I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void
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@Lily-Garden I don't know - it seems that a lot of people are looking for something at least similar to Bookworm, but there are so many other choices that can be made here. Over 300 other novel series are listed amongst JNC's repertoire, and Bookworm is different from just about all of them.
There is an advantage that we can read the first chapter of all of them, and decide whether or not to continue. Most will give you an idea of personal likability in that time, and there is the discussion of each that can be read to know if it continues to be likable or not.
If someone joined JNC just for Bookworm, and never tried anything else, I don't see any title here that will "scratch that itch". But, it isn't the only itch people can indulge in scratching here. I came here for Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, which is nothing like Bookworm. But poking around has cost me gobs of money.
My personal recommendation is to start at book 1 in the JNC collection and read the first chapters. Back then, some series were rather short, but some of the longer series started then, including a few still running. Even if you're sticking with JUST JNC titles, you can see enough variety to keep you busy for a long time, and drain your wallet. Or give you things to look at when they come up on monthly catchups.
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Bookworm for me is an unusual case that I absolutely detested volume 1 on initial read (the anime did eventually help on this part), found that I liked the writing style, the low fantasy elements with hints of realism that came more about in the later volumes (I picked up the series again at the shrine maiden part) and became fond of it from there. Is book 1 still unreadable to me? Honestly yes, but with a degree of hindsight, Myne's character does become more tolerable.
Apothecary diaries as a series was initially enjoyable but as mentioned in an above comment by another, it appears to have gone down a route of tangents and I lost interest. Same was for Elf Bride, Rokujouma and those of similar ilk. Rokujouma being for me by greatest disappointment due to my love of the initial 30 volumes and arc 1.
Which is probably what made Bookworm rather special. As a reader you felt as if you were on a well designed path and you should read the volumes not once or twice, but many a time as little nuggets would be found that would be relevant later on. I guess too many series authors write volume to volume and there is no sense of grand scale planning.
Seirei Gensouki as a series does something to scratch the itch. Admittedly as I have attested in the relevant forum topics, the series did go off on a weird tangent which I did not enjoy. But as of late, has reversed it's course and hopefully will be enjoyable. To me the first 7 volumes of that series we're simply a joy to read because they felt well laid out (admittedly, it was their 2nd time releasing that plot trail).
Demon Lord Retry as a series is one which I also greatly loved, but sadly due to hiatus status until recently, it will be a while before this will relevant.
Oh well, maybe I will dig out some of my light novels and dream not of a Death March in some parallel world (probably my favourite slice of life series currently).
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If you are searching for something with at least slight similarities, then I could very much recommend The Tales of Marielle Clarac, Dahlia in Bloom and A Late-Start Tamer‘s Laid-Back Life. They are all very good!
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I love kingdom-building novels, the ones where the MC takes in charge of a city/country and develops it (it often involves bringing modern technology into medieval fantasy worlds).
Around this topic, have already read (or I'm reading):
- In Another World With My Smartphone
- How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
- Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles
- Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts With a Village
- Tearmoon Empire
- Record of Wortenia War
- The Ideal Sponger Life
- To Another World... with Land Mines!
- The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom
- Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want!
Some of them managed to scratch that itch a bit, but no one as well as bookworm...
I also read non-isekai novels like Dhalia and Apotecary, always in the theme of the genious MC being initially undervalued, and I have enjoyed them.
The issue is that I can't find something new to begin that will help me covering my Myneday addiction... I have read some bookworm fanfics but I have already devoured them and I have finished them...
Any suggestions?
P.S.:
About not JNC novels, two that were extremely enjoyable for me and had much of the Bookworm vibes were two chinese novels:- Release that Witch
- Fields of Gold (The closest to Bookworm I found yet)
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Some suggestions, since you also enjoy Death March...
Overlord.
I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!
Saint? No! I'm Just a Passing Beast Tamer!
The eminence in shadow
The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage's Carefree Life in Another World
Defeating the Demon Lord's a Cinch
The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess
The Fruit of Evolution (light novel)
The Dark Guild Master's Smile Would Fit Best (Light Novel)
Log Horizon
Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra
The Dark Guild Master's Smile Would Fit Best
Campfire cooking in another world
Isekai DeconstructionOr perhaps even some of the discwork novels by Terry Pratchet. Some of those are really funny.
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Lots of excellent suggestions here, so I'll add that the new The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman that started in this latest batch comes recommended by Kazuki-sensei herself and with just the three parts released so far I can already understand why. Can be a fun time to get on the ground floor of something new and I think there's a reasonable chance it can scratch at least some of the itch Bookworm left behind.
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@RobD said in I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void:
Or perhaps even some of the discwork novels by Terry Pratchet. Some of those are really funny.
I wholeheartedly recommend Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Sir Terry is my favorite western author and a modern day Shakespeare; masterful writer of character and wordplay
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A series I'm a bit surprised nobody has mentioned so far would be Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter. It's one where the titular Duke's daughter is an isekaied character who reincarnates into a game and proceeds to totally derail the original story. (Though as said protagonist quickly observes, the actual in-universe reality differs from the game in some fairly important ways.) Anyways, the protagonist ends up getting named as the acting governor for her father's territory (he's the country's prime minister so he rarely has time to even visit the duchy in the first place) and completely revolutionizes the place. It was already a very wealthy and influential territory to begin with but after she takes over, it quickly sets itself apart as the influential territory. It's quite well-written and interesting with quite a few likeable characters as well as some well-written villains too.
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@Lily-Garden wait, it's DONE done?! Nooooooooo
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@Quinnbea9 the main story is finished.
