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There are no book covers here. On purpose. We’re giving your imagination a head start—and giving everyone else a break from judging a story by its outfit. You’re on the HUMAN Shelf now. Feel something first.
But on a more serious note... self-published authors carry the weight of doing everything ‘right’—the font, the genre-fit, the number of pages, the perfect cover—all without the budget or backup that traditional publishing provides. One wrong choice, and they’re dismissed before an upload or a single word is read.
At Margins Abound, we don’t play that game. We don’t judge or 'rate' the package. 😏 We honor the imagination behind the title, the heart in the synopsis, and the courage in the author’s bio. That’s all you get here. And honestly, it’s all you need.
**DISGUSTED --> Confronting and AMBIVALENT --> Divided: Because we preferred the Optomistic Version
When the universe finally sends a little high-five—these stories sparkle with wins big or small, reminding you life does hand out gold stars... sometimes with glitter.
For when your heart needs room to ache. These stories won’t rush you to move on—they’ll sit beside you in the quiet and pass the tissue box without making eye contact.
The kind of reads that make you double-check the locks—or your thoughts. Whether the fear is real or imagined, these stories whisper, “You’re not paranoid if something’s actually there.”
Books that match your inner monologue in all caps. These stories don’t ask you to calm down—they hand you a mic, a match, and maybe a manifesto.
For when the world feels like a mess—and maybe you do too. These reads won’t sugarcoat, but they might hand you a broom, a bullhorn, or a mirror (sometimes all three).
Plot twists, left turns, or that moment when a quiet book suddenly shouts. These reads delight in keeping you off balance—in the best “wait, what?!” kind of way.
These books don’t just turn pages—they nudge you down rabbit holes. Perfect for readers who ask “what happens next?” and aren’t afraid to follow the answer into the weird.
These books earn your faith—slow burns, deep bonds, authors who never betray your time. Like handing over your heart to a stranger and realizing they brought snacks and a playlist.
Crack open the spine and fall back in time. These reads smell like old bookstores, sound like childhood summers, and feel like someone left the porch light on just for you.
Books that ache in quiet corners. Soft sadness, beautiful longing, and endings that don’t wrap things up so much as let them drift. Like a love letter never sent—but never forgotten.
Secondhand embarrassment? Check. These reads bring the awkward, the too-real, the did-they-just-say-that? vibes. Painfully honest or hilariously offbeat—you’ll squirm, but you won’t stop.
A warm mug, a big blanket, and characters you wish lived next door. These books don’t shout—they simmer. Think emotional tea, slow sips, and stories that feel like coming home.
These books crack you open gently. Honest, raw, sometimes trembling—like someone whispering their truth and hoping you’ll hold it tenderly. No armor here, just realness.
Not empty—just echoing. These reads sit with you in the quiet, not trying to fix it, just being there. Stories for when it feels like everyone left and the pages stayed.
Tears, gasps, maybe a throw pillow launched across the room. These books cleanse the soul—rage-outs, reckonings, and emotional exorcisms with a satisfying afterglow.
These books make you want to dance in your chair. Joy-soaked, heart-leaping reads that leave you grinning like someone just said yes to your weirdest idea—and meant it.
Stories where the fight is over, the sigh is deep, and acceptance comes quietly. Not defeatist—just real. For readers who know that letting go can be its own kind of strength.
These books ache forward—toward love, truth, escape, or something unnamed. Emotional magnets for the almosts, the not-quites, and the maybe-one-days that haunt us all.
That glorious yes, exactly this feeling. These books name what you couldn’t say, reflect what you’ve lived, and remind you—you’re not the only one. It’s a literary fist bump.
Love it? Hate it? Can’t stop thinking about it? These reads split your brain in half. Perfect for arguing with yourself at 2AM and rereading just to feel confused all over again.
Love it? Hate it? Can’t stop thinking about it? These reads split your brain in half. Perfect for arguing with yourself at 2AM and rereading just to feel everything all over again.
These 20 emotions come from psychology’s core affect theory—8 primary and 12 secondary feelings that shape how we experience stories. Arranged for emotional range, not just genre fit, they mirror how books truly land: not by category, but by what they stir inside us first.
Plus1 - Weird, because it's a real emotion that can absolutely lead to wondrous other things. Not scientific but definitely human.
Some books live in more than one feeling because emotions don’t follow clean lines. A story can comfort and sting, uplift and unsettle. Shelving by emotion means honoring that mix—because the best reads don’t fit neatly. They linger in the in-between.