#ask a bookseller

[the-dust-jacket]

Is there any recommendations you could give for books similar to the tainted cup?

Hey, I hope some of these fit the bill! Mostly fantasy mystery, a few historical or sci-fi, and some that just feel right on worldbuilding and character vibes. Also, if City of Stairs isn't already on your radar, check that one out!

Witness For the Dead, by Katherine Addison (fantasy mystery with complex and immersive worldbuilding)

The Angel of the Crows, by Katherine Addison (and this one is Holmes homage)

The Tea Master and the Detective, by Aliette de Bodard (spaceship setting and mild-altering teas)

A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine (sci-fi political intrigue)

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, by KJ Charles (Victorian horror pastiche featuring an interesting twist on a Holmes-and-Watson dynamic and lots of creatively gruesome magical murders, not a traditional romance novel but pretty sexually explicit)

The Charm of Magpies trilogy, by KJ Charles (Gothic horror/romance, with more gruesome magical murders)

The Penric and Desdemona series, by Lois McMaster Bujold (a young scholar and the demon sharing his body solve mysteries and have adventures)

Three Parts Dead, by Max Gladstone (dead gods and magical bureaucracy)

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman (YA fantasy featuring murder, intrigue, shapechanging dragons)

The Silence of Bones, by June Hur (YA historical mystery full of rich historical detail and interesting detective dynamics)

Perfume, by Patrick Suskind (dark historical fiction featuring a scent-obsessed murderer)

Jasmine Throne, by Tasha Suri (epic fantasy with plenty of intrigue and romance)

Wilder Girls, by Rory Power (YA with plenty of plant-based body horror)

Cetaganda, by Lois McMaster Bujold (sci-fi mystery with lots of bio-engineering and intrigue, although probably not the best starting place for newcomers to the Vorkoso-verse)

Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (creepy historical mystery)

[the-dust-jacket]

Since you've got Demon's Lexicon I'm guessing the Lynburn Legacy is already on your radar but if not please check it out posthaste!

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

The Curseworkers trilogy and The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

So many books by Anna-Marie McLemore

The Brooklyn Brujas series by by Zoraida Cordova

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Blood Debts and Blood Justice by Terry Benton-Walker

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

The Cecelia and Kate books by Patrica C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

A little farther from the brief:

The Court of Fives by Kate Elliot

The Darkness Outside Us and The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

Throwing in a few mainstream SFF titles:

The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison (messy family drama on a dynastic level)

Lois McMaster Bujold's sprawling Vorkosigan Saga is deeply interested in familial drama and intergenerational history and historicizing, and definitely popular with younger readers; The Warrior's Apprentice is one of several good starting points and reads the most YA, but feel free to tag or DM for specific content warnings

The Lord of Stariel by A.J. Lancaster (super cute and doing fun things with big family drama)

Hey there's like 600 more of you than there were than the last time I asked so...anybody recommend me some fantasy or scifi YA books that feature a lot of family drama?

Specifically, I mean like multi-generational, established families. Usually when I get asked this I get a lot of recs about establishing a found family consisting of several peers. and those are great and I love them, but not what I'm looking for with this ask.

So far I have Liberty's Daughter and Demon's Lexicon.

Any thoughts?

[the-dust-jacket]

Hello. I've already read the Kingston Cycle, Half a Soul and I'm about to finish the Stariel books. Do you have more recommendations? Thank you in advance.

Oh absolutely!

A Matter of Magic, by Patricia C. Wrede (for cross-country Regency romps, rogues, magicians, spies, and Ladies of Quality)

A Marvellous Light, by Freya Marske (for murder and mystery and secret Edwardian wizardry, romance, grand old houses and creepy curses)

Spellbound, by Allie Therin (for forbidden love, found family, and frightening magic in 1920s New York)

Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal (for frothy and impeccably evocative Regency magic)

Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho (for schemes both magical and mundane and the world of fairy crossing into the world of the tonne)

To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis (for laugh-out-loud time travel shenanigans and questionable Victorian aesthetic choices)

Soulless, by Gail Carriger (for vampire assassins, werewolf aristocrats, interrupted tea time, and other terrible inconveniences which may beset a young lady)

A little darker:

