I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void
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Hi y’all
With a lot of people mourning the end of Bookworm and the hole it has created in our Monday, I thought I would create this place for us to share our thoughts on what people should read to fill the void of Myne in our lives.
I shall start us off with two popular suggestions:
Apothecary Diaries: a no-nonsense female MC with an obsession with poison solves mysteries and court intrigue in pseudo imperial China.
Tearmoon Empire: Lazy Princess Mia is sent back through time after a revolution sends to the guillotine. With time rewound and a second chance at life dropped into her lap, she sets out to right the countless wrongs that plague the ailing Empire. Little by little, her tireless efforts begin to change the course of history, pushing the whole of the continent toward a new future. And why did the selfish princess have a change of heart, you ask? Simple—she didn’t. She’s just terrified of the guillotine. They hurt like hell, and Mia hates pain more than work.
A wonderful story of redemption, second chances, and the goodness inherent in humanity. My favorite series currently being released on JNC -
I've long believed that Cooking with Wild Game would be appealing to Bookworm readers. It's obviously very different in many respects and doesn't seem similar on the surface, but it's also a story about someone who suddenly finds themselves in another world, slowly integrates themselves into this new world, and every volume expands the list of people they know and how much of the new world they're involved with.
It also explores both "modernization of another civilization" and "politics in a different world and how modernization complicates those politics." Where Bookworm uses the development of printing, Wild Game uses cooking instead.
Whoever said nothing's impossible never tried slamming a revolving door.
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I would add Sponger Life to the above list. It has 14 books out on J-Novel and 15 came out in Japan last December so we will get it sooner or later.
@ V1 Synopsis said:
Yamai Zenjirou is your everyday office worker in modern Japan. One morning, he suddenly finds himself summoned to a tropical world where dinosaurs roam the land. He is told that this is the kingdom of Capua and the person who summoned him - its monarch, Queen Aura - wants him to marry her and leave his old life behind for a life of carefree extravagance as her prince consort. The reasons for her offer are many and varied, but she needs an heir, and she wants him to be the one to provide it! If he accepts, he’ll never have to work again, lazing around in luxury with no worries other than securing the kingdom its next monarch. Certainly, sleeping with the buxom beauty is far from a hardship, but is everything really as it seems? He’ll also need to give up everything he knows on Earth. Is he ready to drop it all at a moment’s notice for her sake? And how well will he be able to navigate the politics, people and culture of this new world if he does?
The MC, willing does a world transfer unlike Urano doing a reincarnation via death, but there is a huge complex world quickly introduced and getting involved after a few books. Instead of books, they are making marbles and developing magitech.
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As already mentioned, Apothecary Diaries is good. Well-written with overlapping layers of intrigue and some complex characters, with MC being poison/mystery-solving gremlin. More layers of grey, both with the aforementioned intrigue and with one major character that's generally likeable doing something that is, to say the least, terrible.
Tearmoon Empire is fun. It leans heavier on the comedy than Bookworm, and the plot's more simple than it or Apothecary Diaries. The sarcastic narrator really makes it.
Fushi No Kami is another world-improvement by manic MC series. I haven't kept up with the novels, but picked up the manga. I'd say it's not as well-written as Bookworm, but might be worth a look.
I picked up Dahlia in Bloom again recently on catchup. A big theme is improving the world through everyday life inventions, which might appeal to some readers of Bookworm. Also casting aside societal shackles and a toxic relationship to become an independent professional woman, with a hefty side of slow-burn romance. And food. Lots and lots of food and alcohol. In general, the pacing is slower than Bookworm. I don't like it as much as Bookworm, but it does have a certain charm in its own right. It somehow feels safe/soothing. Everyone looks out for MC without being too overbearing. I've seen some people complain that romance interest is possessive, but it doesn't strike me that way—maybe a bit jealous, but usually if he interferes with other guys trying to get near MC it's because they're being disrespectful or MC is very clearly trying to avoid romance, and I'm pretty sure he'd accept any decision MC made.
