General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests)

saffire

@rkkn In Mapping, the guy's skill isn't OP in any combat sense. He becomes a strong adventurer but he's still plainly not the strongest member of his party, at least at the point where the story gets cut off.

Take a look at Grimgar, I'm pretty sure that's right in what you're looking for.

myskaros

@rkkn If you're specifically looking for isekai fantasy adventure and not, say, Bookworm or Bakarina, here are some that might fit your interest:

Dungeon Dive - probably fits what you want, as it's a standard adventurer guild/dungeon dive story, just that the protagonist starts out weak/of dubious strength.
Campfire Cooking - the absurd skill is "I can buy stuff from Amazon and have it delivered instantly," so the main character himself doesn't have any real fighting power. Definitely a comedy more than an action series, which may or may not be what you want.
Cooking with Wild Game - in case you're okay with something that's not action/adventure, this is just a solid story about using good cooking to fit into a new world.
Der Werwolf - while the main character is technically overpowered, it's not to the point that he can absolutely thousands of people or anything, just he has an advantage over most people. The story is much more about army strategies and politics than one-on-one fights.
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash - almost perfectly fits what you want, since it's basically Land Mines with 500% more danger. All the characters are fatally average.

rkkn

@saffire
@myskaros
Campfire Cooking: Yeah I would file that under OP. It doesn't need to be a combat power.
Cooking with Wild Game: I forgot about this one. It definitely fits, though it was a little slow for my liking. do still want to read more of it eventually.
Bookworm's protagonist has that

spoiler

so not what I'm looking for. As for Bakarina, I think? it has the kind of setting where a person without any ability isn't going to have a hard time anyway. So yes I guess that sort of adventure element is also a requirement.

will definitely check out Grimgar and Dungeon Dive, thanks. And also Werwolf.

Also, another that I just remembered is Teapot Hero. The protagonist's power goes from laughable to useful but still leaves her at a disadvantage in a fair fight. At least as far as I've read. Which isn't very far, given its lack of english translation.

Brakes

@rkkn
I would say Mapping would fit that broader framework, as (at least up to vol 2 - haven't gone further) the MC's power is very support oriented. It can work in the right situation, and the MC does build other tools to help out, but he's still got key weaknesses that other characters cover.
It is also worth noting re Dungeon Dive that the MC does have strong/unique abilities and is quite powerful, and the same for his ally (only read vol 1). So just keep that in mind.

As for other recs, I've heard some decent points about Rokka: Braves of the Size Flowers, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, and Log Horizon, but not fully sure how well fit as haven't personally read them. Of the series I have read:

Spice and Wolf: whilst Holo is very strong, most of the challenges rely on the general intellect of both leads or Lawrence's economic knowledge. Definitely recommend.
Genius Prince: a bit more of a dubious recommendation as Wein is generally the smartest person in the room at any time, but does lack explicit OP abilities beyond that, so may be worth looking at..
Outbreak Company: haven't read much, but whilst not exactly an adventure style series (more cultural comparisons and influencing cultures), still seems to lack OP abilities and relies on planning and some key support, so may fit.
Housekeeping Mage: definitely more focused on the relationship between the MC and ML, but the MC has crummy powers they use for some key support but don't really have a ton of use beyond that support.
Kakuriyo (only manga has been licensed): MC uses knowledge to try and make a living and pay back a debt in a supernatural inn, and lacks OP abilities, so could fit.
Ideal Sponger Life: whilst the MC has special magical abilities, a lot of the focus is on trying to find a way through the political knots encountered, which the MC is OK at but not brilliant. Could fit.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon's Castle (only a manga): more of a comedy, and some of the abilities can be considered "overpowered", but rarely the focus. Not a major recommendation, but thought would toss in.

HarmlessDave

It might be too far away from D&D fightin' fun, but the MC of The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes has no powers beyond knowledge of the (possible) future and occasional adorableness.

And unlike Re:Zero or Groundhog Day, she only has the one chance to fix things.

Lily Garden

@rkkn it’s lacking the fantasy element (mostly) but have you checked out Altina the sword princess?