The Magpie Lord, by KJ Charles (for semi-secret magical society, creepy family estate, steamy romance all in an Extremely Victorian Gothic setting)

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (clever and deeply atmospheric tour of a magical 19th century England, but definitely not romance)

Salt Magic, Skin Magic, by Lee Welch (for curses and magical bonds and frightening fairies)

Widdershins, by Jordan L Hawk (for Gilded Age mystery and romance featuring Lovecraftian horror and humor)

More fantasy:

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik (for fairytale magic and whimsy, adventure and romance and creepy trees)

Seducing the Sorcerer, by Lee Welch (for wizard fashion, romance and humor and whimsical magic)

Stardust, by Neil Gaiman (for wild romps in the fairyland next door, alternately humorous and haunting)

More historical:

The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles (for saucy Regency romance and determined social scheming)

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (for dry humor, wacky hijinx, and extended family shenanigans)

Hither Page or The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian (village and manor house mysteries respectively, featuring lots of queer romance and found family with a dash of jaded post-war espionage)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (for yearning and laughs and first love and an eccentric family living in an increasingly run down castle)

A little farther from the brief, but might be worth checking out On Vibes:

The Left Handed Booksellers of London, by Garth Nix

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, by Diana Wynne Jones

His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik (more Regency fantasy, but full on Age of Sail adventure rather than comedy of manners, romance, or secret magic)

Among Others, by Jo Walton

Arabella of Mars, by David D. Levine

A Natural History of Dragons, by Marie Brennan

It also sounds like a Georgette Heyer or Jeeves and Wooster binge would be really fun right now!

[oliversrarebooks]

roger, whats it like being fitz's thrall? (aka how does it feel to be living my dream... im not jealous... totally not living vicariously through you...)

Masterlist

January 1922

TW: mind control, conditioning, blood drinking mentions of past abuse, fear of death

"You have to get up, sir." 

Roger gently shook the lump of tangled blankets and sheets that most likely contained a vampire at its core. The only real indication that his master was within was the soft groan from inside, a mumble that sounded a lot like "leave me alone."

"I can't leave you alone, sir. You have a show at 7, remember? If you don't rise and shine soon, you won't have enough time to do your hair and makeup and make it to the theater."

"Uggggggh. Why'd I schedule a show so goddamned early? What is wrong with me?" The pile of blankets huddled in on itself more tightly.

"...I suspect there may be several things, sir," said Roger, unable to resist the obvious opening and knowing that a bit of banter might put his master in a better mood. "Regardless, you did schedule the show, and you do need to leave the house for it."

"Horrible. Torturous. Excruciating." The bedclothes rustled, and Fitz poked his head out just enough to take a look. "It's so early that the sun is leaking around the curtains! The sun could kill me, Roger, you can't expect me to get up in those conditions. I could die."

"I believe that's what the curtains are for, sir. To prevent you from dying when you're unjustly forced to wake up during the day." Roger sat down on the side of the bed. He'd done this often enough to know when he was in for the long haul, and he was quite capable of patience -- a good quality to have when serving Fitz. "You were looking forward to this show, weren't you? It's a large venue, and you have your new rotating box trick."

"Mmm."

"I'm sure it will go over splendidly, sir, and you'll be afforded all the praise and applause you deserve," he said. Cheap flattery rarely failed to soften his master's mood. "Aren't you looking forward to seeing the looks of delight on your audience's faces when you perform your new trick? And besides that, aren't you looking forward to being paid?"

Fitz seemed to be lowering both his blankets and his guard. "I suppose so..."

"Excellent. Then forgive me for this, sir." Roger grabbed the covers and pulled them away, as his master produced a sound not unlike a dying cat.

With lightning fast reflexes, the blankets were wrenched from Roger's grasp, and Fitz was clutching them to himself and huddling in the middle of the bed. "How could you? How could my own thrall do such a thing? Heartless, you're simply heartless." He curled up under the blankets and stubbornly closed his eyes as if to go back to sleep.

"Of the two of us, sir, it's technically you who is heartless." Roger sighed. It was always most difficult to wake Fitz in the dead of winter. The long nights enticed his master to stay out too late sampling the city's nightlife, and the cold made him especially reluctant to leave his chambers, which, thanks to the radiators, were as hot as a furnace.

