Messiah by Boris Starling. It’s a serial killer novel set in London during the 90’s/early 2000s. Great paced thriller.
drunktodoroki on
Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi- It definitely is a weird book, so I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone who doesn’t like some eccentricity. It deals with navigating feelings of loneliness and escapism in modern day Japan through the very unusual tactic of faking a pregnancy.
Dani_Happy on
Werecockroach by Polenth Blake. Such a wild ride of a story, one of my favourite novellas of all time.
buginarugsnug on
The Phoenix of Florence by Philip Kazan, it only has 282 reviews but is an amazing book.
I_throw_Bricks on
Poachers Were My Prey by R.T. Stewart. It’s about a wildlife law enforcement officer who pioneered the undercover scene to catch poachers and hunters who were committing crimes on a massive scale throughout United States. He details his missions and how he would get involved with some nasty criminals and how dangerous it is tracking people who know how to hunt and shoot and live off the land. Great read!
narwhalmeg on
Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner. A YA horror where two trans kids, a boy and a girl, go on a trip to CA to escape their small town and get stuck in a creepy town with a monster that only eats girls. The added humor of “is the monster transphobic? Which one of us does it consider a girl?” is so fun to think about lol.
BlackBangs on
I have quite a few of those actually !
(Most of these I’ve rated at least 3,5 stars or more).
*You Belong to Me*, by Hayley Krischer. A young adult, thriller/horror book (+ queer representation). 531 ratings.
*Make Me a Monster*, by Kalynn Bayron. A young adult retelling of Frankenstein, so it’s pretty dark. 1755 ratings.
*The Girl You Know*, by Elle Gonzales Rose. Another young adult thriller, but with dark acamedia vibes. 2244 ratings.
*Once Bitten*, by Heather Guerre. A paranormal romance and urban fantasy story with shapeshifters. 3749 ratings.
Capable_Pipe5629 on
Bets by Carrot Quinn. Queer dystopian novel
Wind-Up-Bird98 on
A fig for all the devil’s – c.s fritz
A horror coming of age story that’s hauntingly beautiful, an all time favourite book of mine criminally underated. I’ll never stop telling people to read this book.
ctoncc on
Christened with Crosses by Eduard Kochergin. A book based on his life. He was taken to an orphanage in Siberia when he was 4, eventually escaped and made his way back to Moscow. 209 ratings.
You’re Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger by Roger Hall. A funny memoir by someone who went through training for the OSS, precursor of the CIA. 513 ratings
Ashes and Diamonds by Jerzy Andrzejewski. Set in a town in Poland just as WWII is ending and told through the viewpoint of like 10-15 people with different ideas about the future government of Poland and general town gossip. 958 ratings
nothing_in_my_mind on
Cult of the Dead by Kyle Smith, history of Christianity focusing on martyrs. Very well written and easy to read.
Famous-Explanation56 on
Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. Absolutely love her storytelling. So gripping. Even though each book is ~1000 pages, it doesn’t feel like it. I just keep turning pages coz every event description is like a work of art in itself.
pmags3000 on
For all the tea in China, by Sarah Rose. This is a great true story of international espionage. Highly recommend.
A stitch in time by Andrew Robinson. If you liked Star Trek DS9, this is a great read written by the actor who played Garak.
Beyond the sky and the earth by Jamie Zeppa. Great memoir of a woman’s time in Bhutan.
Black death at the Golden gate by David Randal was a good read about bubonic plague in San Francisco.
This is a great post idea op. Get away from the recommendations that keep popping up.
BetterThanPie on
Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya—it also needs some love. It’s my favorite book of 2025 and perhaps the most moving, beautiful, heartbreaking, darkly funny memoir of the century!
saturday_sun4 on
The Queen of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan. It’s a fictionalised biography of the Sant/poet Andal.
bioistry0 on
I have heaps:
– The Special Ones
– The Red Ribbon
– Poor Girls
– The Erasure Initiative
– Between Smoke and Shadow
– The Notorious Virtues
– How Can I Trust You
– Small Spaces
– The Truth is a Lie
– Every Breath
– This Girl’s a Killer
– Crookhaven
TieDyeBanana on
Under 100 ratings even: North County Paranormal Unit by Amanda McCormack. It’s a novella series about a ghost hunting organization that reads very chill and lofi. One of my favorite series of all time!
And, cheating a little because more than 5000 ratings but less than 6000, my favorite series of all time starts with Fearless by Lauren Gilley. Sons of Anarchy-esque motorcycle club literary fiction with a strong romantic plot.
DigitalBagel8899 on
Still Can’t See Nothin’ Comin’ by Daniel Gray Marshall (422 ratings)
Teenagers in the 90s dealing with poverty, abuse, death, drugs, crime, just doing what they have to to survive. It’s raw and bleak, but feels very believable. Good chance it will make you cry. If you really want to feel something, I’d recommend this book.
baconmehungry on
Aww y’all. I just have to say that I love these type of threads. I have tried to do variations on the same theme in recommending books that are not recommended as often. As much as Into Thin Air and Lonesome Dove are both classics, it gets so boring seeing the same thing recommended over and over again. I love this and already have like five books added to my list of upcoming reads. Thanks.
perpetualmotionmachi on
The Night of Baba Gaga by Akira Otani
technicalees on
These are my 5 star reads with under 5000 ratings
– Anima Rising by Christopher Moore
– Algospeak by Adam Aleksic
– The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
– So Lucky by Nicola Griffith
-The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
– Night Owls by A. R. Vishny
23 Comments
Messiah by Boris Starling. It’s a serial killer novel set in London during the 90’s/early 2000s. Great paced thriller.
Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi- It definitely is a weird book, so I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone who doesn’t like some eccentricity. It deals with navigating feelings of loneliness and escapism in modern day Japan through the very unusual tactic of faking a pregnancy.
Werecockroach by Polenth Blake. Such a wild ride of a story, one of my favourite novellas of all time.
The Phoenix of Florence by Philip Kazan, it only has 282 reviews but is an amazing book.
Poachers Were My Prey by R.T. Stewart. It’s about a wildlife law enforcement officer who pioneered the undercover scene to catch poachers and hunters who were committing crimes on a massive scale throughout United States. He details his missions and how he would get involved with some nasty criminals and how dangerous it is tracking people who know how to hunt and shoot and live off the land. Great read!
Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner. A YA horror where two trans kids, a boy and a girl, go on a trip to CA to escape their small town and get stuck in a creepy town with a monster that only eats girls. The added humor of “is the monster transphobic? Which one of us does it consider a girl?” is so fun to think about lol.
I have quite a few of those actually !
(Most of these I’ve rated at least 3,5 stars or more).
*You Belong to Me*, by Hayley Krischer. A young adult, thriller/horror book (+ queer representation). 531 ratings.
*Make Me a Monster*, by Kalynn Bayron. A young adult retelling of Frankenstein, so it’s pretty dark. 1755 ratings.
*The Girl You Know*, by Elle Gonzales Rose. Another young adult thriller, but with dark acamedia vibes. 2244 ratings.
*Once Bitten*, by Heather Guerre. A paranormal romance and urban fantasy story with shapeshifters. 3749 ratings.
Bets by Carrot Quinn. Queer dystopian novel
A fig for all the devil’s – c.s fritz
A horror coming of age story that’s hauntingly beautiful, an all time favourite book of mine criminally underated. I’ll never stop telling people to read this book.
Christened with Crosses by Eduard Kochergin. A book based on his life. He was taken to an orphanage in Siberia when he was 4, eventually escaped and made his way back to Moscow. 209 ratings.
You’re Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger by Roger Hall. A funny memoir by someone who went through training for the OSS, precursor of the CIA. 513 ratings
Ashes and Diamonds by Jerzy Andrzejewski. Set in a town in Poland just as WWII is ending and told through the viewpoint of like 10-15 people with different ideas about the future government of Poland and general town gossip. 958 ratings
Cult of the Dead by Kyle Smith, history of Christianity focusing on martyrs. Very well written and easy to read.
Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. Absolutely love her storytelling. So gripping. Even though each book is ~1000 pages, it doesn’t feel like it. I just keep turning pages coz every event description is like a work of art in itself.
For all the tea in China, by Sarah Rose. This is a great true story of international espionage. Highly recommend.
A stitch in time by Andrew Robinson. If you liked Star Trek DS9, this is a great read written by the actor who played Garak.
Beyond the sky and the earth by Jamie Zeppa. Great memoir of a woman’s time in Bhutan.
Black death at the Golden gate by David Randal was a good read about bubonic plague in San Francisco.
This is a great post idea op. Get away from the recommendations that keep popping up.
Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya—it also needs some love. It’s my favorite book of 2025 and perhaps the most moving, beautiful, heartbreaking, darkly funny memoir of the century!
The Queen of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan. It’s a fictionalised biography of the Sant/poet Andal.
I have heaps:
– The Special Ones
– The Red Ribbon
– Poor Girls
– The Erasure Initiative
– Between Smoke and Shadow
– The Notorious Virtues
– How Can I Trust You
– Small Spaces
– The Truth is a Lie
– Every Breath
– This Girl’s a Killer
– Crookhaven
Under 100 ratings even: North County Paranormal Unit by Amanda McCormack. It’s a novella series about a ghost hunting organization that reads very chill and lofi. One of my favorite series of all time!
And, cheating a little because more than 5000 ratings but less than 6000, my favorite series of all time starts with Fearless by Lauren Gilley. Sons of Anarchy-esque motorcycle club literary fiction with a strong romantic plot.
Still Can’t See Nothin’ Comin’ by Daniel Gray Marshall (422 ratings)
Teenagers in the 90s dealing with poverty, abuse, death, drugs, crime, just doing what they have to to survive. It’s raw and bleak, but feels very believable. Good chance it will make you cry. If you really want to feel something, I’d recommend this book.
Aww y’all. I just have to say that I love these type of threads. I have tried to do variations on the same theme in recommending books that are not recommended as often. As much as Into Thin Air and Lonesome Dove are both classics, it gets so boring seeing the same thing recommended over and over again. I love this and already have like five books added to my list of upcoming reads. Thanks.
The Night of Baba Gaga by Akira Otani
These are my 5 star reads with under 5000 ratings
– Anima Rising by Christopher Moore
– Algospeak by Adam Aleksic
– The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
– So Lucky by Nicola Griffith
-The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
– Night Owls by A. R. Vishny
I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far of the Maverick Heart Cycle series by Stephen Graham King. The first book is called Soul’s Blood. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28159587-soul-s-blood
Daughters of The Great Star by Diana Rivers