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Book Recommendations for General Fiction + 20th Century (multiple decades)

Click on the buttons below to filter by subgenre/theme, time period and setting.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 294

Page 1 of 37
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Filter by Genre
Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 192
Historical Fiction - 63
Thrillers - 11
Mystery - 8
Romance/Love Stories - 17
Short Stories - 33
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 8
Poetry & Novels in Verse - 1

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 90
1st in Series - 3

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 5
Humor & Satire - 5

Families
Generational Sagas - 119
Parenting & Families - 50

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 7
Coming of Age - 63
Mid-Life Onwards - 44
Dealing with Loss - 58

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 16
Immigrants & Expats - 68
Black Authors - 18
Latinx Authors - 9
Asian Authors - 49
Jewish Authors - 14
Middle-Eastern Authors - 9
Native and Indigenous Authors - 4

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 17
Strong Women - 82
LGBTQ+ - 19

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 16
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 12

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 16
Magical Realism - 6

Miscellaneous
Small Press Titles - 27
Books about Books - 10
Physical & Mental Differences - 18
Books About Animals - 1
War Related - 80
Nature & Environment - 15
Music and the Arts - 6
Heroes - 1
LibraryReads Picks - 21

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 41
250-400 Pages - 294
Less Than 250 Pages - 47

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 141
Canada - 6
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 13
Europe - 64
Asia - 46
Africa - 8
Pacific, inc. Hawaii, Aus & NZ - 7
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 2
On The High Seas - 1
Global - 12

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 5
Conn. & R.I. - 2
Mass. - 8
Penn. - 2
New York State - 38
New Jersey - 4
Md. Del. - 2
Washington DC - 2
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 6
N & S Carolina - 2
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 3
Texas - 4
Ark. La. Ok. - 4
Kas. Mo. - 3
Illinois - 2
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 2
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 5
Nebr.& Dakotas - 3
Colo. Wyo. Mont. - 4
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 2
California - 25
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 3

USA Regions
New England, USA - 30
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 42
South, USA - 25
Midwest, USA - 16
West, USA - 34

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 34
Scandinavia - 4
Netherlands & Belgium - 1
France - 11
Spain - 2
Germany - 5
Italy - 3
Eastern Europe - 9

Asia by Region
Middle-East (West Asia) - 15
Russia (North Asia) - 8
Central Asia - 1
East Asia (except China) - 12
China - 12
South Asia (except India) - 5
India - 9
South-East Asia - 6

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 3
Northern & Western Africa - 4

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  • 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 ...
  • Our Evenings
    Our Evenings: A Novel
    Alan Hollinghurst
    Hardcover: 10/08/2024
     
    From the internationally acclaimed winner of the Booker Prize, a piercing novel of modern England through the ...
  • The MANIAC
    Benjamin Labatut
    Paperback: 10/01/2024
     
    From one of contemporary literature's most exciting new voices, a haunting story centered on the Hungarian ...
  • Time's Mouth
    Time's Mouth: A Novel
    Edan Lepucki
    Paperback: 08/06/2024
     
    From New York Times bestselling author Edan Lepucki comes an enthralling saga about family secrets that grow ...
  • There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven
    Ruben Reyes
    Hardcover: 08/06/2024
     
    An electrifying debut story collection about Central American identity that spans past, present, and future ...
  • 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 ...
  • Toward Eternity
    Anton Hur
    Hardcover: 07/09/2024
     
    Negotiating the terrain of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun and Emily St. John Mandel's Sea of Tranquility, ...

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