I’ve started feeling guilty lately because all my favorite authors are men and I want to diversify! I read everything EXCEPT romance. Been on a science fiction kick lately but really just drawn to good stories, good prose, and good characters (who aren’t falling in love Lol) I also love dark/weird books like Piranesi, Library at Mount Char…
Most read authors :
Michael Crichton
Stephen King
Kurt Vonnegut
Adrien Tchaikovsky
Douglas Adams
Neal Stephenson
by hashbrowndays
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**The Plot** by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The protagonist is a teacher of a creative writing class. Mystery/suspense. It starts slow but the pace picks up after Ms. Korelitz finishes describing all the work a writer goes through to publish.
Martha Wells’ *Murderbot Diaries* series of sci-fi novellas. They follow an ex-military cyborg who hires out as security to humans at the edge of the galaxy, protecting them from the dumb things they insist on doing. Action-packed, fast-moving, with minimal world-building.
The first one is **All Systems Red**.
Becky Chamber’s **The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet** has a woman escaping her past. She hires on with a construction spaceship traveling across space to its next job. Most of the found-family plot consists of interactions between the multi-species crew and incidents that occur along the way. It’s not even remotely dark.
Clarice lispector! She explores a lot of existential themes in her novels and her prose is so visceral and captivating
Try Lois McMaster Bujold, Ann Leckie, Aliette de Bodard, Nnedi Okorafor, Elizabeth Bonesteel, Tanya Huff, and Nalo Hopkinson, off the top of my head
Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
Eleanor Olifant is Completely Fine, by – Gail something (sorry forget her last name!)
I did these as audiobooks and the narrators were spectacular. But I’m positive they’d be great to read as well. Enjoy!
If you like crime/thriller types, Karin Slaughter is good.
Jodi Picoult
Anne Patchett
Kristin Hannah (specifically her historical fiction)
Amanda Peters
Definitely check out Sayaka Murata’s stuff! Convenience Store Woman is good and weird, but Earthlings is where the truly dark oddness exists. She also
If you liked *Piranesi*, did you also try Susanna Clarke’s previous novel *Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell*?
You might also want to check out Malka Older’s Centenal Cycle novels; first one is called *Infomocracy*. Near-future cyber thriller novels with lots of weird future politics, I think they would appeal if you like Michael Crichton.
Margaret Atwood! Handmaid’s Tale is a great book.
And my hubby recommends Daughter of the Empire, written by a woman and man together, Jenny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Circe (does include romantic relationships but I wouldn’t consider it a romance novel) by Madeline Millar, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Emily St. John Mandel for sci fi
Margaret Atwood – *The Handmaid’s Tale* is the one that’s hyped up all the time but I prefer the *MaddAddam* trilogy
Barbara Kingsolver
Octavia Butler
M.L. Wang
Becky Chambers
Shannon Chakraborty – I love the *Daevabad* trilogy
N.K. Jemisin
I seem to be knee deep in novels written by female authors lately. Some of my faves of the last few years include:
– Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
– Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
– The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
– Station Eleven (and The Glass Hotel was good as well) by Emily St. John Mandel
– Anne Of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
– There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak
– The Ministry Of Time by Kaliane Bradley
– The Night Circus (and The Starless Sea was good too) by Erin Morgenstern
– Babel (and Yellowface was also good) by Rebecca F. Kuang
– Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
– The Testaments (though, it’s a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, so you’d need to read that first) by Margaret Atwood
I don’t want to be super obvious because I know they’re always recommended here but what about The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller? My favorite by her is actually a short story she has called Galatea.
I would also say Octavia Butler (Wild Seed is my fave), and Donna Tarte, specifically The Secret History & The Goldfinch.
The Vorkosigan Saga Lois McMaster Bujold,
Ilona Andrews any of their series,
The Wandering Inn Pirate Aba
Michelle Sagara West Chronicles of Elantra,
Elizabeth Moon Paksenarrion Series,
Anne Bishop Black Jewels series (trigger warning), Tir Alainn series, & Others series,
Jane Lindskold Firekeeper series,
C.S. Friedman The Coldfire Trilogy,
PC Hodgell Kencyrath series,
Lynn Flewelling Tamir Triad,
The Sharing Knife Lois McMaster Bujold
*Still Alice* by Lisa Genova
*The Poisonwood Bible* by Barbara Kingsolver
*Their Eyes Were Watching God* by Zora Neale Hurston (has some courtships, but wouldn’t be considered a romance)
If you read the YA science fiction smash *The Giver* by Lois Lowry, please know that it’s now a quartet. I’m currently on #2, *Gathering Blue*, and I love it so far
*A Wrinkle in Time* by Madeleine L’Engle. This is the first in a quintet, but IMO only installments 1-3 are worth it.
Rose George
Caitlin Doughty
Mary Roach
Rebecca Makkai
Madeline Miller
Barbara Kingsolver
Ursula K. Leguin
Margaret Atwood
Zadie Smith
Lauren Groff
The heart is deceitful above all things. J T Leroy
The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Attwood. Truly dystopian and what’s going on in the US makes her seem prescient.
Ann Leckie, Arkady Martine, Katherine Addison, Ursula Le Guin are all sci fi fantasy and excellent!
Janet Evanovich (The Stephanie Plum series has a romantic element, but it’s not the main focus), Kathy Reichs (forensic anthropology mysteries), Agatha Christie (classic mystery novels), Catherine Coulter (FBI suspense/thrillers)
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
I don’t read sci-fi much so I can’t help you there but I’ve got some suggestions…
Kristin Hannah, Shari LaPena, Suzanne Collins, Margaret Atwood, Katherine St John, Lucy Foley are all female authors with multiple books to read
Specific ones you could try:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zavin
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Gamus
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
The Body in Question by Jill Ciment
Robin Hobb is probably one of the best character writers imo. She writes speculative fiction and fantasy.
Also Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler for scifi!
Maggie O’Farrell. Hamnet is excellent but you may want to start with The Marriage Portrait since it’s more plot driven and suspenseful.
God of the Woods by Liz Moore was a great read. So was Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
A unique but beautiful and subtly sci fi book that is a brilliant reflection on life is Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino- tender, fragile, bittersweet… the sacred nature of the mundane in every day life.