I, 35M, have never been much into reading. I just never found that one book that I thought was fantastic. Everything felt OK at best.
How can I ask you for advice when I don’t even know what I like myself? I don’t know. I think a fantasy or mythological theme would work best. Something fast paced and with a non sad ending. I’m open to pretty much everything, though.
Maybe by listing what books I have read and what I found displeasing about them you can suggest me a book or two to try? Give me some feedback!
Books I remember reading:
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Circe - I like the mythological theme, I think this was the book I enjoyed the most. I found it a bit bland, like the story pretty much lead to nothing of interest.
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The Hobbit - I love the lord of the rings movies (never tried the books), I thought maybe I’d enjoy this book. I didn’t enjoy the plot, don’t really wanna spoil why.
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Da Vinci Code - I thought it was fine, I guess I enjoy plots with some mystery.
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Angels and Demons - honestly felt like the same book, I don’t know if I even finished it
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Digital Fortress - as a software developer, i thought the theme would pull me in but it didn’t. It actually felt like the same book again and I have tried reading it three times without success.
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100 years of solitude - I read this a long time ago so I don’t really remember why I didn’t enjoy it. I remember it being a slog with long and very detailed descriptions of situations that didn’t feel to matter at all.
Thanks!
I find when I get in a slump, that going to the library and picking up a bunch of books at a time and trying to jump into them to see what sticks really works.
If I go and commit to like five books, one is going to hook me!
Also if you liked Circe (oh man did I love it) you might really love Song of Achilles (also by Madeline Miller).
I can highly recommend basically anything written by Brandon Sanderson, especially the Cosmere series. It consists of a lot of books (and many on the way), that describe multiple worlds. What makes his books special is the way magic is integrated into the world. It’s not just 14th century Europe with wizards here and there, magic makes an impact on the society in a way that’s realistic. His books are easy to read, with a few exceptions (more on that below).
As for what to start with, I’d recommend two series:
- Mistborn - a series revolving around a dystopian world. The first book in the series is somewhat a fantasy heist story. Easy to read, though you can tell it’s one of the earlier Brandon’s books, his style of writing improves in time.
- Stormlight Archives - this is the series Brandon outdid himself TBH. The world is at the very alien, but in a way that makes sense. The books suck you in and don’t let go, making you want know more about the world and the characters. Be wary though, getting through the first few chapters takes some determination, as it starts slowly. And since the world is very different to our own, some words don’t make sense at start, which can be slightly offputting. But getting through the first chapters is worth it.
Thanks a bunch for the long reply. I’m going to order Mistborn and see how it goes, it looks good!
This is a good suggestion. Even Sanderson haters like me will agree that he has strong technical storytelling skills and that his books are probably the best low-bar-of-entry fiction you can find.
Hey friend, I know it has been a while. Just wanted to let you know that I have been reading the first Mistborn book (The final empire) and I have been enjoying it a lot. I think this is the first time I’m actually looking forward to my reading session so I can find out what is happening next.
Thanks a bunch!
Hey, great to know you liked it! Thanks for the update!
“The Martian” by Andy Weir
Your book list makes it seem like you’ve got a pretty similar taste to me and that one hooked me in the first page. I like to describe that book as being “high adrelinaline problem solving”. I’m also a SWE and think that’s part of the reason it was so appealing to me.
If you liked Circe, you might enjoy Song of Achilles by the same author. Maybe also Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel — similar to Circe, it’s a mythic retelling focusing on a character that’s not usually in the spotlight. I read it recently and really liked it
Try ‘Lady of Hay’ by Barbara Erskine
The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. It covers the parallel histories of post colonial Indonesia’s status as the figurehead of the none-aligned third world countries during the cold war, alongside the establishment and growth of the CIA and apparently eventually culminates in detailing how the CIA overthrew the government, installed a dictator and then backed him to murder over a million communists, feminists and ethnic minorities.
its pretty damn grim, so far by chapter 5 Bevins has covered the CIA’s roles in the coups in Iran, Guatemala and the Phillipines and their backing of rebels to start a low level civil war in Indonesia.
Hm. Some fantasy stories / books I really enjoyed and recommend are:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Just awesome. The pacing is gentle but a lot higher compared to The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings. One of the best fantasy stories I know, I read all the books multiple times. Warning: Don’t watch the movie. Just don’t.
The Idhún’s Memories by Laura Gallego. I’ve read them a long time ago, so I don’t know if I’d still enjoy them that much, but I’ve great memories.
I didn’t read The Name Of The Wind yet, but it was recommended to me multiple times as THE best book.
If you don’t mind science-fiction, I also would recommend Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovski.
Side note: Fantasy is quite a heavy genre if you’re not really into reading yet. Often the good books are large, which makes it harder to finish in a reasonable time. General tipp: try to read one hour a day. This creates a habit and you will soon read a lot faster, which makes it a lot easier to just grind through a book as if it was nothing. Also try different genres, maybe one doesn’t sound appealing, but you would enjoy it anyway.
The name of the wind is absolutely one of the best fantasy books ever written, the only thing is that the author is not likely to finish the series anytime soon. The second book in the triology came out in 2011 and still has no date for the third to be released :/
The only way I’ve been able to “read” is through audiobooks. I listen during my work commute. It’s really enjoyable. Makes commuting enjoyable to an extent. Also, if you get a really good narrator, the experience is great.
I didn’t really like to read until I bought a Kindle. For some reason, that made it way more enjoyable.
I do own a very old Kindle that I thought would ignite my interest in reading. I found that I didn’t enjoy reading on the Kindle, which is honestly quite a bummer. I also found it harder for me to read books in English and the Kindle store doesn’t have books in portuguese. It’s not like I can’t read in English, more like it’s another small obstacle to pick up the book and read.
I’d rather have a digital library and not spend space to store the books but alas :(
A favorite I like to recommend is The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson. It’s the first in a trilogy, and could open you to a vast universe of stories if you enjoy it.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
What’s gotten me back into reading has been the Red Rising series by Pierce. Scifi that reminds me a bit if the hunger games stuff, but better.
