison. He admitted six Western states to the Union, brought major modernizing changes to the U.S. Navy, and though unsuccessfully, he attempted to secure further civil rights legislation for African Americans.  
  
*Benjamin Harrison* by Charles W. Calhoun - Calhoun argues that Harrison's administration was a turning point from the less active and weaker administrations of the post-Civil War era to the more powerful administration of the 20th century.  
  
25 **William McKinley** (1843-1901)  
  
McKinley is a more fascinating President than most give him credit for. The last Civil War veteran to serve as President, McKinley led America in the Spanish American War, kept the nation on the gold standard and annexed Hawaii as a U.S. territory. He was assassinated six months into his second term and has been overshadowed by Roosevelt.  
  
*William McKinley and His America* by H. Wayne Morgan - Morgan argues that McKinley was integral to the movement of America onto the path toward world power. McKinley, in his opinion, was a great President who deserves more respect and attention than he gets.  
  
26**Theodore Roosevelt** (1859-1919) President from 1901-1909        
  
One of the most popular, intriguing, and most successful U.S. Presidents. Roosevelt's sickly childhood, psychical exploits as an adult, adventures with the Rough Riders, his advocacy for conservation, and his monopoly busting, have given him a last legacy . He also famously attempted as a third party candidate in 1912 in the Progressive Party (otherwise known as the Bull Moose Party).
  
*The Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy* by Edmund Morris - This gargantuan, three-volume work that took the author more than 30 years to complete is the most comprehensive look at Roosevelt's life you will ever find.  
  
*The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century* by Clay Risen - This book focuses Roosevelts experience with the all-volunteer Rough Riders that he led through Spanish American War and how the war represented another chapter in American burgeoning global power.  
  
27 **William Howard Taft** (1857-1930) President from 1909-1913  
  
Taft in unfortunately only remembered by most Americans has the guy who was so fat he got stuck inside his bathtub (the story is a myth by the way). In fact, Taft is the only U.S. President who went on to become the Chief Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Taft was also famous for his friendship, and later falling out, with Theodore Roosevelt and the contested 1912 election.  
  
*The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism* by Doris Kearns Goodwin - While it is not a traditional biography, this book tells the dramatic story of the friendship between Taft and Roosevelt and the falling out between them and the 1912 election.  
  
*William Howard Taft* by Jeffrey Rosen - a Solid biography of a President who was by no means the buffoon he is remembered as.  
  
28 **Woodrow Wilson** (1856-1924) President from 1913-1921  
  
Another famous and consequential President, Wilson is most remembered for his leadership during the First World War, his lobbying for the creating the League of Nations, his *Fourteen Points* plan for post-war peace, and legislative achievements. However, he also fired all black Federal employees and screened the first film in the White House, the Ku Klux Klan drama *Birth of a Nation*.
  
*Woodrow Wilson: A Biography* by John Milton Cooper - A fantastic biography of Wilson, he gives him a three dimensional treatment so we might understand the whole man. Highly recommend.  
  
29 **Waren G. Harding** (1865-1923) President from 1921-1923  
Never has a President gone from popular to infamous faster than Harding. He was President during the beginning of the Roaring twenties, the first President elected when women could vote, and when he suddenly died of a heart attack in 1923, he was beloved nationwide, until his scandals came to light. The Tea Pot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal that saw U.S. Navy oil reserves secretly leased to oil companies at low rates, Harding also kept a mistress in the White House, and a large bar despite Prohibition.  
  
*Warren G. Harding* by John Dean - Written by the John Dean, of the Watergate infamy, this book is interesting in that it is a defense of Harding's policies and administration and argues that he was not as bad as history has portrayed him (but rather he not great, but not terrible).  
  
30**Calvin Coolidge** (1872-1933) President from 1923-1929  
While it is hard to get a read on the man himself, his administration is mostly remembered for being the penultimate lead up to the stock market crash in 1929 and ensuing Great Depression. However, I think that Coolidge was better than most people think, he restored confidence in the White House after the scandals of the Harding years and was a stalwart proponent of racial equality.  
  
*Coolidge* by Amity Shlaes - Shlaes bestselling look at Coolidges presidency gives a great overview of the man's life and career and probably will send him up a few pegs in your personal Presidential rankings.  
  
31**Herbert Hoover** (1874-1964) President from 1929-1933  
Known more today for the large hydroelectric dam named after him, Hoover was an intelligent, wily politician who was elected in a time of utter economic disaster. In other words, his Presidency stood little chance from the start. The fated stock market crash of 1929 occurred in the first year of his administration and his inability to deal with the huge crisis lead to his being decisively defeated by FDR in 1933.  
  
*Hoover: An Extraordinary Life in Extraordinary Times* by Kenneth Whyte - White's biography seeks to rehabilitate Hoover as a President who, while not able to stop the Great Depression, he was able to prevent it from becoming even worst. In short, he believes that Hoover was a far, far better executive than most give him credit for.  
  
32 **Franklin D. Roosevelt** (1882-1945) President from 1933-1945  
 Few Presidents can boast as many accomplishments (and certainly as long of time in office) than FDR. Elected a record four times and serving over 12 years as President, FDR is considered by many to be in the same league as Lincoln and Washington. From his transformative New Deal policies in response to the Great Depression to his stalwart leadership during the largest war in human history, FDR saw America being transformed (but died before he could see it complete) from a major power to world hegemony. His legacy also contends with the infamous Executive Order 9066, which ordered the internment of hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans.  
  
*FDR* by Jean Edward Smith - A comprehensive, yet readable, look at the gargantuan life and legacy of FDR.  
  
*Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt* by H.W. Brands - This book looks at Roosevelt's privileged upbringing and his constant advocacy for the disenfranchised through his policies. 
  
33 **Harry S. Truman** (1884-1972) President from 1945-1953  
Truman was responsible for ending the Second World War, nukes and all, and grappling with America's new found world dominance as well as with the growing specter of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Truman was not well liked by the Roosevelt administration and had little to do until Roosevelt's sudden death. Truman also authorized the Berlin Airlift and oversaw the Korean War. Unpopular in his own time, Truman's reputation has increased in recent years and he is now highly ranked by Presidential historians.  
  
*The Accidental President* by A.J. Baime - This biography takes a close look at the first four months of Truman's Presidency, and he struggled to step into the large shoes of FDR, bring the Second World War to a close, and his growing realization of the coming global power struggle with the Soviet Union.  
  
*Truman* by David McCullough - A fantastic biography by a fantastic author.  
  
34 **Dwight D. Eisenhower** (1890-1969) President from 1953-1961  
""I Like Ike"" remains one of the catchiest and most memorable Presidential electoral phrases out there but Eisenhower was much more than his slogan implied. Hailed as a war hero after WWII, Eisenhower (who had no prior political experience) ascended to the Presidency and oversaw the heating up of the Cold War, the economic boom within the United States, and a transition to peace after a long war.  
  
*Eisenhower in War and Peace* by Jean Edward Smith - Smith argues that Eisenhower was a dynamic President who helped transition America to world hegemony and set the stage for confrontation in the Cold War.  
    
35 **John F. Kennedy** (1917-1963) President from 1961-1963  
JFK's legend and myth has far outpaced the complex, flawed man he was. Young and handsome, Kennedy's Presidency was best known for his relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba, and the following Cuban Missile Crisis. This was all overshadowed by his assassination and the decades of conspiracy theories that followed that made him a mythical figure that smoothed over his medical problems and infidelities.  
  
*An Unfinished Life* by Robert Dallek - Dallek tries to cut through the legend to the man Kennedy was. Using newer sources, Dallek paints a picture of a President who, while intelligent and accomplished, was less than perfect.  
  
36 **Lyndon B. Johnson** (1908-1973) President from 1963-1969  
Johnson is one of the most interesting Presidents to me. Lauded for his ""Great Society"" legislation on civil rights, healthcare, and education, but vilified for his role in deepening American involvement in the Vietnam War, Johnson remains a divisive if fascinating figure. Johnson's realist politics and wild personality make him one of the most interesting President's to read.  
  
*The Years of Lyndon Johnson* by Robert Caro - This massive, four-volume 3,000 page study on Johnson's entire life and career and the many achievements and mistakes he made along the way. Caro has even said that there may be a planned book five in the works  
  
37 **Richard Nixon** (1913-1994) President from 1969-1974  
Nixon is one of the most interesting and confounding Presidents out there. Known as ""Tricky Dick"" since his Senate years for his desire to win no matter the cost, Nixon is best remembered for his controversial secret talks with North Vietnam that extended the war and the notorious Watergate cover up scandal that led to his downfall and resignation. He is also remembered for positive things as well including presiding over the Moon landing and establishing the Environmental Protection Agency. 
  
*Richard Nixon: The Life* by John A. Farrell - Farrell's excellent, and recent, biography of Nixon is a great overview of the man's accomplished, and oftentimes rocky, career and life. Some of who Nixon was certainly has echoes of familiarity today.  
  
38 **Gerald Ford** (1913-2006) President from 1974-1976  
The only man in American history to hold both the office of the President and Vice President without being elected to either office, Ford came into the White House among the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. Ford is best remembered for his controversial decision to pardon former President Nixon, his moving American policy toward detente in the Cold War, and presiding over the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  
  
*Gerald R. Ford* by Douglas Brinkley - A solid biography of a man who only served as President for 895 days, you will find that Ford is more interesting that you might think.  
  
39 **Jimmy Carter** (1924-) President from 1976-1981  
Jimmy Carter was a good man placed into a difficult time in the United States. The peanut farmer and Georgia governor, Carter defeated Ford in 1976 and is best remembered for pardoning all Vietnam draft evaders, establishing the Department of Energy, and Department of Education, the SALT II and Camp David Accords. He has spent his long post-Presidency working for humanitarian causes.  
  
*Jimmy Carter* by Julian E. Zelizer - A great biography of a tragic President and a great man who's Presidency happened to coincide with factors beyond his control.  
  
*A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety* by Jimmy Carter - An autobiography in which Carter himself reflects on his accomplishments and mistakes, both personal and political.  
  
40 **Ronald Regan** (1911-2004) President 1981-1989  
Whether you either love him or hate him, Ronald Reagan remains one of the most towering, and polarizing, figures in modern American politics. Charismatic and cunning, Reagan was the first President to serve two-full terms since Eisenhower and he brought an end to the tumult of the 60s and 70s. The actor turned governor turned President was responsible for helping end the Cold War, but he is responsible for the notorious Iran/Contra scandal that plagued his Presidency.   
  
*Reagan: The Life* by H.W. Brands - Reagan, the actor turned politician, was a man difficult to truly know. He was so used to being in front of a camera and an audience that it is difficult to find the full man. Brands does his best to uncover the true Reagan by looking at his career and his sometimes contradictory views.  
  
41 **George H.W. Bush** (1924-2018) President from 1989-1993  
George Bush, Vice President under Reagan, entered the White House sailing on his predecessors popularity but also dogged by his predecessors controversies. Bush oversaw the final collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War as well as the America's victory over Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. 
  
*Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush* by Jon Meacham - Meacham uses close access and deep research to paint a full picture of the senior Bush from his WWII service to his CIA directorship to the Vice Presidency to the White House.  
  
42 **Bill Clinton** (1946-) President from 1993-2001  
Bill Clinton was the first President to emerge from the era of Cold Warrior politicians. Handsome, smooth, and ""hip"", Clinton entered the Presidency in an era of unrivaled American power. His saw the greatest peacetime expansion of American economic power in history and enjoyed high approval ratings. His greatest controversy was the Monica Lewinsky scandal which resulted in his impeachment and acquittal.  
  
*First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton* by David Maraniss - This biography was written while Clinton was still in office, and does a good job of covering Clinton's early life in Hope, Arkansas and his rise to the Governors Mansion and White House.  
  
*The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House* by John F. Harris - Written well after Clinton's tenure, this biography focuses on his time in the White House and the various controversies and triumphs that followed.  
  
43 **George W. Bush** (1946-) President from 2001-2009  
Certainly one of the most consequential and controversial modern Presidents, the events surrounding George W. Bush's Presidency shattered the post-Cold War glee of the 1990s. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the following wars in Afghanistan and Iraq inserted America into two incredible difficult environments and changed the landscape of the Middle East. The 2007-2008 financial crisis and Bush's subsequent response to it made him widely unpopular.  
  
*Bush* by Jean Edward Smith - Smith is not afraid to question whether Bush is the worst President in American history, and takes on the disastrous decision making but also looks into the talents that Bush had the let him win two elections.  
  
*Decision Points* by George W. Bush - The former President's reflects on his life and his time as President in this memoir.
  
44 **Barack Obama** (1961-) President from 2009-2017  
The first African-American President in history, Obama's election made history as one of the highest turnouts in American history. His Presidency saw an end to the financial crisis, the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Obama dealt with an extremely belligerent Congress that blocked much of his legislation.  
  
*Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama* by David J. Garrow - Garrow's book takes a look at how a mixed race kid from Hawaii went on to represent Illinois in the Senate and win the Presidential election in 2008. The book focuses on Barack Obama's landmark 2004 Democratic National Convention speech that catapulted ""the skinny kid with a funny name"" into the national spotlight.  
  
*A Promised Land* by Barack Obama - The first in a planned two volume series, Obama himself looks back over his 8 years in the White House.
  
45 **Donald J. Trump** (1946-) President from 2017-2021. 
Undoubtedly the most controversial President in living memory, businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump's 2016 victory shocked the world. Trump's Presidency was marked multiple scandals, the COVID-19 pandemic, and above all, Trump's intense personality and aggressive (and unorthodox) style of running the Oval Office. He is the only President to be impeached twice, once in 2020 in relation to election interference and once in 2021 in connection to his supporters storming the U.S. Capitol. He was acquitted both times.  
  
Over 4,500 books have been written about Trump since he took office (compared to 800 about Obama). As the Trump Presidency becomes a part of history, we will see in the coming years books and studies that paint a better picture of his time in office. If you want to see what major publication exist right now, check out the Trump Bibliography [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_Donald_Trump#About_Trump).
 
*Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America* by Sarah Kendzior - This work traces Trump's career in real estate to his entrance into politics. 
Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher - An objective look at Trump's life and career. Written during the 2016 campaign.",
jhsfdk,Books when you are feeling lack of motivation and generally lost and without a sense of purpose.,"Hello everyone, I have been feeling quite a bit low from the past month. A general lack of motivation and a weird sense that I am just going from one day to next without knowing what I want. Feels lost. I don't know if quarantine has to do a lot with this. I would really appreciate suggestions that can help me cope with this. I usually do not indulge much into self help books. I am usually into fiction. But all recommendations are welcome. Thank you in advance!

