Back in May (wow, was it already that long ago?!) I did a post listing some books I had found on Instagram being promoted by their authors. Having started my own "writergram" account, I now have a ton more of those, so I'll do another post about that soon! But today it's time to turn to reader recommendations. All covers are linked to Goodreads.
@sophiehallali
I don't think I've seen any posts from this account either before or since, but this post popped up in my feed a while back and I saved it! This list was billed as "non-BookTok famous" books, so I was instantly in. I've already read Naomi Novik's Scholomance series, which was the last recommendation on Sophie's list, so I haven't included that here.
A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki
Genre: Magical Realism
Release Year: 2013
I love magical realism and dual timelines, so this sounds right up my alley!
Empire of the Ants, by Bernard Werber
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Year: 1991
This is described on Goodreads as Watership Down but darker and with ants instead of rabbits. And there's a mysterious cellar that people keep going into, but never come out of. I'm sold!
The Hypocrite, by Jo Hamya
Genre: Literary Fiction
Release Year: 2024
I need to read more literary fiction! This seems like as good a place as any to start.
The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Year: 2008
Okay, I didn't find this one on Instagram. I've known about it for years, but I never actually knew what it was about until I saw it on this account. Also, Tim Hickson mentioned it multiple times as an example in his Writing and Worldbuilding series, so if that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is!
@itsdansbooks
This guy pops up in my feed fairly often, although I don't follow him, and he seems to have solid recommendations (by which I mean: he's a Sanderson fan). Note: I did remove Malice by John Gwynne and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry from this list because they didn't look like my type of book and the list was getting long anyway.
Red Rising, by Pierce Brown
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Year: 2014
Another one I knew about prior to seeing it recommended on Instagram. I can't believe I've never read this! I read the Hunger Games trilogy for the first time last year, so maybe this is my year to get into the Red Rising Saga.
Magician: Apprentice, by Raymond E. Feist
Genre: High Fantasy
Release Year: 1982
In an age where romantasy dominates the genre, I am here for some good, old-fashioned high fantasy.
Ship of Magic, by Robin Hobb
Genre: High Fantasy
Release Year: 1998
The name "Robin Hobb" immediately makes me think of Robin McKinley, one of my favorite fantasy authors of all time, so if this is anything like that, I'll be happy. Also, the first lines of the Goodreads description are, "Wizardwood, a sentient wood. The most precious commodity in the world. Like many other legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds." Yes please!
@rab_author
These recommendations were actually from the comments on one of those "things I want to see more of in fantasy" posts. The original post was specifically about forest fantasy, and included: cabins that shouldn't be there; trails that rearrange themselves; forests that are alive and aware; fae who are actually unsettling, not just pretty; bargains with consequences that stick; cryptids; doors in the middle of nowhere; and an unreliable narrator that forgets they've been somewhere before.
One Dark Window, by Rachel Gillig
Genre: Fantasy
Release Year: 2022
The cover alone makes me want to read this.
The Butcher of the Forest, by Premee Mohamed
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Release Year: 2024
This was actually recommended to me by a friend a while ago (I've been meaning to read it, honest!), so when I saw it here as well, I knew I had to put it on a more permanent list!
House of Hollow, by Krystal Sutherland
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
Release Year: 2021
I feel like I saw this on a Top Ten Tuesday post a while back. I definitely remember reading the Goodreads description before. It sounds quite haunting.
Comments
Post a Comment