I miss reading books that capture the imagination and draw you into the story from beginning to end. Due to the nature of my current occupation overwhelming my mental capacity, it is easier to lose focus on the books I’m reading. Over the last two years, I’ve probably only read about half of what I used to go through annually on top of my writing. However, this is not only due to my work.

Several of the bigger authors I read seemed to have written their longer-running series into a corner. The main characters encountered challenges that could only be faced by taking on a curse or something similar, so the most recent books in the series revolved around some obscure deus ex machina necessary to escape the impossible circumstances in which they found themselves. While the stories might have been good enough and well-written, beloved side characters were left out, and the climax felt…rote.

One of my “comfort reads” authors is taking a couple of years off, and another main author is not revisiting the genres I read for another year or two. The result of all these shifts has left me with a lack of reading material to hold my interest. This is not to say I lack reading material at all, but the quantity of what I’m looking for is not as easy for me to find.

Help!

What I need now, are some recommendations! Here are some of my favorite genres:

YA or cozy romance (no – low spice)Urban fantasy (any spice, but story-focused)High fantasy (love creative worlds and magic systems)Murder mystery/crime (interesting main characters)Sci-fi (with a splash of the fantastical)

Throw me your recommendations, especially if they are newer or lesser-known authors!