Recs if you like We Have Always Lived in the Castle...

a collection of autistic coded characters in fiction [ recommendations welcome! ]

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!

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 ❤️🥹)

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.

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).

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.

cats across genres! these books range from books all about cats to books that feature a cat, and all are cat-friendly!

Houses that haunt or people who are haunted in those houses.

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 :)

Books recommended by musician Lucy Dacus, a solo artist and member of the band boygenius. Pulled from her goodreads list.

Speculative (sci-fi, fantasy, horror etc.) novellas less than 200 pages long that are either standalone or read like a standalone story

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Short, quick reads that still pack a punch and wake you from your numb slumber