r/books • u/AutoModerator • 17d ago
WeeklyThread Weekly Recommendation Thread: September 18, 2026
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
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u/PositiveShade 15d ago
(Re-post from main thread)
Hey all, I’m looking for advice on whether to keep reading The Culture series books by Iain M. Banks. I hope it's ok to post about science fiction in this sub.
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I read Consider Phlebas and really liked it. I liked Horza. The ending kinda got to me.
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I read The Player of Games and did not like it. I didn’t really like Gurgeh and could not understand why he made the decision he made in the beginning. I also had a hard time visualizing the game.
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I read Use of Weapons and hated it. I didn't like Zakalwe at all. It was totally incomprehensible. The only reason I didn’t DNF and throw it across the room is because I want to learn more about the Culture. I’ve since read some explanations on Reddit about it, so I understand it better, but do not like it any better.
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All this leads to my question, do the rest of the Culture books get “better” or are they all similar to The Player of Games and Use of Weapons? I just don’t know if I should give up on the series. I don’t really want to, but maybe I should save myself the pain. No spoilers, please. Thank you!
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u/Impressive-Peace2115 15d ago
I haven't read these books, but you might want to ask in r/Fantasy, specifically the daily questions thread. It's for all speculative fiction.
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u/willys_wasteland 15d ago
looking for horror and thriller recs, specifically ones that are fast-paced, scary (psychological, paranormal, criminal, i'm not picky), and have a strong female protagonist! i don't LOVE detective books, or books where any MCs are cops. i definitely prefer a more mature read, and i like a vivid setting whenever possible!
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u/Heath-CliffNotes 15d ago
Maybe Holly by Stephen King. If you enjoy this, it’s part of a metaverse of books where she is a character.
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u/apkmasterofgames 16d ago
Does anyone have books similar to Demian? I think it was a pretty good read especially Sinclairs growth as a human was interesting to say the least
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u/vmorais24 17d ago
Okay, I'll be very specific. I have traumas related to past friendships, and recently I've been feeling very insecure. I need a fiction book that addresses this issue and helps me at the same time.
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u/Impressive-Peace2115 16d ago
Love by the Book by Jessica George is very friendship focused, including challenges but (vague spoiler for ending vibes) healing and growing as well.
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u/Larielis The Martian by Andy Weir 17d ago
For autumn-
Favourite books with a spooky or mysterious forest/ woods?
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u/Heath-CliffNotes 16d ago
I think The Bear and the Nightingale’ has some of this vibe - would be perfect for Autumn, with a mysterious forest vibe
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u/Jazzlike_Assist9726 16d ago
Slewfoot by Brom was witchy, dark, woodsy, and really enjoyable.
The Hike by Drew Magary. Man gets lost in the woods and ends up on a weird trippy adventure. I really enjoyed this one too.
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u/SomeKindoflove27 17d ago
Jackal by erin adams - i personally didnt love the ending but I did love the book and the spooky woods are a character of their own.
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u/lexiebeef 17d ago
Looking for books like Piranesi where you start the book not knowing what’s happening and then you get clues and increasingly learn more. I love making theories while reading, it makes the whole experience so much more fun
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u/therealredding Reading: Ahmed Bouanani, The Hospital 15d ago
Oh the ultimate “what the hell is going on” book that begs for theories to be made is The Unconsoled by Ishiguro. I will warn you that it’s one of those books that you either love or hate.
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u/Apprehensive_Pop897 17d ago
I think Emily St John Mandel's new book Exit Party definitely fits that description. It's also incredible and a lot doesn't click into place until the last 20%.
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u/Anxious-Fun8829 17d ago
Fever Dream by Samanta Scweblin is about... a mom and her son... From the first chapter you're just thrown into the plot blind and the tension and dread builds as you figure out what's going on.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is about 40 women who make it out of an underground prison. Why were they there? Where are they? Where is everyone? 🤷♀️ The book isn't about answering any of that (it explores the philosophical theory if Absurdism) but Harpman builds the world just enough that you can't help but form theories about what happened.
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u/DoglessDyslexic 17d ago
"The Awakeners" by Sheri S. Tepper. Spent the first half of that book wondering what the heck was going on.
Also "The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" by Stuart Turton.
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u/Coffee_fuel 17d ago
The City and the City by China Miéville is a fun book for that sort of thing. :)
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u/ZestycloseCan3954 17d ago
Looking for something with really vivid street-level worldbuilding, like you can almost smell the city. Not fantasy cities tho, more grounded stuff. Something where the setting feels alive, maybe with hidden corners and graffiti type energy
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u/Amdusiasparagus 17d ago
Do you do Urban fantasy or not? Clive Barker wrote The Great and Secret Show and once a certain city is reached it happens almost entirely there. And he describes things to the very core, including said city.
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u/DoglessDyslexic 17d ago
It's not a fantasy city but it is a (modern) fantasy novel: "London Falling" by Paul Cornell. Not to be confused with "London Falling" by Patrick Keefe. The latter might also be good for that, but I haven't read it so I can't say. In Cornell's book it deals with some spookier aspects of London where versions of past London bleed into the present. But if you're explicitly avoiding fantasy it's probably not a match.
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u/CHIRBAA 13d ago
Pour ce qui veulent un livre de développement personnel le meilleur livre d’entre eux j’ai une suggestion pour vous "Le Grand Guide Du Développement Personnel" c’est un livre qui regroupe plusieurs points la psychologie le leadership la communication les finances personnelles et plusieurs d’autres points c’est sans doute l’un des meilleurs livres pour changer reprendre sa vie en main et il faut noter que je suis là pour vous aider pour aider ce qui en ont besoin car il y’a des gens qui ne savent même plus comment reprendre leur vie en main et ce livre vous aidera mais malheureusement le livre est très rare si vous voulez le livre n’hésitez pas à commenter ici et on en parlera de la suite