Those are the only JNC series I'm familiar with and are similar to Bookworm that I can think of at the moment. You can see some of the other series I like in my signature.
There's not much in the realm of light novels that can really match bookworm in terms of writing quality imo. I'm trying to recall what I've read in western literature that might be similar theme/feel-wise, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment.
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I second “The Apothecary Diaries“, but I could also recommend “Dahlia in Bloom“. And although it‘s a romance novel I would also highly recommend ”The Tales of Marielle Clarac”, simply because of Marielle‘s antics. It helps me a lot to fill the void left by ”Ascendance of a Bookworm“.
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I second the recommendation of The Tales of Marielle Clarac
Marielle’s antics remind me a lot of Myne’s rampages
“There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
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I second the recommendation of Cooking with Wild Game. It's a slow-build series that carefully lays the groundwork for a world that becomes expansive over time.
Similar to the way Myne is aghast at the lack of books in her new life, the MC is aghast at the poor quality of food in his new world, and single-mindedly does everything in his power to share the gospel of tasty food.
It's a long-running series that creates a huge cast that are all treated like fully fleshed out individuals, each with their own unique desires and goals. Eventually, the MC is drawn into the world of nobles, multi-national politics, and the deep mysteries of the supernatural underpinnings of the world.
IMO it is simply the best choice on JNC for readers looking for a similar experience to Bookworm.
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Though not an isekai, I would recommend adding D-Genesis Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared and A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life to the list of fun series to read.
D-Genesis is about researchers who end up quitting their exploitive day jobs to experiment on how the dungeons, that have appeared on earth recently, work. Shenanigans follow. It can be a touch sillier that bookworm, but still a fun read (its my Tuesday look forward to series)
A Late-Start Tamer is not your usual person playing a VRMMORPG story. I'm not really sure how to describe it other than the reading an unusual explorative and interactive playstyle and a slightly clueless player (in the sense that he doesn't realize how crazy and amazing what he is doing is, so thinks he's just a casual player). This is the other story I look forward to on Mondays, though not as much as I did bookworm.
The only other JNC title I can think of that hasn't been mentioned yet could be something like Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored. Its on its last volume now, and can be a bit to get used to, as there are a lot of time skips, as the story follows the life of a long lived elf. Though it is technically an isekai, our protagonist really doesn't remember much about his past life, so it only occasionally comes into play. Mostly it is what jumpstarts the story by making him want to see what the world is like in this new life of his. I like that the story does seem to capture just how different someone with along lifespan would think.
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My personal favorites, the ones that get me the most excited each release, are:
D-Genesis: Three Years After The Dungeons.
Tearmoon Empire
Apothecary DiariesAnd while it's been a bit since the last release, Dahlia in Bloom.
Ideal Sponger Life was mentioned. I haven't read the LN, but I have been following the manga happily.
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@Lily-Garden By the way, does anyone know when The Tales of Marielle Clarac will continue with volume 11? I‘m dying to read the next volume, after all the manga will be soon finished, too (unfortunately, volume 9 of the manga will be the last).
💖Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn - then be a unicorn!💖
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Hi,
There is no set date for when Volume 11 will start pre-publication on the site, at this time.
For a general overview of how new volume starts are handled at J-Novel Club. Please see the following topic, https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/3478/future-volume-release-schedule
Everyone's patience is appreciated until pre-publication can resume.
Thank you
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@yumenokage said in I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void:
Dahlia in Bloom
Dahlia in Bloom is a good read, I liked it a lot.
Apothecary Diaries - stopped reading it after volume 7 or 8, it's SO SLOW! Either the author doesn't know what to do with the the characters he created or he doesn't care. -
@Lily-Garden said in I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void:
I second the recommendation of The Tales of Marielle Clarac
Marielle’s antics remind me a lot of Myne’s rampages
I tend to think of it more as Elvira unleashed.
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@Fewwy-xv5evnj said in I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void:
Apothecary Diaries - stopped reading it after volume 7 or 8, it's SO SLOW! Either the author doesn't know what to do with the characters he created or he doesn't care.
