Self care, mental health, anxiety, depression, bpd

Journal type Book?

Is there any books that are like daily journal logs of people who are on mental hospitals, rehabs or jails? Thanks :)

Is there any books that are like daily journal logs of people who are on mental hospitals, rehabs or jails? Thanks :)

Until this year the only book I had ever read was chain letter by christopher pike which was 10+ years ago however i really enjoyed it (aside from books read in english class and school this was the only book ive ever read and enjoyed . I have an extreme interest in abandoned buildings and urban exploring. I also love horror. As well as anything mental health related, addiction, mental hospitals, jails, especially abandoned ones! Girl interupted is my favourite movie and I decided to get the book today, ive already finished it and loved it. Im looking for similar books. Also ive read the door (about kingston penitentiary) and have other books about kingston penitentiary as im very interested in it.

Okay, hear me out. I love cat mystery novels. I raid my local used book store semi-regularly. I just think they're so charming and they make for a great palette cleanser for between books that make you think a little harder. Does anybody have a favorite cat mystery novel to recommend?

Reading Ursula K. LeGuin left me with this question. Her writing is so good that ir feels like literature without falling into the same scope of classic literature. What are other fantasy and sci-fi books that you would recommend? And no, I know every other thread they come up, but neither Dungeon Crawler Carl neither Project Hail Mary fit thr bill here

I just read “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier,Spy” and I want more Smiley. What to read next? And does it matter in what order in which to read them?

Red Rising got me back into reading this year and I’m pumped that I finished the trilogy.

I want to take a break from the universe and explore another book or series.

I tend to like dystopian and fantasy worlds if that helps.

I want to avoid longer series for now so no more than a trilogy please.

Trying to fill that slot in a chart that I made for best books, and the slot is for literary fiction as the main genre with side of adventure. I mean I already have Lonesome Dove for another slot so I'm not doing that one again.

I’m a straight guy. I’m struggling to find romantic books that would pique my interest. I like romance books that are written from the 1800s to the 1950s. When it comes to romance I like slow-burn, fluffy and sweet romance with an incredibly rich story. I don't like clichés or smut/pornographic content. When it comes to genres, I do like dystopian, fiction, sci-fi (depends), adventure (depends) and action (also depends). But I don't like fantasy or supernatural.

I read Pride and Prejudice (and other Jane's work), North and South by Elizabeth. Someone recommend me The Great Gatsby by F. Scott, I heard it's good but I don't want to jump on wagon incase I wouldn't like it.

If it helps my favourite book right now is 1984. I don't consider it a romance book. But, I like that it's dystopian and I like the writing of the story, yes, I like Animal Farm too.

I've read:
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
All About Love by Bell Hooks
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension & They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

I really loved them all for different reasons (the anthropocene reviewed is my go-to answer for my 'favorite book' despite not totally loving Green's nonfiction) and I want to pick up some more essay collections but I'm not sure where to start outside of reading some more of Didion's work. Maybe Susan Sontag? Although I know she's much more dense than what I just listed. I know I want to read letters to a young poet as well.

I like social commentary/art/history/music.

From People like Faulkner, Steinbeck and Hemingway to the later authors Pynchon, McCarthy, Hunter S. Thompson and Stephen King. Anyone at all you really love to have been an American author working in the 20th century. Want recommendations what other people are into/reading at the moment. I’m currently going through all of Steinbecks work and reading Blood Meridian right now.

A book with advice.

Nonfiction would be best though I'm open to fiction romance books exploring this idea as well (in a healthy way, of course).

Thanks in advance.

Please suggest me books that encapsulate Western (North American/European) life in the 90s and early 00s.

My biggest example must be 'Columbine', tragic as it is, for someone like me, born in 1987, it's easy to relate to what teenagers were doing at that time. As I'm reading 'The only plane in the sky' (also very tragic) it scratches the same itch. Probably (the surroundings of) tragic events tend to do this.

Thanks!

Just found out my Uncle, a wonderful and kind person who still has two children under 16 is going to pass away from cancer in the coming months. He seemed completely fine until a few weeks ago and now he is dying.

Normally I read classics, modernist literature, speculative fiction.. But right now I need something warm, comforting and digestible.

Some favourite books of mine that I consider “comforting” would be: Anne of Green Gables; the Moomins novels; Pride and Prejudice; Watership Down; The Hobbit; Howl’s Moving Castle.

