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Book Recommendations for General Fiction + 1940s & '50s

Click on the buttons below to filter by subgenre/theme, time period and setting.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 265

Page 1 of 34
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Filter by Genre
Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 116
Historical Fiction - 121
Thrillers - 33
Mystery - 21
Romance/Love Stories - 15
Short Stories - 3
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 10

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 70
1st in Series - 8

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 9
Humor & Satire - 4

Families
Generational Sagas - 31
Parenting & Families - 19

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 28
Coming of Age - 55
Mid-Life Onwards - 11
Dealing with Loss - 41

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 13
Immigrants & Expats - 24
Black Authors - 19
Latinx Authors - 1
Asian Authors - 24
Jewish Authors - 26
Middle-Eastern Authors - 1
Native and Indigenous Authors - 1

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 20
Strong Women - 68
LGBTQ+ - 6

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 3
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 9

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 6
Magical Realism - 2

Miscellaneous
Small Press Titles - 20
Books about Books - 7
Physical & Mental Differences - 9
Books About Animals - 1
War Related - 144
Nature & Environment - 3
Music and the Arts - 3
Heroes - 4
LibraryReads Picks - 23

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 27
250-400 Pages - 265
Less Than 250 Pages - 34

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 104
Canada - 4
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 12
Europe - 94
Asia - 27
Africa - 6
Pacific, inc. Hawaii, Aus & NZ - 3
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 1
On The High Seas - 1
Global - 4
Imaginary Locations - 1

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 4
Mass. - 4
Penn. - 2
New York State - 16
New Jersey - 2
Md. Del. - 1
Washington DC - 4
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 4
N & S Carolina - 7
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 7
Florida - 4
Texas - 4
Ark. La. Ok. - 7
Kas. Mo. - 2
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 2
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 1
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 8
California - 13
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 3

USA Regions
New England, USA - 9
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 20
South, USA - 44
Midwest, USA - 5
West, USA - 21

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 52
Scandinavia - 3
Netherlands & Belgium - 5
France - 23
Spain - 2
Germany - 20
Italy - 6
Eastern Europe - 13

Asia by Region
Middle-East (West Asia) - 6
Russia (North Asia) - 6
East Asia (except China) - 12
China - 4
South Asia (except India) - 2
India - 5
South-East Asia - 4

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 1
Middle & Southern Africa - 3
Northern & Western Africa - 2

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  • 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 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 Reformatory
    Tananarive Due
    Paperback: 09/17/2024
     
    A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he's sent to a ...
  • The Golden Gate
    Amy Chua
    Paperback: 08/06/2024
     
    Amy Chua's debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that ...
  • Promise
    Promise: A Novel
    Rachel Eliza Griffiths
    Paperback: 08/06/2024
     
    Two Black sisters growing up in small-town New England fight to protect their home, their bodies, and their ...
  • The Most
    Jessica Anthony
    Paperback: 07/30/2024
     
    From "one of our most thrilling and singular innovators on the page" (Laura Van Den Berg), a tightly wound, ...
  • The Caretaker
    The Caretaker: A Novel
    Ron Rash
    Paperback: 07/16/2024
     
    Told against the backdrop of the Korean War as a small Appalachian town sends its sons to battle, The ...

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