Have you really enjoyed reading a work that qualifies and want to recommend it to others? This is the prime spot to help people out with those recommendations.
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ALT - Pseudonymous Work
Published under a pen name. HARD MODE: The author generally never writes under their own name.
New Release:
New for 2024/2025 (no reprints or new editions). First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: This is the first work you’ve read by this author.
The gathering, by C.J. Tudor
Really a good idea, thanks for such creativity. Also nice to make suggestion in the official thread.
Minority Author:
Minority or LGBTQIA+ author. A minority can be any member of a generally underrepresented population where you live. HARD MODE: Minority and LGBTQIA+.
- Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
- Jade City by Fonda Lee
Anything by Roxanne Gay and Nikki Giovanni will work for HARD MODE.
It Takes Two:
Written by two or more authors. HARD MODE: Written by three or more authors.
Independent Author:
Self-published by the author. Works later published though a conventional publishing house don’t count unless you are reading it before the switch, and it’s republished before April 30th, 2025. HARD MODE: Not published via Amazon Kindle Direct.
Among the Stars:
Features space, astronomy, or stardom. HARD MODE: The title references the theme, too.
The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Mr Palomar by Italo Calvino.
Also qualifies for hard mode (the character is named after an observatory).
ALT - Translated
Not originally in your native tongue. HARD MODE: Has been translated into at least ten other languages. This Wikipedia page is a good place to start for widely translated works.
“100 Years of Solitude” Gabriel García Márquez (this works for HARD MODE) “Love in the Time of Cholera” Gabriel García Márquez
ALT - A Change in Perspective
Written in third-person perspective. HARD MODE: Second-person perspective.
ALT - She Blinded Me With Science
The author has a background and degree in a hard science. HARD MODE: More than one post graduate degree.
Mashup:
A combination of two or more genres or non-fiction topics. HARD MODE: Unusual combo, like fantasy thriller.
Have read and enjoyed:
- Iron Truth by S.A. Tholin - space opera with horror elements
- Leech by Hiron Ennes - gothic sci-fantasy horror, set in some kind of post-apocalypse
- The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison - fantasy of manners mystery
- The Mister Trophy by Frank Tuttle - fantasy mystery
- The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope - historical fantasy
- Ghosts in the Snow by Tamara Siler Jones - fantasy mystery
- Priest of Bones by Peter McLean - fantasy organized crime
- When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger - cyberpunk mystery
Questions, Complaints, Whines, General Commentary, Shitposting
Just a quick note, Jaymes and I seeded the Storygraph challenge they built with literally hundreds of literary and genre fiction books (some of which they’ve crossposted here), in case you’re looking for ideas and prefer a more visual browse. (No account required!)
Older Than You Are
Published before your birthdate. HARD MODE: Published before 1924.
- Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
- Ulysses by James Joyce
What’s Yours Is Mine:
Theft, piracy, fraud, or espionage is a major topic or plot point. HARD MODE: No MacGuffins.
The Recognitions by William Gaddis
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Water, Water Everywhere
The title refers to some form or body of water. HARD MODE: Not liquid water.