Edit: I cannot express how much overwhelmed I am by everyone's response. I really wasn't expecting that. Thank you so much to everyone who gave their recommendations, gave words of support and hugs to everyone who are dealing with similar emotions. Thank you so much, again! Truly amazed.",A Funny Autobiography
or7roy,A bit of a tall order: I want to read a book from every year since 1900. Here’s the list so far but there’s a ton of dead space that needs to be filled,"EDIT II: THE LIST IS DONE, COMPLETED AT THE BOTTOM

- 1900: Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad**
- 1901: 
- 1902: 
- 1903:
- 1904:
- 1905:
- 1906: The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
- 1907: The Secret Agent, Joseph Conrad
- 1908: 
- 1909: 
- 1910:
- 1911: Under Western Eyes, Joseph Conrad
- 1912: The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle
- 1913:
- 1914: Dubliners, James Joyce
- 1915: The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka**
- 1916: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce**
- 1917: 
- 1918:
- 1919:
- 1920:
- 1921: We, Yevgeny Zamyatin
- 1922: Ulysses, James Joyce
- 1923:
- 1924:
- 1925: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
- 1926: The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
- 1927: Amerika, Franz Kafka
- 1928: Point Counter Point, Aldous Huxley
- 1929: The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner***
- 1930:
- 1931:
- 1932: Light in August, William Faulkner
- 1933: The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett
- 1934: 
- 1935: It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair Lewis**
- 1936: Eyeless in Gaza, Aldous Huxley
- 1937: Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck*, **
- 1938: 
- 1939: The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
- 1940: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway***
- 1941: 
- 1942:
- 1943: The Lady in the Lake, Raymond Chandler
- 1944: 
- 1945:
- 1946: The Honjin Murders, Seishi Yokomizo
- 1947: The Plague, Albert Camus
- 1948: No Longer Human, Osamu Dazai
- 1949: Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell*
- 1950: 
- 1951: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
- 1952: The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway**
- 1953: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
- 1954: The Fellowship of the Ring &amp;amp; The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien**
- 1955: The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien**
- 1956: The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Yukio Mishima
- 1957: 
- 1958: Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, Kenzaburō Ōe
- 1959: The Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut
- 1960: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, or/and The Violent Bear It Away, Flannery O’Connor**
- 1961: Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger***
- 1962: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
- 1963: Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
- 1964: Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1965:
- 1966: The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon**
- 1967:
- 1968:
- 1969: Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert
- 1970: The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison**
- 1971: 
- 1972:
- 1973: Child of God, Cormac McCarthy*
- 1974: 
- 1975:
- 1976: Children of Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1977: 
- 1978: The Stand, Stephen King
- 1979: Suttree, Cormac McCarthy*
- 1980: 
- 1981: God Emperor of Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1982: Fevre Dream, George R.R. Martin
- 1983: 
- 1984: Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1985: Chapterhouse: Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1986: Beloved, Toni Morrison**, and The New York Trilogy, Paul Auster**
- 1987: 
- 1988:
- 1989:
- 1990: L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy**, and The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien**
- 1991: 
- 1992: The Children of Men. P.D. James, and White Jazz, James Ellroy**
- 1993: 
- 1994: The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy*
- 1995: American Tabloid, James Ellroy
- 1996:
- 1997: Mason &amp;amp; Dixon, Thomas Pynchon
- 1998: 
- 1999:
- 2000: 
- 2001: The Cold Six Thousand, James Ellroy
- 2002: 
- 2003:
- 2004:
- 2005:
- 2006: The Road, Cormac McCarthy*
- 2007:
- 2008:
- 2009: Blood’s a Rover, James Ellroy, and Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
- 2010: 
- 2011:
- 2012: Home, Toni Morrison
- 2013: 
- 2014:
- 2015:
- 2016:
- 2017:
- 2018:
- 2019:
- 2020:
- 2021:

I’m looking, generally, for well written novels with strong prose. My favorite authors I’ve read are Cormac McCarthy, William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Toni Morrison, and Aldous Huxley. I’m not looking so much for genre fiction, but if it’s literary I’ll obviously take it. The only genres I’m interested too much in is detective fiction and war fiction but I’ll read anything if it’s good from a literary perspective. 

I’m also looking particularly for female, non-American, and non-white authors to fill the gaps in my list because, as you can probably see, the vast majority of my reading is dominated by white American men. I’m doing this as a project to expand my understanding of literature and draw new inspirations for my writing.

I made this first draft of the list by clicking through each of the (Year) in Literature pages of Wikipedia and looking for authors I know of, but I noticed that it was missing a fair chunk of the important books from some of the years, especially the most recent ones. For example, there isn’t a Gillian Flynn novel on the lists for the respective years they came out. 

So, if you have a novel you love and think I might like based on what’s on the list, please comment what it is and the year it came out. I’m open to changing my picks for some of the years but obviously books from the blank years would be best.

*: I’ve already read this and just want to reread

**: I already own this novel so I’m less open to changing that year

***: I’ve started reading this book and haven’t finished it so I’m using this project as motivation to finish, so this year can’t really be changed (but a book can be added if I’m interested enough)

EDIT: I just finished the list, and pardon my french, but Jesus fucking Christ. This is basically all I’ve done aside from sleep and read two chapters of Lord Jim for 24 hours, and I was at work for 8 of them.

A couple things: 

1. I said I wanted to fill in the gaps with authors that generally weren’t white American men, and I did a pretty okay job of it but maybe not as good a job as some of you may have liked. It’s my list and a lot of your suggestions didn’t quite jive with me not because of the race/gender of the author but the subject matter. I’m not into romance and “follow a family through generations” stories. There’s a few in there, yes, but I couldn’t bring myself to add more than a few. I did, for whatever reason, find myself drawn to a lot of Asian novels. There were lots of Good Reads and Wiki blurbs for novels you guys suggested from Asian authors that appealed to me.

2. I stopped at 2020 because my brain is fried and 2021 will be long over by the time I even get to the 1950’s. 

3. If you commented any time in the last 12 or so hours I didn’t see your suggestion because I was working on the list. When I went to bed last night there were 5 comments on this post and two or three of them were mine and when I woke up there were over 500. 

4. A lot of people were hell bent on me limiting each author to one book but I simply didn’t want to do that. I’ve only really started reading a lot in the last two years and half of that time was spent between every Cormac McCarthy novel and Moby Dick (which took a solid 3 months on its own) so I haven’t read many novels by the authors I really liked (particularly Morrison and Faulkner) and I’d like to get back to them at some point in the at least two years this’ll take me. 

5. For fun, here are the years I got the most suggestions for: 1965, 1974, and 1980. I was listing all your suggestions at first until I realized how many there were total and how long it would take, so it was really only maybe the first hundred comments, but many years got no suggestions or only one out of that list. 65, 74, and 80 each had 6 or 7. 

6. Yes, there are a few years with 2 books because I couldn’t pick.

Okay, without further ado, this God forsaken list:

- 1900: Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad
- 1901: Kim, Rudyard Kipling
- 1902: The Wings of the Dove, Henry James
- 1903: The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. du Bois
- 1904: The Sea Wolf, Jack London
- 1905: The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
- 1906: The Three-Cornered World, Natsume Sõseki
- 1907: The Secret Agent, Joseph Conrad
- 1908: The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, G.K. Chesterton
- 1909: Tono-Bungay, H.G. Wells
- 1910: Howard’s End, E.M. Forster
- 1911: Under Western Eyes, Joseph Conrad
- 1912: The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle
- 1913: O Pioneers!, Willa Carther
- 1914: Dubliners, James Joyce
- 1915: The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
- 1916: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce
- 1917: The State and Revolution, Vladimir Lenin
- 1918: Devils in Daylight, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki
- 1919: Ten Days that Shook the World, John Reed
- 1920: We, Yevgeny Zamyatin
- 1921: Chrome Yellow, Aldous Huxley
- 1922: Ulysses, James Joyce
- 1923: A Son at the Front, Edith Wharton
- 1924: A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
- 1925: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
- 1926: The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
- 1927: Amerika, Franz Kafka
- 1928: Orlando: A Biography, Virginia Woolf
- 1929: The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner, &amp;amp; All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
- 1930: Narcissus and Goldmund, Hermann Hesse
- 1931: The Good Earth, Pearl Buck
- 1932: Light in August, William Faulkner &amp;amp; maybe Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
- 1933: The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett
- 1934: Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller
- 1935: It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair Lewis
- 1936: Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
- 1937: Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
- 1938: Nausea, Jean-Paul Sartre
- 1939: The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
- 1940: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway &amp;amp; The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
- 1941: The Journal of Albion Moonlight, Kenneth Pratchen
- 1942: Go Down, Moses, William Faulkner
- 1943: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
- 1944: Foundation, Isaac Asimov
- 1945: Cannery Row, John Steinbeck
- 1946: The Honjin Murders, Seishi Yokomizo
- 1947: Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
- 1948: No Longer Human, Osamu Dazai
- 1949: Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
- 1950: Strangers on a Train, Patricia Highsmith
- 1951: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
- 1952: The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway &amp;amp; East of Eden, John Steinbeck
- 1953: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
- 1954: The Fellowship of the Ring &amp;amp; The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien
- 1955: The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien
- 1956: The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Yukio Mishima
- 1957: Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak
- 1958: Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, Kenzaburō Ōe
- 1959: Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
- 1960: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, &amp;amp; The Violent Bear It Away, Flannery O’Connor
- 1961: Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger &amp;amp; Catch-22, Joseph Heller
- 1962: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
- 1963: Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
- 1964: Why We Can’t Wait, Martin Luther King Jr.
- 1965: Dune, Frank Herbert, &amp;amp; Stoner, John Williams
- 1966: The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon
- 1967: One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Marcia Marquez
- 1968: Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sleep?, Philip K. Dick
- 1969: Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert &amp;amp; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
- 1970: The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
- 1971: Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins
- 1972: Motorman, David Ohle
- 1973: Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
- 1974: The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, Heinrich Böll
- 1975: Factotum, Charles Bukowski
- 1976: Roots: The Saga of an American Family, Alex Haley, &amp;amp; Children of Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1977: Secret Rendezvous, Kobo Abe
- 1978: The Stand, Stephen King
- 1979: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
- 1980: Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
- 1981: God Emperor of Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1982: Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally
- 1983: Winter’s Tale, Mark Helprin
- 1984: Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert
- 1985: Chapterhouse: Dune, Frank Herbert, &amp;amp; The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
- 1986: The New York Trilogy, Paul Auster
- 1987: Beloved, Toni Morrison
- 1988: The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
- 1989: A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
- 1990: L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy, &amp;amp; The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
- 1991: American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
- 1992: The Children of Men, P.D. James
- 1993: Green Grass, Running Water, Thomas King
- 1994: The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy
- 1995: Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, James W. Loewen
- 1996: Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
- 1997: Mason &amp;amp; Dixon, Thomas Pynchon
- 1998: My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk
- 1999: Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
- 2000: Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
- 2001: The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
- 2002: Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami, &amp;amp; One Foot in Eden, Ron Rash
- 2003: We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver
- 2004: 2666, Roberto Bolaño
- 2005: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Men Who Hate Women), Stieg Larsson
- 2006: World War Z, Max Brooks &amp;amp; Winter’s Bone, Daniel Woodrell
- 2007: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khalid Hosseini
- 2008: Serena, Ron Rash
- 2009: Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
- 2010: Galveston, Nic Pizzolatto
- 2011: City of Bohane, Kevin Barry
- 2012: Home, Toni Morrison
- 2013: Burial Rites, Hannah Kent
- 2014: Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
- 2015: Above the Waterfall, Ron Rash
- 2016: A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
- 2017: Beneath a Scarlet Sky, Mark T. Sullivan
- 2018: There There, Tommy Orange
- 2019: A Long Pedal of the Sea, Isabel Allende
- 2020: American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins",A Long Petal Of The Sea
gy8v2p,"Hey, I read ‘Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe’ a year ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it!","Hey! This book won’t give me peace. It is next to my bed all the time, I go through it because I just love how pure, loving and young the characters are! I love how they see the world and how they deal with being a teenager. What else should I read :)

Edit: I am kind of new to Reddit and never had more than 10 upvotes, so I am very happy about the 100+ ones haha!

Edit: WOOOOW, 1k?? This is so crazy to me, thanks!",Both Of Them This Year
mz980p,Make me want to read your favourite book using only one quote from it.,"Edit: Please state the name of the book as well.

Edit 2: Wow, this blew up! Thanks for the 4 awards, the 1.1k upvotes, and the 397 notifications.

Edit 3: In case you're wondering, the most-suggested quote is the opening line from Stephen King's *The Gunslinger* (The Dark Tower, book 1): ""The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.""",Invisible Man
i7u3nm,Does anyone remember the Inkheart trilogy?,"They came out about 15 years ago I think, they’re a young adult trilogy about books coming to life and a girl having the ability to read characters out of books. Does anyone know if there are any books like this but for adults?

Edit: I can’t believe the response this post got, I’m so sorry if I can’t reply to everyone but I’m so grateful for the recommendations! Thank you everyone!",Jane Eyre
105v0pt,Fantasy book with female protagonist or female character is not sexually assaulted or raped or even threatened with it,"I want to get into fantasy genre. But it seems like every adult fantasy has rape and sexual violence or threat of it for female characters. Or female characters are second class citizen. Regardless of whether it’s a male or female writer. I want to read fantasy to escape. Not to be reminded of a real threat that exists for me in real world or many ways society reminds me I am “less than”.   


I recently read Red Sister and its sequel by Mark Lawrence and I was blown away by how not a single female characters are ever threatened with sexual violence. There’s still torture, injustice, violence, unfairness, brutal societal norms. Yet it’s all done without an added burden of rape placed only on female characters. Everyone suffers the same.   


Feels like I can avoid this with YA fantasy, but I have read a lot of those. Please let me know if there are others.

Edit: thank you for all the recommendation, folks. I was not expecting so many. Keep them coming. 

One comment here reminded me another series I read called Rampart Trilogy by Mike Carey. Now it have AI (as a supporting character) but its so post post post apocalyptic that survivors are living in very medieval villages and living a hard life that is more fantasy than sci-fi. First book is from a male character POV while second and third have both male and female. Fantastic characters of all genders.

Edit 2: I didn’t think I would have to justify my suggestion request post in a sub where people requests all kinds of genre and theme. But here we are. For those saying “it’s not realistic” or “it’s some false sense of security” to not want to read books without sexual assault and rape in fantasy: 

1. I read as a hobby. I can read whatever I want and choose to not read whatever theme/genre that does not bring me joy. I am not saying theme of sexual assault should not exist in any genre. I am asking for suggestion where it does not so I can read those and not have to worry about my emotional well being for a hobby. I am sure if I had lived through a war I would have avoided those too. 

2. I don’t know of any woman who lives in “false sense of security” that sexual assault and rape does not exist. It exists. We live with the fear. We live with the scar. We survive. We live. We persevere.  

3. I find a bit odd that dragon existing in fantasy is acceptable, but not wanting women to be second class citizen in an imaginative world is “not realistic”. Lolololol. Same way people decry poc people in fantasy. I will never understand this.",M Sure Someone Else Will Have Mentioned This But
lrn2ot,I REALLY love the 1999 &amp; 2001 movies The Mummy and The Mummy returns. I even like the Scorpion King movie. I would love to read a book with this type of adventure and charm!,"As the title says basically. 
I was OBSESSED as a young girl with The Mummy and Egypt. I realized that I don’t think I have ever read anything that involves adventures like those movies. 
From the charm, suspense, thrill, comedy and even that bit of romance mixed with magic books that bring the dead alive, the beauty and horror of an ancient civilization effecting the modern world. 
I love the scenery and the interesting characters met along the way and even the weaselly fellows out to save their own hide. The findings of ancient treasures and ancient knowledge and magic... I could go on. I freakin love those movies. lol 
So any suggestions for books that bring that sort of energy? I am interested in Egypt(and would prefer it), but honestly I would read about other ancient civilization adventures that take place in the modern world.

