Recs if you like The Wall...
older women in sci-fi and fantasy
books featuring older women protagonists, age 30 and up, in sci-fi and fantasy. for books containing multiple povs/protagonists, older fmcs should hold equal weight and presence in the story as other mcs. ideally, aiming for more women centred additions, but open to all suggestions and feedback!
apart / a part
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!
Books that feel like an A24 film
Books that are atmospheric, emotionally unsettling, beautifully written, a little weird, and linger long after you finish them.
hungry women
these books use (literal) hunger as a political tool to speak to women’s oppression, repression and desire, whether through overt cannibal metaphor, speculative dispatches, or more subtle nuances of appetite in literary fiction. these women are hungry for something more, whether they’re allowed to act on it or not.
recommendations welcome!
in the zone: an introduction to zonal lit
coined by phil ford and jf martel, co-hosts of “weird studies,” zonal literature is a term that refers to narratives set in reality-bent spaces. in these liminal zones, ordinary life is suspended, altered, other. the rules here are different, even if things may look the same.
you are a regular guy!
you can enter a space. you are a regular guy, you can enter a room. you are a regular guy, you can do that transaction. you are a regular guy, you know how to answer the phone. you are a regular guy, you know what sleep is. you are a regular guy, you know what it means to be you.
all of these books have regular people as the protagonist doing all sorts of things, from kissing to killing!
as always, open to all suggestions!
that’s not my name!
they call me hell, they call me Stacy, they call me her, they call me Jane…that’s not my name!!!
this is a list of books featuring characters without a name
as always, taking any and all suggestions!!
animal side characters
books that feature an animal (real & fantastical alike) as a side character, companion, or a pet!
isolation
who do you become when you’re cut off from the rest of the world?
books in which a person or group of people are physically isolated and have to contend with who they really are.
German to the core
Translated german language literature that is considered by many to be "core" reading from the modern and contemporary eras - meaning 1880 onwards, making it very readable. 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇨🇭 I usually kept it to one book per author to make this a starting off point (sometimes added additional faves). Suggestions welcome!
Build a house!
Being able to build a home is a rare thing these days, so let's build our own imaginary house book by book! Feel free to suggest a title for a home improvement 🛠
The End of the World & After - But Not US-centric!
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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backrooms vibes
books that feel like the backrooms: unsettling and horrifying liminal spaces. Open to more recs that fit this description.
Bleakness Is My Weakness
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!
the overlooked atlas
a compiled list of all the "underrated" or otherwise overlooked books from the various cultures of our very own pagebound community, inspired by all of your wonderful recommendations!
i'm always open to further suggestions from your own culture if you have any books you think deserve a further spotlight or you don't see them mentioned here.
✨️Classics by Women✨️
Not Only Orwell - Dystopias written by women
Everyone knows George Orwell or Aldous Huxley. Their works are considered to be the staples of dystopia stories.
But are they?
Most of the people know Octavia E. Butler or Margaret Atwood. They showed the feminine side of dystopia. But this subgenre of science fiction have much more to offer.
Yes, you find here all the famous ladies too but I'll do my best to find even more. So I hope the fellow Boundlings will help too💗
Mending Used to Be Normal
An incomplete list of fiction that casually mentions darning, patching, or otherwise repairing clothing and textiles, or where characters explicitly wear mended garments. I'm gonna be real with you, the number of books I've discovered mending in is so large I can't remember them all, so expect this list to grow as I continue to read and re/discover.
Suggestions welcome!
Wanna mend your own clothes? Check out my nonfiction list Opting Out of Fast Fashion! 🙂
We’re All Gonna Die
Apocalyptic and/or post apocalyptic books
Classic Literature around the World
The intention of this list is to highlight classic literature from around the World. This is excluding the USA and UK from this list because they get enough attention. (Just kidding but also... not 🤭)
Curated by the PB community from 🔗this PB club post please check out this club post for the original recommendation and any possible additions that I haven't added to the list.
Any suggestions welcome! I am special requesting suggestions from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. As long as the book is considered classic literature in your country, I want to hear about it!
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