Recs if you like 84, Charing Cross Road...

These are some of my favorites and books I want to read--nonfiction that reads like fiction or is otherwise compelling. If you're intimidated by books on history, science, memoir, or other subgenres in nonfiction, start here.

Bibliophilia at its best - books about books, readers, libraries, bookstores!

Books don't just sit on shelves and these novels show it. Each one is its own love letter to the importance of stories in every corner of human life, built on the belief that the right book, in the right hands, at the right moment, can change the entire shape of a life. (Always taking recommendations!)

Short books that you can read in a sitting, to help you achieve your yearly reading goal 🤭🥳 Feel free to mention anything else from the list, I'm so glad to add & check them out 😁

Come snoop on people's diaries and correspondence with me 🙈 fiction and non-fiction

"a novel written as a series of letters between the fictional characters of a narrative. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse other kinds of fictional document with the letters, most commonly diary entries and newspaper clippings, and sometimes considered to include novels composed of documents even if they do not include letters at all. More recently, epistolaries may include electronic documents such as recordings and radio, blog posts, and emails."

I tried to find the latest version (2026).

All about books, bookstores, bookshops, bookclubs, libraries, writers, readers - All things Books! Books! Books!

Books that are short but impactful. Some of these I read years ago and still think about unprompted sometimes. (I tried to keep these below 250 pages)

Please feel free to recommend your own favourites in the comments! ^^

For when life feels heavy and a book-laden heaven isn't available to appease the vibes

Please comment anything I missed 🫶 :)

Books about grieving loved ones. Main themes or death adjacent. Books that helped me through the grieving process. "I know why we try to keep the dead alive: we try to keep them alive in order to keep them with us." —Joan Didion.

The ultimate bookish read!

✨️For Sal ✨️

story told through letters, emails, documents, diary entries or blog posts.

Books that have actual numbers numbers in the title (7 instead of seven)

Open to recs 🙌🏼

Books about booksellers, bookshops, writing and reading.

emotionally resonant and impactful reads that will make you feel all of the feels (and, if you're like me, cry).

Sybil (& friends') reading list

short stories, novellas, and anthologies to keep you going when you need a bit of a motivation boost!