Most books I read have young protagonists, which is fun, but I am no longer young myself and I would like to read more mature voices. The protagonist does not have to be female, I am looking more generally for this middle of life feeling, people confronted with being in or slightly past their prime years. I am single myself, so I cannot relate well to stories too centered around family and romance as singular motivation. Can you recommend good books for this life stage? Any genre except horror.
by rainbowparadox
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The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
The War Arts – Wes Chu
The unexpected Mrs. Pollifax is a fun one. Also Rules for Visiting by Jessica Kane.
Hell’s Library is a fantasy series by A.J. Hackwith (published by Ace/Penguin Random House) focusing on a neutral, otherworldly library in Hell where all unfinished, unwritten stories reside. Led by Head Librarian Claire, the staff maintains the books and prevents characters from escaping. The series starts with The Library of the Unwritten.
The Premise:
The Library houses stories that authors started but never finished, creating a realm where characters can become sentient and escape.
The Characters:
Claire: Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing, who deals with escaped stories.
Brevity: A former muse and assistant librarian.
Leto: A nervous demon courier.
Ramiel (Rami): An angelic figure.
Books in the Series (Hell’s Library #1-3):
The Library of the Unwritten (2019): Claire must catch a hero who has escaped his own unfinished story.
The Archive of the Forgotten (2020): Secrets leak from the library’s destroyed books, presenting a new threat.
The God of Lost Words (2021): The librarians fight to save their wing from the, in this case, “bloodthirsty” General Malphas of Hell.
The Wall. One of the very best books I’ve ever read. She’s the only character, fascinating!