Things I Love in Books | 25 Book Recommendations 

I have a few recommendations for you. In non-fiction On Being Unreasonable by Kirsty Segman, it’s about how society’s expectation of reasonable can often be sexist, racist, ableist etc. Strong Female Characters by Fern Brady, it’s about Fern being diagnosed as autistic, but she does broaden it out to the wider autistic community. When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope, she’s a disaster expert, it’s a memoir but it also covers the parts of disasters that don’t make it into most books. For fiction, King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett, I’m not sure if this counts as a literature retelling, technically it is a retelling of MacBeth, but it is a political drama like Wolf Hall, it goes from MacBeth aged 7 to his death, but there’s not a lot of family drama. The Sunken Road by Ciarán McMenamin has a dual timeline part of it is set during World War One, the other during the Irish civil war. The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. MacLean is set six years after Culloden, the main plot is a murder mystery, but mostly it’s about the aftermath of war.

I love this video! Added so many books to my tbr. It also made me really think about what things I myself like in books, past the genre, theme or mood. I also really like the vibe you give as a person and the way your face lights up when you talk about these books. I hope you will do more videos about books you love :).

Ghost story - Pedro Paramo Retelling - Wide Sargasso Sea Philosophical body horror + changing perspectives - The Obscene Bird of Night Gentle tragedy + a compelling character + talking about politics - An Artist of the Floating world

I have one that has both ghosts and it's a retelling, My Plane Jane by Cynthia Hand. Now I know it's a YA, so not typically something I'd like, but it's so meta and clever and I love where the story goes! A Jane Eyre retelling with Charlotte Bronte as a main character. Now for two recs you didn't ask for, about sexual politics amongst other things, and both canadian, The Red Word by Sarah Henstra, and Surfacing by Margaret Atwood. Surfacing especially fits so many topics in a little book, everything from gentrification to patriarchy to environmentalism, and so impressive for being written in the 1970s!

I really like how you explained all of your preferences

A couple of recommendations for you... Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton- retelling ( plus you loved The Luminaries) Not a River by Selma Almada...its a novella ( which is not normally my thing) about toxic masculinity and male friendship. Im recommending it for one of your categories, but I cant really say which as it would be a spoiler 😂 And another two, that im not sure fit into your categories but i think you might like: The Woodwife by Terri Windling- magical realism ish / folklore/ supernatural Home by Marilyn Robinson- just absolutely beautiful writing and in depth character studies.

ghosts + perspective shifts : all szabó (whom i know you’ve mentioned wanting to explore), but esp katalin street lit retelling : second place by rachel cusk my first ideas for body horror were the seas and our wives under the sea! but you’ve already got them apparently :) michael hobbes core (LOL) : speaking of patrick radden keefe, have you read say nothing? recs that don’t strictly fall into yr categories but have an uncomfortable/uncanny vibe that i think might scratch the body horror/ghosts/politics itch: white on white by ayşegül savaş, the listeners by jordan tannahill, asylum road by olivia sudjic, the employees by olga ravn, the southern reach trilogy by jeff vandermeer (have you read those?)

Some great books on this list 🤩 If you enjoyed The Discomfort of Evening I'd really recommend Oldladyvoice by Elisa Victoria. It has a child narrator and is definitely very odd and uncomfortable in the way it talks about sex. Was one of my favourite books from a couple of years ago and it's got a beautiful cover which always helps!

Drift by Caryl Lewis sounds like it’d work for you, particularly around cosy tragedy & dark whimsy vibes.

If you have not read the famished road by Ben okri yet, I would suggest trying that out. It is ghostly and political and very well written. I could imagine that you would also enjoy the eight life by nino haratischvili. It is a family saga in the same way that the old drift is a family saga. It spans about 80 years with lots of characters that get involved with the politics of the place in a more epic way.

Ghosts? Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad Differing perspectives? Deluge by Stefan Markley ( my best book of 2023) Literary retellings? Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton ( Macbeth) Philosophical / uncomfortable? Henry Henry should come with a trigger warning. Politics? Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan Likeable Unlikeable ? Service by Sarah Gilmartin Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Haworth Stone Yard Devotional by Charolette Wood Sad Whimsy? Falling Animals How To Build A Boat by Elaine Feeney Historical epic? Fayne by AnnMarie MacDonald The Winter Solider by Daniel Mason March by Geraldine Brooks Nonfiction? Strong Female Character by Fern Brady ☘️👋🍀📕📚☕️📖

Have you read Jesmyn Ward’s latest? I’m reading it now, and it’s so powerful. Liz Nugent writes lots of books with unlikable characters, they’re so fun. Also loved Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. Beautyland is a great “cozy tragedy” book! I really enjoyed it. Also The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Arnold (which is a book about books, really engaging but heartbreaking.) And Goodbye Vitamin, the perfect mix of funny and heartbreaking.