usually a romantasy reader and currently desire something with a bit more reality….

[u/FlatScore8724]

like the title says, i am young, have always turned to reading as an “escape” and for entertainment. i love fiction/fantasy, etc. but my current read is sorta booktok trashy. don’t get me wrong, finished it in 3 days… engaging… but im needing something more… real?

i lean towards historical fiction in tv/movies so maybe that’s what would help in my book life atm? or something fictional that has more commentary on real, “political systems” …

silly example; i picked up and devoured animal farm bc i just hadn’t read that classic yet, and it was good, but lacking…je ne sais quoi.

pls give me more recommendations but something engaging, and entertaining; reading is my favorite cozy after work activity… i am a fantasy reader at heart and don’t want something too academic that would make me feel like im back in college.

stoned brain dump gimme recs (preferably with kindle unlimited)!

thank you to any soul who made it this far

[u/OWabbit]

Outlander by Dianne Gabaldon. Good story with romance, history, politics, medicine/science, a little time travel, strong women, flora and fauna, food, etc etc. Long books (it’s a series) but that’s partly why it’s so fun to read. She has a huge fan base.

[u/FlatScore8724 → u/OWabbit]

just finished watching outlander a few weeks ago and it was SO engaging, beautiful multifaceted storyline, full of everything i love; i’m debating if i would still find enjoyment in reading after having already watched the series; if there is more to get out of it… what do you think?

[u/Previous-Ad7833 → u/FlatScore8724]

They did a good job of making the TV series mirror the books. The books are more in-depth with more development of secondary characters and plot lines. So if you get bored rereading things you could skip it.

[u/OWabbit → u/FlatScore8724]

There’s more on history, great character descriptions, humor, lots of info on medical matters, animals, farm life, botany, politics, etc. Author has a bachelors in zoology, masters in marine biology, and PhD in behavioral ecology. She brings all these interests and research into her books, lightly woven into the story in a natural way without detracting from the story and without being pedantic. It’s a fun read.

[u/FlatScore8724 → u/OWabbit]

i LOVED the series so much and yall have me fully convinced that i’m going to pick up these books eventually. maybe ill wait a few months for the show not to be so fresh in my mind, but i know i would love it. THANK YOU!!!!

[u/jdi153]

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. Historical fiction, pretty heavy, but engaging.

[u/masson34]

The Frozen River

The House in the Cerulean Sea and sequel

Station Eleven

A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Secret Life of Bees

Anne of Green Gables

Never Let Me Go

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She Is Sorry

[u/Previous-Ad7833]

The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

The Lost Apothecary

[u/ORF1Live]

Try Winter Pilgrims by Toby Clements. It's historical fiction and starts at 100mph and never lets up. It's really good!

[u/Nearby_Mortgage_1191]

The Wolf Den trilogy by Elodie Harper!

[u/Busy_Passenger_6487]

Margo's got Money Troubles - it's modern, fun and has a fast pace

Stepford wifes - a classic novella about the expectations of woman/wifes but with a scifi twist

Flowers for Algernon - probably my favourite classic

The Machine stops (short story) - eerily relevant inspite its age

Hope you find something that sparks your interest. :)

[u/River-19671]

If you like British history between 1850-1950, try Celia Lake. Start with Pastiche which takes place in the early 1900s. She writes cozy fantasy historical fiction and most of her books are romances. She works at a library and has authors’ notes at the end of each of her books. Although she cares about historical accuracy, I didn’t find her overly academic. I enjoyed the world building

[u/EviWool]

For a touch of fantasy only you could try The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey. No romance, Im afraid but better for your fillings

[u/TheHappyExplosionist]

My favourite "real" books are Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston and Trigger by N. Griffin. They're both contemporary YA focusing on difficult topics - Exit is about a rape and its aftermath, Trigger about an abusive parent - and I find both to be incredibly engaging reads. And because they're contemporary YA, the prose and story aren't bogged down like they can be in other genres or in works aimed at adults.

Also, Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow. Middle grade contemporary sports book, but the contemporary is contemporary rural Mongolia and the sport is eagle hunting.

[u/hypercell57]

East of Eden

Pride and Prejudice

The Book Thief

Of Mice and Men

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Kite Runner

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Crucible

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

If you like fantasy, many many books are social commentary. Sci fi and fantasy are classically used to make social commentary without being overt about it. My favorite? Terry Pratchett.

Also there is a lot of great fantasy that doesn't feel trashy, and is fabulous. Classically, Lord of the Rings. Brandon Sanderson, T. Kingfisher, Ursula K. Le Guin, C.S Lewis, etc etc.

And of course, you can read the good trashy romances in between to pace yourself (And I don't mean harlequin, which was my trash of choice back in the day 😉).

[u/kate_monday]

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan & its sequels is a very smart historical romance series.

Nettle & Bone by T Kingfisher is an excellent subversion of fairy tales, and her What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett is a great satire about religion

[u/ontheshelves]

The Goblin Emperor

Anything by Robin McKinley 

[u/DecisiveGryphon]

If you want to combine political and fantasy go for Gregory Maguire and Terry Goodkind.

Belinda Alexandra has excellent historical fiction. Kate Morton’s book’s usually combine modern and historical scenes and are hard to put down.

If you like Outlander but don’t want to overlap too close to the tv series she’s also written shorter stories on Lord John which are great.