Edit: Holy smokes! So many great suggestions to add to my TBR list! Even more, I never knew so many other folks loved those movies! I’m really excited to have a place to start at finding some great reading adventures. This sub is really awesome &lt;3",Or Ramses The Damned
imkib3,I’m a sucker for attractive book covers and tend to pass over books that don’t visually grab me. I’m certain this makes me miss out on books I’d love. Suggest me a book with an ugly cover that turned out to be fantastic.,:O look at all these replies!,A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
hbwclt,A book that will make me feel happy to be alive,"To be more specific: a book that will leave me in a good mood. My brain is frying in negativity oil right now.

Edit: Damn! Y’all really came through with all of these recommendations 😮 thanks! 😊 I’ll definitely be checking most of these books out",A Few Pages
jc3l9c,"Everyone talks about redemption arcs, but I want the opposite. What are some good books with corruption arcs?","Doesn't matter how you define it--a best friend that gets gradually convinced to join the bad guys so the MC has to fight them, a main character who switches to the evil side and we support it because the evil side is cooler, or anything else. It can be a deep, thought provoking piece about how good people can be drawn to evil, or a simple case of ""hey, maybe breaking the law is more fun"". I just wanna see some characters get corrupted bro",Best Served Cold
jqwfmt,I wanna read the most garbage book you can think of,"I want the book to piss me off and put me in a state of unease and/or turmoil.

Rn im in an okay place in my life and I'm fuckin sick of it. I gotta bring it down a notch",A Book Called Help
l0qb9r,"A cookbook that teaches you how to cook, not a collection of recipes","I absolutely loved Salt Fat Acid Heat because it focused on techniques rather than recipes, which became part of my cooking process, independently of the actual food I'm cooking. Please throw me anything that does the same",Cooking School
gcxlam,UNRELATED: Just a Thank You!,"I really believe this is the nicest and most genuine sub on all of Reddit. For the most part, I see no hate and everyone just truly wants to talk about their favorite books. And lately a lot of other subs are being super hateful and there’s not a lot of genuine stuff on them. During COVID-19 it’s so great to see people can still be respectful if they chose so. So a big shoutout to you people contributing to the best sub on Reddit! Thank you!

EDIT: Why don’t you guys recommend me a heartwarming story or your favorite quarantine read so this stops getting reported and no longer breaks the subs rules?",Being Part Of The Nerdy
175e3st,Suggest me a book so good that you read it in a day,"Picture this: you become so engrossed in the narrative that your bookmark doesn't even get a chance to smell or know the book. Making you forget about the world outside, as you delve deeper into its, page after page.  


&gt;PS: i am going to buy all the books recommended here. I will not care about my bank balance for this.

&amp;#x200B;",Into Thin Air
hw7i0r,"A Book with LGBTQ main characters that doesnt end in them dying, involve a hate crime, coming out, or creepy age difference relationship.","I just want a happy book with queer main characters.  Im tired of reading them die, facing abuse, or the same coming out narrative. If there's a fantasy element or scifi narrative that would be really awesome! Im okay with romance too. I just want books with LGBTQ people living happy interesting lives. Which is more difficult to find then you would think.

Edit: Im Writing all of these down! Thank you so much!!!!!",Carry On
ir19s7,"A book that split your life in half: before you read the book, and after you read the book",,At 32 Now
ne72u9,What’s a book you loved but will refuse to pick up again?,"It’s Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for me. That book was so good but was so painful to read; I don’t think I will be able to read it again without getting my heart wrenched

Edit: Thanks for 1k likes and all the comments! I promise to go through them all.",By Khaled Hosseini: A Thousand Splendid Suns
lpvmbl,I recently discovered hate reading is a great coping strategy for me. Please recommend trash.,"It's the escapism for me. Previous hate reads include Discovery of Witches series, Twilight series and Priory of the Orange Tree. Doesn't have to be vampires but fantasy seems to be a good place to look for ridiculous but binge-able books.

&amp;#x200B;

Edit

Thanks for all the trashy, love to hate, hate to love, good kind of bad, basic bitch, fun read, guilty pleasure, popcorn, addictive, actually just bad, and mass market garbage suggestions. Also the awards (!)

Sorry to anyone who took offense to this post. I meant trash in the most affectionate way possible, Priory was simply the next closest thing I had read to that sentiment, although it isn't the same flavor of bad at all.. just disappointing. We'll fix that, probably starting with True Blood, Stephanie Plum or Dresden Files I think!

I would also like to bump this essay on Camp suggested by u/ThatsMcGuffin2U

[https://monoskop.org/images/5/59/Sontag\_Susan\_1964\_Notes\_on\_Camp.pdf](https://monoskop.org/images/5/59/Sontag_Susan_1964_Notes_on_Camp.pdf)",By Elizabeth Gilbert
ndmzrm,"I've just discovered the term ""Kids on Bikes"" and it perfectly describes what I'm looking for","For those that don't know, the ""Kids on Bikes"" genre is generally described as stories about groups of kids who embark on some sort of coming-of-age journey/adventure together, using their bikes as transportation. They can be either warm and friendly, or dark and scary. Or both. They don't even have to really be on their bikes! They're typically dripping with nostalgia of childhood summers, and are usually set in the 1950-80's suburbia to avoid modern technology, like cell phones or Pornhub. 

Some books that somewhat fit this criteria that I've read and enjoyed:

""IT"", by Stephen King

""Summer of Night"", by Dan Simmons

""Boy's Life"", by Robert R. McCammon

""The Body"", by Stephen King

""Dandelion Wine"", by Ray Bradbury

""Something Wicked This Way Comes"", by Ray Bradbury

I'd love anything you'd think might fit this description. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thank you so much for all your suggestions! I can't respond to everyone, but I'm very grateful.",Favourites Would Probably Be The Bottoms
my8q9p,"Tell me 3 books. One where the main character dies at the end, one where they survive, and one that is ambiguous. Don’t say which is which","The Mist, The Ruins, Mr Rosewater",Is Full Of Spiders
kl2wps,I didn't hit my reading goal!,"Hey book friends, I didn't hit my reading goal. Nowhere near it. The pandemic fucked my concentration, and being forced to work from my home for increasingly long hours meant I never felt like I could relax.

I didn't hit my goal, but that's okay. It's okay if you didn't either.

The best book I read this year was To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers - it was short (that helped), but very beautiful. I'm hoping to read some of her other books in 2021 if I can find any motivation/concentration.

What's the best short book/novella you've read recently? Give me some recs and I might actually get through them :)

Edit: Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions so far! I hope everyone finds something new to read from all these &lt;3",Every Heart A Doorway
jk79k7,"""When you think you are screwed remember we are all on a big wet ball floating in the dark """,Books with positive existential nihilism themes like this quote?,Death With Interruptions
vrh1kt,I’m an adult woman who’s ashamed of how little reading I’ve done in my life. Just got a library card. Give me your top 3 titles.,"Open to any/all genres!

EDITED TO ADD: thank you all so much for the wonderful suggestions. I can’t wait to comb through and pick out a few that pique my interest. Of course, I’ll report back with my findings. I hope this thread serves as a place for you all to find your next read as well.",Contemporary Romance To Keep Myself Going Too
1n06jpi,Overrated books people pretend to love… but actually left you empty?,"Be honest! We’ve all finished a “must read masterpiece” and thought…. ""THAT'S IT!?"" I want to know the books that everyone hypes but secretly felt hollow, boring, or try hard to you.

For me, it was ""The Great Gatsby."" I get the symbolism and beautifully written, but honestly, to me it just felt like rich people being miserable for 200 pages. What about you guys? 

And if you’ve got an underrated book that deserves the hype instead, even better, please lemme know. Would love some recs. 
",Power Through
kknpyz,"CoVid-19 forced us to Work from Home which made me dig into my hobby of reading. Finished 33 books this year as compared to 5 books in 2019. Amazing feeling. Currently reading Catch 22, let's hope I can do 34 before 2021.","1. Birthday Girl by Murakami
2. Sapiens by Harari
3. Permanent Record(Audiobook) by Snowden
4. 1984 by Orwell
5. Animal Farm by Orwell
6. The Kite Runner by Hosseini
7. The catcher in the Rye by Salinger
8. Man's search for meaning by Victor Frankl
9. Metamorphosis by Kafka
10. Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
11. The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
12. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
13. Three men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
14. The old man and the sea by Hemingway
15. And there were none by Agatha Christie
16. The sense of an Ending by Julias Barnes
17. Killman Creek(Audiobook) by Rachel Caine
18. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
19. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy(Audiobook - narrated by Stephen Fry) by Douglas Adams.
20. Bad Blood(Audiobook) by John Carreyrou
21. The God of small things by Arundhati Roy
22. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
23. Homo Deus by Harari
24. Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman
25. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
26. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
27. When Breath becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
28. Factfulness by Rosling family
29. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
30. Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman
31. All the light we cannot see by Anthony Doerr
32. To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
33. Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky

My top 5 out of these:
1984, 
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy, 
Man's search for Meaning, 
The sense of an Ending, 
Crime and Punishment

I am looking forward to read more books on the line of Crime and Punishment or Man's search for meaning or 1984, do suggest some.

Edit 1 - After seeing all the recommendations by the wonderful folks of this subreddit it seems like I have just scratched the surface with these books and for me it is gonna be a long road ahead to read everything suggested here. I am just amazed by how much people read.",Any Other Kafka Work Like The Trial Or The Castle
glecd4,YA books with female protagonist and no love interest,"Hi! My young teen daughter is in her discovery phase. Her whole life her nose has been in a book, she's an avid reader. But lately with the quarantine I've noticed her stepping away from that hobby. I asked her what's up and she said she's just tired of reading books that the goal is to get with someone else. 

She's very female empowerment and expressed to me she wishes she could find a book like described in the title. She also asked for a pride flag for her birthday so she may be leaning LGBTQ? I know there are genres out there for that audience but not sure if it would fit her ""without a love interest or romance aspect"" caveat.

Any books you could suggest would be very welcome! Thank you!!

Edit: thanks so much for all of these fantastic recommendations! I'll forward her this list. I truly appreciate all this great feedback!",Be Prepared
gc4fsx,I need a book that will scare me so bad that I'm afraid to resume reading the book,Edit to add: [the list I made based off this thread ](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/gefdmb/lets_try_this_again_list_i_made_from_my_previous/?utm_medium=android_app&amp;utm_source=share),A Head Full Of Ghosts
fx88et,Good erotic books?,"I personally don't like porn, so I'm looking for alternatives.

I want to know some titles that don't look like are written by a 5 year old.

Edit: woah I wasn't expecting all of these responses. Thank you so much! I will surely read more than one and tell you if i like them ^ ^

Edit2: for clarification, they don't really need to be all about sex, just a bit... ""spicy""

Edit3: I don't usually use Reddit but I would have NEVER guessed my most popular post would be about horny books, thanks everyone!",Belinda Blinked
g2tidc,Book Hangovers are the WORST,"""The Devil in the White City"" by Erik Lawson was recommended to me by a few people, so I picked it up last Friday. I finished it in 3 days. IT WAS SO GOOD. Fast paced, creepy, and I learned a lot about the Worlds Fair in Chicago and H. H. Holmes. I didn't know nonfiction could be written like that! Now that it's over, I don't know what to read next, despite my growing pile of books to read...

I'd like to find something similar, if possible. I love any kind of history, both fiction and non-fiction. I don't really care when in history it happened.

I'm trying to read more during the pandemic, and getting lost in a book is really helpful right now. I appreciate any suggestions in advance!

EDIT: Wow! Thank you all for your marvelous suggestions! My book list is much longer now, and I think I'll be escaping to new adventures. Thanks again!",Check Out Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil
j3pp3z,"""You die twice. First when you stop breathing. Second when somebody mentions your name for the last time.""","Ok so here me out. The quote above is a banksy quote or someone. I've been really interested in this concept of two deaths, and have seen it come up in various medias recently and want more that include it. Also some spoilers down below .

The best example is going to be in Coco the disney movie (not a book but still). You see that once a person is forgotten, their skeleton dissapears and they are now officially dead in a sense.

The other two examples were in books and much less the focus, just a nice add on. One was ""Lies my Teacher Told Me"" by James Loewren where he briefly mentions the an African belief of the recent past and the past past (im generalizing.) The other was in The Bear by Andrew Krivak. In the end the bear remembers a story of the man, essentially keeping him alive with the forest.

I hope this makes sense.

Edit: no, i did not watch The Boys last night

Edit 2: so many responses, no clue where to begin reading but im set for a while",Gnu Pterry
n2xnzq,What's a book that you immediately got hook because of it's opening sentence?,"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy really sucked me right in with ""In the beginning the Universe was created. This had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."" (Edit: This one is actually in the book The Restaurant at the End of The Universe) My reading experience with this book was further enhanced by reading along the audiobook in which Stephen Fry was the narrator.

Edit: Wow this sub really delivers. By the time this thread fizzles out, I'll be buried with all the To-be-read books lol. 2 months ago, my kindle broke and I was really sad by its..well, demise. I am a creature of habit and losing my kindle really threw me off my reading schedule. I dislike reading from my phone and ipad because they really strain my eyes. And since I've switched to a kindle, I have given away most of my paperbacks. I got some extra money recently and a new kindle is on its way. So again, thank you for these great recommendations. Some of them, I already purchased, and some I will gradually buy in the months to come. I am immensely grateful guys!

Edit: ""What is a book that immediately got you hooked because of its opening line."" The grammatical errors in the title are killing me lol. Sorry, English is not my first language. 😅",Here Is A Small Fact
cg294l,I finally read Harry Potter. I can’t believe I waited so long to read these books. I have only ever read non-fiction and I am so glad I found these books. What do I read next? I like these make believe worlds. I am going shopping tomorrow what else should I get? Please suggest books as good as HP.,,Alice In Wonderland
j7b9xq,Joining this sub has had a negative impact on my bank account,"I keep buying books! I'm supposed to be saving but you all keep making too many good recommendations and I just can't resist a £3 with free postage book on ebay. Recommend me your favourite read this year anyway, who needs money after all?

Edit: I'd just like to clarify that this is a lighthearted post and I have not actually put myself into financial trouble by buying books.",Let The Right One In
sqjxt7,"A book that tells you that your life doesn't need a purpose, or a grand ambition; and that it's okay to just wander through life finding interesting things to do until you die",,Convenience Store Woman
i3hhau,Recommend me a book that made you feel like you just read a masterpiece,"I can't give you a specific genre, but I want to feel emotional. **I want to get attached to the characters, to the world and the story.** I don't enjoy heavy abstract references to religion etc. I enjoy symbolism, but I don't like it when it's too abstract and only a few people out of a million can get it.

This might be too vague, and I'm sorry about that but just recommend me anything you feel like fits my needs. I haven't been reading a lot lately, and I want to be thrown off by the book, carried away like there's no outside world.

Thank you.

Thanks to everyone who made their recommendations. I'm gonna be spending a lot of money on books in the near-future",A Fine Balance
garmay,"Percy Jackson was my fix for Greek mythology, what book/series can fill the void for Norse?","Rick Riordan did a fantastic job with introducing me to the world of Greek mythology, but recently I've been more into Norse because who doesn't love Viking badassery?

