r/books
The main books subreddit is a logical place to start. More niche topic discussions tend to get a little bit lost in the shuffle, but there is a weekly recommendations thread where users can make specific requests and browse the suggestions that others have made. I also love checking out the postings about what people have started and finished reading that week. Often, these comments are accompanied by mini reviews that can help you flesh out (or trim down) your TBR.
r/52book
This is a smaller subreddit targeted toward people who are participating in the annual 52 Book Challenge. Users update with the progress they make each month on their yearly reading goal (it’s open to readers whose goals are smaller or larger than 52 books in a year, as well). While less discussion-heavy than r/books, lesser-known titles appear fairly often.
r/TrueLit
On the flip side, r/TrueLit is a discussion-based subreddit with a focus on classics and literary fiction. Like r/Books, there’s also a weekly recommendations thread that allows users to make requests. If you’re feeling burnt out on fantasy and YA, or simply want to branch out of your comfort zone, this could be a great subreddit to check out.
r/SuggestMeABook
r/suggestmeabook is the subreddit to hit up for strictly recommendations and zero fluff. It’s a pretty active subreddit, so lively conversations abound. Some recent popular posts include one on quarantine reading lists, recommendations based on quotes, and books that shouldn’t be made into movies. Suggest Me a Book is one of my personal favorite places to check out on Reddit.
r/BookSuggestions
This is another subreddit entirely devoted to book recommendations. Users make individual posts requesting highly specific suggestions. You’ll find people asking for recs based on other books they loved or general interests. It’s not quite as lively as r/suggestmeabook, but might be a good option if you’re not finding what you’re looking for there.
r/BookClub
While not recommendations in the strictest sense, this Reddit-based book club might encourage you to try something different. If you’re following along with the group’s current read, you can participate in real time discussions. Or just back-read the threads to catch up later. There’s always a helpful schedule provided to breakdown that month’s book into manageable chunks, too.
r/Audiobooks
Join this subreddit for all things audio. You’ll find discussions of the best audiobook narrators, as well as people weighing in on recent audio reads and new releases.
r/YAlit
A subreddit geared toward young adult readers, but welcoming to all age groups. There’s plenty of chatter about popular authors like Cassandra Clare, Tahereh Mafi, and Neal Shusterman, as well as under-rated titles.
Genre-Specific Subreddits
Don’t want to mess around with recommendations outside of your chosen genre? Dipping into romance or fantasy for the first time? There’s an individual subreddit for just about every genre. Some of the most popular ones are r/Fantasy, r/ComicBooks , and r/RomanceBooks. r/Literature doesn’t have a specific genre attached, but tends to feature more classics and general “literary fiction” recommendations, as well as poetry, short stories, and more. Spending hours on Reddit is one way to get book ideas. Another option? Sign up for Book Riot’s TBR subscription service for a new personalized recommendation from a real-life book expert (or bibliologist) each month.
