Recs if you like We Have Always Lived in the Castle...
Classics Not Written by Straight Cis White Men
I've seen so many people say they don't read classics as they aren't diverse, and I wanted to give some suggestions that are.
This is a list of classics written by authors who are not Straight, Cis, White, and Men as the title suggests. I am also aiming to include a variety of cultures and regions in this list. If your looking for something more focused (e.g. diverse US classics) check out the lists I posted in the comments.
Suggestions are more than welcome!
Quest Thirst 💦 (150+ Books under multiple quests)
Books that are part of 3 or more quests ✨for easier planning! Initially thought of making this on my shelf, hope the members of pb find this helpful!! (The list is incomplete, I'm working on checking & adding new quest books🙌🏻 thanks for the love ❤️🥹)
break glass in case of autism diagnosis
a collection of autistic coded characters in fiction [ recommendations welcome! ]
no stephen king in sight
are you sick of being recommended stephen king when you ask for a horror novel? have you picked up a book expected to be scared, but the scariest thing about it was a woman being needlessly tormented and gaslit? have you read 4627473 books about a man in a haunted house and need something different?
if so, this list is for you :)
a masterlist of horror by anyone who isn't a straight cis white man, started in 2022 and brought to pb in 2026.
Literary Lasagna - Give Them Time to Cook
These are books that don't rush to impress you. They simmer while the author adds in the layers. They may confuse you or bore you at first - but if you give them time to cook you'll end up with a delicious meal of a book!
Always taking recommendations! If you are recommending a series - the layers need to come together by the end of the first book (not half way through the series).
Badge Gremlins
Shorter books (under 200 pages) that are part of at least one quest. Many are also in the public domain, making them easily accessible when you want to grind for that next badge.
feline lit
cats across genres! these books range from books all about cats to books that feature a cat, and all are cat-friendly!
these titles are complete sentences!
“I think I’m gonna die in this house”
Houses that haunt or people who are haunted in those houses.
assigned by frankie
almost every single book mentioned* on 🔗 Frankie's Shelf youtube channel because his taste is wild and i love it.
updated as frankie posts. *mentioned as in the book is the focus of the video, listed in the description, or offhandedly said.
Lucy Dacus Recommendations 💛
Books recommended by musician Lucy Dacus, a solo artist and member of the band boygenius. Pulled from her goodreads list.
black cat crossing
it may be months away from halloween but it’s never too early to show love and support for the often over-stigmatized black cat! these books, as you might have guessed, all include at least one black cat or are about black cats :)
Really Short Standalone SFF Reads
Speculative (sci-fi, fantasy, horror etc.) novellas less than 200 pages long that are either standalone or read like a standalone story
Horror in < 200 pages
Horror books with a page count of 200 pages or less.
Before we started defining novellas by word count, they were defined as being any book less than 200 pages. Source: my Analysis of Short Stories & Literature professor in community college. I loved that class. But he loved James Joyce. So, ymmv, I guess.
very cold people
the darker side of new england. crumbling colonial-era brick, run down coastal towns, abandoned factories, dilapidated mills, foggy orchards, cold dark waters, whispers of witchcraft, venerated institutions, secret societies, and uneasy echoes of the past.
Sister Sister
Fiction featuring sisters, because sisters are the best. (Note that not all sister relationships are easy, they are complex and layered and sometimes difficult.)
Please leave your additions in the comments!
HRCYED 3.0 x Pagebound Quests (Titles Edition)
If we are going to do Qwordy's the Hardest Reading Challenge You'll Ever Do 3.0 - we should probably get some Pagebound badges along the way! I'm specifically going to be adding books from Quests and readalongs that go past the July start date and match at least one of these title prompts: Periodic Table, Familial Terms, Rainbow of Words (also Joseph's coat), Numerical Titles, Titular Counting 5+, Pun in the Title, and First & Last Name in the Title. Recommendations welcome!
Niche Classics
Overlooked, lesser known classics from all over the world and of many genres.
This list also exists as a book club on Fable under the same name.
uncanny interiority
🍃✨ books where the real setting is somebody’s unsettling or off-kilter brain/perspective (with exceptional prose quality)
no animals harmed in the making of this horror
A collection of horror books without animal death/cruelty since it is prevalent in the genre! These books will avoid graphic scenes with animals and cruelty. Animal bones may be present, let me know if you need to know which ones. Suggestions welcome and if I am mistaken about the content let me know and I will remove!
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