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Book Recommendations for General Fiction + Historical Fiction

Click on the buttons below to filter by subgenre/theme, time period and setting.
All of these books have been read, reviewed, and recommended by our professional reviewers.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 662

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Firsts
Debuts - 160
1st in Series - 24

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 12
Humor & Satire - 14

Families
Generational Sagas - 106
Parenting & Families - 44

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 19
Coming of Age - 109
Mid-Life Onwards - 22
Dealing with Loss - 94

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 13
Immigrants & Expats - 67
Black Authors - 48
Latinx Authors - 7
Asian Authors - 54
Jewish Authors - 34
Middle-Eastern Authors - 4
Native and Indigenous Authors - 2

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 66
Strong Women - 285
LGBTQ+ - 39

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 8
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 47

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 42
Magical Realism - 15

Miscellaneous
Books with Discussion Guides - 394
Small Press Titles - 29
Books about Books - 26
Physical & Mental Differences - 37
Books About Animals - 5
War Related - 221
Nature & Environment - 24
Music and the Arts - 28
Activism & Volunteering - 3
Heroes - 25
LibraryReads Picks - 65

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 92
250-400 Pages - 662
Less Than 250 Pages - 41

Filter by Time Period
Time Period
17th Century or Earlier - 109
18th Century - 40
19th Century - 180
20th Century (multiple decades) - 63
Early 20th Century - 64
1920s & '30s - 56
1940s & '50s - 123
1960s & '70s - 27
1980s & '90s - 9
Contemporary - 27
The Future - 2
Across The Centuries - 36

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 230
Canada - 8
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 24
Europe - 221
Asia - 69
Africa - 18
Pacific, inc. Hawaii, Aus & NZ - 19
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 7
On The High Seas - 15
Global - 9
Imaginary Locations - 2

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 9
Conn. & R.I. - 2
Mass. - 17
Penn. - 5
New York State - 49
New Jersey - 1
Md. Del. - 5
Washington DC - 7
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 11
N & S Carolina - 12
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 7
Florida - 6
Texas - 8
Ark. La. Ok. - 9
Kas. Mo. - 7
Illinois - 4
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 6
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 5
Nebr.& Dakotas - 1
Colo. Wyo. Mont. - 4
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 6
California - 22
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 11

USA Regions
New England, USA - 41
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 57
South, USA - 70
Midwest, USA - 26
West, USA - 42

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 151
Scandinavia - 10
Netherlands & Belgium - 7
France - 42
Spain - 3
Germany - 26
Italy - 26
Eastern Europe - 18

Asia by Region
Middle-East (West Asia) - 24
Russia (North Asia) - 12
Central Asia - 3
East Asia (except China) - 16
China - 15
South Asia (except India) - 3
India - 11
South-East Asia - 8

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 6
Middle & Southern Africa - 5
Northern & Western Africa - 5

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  • The Sicilian Inheritance
    Jo Piazza
    Paperback: 04/01/2025
     
    From bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jo Piazza, comes a transporting novel rooted in the ...
  • The Railway Conspiracy
    The Railway Conspiracy: A Dee and Lao Mystery
    John Shen Yen Nee, S.J. Rozan
    Hardcover: 04/01/2025
     
    Judge Dee and Lao She must use all their powers of deduction—and kung fu skills—to take down a ...
  • The Familiar
    The Familiar: A Novel
    Leigh Bardugo
    Paperback: 03/25/2025
     
    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish ...
  • Glorious Exploits
    Ferdia Lennon
    Paperback: 03/25/2025
     
    An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history.
  • Becoming Madam Secretary
    Stephanie Dray
    Paperback: 03/18/2025
     
    New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic new novel about an ...
  • The Antidote
    The Antidote: A Novel
    Karen Russell
    Hardcover: 03/11/2025
     
    From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in...
  • Clear
    Clear: A Novel
    Carys Davies
    Paperback: 03/04/2025
     
    A stunning, exquisite novel from an award-winning writer about a minister dispatched to a remote island off of...
  • Fagin the Thief
    Allison Epstein
    Hardcover: 02/25/2025
     
    A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin,...
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!

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