Playing God of War and Hellblade only intensified my craving for some good Norse shit to read, it doesn't need to be limited to mythology, I'll love reading about Viking raids as well.

**EDIT:** didn't expect so many replies, thanks for all the great suggestions!

These are the books I've shortlisted, TL;DR for anyone coming across the thread - 

* American Gods by Neil Gaiman
* Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
* Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan",The Alchemist
y0c4ox,"What’s your “read it without looking it up, trust me” book recommendation?","Doesn’t matter the genre, topic, lenght.",Children Of Time
i2xsgh,please suggest heterosexual romance books where the guy is not an asshole.,"i usually avoid reading straight romance because the guy is almost always ""a brooding man with a dark past"" who is wanted by everyone, but only has eyes for the protagonist. these kinda books also tend to be very misogynistic. can you suggest books where the guy is actually nice?",Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
iiuaxw,What are some books that truly fuck with your mind?,"Imagine what you felt watching 'Inception' or 'Prestige' for the first time. Specifically looking at the signs that have been laid out over the entire film. If you were paying enough attention, you could possibly put it together, but once the end is revealed, your mind is completely blown. So much so, that you want to see it a second, third and fourth time. Just to get every hidden sign.

Honorable book mentions would be 'Time and Time again' and some of the subplots of 'A song of ice and fire'. 

I'm pretty sure there have to be a few well known books and some hidden away gems, that only you know of. Share the names, I want to read them!


Edit: Getting quite a few examples here. As I obviously don't want to research the books to not spoil myself and lose the chance of a great experience: Please upvote the comments that you'd recommend as well, if you recognize a book!",A Good Chunk Of The Books Written
olh6vb,I fear my brother is slowly turning into an incel and i need a book that would enlighten him and help prevent that.,"Like i said in the title, it’s becoming more and more concerning with time. He’s 23, has a very skewed view on women and what women want from men, thinks feminism is against men, a bit of a homophobe, also a conspiracy theories believer, borderline obese and i don’t think he ever had a proper girlfriend. It sucks that i had to describe him like this but it’s pretty much the truth. I want to give him a book that would help him understand where his thinking is flawed and help him get better. Whenever i try to have a conversation with him about something that it’s not ok, he only cherry-picks and understands what he wants from the discussion. I feel like talking to a wall and it’s infuriating and draining.

LATER EDIT: Thank you for the book suggestions. I will go through some of them myself before recommending one to him. I don’t want to do more damage than good. 
I feel like i need to clarify some things, as i have read all of your comments but it’s easier to respond like this. He’s not a lost cause yet. He wasn’t always like this. 6 years ago i had to leave for college myself in a different city that’s pretty far and i rarely could go home. 4 years ago he went to college too but in a different city closer to home, and more than 95% of his social circle from school is made up from boys. I guess he kinda got trapped in an echo chamber with his friends there and that’s when probably things started to go downhill. This became more obvious as the pandemic hit and he was stuck at home where he doesn’t really get along with my father (they bicker all day). 
Today i had an argument with him about why rape jokes are never ok and why they are not dark humor , they are just disgusting and shouldn’t be tolerated no matter the gender involved. I think (later, after posting this) i finally managed to get some sense into him why it’s not ok but that took a lot of back and forth explaining and a lot of time (time which i do not possess right now). The point is he is still salvageable but sadly i can’t be physically there for him to make him see where he is wrong because i don’t live at home anymore. I can’t include him in my social circle or show him healthy interactions between women and men because we live far apart. (Also my parents never really had a healthy relationship so he’s not used with that in the family. We were non abused but we witnessed a lot of arguments between out parents) 
And there’s so much you can do through online communication. 
Reading a lot and witnessing healthy relationships and friendships in my social circle helped me not go on the same path of thinking as him. I can’t make him a part of my social circle because of distance but i was hoping good books might enlighten him a bit, at least to break the echo chamber he seems to be trapped in.",Is Going To De-Radicalize Him
164rdu7,What was the most life changing book you've read?,"What impacted your perspective, made you add or drop a habit? What has blown your mind or had you reconsider your path? What reminded you to live or had you redefining what living is? What book was a real eye opener or heart warmer? What has moved you?",Helped Me See Myself As Human
nqu86o,"I’m a high school literature and composition teacher who is building a classroom library out of books that ARE NOT “chapter books,” and I need as many suggestions as possible. Specifics and examples inside.","tl;dr: What are your favorite weird, overly-specific, or breathtakingly beautiful “coffee-table-esque” non-chapter books that I can add to my high school classroom library?

Hi, Reddit! I’m a public high school English teacher (16-18 year old students), and I’m trying to build a classroom library primarily out of books that aren’t chapter books. 

I set aside one day every single school week where students can read for the entire period. They don’t have to journal about it, they don’t have to take a quiz about it, they don’t have to talk about it, and they can read whatever they want. No strings attached. The only rules are that they can’t sleep and they can’t be on their phones. 

Now, I’m looking for books that are not chapter books because I have three types of students: 

1)	Students who say, “I hate to read.” They really don’t. They just hate to read chapter books. My theory is that they don’t like to read chapter books because they never developed the endurance. My goal with these students isn’t to try to get them to read more, but rather to start saying, “I like reading, but I’m not really into chapter books.” I can actually get these students to read a ton once they stop thinking that I’m trying to trick them. If I have a classroom library full of options that aren’t chapter books, these students can explore a self-selected topic at their own pace, build up their “reading endurance,” and most importantly, they can begin to form positive feelings about reading.

2)	Students who like to read, but they’re swamped with honors and AP classes. These students really DO love to read, but they are so busy with their higher-level coursework that they’re not going to begin some chapter book that they just don’t have the time to finish, and a week between independent reading days is just too long for most of them to stay mentally involved in a story. By having a classroom of books that aren’t chapter books, these students get to read, and they get to satiate their curiosity, they get to develop a weird little knowledge base of trivia that will actually support them in their higher level coursework, and they don’t have to feel the frustration of beginning a book that they know they don’t have the time to finish.

3)	The book nerds. These students already have a book in their bag, and they already know which book they want to read next, and they’re on a first-name basis with the school librarian, so it doesn’t matter what I have in my classroom library.

So the kind of books I’m looking for can be on any subject. I work in a very lax school district, so I don’t have to censure much content. I really like bizarre books, coffee table books, beautiful books, books on topics that seem oddly specific, pop-up books, art books, instructional books, short books, books that are comically big… anything that a student can pick up, flip open to a random page, and start reading. Or books with a well-organized table of contents so a student can quickly look at their options and pick what interests them most. They don’t have to be school related; they can be about shitty interior design or fifteenth-century basket weaving or lockpicking or metal detecting or the dangers of incest or the truth about love or BEES!

Here is a list of some of the classroom books which I’ve already accumulated:

101 Ethical Dilemmas

30-Second Theories

501 Things You Should Have Learned about History

The Areas of My Expertise

The Arrival (a picture book with no words, and one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read)

The Art of Speed Reading People

The Art of War

Atlas Obscura

Awkward Family Photos

Awkward Moments Children’s Bible Volumes 1 &amp; 2

Bad Days in History

Banksy: Wall and Piece

Be Here Now

The Burning House

The Complete Book of Questions

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

The Complete Far Side

The Complete Manual of Things that Might Kill You

Crap Taxidermy

Dali (Dali’s art and commentary)

Dog Shaming

Drug Identification Bible

The Duck That Won the Lottery: 100 New Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher

Einstein’s Dreams

Essential Manners for Men

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America

The Gashlycrumb Tinies

George Washington is Cash Money: A No-Bullshit Guide to the United Myths of America

Giants, Monsters, and Dragons (sort of like a dictionary of mythological beasts)

How Not to Be a Dick

How to Be a Philosopher

How to Poo on a Date

How to Traumatize Your Children

Humans of New York

An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments

The Illustrated Dictionary of Snark

An Incomplete Education

Just the Arguments

Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History

Letters of Note

A Lifetime of Secrets

The Little Blue Thinking Book

The Mincing Mockingbird: Guide to Troubled Birds

The Philosophy Gym

The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher

Puzzles from Other Worlds

The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions

Shit My Dad Says

Spoiled Brats

Stay Sexy &amp; Don’t Get Murdered

Strengths Finder

Super System: A Course in Power Poker

Techniques of Propaganda

The Timechart History of the World (this one unfolds into a massive timeline)

This Is Water

Timelines of Everything

Trapping North American Furbearers (hahaha)

The Ultimate Office Prank Book

The Viking Book of Aphorisms

What If?

The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos

Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes: A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology

Zinn &amp; the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance

Zinn &amp; the Art of Road Bike Maintenance


I’ve also accumulated a ton of For Dummies books, as well as poetry, short story, and essay anthologies (and just weird anthologies in general).

And PLEASE, lurkers, take the two seconds to comment the title of that book you’re thinking of right now. I guarantee you that I will read each and every one of these comments, and I’m super grateful for any ideas or suggestions that you have, for real. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Edit: You guys are incredible. I’ve spent SO much time looking for great books like these, but what you’ve all suggested in a matter of hours is just so much more than I would have ever been able to discover on my own! Thank you, thank you!!

A bunch of people have suggested poetry books, and I agree, but finding worthwhile ones is so difficult. I really like plain-spoken, plain-language, almost “prosey” poetry, like Richard Brautigan or Sherman Alexie. I’d love any suggestions which you might have! That’s not to say that I don’t have Tennyson and Byron and Whitman and Pope on the ready, but, well, you know—there are some treasures you have to want look for before you can see them. 

Thank you all again! I’m creating a giant list of all of these!",A Few Of These
m4fb7u,"Just finished reading The Song of Achilles... No, I am definitely not well.","This book has probably been recommended a hundred times already but I needed to vent and say I’ve been left emotionally traumatized. I am still sobbing from that last chapter with Thetis. This book was incredibly good and beautiful and so, so well written. We all knew what was going to happen but still, it broke my heart into tiny little pieces like it hadn’t been broken in a long time..

I just started getting really into reading so I haven’t devoured many books yet but I plan to, though. 

Does anyone have more suggestions with a gay male theme similar to this? Only ones I’ve read are this one and Call Me by Your Name. Suggestions could be in English, Spanish or French! It doesn’t have to be fiction either, open to anything!",The Art Of Starving Is Incredibly Moving
n193dd,Everything is rooted in money and it makes me feel helpless,"I feel like every day I find a new thing to be angry about in regards to capitalism and everything being influenced by money. Yesterday it was the German government's decision to work closely with China, despite the human rights violations against the Uyghurs, agreeing to not discuss that topic, because ""China is too important for the German economy"". The day before that it was patents on the COVID vaccine which is obviously gonna restrict the access that less wealthy countries have. The day before that it was all the refugees that die because the EU refuses to give help, safety and resources to humans in need. And somehow I always end up with money being the common denominator in these issues. So I'd like to become more educated on the topic, what has to be done and changed on a higher level and what can I as an individual do to facilitate (even just small) change.
This seems pretty specific but if anyone has any thoughts, please let me know. Thank you!!",A Brief History Of Capitalism
lanajb,Books to read while feeling extremely low and hopeless,"I have been having sudden bouts of sadness and meltdowns. I am aware nothing can substitute therapy, but I can't go to a therapist just yet since I am with my parents and they don't exactly approve and it's not feasible financially at this point. So, anything that can make me introspect, manage these intense emotions effectively, to manage insecurities since those are a reflection of how you think about yourself, and also something feel good. This is so that I can manage for a few months after which I'll be out and I can get proper help.  I am okay with fiction, non-fiction, self-help, anything that you see fit. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I am truly, truly grateful for all of you who took the time to respond with such great suggestions and wishes and even an award. It's incredibly kind of you all.  It's really, really comforting to know that people can be so kind when they have absolutely no reason to. I owe you all big time and I am feeling so much better rn. Thank you all &lt;3

Edit: (I don't know how to do this) I am truly overwhelmed by the responses I am getting and I did not think these many people would respond to me. And some of you went as far as to give me awards and a silver. I really owe all of you and I feel like I am rambling the same thing again and again but I am truly grateful to all of you and I'll never forget this. There's still a lot of good left in the world if people can spend time and wishes on a stranger living in a different corner of the world from where they are.  You guys made my day. Wish you all the best things in the world and thank you 😭♥️",For Feeling Grateful And Alive
gnlplj,"I just finished reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and I don't know what to do with my life anymore","I went into the book without knowing much about it, and it devastated me to say the least. It feels like I've been punched in the gut over and over again. I haven't cried reading a book in such a long time, and it felt kind of liberating. So since I'm in that zone, I'm looking for books that'll have me sobbing my heart out

Edit: Thank you so much for all your recommendations! I really appreciate it",A Thousand Splendid Suns
grgn8m,Books you loved so much it took you a while to recover and read anything else?,"I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and I'm just a wreck. I'm desperate to read something - I was so lost in that world that reality now seems unbearable - but reading another book feels like a betrayal. I want *that* world, and *those* characters, and other books I'd ordinarily enjoy just seem trivial and hollow to me now. It's been a while since I was so affected by finishing a book.

What books have you read that gave you a similar experience upon completion?",A Thousand Splendid Suns
1ii1m3u,Philip K. Dick on Americans,"When I first got into PKD and heard his take on American anti-intellectualism, I didn't really get it. People aren't opposed to education in general, surely! Everybody says to go to college and make something of yourself. But then they hate you for it. My own dad encouraged me to go to college at the same time he was calling it a brainwashing factory. Dummies gonna dumb.",Especially A Kind Of Celebration Of Ignorance
1ifkaki,Around a third through this book and addicted,"I’ve been listening through Ethel Cain’s new EP Perverts as a soundtrack to this. Highly recommend, soul-consuming experience",To See Hbo Do A Single-Season Adaptation
1gfy1tv,Penguin Weird Fiction Set,"The Penguin Weird Fiction series look incredible, and I haven’t read any of them previously. More of this please!",The Table Of Contents For Thst Anthology
1ips9om,There is no Antimemetics Division,"Very unique paychological horror. It's available for free here https://qntm.org/scp

Honestly at the top of psychological horror, i gifted the hardcover to a girl and she got too scared to finish it.

And the concepts are incredibly new and fresh.

