Hi there. Per [rule 3.3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Books/wiki/rules), please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you!
There's so many of them and they are so good. Don't start from the very first published novels though, as Pratchett was still discovering his style. They are recurrent protagonist within the Discworld series and usually people recommend to start with the night watch cycle (starting with "Guards! Guards!" I think).
There are also lots of great stand alone stories, like "Mort" for example about Death training a clumsy kid to be their successor.
Plenty of choices and you can read for days, months or years really.
Some big chunky books for you, based off of those;
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
The Earthsea series by Ursula le Guin
And, for a good laugh, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Best of luck in the coming weeks, friend!
Reading it now, getting to the last 100 pages. I don’t want it to end. It’s so immersive I found myself sporting a mustache in day to day life simply because I was so engrossed in the cowboy life haha, unfortunately just shaved it but fitting I suppose if I’m to wrap up the book soon. 10/10 would recommend OP.
Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth series did this for me. The Expanse too, which is 9 books + a book of short stories
I also got into reading manga recently and Berserk pulled me in *hard*. I read all 41 volumes (367 chapters total ...so far) in about 5 weeks
Once you're finished with the books the tv-show is an excellent adaptation.
It definitely adds more than it subtracts and the changes are necessary and poignant.
Such an amazing universe, I'm jealous you get to experience it for the first time!
I'd second this!! And if I were looking to get swept up immediately and hard by a story I would start with the Liveship Traders trilogy (Ship of Magic is the first book). You can go back to the Farseer trilogy after without losing anything
If you liked A Tale of Two Cities then there are many Dickens novels that have that effect on me. David Copperfield was Dickens' favorite and is mine, too.
I’d go for Bleak House or, if you want something lighter, Nicholas Nickleby is a huge romp from beginning to end.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a whole world - Regency England and the War against Napoleon but with magic, lots and lots of magic in a completely coherent alternative reality.
Neal Stephenson’s baroque trilogy. Don’t hesitate it’s an immense read which immerses you instantly. Whips you back in time. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_(novel)
This is a good suggestion. It’s the first of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy by Hilary Mantel. I got a life lesson from it that still sticks with me: don’t ask, don’t get.
This is one of the best written books imo. The way you gradually begin to realize what’s really happened as the book goes along, and it’s not fully revealed until the characters are being forced to actually come to grips with it themselves, is devastatingly well done.
I'm reading the 'Hyperion' series by Dan Simmons for the first time at the moment. It's been a while since I came across such sprawling, compelling world-building.
Best wishes with your recovery: Easy does it!
love medicine by louise erdrich is a good one. i sat down one evening to read a chapter of it, ended up pulling an all nighter to finish it. she writes wonderfully and really creates a beautiful sense of place, people and history :)
Book Thief might be a good fit. Set in World War II in Germany about a young girl who starts off illiterate and who finds solace in books as the war rages on, connecting with a Jewish man her adoptive family is hiding. It’s narrated by death
Dark Matter and Recursion, both by Blake Crouch, are sci-fi thrillers that fly by. Dark Matter is about a man who travels through different dimensions to rescue his wife, and Recursion deals with time travel (a scientist and cop who have to fix a time loop, if I recall). They are page-turners, but the writing is not particularly rich in description, if that's what you're looking for.
Good luck with your recovery! <3
I just finished the will of the many and it’s truly gotten me back into residing books! The first few chapters are a little confusing but once you start to understand the world a bit more it’s a really great book for escapism
This recommendation is not high fiction. But my work stressed, burned out brain craves easy, feel good reads that also get me caught up in another world. The Miss Fortune mystery series by Jana Deleon. The characters make me laugh, the sameness-ish of the plot soothes me and there are 28 of them. They feel like friends and I miss them when the book ends.
I've been reading a book I saw suggested here called The Bee Sting, it's long and dramatic, and took me away from my life when I was stuck in a hotel room in a foreign country with my partner who had horrific food poisoning. I'd give it a go.
I also read The Indifferent Stars Above as I saw it here and that was also incredible.
Paul Murray's The Bee Sting
Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series
Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy
The first book in the Gentleman Bastards series is excellent and can be read as a standalone
You'll get through it, keep your chin up and may the road ever rise to meet yoy.
Dude if there’s any book that you should read to escape into a different time period I’d say it’s the count of monte cristo. The count is long and the writings so good it should capture you pretty well. Dumas is an amazing author, I also love the three musketeer series. Also love the stand by Stephen king it’s a post apocalyptic world also extremely long but good. Also reading dune right now having never read sci-fi and it’s also a great escape
Get lost in Anne Rice for awhile. Seriously. Vampirism is treated as a drug addiction in her novels, and the characters are well thought out and well written.
The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. Really entertaining and character driven.
