In a book club and starting to plan your reads for next year? Check out our 2025 picks.

Book Recommendations for General Fiction

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Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 3,304

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Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 1653
Historical Fiction - 655
Thrillers - 466
Mystery - 322
Romance/Love Stories - 183
Short Stories - 187
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 280
Poetry & Novels in Verse - 22

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 890
1st in Series - 141

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 131
Humor & Satire - 204

Families
Generational Sagas - 444
Parenting & Families - 343

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 149
Coming of Age - 579
Mid-Life Onwards - 249
Dealing with Loss - 557

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 143
Immigrants & Expats - 365
Black Authors - 206
Latinx Authors - 44
Asian Authors - 307
Jewish Authors - 122
Middle-Eastern Authors - 41
Native and Indigenous Authors - 23

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 224
Strong Women - 833
LGBTQ+ - 152

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 107
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 176

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 268
Magical Realism - 52

Miscellaneous
Small Press Titles - 253
Books about Books - 95
Physical & Mental Differences - 225
Books About Animals - 56
War Related - 510
Nature & Environment - 155
Music and the Arts - 62
Activism & Volunteering - 19
Heroes - 38
LibraryReads Picks - 235

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 330
250-400 Pages - 3304
Less Than 250 Pages - 453

Filter by Time Period
Time Period
17th Century or Earlier - 145
18th Century - 46
19th Century - 238
20th Century (multiple decades) - 292
Early 20th Century - 106
1920s & '30s - 119
1940s & '50s - 265
1960s & '70s - 197
1980s & '90s - 385
Contemporary - 1327
The Future - 94
Across The Centuries - 75

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 1495
Canada - 63
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 102
Europe - 571
Asia - 310
Africa - 98
Pacific, inc. Hawaii, Aus & NZ - 59
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 26
On The High Seas - 45
Global - 84
Imaginary Locations - 115

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 56
Conn. & R.I. - 19
Mass. - 75
Penn. - 35
New York State - 291
New Jersey - 34
Md. Del. - 23
Washington DC - 39
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 47
N & S Carolina - 51
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 49
Florida - 44
Texas - 42
Ark. La. Ok. - 43
Kas. Mo. - 18
Illinois - 33
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 39
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 48
Nebr.& Dakotas - 15
Colo. Wyo. Mont. - 36
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 40
California - 211
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 52

USA Regions
New England, USA - 241
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 390
South, USA - 353
Midwest, USA - 172
West, USA - 324

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 501
Scandinavia - 35
Netherlands & Belgium - 15
France - 103
Spain - 25
Germany - 54
Italy - 64
Eastern Europe - 50

Asia by Region
Middle-East (West Asia) - 93
Russia (North Asia) - 34
Central Asia - 14
East Asia (except China) - 67
China - 57
South Asia (except India) - 20
India - 56
South-East Asia - 43

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 27
Middle & Southern Africa - 29
Northern & Western Africa - 42

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  • The Frozen River
    Ariel Lawhon
    Paperback: 11/05/2024
     
    From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping ...
  • Prophet Song
    Paul Lynch
    Paperback: 11/05/2024
     
    Exhilarating, terrifying and surprisingly intimate, Prophet Song offers a shocking vision of a country at war ...
  • A Council of Dolls
    Mona Susan Power
    Paperback: 11/05/2024
     
    The long-awaited, profoundly moving, and unforgettable new novel from PEN Award–winning Native American ...
  • We Must Not Think of Ourselves
    Lauren Grodstein
    Paperback: 10/29/2024
     
    A heart-wrenching story of love and defiance set in the Warsaw Ghetto, based on the actual archives kept by ...
  • The Oceans and the Stars
    The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story (A Novel)
    Mark Helprin
    Paperback: 10/29/2024
     
    Mark Helprin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Winter's Tale and A Soldier of the Great War, ...
  • Canoes
    Maylis De Kerangal
    Paperback: 10/29/2024
     
    A colorful cast of female characters contends with UFOs, sonic waves, and the legend of Buffalo Bill in a ...
  • Absolution
    Absolution: A Novel
    Alice McDermott
    Paperback: 10/29/2024
     
    A riveting account of women's lives on the margins of the Vietnam War, from the renowned winner of the ...
  • The Blood Years
    Elana K. Arnold
    Paperback: 10/22/2024
     
    From Michael L. Printz honoree & National Book Award finalist Elana K. Arnold comes the harrowing story of a ...
The reviewer of each book decides which categories it belongs in - but we're only human, mistakes happen. If you see a book that you think is in the wrong place, tell us!

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.