Highly recommend.",Is Great At Being Its Own Thing While Adopting Those Concepts
1lioudq,"Art by Zdzislew Beksinski. His stuff should be on more book covers for weird fiction, dark fantasy, and horror;.",,The Best Dystopian Surrealist Painters
1k70x83,Weird West &amp; Fantasy/Paranormal Western Books,"Cowboys fighting werewolves and vampires, undead cowboys or non-human cowboys, shapeshifters and curses and spooky happenings. 
Happened across this image and it abruptly reminded me of the entire Weird West genre and how I wanted to get into it after being exposed to it a couple years ago and just didn't know where to start. I love old Westerns the paranormal and I think it's just a super fun combination for a genre. ",Blood Meridian
1gi6thk,Picked this up from the local bookstore today. It looks like my kind of fun!,,Check Out Dark Matter
n5oc2h,Me and my folklore book got featured in the paper today :),,"S So Strange To See East Anglia Come Up Online, That"
1mehavv,Can I brag for a sec? Just got the 4th of the four holy grails of weird horror! :),,Glass Of Scotch
1kt08kl,Paying respect to one of the best to do it,,Him In High School
1h77sd4,"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream first edition/first printing, signed by Harlan Ellison.  ",,The Best Art For The
1jsbvg5,"Today was born Robert Bloch April 5, 1917. A friend of HP Lovecraft, Bloch was an early contributor to the Cthulhu Mythos.",,The Author Of Psycho
lif2rk,"Amalgamations, all individually excellent. Together a collection of blood, paranoia and mania",,The Covers Did That
1ganyla,I'm digging the cover,"Wish me luck, I hope it's good",The Cover Rocks
1ircujc,"I heard you like Weird cities, so I made a city of my weird cities",,Chef’S Kiss
1acazpq,Poll: how many of you weirdos loved “Sideways Stories From Wayside School” when you were kids?,,Is A Masterpiece Of Surrealism
1gpuqv7,"Recent buys, where should I start?",,Start With The Fisherman
1fjsaru,Finished my tribute to the King in yellow last night. Thank you all for the kind words!,,
1gacw9w,Anyone knows any book that is more weird than House of Leaves?,,Anatomy Of Melancholy
1lftct4,"The ""Veiled Prophet' of St. Louis is giving serious King in Yellow vibes","[Yes, this is a real thing somehow](https://proteanmag.com/2022/05/06/the-cult-of-the-veiled-prophet/).",The Article
1ivr85c,"The You You Are by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD","In case anyone isn’t aware the first several chapters of this book are available through Apple Books.

It’s by Ricken so I don’t think we can call it literature, but it is most definitely weird.

I personally have not yet started my mirror totem, but I’m sure once I do it will have a profound impact on my life and sense of identity.

Ricken perfectly reviews his own work. “So brash an assault on literary convention demands fierce reprisal. He’ll be shipped off to the gulag like an errant pauper.”",By Ricken On Audiobook
n0fhad,I love this book. A surreal fever dream about a woman in an old age home during the end of the world. I really don’t know how to describe this book.,,In The House In The Dark Of The Woods
1l419hf,Help me decide on cover art.,"I have these two options for book cover art. I like both generally, but thought I would get some outside opinions before committing! Thank you for any help. 

  


Here is the blurb in its current state if this is helpful:



In 2043, Pamela just wants to stop feeling like shit.

Enter ***U++***, a new black-market gene therapy, that fills her with promises of a genetically enhanced 'best self.' The horrifying discovery? Pam's biology has very different ideas about what constitutes self improvement...

As the grotesque transformation accelerates, her desperate husband Mark sees opportunity: why not document his wife's metamorphosis as an unscripted show? With their finances crashing, a new baby to support, and the future-Texas heat literally killing people, exploiting Pam's condition *(through the art of reality TV)* might be their only path to survival.

A savage satire of late-stage capitalism, reality television, and our obsession with self-improvement, ""A Modern Growth"" asks: when everything is content, what's left of being human?  
  
","T Ai Generated, If That"
1j9t8yk,Hanging with my buddy Howard,"Started spring break in Providence to tour Brown, since it's my top choice for grad school, and had a lovely time in the city. Weird Providence (the bookstore) is a must—I don't think I've ever spent so much money on books in a single go. I didn't have any Lovecraft on hand to pose with so there I am with Pest by Michael Cisco.",The Main Negative
1lfqkpj,Children's weird lit recommendations?,"My daughter and I have been getting really into Shaun Tan, who I would describe as weird lit through and through, despite being a children's author. The only other example I can think off the top of my head might [peripherally] be Brian Froud books, with their unusual disjunctive, field study style. What are some children's weird lit books or authors you enjoy?",A Bad Case Of Stripes Written And Illustrated
sfmciz,Who else read this masterpiece?,,The Enlightenment And Idealist Metaphysics
xof734,I've now made 16 of these parody book covers. Cosmic horror children's book.,,D Love To See The Hounds Of Tindalos
1l33o75,Strange Houses,"I started a thread on strange pictures, a while back and it got good reception so I thought I’d share that Strange Houses came out today. 

A writer investigating an eerie house finds the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious ""dead space” hidden between its walls. House of Leaves vibes?",Hasn’T Done For Me In A Long Time
1m24nte,"British Library Tales of the Weird! I was passing through London over the weekend and hit a bookstore hoping to see these. I didn't take any home as my bags were already quite full, but it was great to see so many together. I wish I had room for them all!",,Oh Yes
1i5sgju,Looking for books that will make me think 'what the f*ck???',I enjoy anything that evokes a strong reaction in me. What are your FAVORITE wtf!? Books,The Cipher
1lp981z,Found a book through a viral TikTok and it’s one of the weirdest things I’ve read,"So a while back I saw this TikTok where someone (I think they’re non-binary, they/them in the bio) told a deadpan story about trying to get a t-shirt from an underground Paris Catacomb club but winds up getting left for dead. [TikTok link here](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8rKcFoM/) if you’re curious.

Anyway, same person later came back last year to promote a book they wrote called *The Sleep Café* by Zachary Aborizk, and barely anyone noticed. TikTok isn’t exactly the best place to push a book if its not dark academia or romantasy. I got curious and bought it and this thing is *weird* in a way I haven’t seen before.

Summary from Goodreads:

*Enter a world unlike any other within the pages of the greatest publication in North America...*  
  
*Meet the Editor-in-Chief, Christopher Mills, a yacht-obsessed coke-head with a vendetta against the peace-loving Fish People; Maxine Carter, the self-proclaimed greatest reporter in North America, who finds herself obsessed with an appropriating street clown; Georgia Denver, a shapeshifter on a mission…somewhere...she can’t exactly remember; Jean Grayson, the film critic who is slowly growing paralyzed and forced to watch a Twilight Zone rip-off; and Moon Quartz, the astrologer who holds quite the passion for Enya’s classic 1988 album, Watermark.*  
  
*Together, their minds will unite to defeat an evil wizard/artificial intelligence and uncover the truth of everything they’ve come to accept about their identities and the world around them.*

It’s laid out like an actual magazine. Each chapter is a different POV, each section is a new “issue,” and eventually the characters all start bleeding into each other’s stories before escaping the magazine entirely into… something else. Hard to explain. It leans into confusion as a storytelling and comedic device, but somehow ends up hitting emotionally by the end.

Very absurd, very fragmented, surprisingly heartfelt. Not sure exactly what to compare it to, but if you’re looking for something different, I recommend it.

Side note: It’s self-published, so expect a few errors, but nothing that killed the experience for me. Definitely not for everyone, but if you like experimental stuff with chaotic energy, this one’s worth a look.",The Weirder The Better
w8w733,I remembered the Nietzsche Family Circus today and it reminded me of this particular Family Circus cartoon.,,
ve7ixa,"""What if There Was a Weird City?""- A Big Comprehensive Guide List (except for the ones that aren't listed)","I posted this first to r/fantasy, but I think it fits here too! I tried to correct even more errors! 

One of my favourite ""genres"" in SFF is what I affectionately call the ""fucked-up city"" genre. So, for others who seek similar things, I thought I'd put together a big list of books that fit (excluding the ones I haven't read (and excluding the ones I forgot about (and excluding the ones I haven't heard of (and excluding the ones I didn't find Weird, even though you might)))). I've split them up into some categories (scientifically determined by ""vibes I got"") with descriptions and my brief thoughts. There will be no spoilers here, of course, for this is intended as a guide!

***
***

#Weird Fantasy Cities

***

##Weird Secondary World Cities

###**Perdido Street Station** by China Miéville

""Weird Secondary Worlds"" could almost be ""The Miéville Section"" (although he has his fingers in most of the other pies too). **Perdido Street Station** is one of the big hitters in this genre, and likely to be the first most folks encounter. If you're looking for ""another Perdido,"" some of the other entries on this list should hopefully scratch the itch! **Perdido Street Station** takes place in New Crobuzon, a grimy, gloomy, steampunk-y fantasy city. The city is full of many of the most unique fantasy races, from ambulatory cacti and frog-like water shapers to women with scarab beetles for heads (the men are basically just giant scarabs) and tribal porcupinids. There's a mix of science and magic and biotech, trains and gunpowder and demons and Chaos. There's drugs and industry, science and bureaucracy, and some of the most terrifying creatures I've read for an antagonistic force. **Perdido** (and Bas-Lag as a whole) are some of my very favourite books, well in my Top Ten, and all are gorgeously (if very densely) written. [Perdido Street Station](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68494.Perdido_Street_Station)

###**Ambergris** by Jeff VanderMeer

Since it all takes place in the same city, I'm throwing all of the **Ambergris** trilogy here together; **City of Saints and Madmen**, **Shriek: An Afterword**, and **Finch**. The city of Ambergris can described in a word as ""fungal."" It's a foetid, dank, sprawling city, shadowed by its origins and the original indigenous mushroom-like inhabitants of the city. The city changes over the course of the trilogy, which, though linked, stand somewhat alone and take place over a relatively long time. Throughout the books though, there's strange fungal occurrences, madness and terror. It again has a blend of fantasy and modernity- there are pistols and typewriters, Universities and newspapers, alongside the mushroom technology and things that go ""bump"" in the night. **Ambergris** is also often told in a very fun way, through travel pamphlets and one-sided dialogues between writers and a fantasy noir novel. It, again, is one of my very favourite series and in my Top Ten. [Ambergris](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50403446-ambergris)

###**The Scar** by China Miéville

In the same world as **Perdido**, we have **The Scar**, which takes place on Armada. Armada is a city of ships. Not in the way that's sometimes used in fantasy to poetically describe a port- it is a city *of* ships, composed of galleons and ironclads, airships and barges, all lashed and piled and nailed together. It is a pirate city, raiding and scavenging and trading, pulled by tugboats and docked ships. There are walkways and bridges, gondolas and airships to take one around the city, and it is as diverse as its composite building blocks- there are many divisions and races in the city, from most of those present in New Crobuzon to more- lobster-centaurs, vampires, menfish, and humans Remade semi-aquatic by biotech. Along with **Perdido**, it is a favourite of mine (I may like it just slightly more). [The Scar](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68497.The_Scar)

###**Trial of Flowers** by Jay Lake

**Trial of Flowers** takes place in The City Imperishable. Unrest stirs in the city, as Old Gods seek to return, noumenal attacks occur in the night, the city's dwarves are unjustly persecuted, and the Office of the Mayor is attempted to be revived. The City Imperishable is a decadent, semi-magic semi-industrial setting, full of idiosyncrasies and weirdness. The city's dwarfs, confined in boxes as they grow up and tutored in numbers and bureaucracy, are stunted in growth and have partially sewn together lips. Armed mummers ride around the city on the backs of camelopards, trees burst aflame and translucent monsters of teeth and void ravage the populace in the night, and Bacchanals are thrown in the streets in lip service to the ghosts of the Gods. I actually did a full review of this book [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/ti9ws8/review_of_trial_of_flowers_by_jay_lake_a_great/), if the prior description intrigues you. This is another book that landed on my favourite shelf- it isn't perfect, but it's extremely weird and fun. [Trial of Flowers](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1354730.Trial_of_Flowers)

###**The Etched City** by K. J. Bishop

**The Etched City** does not begin in its city. It begins in a desolate, decaying desert (somewhat reminiscent of King's **The Gunslinger** to me), with our characters Gywnn and Raule. Fleeing the aftermath of a failed rebellion of which they were on the losing side, they reach Ashamoil. Ashamoil is a humid, oppressive, jungle city. It feels vaguely 1800s in technology, and has decaying slums, criminal families, art and drugs and dreams. The boundaries between dream and art and reality shift and blur: poetry and religion, death and birth are all discussed and then observed. Cynical holy men, drug dimensions, sculptures of meat, stillborn baby Gods- there's a lot in **The Etched City**. Again (I did say this is my favourite subgenre), it's a favourite of mine. I only hope Bishop puts out another novel. [The Etched City](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/944555.The_Etched_City)

###**Mordew** by Alex Pheby

This book takes place in the titular **Mordew**, and is I think the most recently published book on this list. The city of **Mordew** is highly stratified, and is ruled under the all-powerful hand of The Master, the only force magically maintaining the sea-wall which both holds back the ocean and protects the city from the assault of Fire Birds. The city is a spiral, beginning down in the slums at the walls, and spiraling through the factories, the mines, the merchants, the nobles, and finally to the forest and the Master's Manse at the hub, reachable only by the grand spiraling glass way. The slums, where we start with our protagonist Nathan Treeves, is inundated in the Living Mud, mud which holds half-formed half-life, chaotically and stochastically combining and dissolving and attempting to form life. The mud yields babies made only of limbs, or sole biological components. Men are born from rocks, or when an ass shits on a forge, or through sheer force of will and the slow assembly of the self. This book was not quite my favourite, although, being the first of a trilogy, it has a great potential to vastly improve my opinion in retrospect- it lay a *lot* of interesting elements in the worldbuilding, and the plot went in an unexpected direction, which could lead to some very interesting events once the rest is released. I often felt that it thought it was being ""weirder"" than it was in fact being, which was slightly jarring... [Mordew](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56347303-mordew)

###**Iron Council** by by China Miéville

Last Miéville in this section, and one in which I'll be brief. Part of this novel takes place in New Crobuzon, which I described in the Perdido section, but remains as good fun. The other portions of this novel take place on the **Iron Council**, a train-city, traveling through the wastes, laying its track before itself and scavenging the track which has been passed over. The novel flits back and forth between three disparate threads, the time before the Council, the time of the Council in New Crobuzon, and the time following the Council itself. The Iron Council, as we follow it, is a rebellion collective on the train, travelling where its citizens decide, after the train and its people revolt from New Crobuzon. The three threads of The Past, New Crobuzon, and the Council tie together and come to a head as the novel goes on. This was my least favourite of the three Bas-Lag novels, but still a great novel, and the series is still one of my all-time faves. This novel is more politically overt than the others, and features what I considered an incredibly cool ending. [Iron Council](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68495.Iron_Council)

###**Palimpsest** by Catherynne M. Valente

**Palimpsest** is a divided novel, taking place half in our world, and half in Palimpsest. To reach Palimpsest is already weird enough. It is a sexually transmitted city, which leaves a tattoo of a portion of itself on one's body after a night of pleasure. Each person is marked with a particular portion of the city, and to reach another, one must find who holds the mark and sleep with them. Despite this, **Palimpsest** isn't a particularly erotic book- this just accentuates the weirdness of what it is through how to get there. Palimpsest itself is a city of assembly-line made vermin, living graffiti, and sentient ghostly living trains. Accessed in such a weird way by our world, it has its regular citizens, but also half-animal war veterans and canals of cream or clothing. I loved **Palimpsest**, and it has some gorgeous prose, some ""write that down!"" beautifully constructed paragraphs. [Palimpsest](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3973532-palimpsest)

***

##Weird Primary World Cities

###**Kraken** by China Miéville

Miéville returns! **Kraken** is set in the weird underbelly of London. While conducting a tour in the Natural History Museum, the giant squid specimen disappears in front our protagonist Billy's, a cephalopod specialist, eyes. The London that is revealed over the course of this novel contains cults and wizards, sentient criminal tattoos and occult police departments, haruspex who divine the future from the entrails of the city. Struggles between all these factions and Billy, caught up in the middle, revolve around the embryonic squid god, myth and magic, and the End of the World. [Kraken](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931246-kraken)

