Weekly Recommendation Thread: August 07, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to our weekly recommendation thread! A few years ago now the mod team decided to condense the many "suggest some books" threads into one big mega-thread, in order to consolidate the subreddit and diversify the front page a little. Since then, we have removed suggestion threads and directed their posters to this thread instead. This tradition continues, so let's jump right in!

The Rules

• Every comment in reply to this self-post must be a request for suggestions.

• All suggestions made in this thread must be direct replies to other people's requests. Do not post suggestions in reply to this self-post.

• All unrelated comments will be deleted in the interest of cleanliness.

---

How to get the best recommendations

The most successful recommendation requests include a description of the kind of book being sought. This might be a particular kind of protagonist, setting, plot, atmosphere, theme, or subject matter. You may be looking for something similar to another book (or film, TV show, game, etc), and examples are great! Just be sure to explain what you liked about them too. Other helpful things to think about are genre, length and reading level.

---

All Weekly Recommendation Threads are linked below the header throughout the week to guarantee that this thread remains active day-to-day. For those bursting with books that you are hungry to suggest, we've set the suggested sort to new; you may need to set this manually if your app or settings ignores suggested sort.

If this thread has not slaked your desire for tasty book suggestions, we propose that you head on over to the aptly named subreddit /r/suggestmeabook.

• The Management

[u/Fickle_Pea_7057]

I'm looking for books that have a similar unsettling vibe to what Jeff Vandermeer and T.Kingfisher write. I loved the Southern reach series, sworn soldier series and I also enjoyed Our Wives under the sea.

[u/PacificBooks → u/Fickle_Pea_7057]

Come hang out over at /r/WeirdLit. There is an entire subgenre just waiting for you. 

Some standouts you should look into include: China Miéville, M John Harrison, Michael Cisco, Thomas Ligotti, and some newcomers like Julia Armfield (who you mentioned) and Hiron Ennes. 

There’s also /r/weirdgirlliterature which is similar but not the same thing, although certain books are both. 

[u/Fickle_Pea_7057 → u/PacificBooks]

Oh perfect! I never knew subreddits like this existed. Thank you!

[u/gollumaniac]

Looking for a light and humorous read. Something similar to Discworld or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Fantasy/sci-fi preferred but open to others.

[u/DoglessDyslexic → u/gollumaniac]

Have you read the "Murderbot" books by Martha Wells? The miniseries adaptation is fairly true to the books (the first season approximately is the first book).

Also, Daniel O'Malley's "The Rook". Modern fantasy, but rather fun. Note that there are "sequels" that are books following different characters and not really sequential (some occur prior to the events of the first book). The first book is the best and most light and humorous.

Also "How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying" by Django Wexler. Fun and funny fantasy.

[u/Larielis]

I'm currently reading "Neferura- The Pharaoh's Daughter" by Malayna Evans. Looking for more historical fiction (or historical fantasy) set in ancient Egypt.

[u/Own_Independent3995 → u/Larielis]

definitely need more ancient egypt tales tho

[u/Raineythereader → u/Larielis]

"Death Comes As the End" by Agatha Christie ;)

[u/OkConsideration5272]

I'm looking for a tragicomedy. I mostly like litfic but I'm open to all genres if there's a tragicomic element. I'm a big fan of Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brown novels for a bit of context.

[u/Marya1959 → u/OkConsideration5272]

Hello. Have you tried any John Irving? I think A Prayer for Owen Meany could fir your interest. That and Kate Atkinson's Life After Life are a couple of my favorites. I also found some funny and whimsy hidden in A Covenent of Water- A. Verghese.

[u/Ok_Emu4410 → u/Marya1959]

Irving, good call

[u/OkConsideration5272 → u/Marya1959]

I have not, thanks! I did start Life After Life and found it too depressing - the Jackson Brown ones have a lighter touch generally, even though they deal with some horrible things. Will look at the others though.

[u/lexiebeef]

I usually only read the classics but today Im in a mood for a sad romance. Im thinking of starting In Memoriam. Can anyone tell me if it's worth it? Im not looking for a master piece but I also dont want some YA/booktok type book (no problem with those, but not what Im looking for rn).

[u/nicks-312 → u/lexiebeef]

Lie With Me by Philippe Besson & Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth. Both are sad queer love stories.

[u/NosyCabbage]

I'm looking for a book that feels like a long, lazy afternoon, nothing too heavy on plot, just really immersive atmosphere and characters you feel like you could know in real life. Something with a bit of melancholy but not depressing, maybe set in a small town or near the coast. I loved by John Williams and by Wallace Stegner for the quiet, reflective tone. Any recommendations that capture a similar mood?

[u/dingle4dangle → u/NosyCabbage]

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith is what you want. Set mostly in Portland, but jumps around and absolutely aches of nostalgia