Got a book recommendation? Looking to talk about non-Warrior Cats books? You’ve come to the right page!
Welcome to the BlogClan Bookshelf!
Here, you can talk about books that aren’t Warrior Cats! You can ask for and give recommendations on what to read! You can also talk about those books!
[a ginger tabby cat with white socks squeezes into the space above books lined up on a shelf]
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has anyone read Storm Boy? its a bestseller book in australia since 1950! I may or may not have cried at the end… (i nearly broke down in class bc it was the book we had to use for our english task)
i recommend it for a short read, i really liked it, but I cried at the end :((((
EDIT: new page :000
I haven’t read it! It sounds like a great book, though. What’s it about?
so there’s a boy called storm boy, and he lives on the coorong (this place in australia)/ One season, hunters come and begin killing and smashing birds and their nests. one day, storm boy finds 3 baby pelicans that were about to die. he takes them in, and they eventually heal. 2 of them went away, but one stayed behind. I won’t say the rest bc i dont wanna spoil it. WARNING: you may cry at the end ;-;. its a rlly good book, u should try it!
OK, I’ve suggested some books for others, can anyone suggest some for me? You have some idea from what I’ve posted what kind of fiction books I enjoy. Obviously, age restrictions don’t apply—I’m an elder IRL in addition to on the blog. Besides the things I’ve mentioned here, and Warriors, of course, I’ve read all of the Hunger Games, I reread Lord of the Rings every few years, I read a lot of mysteries, from cozy to hard-boiled, I love the novels of Anthony Trollope…
I also read a lot of history and contemporary political/social stuff, but I really don’t expect recommendations in these areas.
Hello! You might enjoy Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence? It focuses on politics in a fantasy world, and is really interesting if you don’t mind magic imo!! Again, assuming you’re okay with magic, The Poppy War is another good political fantasy! It’s by R.F Kuang. The Book of Lost Names is a good historical fiction to check out as well (by Kristin Harmel).
OH — You might also enjoy The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith. It’s about a library in Hell that is its own domain and made up of stories that people thought of but never actually wrote down. It follows the adventures of the librarian, her assistant, a demon messenger, and a story that came to life.
hmm, I think Young Sherlock Holmes might be good for you! it’s mystery, and since it’s about Sherlock Holmes, you get to know a lot of history of the UK.
You might enjoy Babel by RF Kaung! It’s fantasy but takes place in Oxford in 1828, and explores a lot of the interactions between China and England during that time.
Hi! Id suggest my favourite book series at the moment, Folk of the Air! The first book is the Cruel Prince.
It focuses on politics in a fantasy setting. The Fae have these things, like they can’t lie (which means they’re very twisty and deceiving with their phrasing as a way of getting around it) and they’re bound to whichever royal wears the Blood Crown, the moment they pledge allegiance to their new leader. The current king has a really spoiled son (or so he would seem) who relentlessly bullies the protagonist, a human named Jude who ended up in Faerieland because her older sister Vivi is the daughter of a Fae general (and when the Fae general killed Jude’s parents he felt a responsibility to her and her twin, Taryn, even though they’re not his kids. Only Vivi is).
The Fae can also “glamour” or basically put a spell on humans and make them do whatever they want.
So Jude is struggling to fit in and clinging to her dream of one day becoming a soldier in the King’s army, but in reality this obviously isn’t going to happen because she’s a human – but then the older prince of Faerieland recruits Jude to be a spy for him because she can lie, whereas he can’t because he’s Fae.
And then there’s a massive plot twist I obviously can’t reveal that takes the plot in a completely different direction but it’s still awesome 😀
It might sound a bit silly but i’d 100% recommend!!!
If you do decide to read it, let me know what you think. 🙂
Thanks. I see that my local library branch has that on the shelf, so I’ll check it out.
Unrelated, but it’s nice to meet another BlogClan elder. I’m in my mid-20s, graduated from college so I’m pretty old. You might like Harry Potter if you like LoTR. I like the Harry Potter books and I like the LoTR movies but I haven’t been able to get into the LoTR books yet. I also recommend a Man Called Ove. It’s realistic fiction though. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell is a FANTASTIC psychological thriller. It’s very trippy.
Ooh, A Man Called Ove is really good! Anxious People by that same author is also fun.
Thanks. I read the first Harry Potter when it came out, just to see what all of the fuss was about, but it didn’t really grab me. I watched the movie of a Man Called Ove several years ago and enjoyed it, as far as I can remember.
i recommend the books ‘We Are Wolves’ and ‘Waiting For The Storks’ by Katrina Nannestad. they’re both historical fiction and they’re REALLY good
I would give 11/22/63 by Stephen King a try! Despite the author beign famed for horror, it isn’t a horror novel (though certainly has a few horrifying moments). It’s about a man who travels back in time to try to prevent the assassination of Kennedy. The characters felt so real and the emotions were so raw. There is some politcal commentary too, though this is more subtext.
