No matter the conversation I will always find a way to recommend the Gentlemen Bastards series by Scott Lynch.

Take some Oceans 11 or Now You See Me con artist heist plot, stick it into a fantasy world somewhere in the triangle of LotR, Discworld, and Verona, and have the dialogue written by Tarantino. It’s such an enjoyable romp. I like to imagine Matt Berry doing half the voices.

Air by Geoff Ryman

Chung Mae is the only connection her small farming village has to culture of a wider world beyond the fields and simple houses of her village. A new communications technology is sweeping the world and promises to connect everyone, everywhere without power lines, computers, or machines. This technology is Air. An initial testing of Air goes disastrously wrong and people are killed from the shock. Not to be stopped, Air is arriving with or without the blessing of Mae’s village. Mae is the only one who knows how to harness Air and ready her people for its arrival, but will they listen before it’s too late?

Last Woman Standing by Winona LaDuke

A powerful and poignant novel tracing the lives of seven generations of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe/Chippewa).

Mind of Winter by Laura Kasichke

On a snowy Christmas morning, Holly Judge awakens with the fragments of a nightmare floating on the edge of her consciousness. Something followed them from Russia. Thirteen years ago, she and her husband Eric adopted baby Tatty, their pretty, black-haired Rapunzel, from the Pokrovka Orphanage #2. Now, at fifteen, Tatiana is more beautiful than ever—and disturbingly erratic.

As a blizzard rages outside, Holly and Tatiana are alone. With each passing hour, Tatiana’s mood darkens, and her behavior becomes increasingly frightening, until Holly finds she no longer recognizes her daughter.

You’re a beast, Viskovitz by Alessandro Boffa. Not sure if that’s the title in English, but the book is short, hilarious, easy to pick up and put down and I loved it.

I recall very much enjoying The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas and didn’t know why it didn’t get more love. it was like 15 years ago or more now so maybe I’m misrembering

Jim butcher is famous for the Dresden files but his codex alera series and more recent aeronauts windlass are in my opinion better series.

Malazan book of the fallen is probably well known in this type of community but I can’t imagine it getting well known.

Brian Jacques is famous for the redwall series but I liked his Dutchman books a fair bit.