It’s not isekai but it’s set in a world of empires and knights. The main character is a bookworm who becomes the tactician of the titular sword princess and it’s the best novel on JNC if you like military strategies and MCs who outwitt their enemies through cunning tactics

Dawnaxis

I’m jonesing pretty hard for something new to read. Which is nothing new for me; I’m the kind of book addict who sees Rozemyne as very normal and relatable, so why do all the characters treat her as some kind of weirdo? : )

Reading back through the past couple years of this thread, I was really impressed with the effort some people have put into trying to match people up with the right story for them, so I thought I’d try prevailing on your mercy to pick your collective brains, in hopes that someone may know of one or two hidden gems to add to my (currently empty) in-pile, to tide me over until the all the various series I'm following get around to their next releases. (This thread has already convinced me to try “Altina the Sword Princess” just on the strength and number of its recommendations. Which at 14 volumes, might last me a week if I’m lucky, assuming I fall in love with the story. So definitely hoping to find more.)

For the purposes of this post, I’m only looking for recommendations that are currently licensed and being released in English. I’m okay with recommendations for series that are cancelled or stalled (better to have read “Gear Drive” and “Reborn as a Vending Machine” than not, and I will continue to hope for future releases regardless of their likelihood). And the more volumes a series already has in print, the better, but that’s pure greed on my part speaking - I’ll happily jump on something still in its first English volume.

As far as my reading preferences (spoilered just because of the excessive length it adds to an already long post):

spoiler

I considered also tossing in a list of every LN series I’ve already tried, so that people could spot what I was overlooking, but I realize just how long this post already is. Let me know if it would still be a good idea to include it anyway, and I’ll edit this post to add the list inside the spoiler tag.

For some examples a little off the beaten path I normally walk, that surprised me into loving them, I’ll mention:

“The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash”, which by title and synopsis, didn’t sound like much more than a mundane isekai, but I’ve already read the first volume twice in the less than a month since its digital release.
“I’m Only a Stepmother But My Daughter is Just So Cute”, which, since it’s not released by one of the LN publishers I’m more familiar with (JNC, Yen Press, Seven Seas, Cross Infinite Worlds), probably wouldn’t have crossed my radar were it not for a mention here in the JNC forums.
And as previously-mentioned, “Otherside Picnic”, which is so self-evidently steeped in horror that if I hadn’t tried in on catchup due to a prior spate of bookstarved-induced desperation, I might never have worked up the nerve to try it at all.

Edited to add: Lily Garden asked for the list of JNC titles I’ve read, so those have been added. Second edit: The full list is up, by request.

myskaros

@Dawnaxis

Der Werwolf
My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer
To Another World... with Land Mines!
- The "land mines" part is not literal, they get the template "choose your skills" spiel but quickly find out that any skill that sounds overpowered has an equally devastating downside. It's more of a slice of life, building from the ground up adventuring party. Kind of a Grimgar without the bleak despair.
Spy Classroom
Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter
Magical Explorer

In general I assume you'll be checking out the synopses anyway so I defaulted to no description except the Land Mines one as I think that's an important part that isn't easy to grasp from the blurb.

kuali

@Dawnaxis That list of things you've read might not be a bad idea, to keep us from recommending things you've read already...

Anyway, from your suggestions, the best recommendation I can come up with would be The Tales of Marielle Clarac - a series that covers the relationship between a fantasy-and-incident-prone romance novelist and her military officer fiancee. One of the better written romances I've seen, and one that doesn't focus on food (like Cooking with Wild Game, Dahlia, or Housekeeping Mage) or war (like I Refuse to Be Your Enemy).

And the runner-up would be The Apothecary Diaries, which is mostly a mystery/politics story with a romance side/meta plot. It occasionally (every two volumes or so) dips into 'entitled love interest' tropes, though its not a consistent part of the series. I'd describe it as being like a relationship between someone who loves petting cats and a cat that doesn't like being touched - sometimes the urge to pet gets the better of the sort-of-LI, though the MC's (even colder) response to being forced generally gets him to back off again once he's been interrupted or had a chance to cool down.

