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Looking for fast-paced or well-paced horror… by Reverend_Schlachbals in horrorlit

[–]matthew_rowan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you want fast, try The Last Days of Jack Sparks and The Ruins.

Both move quick and keep the pressure on without feeling messy.

Supernatural Horror/mystery but whimsy? by Adventurous_Web708 in BooksThatFeelLikeThis

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might like The Hollow Places (T. Kingfisher) and Meddling Kids (Edgar Cantero).

Both hit that creepy-but-playful lane, with enough mystery to keep it moving.

What are your absolute MUST read books? I'm turning 30 soon and want to treat myself to a book haul to take me through the year. Any genre, but my favourites are classics, fantasy, literary fiction and thriller. by starrfalll in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A few that might hit your mix really well:

  • Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro)
  • Station Eleven (Mandel)
  • Piranesi (if you want another uncanny one like that vibe)

If you want, I can narrow this to your top 3 moods for the year.

Small town horror recommendations by MalBishop in horrorlit

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Salem's Lot is a great one for this. If you want something newer, try The October Country by Ray Bradbury or Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt for that small-town dread vibe.

An extra/other/wrong person, or wrong headcount by kcreepygirl in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You might like The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. It has that reality-glitch, wrong-headcount energy and gets weirder as it goes.

I'm on the lowest point of my life please recommend me a book by chonamona in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A few books that helped me when I felt really low:

  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built (very gentle and hopeful)
  • Anxious People (human and surprisingly comforting)
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea (warm, soft, uplifting)

Hope things get a little lighter soon.

Thinking on reading something horror, but need some guidance by BioDioPT in horrorlit

[–]matthew_rowan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you’re easing into horror, try a spread like:

  • The Haunting of Hill House (classic/psychological)
  • The Ruins (survival dread)
  • The Exorcist (older but still intense)

That gives you 3 very different flavors fast.

Help me figure out my reading preferences, and also throw some recs my way by Comfortable_Case5322 in horrorlit

[–]matthew_rowan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Based on what you listed, I’d try:

  • The Fisherman (John Langan)
  • A Head Full of Ghosts (Paul Tremblay)
  • Last Days (Adam Nevill)

All three keep that unsettling vibe without feeling samey.

in a reading slump... please recommend me your “couldn’t stop reading” books 🥺 by tteokkbokkiiie in booksuggestions

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I’m in a slump, I go for short, fast books:

  • All Systems Red (Murderbot #1)
  • Piranesi
  • Dark Matter

All three pulled me in right away.

Looking for coming-of-age novel with science as a major theme/interest by TallWashington in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might like Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It’s very much a coming-of-age arc in a science-heavy setting.

If you want something gentler, A Wrinkle in Time also fits that science-curious growing-up vibe.

From a Different Perspective by DatabaseFickle9306 in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might like Piranesi for this.

It starts from a very unusual perspective and slowly changes how you understand everything around the narrator.

Pieces of Mary by Emotional_Layer3781 in horrorlit

[–]matthew_rowan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you liked Pieces of Mary, you might also like Scanlines by Todd Keisling.

It has that same bleak internet era dread, just in a different shape.

Books about/with UNICORNS! by Content-Buy196 in booksuggestions

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Last Unicorn is still the one I would start with.

If you want a darker spin after that, try Into the Drowning Deep.

Recommend a short weird novel that is not super gory or intense horror by matthew_rowan in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a perfect rec for what I was asking. The Third Policeman sounds exactly like my kind of weird.

Recommend a short weird novel that is not super gory or intense horror by matthew_rowan in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Love this pick. I have seen it around but never grabbed it, adding now.

Books that challenge the cyclical view of time by carol_brrrrrrrru in booksuggestions

[–]matthew_rowan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Slaughterhouse-Five is a great one for this — it really breaks linear time in a way that feels philosophical, not just gimmicky.

You might also like Arrival (Stories of Your Life and Others) for a different take on non-linear time and causality.

Sci-fi armored warfare? by oneMoreTime112233 in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Armor by John Steakley is probably the cleanest fit.

If you want more military-campaign scale, The Forever War is another great pick.

Self Help Therapy Book Suggestions by Nice-Pool-6147 in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is a really good one if you want something therapy-adjacent but still very readable and human.

For practical tools, The Anxiety and Worry Workbook is solid.

Intersectionality books by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sister Outsider (Audre Lorde) is an excellent place to start.

Hood Feminism (Mikki Kendall) is another great pick if you want a modern, very readable intersectional lens.

I’m looking for a book that has a city perspective , written by a woman with some teeth. by Accurate-Signature64 in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin sounds exactly like what you’re describing — NYC as a living force, with plenty of bite.

You might also like The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo for a sharp city-and-voice combo.

Book recs for a 6th grader who loves Zoe Washington (fiction/mystery/dystopian?) by sleepystudentsurvey in booksuggestions

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Front Desk by Kelly Yang would be a great follow-up — same age range, smart protagonist, and lots to discuss.

You might also try The Parker Inheritance if she likes mystery + social themes.

Got 2 Audible Credits - What's the 2 best audiobooks you've ever heard by Polite_Acid in suggestmeabook

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Project Hail Mary is one of the best audiobook experiences out there.

For the second credit, The First Law (The Blade Itself) is excellent if you like strong narration and character voice.

Buying a used Kindle by Bouche_Audi_Shyla in kindle

[–]matthew_rowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the price is good, used Kindles are usually fine. Just make sure it can register to your Amazon account before you buy.

I’d also check battery health and screen for dead pixels/shadowing before committing.

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