Recs if you like The Talented Mr. Ripley ...

Based on the list/book published in 2006, general editor Peter Boxall.

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

Spooky summer fun for all ages, from cute picture books with spooky elements, to creepy middle grade graphic novels, to teen + YA thrills, to adult-level gore and a sprinkling of erotic horror/dark romance. Books on this list have a heavy summer theme, either highlighting the season or taking place in settings like summer camps, fairgrounds, beaches, or water parks, and have some sort of creepy or scary element to them.

🏖️🌊👙🎡🎢🔪🏕️🏞️👻😈🍉

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!

A list featuring classic hardboiled detective capers—largely cynical novels (and a few story collections) hailing primarily from the 20’s-50’s, populated by quick thinking and hard drinking detectives, femme fatales, gangsters, murders, and periodic guns fights; where coffee is served late at night, and there is almost always an abundance of cigarette smoke…

Books where envy or jealousy are central themes.

A collection of books that impacted the future of their own genre. ✨️please make recommendations✨️ (Picking emojis for this was hard)

I love thrillers! I also...hate thrillers. 😅 This list is borne of a personal quest to find more of the type of thriller I enjoy: specifically ones published in the 20th century. No Gone Girl or Freida McFadden here, I'm afraid.

Under construction — recs enthusiastically welcomed

A list published by The Guardian on 5/16/2026, as voted on by authors, critics, and academics worldwide.

The Guardian Top 100 Best Novels

Uh Oh! Friend Clearly Not the Victim in Drama Being Described! (Suggestions welcome!)

every Red book recommendation from the Read Your Color substack | updated periodically

Books perfect for curling up on the couch while leaves fall down like rain.

Every single person in this book could benefit from some professional help

{LGBTQIA+ // QUEER} saudade but queer wistfulness but make it queer covetousness but queer

stories of excess, sensuality, pleasure, adventure, reactivity, and eros, as well as stories that reflect the feeling of a summer holiday or the lethargy and fatigue of late summer

VERY open to suggestions since as you can see this is a pretty short list, and I always love reading books with homoerotic themes

Books that would be great for a local, in-person book club at a cafe and will hopefully spark great discussion!

inspired by the tv show the white lotus, recommendations are welcome!

original idea from a post at r/BooksThatFeelLikeThis