Apothecary Diaries does shift in the later volumes from small (and not necessarily connected) mysteries to a simmering political drama
This transformation may be not to everyone's taste -
A number of good suggestions have already been made, so I’ll skip over the titles that have already been mentioned.
Rebuild World and Otherside Picnic score pretty well with me on the “quality of the writing front”, even if the tone and plot of these works differ greatly from Bookworm.
For non-JNC titles (since most of the JNC titles I’d plug have already been covered), I’ll toss out:
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The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt A prince acting as the regent of a county on the brink of collapse/annexation ostensibly see the demise of his nation as a given, and is just trying to shore things up enough to so that he can secure the best possible outcome for himself and his family when he loses the throne. But his plans keep going awry in ways that seem to be leading his nation down the path to become a new superpower on the continent. As volumes go on, layers pull back to show that there is more going on beneath the surface, both for the MC and the setting, than first meets the eye. The comedy’s probably a case of “your mileage may vary”. It’s not an isekai, just classic fantasy, for whatever that helps or hurts things for you.
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Secrets of the Silent Witch If what you’re looking for instead is an oddball gremlin who occasionally does ludicrous things with magic and otherwise would really would like to be left alone so she can pursue her hobby (advanced mathematics), this is the series that comes most readily to my mind at the moment. Also non-isekai fantasy. The comedy is much more wholesome and good-natured in general compared to “Genius Prince”, if that wasn’t working for you.
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The Alchemist Who Survived Dreams of a Quiet Life in the City Another non-isekai, with excellent world-building and likable characters, even if the author does sometimes fall into the same “spends too many words detailing the specific processes involved in their fantasy-based crafting techniques” other amateur writers can sometimes overindulge in. The plot also does a great job balancing the scale of the forces involved to keep the action both believable and engaging. The series doesn’t have a lot of volumes, but each volume is approx. 280-390 pages long, so a good read without overstaying its welcome or leaving plotlines unresolved.
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The Weakest Manga Villainess Wants Her Freedom If you don’t mind that the story is only a single volume long, this is another story I’d recommend. The isekai protagonist is no Myne, but the story is decently written, with the plot having several twists that I didn’t see coming in advance but seem obvious in hindsight, which reminds me a bit of Bookworm at times. (Still a very different kind of story overall, though.)
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@Dawnaxis I second the recommendation of Secrets of the Silent Witch
It’s one of my favorite non-JNC titles currently being released
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I am watching this post with much trepidation as I to am seeking something to scratch this itch, ideally from J Novels repertoire.
Sadly, none of the above mentioned so far would seem to meet it.
So, I will set down the popcorn and just wait for a bite. If only Rokujouma kept the same level of interest with the sequel volumes, my Mondays would at least be more fulfilling.
Author of Praetor's Blood.
Find out more at www.jmacnovels.com -
@custodes it might help if you could share what particular aspects of Bookworm was so appealing. Then those of us on this thread could do our best to provide another JNC series that suits your tastes
“There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
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@Lily-Garden What if you can't define what was "the reason" for reading Bookworm? I can't, other than the story kept me interested for years. I didn't gravitate towards any other series "for the same reasons".
Each series of JNC that I've bought into seems to be unique. A lot of the "just like!!!!" series haven't appealed to me. What is An Introvert's Hookup Hiccups "just like"? Or maybe Altina the Sword Princess? Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers? All are series that I like, but other "just like" series just do not cut it for me.
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It’s fine if you can’t described what you liked about a series, but I ask the question as it is useful for “scratching that itch” and in the case of custodes, given that none of the previous posts sparked an interest, more personalized recommendations may be helpful to them
Side note: I dislike saying “just like!!!!” when recommending similar series to people because it creates unhelpful expectations and preconceptions in their minds. No two books from different authors are just like each other so telling someone that a story is just like a story they have loved is setting them up for disappointment in a way
“There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
