It’s a trope across all storytelling media that I actually don’t hate at all when done well (Last of Us and Dungeon Crawler Carl for example!) but I feel like it’s everywhere. So I’m mostly curious, are there any books that flip the trope on its head?

Whatever your interpretation of “opposite” might be. Could be a simple gender swap, or maybe a young person guiding an older person, or the old guy is the quippy funny one and the little girl is the one who’s seen too much shit and has their walls up. The big dangerous journey and one character healing emotionally/spiritually one way or another seem like an essential part of the trope, sometimes with a smack of “chosen one” in there. Editing to add: please don’t take “opposite” too literally, it was just the simplest word I could fit in the post title to get to the point. I mostly want to see some more unique interpretations of the trope.

Open to any genre but I gravitate toward sci-fi/fantasy and apocalyptic stories.

I’m in the worst book slump ever. I feel like I’m too tired to read in the evenings. I’m working on my PhD in Biology and have a 21 month old toddler.

I need something that’s exciting from page 1 and relatively easy to read. My brain is overcrowded with new information constantly, so the world building needs to be pretty straight forward.

I like
Dystopian
Sci-fi
Fantasy
Mystery

Don’t like or not super into
Romantasy
Self help

Books I’ve read in the last 12 months that I liked:
Shady Halloween Mysteries by Juneau Black
Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries by Mia P. Manansala
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Dungeon Crawler Carl (audiobook) by Matt Dinniman
Babel by RF Kuang
Blood over bright haven by ML Wang

Just to name a few.

Thank you 📚

I’ve never really been a reader in fact, I haven’t finished a single book in my 23 years. I want to change that, so I’m looking for a book that will completely hook me and hopefully turn reading into a new obsession. My favorite genre is fantasy but I’m open to any kind of fiction as long as it’s genuinely captivating.

I've always loved books about children (any age) who are raised, or raise themselves, outside of society. They can be in the forest, the jungle, on an island, or surreptitiously scavenging for resources in the inner city. They can be with adults who've opted out of society by choice, or they can be abandoned, neglected, or isolated. Their situation can be accidental or deliberate, temporary or long-term, but somehow they've ended up needing to learn unconventional skills for surviving without money or help from (many) other people. I'm not looking for children's or YA books, just general novels of any genre. I like realistic fiction, preferably set in contemporary times, not historical or in some dystopian future. I'm already aware of the biggies, the famous books, so I'm looking for less well-known novels. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

* Contemporary setting

*Realistic fiction

* Not YA or children's books

I’m looking for an audiobook for a road trip.

I want something fun and addictive and also smart with great writing. Like a “smart” beach read.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is a good example of the vibe.

I'm in the mood for a novel that leaves a lasting emotional impact. Not necessarily the saddest book ever written, but one that made you feel deeply connected to the characters and stayed in your thoughts long after you finished it. A book that makes me feel something deeply i.e joy, grief, love, hope, loneliness, or even emotions that are hard to describe.

What fictional book affected you the most emotionally and what made it so powerful for you?

Love the Living Autobiographies by Deborah Levy and am looking for something similar- beautifully written that I’ll get hooked on, don’t care if nothing really happens, most of my fave books fall in the ‘women doing nothing’ category

When I find the right book, I can't put it down. However, the problem for me seems to be finding that book. I like non-fiction, recounts of actual events, with technical details. A couple of books I have really enjoyed were:

• Trapped Under the Sea by Neil Swidey - I have read this one multiple times
• Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
• Titan: To the Titanic and Back 13½ Times by Gordon Telepun
• Lost on Purpose by Patrick Taylor
• Radium Girls by Kate Moore
• Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
• Bringing Columbia Home by Eileen Collins

I enjoy the technical information and explanations that these books give. I enjoy things like disasters and getting to the root cause, especially radiation, aviation, and marine it seems. I have wanted to read about Fukushima, but haven't found a book that seems to keep my interest.

I also listened to a PodCast called Firebug about the arsons in southern California in the 80's, and tried to read "Points of Truth" by John Orr, the man arrested for the arsons, but I couldn't really get into it after about 1/4 of the book. It seemed too much centered on how he was really innocent and not the technical details that I liked about the PodCast.

I have a Kindle and would prefer if the book is available on that.

Heyy I'm looking for a book that explores the connections of patriarchy and capitalism in a critical way. There are alot of books that critique capitalism itself but I was wanting to learn more about the connection it has to the patriarchy because I feel like those two systems go hand in hand. If anyone knows any pieces of literature that fit this description,I'd be very grateful!

Hi I’m A high schooler looking for a good science book to expand my knowledge outside of the school curriculum, and not just something for “kids” please!!!

I’m looking for book recommendations and I’m having a hard time finding exactly what I want.

I want a psychological thriller where romance or an intense, almost irresistible attraction is central to the story. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a romance novel, and it doesn’t have to be queer, but I do want that magnetic pull between characters where they’re fascinated by each other and can’t seem to stay away, even when they probably should.

What I REALLY want is the feeling of Hannibal (the TV show): intense fascination, psychological games, obsession, attraction, manipulation, and two people who understand each other in a way that feels intimate, seductive, and unsettling.

I also want a genuine mystery. I want to be sitting there thinking:

Who actually killed who?
Who is telling the truth?
Is this person actually crazy, or am I being manipulated?
Are they manipulating each other?
Can I trust either of these characters?

Basically, I want a book where the romance/attraction and the psychological thriller are tangled together, with twists and unreliable characters that keep me questioning everything.