###**Invisible Cities** by Italo Calvino

**Invisible Cities** is sort of a meta-entry to this genre. The book does not take place in any one Weird city, but is instead a collection of snapshots of individual strange cities, tied together in a narrative layer, each of which has one defining element. The frame for this narrative is Marco Polo describing his travels to Kublai Khan, and all of the cities he has encountered through the Khan's empire. There are too many cities to describe contained within this book, but it contains such strange places as a city suspended by a net between two mountains, a city constantly under construction so it cannot be destroyed, a city where each and every relationship between people and buildings is denoted by a tied string, so much that the city is no longer there in the people or buildings, but yet there in essence and soul... Each of the little vignettes of these cities, focusing on one element that makes that city strange and meaningful, is only a few pages. Tied together by the frame, it is almost a book of templates of what components may compose a city... [Invisible Cities](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27385980-invisible-cities)

###**Pirate Emperor/The Shell Magicians** by Kai Meyer (The Wave Walkers #2)

This is likely to be one of the more obscure entries in this list, but I think it belongs and it's of a different tone than the rest. This is the second (though the city features in the third, **Water Weavers**/**Pirate Wars**) of a YA trilogy, set in a strange magical Caribbean. The series is a quite dark, pirate YA fantasy, featuring Polliwiggles, children born with the ability to walk on saltwater. It was originally published in German, and the English series names apparently changed between printings. The Weird City, which first appears in the second, is Aelinium. Aelinium is a city where all the buildings are grown from coral, built on the back of a giant starfish floating in the Caribbean. The city is mirrored underwater, and contains gods and monsters beneath the waves. The city holds ancient knowledge, including about the Polliwiggles, and is under attack from demons and otherworldy monsters. It's been a good long time since I read this series, but I remember it fondly from my teen years, and it was surprisingly dark and scary for a YA series. [The Shell Magicians](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2457543.The_Shell_Magicians)

###**The City and the City** by China Miéville

This is perhaps the entry on this list with the lowest speculative element. This novel is almost primarily a mystery, so much so that I often recommend it to family and friends who like mysteries who want to dip their toes into speculative fiction. This novel is set in the dual cities of Bezsel and Ul Qoma, and begins with our protagonist Borlú investigating a murder. In the course of this investigation, Borlú must travel to Ul Qoma... Which is in the same place as Beszel. The two cities are inextricably intertwined, and to travel between them is as much mental as physical. They officially ""meet"" in only one place at a border, but a street may have its West half in Ul Qoma and its East in Beszel, or end abruptly in one and begin in the other. The cities are disparate in fashion and culture, economy and style. To Breach, to observe or move to one city from another, is not only taboo and illegal, it can be dangerous... As the investigation continues, factions seeking to unite with or destroy the other city emerge on both sides. [The City and the City](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4703581-the-city-the-city)

###**The Secret Books of Paradys** by Tanith Lee

I have only read the first 2 of 4 books in this series, but I feel like it belongs; it is a little less weird, and a little more gloomy and gothic, but I think it's the emo older sister of the family. Paradys is a sort of goth, mythic, supernatural faux-Paris. In this city, demons and ghosts walk the streets, monsters prowl and vampires hold court, It is dark, gloomy, macabre; you can cut the atmosphere with a knife, and the prose is phenomal. It's sexy and scary, and terrific, in both senses of the word. It explores gender and sexuality in interesting ways in nearly all its constituents. It almost exemplifies the distinction between grimdark and dark fantasy for me- it isn't nihilistic or amoral, but it *is* oppressively dark in tone and atmosphere. These first two were absolutely a favourite, and if the rest land it may eke into the top ten. [The Secret Books of Paradys I &amp; II](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1569322.The_Secret_Books_of_Paradys_I_II)

***
***

#Weird Sci-Fi Cities

***

##Weird Secondary World Sci-Fi Cities

###**Borne** and **Strange Bird** by Jeff VanderMeer

This book and novella (and the sequel/sidequel **Dead Astronauts**, which I haven't read yet but plan to use for my r/fantasy Shapeshifters Bingo square) take place in an unnamed city, ravaged by the apocalyptic fall out of the collapse of a central company, suffering from drought and lack of resources, full of biotech ranging from useful or benign to dangerous or malevolent. In **Borne**, we follow Rachel, a scavenger in the half destroyed city, looking for salvageable or sellable biotech, as she lives with her partner Wick, a biotechnologist, and scours the city ravaged by Mord, a giant flying bear, and The Magician, a woman seeking control and power over the city's remnants. During her scavenging, Rachel finds Borne, a... plant? animal?... who begins to grow and learn to speak and upsets the city's balance... In **the Strange Bird**, we get a view of the city as it first collapses, from the point of view of The Strange Bird, a piece of elegant biotech from The Company. We see different elements of the city, and its decay, and how this story intersects with that of **Borne**. I really enjoyed both of these books, and the sci-fi weirdness of the city and all it contains. [Borne](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35340518-borne) and [The Strange Bird](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35954933-the-strange-bird)

###**Amatka** by Karin Tidbeck

**Amatka** is a dreary, desolate city among the seemingly endless frozen tundra. Its primary production is mushrooms, which are both its main export and the main element of what is consumed in the city; most coffee is mushroom coffee, the paper is mushroom paper, the food mushroom based. Reality is strange around Amatka and it's 3 fellow colonies. It seems... forgetful. One must mark, with word and label, each and every item. If this is forgotten for too long, the label decays the item will melt into a formless grey goo. To keep this dissolution at bay, alongside the depression and dismay from the cold and dark, the Council of the city is active in its decrees and procedures. One must obey the council. Strange events and dissent go hand in hand... I wasn't quite as much a fan of **Amatka** as I was of many of the books on this list, though I did love the setting. It was a little short for me, as I felt there was more to explore, and the ending left me a little dissatisfied emotionally, though I think it was nevertheless good narratively and made sense. [Amatka](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33518530-amatka)

###**Embassytown** by China Miéville

Our final Miéville! The titular Embassytown is, well, an embassy town, a human colony on the planet of the Ariekei. The city, in a little atmospheric bubble for humanity, sits among the Ariekei. Masters of biotechnology and possessed of a unique language, they reside in half-alive houses, and produce many different pieces of biotech for trade with humanity and its other planets. Their language, impossible to speak except for a few specifically designed humans, is unique and weird. It requires two voices speaking simultaneously from the same mind, and the only words are things which *are*. People or objects can become metaphors to be spoken, and lying is incomprehensible. Political machinations deliver a new ambassador to the Ariekei, different from all the rest, and the equilibrium is upset. This novel has some fascinating ideas, and the language of the Ariekei (I can hardly do it justice attempting to describe it) is amazing and thought provoking. I wasn't as big a fan of either the plot or the writing as I was with the rest of Miéville's books (it is my least favourite of his) but it's still very weird and nevertheless good. [Embassytown](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11382940-embassytown)

###**Viriconium** by M. John Harrison

I'm not strictly sure whether this is secondary world or primary world sci-fi, or even where it lands in the science-fantasy spectrum. It ""feels"" sci-fi to me, but undeniably reads rather like fantasy, and it's unclear whether the world is Earth at the end of days or some other old, dying, homonymous planet. It very much falls in the same realm as **Book of the New Sun** in those regards, as well as with the quality of the prose. **Viriconium** is a series of four novels, and it's only the later three which take place primarily in the city. But it is an incredibly vivid and universal city, an Ur-city- or perhaps the end form of all cities. Viriconium has a certain universality, feeling like every city, despite being so strange in construction, and in flux like no city could be. To misquote Sir Terry Pratchett, ""'Taint what a city looks like, it's what a city be."" The series goes from a fantasy-esque travelogue quest, to a dense, Cosmic horror/weird tale, to a personal, character driven tale of art and city (not far from **the Etched City**), to a series of short stories of vignettes of the city, fleshing it out and each interesting and compelling in its own right. I reviewed it in full [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/qfoxyv/viriconium_the_perfect_bridge_from_gormenghast_to/), because I loved it so, and if you can't tell, it was again a favourite, in the top ten. [Viriconium](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/304217.Viriconium)

##Weird Primary World Cities

###**Dhalgren** by Samuel R. Delaney

We'll begin this section with the weirdest. **Dhalgren** might be the weirdest book I've ever read, full-stop. It's almost indescribably weird. It takes place in Belladonna, a city in the vaguely midwestern U.S., which has been struck by an unknown catastrophe and cut off from the rest of the world. **Dhalgren** is doubly weird, in both its setting and its writing. The city shifts, in time and space; streets seem to change, or an entrance isn't where it once was. Sometimes the sun rises huge and red, encompassing most of the sky, or there are two moons. A week passes for one person, and a day for another. The book is full of a lot of strange sex and sexual relationships, too. I think it would bear some good critical analysis, comparing the relationships in the book to the perceptions of gay relationships when it was published, and Delaney's place as one of the first openly gay black SFF writers... But even considering that, they're strange and uncomfortable at times, to me. And then there's the writing. The book is circular, with many sub-circles. It begins halfway through a sentence, and most of what we're reading appears to be written in a notebook the protagonist finds during the course of the story. This notebook already contains writing, some of which seems to be things we later see written... The point of view shifts from first to third person, and later in the book we see simultaneous writings from different times, as the margins and main pages of the book are written in separately. I don't know if I *understand* **Dhalgren**, but I did enjoy it. [Dhalgren](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1246233.Dhalgren)

###**Metro 2033** by Dmitry Glukhovsky

**Metro 2033** (which you may know from the game) takes place in a city/network of cities established in the metro tunnels of Moscow after the apocalypse. Each station is a mini-state, and resources are jealously guarded and traded... Food, water, sanitation, bullets. The surface is inhabited only by monsters, mutated men and animals. And the Metro system is under assault. Many of the cities produce or hold one resource or another, fungi or knowledge or people, and some are united in multi-station collectives. Even if one braves the creatures of the surface, the world is irradiated and inhospitable. Our protagonist, Artyom, an inhabitant of one of the farthest out stations, is given the task to report the assaults they face and seek help, lest the Metro, and thus humanity, be overwhelmed. [Metro 2033](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17274667-metro-2033)

***
***

#Honorable Mentions

Here are some honorable mentions, which didn't quite fit either the amount of Weirdness I considered requisite, or the definition of a city. I'll be extra brief with these, but since they made it here, I consider them both exceptional and in the same ~*vibe*~.

***

##Books

###**Gormenghast** by Mervyn Peake

Gormenghast is a weird, ritual-entombed, gothic, decaying castle, depicted in exquisite prose and with a delectable atmosphere. One of my favourite fantasy series of all time, it is truly a work of art and phenomenal in setting, prose, characters, and plot. The plot is better in the second than the first, which wanders, but the totality is one of the best pieces of English literature, imo. [Gormenghast](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3213508-gormenghast)

###**Piranesi** by Susanna Clarke

**Piranesi** is set in a very weird, infinite House, with three vertical levels, of clouds, statues, and seas respectively. It's phenomenally written, both with lovely writing and a very fun epistolary format. It isn't a city, though, being infinite, one could certainly found a city within the House. It is another of my top ten, and vyes with **Invisible Cities** and **Gormenghast** for the best book I read last year. [Piranesi](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50202953-piranesi)

###Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft

I don't know whether the Tower of Babel is a ""city""- each level is a Ringdom, i.e. kingdom, which I'd say exceeds a city. But it is a rather weird setting, both each level and the interactions between the levels. I have not yet finished the series myself, but the steampunk-fantasy blend, and the sheer bizzareness of the construction and the purpose of the tower makes me feel like it belongs in this crowd. [Senlin Ascends](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35271523-senlin-ascends)

###**Gloriana** by Michael Moorcock

I almost want to make my description of this one ""read **Gormenghast**: if you want more, read this."" **Gloriana** is, while different in many ways, an homage to and reverent of **Gormenghast**. It is more historical fantasy, written in an affected Elizabethan style and set in ""sorta-Britain"", but has at its heart is a weird, labyrinthine palace and the manipulations of an amoral antihero. Court politics, history and tradition and weird displays of Imperium abound. I fully review it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/uq8mn4/a_review_of_gloriana_or_the_unfullfilld_queen/) but I'll note here as then- it is vastly superior with the revised, edited ending; it was almost ruined by the original ending. [Gloriana](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30095.Gloriana)

###**Guards, Guards!** by Terry Pratchett

This fails my criteria in the way that is isn't necessarily a *weird* city, in the way one thinks of ""weird literature."" But it is, perhaps, weird among fantasy cities; in the eras and evolutions and developments we get to follow it through, the contrasting elements it contains. Even more than Viriconium, Ankh-Morpork is *every* city. We see interacting races and ethnicities, politics and laws and groups and individuals, technologies and histories. It is the true all-city. It *has* weird elements, both from things that were arranged simply to make it funny, and things which exist so it *works* (and you can SEE that it works (and how!))! I'll cut myself off, for I am a fervent Pratchett stan, but, well. Ankh-Morpork is the *citiest* city, even if only marginally weird. [Guards, Guards!](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64216.Guards_Guards_)

###**The Castle** by Franz Kafka

This is the final honorable book mention because, while it is both weird and a city, I don't know if it is necessarily speculative (unless one considers suffocating bureaucracy a fantasy, in which case... can I come where you are?) Kafka's **The Castle** takes place in a very weird town, and the Castle it serves. The overwhelming weird element and even only element which suffuses the novel is just how many levels and layers and tangles and loops bureaucracy can get itself tied in. It's weird in both how such a system could have arisen without collapsing upon itself, and all the peculiar events that evolve from trying to move through such a system in the story. [The Castle](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49564.The_Castle)

***

##Games

All the above were books, but I thought I'd throw in a few games which fit.

###**Dishonored**

This is one of my all time favourite games, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. It's an amazing game, both in flexibility of how it allows you to approach a level (be it stealth, violence, pacifist, a mix) and the phenomenal story and setting it evokes. The narrative is on par with some of the best books I've read, and the atmosphere from the imagery to the audio to the story is absolutely top notch. It's a magic, oil-punk, grimy gloomy dystopic city.

###**Darkest Dungeon**

It may be marginal to call **Darkest Dungeon** a city, considering only the town which serves the mansion, but there's surely enough dungeon beneath the mansion to hold a city. It is ""Old School"" Weird, Lovecraftian and terrifying and horrific. For the purposes of this post, I'll suffice to say that the creatures and the places and the overall atmosphere within solidly evoke ""Weird"".

###**Bioshock** and **Bioshock Infinite**

I've only actually played **Bioshock** and **Bioshock Infinite**, not **Bioshock 2**, but these games are the essence of Weird City and belong in this list. The games are fun, engaging, sci-fi fantasy FPS's, and feature some phenomenal Weird SFF cities. Rapture, an underwater city envisioned as a Utopia, is engulfed in a rebellion after wealth disparities grow and a gene-altering material which can grant fantastic powers is discovered. It's steampunk in aesthetic, but underwater, with pressure locks and copper-helmet diving helms. In **Infinite**, Columbia, a floating city held aloft by blimps, balloons, propellers, and ""quantum,"" is a steampunk dystopic theocracy, with racism, elitism, and religious fanaticism. While the People's Voice rebel against the establishment and the veneration of America's founding fathers as religious figures, tears in the fabric of space-time reveal history and possibilities.

