Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
I Read 80 Books This Year and These Unknown Ones Destroyed Every Bestseller
59
items Spent the whole year buried in books while everyone around me read the same five titles from BookTok — and honestly, the ones nobody was talking about hit harder every single time. This list is for the reader who's tired of picking up hyped novels on...
Sections
12
Literary Fiction That Wrecked Me Emotionally
Thrillers That Actually Surprised Me
Sci-Fi Nobody Recommended to Me
Historical Fiction That Didn't Feel Like a Textbook
Short Story Collections That Changed My Mind About Short Stories
Memoirs That Read Like Novels
Literary Fiction That Wrecked Me Emotionally
Every time I grabbed a hyped literary novel it felt like homework. These five made me cry on public transit and I'm not even embarrassed about it.
Grab this if you think a novella can't punch you in the chest — read it in one sitting on a Tuesday night and couldn't speak for an hour afterward. For anyone who loves spare, perfect prose.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Plot Summary
Three timelines, three women, one creepy Scottish rock — sounds messy but it braids together so tightly. Try this if you gave up on multi-POV books because they usually fall apart by act three.
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld (ebook)
Started reading this skeptically because the premise sounded too weird, then suddenly I was sobbing about a man counting tides in a marble hall. Perfect for the reader who wants something genuinely unlike anything else on their shelf.
Piranesi eBook by Susanna Clarke - EPUB
Toss aside whatever cozy mystery you're reading and pick this up instead — a weird old woman solving animal-related crimes in rural Poland shouldn't work this well but it absolutely does.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
Thrillers That Actually Surprised Me
I burned through maybe 20 thrillers this year and guessed the twist in most of them by chapter four. These five genuinely got me.
Imagine Groundhog Day meets Agatha Christie but way more unhinged — tried to solve it alongside the narrator and was wrong every single time. For anyone who's bored of predictable whodunits.
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Two dads, one revenge mission, zero patience for slow burns. Grabbed this on a whim and finished it in six hours flat. Perfect if you want a thriller that also makes you feel things about fatherhood and forgiveness.
Razorblade Tears eBook by S. A. Cosby - EPUB
Switch to this after your last thriller disappointed you — the narrator is so specific and endearing that even when the plot wobbles you don't care. For readers who like their mysteries wrapped in warmth.
The Maid eBook by Nita Prose - EPUB
Bachelorette party in a glass house in the middle of nowhere — yeah, you know it's going sideways. Devoured this on a plane and the person next to me asked what I was reading because I literally gasped out loud.
In a Dark, Dark Wood eBook by Ruth Ware - EPUB
Snag this before your next vacation because reading about a creepy converted sanatorium hotel made my actual hotel stay feel thrilling by comparison. For the reader who wants atmosphere thick enough to chew.
The Sanatorium eBook by Sarah Pearse - EPUB
Sci-Fi Nobody Recommended to Me
All anyone ever suggests is Dune or Project Hail Mary. These were sitting quietly on the shelf doing something way more interesting.
Use this as a palate cleanser after any grimdark sci-fi — it's basically a found-family road trip through space and it made me feel warm in a genre that usually leaves me cold.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - eBooks
Multiverse travel but only if your other selves are dead — that premise alone should sell it. For anyone who wants sci-fi that's actually about class and identity instead of just spaceships.
The Space Between Worlds eBook by Micaiah Johnson
A socially anxious security robot who just wants to watch soap operas? Grabbed this thinking it was a joke and ended up buying the entire series within a week. For introverts who've ever wanted to hide from a meeting.
All Systems Red eBook by Martha Wells - EPUB
Try this if you want a novella that smashes fantasy and sci-fi together so cleverly you keep flipping perspectives on what's actually happening. Finished it in two hours and immediately reread it.
Elder Race eBook by Adrian Tchaikovsky - EPUB
Political intrigue in space with a dead person's memories implanted in your brain — sounds dense but it reads like a thriller. Pair this with a free weekend because you won't want to stop.
A Memory Called Empire eBook by Arkady Martine - EPUB
Historical Fiction That Didn't Feel Like a Textbook
Most historical novels make me feel like I'm studying for an exam I didn't sign up for. These read like gossip from another century.
Belle da Costa Greene ran J.P. Morgan's library while hiding that she was Black — this true story is wilder than any fiction I read all year. For anyone who thinks history is boring, start here.
The Personal Librarian: A GMA Book Club Pick
Shakespeare's dead son gets the spotlight and Shakespeare himself barely appears — that choice alone tells you this book is doing something different. Bring tissues because the last fifty pages are relentless.
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (9781472223807)
A tiny dollhouse starts predicting the future in 1686 Amsterdam and it's creepy in the most elegant way possible. Swap this in for your next book club pick and watch everyone actually show up to discuss it.
The Miniaturist eBook by Jessie Burton - EPUB
Marie de France gets banished to an abbey and turns it into a medieval empire — this shouldn't have worked as well as it did. For the reader who wants fierce women in historical settings without the romance novel packaging.
