Recs if you like The Membranes...

books that are so changed by the end that they're entirely different books on the re-read. books best entered blind, with a twist or gradual reveal that is not just surprising, but retroactively rewrites everything you've already read – the meaning, tone, genre, or intention of every page before it.

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

recs so so welcome!

literary (or literary-leaning) fiction focused specifically on isolation, disconnection, loneliness — and what they teach us about life and humanity.

ft. recs from the community!

I tried to include most books I know or that have been recommended that either have transfem, transmasc or nonbinary main characters. I only add first in 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.

There will be no one breasting boobily anywhere here.

Some criteria:

• women characters should be multidimensional with their own goals, agendas, and flaws
• the main character should be a woman, and there should be at least one other female character who is significant to the plot
• women characters’ role should not be defined solely by her relationship to a man
• author is a cis man
• one book per author

Let’s hold male authors to a higher standard because it is possible.

Dive into these science fiction books that are shorter than 300 pages!

As always, open to any suggestions for additions to this list! 🙂

“We have no clear definition of consciousness—even though it must be the most important element of our own experience on the planet.

Why do we fear so much in the other this thing we so little understand in ourselves?”

books that explore and grapple with the nature of human and non-human consciousness (animal, machine, or otherwise alien).

mostly science non-fiction, speculative fiction and literary fiction.

recs very much welcome :)

i don’t need to explain to anyone why the proliferation climate fiction has skyrocketed over the past few years. this new wave of climate fiction, from 2020-present (ongoing), refuses to exclude climate catastrophe from depictions of or changing world. these works are grounded in present and future realities, the speculative less ‘speculative’, and more predictive.

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

"you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you" sci-fi edition canon sci-fi authors (before the year 2000) that have shaped the science fiction we have today. suggestions are enthusiastically welcome ✨ (1 book per author)

After the lifting of martial law in 1987, Taiwan’s rapid democratisation nurtured a vibrant counter-culture, including a wave of literature marked by stylistic experimentation, marginal voices, and a critical questioning of state narratives.

This period is often described as the “golden age” of tóngzhì (同志) lit, in which writers placed lesbian, gay and queer experiences at the centre of innovative, politically charged work.

older science fiction with lgbtq+ characters and/or authors and books that question gender and sexuality

books set in drowned or drowning worlds

Much of the post/apoc genre is taken up by US-centric fiction, giving a very specific mindset & often a similar type of apocalypse. There's a strong focus on guns & military. Settings outside the US can provide us with unusual, diverse & interesting stories of survival

Sister list to: Zombie Apocs - But Not US-centric

Fictional settings allowed. Some books may cross borders, inc sections in the US. Allowance made for US indigenous authors

First of a series only

Suggestions welcome!

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A selection of books by queer authors and/or containing queer themes not originally written in English but since translated. Suggestions very welcome!

Name-calling and insults you might hear on the playground and beyond...

Anything can be an insult if you believe it! My kid brother used to get in trouble for calling us "you...you BEAN" with all the spite his little preschool self could manage 🥹

short books around 200 pages or less that you can easily read in one sitting! for those who just want a quick read or those trying to hit their reading goals ! i tried to include a variety of genres including lit fic, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, thriller, etc.

a comprehensive list of books from each country in asia including books I want to read and have read! some countries have multiple books listed, but for starters each will have at least 1.

Apocalyptic and/or post apocalyptic books