Lily Garden

@Dawnaxis for such a voracious bibliophile as yourself it might be helpful to list off series on JNC you have already read 😉

Fushi No Kami
Has similar themes to Bookworm in that the MC is using past life knowledge to raise the technological level of their society and will rampage to make that happen

That’s all I can think of that is similar to Bookworm

But here are some more anyway:

Yen Press

So I’m a Spider, So What?
The Executioner and Her Way of Life
Secrets of the Silent Witch

Seven Seas:

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
I’m in Love with the Villainess
Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court

From JNC
Deathbound Duke’s Daughter —This is one of my favorites, and I want more people to check it out

Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World

Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta

VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream

Yashiro-kun's Guide to Going Solo

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

The Sidekick Never Gets the Girl, Let Alone the Protag’s Sister!

The Tales of Marielle Clarac

That should be enough recommendations to start with 😉😊

kuali

@Lily-Garden The Executioner and Her Way of Life probably isn't a good recommendation for Dawnaxis - especially from the point that Pandaemonium is introduced, it has a pretty high horror/gore content. I mean, I enjoy that series, but it was something we were asked to steer clear of.

I'm in Love with the Villainess will probably fall foul of the 'please, no creepy obsessive or controlling relationships' requirement, at least in volume 1 or so. (It does get better on that count later on.)

But I'll second Though I Am an Inept Villainess, Deathbound Duke's Daughter, and VTuber Legend.

HarmlessDave

@kuali said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

@Dawnaxis That list of things you've read might not be a bad idea, to keep us from recommending things you've read already...

Yep. Both JNC and non-JNC please. No sense recommending Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear or Realist Hero if you've read them already.

Also helpful would be the list of books you've tried reading and decided they were not your cup of tea.

Failure Frame might go against your "no revenge obsession" preference, but the main character has enough more than revenge on his mind that I'd still say it's worth a look. It's much better than JNC's Backstabbed for example.

Lily Garden

@kuali oh I failed to see those requirements, so thanks for catching that!

Dawnaxis

@myskaros , @kuali , and @Lily-Garden , thank you so much. I was hoping to receive a reply; I wasn’t expecting to receive replies so quickly.

@myskaros , thank you in particular for having me take a closer look at “To Another World... with Land Mines!”. I thought I’d already given it a try and so wasn’t paying it any further attention, but I realize now I was confusing the title with “Villainess: Reloaded!” I’ve already read Volume 1’s free Part 1 since you suggested it, and this title is now on my reading list.

@kuali Thank you for the thoughtful replies. You’re right on the mark in regards to “The Executioner…”, and you’re not wrong about “I’m in Love with the Villainess” either, but thankful that’s one where I stuck it out and I’m glad I did.

@Lily-Garden , “As you wish.” I’ve added a list of the JNC titles I’ve tried, along with a word or three to mark which I enjoyed and which less so. For your non-JNC recommendations, you’ve managed to list one I’ve tried and enjoyed, one I tried but struggled with, and one haven’t tried yet for each publisher, which seems like a remarkable balance. (For reference, in order, it’s “Spider” & “In Love with the Villainess”, “Executioner” & “7th Time Loop”, and “Silent Witch” & “Inept Villainess”.)

Thank you all so much! Please feel free to keep them coming or call it quits, whatever you’d prefer. (I mean, I’d like further recommendations. But that will always be true, and I don’t wish to abuse your generosity.)

Lily Garden

@Dawnaxis well since you asked….

ROUND TWO

Holmes of Kyoto

Gushing over Magical Girls—this one I would categorize as fun but I would never admit to my friends that I read it

kuali

@Dawnaxis said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

Bibliophile Princess (Tried it, but didn’t get very far and don’t recall why. Might be worth trying again at some point.)

Tried it on catchup last year. I just left with a vague memory of reading one or two volumes and moving on, since I hadn't really gotten invested in anything in the story. Marielle Clarac ultimately filled my 'bookish girl marries up' quota much better.

@Dawnaxis said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

Deathbound Duke's Daughter (There’s not more? Why is there not more?)

Lily and I feel your pain :(

@Dawnaxis said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister; Plenty of Service Will Be Provided! (Started well, but expired from catchup before I finished reading it. Been on the fence about whether to purchase it or wait for it to come around again.)

