Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Book Recommendations for General Fiction + Uplifting

Click on the buttons below to filter by subgenre/theme, time period and setting.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 131

Page 1 of 17
Reset Filters
Filter by Genre
Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 103
Historical Fiction - 12
Thrillers - 1
Mystery - 10
Romance/Love Stories - 21
Short Stories - 2
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 5

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 38
1st in Series - 8

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 131
Humor & Satire - 14

Families
Generational Sagas - 15
Parenting & Families - 14

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 4
Coming of Age - 16
Mid-Life Onwards - 31
Dealing with Loss - 37

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 2
Immigrants & Expats - 8
Black Authors - 5
Asian Authors - 5
Middle-Eastern Authors - 1
Native and Indigenous Authors - 1

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 10
Strong Women - 33
LGBTQ+ - 7

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 7
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 4

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 8
Magical Realism - 2

Miscellaneous
Small Press Titles - 6
Books about Books - 11
Physical & Mental Differences - 10
Books About Animals - 9
War Related - 7
Nature & Environment - 3
Activism & Volunteering - 3
LibraryReads Picks - 17

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 4
250-400 Pages - 131
Less Than 250 Pages - 30

Filter by Time Period
Time Period
19th Century - 2
20th Century (multiple decades) - 5
Early 20th Century - 1
1920s & '30s - 5
1940s & '50s - 9
1960s & '70s - 5
1980s & '90s - 25
Contemporary - 70
The Future - 1
Across The Centuries - 2

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 67
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 1
Europe - 20
Asia - 1
Africa - 7
Pacific, inc. Hawaii, Aus & NZ - 1
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 1
On The High Seas - 1
Global - 2
Imaginary Locations - 3

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 3
Conn. & R.I. - 1
Mass. - 5
Penn. - 2
New York State - 7
New Jersey - 1
Md. Del. - 1
Washington DC - 2
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 2
N & S Carolina - 4
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 1
Texas - 3
Ark. La. Ok. - 3
Kas. Mo. - 1
Illinois - 1
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 2
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 4
Nebr.& Dakotas - 2
Colo. Wyo. Mont. - 3
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 1
California - 8
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 8

USA Regions
New England, USA - 15
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 11
South, USA - 17
Midwest, USA - 9
West, USA - 18

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 29
Scandinavia - 1
France - 2
Germany - 1
Italy - 2
Eastern Europe - 1

Asia by Region
East Asia (except China) - 2

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 1
Middle & Southern Africa - 6

Select your view:
Order books by:
  • Land of Milk and Honey
    C Pam Zhang
    Paperback: 09/24/2024
     
    The award-winning author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold returns with a rapturous and revelatory novel ...
  • Tell Me Everything
    Elizabeth Strout
    Hardcover: 09/10/2024
     
    From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a hopeful, healing novel about new friendships...
  • The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl
    Bart Yates
    Hardcover: 07/23/2024
     
    Both sweeping and exquisitely intimate, award-winning author Bart Yates blends historical fact and fiction in ...
  • The Collected Regrets of Clover
    Mikki Brammer
    Paperback: 05/21/2024
     
    Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover is a big-hearted and life-affirming debut about a death doula ...
  • Becoming Madam Secretary
    Stephanie Dray
    Hardcover: 03/12/2024
     
    New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic new novel about an ...
  • We All Want Impossible Things
    Catherine Newman
    Paperback: 11/07/2023
     
    For lovers of Meg Wolitzer, Maria Semple, and Jenny Offill comes this raucous, poignant celebration of life, ...
  • The Roaring Days of Zora Lily
    Noelle Salazar
    Paperback: 10/03/2023
     
    The discovery of a hidden label on a famous gown unearths the story of a talented young seamstress in this ...

Full results are for members only - but you can cross-reference more than one theme by using the buttons in the right column. Members please login. Interested in becoming a member? Explore the many benefits of membership here.

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.