Recs if you like A Little Life...

Are you currently not crying to the point of vomiting, but you want to be? Need to conduct a science experiment to find out if you are in fact the ugliest crier in all of Pagebound? Well, do I have the list for you! Brought to you by the fine, very sad, folks of Pagebound! These books have been frequently suggested or upvoted in PB club posts about sad books! Suggestions in any genre, and extra tissues, are welcome!

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

pink, sophisticated & sometimes fatale <3 curating the personality of my aspirations (added some essential nonfic & poetry!)

Grief as one of the main topics

For when you need to wallow in melancholy and misery: a collection of pessimistic, cynical, downbeat, depressing, doom and gloom fiction for my disillusioned friends.

More to come!

Got the holiday blues? Check out my list Christmas with the Cranks!

A mix of reader favorites and editorial picks from The New York Times—100 books that defined the 21st century.

Featuring morally gray men, unreliable narrators, emotional damage, dragons, serial killers, fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, and at least 47 books someone claimed “changed their life.” Proceed with caution.

Focused on stories with beautiful prose, depth, and explore the intricate realities of the LGBTQ+ experience. Sub-genres could range from historical, contemporary, science fiction, magical realism, and classics (even romance!).

I will continue to update this, so comment if you have more!

NYT Top 100 of the 21st Century: Reader's Choice. In order as published in 2024

Tier 2 from the disturbing novel iceberg, inspired by the disturbing movie iceberg.

More taboo themes, more gore, and books that stick with you long after reading.

novels that track friendships throughout time. full of complex childhood comparison trauma, friend break ups and perhaps reconciliations, shifting friend group dynamics, and the impact of age on our most foundational relationships.

for when you’re craving an emotional hangover.

love sad books all day every day

books that feel like a cigarettes after sex song—melancholy, sensual and longing.

pain, pain and more pain, but make it queer.

I will continue to update this, so feel free to add more suggestions

I'm making a list of authors, the problematic information is very public and easy to find. This list is to inform anyone that doesn't know. The authors are horrible people and I never separated the art from the artist!

Never-ending list that just keeps on growing

Elena Ferrante, the bestselling pseudonymous Italian author behind My Brilliant Friend, has named her favourite 40 books by female authors around the world.

None of the characters in these books do themselves any favors in being the heroes of their own stories. Some may be more likable than others, but they all are students in the art of self sabotage. Featuring hubris, obsession, greed, apathy, vanity, addiction, power & fame, or just plain old psychopathy. Some are humorous and some are decidedly not and some have a happy endings and some are tragic through and through. Either way, you’re in for a fascinating ride. Recommendations encouraged!

Books that are banned, censored, removed from bookshops, marketplaces, and libraries, and writers that are considered as a threat to the authorities. Some called it a "Fahrenheit list".

How many have you read?