General Reading Recommendation Thread (Not Series License Requests)

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

Dawnaxis

To everyone who replied to me, I just wanted to say thank you once again. I’ve been having a great time exploring your recommendations.

@HarmlessDave Oh! My apologies. I just saw your reply, even if my own previous reply went up afterwards. I’ll add non-JNC titles to my list shortly.

And for @MMOSimca-ddm6ono , all the JNC titles I can think of have already been mentioned, but might I suggest:

“Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind” (Cross Infinite World) It follows the protagonist from infancy to a young woman, who originally is only interested in caring for her adoptive father and home, and later gets reluctantly embroiled in larger events to try and restore the disrupted balance of the world. If I recall correctly, it has some comedy, but the story is mostly driven by her expanding awareness of the world around her and commenting on the oddities of her nature. Some romance subplots involving side characters but not really for herself, at least as told so far.
“The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash” (Seven Seas) Only one volume so far, so it’s hard to guess how the story might evolve as it goes forward, but at present it’s a fairly serious tale about a homeless eight-year-old girl struggling to get by on her own, out in the woods and on the streets. Given her age and circumstances, I’m not expecting to see a serious romance plot line anytime soon, given that the majority if the first volume only covers a span of a few weeks (as opposed to “Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind”, where the protagonist ages several years with each of the early volumes).
“The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life” (Yen Press) Some romance, but it’s fairly quiet by light novel standards. Some comedy as well, but it’s more a story about the protagonist trying to build a life and a business for herself in a world she no longer quite fits into, and the impact her actions have on the city-state she calls home.

HarmlessDave

@MMOSimca-ddm6ono -

Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! - despite the title, the formerly male MC seems like they were meant to be female all along -- in the flashbacks they seem happiest living as their female "gag" character and played it enough to reach a very high level. Only 2 volumes, but good. Not so much a "comedy" as being a mix of sweet and silly a bit like Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. (And if you haven't read KKKB you really should try it.)

Seriously Seeking Sister! Ultimate Vampire Princess Just Wants Little Sister; Plenty of Service Will Be Provided! - sadly only one volume, but fun and not really yuri. It's the Abilities Average of elder vampires.

Deathbound Duke's Daughter yet another one that ends too soon at only 2 volumes, but they are very good and this is more serious than the two above

@Dawnaxis said in [General Reading Recommendation Thread

And for @MMOSimca-ddm6ono , all the JNC titles I can think of have already been mentioned, but might I suggest:

“Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind” (Cross Infinite World)

“The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life” (Yen Press)

I'll second these. Reincarnated is more sweet, Alchemist is more serious.

GeorgeMTO

@MMOSimca-ddm6ono Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online. Written by the author of Kino's Journey rather than the SAO author, it's a fun series about a bunch of girls playing video games, and shooting a whole bunch of other people. I definitely laughed at plenty of moments, but I don't think it's overall comedic.

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

Dahlia in Bloom (JNC)
Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower (JNC)

I warn that these are both quite male-female romance heavy, since that seems to be another thing you dislike (which apparently covered the majority of the female MC novels I read, with comedic covering most of the rest).

~~Is Ascendance of a Bookworm (JNC) too romance heavy in the later volumes? It's definitely more than a minor plot point for other characters, but unsure for Myne herself~~

HarmlessDave

@Dawnaxis thanks for adding the non-JNC.

Not on your list:

A Tale of the Secret Saint - silly, harmless fun.

Another World Survival: Min-maxing my Support and Summoning Magic - new publisher, this is promising so far but hard to tell if it will continue to be good or fall apart

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life -- it's better than potions, and to me the LN is much better than the anime. I felt like the anime left out the best parts of the humor and dumbed down the rest while adding its own badly written replacements for some material.

Disciple of the Lich - isekai junk food, but if you run out of other things to read like I did it could fill the gap while you wait for something better. I enjoyed it more than JNC's Isekai Tensei but that's faint praise.

Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound -- sweet, and his little dog is still a good girl in her fenrir body

Fruit of Evolution - volume 2 out at the end of next month. The anime is silly but enjoyable and left me wanting to read more of the story.

I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - isekai...IN SPAAACE! It's a little like Me Aa Genius!? in that everything the MC does is misinterpreted. Silly fun.

Reborn as a Space Mercenary - another isekai...IN SPAAACE! It's junk food, but still enjoyable

The Otherworlder, Exploring the Dungeon - interesting isekai that's fairly serious where things don't always go well.

JNC's Gag character, Seriously Seeking Sister - mentioned above

Things you've already tried:

Loner Life in Another World (Tried the free sample, but I just found it off-putting. The reviews I saw didn’t convince me that it would improve on that front, either.)

They made (in my opinion) a very bad choice to have the flash-forward prologue. The battle there is nothing like the rest of the book. 90% of the book is more of a comedy about the main character's very different world view and strange language skills, it's closer to Zoolander and Monty Python mixed with Jason Mraz than Grimdark Deathbattle 3000.

Skeleton Knight in Another World (Tried the free sample, but just felt like the opening was one giant red flag. I ran for the hills and have never looked back.)

The attempted assault on the women at the start isn't a major ongoing thing, it's mostly a silly but flawed story of an overpowered lunkhead saving the day. It might be worth trying again or watching the anime but I'm only going to give a weak recommendation.

Of the two I'd rate Loner Life much more worthy of gambling on a full volume.