If you’re open to very long books, I recommend [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard! It’s a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships.
DubsAnd49ers on
Anything by John Grisham.
there_was_no_god on
Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Daemon by Daniel Suarez
a little bit of something for everybody…
GuruNihilo on
John Scalzi’s **Starter Villain** is the most entertaining book I’ve read recently. It’s a spoof of the early James Bond movies. A substitute teacher inherits his estranged uncle’s villainy which comes complete with a secret volcanic lair.
Max Tegmark’s speculative non-fiction **Life 3.0** presents the spectrum of futures mankind is facing due to the ascent of artificial intelligence. He’s a physics professor and leans heavily into the ‘how’ it could occur.
Thelastdragonlord on
Babel. There is a very subtle element of some of characters having feelings for each other, but its not a big part of the narrative in the slightest
Taylurh8D on
Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch
Anything by Blake Crouch, really. He does have some relationship in the book I’ve read so far, but they are not the focus by any means.
Also the Silo series by Hugh Howey. Obsessed with that. I guess this is a series now on television. But I don’t know if I’m going to watch it, I don’t want the books spoiled in the least because they are so awesome
amountainofyawns on
The Trees by Percival Everett
usingbrain on
Andy Weir‘d Martian or Project Hail Mary. Highly entertaining, limited set of characters, no romance, only space.
superbetsy on
Cloud Cuckoo Land comes to mind for something deeply encompassing without romance. It spans literally centuries and yet all ties together. No idea how the author, Anthony Doerr managed it. There might be the mention of a relationship here and there, but at no point is romance the focus. He also wrote All the Light We Cannot See, which you may enjoy, but I’m personally more partial to Cloud Cuckoo Land.
RagaKat on
I’d recommend most thrillers. They don’t usually have too much romance and are very immersive, if you like that kind of thing.
Idk if you’d appreciate a book that has a main character that is recently single or if that’s too close to home right now. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager was wild (to me) and features a main character who moves into this spooky apartment to housesit after she has to move out of her apartment after finding her partner cheating on her. The relationship isn’t a big focus at all. There’s a little sex, but no romance. Focuses on the mystery and triller aspects.
Former-Chocolate-793 on
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells feature an acerbic, neurotic robot.
ArchipelagoGirl on
Oh man, I’m so sorry – that’s rough.
A Man Called Ove has no romance and is sweet and uplifting. It can be a bit saccharine for some but I didn’t mind it, I found it endearing.
If you want something very distracting and easy to read then some form of murder mystery style novel might suit. Murder on the Orient Express is a good Agatha Christie with no romance involved, as is And Then There Were None (there are references to a past romance in that one, but it’s not a major plot thread).
You might like Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders. Highly readable, fun, no romance.
latenightwanderings on
It’s a serious, and is definitely intended for younger audiences, but I love “The UnWanteds” series by Lisa McMann. It’s described on the front of the first book as “Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games” so it’s dystopian and fantasy.
I hope you start feeling better soon; I know how hard a break up can be
13 Comments
If you’re open to very long books, I recommend [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard! It’s a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships.
Anything by John Grisham.
Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Daemon by Daniel Suarez
a little bit of something for everybody…
John Scalzi’s **Starter Villain** is the most entertaining book I’ve read recently. It’s a spoof of the early James Bond movies. A substitute teacher inherits his estranged uncle’s villainy which comes complete with a secret volcanic lair.
Max Tegmark’s speculative non-fiction **Life 3.0** presents the spectrum of futures mankind is facing due to the ascent of artificial intelligence. He’s a physics professor and leans heavily into the ‘how’ it could occur.
Babel. There is a very subtle element of some of characters having feelings for each other, but its not a big part of the narrative in the slightest
Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch
Anything by Blake Crouch, really. He does have some relationship in the book I’ve read so far, but they are not the focus by any means.
Also the Silo series by Hugh Howey. Obsessed with that. I guess this is a series now on television. But I don’t know if I’m going to watch it, I don’t want the books spoiled in the least because they are so awesome
The Trees by Percival Everett
Andy Weir‘d Martian or Project Hail Mary. Highly entertaining, limited set of characters, no romance, only space.
Cloud Cuckoo Land comes to mind for something deeply encompassing without romance. It spans literally centuries and yet all ties together. No idea how the author, Anthony Doerr managed it. There might be the mention of a relationship here and there, but at no point is romance the focus. He also wrote All the Light We Cannot See, which you may enjoy, but I’m personally more partial to Cloud Cuckoo Land.
I’d recommend most thrillers. They don’t usually have too much romance and are very immersive, if you like that kind of thing.
Idk if you’d appreciate a book that has a main character that is recently single or if that’s too close to home right now. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager was wild (to me) and features a main character who moves into this spooky apartment to housesit after she has to move out of her apartment after finding her partner cheating on her. The relationship isn’t a big focus at all. There’s a little sex, but no romance. Focuses on the mystery and triller aspects.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells feature an acerbic, neurotic robot.
Oh man, I’m so sorry – that’s rough.
A Man Called Ove has no romance and is sweet and uplifting. It can be a bit saccharine for some but I didn’t mind it, I found it endearing.
If you want something very distracting and easy to read then some form of murder mystery style novel might suit. Murder on the Orient Express is a good Agatha Christie with no romance involved, as is And Then There Were None (there are references to a past romance in that one, but it’s not a major plot thread).
You might like Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders. Highly readable, fun, no romance.
It’s a serious, and is definitely intended for younger audiences, but I love “The UnWanteds” series by Lisa McMann. It’s described on the front of the first book as “Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games” so it’s dystopian and fantasy.
I hope you start feeling better soon; I know how hard a break up can be