Its another orphaned series, sadly. Finishing the first (and only) book won't bring you any real closure. I had fun enough reading it, though.

@Dawnaxis said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

The Apothecary Diaries (Okay, I know I know, people say it’s excellent. I haven’t actually tried it yet, but it’s on my list now. You win, okay, Kuali?)

😁

@Dawnaxis said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta (Seems like it should be a story I would enjoy, but still haven’t made it past the opening.)

Feels very much like eating an endless supply of cotton candy, except its made out of cute schoolgirls instead of regular sugar. I do still read it, but I wouldn't exactly consider it a highlight each week.

@Dawnaxis said in General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests):

I Shall Survive Using Potions! (Decent enough. Not the most griping story, but it gets a laugh out of me occasionally.)

If you haven't already, I'd suggest checking out FUNA's best-known work, Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!. Not exactly going to win any literary awards either, but if potions makes you laugh, Average Abilities likely will too.

So, some other general recommendations: Most of the light-hearted isekai series I've read involve a recurring food plot (like Average Abilities, though its not nearly as bad as the likes of Dahlia). I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level only has food as the focus of the occasional chapter (mostly when the main cast put on a maid cafe for the local festival each year).

But Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense and The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady are probably the winners of the lowest cooking content award for their category... At least of the ones I've read.

Maybe also A Tale of the Secret Saint - A (non-Isekai) reincarnator tries to make her way through life as a (mundane) knight despite her vast magical powers. She's not very good at it...

Other j-novel.club recommendations... well, I don't have many series that haven't already been mentioned (or found to contain too much war or food). Though I can spot a couple you might like - Walking My Second Path in Life (Kinda like Secret Saint but without the reincarnation and magic powers - I found the first two volumes very funny, though the final third volume seemed to have too much plot and too little funny in it.) and The Emperor's Lady-in-Waiting Is Wanted as a Bride (not sure I'd rate that as the author's best series, but I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! has a lot of war in it, so probably not the best recommendation for you.)

GeorgeMTO

@Dawnaxis I'll also make a suggestion that if you're grabbing a lot of J-Novel Club series, you might want to consider jumping up to premium member to get the 15% discount on coins instead of just the 5% discount member gives you (assuming that the forum tag is currently accurate, it's had issues in the past).
No actual recommendations that seem to fit what you like that hasn't already been mentioned, although a suggestion for things like Dahlia where an entire prepub part of food put you off: try full volume reading rather than just prepubs. It's definitely sour when an entire week is devoted to something you don't like, but it's easier to skim over a longer section when the next scene is just a page or two (or five etc) away.

MMOSimca.ddm6ono

Hi!
So I was looking for good recommendations with a few restrictions:

Primary main character is female. Gender swap/body swap can be okay but only if it is permanent and something the MC accepts.
Comedy is okay but only as a more minor aspect. If you'd describe the series' genre as Comedy, that's probably too much. I like series to take themselves seriously most of the time.
Romance that involves the main character has to be either GL or a very minor subplot.

That's it, really. JNC and non-JNC recommendations are both fine. Things I've read off the top of my head:

spoiler

I'm mainly interested in finding more serious series with female protagonists that aren't romance-focused (primarily because I think finding a GL series I haven't read is a lost cause).

Any ideas?

myskaros

@MMOSimca-ddm6ono

Series that come to mind as "non-comedy with female lead":

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter (LN and manga published by Seven Seas)
The Holy Grail of Eris (LN and manga published by Yen Press)
Roll Over and Die (LN and manga published by Seven Seas)
Dahlia in Bloom (JNC)
Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower (JNC)
The Apothecary Diaries (JNC)
Her Majesty's Swarm (JNC) (oops, just checked your spoiler and you already listed this; sorry!)

Since it sounds like you're actively looking for stuff, I'm sure some of these have already crossed your path, but mentioning just in case.

Lily Garden

@MMOSimca-ddm6ono
I second everything @myskaros suggested...except for Her Majesty's Swarm which I found was too gore heavy for me

And here are a few more:

From JNC Deathbound Duke’s Daughter —This is one of my favorites, and I want more people to check it out

This next one is rather light hearted at times but still retains some stakes during the action
The Tales of Marielle Clarac