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Book Recommendations for General Fiction + Religious or Spiritual Themes

Click on the buttons below to filter by subgenre/theme, time period and setting.
All of these books have been read, reviewed, and recommended by our professional reviewers.
Learn how we choose recommended books here.
Total Books Recommended: 176

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Genre: Fiction
Literary Fiction - 92
Historical Fiction - 47
Thrillers - 18
Mystery - 9
Romance/Love Stories - 10
Short Stories - 7
Speculative, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alt. History - 19

Filter by Subgenre/Theme
Firsts
Debuts - 51
1st in Series - 9

Humor & Uplifting
Uplifting - 4
Humor & Satire - 6

Families
Generational Sagas - 27
Parenting & Families - 19

Ages & Stages
Adult Books From Child's Perspective - 3
Coming of Age - 47
Mid-Life Onwards - 14
Dealing with Loss - 42

Ethnicity
Books in Translation - 5
Immigrants & Expats - 15
Black Authors - 9
Latinx Authors - 2
Asian Authors - 10
Jewish Authors - 14
Middle-Eastern Authors - 3
Native and Indigenous Authors - 4

Gender & Sexuality
Female Friendships - 11
Strong Women - 57
LGBTQ+ - 10

Philosophy & Spiritual
Philosophical - 20
Religious or Spiritual Themes - 176

Magical or Supernatural
Magical or Supernatural - 32
Magical Realism - 6

Miscellaneous
Books with Discussion Guides - 93
Small Press Titles - 18
Books about Books - 1
Physical & Mental Differences - 12
Books About Animals - 3
War Related - 21
Nature & Environment - 8
Music and the Arts - 1
Activism & Volunteering - 1
Heroes - 4
LibraryReads Picks - 10

Number of Pages
400+ Pages - 16
250-400 Pages - 176
Less Than 250 Pages - 24

Filter by Time Period
Time Period
17th Century or Earlier - 26
18th Century - 1
19th Century - 17
20th Century (multiple decades) - 12
Early 20th Century - 6
1940s & '50s - 9
1960s & '70s - 13
1980s & '90s - 15
Contemporary - 65
The Future - 11
Across The Centuries - 6

Filter by Setting
Major Regions
USA - 77
Canada - 1
Central & S. America, Mexico, Caribbean - 5
Europe - 33
Asia - 18
Africa - 8
Alaska & Other Polar/Sub Polar Regions - 1
On The High Seas - 2
Global - 3
Imaginary Locations - 9

USA (48 States)
N.H. Vt. Maine - 2
Conn. & R.I. - 2
Mass. - 5
Penn. - 2
New York State - 12
New Jersey - 1
Washington DC - 1
Tenn. Va. W.Va. Ky. - 2
N & S Carolina - 3
Mis. Ala. Ga. - 4
Florida - 2
Texas - 2
Ark. La. Ok. - 3
Kas. Mo. - 1
Illinois - 1
Ind. Mich. Ohio - 4
Minn. Wis. Iowa - 6
Nebr.& Dakotas - 2
Colo. Wyo. Mont. - 3
Ariz. Nev. N.M. Utah - 1
California - 7
Wash. Ore. Idaho - 4

USA Regions
New England, USA - 16
Mid-Atlantic, USA - 14
South, USA - 19
Midwest, USA - 16
West, USA - 14

Europe by Region
UK (Britain) & Ireland - 22
Scandinavia - 4
Netherlands & Belgium - 1
France - 7
Spain - 1
Germany - 2
Italy - 7
Eastern Europe - 1

Asia by Region
Middle-East (West Asia) - 11
Russia (North Asia) - 1
East Asia (except China) - 3
China - 2
South Asia (except India) - 2
India - 4
South-East Asia - 1

Africa by Region
Eastern Africa - 2
Middle & Southern Africa - 4
Northern & Western Africa - 2

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  • Enlightenment
    Enlightenment: A Novel
    Sarah Perry
    Paperback: 06/10/2025
     
    A dazzling new work of literary fiction from the author of The Essex Serpent, a story of love and astronomy ...
  • Martyr!
    Martyr!: A Novel
    Kaveh Akbar
    Paperback: 12/31/2024
     
    A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks ...
  • The Blood Years
    Elana K. Arnold
    Paperback: 10/22/2024
     
    From Michael L. Printz honoree & National Book Award finalist Elana K. Arnold comes the harrowing story of a ...
  • Let Us Descend
    Jesmyn Ward
    Paperback: 09/03/2024
     
    From Jesmyn Ward—the two-time National Book Award winner, youngest winner of the Library of Congress ...
  • Nicked
    Nicked: A Novel
    M.T. Anderson
    Hardcover: 07/23/2024
     
    From the award-winning and bestselling author of Feed comes a raucous and slyly funny adult fiction debut, ...
  • The Bright Sword
    The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur
    Lev Grossman
    Hardcover: 07/16/2024
     
    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy returns with a triumphant reimagining of the...
  • The Making of Yolanda la Bruja
    Lorraine Avila
    Paperback: 07/09/2024
     
    Elizabeth Acevedo has said that reading Lorraine Avila feels like an "uppercut to the senses." You've never ...

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