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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.
All of these books have been read, reviewed, and recommended by our professional reviewers.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 294

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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
Books with Discussion Guides - 173
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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  • The Covenant of Water
    Abraham Verghese
    Paperback: 05/06/2025
     
    Winner: BookBrowse Fiction Award 2023

    From the New York Times–bestselling author of Cutting for Stone ...
  • Table for Two
    Table for Two: Fictions
    Amor Towles
    Paperback: 04/08/2025
     
    From the bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Rules of Civility, a richly ...
  • 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 ...
  • Held
    Held: A Novel
    Anne Michaels
    Paperback: 03/04/2025
     
    A breathtaking and ineffable new novel from the author of the international best sellers Fugitive Pieces and ...
  • Anita de Monte Laughs Last
    Xochitl Gonzalez
    Paperback: 03/04/2025
     
    New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy ...
  • Glassworks
    Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
    Paperback: 02/04/2025
     
    A gorgeously written and irresistibly intimate queer novel that follows one family across four generations to ...
  • 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 ...

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