General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests)
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Apothecary Diaries deals with a young girl using her brain in a difficult situation. It plays out in a more-or-less real world situation. No overpowered protagonists, otherworldly knowledge or mention of ranked adventurers.
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To second @axehand recommendation,
the MC of Apothecary Dairies is a great character with a sharp tongue and she takes no sh*t from anyone
“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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@franziska-nagel said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
Didn't I say to Make My Abilities Average suffers from its painfully slow pace, once Mile meets her second group of friends the story slows to a crawl, and what her friends in the Capital are going through is much more entertaining than what Mile is doing.
The side story with the deaf girl is interesting but the cover art lies, it's not a cute story.
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My recommends are,
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord, the MC is a bit overpowered but has definite limits on how much MP he can spend, and he keeps running into enemies that push him to his limits. What I like most is that he has a mental illness, knows it, and as the story progresses, he slowly gets a handle on it. The LNs are well written.
Goblin Slayer, just an overall good read.
The Sorcerer King of Destruction and the Golem of the Barbarian Queen, a dead series but an interesting concept, it mostly suffers from a lack of world building but I find it a pretty well written series, it's just too bad it died just as it was getting better.
Mushoku Tensei is a pretty good series and even though I don't like the MC, he's kind of a scum bag, he does have his moments when he shines, and the supporting characters are well written.
Sword Art Online Alternate Gun Gale Online, is just awesome if you're into guns.
The Saga of Tanya the Evil, is a very good read but it is not really a LN, very dense and full of info but I really enjoy reading about Tanya's adventures in military life.
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@lily-garden Started reading it and it's pretty good but I know I've seen something like it before. There was a Asian tv show about life in the Chinese Imperial harem. The themes and events are pretty close.
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@folker46 said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
@lily-garden Started reading it and it's pretty good but I know I've seen something like it before. There was a Asian tv show about life in the Chinese Imperial harem. The themes and events are pretty close.
I think you're thinking of The Story of Saiunkoku. They're...rather similar.
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@poisonedbite No, it was live action. There are a lot of live action stories about the harems and I didn't see one that looked similar so maybe I'm misremembering, it was a long time ago.
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I am currently reading Mobuseka. The full name is The World Otome Games is Tough for mobs. It's funny as hell. It's not a J novel club series but it us still. Good read.
I am also into Demon Lord Retry. But volume 8 is taking forever for it to be licensed and translated.
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@bookmaniareader said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
I am currently reading Mobuseka. The full name is The World Otome Games is Tough for mobs. It's funny as hell. It's not a J novel club series but it us still. Good read.
Yes, it's pretty good, I'm looking forward to volume 6 in June.
For those who are missing Woof Woof Story now that it has ended:
Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound, Vol. 1 -- ordinary guy and his pet dog get isekai'd, and the dog becomes a fenrir, but is still a sweet and loyal little doggy at heart. Harmless slice of life fun.
I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game as a Cat-loving Villainess Vol.1 -- a low-stress villainess story where she avoids her fate by adopting a cat. Mostly harmless slice of life.
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@Crimson-Wise said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
Altina the Sword Princess - a more conventional fantasy military story. The author knows where he's going, and is able to use use comedy and clichés when it's appropriate. It's quite fun to read.
@Lily-Garden said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
also, I would like to second the recommendations for Faraway Paladin and Altina
Well, after more than a year I finally got around to reading Altina. I wanted to thank you guys for the suggestion. It was indeed well-written - exactly what I'd been looking for. Although it shifted perspective a few different times, I never found myself bored or skipping through chapters because equally enjoyed reading about Regis, Altina, Bastion and Elize, Eddie and Felicia, and Latreille. The world was well constructed, the characters were believable, the political intrigue felt - err intriguing, and the battle scenes were a joy to read.
Thanks a lot!
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@unknownmat said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
Well, after more than a year I finally got around to reading Altina. I wanted to thank you guys for the suggestion. It was indeed well-written - exactly what I'd been looking for. Although it shifted perspective a few different times, I never found myself bored or skipping through chapters because equally enjoyed reading about Regis, Altina, Bastion and Elize, Eddie and Felicia, and Latreille. The world was well constructed, the characters were believable, the political intrigue felt - err intriguing, and the battle scenes were a joy to read.
Thanks a lot!
No problem! Glad you enjoyed it so much! As a bookworm and aspiring librarian there are few things that make me happier than when someone enjoys a book I suggest!
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@Lily-Garden said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
@unknownmat said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
Well, after more than a year I finally got around to reading Altina. I wanted to thank you guys for the suggestion. It was indeed well-written - exactly what I'd been looking for. Although it shifted perspective a few different times, I never found myself bored or skipping through chapters because equally enjoyed reading about Regis, Altina, Bastion and Elize, Eddie and Felicia, and Latreille. The world was well constructed, the characters were believable, the political intrigue felt - err intriguing, and the battle scenes were a joy to read.
Thanks a lot!