Matrix eBook by Lauren Groff - EPUB
Picked this up at random and got swept into Mughal India and Renaissance Florence simultaneously. Ditch any assumptions about Rushdie being difficult — this one is lush and surprisingly fun.
The Enchantress of Florence ebook by Salman Rushdie
Short Story Collections That Changed My Mind About Short Stories
Always thought short stories felt incomplete, like someone ripped out the last chapter. These collections proved me completely wrong.
Every single story lands like a quiet earthquake — read the title story on a lunch break and sat there staring at my sandwich for ten minutes processing it. For anyone who thinks short fiction can't hit as hard as a novel.
Interpreter Of Maladies eBook by Jhumpa Lahiri - EPUB
Wear something comfortable because this collection will make you physically uneasy in the best way. The first story alone — about a wife with a ribbon around her neck — rewired my brain permanently.
Her Body and Other Parties eBook by Carmen Maria ...
The man who wrote the story that became Arrival has an entire collection this good. Grab this if you want every story to leave you staring at the ceiling questioning reality for twenty minutes.
Exhalation eBook by Ted Chiang - EPUB
Stripped-down prose that somehow contains entire universes — each story is like five pages and hits harder than most 400-page novels. For the reader who claims they don't have time to read.
Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk ...
Black Friday shoppers literally killing each other, a theme park where you experience racism — these premises sound wild but the execution is devastating. Try this if you want stories that feel dangerously current.
Friday Black eBook by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - EPUB
Memoirs That Read Like Novels
Picked up a bunch of memoirs expecting dry life recaps and instead got stories so vivid I forgot they actually happened to real people.
Started this thinking it was about food and ended up sobbing about my own mother — the grief in these pages is so specific it becomes universal. For anyone processing a complicated relationship with a parent.
Crying in H Mart eBook by Michelle Zauner - EPUB
Put down whatever you're reading and pick this up — Chanel Miller writes about surviving assault with a fury and clarity that made me highlight entire pages. Stock up on emotional bandwidth before you start.
Know My Name eBook by Chanel Miller - EPUB
This memoir does things with language that most fiction writers can't pull off. Every sentence earns its place. For the reader who wants honesty so raw it almost hurts to hold.
Heavy eBook by Kiese Laymon - EPUB
A neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal cancer writes about what makes life meaningful — I know that sounds like it would be unbearable but it's actually strangely uplifting. Bring it on a long flight and let yourself feel things.
When Breath Becomes Air eBook by Paul Kalanithi - EPUB
Keep reminding yourself this actually happened because it reads like dystopian fiction. Grew up survivalist, never went to school, ended up at Cambridge — her story will make your jaw physically drop.
Educated eBook by Tara Westover - EPUB
Fantasy That Isn't Just Recycled Tolkien
Love fantasy but got tired of the same medieval European kingdoms with the same prophecy-chosen orphan boy. These went somewhere completely different.
Military academy plus Chinese history plus gods waking up — this escalates from school drama to war crimes so fast you'll get whiplash. For anyone who wants fantasy with real historical weight behind it.
The Poppy War eBook by R. F. Kuang - EPUB
Pre-Columbian Americas-inspired fantasy with a blind warrior monk and a sea captain — try telling me that's not immediately more interesting than another elf kingdom. Devoured this in two days.
Black Sun eBook by Rebecca Roanhorse - EPUB
A half-goblin nobody becomes emperor and just tries to be kind — sounds simple but it's the most quietly radical fantasy I read all year. For the reader who's exhausted by grimdark everything.
The Goblin Emperor eBook by Katherine Addison - EPUB
Imagine a fantasy crime family saga where the magic comes from jade and the vibes are 1970s Hong Kong — grabbed this expecting a light read and got a full-blown epic that ruined my sleep schedule.
Jade City eBook by Fonda Lee - EPUB
Ditch whatever slow-build fantasy you're slogging through because this one opens at full speed and never lets up. African-inspired world, revenge plot, sword fighting that actually feels visceral on the page.
The Rage of Dragons eBook by Evan Winter - EPUB
Poetry Collections That Made Me Actually Like Poetry
Hated poetry in school, thought it was all pretentious obscurity. Turns out the right poets write like they're talking directly to you at 1 AM.
Keep this on your nightstand for the nights your brain won't shut up — each poem is short enough to read between anxious thoughts and somehow they actually help. For the overthinker who needs words that feel like a hug.
Pillow Thoughts eBook by Courtney Peppernell - EPUB
Say what you want about Instagram poetry but this collection about growth after heartbreak hit me at exactly the right moment. Pair it with a rainy Sunday and let yourself sit with it.
The Sun and Her Flowers eBook by Rupi Kaur - EPUB
Every poem in here reads like someone grabbed you by the collar and yelled about desire directly into your face. Try this if you want poetry that's urgent and desperate and alive.
Crush Audiobook by Richard Siken - Listen Free
A refugee's son writing about war and tenderness and bodies — each line is so precise it feels handmade. For the reader who wants poetry that earns every single word.
Night Sky with Exit Wounds eBook by Ocean Vuong - EPUB
Beyoncé sampled her for a reason — these poems about displacement, womanhood, and home are short enough to read in fifteen minutes but they'll rearrange something inside you permanently.