If you like mysteries, The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is fantastic. It’s a bit difficult to explain without spoiling it so I’ll attach the Goodreads link here which has a good blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150247395-the-tainted-cup?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=tQlxwG3GID&rank=1
One of my favourite books is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, about an astronaut who wakes up in a space station with no memories and has to figure out why and how he’s there. It mixes science with comedy really well and is generally a super feel-good read.
If you haven’t done so already, also try Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman! It’s about an angel and a demon who team up to try to prevent the apocalypse. It’s very good fun.
And I haven’t finished this one yet actually, but I’m loving it so far- Perdido Street Station by China Meiville. It follows several characters all living in a huge alien city (New Crobuzon)- an artist, a scientist and an outcast. It’s pretty weird, but I’m enjoying it!
I will recommend Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys and Between Shades of Gray by the same author until the day I die. They’re historical fiction about two different unknown events.
Salt to the Sea is about the greatest maritime tragedy in history, the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. It was 6x worse than the Titanic, and yet, nobody knows about it.
Between Shades of Gray is about the deportation of thousands of people in the Baltic countries by Stalin because they dared to have free-thinking.
not Whitewhiskers, but I love Ruta Septys 🙂
Thank you to everyone who made suggestions. It will take me some time to sort through all of these and check them out.
Hello! I fear I am beginning to sound like a broken record with my recommendations, which does make it time to find new books to read!! here’s a link to my goodreads to see the things I have already read: https://www.goodreads.com/stormbird1904
Looking for books with solid world building and deep characters. Preferably longer and not one-offs. I love fantasy, historical fiction, and science fiction. I haven’t experienced a really good all absorbing book in a while so that’s truly what I’m looking for.
I’ve read a lot of “mainstream” or “booktok” books, so more niche recs would be appreciated <3
Ooh, a new pfp? so cute!
I see you have some Margaret Atwood in there. Do you know her MaddAddam trilogy? It’s very dark, set in a biotech version of the apocalypse. It definitely has some “adult” material, and also Atwood’s wry sense of humor.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/YAM/the-maddaddam-trilogy/
Ooo!! That looks good!! I’ll definitely add it to my TBR c:
I just want to add that almost anything Atwood has written is worth reading, IMO. She is best known for The Handmaid’s Tale, which was made into a TV series and which rates very high on both the adult content and dystopian scales.
I’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale previously and liked it a lot!!
Here are some of my more niche favorites!
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft (mild mannered school teacher goes on honeymoon and promptly loses his wife in a giant magical tower and has to go find her.)
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (retired pirate gets hired for one last scheme and gets her crew back together after 10 years of not speaking to any of them)
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (a dark, magical clash between groups inspired from Indigenous cultures, hard to summarize but really good!)
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant (following the disappearance of a film crew for a documentary, a crew of scientists go investigating what seems to be an infestation of murderous mermaids.)
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (multiverses with a twist: no one can visit a universe where they are alive. Cara, the mc, is dead in nearly every version of her life and therefore the perfect candidate to conduct research for.)
Since you’re a Poppy War fan I’m gonna assume content warnings aren’t too big of a concern, but most of these have violence and mentions of sexual content, though nothing super explicit.
Hi! This is a “booktok” book but if you haven’t read it I’d recommend it bc it’s soooo good!!! It’s Folk of the Air by Holly Black!
It features a human girl, Jude. She once lived in the human world with her identical twin Taryn and older sister, Vivi. She always knew Vivi was different, for she had slitted eyes like a cat and pointed ears.
Then one day when Jude was young, a man arrived at their house, killed her parents and took her and her siblings away. This man was the General of Faerieland whose daughter is Vivi and his ex wife is their mother, who left him and staged her own death after having Vivi, remarried a human guy and had Jude & Taryn.
So Jude is living in Farieland. The Fae can’t lie – but they can deceive you, so pay close attention to their wording – but humans can. Jude wants nothing more than to be a soldier in the King’s army and she loves battle strategies and fighting. But she’s told she’ll never make it because she’s a human. Then she gets an offering by the King’s second eldest son, to spy for him since she can lie and neither him nor his other spies can.
Then she gets sucked into this political world and all this stuff happens and it’s soo action packed and amazing!!! I literally couldn’t put the books down, I don’t think I’ve read a series faster!
that sounds really cool silv! i have to check that out, that sounds amazing
Yay!!! Tell me what you think of it <33
You might like Alan Gratz. He writes a lot of good WWII books. I really like him. I’ve only read a couple of his books but what I’ve read I’ve liked. Minus the Captain America graphic novel he wrote. It was kinda meh. 😅
What’s a “booktok” book?
On this app called TikTok, there is a group of people that post videos recommending books. This subgroup is commonly referred to as “Booktok.” A lot of the posters just post the same books over and over again, and most aren’t that well-written.
Thanks. Although I am old, I do know what TikTok is, though I don’t use it.
Maybe Endgame by James Frey or Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer?
