Recommending a Book in Every Genre | 50+ Books

[@rafayaahmed1098]

Wow you're a powerhouse of recommendations. Loved this video!

[@autism_and_niamh]

What an incredibly encylopoedic knowledge of books you have Jean!!! :o I'm so impressed!! Really enjoyed this video, thank you so much!! I've added at least 3 books to my ever-growing TBR :) (And for what it's worth, I've just finished the first book in Throne of Glass and it was *excellent*, so I do highly recommend it myself!)

[@NotYourLibrarian]

For the academic fairy tale rec, 'From The Beast To The Blonde' by Marina Warner was one of the first looks at female storytellers, a topic often ignored by male scholars. She discusses how the tellers being female changes our understanding of characters like the evil step-mother and how fairy tales actually represent very unique forms of feminine trauma during the periods they were originally circulating. I'm using it for my honours thesis talking about witches in traditional tales vs the Tiffany Aching series and it was such a fantastic read! It's one of those rare academic texts that I think is not only accessible but enjoyable to read even if you're not in the folklore/children's lit fields.

[@misguidedghostsx3]

Loved this idea, you did so well to recommend all of these 😅 would definitely watch another ☺️ maybe you could a vlog of you reading and reacting to gothic novels, I’d love to know your thoughts!

[@audreyreads333]

This was such a fun video! Thanks for all the recommendations! For books with an asexual main character, I would recommend Tarnished are the Stars, Every Heart a Doorway, The Sidekick Squad series, the Iamos trilogy, Our Bloody Pearl, Belle Revolte, Hullmetal Girls, the Diviners series, and Seam Foam and Silence. On my TBR I also have The Sound of Stars, Let’s Talk about Love, and Tash Hearts Tolstoy. If anyone has any other recommendations, let me know 🙂

[@gabrielabianchi1809]

Hi, new follower here from Puerto Rico. I hope your day is going well. God bless, take care + happy reading :)

[@breezedampsy7694]

For the person wanting academic folklore and fairytales I cannot recommend enough From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers by Marina Warner. Its a very in depth look at fairy tales and their place in history, and how our perceptions of women, myth, and life affect how the stories were formed, and what lenses we look at them from. Maria Tatar's Secrets Beyond the Door, (about the Bluebeard Fairytale and its past and contemporary versions) as well as her book Hard Facts of the Brothers' Grimm Fairytales (an overview and deconstruction on their work)are also both great.

[@missburn]

Thanks for suggesting the fairytale one, it sounds interesting!

[@JeansThoughts]

Amazing thank you!

[@RovingReader]

What a great idea for a video! There are some I’ve read and agree with your recommendations, but you also have so many books I’ve never heard of! Thank you 😊

[@Rank.Roundup]

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice is a great historical fiction featuring witches. (It does have some fantastical elements.)

[@booksnotlovers]

Love this concept! For dark academia I would recommend If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. It. Is. Incredible.

[@JeansThoughts]

I have seen that one around! Should definitely give it a shot ^_^

[@melissagalliford9747]

just looked that up on good reads, oh my gosh, sounds amazing!

[@australischenberline]

It’s been sitting unread on my kindle forever, I think I know what’s up next!

[@normagruden]

I just bought this one because I saw it being compared to the secret history which is my favourite book, super excited to read it!

[@ManjarithePandicorn]

This was really helpful! Even though I now have more books on my TBR list! Thanks for inspiring me to start my own channel!

[@kristinalovesmakeup4075]

your channel is really cool!

[@elenathegreat]

I've had a Great and Terrible Beauty on my shelves for years and you've gotten me excited about picking it up!

[@bookterror]

I got so many new books to check out now!

[@nonfictionlibrary290]

So many great recommendations. easy to pick one from this list!

[@stageybookish9893]

I love this idea - and what an amazing range of books!!

[@rachaels7893]

Ohhhh can't wait to revisit this vid when I have got my TBR down a bit and lift my self imposed book buying ban. Thanks in advance 😘

[@mariana.c89]

9 rules to break is one of my faves regency romances! I love the male protagonist!

[@MLLatUtube]

This was great fun! I added some books to my TBR

[@JeansThoughts]

Yay glad to hear it!

[@rachelrice9266]

The Secret History is one of my favourite books ever! Good choice! xx A curse so dark and lonely is amazing! Couldn't put it down!

[@knit0004]

Edgsr Cantero's Meddling Kids is one of the best books I have read in a while, and definitely has the inspiration from Scooby Doo, as well as Enid Blyton's Famous 5. Cantero's book The Supernatural Enhancements is also fantastic, and the first book I've read with a character who is mute, which was a pleasant and interesting addition. Both of these books are so very good!

[@JoshsBookishVoyage]

Thanks for the recs; I'll definitely check out some of these greek retellings. I've got a rec-video with ten of my fav time travel recs. A couple of my favorites are Kindred by Octavia Butler or 11.22.63 by Stephen King.

[@JeansThoughts]

I can't believe I didn't think of Kindred by Octavia Butler, oh my goodness, that's one of my favourite books aha. Damn your mind goes blank when you're on the spot.

[@TamaynIrraniah]

Hey Jean, I really like the rapid fire idea you came up with here. I actually am not a fan of romance, but I would recommend the His Dark Assasin series by Robin Lafevers. The first book is great fun, and the second book was, in my opinion, phenomenal, but the third book's ending left me wanting. Really fun books with assassins, and Breton mythology and lore. The romance part is optional, but if you know of any books that bring in Breton myth, or maybe just more general Celtic myth, I would appreciate some recommendations. I read the Tain Bo Cuilinage in uni and that was a lot of fun, but well, how can you not love Cu Chulainn!