He reached down to the blankets, intending to tug on them again. This time, despite Fitz pretending to sleep, he was faster than Roger, and grasped his wrist.

Roger felt a delicious, drowsy warmth coming from his master's touch, filling his mind with cotton candy haze. It was blissfully dreamy and intoxicating, and, most dangerously, it was sleep-inducing, enticing him to shut his weary eyes and rest.

"Go back to sleep, Roger," Fitz lulled. "Curl up here. Keep me warm..."

Roger was swaying on the spot, eyelids drooping, rapidly losing himself to enchanted slumber -- but he'd been caught by this trap on plenty of occasions, and each time it ended with Fitz regretful that he'd overslept and missed his obligations. It was that memory that kept Roger just awake enough to wrench his arm away and mostly free himself from his master's dangerous temptation. Fitz was making sad little grabbing motions as Roger moved out of range of his hands.

"I'm afraid that if you wish to use your powers on me, you'll have to leave your bed to do so, sir," said Roger, standing several feet away. "The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can get to the pleasant business of washing up." They both knew that it was a bluff. Roger had been under Fitz's thrall for many years now, and his master didn't need hypnotic touch to compel him, body and soul. But it was a bluff that usually worked.

"Fine, fine, you win." With one final dramatic groan, Fitz threw off the covers and sat up. "I'll take my shower, then. But I expect you to attend to me when I'm finished."

"Of course, sir." Roger watched as his master stumbled into the bathroom, and in a moment he could hear the sound of running water and upbeat humming. Fitz loved long, warm showers as much as he loved rolling around lazily in bed. He'd spend at least a half-hour relaxing in the steamy waters and performing his elaborate and ever-changing skin care routine, one which involved enough distinct products as to cover most of the vanity table.

This gave Roger plenty of time to make the perpetually disheveled bed, the foot-high pile of blankets, and the mountain of pillows in every shape and size. He made quick work of it, picked up the dirty clothes that had been tossed on the floor yesterday morning. 

Housekeeping was Roger's primary responsibility apart from providing blood and humoring Fitz's varied whims. With only the two of them in a reasonably sized flat, it wasn't especially difficult or time-consuming compared to when he'd lived on his own, before he'd been snatched off the street by a vampire. He'd even come to enjoy the simple chores. He wasn't sure how much of that was due to his own feelings or to Fitz's coercion -- his master grasping his shoulders and softening Roger's mind, whispering to him how much he loved to serve.

Really, it hardly mattered any more.

When he'd finished tidying up, Roger got down to the business of setting out his master's clothes. Serving Fitz was really about anticipating his moods more than anything else. With a large venue, he'd want something particularly flashy -- something on the warmer side for a chill day -- deep blue, perhaps?

The door to the bathroom cracked open, Roger's signal to enter.

The steam was blinding, mixed with the almost overwhelming scent of flowers, as Roger entered. Fitz was fussing with his hair, as usual, despite not being able to see it in the mirror. "You simply must help me out with this," he said.

"Of course, sir," said Roger, taking the comb from him. This was a ritual they performed nearly every night Fitz went out. Even as the years went by and Fitz grew from a young vampire to a seasoned one, he still seemed so irritated at not being able to see himself in the mirror, sometimes requiring excessive reassurance from Roger that he was still handsome.

Tonight, though, his master seemed deep in his own head as Roger ran the comb through his hair, taking some pomade in hand to smooth it back. He pulled the longer hair into a neat tail, the sort of style usually reserved for unsavory sorts, but then, Fitz didn't mind presenting himself as a bit unsavory. Roger's tense shoulders relaxed as faint hypnotic power flowed from his master's proximity, fogging his mind at the same time it increased his desire to help fix Fitz's brooding.

"Is everything all right, sir?"

Fitz seemed startled back into the waking world by the question. "Of course," he said with his fake smile plastered firmly to his face. "Just running through the show in my head. If I'm going to be dragged out of my bed and into the cold this early, it had better be worth it."

"I'm sure it will be, sir. You're looking quite handsome this evening."

"Obviously," he said, lacking the usual cheer that punctuated their banter.