Warsan Shire - Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth | PDF
Translated Novels Americans Are Sleeping On
We read like 3% of translated fiction in the US and it's honestly embarrassing. These books from other languages were better than most English-language releases this year.
A 36-year-old woman perfectly happy working at a convenience store and society losing its mind about it — this tiny Japanese novel made me question every assumption about what a successful life looks like.
Convenience Store Woman eBook by Sayaka Murata - EPUB
Two girls growing up in 1950s Naples and their friendship that's equal parts love and competition — started this skeptically and ended up reading all four books in three weeks. Wish I'd found it sooner.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein
Moved to the countryside, saw a strange animal, fell into a hole — this Japanese novella is barely 100 pages and somehow the most unsettling thing I read all year. For anyone who likes weird fiction that stays with you.
The Hole eBook by Hiroko Oyamada - EPUB
Fair warning: this Mexican novel is brutal and relentless and written in these long breathless sentences that pull you under. Grab it only if you can handle darkness — but the prose is unlike anything else on this list.
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor
Two couples at a fancy restaurant discussing their sons who did something terrible — this Dutch novel peels back layers of politeness until you're staring at something genuinely horrifying. Switch to this after any feel-good read for maximum whiplash...
The Dinner eBook by Herman Koch - EPUB
Nonfiction That Didn't Put Me to Sleep
Most nonfiction reads like someone's dissertation with a marketing budget. These actually made me excited to learn things on purpose.
Northern Ireland's Troubles told through disappearances, secret armies, and one mother who vanished — reads like a thriller but everything actually happened. For anyone who thinks nonfiction can't be a page-turner.
Say Nothing eBook by Patrick Radden Keefe - EPUB
Her cells are in labs everywhere and her family never knew — this story about race, science, and exploitation made me angry and fascinated in equal measure. Grab it before someone spoils the twists for you.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks eBook by Rebecca ...
A book about fungi that made me rethink my entire understanding of intelligence and connection — never thought I'd text a friend at midnight saying ‘you have to read this mushroom book’ but here we are.
Entangled Life eBook by Merlin Sheldrake - EPUB
Throw out every productivity book you own because this one basically says you'll never get everything done and that's actually fine. For the person with 47 tabs open and a to-do list that induces panic.
Four Thousand Weeks eBook by Oliver Burkeman - EPUB
The Sackler family and how they fueled the opioid crisis while putting their name on museum wings — this made me so furious I had to take breaks between chapters. Worth every uncomfortable minute.
Empire of Pain eBook by Patrick Radden Keefe - EPUB
Debut Novels That Came Out of Nowhere
No prior hype, no famous author name, just first-time writers who showed up and outperformed people with ten books under their belt.
A woman tries to sleep through an entire year in pre-9/11 New York — sounds boring on paper but it's darkly funny and weirdly addictive. For anyone who's ever fantasized about just checking out of life for a while.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation eBook by Ottessa Moshfegh
Three people navigating parenthood, identity, and an unexpected pregnancy — this debut handles messy complicated humans without ever simplifying them. Try this if you want a novel that trusts you to keep up.
Detransition, Baby eBook by Torrey Peters - EPUB
A Black queer biochemistry student at a Midwestern university navigating racism and desire over one weekend — this debut is so precise and controlled it made me jealous I didn't write it.
Real Life eBook by Brandon Taylor - EPUB
An Irish woman in Hong Kong bouncing between two relationships and overthinking everything — if you've ever been emotionally avoidant and self-aware about it simultaneously, this book is your mirror.
Exciting Times eBook by Naoise Dolan - EPUB
Swap this in for your next light read but be warned it's sneakier than it looks — starts with a babysitter getting racially profiled and unravels into a sharp examination of white guilt and performative allyship.
Such a Fun Age eBook by Kiley Reid - EPUB
Books Under 200 Pages That Hit Harder Than 600-Page Epics
Stopped believing a book needs to be thick to be important. These slim ones delivered more impact per page than anything else I picked up all year.
A letter from a son to his illiterate mother — every sentence in this short novel is so beautiful it slows you down physically. For the reader who wants to savor language like you'd savor an expensive meal.
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous eBook by Ocean Vuong
Two sisters, a poisoned family, a house full of secrets — Jackson wrote this in 1962 and it's still creepier than 90% of horror published today. Bring this energy into your October reading list.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle eBook by Shirley ...
A man kills someone and doesn't really care — read this in a single afternoon and spent the rest of the week questioning whether I actually feel things or just perform feelings. Under 130 pages and permanently destabilizing.
The Stranger (Vintage International)/Camus, Albert
Grief, cooking, and finding comfort in unexpected places — this Japanese novella is so gentle and warm it feels like someone draping a blanket over your shoulders. Perfect for when the heavy stuff on this list gets to be too much.
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
An artificial friend observing humanity from a store window — Ishiguro packs more emotional devastation into 300 quiet pages than most authors manage in a trilogy. Wish I could read it again for the first time.
Klara and the Sun eBook by Kazuo Ishiguro - EPUB