There are still side stories and fan books to translate but the tale of Rozemyne is complete.Kazuki Sensei has said that she may come back to write again in this world with these characters, but there isn’t going to be a Part 6
(So we may get a sequel series, but it will not be a direct continuation)
“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 said in I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void:
(So we may get a sequel series, but it will not be a direct continuation)
Nothing "may" about it, we got one. But it hasn't been translated to English yet, and may be a while before it is.
Kazuki-sensei talked about it in the afterword of Part 5 Volume 12.
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@pcj no, that's a spinoff. Which is a different beast to the sequel Kazuki has mentioned potentially writing.
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Worm
- Female main character who underestimates how badass she is
- Maneuvering cutthroat society of supernatural people with different factions that betray each other while protecting the commoner family
- Hideous abomination for personal transport that only the main character would find cute. Lessy, meet Atlas.
- Kinda backwards relationship going from partners in crime to intimacy to dating, in that order
- Sooo many interesting characters that get side stories
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@myskaros I'm very glad that you and others recommended Cooking with Wild Game as I've greatly enjoyed it.
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One series I love but haven’t seen anyone mention yet is Housekeeping Mage from Another World. Like Bookworm, it takes a slightly different approach to the isekai genre. The main character, Shiori, is transported to a world of magic but she has no cheat level powers (in fact, her magic is below average) nor does she have a translation cheat, so she can’t understand anything that’s going on at first. Both of the two main characters are pretty traumatized by things that have happened but the series in general seems to be about healing, and is very comforting to read.
JNC just started translating the eighth volume and I’m very excited about it.
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For cheering myself up on a Monday on J-Novel Club:
A Late-Start Tamer's Laid-Back Life
The fluffiest video game story that I've ever read. I like how it is about exploring the game world, and finding new things.RVing My Way into Exile with My Beloved Cat: This Villainess Is Trippin'
Your Mileage May Vary. I happen to like watching travel shows on tv, and this book gives me a similar feeling, though focused on RV camping. The worldbuilding is much more handwavy than Bookworm, but I can overlook it.For a disabled protagonist, detailed worldbuilding, and fun characters:
Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Her Penric stories too. Actually all of her works. She's one of my favourite authors, and the English-speaking author that reminds me the most of Miya Kazuki. She pays enough attention to the details that it is rewarding to speculate about her worlds.For that feeling of "I'm noticing so many more details on a re-read":
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe series. Some wonky worldbuilding with telepathic trees, and multiple universes. They are "fantasy of manners" novels, with space battles. Also thematically about different models of family, sort of showing the difference between Liadens (inherited obligation, without the sexism) and Terrans (voluntary commitment, some examples of sexism in female dominated worlds.) They're fun, but with enough cultural differences that it makes me think.For that feeling of "What if...the romances...were actually healthy?":
Jackie Lau writes romances where the main characters are decent adults who actually talk to each other. I get annoyed at a lot of romance tropes in general, but generally am not annoyed at her books. That may not sound like high praise, but it is. She's Chinese-Canadian, with an engineering and geophysics background, and she enjoys good food (there's a scene about baking butter tarts in one of her books, for example).For the feeling of "I want to think about how books and copyright worked a few centuries ago":
Richard Stallman's lecture on the history of copyrightSome other light novel series that I've enjoyed:
7th Time Loop. I like the shenanigans that the main character gets up to while she attempts to figure out the reasons for a war and prevent it.Holmes of Kyoto Non-murder mysteries that let me learn about Japanese culture and Kyoto
I might think of other recommendations later, but this is what came to mind.
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@strangeattractor
Bujold is good; I'd unreservedly recommend all of her works (OK, The Spirit Ring is a bit weak in some ways, but she takes ideas from it and makes them work in later works.)Jackie Lau is also quite good.
Many works in the Romance genre you want to ask the author just what part of the relationships they portray is healthy, and that's never been my impulse when reading her works.
And she's a lovely sense of humor. -
Yes, The Spirit Ring is the weakest. It's still interesting, but not as rewarding a read. I remember an interview where Bujold said that she based the magic system on how people in the Renaissance thought magic worked at the time, and it confused readers.
My current Bujold favourites to reread are Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (a romance and a heist, with fluid dynamics involved) and The Assassins of Thasalon (her only novel-length Penric story)
Yes, I appreciate Jackie Lau's sense of humour as well. Both in the wacky situations and in the choice of words. For example, the male romantic lead character who dresses up in an inflatable T-Rex costume and dances to a barbershop quartet in One Bed For Christmas. Or the geology prof who has to move his rock collection because too many vibrations from sex are coming from his neighbour's apartment (where the female romantic lead lives) in The Professor Next Door.
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@strangeattractor said in I finished Bookworm now what do I read? Suggestions to fill Myne void:
@Geezer-Weasalopes
Yes, The Spirit Ring is the weakest. It's still interesting, but not as rewarding a read. I remember an interview where Bujold said that she based the magic system on how people in the Renaissance thought magic worked at the time, and it confused readers.This.
Benvenito Cellini in specific, iirc.
So I enjoyed it, but it's unquestionably her least commercially successful work.
And that's after Jim Baen stepped in and optioned it from her after he saw how the other publishers were bidding; he wasn't letting that happen to one of his long term authors.My current Bujold favourites to reread are Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (a romance and a heist, with fluid dynamics involved) and The Assassins of Thasalon (her only novel-length Penric story)
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance is wondrous.
My favorite Barrayar novel.I really need to sit down and read through the Penric & Desdemona series; I own them all, but I've only read the first couple.
It's a fascinating setting. -
@Lily-Garden Huh, weren‘t there some rumours that Miya Kazuki confirmed that there would be a part 6 with Rozemyne?