With Fitz's hair squared away, the two then left the bathroom for Roger to assist dressing him. "While the rest of this outfit is acceptable, this bowtie is just not..." Fitz seemed to be fishing around, thinking of what could be wrong with the bowtie, clearly eager to find some minor fault to distract himself from his own worries. "It's blue, isn't it? You can't have blue on a night that's already cold and gloomy, that won't do. It must be red. The color of excitement and passion!"

"I don't know what I was thinking, sir," Roger deadpanned, picking up the blue bowtie that Fitz had tossed aside and fetching one of his half-a-dozen red ones.

Fitz allowed Roger to fit him with the new selection. "That's why you should leave the thinking to me."

"I'm not so sure about that, sir."

That got a genuine smile from his master. "Come now, when has that ever not worked out?" he said. "With this outfit and your expert attention to my hair, I'm sure tonight's show will be an absolute triumph."

"There's not a single doubt in my mind, sir."

As Roger adjusted his master's cummerbund, Fitz leaned in a bit more, in an unsubtle fashion. The undercurrent of tension Roger had felt all night bloomed into something more recognizable: hunger. His master desired his blood, and, as always, Roger felt himself falling into a pleasurable daze, one where all thoughts fled from his mind apart from offering himself to his master.

"I think I'll need to feed from you when I return. You don't mind, do you?" Fitz whispered in his ear.

"No, master," said Roger, shivering involuntarily. "It's my pleasure to serve you."

"And it's my pleasure to feed," he said, grinning with his fangs bared. "Yes, I think that'll be just the thing to lift my spirits. Something to look forward to after the show."

"Yes, sir. I'll also look forward it." He meant that -- he had long since given up being troubled by his desire for vampiric feedings. He'd felt that desire even for his previous master's painful, harsh feedings, and it was far easier to accept Fitz's gentle trance of bliss.

A few minutes later and Roger had wrangled a semi-unwilling vampire into two layers of winter coat and sent him on his way. Sometimes Roger went along with Fitz to the theater, to help with makeup or hair or just for support purposes, but just as often he was left behind to his own devices. 

He didn't mind either way. It was nice to have a few hours to himself. He often spent the bulk of the time painting, something he'd never gotten to do much of even before he was taken by vampires. He wanted to eat breakfast first, though, especially given that his master might be feeding later.

Roger did hope he was. Sometimes he instead chose to feed on his volunteer from the audience, and that was always a bit of a disappointment, denying Roger the opportunity to fulfill his primary purpose in life. But Fitz seemed interested in feeding at home, and if he was going to do that, it would behoove Roger to be well-fed.

Soon enough, a generous portion of ham and eggs was sizzling on the stove. Fitz had made a promise early on that he'd always keep Roger fed, and although he forgot and broke promises all the time, he hadn't broken that one. Unlike his previous master, he never punished Roger with starvation -- a particularly spiteful punishment, since it also seemed to lower the quality of Roger's blood. His previous master did seem to enjoy punishment more than feedings.

When Roger's former master had been destroyed in a duel, Roger had assumed he was going from bad to worse. That feeling had grown stronger when he'd been dragged to a secondhand thrall appraiser and his worth was assessed at far lower than it had been when he'd first been bought. At the time, Roger had been little better than a beaten dog, cringing at every sound, barely daring to speak or think. He'd lost hope for anything better.

And, well, Fitz was far from the savior he'd often imagined during those days. He was still a vampiric master, a dramatic one whose moods changed like the wind. He could still effortlessly control Roger's mind, and he made Roger do all the chores in the house. Roger still wasn't free.

But rather than beatings and torture, Fitz's "punishments" generally amounted to snippy words and extra chores. There was always food, and he was allowed to paint and read and relax. His master might have a terrible habit of tossing out every piece of clothing in his closet when choosing what to wear and then telling Roger to clean it all up, but compared to what life had been like...

He hoped that Fitz came home safe. He'd strongly prefer to not change hands again, even if it meant dragging a protesting vampire out of bed each night for the rest of his life.

Roger had busied himself painting a bird from an illustration in a nature book when he heard the front door creak. "It's goddamn cold out there! Windy, too."

"Welcome home, sir," said Roger, helping his master out of his frigid coats. He was pleased to see Fitz in a better mood than when he'd left. "I take it your show went well?"

