Oeh I’m adding a few of those to my list to try. むらさきのスカートの女 | L27 seems creepy in a way. 土の中の子供 | L31 seems very dark. Both books are new territory for me.
I’m also participating in the bingo challenge btw :). I made a few posts but I didn’t add myself to the list at the top.
Thanks for the recommendations. These books are vastly different from what I’ve read sofar.
I own the ebook, the full cast audiobook, and the beautiful hardcover. You could say I’m a fan. 
I’d recommend trying it. It’s the hardest thing I ever read and I’m surprised how much I was able to enjoy it.
If you’re not above children’s books:
Three of the four books mentioned also have book clubs either on WK or here too, and I recommend reading the threads and posting your impressions if that’s your thing
I think these two are what I’d go for as a generic “introduction to reading” - they’re children’s novels that (I think, anyway) have broad appeal and are well written.
And I’ll probably go these for entry-level, high quality light novels:
Masterpieceはともかく, these are my standouts:
A couple of suggestions at this level:
東京バンドワゴン | L29 – the author’s homage to Japanese TV drama/soap opera. People fall in love, move in, move out, have vaguely mysterious pasts that get revealed, low-stakes stuff happens, the neighbourhood friends and locals lend a hand, the B plot miraculously ties in to the A plot at the end of each chapter, seasons turn (every book has four chapters, one per season), there are some scenes you can guarantee will turn up in every book.
鼠、江戸を疾る | L30 – this is the book I usually recommend as a first step into the historical fiction genre, because it’s got Akagawa’s usual easy to read style, so you don’t have to deal with complex prose at the same time as getting to grips with the genre’s vocabulary (names of historical objects, the “samurai speak” speech patterns historical fiction conventionally uses in dialogue, etc.) The plots in each short story are often a bit mystery-ish, though. The main character is a “steal from the rich and help the poor” robin-hood style thief in Edo.
And a few which are “I think this is good and covers a genre, but definitely above L30”:
用心棒日月抄 | L39 – Probably my favourite historical novel by my favourite historical novel author. This book is about a samurai who runs away from his clan to Edo after being falsely accused of murder, and becomes a swordsman-for-hire/bodyguard to make enough money to eat. The book alternates stories of bodyguard work with a plot arc about identifying who framed him and gathering evidence to clear himself.
新世界より | L38 – SF novel in three parts (one of those SF books with a rather fantasy feel to them). It’s not a huge world-spanning adventure; it’s an examination of a small and essentially isolated community living in Japan perhaps a thousand years in the future. One of the books I’ve enjoyed most in Japanese.
三四郎 | L40 – if you want to try “classic literature” as a genre you could do worse than starting here. This is basically a coming-of-age story where 三四郎 arrives in Tokyo in the early 1900s to study at university and finds city life a massive culture shock compared to rural Kyuushuu. He finds himself torn between the traditional rural life he’s just left, the modern urban life of a rapidly modernising Tokyo, and the life of the mind of the university scholar. Nominally part of a trilogy, but was published as and works as a standalone novel.
In all cases you can find a fuller review from me on the natively pages for the book.
I heard about this book (and if fact, own a physical copy). You make a good point about the audiobook. Currently I’m only practicing reading and kinda ignoring the other aspects of Japanese. But eventually I want to do audiobooks to. I’ll use this
I don’t mind children’s books, they make for good “quick wins” in reading which is always welcome after a tough book. Didn’t know about this one and it seems interesting enough. Added it to my list.
Thanks a lot !
Edit: Forgot to respond to this.
I was thinking of reading サイレント・ウィッチ in 2-4 more books. So I won’t wait too long
Oeh the first two are books I would probably never found on my own. And around my level too. Added them both to my list
This one also appeals to me a lot. It appears to touch on the “what counts as a person” question which I like. Also added it to my list.
I have my doubts about this being a children’s book, as children cannot read a book with full kanji usage and no furigana.
Your review sold me on it (and taught me a new English word(Pedagogy)). This book appeals to me the most out of the books you mentioned 
In my country that age gap is perfectly legal. Though only barely. If it’s handled well (and you seem to vouch for it that it is), I don’t mind that and the premise looks good. I’ll add it to my list
That sounds interesting as well! I’m now quite curious about the radio/voice acting world.
I’m going to leave the other two books for now. I still need to figure out if yuri is for me and I think the 2 books (not counting 声優ラジオのウラオモテ) plus the one I already have in my TBR will be enough for now.
Thank a lot for the suggestions
I don’t think this book is for me. But I still appreciate the suggestion
Your pitch sold me on it. I find it very difficult to tell whether I’ll enjoy it but I’ll definitely give it a go. Finding new interests is the point after all!
Oeh that seems really interesting. I probably won’t touch it for a couple of years due to the difficulty rating but I’ll probably end up reading that some day.
Same as the previous book
This seems interesting. But I’m worried that I’ll need a lot of historical cultural background information about Japan I simply don’t have. Then again, once I’m ready to read lv 40 books that might very well be different. I’ll probably end up giving it a go once I’m ready for it
Also, Amazon just ‘sold’ me the kindle version with a 100% discount. Guess I own it now.
Thanks very much for the suggestions! The books I think I’ll like the most are the hard ones. Now I got historical fiction in my pile
I’d just like to say thanks again to everyone. I expected to get 2 or 3 replies top, I didn’t expect this many suggestions and I really appreciate it. You all are really nice
Let’s see how many of these books I can stuff into next year’s bingo card.
I love the anime of this so much. I really want to read this someday, but damn is it long.
Yes; 2011-me was worried about that (or so I wrote in my review at the time) but it was a good enough book that it didn’t feel like a slog despite the length.
I think the kind of kids who read it are very precocious like the MC is. But I do think it’s got the bones of a kids books, but has more appeal to older readers.
Ask book lovers to recommend books and you’ve just turned on the fire hose 
I hope you find some great books, and I hope you’ll also share any that you find on your own.
I’m looking for a book with good characters or sc-fi themed. Preferably not romance or about high school/middle schoolers or detective. and in the 25-30 level category. I especially loved:
凪のお暇 1
人魚が逃げた
ひらやすみ 1
変な家
and most by 村田 沙耶香
I love it when that happens
Level 25-30 category is quite limiting for SF, but for books with focus on the characters, I really liked 52ヘルツのクジラたち | L31 which is in your wishlist. I honestly think it’s easier than 31.
On the other hand クォンタムデビルサーガ アバタールチューナーI | L30 should probably be harder than that, but hey, it’s level 30, SF, with no romance (that I know of, I only read volume 1)
I’m not sure I would call アリス殺し | L29 SF, but it matches all other conditions.
星へ行く船シリーズ1星へ行く船 | L30 - About a Mars-based detective agency (focuses more on the detective stuff from the second book, all characters are adults though).