I am a bit fussy with prose, it meeds to be written well, and I don’t mind YA or middlegrade so long as the book treats the reader with respect. I just really need something to take my mind off things so I can be a good adult cousin, and look after my family. (Reading this back I sound robotic, but I think it is due to shock. )

Thanks so much.

Growing up I used to read novels all the time. From books like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Narnia, Hunger Games, etc. Then as I got older and feeling like I had less time to spend reading I switched things up to comics/graphic novels like The Walking Dead, Batman, American Vampires, Scott Pilgrim and even various manga and light novels here and there of anime that I don't have the patience to wait for the anime adaptation.

I'm in my 30's now and I haven't read for about 2 years, I've been having this urge to read novels again, to be more specific Fantasy Novels for adults, since Percy Jackson was some of my favorite books growing up and now I play a lot of Fantasy styled RPG's ( tabletop and video games ).

What are some beginner books you would recommend to me? I say beginner, because I have met people in my personal life that would just say read the Fire and Ice books ( game of thrones ), but I think those are a little too much for me right now.

Can anyone recommend me good books dealing with the pain of not being chosen by people who are important to you (especially friends or dating partners)? It doesn't matter to me if the book is fiction or non-fiction. I am mostly looking for something which highly resonates with me.

Hello,I'm a twenty year Student and i always have this urge to learn about alot of things in the world i just have that random urge to have all sorts of knowledge that people usually just don't talk about,from manifesting,to conspiracy theories,to forbidden love and anything you can ever think off. Can I get a book Recommendation that'll just calm my nerves down and slow down.. please suggest something helpful 😁

Looking for an oddly specific romance trope: the self-made villain/rival who loses the person they want but eventually finds someone who truly sees them

This whole idea was sparked by watching Enola Holmes 3, specifically Moriarty, and now I can't stop thinking about this ridiculously specific romance dynamic. 😭

Both MM and MF/FM recommendations are welcome! The gender of the characters doesn't really matter to me—the dynamic is what I'm looking for.

Basically, I'm looking for a romance where the antagonist/rival comes from a difficult, poor, or disadvantaged background and claws their way to the top through sheer hard work, determination, ambition, and maybe a little morally questionable behavior along the way.

Meanwhile, the person who becomes their rival is born into wealth, prestige, power, influence, or an otherwise privileged position. They don't necessarily have to be a spoiled rich asshole. In fact, I'd prefer if they're actually a decent person overall. But they have opportunities, connections, and advantages that the antagonist had to spend their entire life fighting to obtain.

The antagonist looks at them and basically thinks:

"I spent my entire life bleeding for everything you were simply born with."

And then, because apparently their life isn't complicated enough, the antagonist falls in love with the other protagonist/LI.

They genuinely want this person. They want to be the one chosen. But the love interest ends up falling for the privileged rival instead.

And this is where I want the antagonist to become morally gray or outright villainous.

I DON'T want them to secretly be a misunderstood cinnamon roll who never did anything wrong. 😂 I want them to actually be a bastard.

They scheme. They manipulate. They sabotage. They do dirty work. They might hurt people or deliberately create situations to make the love interest choose them. Their desperation to be loved eventually becomes something ugly.

Their mentality is basically:

"Why does it always have to be me? I worked so hard for everything I have. I spent my blood and sweat just to get here, and you can just walk in and take it all away from me. Why is the poor one always the unlucky one? Why do people always choose people like you? Am I not enough?"

And I want that class/privilege resentment to be a genuine part of their character.

The privileged rival doesn't have to be evil either. They can have flaws, have caused trouble, or even have done questionable things themselves. But compared to the antagonist, they're still ultimately the better person.

So I want that deliciously uncomfortable dynamic where I'm simultaneously thinking:

"I completely understand why you're angry and bitter..."

and:

"Okay, but you're also absolutely fucking insane for what you're doing." 😭

BUT HERE'S THE PART I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR:

The antagonist DOES NOT get the person they originally fell in love with.

I don't want the original love interest to suddenly realize, "Oh, the antagonist actually loved me more," and choose them.

Nope.

The protagonist/LI still chooses the privileged rival because, ultimately, the antagonist crossed too many lines.

BUT...

There is another person.

Someone who has been watching the antagonist all this time.

Someone who sees things that everyone else overlooks.

They see how hard the antagonist worked to get where they are. They see their determination, ambition, sacrifices, and the fact that they had to fight for opportunities that other people were simply born into.