"Of course! Didn't you say there wasn't a single doubt in your mind?" he said with a grin as he kicked off his shoes, leaving Roger to line them up neatly in the shoe rack. "The crowd loved it! The spinning box trick is a real winner -- I just need to think of some ways to jazz it up further -- perhaps doing up the box in spangles to really dazzle them..." 

He shook himself out of his train of thought, seeming to remember Roger was there. "All of that applause did have me work up an appetite, though," he said, stepping close and brushing his hand against Roger's. Roger could feel the influence flowing through him, stoking his need for the feeding. "Why don't you go start the fire? That and your blood will provide me with some warmth tonight, I think."

So he was going to feed. Roger tried to keep his face neutral to preserve a scrap of dignity. "Very good, sir."

Roger allowed himself to hum a bit of a jaunty tune as he stacked wood in the fireplace and lit the kindling, using the bellows to raise the fire higher. He could hear his master making a commotion in the bathroom, likely getting out of his fine clothes and washing off the stage makeup. By the time Fitz arrived in the parlor, the fire was crackling merrily.

"Ahhhhh," said Fitz, sprawling out onto the old leather couch and beckoning Roger close. "This is the life, isn't it, Roger?"

"It certainly is, sir."

"Well, I suppose I'm not technically alive. The point still stands."

His master put his hand to Roger's cheek, and Roger sank into the mind-numbing bliss that came from his power, the familiar sense of captivation and contentment. As always, he could feel his master's desire to feed, and as he dropped deeper into a trance, his hands came up to unbutton his shirt and pull his collar away.

"You really are an excellent thrall," said Fitz, and Roger soaked in both the praise and the sense of security that came from pleasing his master. "Now just relax and let me have what I need."

Sharp fangs punctured the old scars that would never heal, and Roger's pliable mind slipped further as his master began to drink. There was nothing but bliss and contentment and hunger and need --

-- and, as always when his master was anxious, the sound of ticking clocks and the undercurrent of a lonely void.

Perhaps the good reception to his show hadn't brightened his mood as much as Roger had thought.

Fitz drank hungrily as if to fill that void with his thrall's blood, and Roger could feel his senses buckling, his vision tunneling and his eyelids growing heavy. His master was overdrinking again. "Sir," Roger managed to say as he fought to stay awake. "Sir -- sir, you're --"

"Oh!" His master mercifully stopped. "Damn it, I'm sorry, Roger. I don't mean to do that, you know I don't."

"I know you don't," Roger parroted in a dazed voice, slumping against his master's shoulder, allowing his eyes to close now that the danger had passed.

Someday, his master was probably going to kill him. He'd drink too much blood, and Roger would fail to stop him in time, collapsing into his master's arms and closing his eyes for the last time.

But tonight was not that night, and Roger was glad of it.

Masterlist

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist @xx-adam-xx @ivycloak @irregular-book @whumpsoda @mj-or-say10 @pokemaniacgemini @sowhumpshaped @whumpsday @morning-star-whump @shinyotachi @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @pirefyrelight @theauthorintraining @whump-me-all-night-long @anonfromcanada @typewrittenfangs @tessellated-sunl1ght @cleverinsidejoke @abirbable @ichorousambrosia @a-formless-entity @gobbo-king @writinggremlin @the-agency-archives @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @enigmawriteswhump @foresttheblep @bottlecapreader @whump-on-a-string @whumpinthepot @cinnamoncandycanes @avvail-whumps @tauntedoctopuses @secret-vampkissers-soiree @whatamidoingherehelpme

[the-dust-jacket]

Some ideas!

The Jasmine Throne, by Tasha Suri

Lady Hotspur, by Tessa Gratton: this can be read standalone, but I would also consider starting with The Queens of Innis Lear. Less LGBTQ focus, but it's grand and tragic and good comp for Priory generally.

The Unspoken Name, by A.K. Larkwood

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Starless, by Jacqueline Carey: long final battles included!

Spear, by Nicola Griffith

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole: YA, great if you like queens, gods, complicated Chosen One narratives, and DRAGONS

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron: YA, great if you like the twisting of a fairy tale into an origin story and political weapon

Farther from the brief:

The Terre d'Ange books by Jacqueline Carey: both Phedre's trilogy and Moirin's trilogy feature bi/pansexual protagonists who have significant relationships with women, but the primary romances are with men.