I recommend books by Marie Lu, if you haven’t read them already!
If you haven’t tried Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive then do so! It is certainly long, and the worldbuilding is very, very cool.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells are really good fun. They’re set in a very corporate-dominated future. It follows a security robot that hacks itself and goes on various missions and seeks freedom. The main character is super relatable, and the worldbuilding is pretty interesting!
Something a bit more mature (would not reccommend for under 15s/16s) is The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin. It’s the first part of a trilogy and follows characters at different points in time in a world that’s ending. The prose is absolutely gorgeous and the worldbuilding was wonderful. I, personally, struggled to connect to the characters at points- but that may have just been down to me!
Also quite mature is The Expanse series by James SA Corey which starts with Leviathan Wakes. It’s set in a future universe where humanity has colonised the solar system. It mainly follows the crew of a particular ship, who stumble upon something mysterious in another abandoned ship. I will say that the first book is a little rocky in places, but the second onwards are fantastic.
Has anybody read the Cat Kid Comic Club series? I just got half of the series today and I don’t know if it’s good or not.
I have! It’s super good!
I haven’t! Let us know if you like them though 😀
I just started the hunger games series! So far, this is one of my favorite books. anyone have any books that may be similar to the hunger games?
Endgame by James Frey is pretty similar :))
Gregor the Overlander is by the same author and I really loved it!!!
Divergent is kinda similar essentially, but the plot is different, idrk though since I haven’t actually read it 😛 It’s 13+ though, so be aware
I’m reading the second Junie B Jones and it made me crack up because she was talking about having a boyfriend. She’s in kindergarten. 😅
Whattt 😛😭
ohh i used to read Junie B Jones when I was younger 😭
ya, I kinda sorta had a boyfriend in kindergarten
I love Junie B. Jones sm 😭 ❤️ (edit: no, autocorrect, not JULIE, obviously JUNIE 🙄/lh)
I’ve been reading more of the original Sherlock Holmes stories lately and they’re so fun! There’s just something magical about them that the shows and the stories by other authors don’t quite capture for me.
Content warnings for mild violence, occasional drug use, and some racism/misogony/homophobia/ableism scattered about that is reflective of the time period that the stories were written in.
Yesssss!!! They’re so good! A little tricky to understand at first, but I eased into the style fairly quickly and had a brilliant time with them!
Yes, I’ve read and enjoyed the whole Holmes canon several times. You nailed it as far as the Victorian English attitudes one finds in them. After you finish the originals, you might want to check out the Holmes and Russell books written by Laurie R. King, beginning with The Beekeeper’s Apprentice Holmes has a wife who is Jewish, a Biblical scholar, half his age, his intellectual equal, and wears a throwing knife in her boot (among other attributes).
Yess it sounds very cool!!
I recently finished th Shadow and Bone series! It was really good, I absolutely love the grishaverse. I’ll probably pick up Six of Crows and The King of Scars from my library when I get the chance 😀
One of my favourite characters is Zoya, wich is incredibly weird, I don’t know why I like her. But I do, even though she is very mean and just not a character that I’d typically like
Ooo yeess
Okay I have to ask :
Who do you ship Alina with???? 😛
No one. If I had to choose, Nikolai.
either mal or the darkling :>
… YOU LIKE ZOYA?! nawww i hate her >:( (but maybe its bc i haven’t finished lol) ALINA AND THE DARKLING IS STILL A GOOD SHIP (but the make out scenes made me throw up)
Alina and the Darkling are not a good ship imo. Don’t even get me started
I like Zoya too! I can’t remember which of the series it starts in but she gets a lot more character development, and is one of the main characters in the King of Scars duology.
I’m reading the first book now, and I really like it 🙂
Has anyone read the Sir Callie series? It’s one of my favorites
No I haven’t! It sounds great though :))
not me thinking of Sheriff Callie’s Wild West 😂 I grew up with that show lol
I started the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid and so far, I’m liking it better than the last time I read it.
I love Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
i lovveee those books, but greg is honestly a spoiled brat. my fav character is rowley :>
Greg is so awful, especially to Rowley. 😅
has anyone read Inkheart? I haven’t yet but I have the book (soon to read)
I think so? I’m pretty sure I read it like 5 years ago, but I can’t remember a thing
Same lol
Yeah! It’s pretty good :]
I haven’t!! ^
a friend recommended a book called The Stormlight Archive. has anybody read it?
they told me it was similar to KOTLC
they even offered to buy the first book for me 😀
I adore the Stormlight Archives! It’s one of my favorite series. I don’t think it’s particularly similar to KOTLC though 😛
I second this! The Stormlight Archive is fantastic, but nothing like kotlc. Still very worth reading though!
ty, I’ll give it a read 😀
I read the first Cat Kid Comic Club and it was hilarious. My favorite part was that Flippy (a former villain) is disturbed by the content in his kids’ comics. Seems ironic to me.
Ahhh I love Flippy 😛👍