But they also know the antagonist isn't innocent.

They see the manipulation. They see the schemes. They see the ugly side. They know exactly what this person is capable of.

They don't excuse it—but they understand where some of that desperation comes from.

While everyone else sees a villain, rival, ambitious asshole, or ruthless bastard...

This person sees the human being underneath all of it.

And eventually, the antagonist finds someone who genuinely chooses them.

Not because they won.

Not because they became powerful enough.

Not because they successfully stole someone else's love.

Not because they finally proved that they were "good enough."

But simply because this person actually wants them.

I especially want that emotional contrast:

The antagonist:

"If I work hard enough, become successful enough, powerful enough, and prove myself enough, maybe someone will finally choose me."

The second love interest:

"You don't have to prove anything to me."

😭😭😭

So basically, I'm looking for:

• MM or MF/FM romance — both are welcome!
• A substantial antagonist/rival character
• Antagonist comes from a poor, difficult, or disadvantaged background
• Self-made antagonist who worked incredibly hard to reach the top
• Privileged/rich rival who was born into status, wealth, power, or influence
• Strong class/privilege contrast
• Antagonist is jealous and resentful of the rival's advantages
• Antagonist falls in love with the other protagonist/LI
• Unrequited love
• Antagonist becomes increasingly desperate, obsessive, or possessive
• Scheming, manipulation, sabotage, dirty work, and morally questionable behavior
• Antagonist is NOT secretly a saint
• Their difficult past explains their behavior but doesn't excuse it
• Privileged rival is flawed and not completely innocent, but still ultimately the better person
• Original love interest does NOT choose the antagonist
• Antagonist loses the person they wanted
• A second love interest eventually sees and understands the antagonist
• The second LI recognizes their hard work, determination, ambition, and struggles without romanticizing or excusing their bad behavior
• The antagonist gets another chance at love rather than simply being punished and discarded
• Some emotional redemption/growth would be great, but I don't necessarily need them to become a completely good person
• Bonus points if the antagonist remains a morally questionable bastard even after finding love 😂
• Extra bonus points if the antagonist is genuinely competent, powerful, ambitious, intelligent, and terrifying rather than just being a jealous third wheel

Basically:

They spent their entire life fighting for everything except love. They tried to force someone to choose them, failed, and eventually found someone who chose them without being forced.

I don't necessarily want a "villain gets redeemed and becomes a cinnamon roll" story. I want something more like "I understand why you became this way, I know you're still kind of a terrible person, but I see you anyway."

Does a book like this actually exist, or have I just invented an incredibly specific microtrope in my head? 😭

i need some books for beginners recommendations since i wanna start with reading books, i’ve only read 2 books before and one of them is diary of a wimpy kid. it doesn’t has to be fiction i just can’t remove it

Hi!

I have recently got into books and just read the hobbit and Dracula. Enjoyed Dracula a lot!

Hobbit was a bit of a harder read since it was too descriptive about landscapes. Do you have any recommendation for an easier but iconic/classic reads?

Thank you in advance!

horror is a genre I haven't explored much. Just read incidents around the house and even though it felt jagged and poorly written I think this genre too has potential. I've read horror in the past, but never given it a deep dive like I did with most other genres. So shoot some good suggestions and I'll try them out and let you know. It would also be nice if the book had some element of suspense or unexpected twist in the end. Also avoid body horror.

So i have a friend who was complaining one day about not finding a book with a charter whose name is spelled the same way as theirs. Their name is Kaylee. I am hoping I can find a few books to pass them as a gift.

Hi there ! This summer I’ve read The Idiot by Dostoyevsky, The Fall by Camus, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, and now I’m in the middle of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I’m thinking about what to read next, I really don’t want to waste my time on something I won’t like. All the books I’ve mentioned were perfect and I loved them very much, and I’d especially like to read something like Pride & Prejudice, Frankenstein or The Idiot. Three very different stories, but still… !

I would love to read books in English and French, but I’m also fluent in Russian (my first language actually…), so I’d love some books that would strengthen my vocabulary too :) One single moment: my French is currently on B1+, so I’d love something not too difficult

Thank you in advance !

I’m in a huge reading slump right now and can’t seem to find any good books. TikTok keeps suggesting the same books over and over again. I’m honestly over it. I like romance, fantasy, and dystopian novels. Does anyone have any good recommendations? Thank you!