The Mirror Empire, by Kameron Hurley: very queer, very epic, more on the grimdark side.

Hild, by Nicola Griffith: immersive historical fiction with speculative elements and lyrical prose, really interesting look at the intersection of politics, religion, and gender.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland: m/m fantasy romance in a matrilineal empire, with lots of intrigue, angst, and bodyguard/prince pining.

finished reading Priory of the Orange Tree today after having it on my tbr for 2 years and i loved it so much. i was reading like 100 pages a day, the alternating povs and plot lines made it feel less daunting. I do wish the final battle and ending were longer. Now all I want to read are fantasy books lol. Any recs of fantasy lesbian/sapphic like Priory are very appreciated!!

[askmidnightspell]

rasazy Misao ask ( come out of a demon portal (this isn’t the book store…) then leaves

[idreamofopaline]

Does the Crystal Empire train have crystal sporks with the onboard food service?

For...whatever reason, a bunch of them are being sold around here, though.

[do-you-ship-this-book-couple]

Do you ship...

[the-dust-jacket]

I hope some of these are the vibe you're looking for!

Wildwood, by Colin Meloy (whimsical, layered middle grade fantasy)

The Lost Coast, by A.R. Capetta (YA, witchy Northern California with lots of trees and fog, hella queer)

Unspoken, by Sarah Rees Brennan (YA, small town shenanigans meets fantasy with multi-generational Spooky Gothic flair meets plucky girl reporter, also yearning)

Silver In the Woods, by Emily Tesh (slightly creepy fairy tale vibes, romance but not spicy, cottages and trees and creatures in the woods)

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines, by Mo Netz (gently spooky middle grade with a weird town, a tiny dragon, a missing mom, a wheelchair user having ADVENTURES)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs (small Scottish town, quirky characters with odd powers, timey-wimey shenanigans, heavy on atmosphere)

Doll Bones, by Holly Black (spooky, evocative character-driven middle grade adventure that feels a little magical but also very real)

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater (mythic, atmospheric YA fantasy featuring small-town psychics and boarding school boys on a quest)

War For the Oaks, by Emma Bull (faerie court at war, a human musician caught between them)

Mooncakes, by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker (adorable witchy graphic novel set in a little New England town) (maybe also check out Wendy Xu's Tidesong!)

The Devouring Wolf, by Natalie Parker (spooky middle grade adventure with pre-teen werewolves and summer camp vibes)

All Our Pretty Songs, by Sarah McCarry (mythic, magic, gritty and very musical Seattle)

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill (middle grade fantasy with woods and witches and tiny dragons, but the scariest things are in the town)

The Rowan Harbor Cycle, starting with Blackbird In the Reeds, by Sam Burns (atmospheric, character-and-place heavy novella series in a foggy town full of odd people and old secrets; queer-romance-centric and sexier than anything else on this list, but not super spicy and also probably closest to the brief!)

People of tumblr help me! Oddly specific book rec request!!!!

I’ve wanted to get back into reading (it’s been working I read dps book version since I already love the movie, started rereading the hobbit, finished this poison heart which I started like 3 years ago and was 70% through, and finally started the secret history)

But I’ve been craving a specific (Niche?) genre of literature because fiction has me in a certain mood??

Does anyone have any book recs that are have these vibes:

- life is strange or gravity falls type story (Pacific Northwest, forests and fog maybe some cryptids or supernatural stuff)

-not straight up horror- like if it has creechurs they are a little spooky and there’s “something strange about this town” that’s cool but it’s not like constant horror and death more like nature being mildly creepy and supernatural, maybe there’s a mystery to solve or it focuses on the characters similar to life is strange

- not a must in case there is an older book that fits the vibes but it would be cool if it had queer characters or just representation some diff groups of people in general

-if I think of other existing media that has the vibes, I’ll put it here (Kids at summer camp create secret club and befriend cryptdids vibes? Or maybe they get powers from an old journal?)

-I’d also be down if it was like vampires(love them) or ghosts(pretty cool)

(Also due to booktok actively trying to murder me in like 2021- little to no spice please and thank you)

Hope someone actually sees this and it’s not too hard of a request

Im sure this genre has a name but I don’t know what it is

I guess oddly specific questions is what Reddit is for but I have used Reddit like 1 time in my life so-

[book--brackets]

Ohhh me too me too me too

I love you, op.