#The End

Ooft, well, this was an exceedingly long post. If you read to the end; wow! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed and it was helpful! :D

But moreso, I hope this will be a useful resource for folks in the future. I'm no expert on either Weird Lit or any of these authors, I'm just some guy; but I hope you and the mods and the ephemeral future reader find this a useful resource. It isn't objective, of course, and my descriptions may be less accurate the longer it's been since I've read the book, but I hope it helps nevertheless.

There are certainly books missing from this list- just from my own TBR, there is **Thunderer** by Felix Gilman, **Tanairon** by Lena Krohn, and **Cage of Souls** by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Please, if you see any egregious omissions, comment them below! It is my favourite subgenre after all, so I'll certainly love recommendations. :) Thank you for reading! I hope this is helpful!",A Detective Rpg
1iqr4od,“Cursed Bunny” by Bora Chung is a great weird lit short story collection,"Some are much stranger than others, but quite a few are VERY strange, including the first entry. Really liked this one",Body Horror Was Too Much For Me Haha
1hm5xt4,"Christmas haul, with plenty of weird picks!",,Eileen Too
1kq70am,"Zhuang Yunfei is a Chinese man from the early 20th century who discovered meanings and secrets in the wrinkles and folds of the anus, and now serves as a manual in esoteric offices",,The Ways Of Science
1gcf8pe,Looking for books that evoke liminality and a character haunting the narrative,"I made a collage of sorts to kind of illustrate the vibe I’m looking for. Something where the narrative is haunted by a dead or ghost type character in a liminal way i.e. Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, Alice from the movie Lake Mungo or Lily from the movie I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House. 

Also looking for something with the vibes of season 1 of True Detective and the movie Skinamarink - so very liminal, backrooms, with a sort of haunting aspect. Hard to put into words so that’s why I kind of mashed all of this imagery together.",Haunting Liminal Backrooms
1hu86qv,Dead Astronauts ,"I recently read both the books and in this series and I struggled big time with Dead Astronauts. Bourne had a very clear story, plot, characters and ending. Dead Astronauts was like the complete opposite. The story was so hard to follow, very abstract, told in riddles or poems. I did not expect this at all. Other’s struggle with this book? Are any of his other books like this?",By Him That Is That “Poetic”
1igfjik,I made this and didn't know where else to post it.,It's patterned off of an actual play script that an actor. I made it in support of a screenplay I wrote inspired by Robert W. Chambers and Ambrose Bierce. ,The Golden Heirs Art Collective
n2iydb,“The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman,,The Arbitrary Treatment Of The Rest Cure
1efwls3,Shiny Southern Reach 10th Anniversary Editions ,"Got these in the mail today, been eagerly awaiting these new editions. Plus cat tail. Display ideas? ",The Previous Books In The Series
1bvps8q,"Jeff Vandermeer Announces Release Date and Cover for Absolution, the fourth book in the Southern Reach trilogy",,
15raw1o,"Found these last week in a thrift store in a small Colorado town, paid a buck fifty for them. Have been genuinely overjoyed since.",,The George Barr Illustration
tgl10r,"My shark figurine loves reading sea-related weird fiction with me (also, this is a great collection)",,The Ever Growing List
11s33mq,"Cthulhu, ink and acrylic, by me. Happy death anniversary HPL.",,The Lack Of Defined Edges
1kraftp,Books that feel like a fever dream to me. What's missing?,,Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World
1avw0yq,"Laird Barron reviews ""True Detective: Night Country"" for Slate magazine.",,Lopez’S Interview Discussing Intended Ambiguity
1h922c6,Is this book good? ,"I am looking for a weird read but this just seems to bizarre. However, I would like to hear your thoughts. Have you read it? What was it like?",Have All Been Great
1gfzczb,Just starting to read it - could you tell me what to expect?,,More Pages Of The
10vqg22,Dreams in the witch house. Blacklight painting by me. Ink and acrylic. Thank you for looking.,,The Colors
w7bc2q,r/WeirdLit Top 100 list: Results and Infographics,"Hey everyone, thank you so much for participating in the voting this past month, there ended up being 84 responses in total.

Here are the final results and the infographics I made.

[Ranked votes infographic](https://i.imgur.com/iGQNBqT.jpeg)

[Popularity infographic](https://i.imgur.com/RHykdX1.jpg) 

[results spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nD0udsxEZb8qJHsusV-cshCoqE76gkFfOtkGKzUUVZw/edit?usp=sharing)

Some notes on my methods and the results:

I ended up doing 2 methods, the first one is ranked choice, where I gave points to the book based on what number it was in the response, i.e. book 1 got 5 points, book 2 got 4 points and so on. The upside is the books on the list end up being more diverse, but a book that 1 person rated as their #1 might end up beating a book that 4 people voted as their #5. 

The second version is with the number of votes, aka the popularity, minus books that had only 1 vote. 

Another thing to take note is, the order of the list is not precise once you get down past the top 20 or so, a lot of the books have the same final scores. This is why I omitted the place numbers on the ranked choice infographic but still decided to keep the top 100. Also keep in mind that a lot of books were excluded towards the end that had the same score just because I wanted to end the list at 100. Please refer to the spreadsheet if you want to see the full list and full scores.

It's my first time doing something like this so let me know if you have feedback, or any corrections on the infographics. I'm hoping this ends up being useful to the community, and maybe if there is support it could be done yearly.",The Author Though
u8paj5,The creepypasta “Normal Porn For Normal People” is a legitimately uncanny weird story and I stand by that.,"I think most creepypastas I’ve read online have been objectively bad, and I think most people know what I mean. But I just reread this one, last time I read it was in like middle school, and WOW, this is a strong piece. I don’t know what it is about it, but it’s just uncanny, it’s unnerving, and the best part is that *I don’t know why*. This is a favorite short story of mine now, it’s short, you can find it online. Check it out, I’d love to talk about it. It’s just so odd.",Man In A Chicken Mask Masturbating
vp3bsz,Saw this short story online. Anyone have any recommendations for similar short stories? Not sure if this is considered as weirdlit.,,Gateways To Abomination
1h0fy40,Love these Stanislaw Lem Harvest cover designs,,The Corresponding Cover
1g35fve,I can talk about this book for hours... It's so gooooooood,,"Brian Boyd'S Book ""Nabokov'S Pale Fire: The Magic Of Artistic Discovery"
1k1gouv,Mail Day,"I think I'm going to crack Antisocieties first since I've never read Cisco and I've heard good things.

Any standout stories from these collections?",Mother Of Stone
1mh6rkw,Recent acquisitions from Wakefield Press,Pretty stoked to begin reading these! ,Cruise Of Shadows
sptreo,"This may be a point of contention, but the video game Disco Elysium is a great alternative form of weird lit","I’m sure there will be some people that say it doesn’t quite qualify as weird lit but hear me out:

The first point is that it is an insanely literary game. ~95% of the gameplay is reading and that’s the main reason I think it still counts enough to bring up on this sub.

But getting into the *weird* lit end, it takes place in this mucky uncanny valley of an alternate earth, has beautiful surrealist imagery, and the bulk of the game is your emotions ,’logical’ thoughts, and intuitions (plus sometimes your clothes, or your ‘ancient reptilian brain’) competing and talking to you about how to handle each dialogue/story option.

All the while there is this underlying dread and decay that is seen by many of the characters to have roots in something supernatural or otherwise illogically explained. I haven’t quite finished the game and I don’t think it goes to the supernatural realm, but these people that are all in the one square mile that the game takes place in have this either fantastical or gruesome blend of truth and fiction regarding the same setting that they’re all immersed in. That whole setup perfectly allows for an insanely rich and satisfyingly complex story that also have a mind of its own.

In addition to being insanely well written, i bring it up because there are some *brutal* choices you are forced to make. On a personal moral level and on an epistemological level it definitely forces you to think about some hard shit, a lot of which that feels like it was directly pulled from an established weird lit writer.

Big Thomas Ligotti, Clive barker, and Cormac McCarthy (edit: and apparently China Mieville) vibes with a sprinkling of a specific subtle lovecraftian existential dread to top it off.

It’s beautiful to take in, there’s no real combat so it’s pretty chill, and the writing is the best of any video game Ive played and it’s not close.

As far as I have experienced, it’s the singular perfect embodiment of a multimedia weird lit experience and I hope there’s more things like it in the future. Rant over.",The Dishonored Series Qualify As Well Imho
1hyeplq,I picked up a decent copy of Nifft the Lean for $55 on eBay. ,"Hey friends, peers, and frenemies at r/WeirdLit! 

I just picked up this only slightly beat up copy of Michael Shea’s *Nifft the Lean* and wanted to excitedly share the find with you guys. I’m reading Scott R. Jones’ *DRILL* and also wanted to show off my fly new bookmark. 

Sword and sorcery meets Lovecraftian horror might be the most appealing description of a book to me this stage in my life.

The parts of me that keep buying books are testing the patience of the parts of me that like a nice, organized TBR. Ha. 

Stay weird and have a nice weekend, all. 

I spent an absurd sum on a book earlier, but will wait to surprise everyone with that when it arrives in all of its collector edition glory. ",
1hjbfbb,"Illustrated Anthology of Sorcey, Magic and Alchemy",One of the odd ones from my collection,The Osr Sub Would Dig The Heck Out Of Too
voj3gk,My weird birthday splurge...,,From The Time Period Definitely Featured More Old-Fashioned Language
ksf6p2,"What are some good grotesque books or tales with dripping wet, slimy descriptions of physiology and viscera?","What kind of stories make you shudder squeamishly in an enjoyable way, giddy from the gore?",All Time Fav Short Stories Is The Autopsy
xs6r4w,Randomly received these religious comics in the mail... My first thought was that they were weird lit zines 😅,,A Weird Novel Called “The Word Became Flesh
1820utv,Finally! $200 on eBay this morning. Patience pays off :),,The Cover Torn Off
1036sw3,The shadow over Innsmouth. Ink and acrylic painting by me. Blacklight reactive! Thank you for looking!,,The Artwork On A Cadabra Records Release
1lm0u4h,Weirdlit book haul!,Recent additions to my personal library. Anyone read any of these? All new authors to me.,Any Of Jean Ray’S Other Work
1jvzwb4,Haakon Jones,"Picked this one up at a thrift store, based solely on the cover and the blurb. Anyone here familiar with it? ",For Those On The Other Side Of The Globe
el03g8,Finally Getting to This Classic. Thanks for the Recommendations!,,The Best Horror Ever
1dumyj3,Found this handsome pair at Goodwill. The only one available on Amazon is 5 grand…,Are they really that rare/do you think I’d be able to sell one on Abebooks maybe?,The Books Money As Legit
16y37pe,Who Is Your Favorite Current Weird Fiction Author?,"Mine is Brian Evenson, because every collection his publishes is consistently amazing. Also, I've talked to Evenson on Facebook a bit, and he is a super nice guy. 

I have to give an honorable mention to Nathan Ballingrud. In fact, *North American Lake Monsters* is probably my favorite collection of all-time. I give Evenson my #1 spot because he has published several collections, as opposed to the few by Ballingrud. ",By Sarah Rose Etter
nmzp66,"Got my book ‘Apparitions of East Anglia’ stocked in the Bookhive in Norwich, so nice to see it in the wild :)",,The Stories
1bg97m0,The Naked Lunch first edition/first printing.,,"Own, Copying Gysin"
o9yvke,Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural by Algernon Blackwood vintage copy! Any story recommendations for a first time Blackwood reader?,,The Glamour Of The Snow Is In There
1lwgf9p,The presence of The God Pan in Weird Fiction (¿Why is he so important?),"Why did some authors used this character to represent or symbolize in their supernatural stories like…

The Blessing of Pan By Lord Dunsany 

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

Pan’s Garden by Algernon Blackwood

Why don’t they used The God “Cernunnos” or “Leshy”?",Called A Triumpth Of The Moon And Other Books Like The Witch
1lgbz7s,Iranian WeirdLit - Malakut and Other Stories (Bahram Sadeghi),,Bahram Sadeghi In English
1m3isei,My list of esoteric book recommendations,"I wanted to discuss one of my favorite genres, which despite the subject matter, I believe should be more widely known. These are books that incorporate hidden knowledge, such as that found in gnosticism, kabbalah, alchemy, and conspiracy. Although a ton of media goes for a mysterious and spooky vibe, it’s a rare case in which an author really does their research. Those are the ones I'm talking about here. (For the record, I'm not a believer or practitioner, just a big nerd.)

There's 14 books here to represent the amount of generations between Abraham and King David, as well as the buckthorn tree in the system of gematria. Just kidding. Please feel free to give more recommendations. I would have liked to include some movies and tv shows but I haven't seen any that fit the bill.

# Fiction

* **VALIS by Philip K Dick**

*When a beam of pink light begins giving a schizophrenic man named Horselover Fat visions of an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire still reigns, he must decide whether he is crazy, or whether a godlike entity is showing him the true nature of the world.*

It's not as well known as PKD's other books, particularly Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (the basis for the Bladerunner films) and The Man in the High Castle. But if there is a quintessential gnostic novel, this is it.

If you thought the synopsis sounded weird, wait until you find out it’s somehow entirely based on the author’s real life. (Horselover Fat is the literal meaning of Philip Dick.) Anyway, the first half of this novel is totally brilliant, with philosophy that’s somewhere between genuinely profound and delusional rambling. However, it goes off the rails in the second half and ditches the cool gnostic stuff and heightened absurdism for sci-fi nonsense (not that all sci-fi is nonsense, but this definitely is).

* **Piranesi by Susanna Clarke**

*Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person and a terrible truth begins to unravel.*

I really love this book, it’s just so beautiful and profound. It also incorporates the esoteric elements in really interesting ways, both literal (the Crowley-like character), and metaphorical (the entire setting). On top of being inspired by Borges’ Library of Babel, there’s influences from Plato’s world of forms, Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious, and esoteric worldviews like that of Blavatsky and Crowley.

* **Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco**

*Bored with their work, three Milanese editors cook up ""the Plan,"" a hoax that connects the medieval Knights Templar with other occult groups from ancient to modern times. This produces a map indicating the geographical point from which all the powers of the earth can be controlled — a point located in Paris, France, at Foucault’s Pendulum. But in a fateful turn the joke becomes all too real, and when occult groups, including Satanists, get wind of the Plan, they go so far as to kill one of the editors in their quest to gain control of the earth.*

I’ll be honest, I did not finish this book. It’s felt like someone infodumping about Crusades conspiracy theories. To me personally it got old fast. However, it’s very iconic so I felt I had to include it. Eco is definitely deeply familiar with the topics he covers: Kabbalah, alchemy, conspiracies, etc. His goal, however, is to satirize them and show their absurdity.

* **The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon**

*Oedipa Maas, a housewife, discovers that she has been made executrix of a former lover's estate. The performance of her duties sets her on a strange trail in which she uncovers a conspiracy theory about the postal system.*

This book is a bit different from the others on the list in that it’s not based in real esoterica. However, it feels like it could be— it’s intricate, weird, and full of hidden meanings. It goes on lots of tangents and makes you feel like you're uncovering the mystery along with the protagonist.