[@clairemarge5310]

I really recommend The Mercies by Kiran Milwood Hargrave and The Familiars by Stacey Halls, which are historical featuring witches!🥰 The Mercies has LGBTQ rep in, too!😊

[@liamb6070]

Ace video idea Jean!!

[@pamelatarajcak5634]

Historical fantasy witch book: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. I think you had the preceding book in your TBR at some point...a Discovery of Witches.

[@weirdstrangegirl]

You should check out Soulless by Gail Carriger. She has a few series that are connected. Alexia is one of my favorite characters. It's steampunk, takes place during the Victorian era and has werewolves and vampires and a totally awesome main character.

[@JeansThoughts]

It’s so funny cause as soon as I was editing this I was thinking Soulless has tonnes of werewolves!

[@PunkyDory80]

This is an epic video, Jean! 🔥

[@chelseaz5376]

I really appreciated this video and the off the cuff recommendations!

[@JeansThoughts]

Thanks I actually had a lot fun filming it!

[@tinytoadstoolcottage8794]

The Wisdom of Fairy Tales by Rudolf Meyer is a good choice for academic study of fairy tales.

[@tiagomagalhaes7032]

In the light fantasy genre would recommend Robin Hobb's - The Liveship Traders trilogy. I'm currently re-reading it and have been enyoing greatly, especially since I barely remember anything from it (last I read it was 20 years ago)

[@winterswept6151]

That was impressive af! I've written a few down :)

[@iceandfireBOOKS]

Love this video! ❤️

[@JeansThoughts]

Yay ☺️

[@TheBookishMom]

I have been wanting to pick up SAwkill Girls, it seems like a super interesting book and its been on my list for a while now.

[@NaomichatswithAngus]

Really good video. I like how you did it. So frustrating when technology fails on us, I feel for you.

[@JeansThoughts]

Aha so much editing but we got there! It was fun ;)

[@acrimsondaisy5513]

for a book with an asexual protagonist, i recommend, Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. There's also Loveless by Alice Oseman which is coming out later this year

[@JeansThoughts]

Aah I didn't love Every Heart a Doorway but I did appreciate all of the representation. I'll look out for the Alice Oseman!

[@dubbingsync]

The only story with an asexual protagonist is The Company of Death... going by what the author (who apparently identifies as asexual) has said. Might be wrong as I cannot remember properly.

[@moonbook12]

@@JeansThoughts also for ace protagonist recommendations is a book called Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

[@AliceNicholson98]

I LOVE historial fiction featuring witches! You NEED to read: The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown, The Company of Liars by Karen Maitland & The Familiars by Stacey Halls!!! x

[@nicoleglasson8615]

Please read the Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics! It's a sapphic historical about an astronomer who is funded by her botanist partner in order to translate a French astro text. It's so beautiful 😭

[@JeansThoughts]

Omg I want to read this book so much!

[@hanzbanan]

For a time travel recommendation, I recently read The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz and it's really interesting, especially if you are interested in the history of rights for women and non-binary people.

[@mohankashyap3534]

Dreamer's pool &The Time travel Diaries both books are good👍. I'll read it.

[@melissagalliford9747]

Dark academia - Bunny by Mona Awad it’s brilliant 👌 for a younger high school setting - Olgiarchy by Scarlett Thomas, but trigger warning for eating disorders and suicide for that one

[@alysiaeroy]

For hades and persephone have you checked out Lore Olympus on webtoon?

[@roohvarz9942]

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman is great YA contemporary book with ace main character. I haven't read her other book, Starfish, but have heard great things about it too. PS: I was the one who asked for Gothic type fantasy...!!! :D

[@JeansThoughts]

Aha sorry I could not be more help although I was thinking maybe Libba Bray's series might give you those vibes. I'm hoping Mexican Gothic is amazing. And thanks for more ace recommendations!

[@heatherwhitehead701]

As if I need more books to read, I just added a bunch of these to my goodreads Want To Read 😂 great recommendations!

[@JeansThoughts]

Mwuhahahaha

[@normagruden]

Time travel : 11.22.63 by Stephen King! :)

[@amandap2579]

For classic werewolf horror I’d go with Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King...it’s a short story, has some lovely illustrations, and the adaptation is one of the better ones they did Second edit: I think it’s impossible for anyone to give us the Hades and Persephone retelling we all want but I’d like to see Madeline Miller try 👀

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

Would you mind if I adapted this idea for a video? I find this super useful for recommendations, especially since I'm also someone who reads pretty widely :)

[@JeansThoughts]

Not at all!

[@Shawna540]

Time travel: What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon.

[@Miss207]

Question: would you mind telling us more about watt pad. I write a lot but I am considering sharing my stories to get feedback and write better because I know I have a long way to write better. I would also like to understand how copyright works on your writings and such. 🥰

[@elenaalcock798]

Historical fiction with witches - The Familiars x

[@lovelydaywithholly]

Time travel: the Skin Map trilogy by Stephen Lawhead! 🤍🤍

[@lyadmilo]

The gothic fantasy : Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

[@paulwinchell6904]

Alright people you didn't give Jean a chance to talk about Dragon books. For shame on all of us.

[@JeansThoughts]

Right!? NO ONE asked for a dragon book 😂

[@FloraNB]

You've read Frankenstein, haven't you? That's a gothic classic.

[@JeansThoughts]

I don't know why I blanked on this aha - love Frankenstein!

[@FloraNB]

@@JeansThoughts Happens to the best of us xD