That being said, could you add the works below to the list, please ? :

The Supernaturalist (Eoin Colfer)

Skylark (Meagan Spooner)

The Once and Future King (T.H. White)

Once & Future (Kieron Gillen)

The Checquy Files (Daniel O'Malley)

Circe (Madeline Miller)

Monk & Robot (Becky Chambers)

Legacy of Orisha (Tomi Adeyemi)

Villains (V.E. Schwab)

Falling Kingdoms (Morgan Rhodes)

Chivalry (Neil Gaiman)

The Sleeper and the Spindle (Neil Gaiman)

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (Ram V)

The Unwritten (Mike Carey)

The Left-Handed Book Sellers of London (Garth Nyx)

Die (Kieron Gillen)

The Wicked + the Divine (Kieron Gillen)

I added most of these, but like some other Neil Gaiman titles, Chivalry and The Sleeper and the Spindle are short stories, not technically novels (even in graphic format)

[defeateddetectives]

PSA: you can take this opportunity to let shojo beat know that we need more older natsume volume reprints please and thank you!!!!!

[touslin]

favorite book?

There is a long list

(not in any order)

1984 by George Orwell

The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams

The dolls house by Rumer Goden

Voyages in the underworld of Orpheus Black by Marcus and Julian Sedgwick

Wilder girls by Rory Power

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The left handed booksellers of London by Garth Nix

And

All of the his dark materials books by Phillip Pullman

[the-dust-jacket]

Maybe some of these!

Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho

Babel, by R.F. Kuang (darker and somewhat divisive, very much magic, history, and academia)

A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede (the first one is more picaresque, the second one is more studying magic with romance and haut ton shenanigans; also check out Sorcerery and Cecelia if you particularly like the journal/epistolary elements of Emily Wilde!)

The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo (court intrigue, academic and folk magic)

To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis (Time-traveling academics in Victorian Oxfordshire)

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

Widdershins, by Jordan Hawk (a little more horror flavored, but in a comedy-and-romance heavy sort of way, featuring arcane monsters and museum shenanigans)

The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud (if you don't mind going middle grade, this is a romp that combines snark, academia, whimsey and darkness in a way that might really hit the spot)

The Lie Tree, by Frances Hardinge (MG/YA, foggy and Gothic mystery, full of oddball 19th century academics)

A little farther from the brief but definitely worth checking out:

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (Regency-flavored second world fantasy rather than historical fantasy, but VERY correct for the vibe!)

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeanette Ng (a missionary's sister in a strange and disconcerting fairy world)

A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T Kingfisher (Regency-flavored fantasy, not super academic but features some high quality library research montages)

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (magic school, imperialism, dragons!)

Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson (YA fantasy featuring a sword-wielding librarian, an enigmatic sorcerer, and evil books)

Among Others by Jo Walton (atmospheric, magical, boarding school and fantasy books)

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal (Regency fantasy)

The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (alternate 1980s London)

Spellbound, by Allie Therin (magical 1920s New York)

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

looking for book recs if anybody has any!! in the same vein as emily wilde, the marvellous light trilogy, and jonathan strange & mr norrell. basically magic w/academia in a historical setting!!

[sentience-if]

This talk of disposing of bones and fat (how did we get here 😵) reminds me of that Ray Bradbury story where a guy becomes convinced his skeleton is his enemy and then he pays a weird little guy to jump into his body and eat all his bones and leaves him a talking jellyfish on the floor

Feels like it could happen in Sentience........ I mean that as a compliment

ive never heard of this story but im super into the premise here

[geryone]

Trying to be an audiobook listener next year….my Libro.fm account has like 400+ books in it & I’m wasting them because I don’t listen to audiobooks

[saltwaterconfessions]

your asunder stanning is so sweet.....it's definitely going to get me to read the book for one thing, but for another, i'm an author with a sff book coming out in the next year, and my marketing will probably be decent, but even so, a writer really does just dream of having an advocate like you. you are such a precious part of the publishing ecosystem!

HAHAHA thank you so much!!! i love being a bookseller and i love bringing something new to fans of another thing. congrats on your book omg!! 💖