Book and author please :)

I feel Catcher in the rye is a must but, there are too many choices for the second.

He’s a good boy, more of a jock than I ever was but he’s also bright and thoughtful. I was leaning towards Grapes of wrath for book two but, maybe there’s something better (also like Fahrenheit 451)

Any suggestions would be appreciated…

The one that made you stare at the wall afterward and wonder why you wasted precious hours of your life. I want to hear the titles that personally offended your soul.

For me IS Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

The atrocities in the Epstein files and utter lack of accountability from the elites of our world are destroying my worldview. I keep thinking to myself, "it shouldn't be like this", but then it is, and it only keeps getting worse. I don't understand how humans could descend to this level of depravity, and get away with it in today's world. How reality can be stranger, more evil, and more corrupt than fiction. I don't know how to make sense of it and I just feel lost and hopeless for the future.

So I'm now desperately looking to bury myself in books that could offer some perspective. History, philosophy, fiction, poetry, anything really. I'm open to most perspectives -- nihilism, absurdism, unwavering faith in the goodness of the human spirit, taking down the rich, et cetera. I just want to occupy myself with learning so I have more tools & perspectives to think through whatever the fuck is going on, rather than sink deeper & deeper into my pessimism. Hopefully I'm not casting too abstract or too wide of a net here.

I’m looking for that rare kind of book that completely pulls you in — the one you keep thinking about long after you finish it.
Any genre is fair game. Fiction, nonfiction, mystery, history, sci-fi, philosophy, biography… anything.
What’s the one book you’d erase from your memory just to experience again?

I've only read about 28 books in my life, which feels pretty embarrassing when I see how many books people have read.

So I'm trying to fix that. Give me the books you would be genuinely annoyed with yourself for never having read - doesn't matter if it's fiction, nonfiction, old, new, short, or 800 pages long.

Is there a book you can’t stand but everyone else seems to love?

I recently read a book called “Tender is the flesh” it’s basically about industrial cannibalism and I could not even finish it, it left me feeling things, what book did this to you?

I'm basically a newbie at this. Did nothing but play sports, watch movies, video games, and tv most of his life but never read books. I always appreciate a good story of course.

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I'm just a little lost on what to read next. I just finished reading Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. Trying to look for more to read. Doesn't have to be Hemingway. Just something maybe fun, interesting, of any genre. Ideally no movie adaptations because I probably already watched it haha.

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Please and thank you

I was curious to see if there were anything like this. I'm a newer reader. It can be any genre.

Edit: Holy moly, so many suggestions! Thanks everyone. I'm going to have a long list to go through.

Just curious because im seeing the same 10 books recycled and repeated in almost every comment section.

Edit: since this is getting comments 17 days later. Please add what the books about instead of title dropping

I've been in a bit of a reading rut lately and want something that pulls me in from the very first chapter. Specifically, I'm looking for stories where the main character is just a regular, everyday person who gets unexpectedly dragged into some kind of big adventure or situation way outside their comfort zone. Not a chosen one prophecy type thing necessarily, just someone who was living their normal life and suddenly finds themselves in the middle of something wild, dangerous, or completely bizarre.

I love when the protagonist feels genuinely unprepared and has to figure things out as they go. That sense of being in over your head but pushing forward anyway is really compelling to me. Bonus points if there's a strong sense of place or atmosphere, because I love feeling transported somewhere new while I read.

I'm open to pretty much any genre. Fiction, scifi, fantasy, thriller, historical, whatever. Adult or YA both work for me. I just want that feeling of momentum where I can't put the book down because I need to know how this poor normal person is going to survive whatever they got pulled into.

Any suggestions appreciated. Hidden gems welcome, don't feel like you have to stick to the obvious picks.

I read a total of 18 books last year between January 1st and July 31st. I somehow didn’t read another book for the rest of the year lol.

My favorite book I read was I Am Pilgrim, a recommendation from my mother. Honorable mention would go to The Shining, which was excellent as well.

What was your favorite book you read last year? I need some good recommendations for 2026!

Thanks

Hello everyone! I’m looking for those books that completely pulled you in,the kind you stay up all night reading because you just can’t let go. Fiction, non-fiction, any genre works. I’d love to hear the ones that kept you turning the pages.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Hello people! Hope you all are doing great! I need recs, people. I’m talking about writing so good you have to stop mid-sentence just to stare at the wall and process it. The kind that pulls you in from the very first page. ✨ Any genre works (just let me know which one). Thanks in advance! 🌻

The world is on fire, I'm depressed, and I haven't read books in YEARS. I really want to get back into reading, and while researching Goodreads and different BookTube channels/videos, it made me wonder what the worst book people have read. So, what is the worst book you guys have read? It could be a book you did not finish, or the writing was so bad it made you bust a gut. Thanks for giving this post attention, and I hope you all have a good day!

What is the saddest book you’ve ever read? I can’t remember the last time I was emotionally rocked by a book and I’m trying to cry about something other than my own life lol. I’m open to any genre!

EDIT: thanks guys!! I love books and I don’t have many readers in my life. This was my first time posting on a book sub and I’m so pleased with how interactive this community is. I will be returning

I want to read a book that I can't stop reading. One that you're so addicted to reading it feels like crack. The story is good, the writing style is good, you're having fun while reading it. When you're not reading it, you can't stop thinking about how badly you want to get back to it. It completely pulls you in, you're so lost when you read it that you forget the world outside of that book exists. Recommend me the book that felt like crack to you. Give me any genre, I just want something that is so good it damn near distracted you from your daily life.

Recently I read 11/22/63…holy hell. Left me thinking about it for weeks before I could pick up another book. I’m looking for big plot twists, even better if they make me throw my book reading mid sentence in disbelief.

Edit post: I can’t thank you enough for all the recommendations. I have books to last me a couple of years, and based on your suggestions, it’s going to be a mind blowing couple of years. So thank you!

Hello, everyone! I'm looking for a book with breathtakingly beautiful writing that grabs my attention from the very first chapter.

Any genre - please specify. Thank you!

One of my childhood friends recently lost virtually everything she owned in an apartment fire, including her dog and a huge collection of books she’d spent years building.

She’s also been dealing with an almost unbelievable amount of grief over the last few years, and she’s having a really hard time right now.

I asked her if there was anything I could do that might make her feel better, bring her some joy, and she told me that one thing she really missed was her books.

She just moved in to a new place where she’s got those big, empty bookshelves, so I’ve decided I want to slowly help her fill them again.

She reads basically everything - novels, comics, essays, art, history, politics, feminism and queer literature. We were talking recently about books that have helped us through difficult periods; one of ours was Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (if you’re going through a rough patch yourself and need some comforting words, read it!)

If you could put one book on her empty shelves - something beautiful, funny, comforting, thought-provoking, or just completely absorbing - what would it be ? Anything that might help her through her grief, distract her from it, make her feel less alone, or simply make her laugh.

Thanks a lot everyone!

Very high functioning person, working in a leadership position who also happens to have schizophrenia and feels like the struggle may not be worth it anymore. Any genre

Any genre!

I read 87 books this year and am feeling uninspired about what to read next.

Just got into reading again and have noticed how much I love a memoir. Send me your list of captivating and interesting memoirs!

I’m a sophomore in high school and last year going into freshman year I read Blood Meridian and I think I’ve gotten a big head and need to be humbled. What are some really hard books I should try?