(Audio)book request

[prixmium]

I want book recs if anyone has them. I'm about to start the last John Dies at the End audiobook, and I am finding I think maybe listening to audiobooks as much or more than disconnected reddit stories or true crime docs/YouTube videos might be good for my mental health.

As mentioned, I most recently have been on a Jason Pargin kick. I don't know why. I just respect him and think he's a cool guy. Honestly his prose isn't that beautiful but it's easy as hell to follow.

In the past, I was also really into Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I'm usually genuinely interested in whatever I'm reading or teaching as an English teacher.

I'm not looking for high brow or hard to track stuff right now.

I would be most interested in:

funny novels with a dark or ironic twist

horror that isn't primarily about gore

sci-fi that is funny or clever

I've not been super into reading or listening to fantasy as I've tried it and my long term project there is Wheel of Time but I went off it a bit when the TV show got cancelled after season 3. Just dread or whatever. But I would be interested in like a baby's first romantasy

I prefer character driven / shipping possible novels but only feel mildly so about the JDATE novels so I'm flexible. I'm also looking for stuff that'll make me wanna write

Thank you if you have suggestions 🙏

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

I have a feeling our tastes don't overlap much but I can recommend the Astreiant novels by Melissa Scott. They are fun m/m fantasy novels, very plotty but with romance too. The world is also a matriarchy, which is interesting.

All her books are good.

As far as SF, the Murderbot books are really good and snarky but may be more dark than you are looking for.

Hands down the best SF I have read in the last 20 years has been the Ancillary Justice books by Leckie but you may already know about them. They have humorous moments but they are not funny.

John Scalzi's SF is lighter in tone and very plotty, if you haven't discovered him yet. The Old Man's War series is his most famous.

Also as far as classic SF authors, CJ Cherryh is a favorite, particularly the Chanur novels.

Wishing you much fun reading!

Lately I've been more into police procedurals as they turn off my worrying mind, but in the past I have read a lot of SFF and am always sprinkling that in.

[popkin16]

I go through this cycles were I read intensely for a week or two and then sort of "burn out" or fall into a slump. It's then that I usually turn to audiobooks. I don't think we have the same tastes - though I do love sci-fi, I can't think of anything particularly humorous that I've listened to lately. For a more serious listen, Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary's audiobook is universally beloved.