* **The Course of the Heart by M. John Harrison**

*One hot May night, three Cambridge students carry out a mysterious ritual. They will spend the rest of their lives haunted by it. In the mysterious post-war autobiography of travel writer Michael Ashman, they read, twenty years later, of a country called the Coeur - a place of ancient, visionary splendour that re-emerges periodically through the shifting borders of Europe at times of unrest. In the Coeur, everything is possible. There, they may find not only escape from their nightmares, but transcendence and redemption.*

This book is fantastic. I would best describe it as The Secret History if it wasn’t afraid to get genuinely weird. And if it had fleshed out characters. I think this book is really about how we try and rationalize our trauma by fitting it into a narrative that’s greater than ourselves. It’s very unsettling, weird, and deeply in conversation with esoteric tradition.

* **Kraken by China Mieville**

*When a giant squid specimen disappears from the London Museum of Natural History, unassuming scientist Billy Harrow is pulled into a hidden side of the city. There he encounters a squid-worshipping apocalypse cult, a magical crime ring, a talking tattoo, chaos nazis, and more. As he navigates this strange underground world, Billy begins to uncover the larger forces at play behind the squid’s disappearance.*

This isn’t the book Mieville is known for, but it’s incredible. The description might sound absurd, but the goal is to take these ridiculous concepts and play them straight, fully considering their implications. It’s incredibly creative and elaborate, with every chapter introducing new mind boggling concepts. (My favorite is the “Londonmancers” who tell the future by cutting into the entrails of the city through the sidewalk, reminiscent of ancient divination methods.) The underlying magic, although expressed in many different ways, is that of symbolism: if something makes sense in the narrative, it will work. Really clever stuff.

* **Lote by Shola von Reinhold**

*Mathilda’s obsession with 1920s glamour and Black modernist history deepens when she finds a photo of Hermia Druitt, a forgotten poet who once moved in elite artistic circles. Her search takes her to a strange residency in the European town of Dun, where Hermia once lived. There, Mathilda becomes entangled in a world of secrets, aesthetic societies, and forms of escapism—from champagne theft and art sabotage to arcane rituals and obscure philosophies—that begin to complicate her pursuit of truth, beauty, and belonging.*

This book is written with a really in-depth knowledge of niche bits of Modernist history and culture. It’s also got some really genius academic satire. It starts out great, but unfortunately I felt like it didn’t deliver on its premise and ended up falling flat. However, it has quite interesting commentary and some very fun bits. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a book that challenges white male hegemony.

* **Masters of Atlantis by Charles Portis**

*Lamar Jimmerson is the leader of the Gnomon Society, the international fraternal order dedicated to preserving the arcane wisdom of the lost city of Atlantis. Stationed in France in 1917, Jimmerson comes across a little book crammed with Atlantean puzzles, Egyptian riddles, and extended alchemical metaphors. It's the Codex Pappus - the sacred Gnomon text. Soon he is basking in the lore of lost Atlantis, convinced that his mission on earth is to administer to and extend the ranks of the noble brotherhood.*

Although this book is about esoteric knowledge, the joke is that there’s actually none to be found. Which makes it a great counterpoint to the other books here. However, I didn’t finish this: I found it a bit dull and predictable, and although often witty, it didn’t ever cross the line into actually funny. However, I do think it’s written with a deep understanding of how these esoteric societies play out in practice, making the Gnomon society feel like it could be a real organization. Maybe the issue is that real life occult organizations are so ridiculous already that they're hard to satirize. (See also: Occult America, later on this list)

* **Death and the Compass by Jorge Luis Borges**

*A detective attempts to solve a mysterious series of murders which seem to follow a kabbalistic pattern. He believes that the solution lies in the secret name of God.*

Borges was fascinated by kabbalah, Judaism, and other religious traditions. In fact, he was accused of being secretly Jewish by fascists in 1934. His response was that he was not a Jew but he didn't mind being called one, as he had so much respect for the religion and culture. This is a great example of how it seeps into his writing. It’s a fantastic story and you can tell that he was very knowledgeable about the subject matter.

# Nonfiction

These are all books that are fairly accessible and non-academic (although may be written by academics).

* **The Gnostics by Jacques Lacarriere**

I found this in a used book store for a couple of bucks and what a find! It wouldn’t be my top recommendation if you’re looking for a completely factual account. It mixes history with philosophy and in my opinion trusts primary sources a bit too much. However, it’s a fantastic read, and the writer makes history come to life with vivid descriptive language. I’m not sure I agree with his conclusion (that Gnosticism’s black and white worldview represents an ideal to strive for), but it’s definitely compellingly argued.

* **Occult America by Mitch Horowitz**

This book covers a wide range of topics including Freemasonry, Spiritualism, hoodoo, Mormonism, etc. It’s a bit scatterbrained and some topics definitely don’t get enough time, but a great starting point. It was really interesting to learn how spirituality intersected with major historical events like WW2, emancipation, the industrial revolution, etc.

* **Kabbalah by Harry Freedman**

Kabbalah is a very difficult topic to learn about if you’re a) secular and b) not an academic. I would consider this the best introduction. It’s very accessible and utterly fascinating. It covers Kabbalah from its very beginnings up until the modern day. One of the best bits is the bizarre kabbalistic tall tales. Like the kabbalistic master who escapes persecution by burying himself and his son in a cave for seven years, only coming out on the Sabbath.

* **Brainwash by Dominic Streatfeild**

This book delves deep into the idea of mind control. It covers cults, the satanic panic, subliminal messaging, MKULTRA, and more. It’s all super fascinating and incredibly well researched, and I think relevant to this list because it gets at the foundations of belief and how it can be altered. It shows how the truth is often even weirder than conspiracy theories. TW: very dark, describes torture methods.

* **Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler**

This is a great book that examines American neopaganism from a sociological perspective. It gets into the origins of Wicca in the 20th century and how it evolved, particularly due to second wave feminism. Based on extensive interviews, it shows how neopaganism is practiced in real life: the festivals, rituals, and communities that define it. It’s thorough but not dry by any means. It was written in 1979 but still holds up quite well. The author is a neopagan herself but takes a very honest and objective look.

* **Bonus, not a book: Esoterica on Youtube**

I feel obligated to mention this channel as it’s maybe the best source of occult information on the internet made for non-academics. Justin Sledge (yes that’s his real name) is an expert in the western esoteric tradition and the ancient near-eastern prophetic tradition, so that’s what he focuses on. He covers a very wide range of topics in addition to these.",As Well As High Weridness
1jytde2,"YouTuber horror lit podcast covered Ligotti, the audience hated it","Some quotes from the comments:

""Second story starts at [54:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAbbDpZ27fI&amp;t=3242s).   
|  
|  
Let me sum up Red Tower for you:   
It's a mysterious factory nobody's ever seen and is located in a barren wasteland. It makes bizarre, spooky trinkets on the upper floors and makes spooky monsters underground.  
That's the entirety of the story.""

  
""The first story feels like someone imitating Lovecraft based off only descriptions of his settings without a care for the plot. It's an interesting idea, wish there was a story in it rather than just description""

Lmfao",Is Not Accessible
zvr1cq,Christmas haul,,List Too
sy8pt2,"""Motel Of Mysteries"" by Macaulay David, a satirical commentary on how archeologists view their findings",,As A Kid
1g19ocn,Fresh finds ,Just getting into weird fiction another book I have just recently bought is Ancient Sorceries by Algernon Blackwood,All Of Lovecraft
12cu4ha,Found these in a Free Little Library last night,"I couldn't not grab them, even though I already have my own copies. To deprive a stranger of the joy, but express my enthusiasm to an inanimate box, was worth it.

Don't worry, I think I've already found homes for both of them.

And now I'll be eyeing all my neighbors with suspicion, trying to deduce who amongst them is most likely to worship an insect god.",The Pastel City Is Absolutely Awesome
robxam,"Merry Festival to me, will be my first foray into Brian Evenson",,Check Out Last Days
vvw9n7,Just scored this signed edition of The Scar by China Mieville,,Last Night
1hyyto0,Looking for weird novels with gorgeous writing ,"Recently I finished reading Perfume by Patrick Suskind and I loved how luscious and rich the writing was, so now I'm in the mood for more weird novels, but I don't know what to read specifically. I also really love Jeanette Winterson's style, if not her characters. Not looking for something that goes too hard into horror, just really enjoy something more surrealist/magical realism or that simply escalates a lot. 

I like sexuality themes, but its not a necessity, it can be about anything, basically.  Also fine with some violence. Thanks in advance! ",Any J G
icva0u,John Langan AMA,"Hi Folks!  John Langan here!  My brand new story collection, Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies, was released by Word Horde press yesterday.  Micah very graciously invited me to drop by to talk about it, as well as any other horror/writing things you all might like to discuss.

A little bit more about the book: twenty-one stories (with two extra hidden stories) which together form a kind of literary family tree for me, since many of them were written for tribute anthologies for writers who have been important to me.  Oh--and an introduction by the fabulous Stephen Graham Jones, which is worth the price of admission, itself.",Children Of The Fang
1ljoaog,Found these at the thrift store today but was only familiar with “Hells Gate” and “Summer of Night”. Anything to know about the others?,"Just trying to find some info on the other titles. Of course I know Twilight Zone but noticed this particular book was for “young readers”, wasn’t sure if that made this a more unique release. The covers all stood out to me as these were the only “horror” in what looked to be someone’s entire collection of 50s-70s pulp SF collection. ",A Kind Of Stand
1jnppl6,Weird in onyx,Some weird fiction (and nonfiction) regarding the themes of disquietude and the unknown.,All Of Those Except Aleco Julius
1g4z1o3,"Anyone read this? If so, what were your impressions?",,A Jason Pargin Book And Not
o57k7x,Jorge Luis Borges,"Hello all! I wanted to start a conversation about a titan of Latin American fiction: JLB. His works are varied and have many different themes—from quotidian depictions of Argentina and the Southern cone to philosophical thought experiments and what I would consider ""Weird"" Literature.

I wanted to gather some perspectives on his writing from others. What do you guys  think, is JLB is an author of Weird Lit? What works of his have you read?

As for me, I really enjoyed ""El Aleph"" and ""Ficciones,"" which are two short story collections originally published in Spanish and translated to many languages. Borges had an extremely interesting life: he was an autodidact that taught at many universities, grew up in Switzerland in the nexus of many European cultures, and went blind later in life. He said his blindness helped him with his fantasies, and his fiction.",Is This A Good Borges Homage Or A Bad One?
1kpc4q4,Katie is the most weird female character to exist after Alice.,"I am in love with Katie. She is such a brilliantly written character. I don't want to spoil the book for you guys but this is must read.
The plot of the book is average but Katie as a character is soooo amazing. This was my first McDowell book, will read more of him. 

(English is not my first language, ignore mistakes.)",The Blackwater Saga
1d15ake,Finally acquired a copy of Celebrant and I'm ecstatic,I've needed a vacation for some time and what better destination than Votu,
1iw0dxa,Books that feel Lynchian,"

As the title says im looking for books that feel like they were pulled right out of David Lynch's beautiful weird mind. I read mostly horror/weird fiction but id love to find something that just feels so surreal. My dream would be a book that feels like twin peaks ",House Of Leaves
1fj37fa,The king in yellow… coming soon,,The Full Thing
1lbhlim,Books like the album Dr. Octagon? [Absurdist Surrealist Weird Macabre Funny Sci-fi],"Dr. Octagonecologyst by Dr. Octagon (an alias for Kool Keith, also known as Dr. Dooom)


Is an Abstract Rap album released in 1996 which had a uniquely bizarre theme centered around an extraterrestrial skeleton, who is also a doctor in an advanced space ship that uses primitive surgical tools, resulting in some patients dying during his barbaric surgeries.


…He is also an orthopaedic gynaecologist that has a tendency to seduce patients &amp; nurses.


It’s one of my favorite albums as I enjoy the psychedelic production/beats, the flow of the bizarre lyrics that range from the grotesque &amp; macabre, to absurd juvenile humor, and weirdly profound moments.


I enjoy the concept of the album as much as I enjoy the music of the album, &amp; I was wondering if there was quite anything like it in the form of literature?


It wouldn’t have to be the same exact kind of idea, but generally I am in the mood for something that’s surreal, absurd, weirdly thought-provoking, macabre, grotesque, &amp;/or humorous.",Scott Hawkins Blood Sugar
1krw8cq,One of my (very dog eared)favorites,,The Contents
176gtp5,Aaaiiieee! It Has Come!,"This honking great tome of Old and New Weird ought to satisfy my sweet tooth, and spooky tooth, both.",The Inside Illustrations
1h1ug34,"Reggie Oliver, or I continue to discover the Weird","I discovered Reggie Oliver only relatively recently in my explorations of the Weird. A reference to him in Ghosts and Scholars, the online journal of MR James studies, led me down a fortuitous rabbit hole which ended up in me reading his eleven or so short story collections and short novels. Oliver is, perhaps, the leading writer in the English Weird tradition of MR James, HR Wakefield and Robert Aickman. This is very different from the Lovecraftian Weird, dealing more with the very English strangeness of academia, the class system, social convention and the shadow of the past.

James, of course wrote in the very early 20th century and Wakefield and Aickman followed soon after in the mid century. I spent my university years in the UK myself in the early 00s and one might think that the slightly fusty, mid century world of Oxbridge dons, clubbable gentlemen and strange dusty historical conundrums with clues in Latin or Greek would be thoroughly out of date. One would be wrong. 

James himself stated that a good ghost story should be set contemporaneous to the writer rather than attempt to evoke a bygone era- but James himself wasn't above bending his own rules. Two of his finest stories deliberately incorporate well written historical pastiche- Mr Humphrey's Inheritance, which makes chilling use of what might seem a tedious 16th century homily; and Martin's Close which of all things features 17th century court recordings. 

Reggie Oliver manages to summon up the mid to late 20th century Britain with its atmosphere of stale beer, smoky rooms, and rising damp along with the authentic voice of an upper class, but slightly down-at-heel, Etonian narrator that gives the ring of truth to so many of these stories. Oliver seems to be something of a polymath and he incorporates history (faux and real), theology, the fruits of a Classical education, and his own experiences as a repertory actor into his work. 

His material ranges from traditional ghost stories, to Aickmanesque strange stories, to urban horror, but it never loses that air of authenticity. While he never steps into body horror or full on violence his work is a perfect updating of the Jamesian tradition. 

Oliver's own engravings, like a cross between Gorey and Tenniel, which illustrate many of the stories are a bonus. 

I was delighted to find that his latest collection This Haunted Heaven has just been released by Tartarus Press. Go get it. I have far too much on my reading list but moved this right to the top and am tempted to do a full re-read of his work. 

If you found this interesting please feel free to check out my other reviews on Reddit or Substack, linked on my profile. ",Reggie Oliver
1elknna,"Jeff Vandermeer has revealed the table of contents of the upcoming 4th entry in the Southern Reach series, Absolution - check it out, it's buck wild:",,Club And Jeff Actually Showed Up Last Meeting To Answer Some Questions
tzc1ht,My top 12 anthologies,,Any Favors
ei322z,Mystery Flesh Pit - thought you fellow weird fiction lovers might appreciate this too :),,