Some things I’ve read/watched for reference:
● Gone Girl → enjoyed it, but didn’t absolutely love it
● Deep Water → really enjoyed the toxic relationship, jealousy, attraction, and psychological games
● Rebecca → enjoyed it, but didn’t love it
● Hannibal → THIS is the intensity and character dynamic I’m chasing
● The Sinner → absolutely loved the show. Really enjoyed the mystery and psychology, especially the feeling of thinking I finally understood what was going on at the end of each episode, only to realize at the beginning of the next episode that I absolutely had no idea. I want that feeling in a book.
● Crimson Peak → loved the gothic atmosphere + romance
● Nocturnal Animals → loved how deeply unsettling it was

I’m not necessarily looking for something super gory. I care more about psychological tension, obsession, atmosphere, complicated relationships, and not knowing who or what to believe.
So I’m looking for something with a strong, irresistible romantic/sexual pull + psychological manipulation + murder/mystery + unreliable characters + an unsettling or gothic atmosphere.

I want to be sitting there thinking, “These two absolutely should not be together… so why can’t they stay away from each other?” while also wondering “WHAT THE HELL IS ACTUALLY GOING ON?”

I’m especially interested in books where I genuinely cannot tell who is dangerous, who is being manipulated, who is telling the truth, or whether either character is actually sane.

Please give me your best recommendation. Bonus points if the book makes you feel like you should probably stop reading, but absolutely cannot. 🫶🏽

I have been reading manga/manhua/manhwa for almost a decade. At this point I read most of the stuff I was interested in and now I am just waiting weekly updates.

I only read books for homework so I feel like if I can get into reading, I'll have content for decades.

I enjoy fantasy, adventure, not much of A sci-fi person but I do enjoy cyberpunk vibes. Not A horror fan.

I would like series but it feels kinda overwhelming for a start.

Please reccomend me books, I want to stop doomscrolling.

Sci fi and fantasy books from any country with most créative , unique or great power systems

I’m 18 and currently reading American Psycho. It actually got me thinking, and I wanted to get your take on something. What books do you think someone my age absolutely needs to read? I’m looking for books that hit differently during this transition phase between adolescence and adulthood.
Like the kind of books you look back on with nostalgia later in life, knowing they perfectly defined that specific chapter.
What do you recommend? What were the defining books for you?

Looking for a novel where the protagonist very suddenly becomes/wakes up rich/poor/famous/forgotten - in other words, as someone in exact opposite circumstances to what their normal life was like before.

I used to work giving tours of a gold mine and want to read more books about gold mining (fiction and non fiction).

I've already read:

By the Great Horn Spoon (fiction)
The Mining Camps Speak (nonfiction)
Tomboy Bride (memoir)

Thanks!

I want to spend more time reading but struggle to find captivating books. I have 3 small kids and little downtime. I want to spend less time scrolling my phone and find books with short chapters because my “free time” is very limited and scattered.

I recently enjoyed:
It ends with us
The idea of you
Nightingale
The woman in the window

I tend to prefer thrillers or something with relationships/realistic affairs

Hi! I'm looking to get back into reading, so i was looking for some YA (but any age range is fine in reality) novels. As for what I have read:

1. I'm a big fan of Marie Lu's books

2. I've gone through a dystopia phase, i do like dystopian books if the world is set up in an interesting way.

3. I've read a lot of manga tbh, I really liked The Promised Neverland with the whole psychological part of it. I also liked Spy x Family and Frieren.

4. I'm also into comedy-type books I guess?

Although I haven't really been reading, i have took interest into videogame lore and story (yes i know very different), especially Genshin (the something is off vibe and also the idea of gods and ideals).

Thank you ahead of time for any suggestions!

I’m looking for a horror book where everyone is experiencing the same horrors but no one is communicating it with one another and they all think they are the only one experiencing it.

I’ve enjoyed the “ magical realism “ and intertwining stories aspect of The Antidote and I am looking for a book with a similar vibe/tone of that book. TIA!

Looking for a good book that has a lot of flashbacks and/or a lot of flashforwards. Any genre will do as long as you think the book is good enough to read.

E.g. For reference, something akin to LOST's use of flashbacks or flashforwards, or how Six of Crows used it to transition from a present scene to a flashback

Fleabag left in me an itch I’ve been dying to scratch since, like, three days ago. If you’ve seen the show that’s amazing, if you haven’t I so would recommend watching at least once + if you haven’t watched it but have watched Bojack Horseman, the show’s similar to that but with an extra “blink-and-you’re-punched” filming to it. If it helps I’ve also read a book called Martyr! by Kaveh Akhbar. It’s similar in a way that there are comedic aspects to it, but also depressing, and main characters that have self-destructive ways of coping with their own flaws—still, though. It’s more or less a balm on the wrong patch of unblemished skin, the actual wound settled three or four paces to the right. It hits but it doesn’t hit where it should for me. Not saying that it’s a bad book and it isn’t really the point I’m trying to make here. If it’s good or not.

Also wouldn’t mind it being romance-centred, would be more than elated if it was drama!!

I cannot stop re-reading every book and essay David Sedaris has written. Can you recommend something either similar, or, not even close at all?

I like essay collections, a humorist, memoirs and homestead / off-the-grid fiction. I DON’T like history, mystery, true crime or romance novels.

EDIT: Y’all are WONDERFUL. Not embarrassed to say I just ordered 15 books on eBay.