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Book Recommendations for General Fiction + 1920s & '30s

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All of these books have been read, reviewed, and recommended by our professional reviewers.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 125

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Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 49
Historical Fiction - 56
Thrillers - 12
Mystery - 18
Romance/Love Stories - 13
Short Stories - 1
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 3

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 31
1st in Series - 2

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 5
Humor & Satire - 2

Families
Generational Sagas - 13
Parenting & Families - 6

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 3
Coming of Age - 12
Mid-Life Onwards - 2
Dealing with Loss - 12

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 5
Immigrants & Expats - 18
Black Authors - 4
Latinx Authors - 1
Asian Authors - 12
Jewish Authors - 10
Middle-Eastern Authors - 1
Native and Indigenous Authors - 1

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 15
Strong Women - 50
LGBTQ+ - 5

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 1

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 9
Magical Realism - 1

Miscellaneous
Books with Discussion Guides - 80
Small Press Titles - 9
Books about Books - 7
Physical & Mental Differences - 8
Books About Animals - 1
War Related - 33
Nature & Environment - 4
Music and the Arts - 5
Activism & Volunteering - 1
Heroes - 2
LibraryReads Picks - 11

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 9
250-400 Pages - 125
Less Than 250 Pages - 10

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 54
Canada - 1
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 6
Europe - 34
Asia - 12
Africa - 5
Pacific, inc. Hawaii, Aus & NZ - 4
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 2
Imaginary Locations - 1

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 3
Mass. - 1
Penn. - 2
New York State - 14
Washington DC - 1
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 4
N & S Carolina - 3
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 2
Florida - 2
Texas - 2
Ark. La. Ok. - 2
Kas. Mo. - 2
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 2
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 2
Nebr.& Dakotas - 2
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 3
California - 4
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 2

USA Regions
New England, USA - 5
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 17
South, USA - 19
Midwest, USA - 8
West, USA - 9

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 22
Scandinavia - 2
France - 12
Spain - 4
Germany - 9
Eastern Europe - 1

Asia by Region
Middle-East (West Asia) - 1
Russia (North Asia) - 2
East Asia (except China) - 3
China - 5
India - 2
South-East Asia - 2

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 2
Middle & Southern Africa - 1

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  • Don't Sleep with the Dead
    Nghi Vo
    Hardcover: 04/08/2025
     
    From award-winning author Nghi Vo comes Don't Sleep with the Dead, a standalone companion novella to 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 ...
  • 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...
  • Cahokia Jazz
    Cahokia Jazz: A Novel
    Francis Spufford
    Paperback: 02/04/2025
     
    From "one of the most original minds in contemporary literature" (Nick Hornby) the bestselling and award-...
  • A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
    Tia Williams
    Paperback: 02/04/2025
     
    In this enchanting love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, a free-...
  • A Calamity of Noble Houses
    Amira Ghenim
    Hardcover: 01/14/2025
     
    A finalist for the 2021 International Prize for Arabic Fiction, a compelling saga of two families that ...

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