No problem! Glad you enjoyed it so much! As a bookworm and aspiring librarian there are few things that make me happier than when someone enjoys a book I suggest!
As a retired librarian, yeah, knowing that someone enjoyed a book you recommended, or that the information you assisted them in tracking down was just what they needed, it's a wonderful feeling.
Makes your day; that's when you feel that it was all worthwhile, getting the degree and everything. -
I've been trying to get into some more light novels besides just a couple of them, but I've been struggling to find any that stick, especially when it comes to new releases. Anyone able to come up with some recommendations based on these titles that I (have) read? I wouldn't put behind the possibility that there isn't a match, and that my expectations are too high, but it's worth a shot.
Ascendance of a Bookworm (still reading)
Dahlia in Bloom (still reading)
Infinite Dendrogram (ended up dropping at around volume 17, in the middle of the battle royale event. There wasn't a defining moment to why I dropped it, but it do be a turn off when the game isn't how a game functions, especially how the supreme embryos work (only 1 person getting it is really unfair, and it's a whole tier upgrade. Also the lack of any replay value due to being soul bound to an avatar does grind my gears). There are some cool things in it, like Hugh and Franklin, Shu's martial arts beating statistics, and the execution of most fighting mechanics, but it's hard to be sold that it's a revered international mmorpg).
Seirei Gensouki (I don't know how I gone through all of it until I hit prepub of 16. It's not my cup of tea, either. Must be what catchup does to a mofo)
Magician who rose from Failure (dropped at 4. It's good, but the other characters are real dumb, and that one fight against the bandit leader really pushed the limit. Also that the lore is spoonfed quite hard)
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (still reading)
Bakarina (still reading, hope it's not carelessly concluded (but it should end soon))
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@22144418 Some suggestions I think you might like based on what you're reading/have dropped:
- Tearmoon Empire - misunderstanding medieval comedy that reveals its depth and lore as you read more
- My Daughter Returned an S-Rank Adventurer - ensemble cast, feels very western fantasy, honestly just really different from most other fantasy LN stories
- Apothecary Diaries - imperial China-set mystery series starring a teenage girl detective with an unhealthy obsession with poisons
- Ideal Sponger Life - "random Japanese guy gets to marry the queen of a fantasy world" is chapter 1, then the rest of the series covers the actual politics and complications of his new position
- Altina the Sword Princess - male protagonist is book-smart, female protagonist is strong but kind of dumb, they come together to win battles in medieval not-Europe at the dawn of the age of guns
- Der Werwolf - werewolf wants to integrate with humans instead of killing them, leading to a new human/demon faction that raises hell across the continent
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For amusing silliness: Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Woof Woof Story
For Monty Pythoni-sh absurdity: Loner Life in Another World
(don't read the prolog, it's a big spoiler that doesn't match the tone of the rest of it)For Dendro-ish battling: The World's Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country's Novice Seeker, Reincarnated as a Sword
For slice-of-life warmth: I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends
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@HarmlessDave said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends
My mind skipped past the "With" the first time I read that sentence...
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@myskaros said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
@HarmlessDave said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):
I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends
My mind skipped past the "With" the first time I read that sentence...
LOL, that might be a fun LN too :)
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@hopebestman If you liked Release that Witch, I reccomend Sengoku Komachi: Here
(link removed by mod RB)
LN is fan translated, but its so slow Im learning JP to read it lol, Manga is pretty up to date tho
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Hi! I’ve gotten into light novels fairly recently, and I’m looking for some recommendations along the same lines of what I’ve liked so far. I’m currently reading the first volume of Sexiled, and I really enjoy the mixture of fantasy and comedy and the way it mocks sexism in other fantasy stories. (I’m a big fan of the translator Molly Lee’s work in general as well.) Before that I read all of Tearmoon Empire so far, and I really like the fantasy political intrigue in that one, although I tend to get a bit less interested when the plot goes off on tangents like Mia getting obsessed with finding mushrooms. I also found Bond and Book: The Devotion of "The Surgery Room" really interesting—I appreciated the metatextual elements and what it said about literature and people’s relationships to it.
Some of my favourite authors outside of light novels are Margaret Atwood, Joe Abercrombie, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Tamsyn Muir, and Sandy Mitchell. As you can probably guess if you recognize some of the names on that list, I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy! I also like horror and mystery, and other genres are fine to recommend too, since I’ll pretty much check out anything that’s well-written. I’d also be especially interested in anything with LGBTQ+ characters. Let me know if you’ve read anything that you think I’d like!
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@parttimestorier Just some random recommendations:
- Otherside Picnic: Modern day college girls get caught up in weird other-dimensional shenanigans based on real-world urban legends/creepypasta. Yuri developments.
- My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer: A template fantasy world that is just done extremely well with a great cast. Kind of reads like a western fantasy, which is unique in the LN sphere.
- Ascendance of a Bookworm: Hard not to recommend as one of our most popular series that has extensive worldbuilding and lots of political intrigue.
