Recs if you like The Amalfi Curse...

Standalone fantasy books that won't make you invest your life in a dozen installments

I'm sure some of these are already on your TBR, so might as well add some more! Let me know if I am missing any of your favorites!

A librarian's favorite response to asking what book a patron is looking for...

whether it's straight-up Jane Austen retellings, set in an alternative regency-era England, or a whole new world that has those prim and proper vibes, these books all introduce magic, spells, and perhaps even a bit of whimsy into the familiar regency setting (may also contain Victorian or Gregorian-era like fantasy novels, since they can have a lot of overlap in vibes!)

A subgenre that I'm absolutely loving. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

Seafaring stories and Little Mermaid-esque tales! (I'm excluding classics and books that just take place on the ocean but don't have any speculative elements, even my baby Moby Dick😭)

I'm big into the theme of stories having archaeological plots. Even if the story isn't fully centered on archaeology--if it has a hint of it or similar fields of study--I'm in love. These stories might not have the same feel as "the Mummy" or "Indiana Jones", but they will have a hint of archaeological-adjacent themes smattered within at least.

book recs for orange readers according to read your color on substack | updated periodically

Nominees and winners of every category of the Good Reads Choice Awards for the year of 2025. Some books overlap so they were only entered once.

Are you getting recommended the same fantasy books over and over? All of these books are over a year old and finished by less than 1000 people on PB. (YA and Adult, standalones and first books in a series)

All the 2025 BOTM monthly, add on, and Allurial titles

Historical fiction is one of my top pics as you can get a variety of flavors within it. Want to cry? Historical Fiction. Your skin to crawl? Historical Fiction! The world is your oyster

Stories of Shadow and Starlight

Tasty food, gorgeous landscapes, inspiring history - there's so much Italy has to offer for an interesting story.

Journey across our seas and beyond with books that take place near, on, and even within oceans.

The ones I’ll read by the pool, the beach or outside enjoying the sun on my face.

This is one of a few lists I'm making to help me organize my ideas for HRCYED 3.0. Feel free to take inspiration or comment with more ideas.