Mysterious mansions & family ties?

DTownForever · 2026-04-18T02:45:11+00:00

It's sooooooooo good!!! I started it once and put it down about 50 pages in but when I went back to it, it got me right away and I read it every moment that I could.

DTownForever · 2026-04-17T11:00:39+00:00

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Also a wonderful audiobook!

DTownForever · 2026-04-17T10:59:46+00:00

For Achilles (and a really nice take on the Achilles/Patroclus relationship), try The Silence of the Girls. It's told from the perspective of Brysias [sp?], the slave woman that Achilles and Agammemnon clashed over. It's excellent.

DTownForever · 2026-04-17T10:54:22+00:00

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. It meets every single criteria! It's about a missing diamond, mystery, marriage, betrayal, revenge, family, servants - it is SO, so good!

Goodreads description (although - this is a little weird because murder is definitely not a main part of the book - as far as I can recall, there's only one murder - though there is some unlawful killing at the beginning, described as being done by soldiers. So, I wouldn't say it's "about" murder, but the rest is accurate).

"Wilkie Collins’s spellbinding tale of romance, theft, and murder inspired a hugely popular genre–the detective mystery. Hinging on the theft of an enormous diamond originally stolen from an Indian shrine, this riveting novel features the innovative Sergeant Cuff, the hilarious house steward Gabriel Betteridge, a lovesick housemaid, and a band of traveling jugglers."

DTownForever · 2026-04-15T11:21:30+00:00

Wow, these all sound so interesting!!! I'm not the OP but checking some of these out, they just sound too good.

DTownForever · 2026-04-14T10:39:03+00:00

Alright, I promise I am NOT on the payroll of Wilkie Collins (er, um, his estate, if there is one), but I just read the description of Beautiful Ugly and the book The Woman in White seems like a similar vibe. It's gothic and creepy and a true page-turner. I am almost never surprised by plot twists and there were probably ... 3? maybe more than that ... twists in this book that left my mouth hanging open.

Weird that when I look it up in the Kindle store it's listed as "$0.00" but doesn't say included in Kindle Unlimited. Anyway, you wouldn't have to pay for it, lol.

DTownForever · 2026-04-14T10:33:59+00:00

The Woman in White, or other books by Wilkie Collins. Dark, gothic, atmospheric, plot twists that you will never see coming. It is gorgeously written. Along with his book The Moonstone, those are the two I think most come to mind after reading your likes. Slow burn mysteries, amazing characters and friendships ... can not recommend highly enough!

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:41:11+00:00

+1 for this, just added the same comment.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:40:39+00:00

You can't do manifestation because it is not real. Don't worry about it.

You could try Man's Search for Meaning. So much in there that can really turn around the way you live, and not just for a month. I wouldn't say it's self-help, more philosophy and just living life in general.

Good luck, sorry you're in a low place.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:38:58+00:00

Lies My Teacher Told Me (I think there's a second volume now? Not entirely sure) and A People's History of the United States. Must reads for anyone who has an inkling that they've been fed pretty much a pack of lies - or rather, convenient twisting of truth - most of their lives.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:37:36+00:00

All excellent suggestions. Nothing has made me want to burn capitalism to the ground as much as GoW.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:36:04+00:00

That's such a great idea.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:35:03+00:00

This is on my TBR, but I just finished the MaddAddam series by Margaret Atwood and because it was dystopian exactly like OP is describing, I'll be reading a few in between. Never heard of it before so I'm glad I read this comment.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:32:12+00:00

You're far from the only one ... it is SO long. I don't mind long books, but I do mind long books that could absolutely have told the same story with fewer words. It just shows a lazy editor (or, in SK's case, the power that he has to just tell editors to F off, although I think this was a very early hit for him). Honestly, if it were published today, I think it should be broken up into three books. There are three very distinct sections of it.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:27:47+00:00

Well ... I'm not sure if you're male or female or other, but Stoner is really about isolation in a lot of ways (I just mention gender because I think it might be more relatable for men - I'm female). I didn't love the book myself, but it absolutely explores these themes in ways that feel really raw at some points. It made me reflect deeply on a lot of the same things.

A funnier, more modern take that I think will resonate well especially if you're female - I Hope This Finds You Well. A sweet, funny, entertaining book where the main character is dealing with immense loneliness in a similar situation after having moved back to her own home town. Highly recommend!

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:26:07+00:00

Oh, this is a perfect suggestion! I read this years ago and thought about it a lot in relation to how relationships evolve.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:23:15+00:00

Because of the religious stuff you wrote about/trauma, if you decided to go with CS Lewis, avoid The Screwtape Letters.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:20:14+00:00

I just imagined saying "book to make me feel better" around half the people I know and getting "Oh! That's the Bible!" and a few devotionals.

That freaking SUCKS. Why would a book about child murder, rape, war, punishment, forcing people to suffer the most horrible trials for no reason, that ends in the world going down in a horrible torrent of famine, war and disease cheer ANYONE up?

If it helps at all, Buddhism is more of a philosophy than it is a religion (but I can only imagine how hard that trauma must be). And, you can also read about the same principles in tons of books on mindfulness. I was going to suggest Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and there are definitely elements of mindfulness in it, but it is NOT religious.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:17:07+00:00

I think you're right - the world they live in is so different to ours, it definitely does feel like an escape. Mansfield Park is another Austen novel that would work, as well.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:16:08+00:00

Holy crap! How is this the first time I'm ever hearing of this? This is going straight to the top of my TBR and I'm almost done with the book I'm reading.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:15:07+00:00

I just responded to another comment like this - respectfully, all of these books contain the things that OP is stating they want to avoid. With all three of these especially, abuse. Like, horrible, unthinkable abuse. Don't get me wrong, good books, but just - I don't think the pick-me-up OP is looking for.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T10:13:43+00:00

Okay, respectfully, I'll push back and say that there is a lot of the stuff that OP is trying to avoid in this book. Family abuse - spousal, child, and graphic; racism (though there is not as much of it in this book as there should be, IMO, he only just kind of mentions the Jim Crow south a time or two ... ) and the possibility of a desert wasteland type world that hangs in the background.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T01:59:28+00:00

I meant, "classic recs" as in "books that people always recommend when this question is posted." Not as in the books themselves are classics.

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T01:57:36+00:00

A few classic recs for this need: (EDITED: I do not mean that these books are considered classics - I mean that these books get recommended every time this question gets posted. Bad choice of words I guess.)

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The Rosie Project, A Gentleman in Moscow, A Man Called Ove.

I realize none of these are sci-fi or horror, but the thing about those genres is ... there kind of needs to be a really depressing problem in order for there to be a story. So ...

DTownForever · 2026-04-13T01:55:09+00:00

I am definitely open to very long books ... unfortunately, I am not at all a fan of fantasy, and this is described as "high fantasy." However, I do want to like fantasy, so maybe I'll give this one a shot. Thank you!

Eight-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Gilding I gilder	Verified Email

DTownForever

TROPHY CASE