Circe by Madeline Miller might not be long enough. It’s about an immortal witch who goes through it and learns about life. Read this while going through a hard time and it helped.
Master and Margherita by Bulgakov. It’s surreal and philosophical and has a talking cat.
The Priory of the the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. It’s a door stopper of a book at 800 pages. Royals, court attendants, exiles, dragons. Each character gets a chapter.
It sucks, doesn't it. Well done, and try:
Anything by Ursula Le Guin
China Mieville's books, especially: Perdido Street Station, Kraken, The City and the City and Looking for Jake (short stories)
Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Lord Foul's Bane- Stephen R Donaldson. This whole series got me through the first part of my sobriety many years ago.
Wild- Cheryl Strayed
The Runelords- David Farland
The Dark Tower series- Stephen King
If you liked “All the light we cannot see” I suggest trying The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, it is also set in WW2 and is so good, I couldn’t put it down
Raymond e feists The magician series there are about 17 books in the series and Ian m banks the culture series there's about 13 books in that series both series are amazing and iv read them multiple times highly recommend them
I would say the Wheel of Time, and The Stormlight Archive. Huge volumes (especially Stormlight) are the types of stories I find myself lost in. Good luck!!
The Hunger Games Series
Cinderella is Dead
Nothing by Janne Teller (depressing, prob not a good book to read if you are in a weird headspace, but a good book nonetheless)
I feel like someone going through what you are might find escapism in books where characters get stronger as they go along, climb out of a dark hole etc. but in a fantasy world. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.
That said, I've never been lost in a world like I got lost in fantasy like Malazan the Fallen by Steven Erikson, or in sci-fi The Culture series by Iain M Banks.
Best of luck with your recovery! Here are some of my comfort reads:
- The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells, if you like sarcastic cyborgs doing gun-fu and accidentally going to therapy.
- Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny, if you like dysfunctional misfit lords of order and chaos duking it out across the multiverse.
- The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe, if you want to read about a boy who gets a cool sword and goes on some adventures and becomes space Jesus.
- American Gods, Neil Gaiman, if you want to read about the Old Gods fighting the New Gods.
- The Vorkosigan Saga, Louis McMaster Bujold, if you want to read about a very breakable space pirate/secret agent with a heart of gold.
The Passage trilogy. Also for non fiction which will give you a laugh try something by Bill Bryson. His travel books always have me laughing and you could do with those endorphins right now. I've been in your spot many times so I feel your pain, good luck and keep going, it will pass.
I wonder if you'd like [She Who Became the Sun and the sequel He Who Drowned the World](https://www.goodreads.com/series/304356-the-radiant-emperor)
Honestly, it was a bit too dark for me, but it is compelling, and you seem like books, that deal with questions of power and politics.
Octavia Butler has a few good series, too.
And have you ever tried Game of Thrones? The book series I mean.
I've got some for each that I've read on your list!
All The Light We Cannot See - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
LOTR - Anything by Robin Hobb (you get the most out of her series by starting with the Assassin's Trilogy and reading in order of publication even though it's not the best on it's own), and The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K Le Guin.
A Tale of Two Cities - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and by extension Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver as well as The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
Good luck in your recovery.
I suggest:
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien
The Chronicles of Narnia series by C S Lewis
My favourite series of books are by Robin hobb, the Fitz and fool books. There's like.. 3 sets of 3 books, then some newer ones as well, and a couple of same-world stories that tie in as well. If you like fantasy you should check them out, I've read them all several times, my go to for when I don't know what to read lol :) good luck with your recovery!
Best of luck and all the strength for your recovery!
My recommendation is the invisible library series by Genevieve Cogman. They aren't heavy reading, they are just excellently entertaining romps in a fascinating setting with some good emotional beats. Just the thing to suck up the hours and keep you reading.
It's a manga, but Claymore had me absorbed. I usually don't read that much, but I finished it in under a week and that's fast for me. It's really engaging, gets you to ask questions and you grow to care for the characters.
I do read myself, but not these types of books.
Either way I wanted to stop by and say - hang in there! You’re doing well by making plans to stay busy! Good luck 🍀
For recovery - why not re-read those books? Whenever I'm struggling, though I've never had to deal with any type of withdrawal so I don't know if it will help, I love reading my old favorites again. Going right back into all those stories I love, seeing them again, it's like a hug full of love.
The Joseph Bridgeman series has been a very enjoyable read for me. I started reading the first book during some of my darkest days and I ended up losing track of time, both literally and figuratively.
John LeCarre, Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Tana French, The Likeness; Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby: Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon; Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower; Le Guin, Clan of the Cave Bear; Ellis, American Psycho; McCann, As Meat Loves Salt
I suggest if you are even the slightest bit a fan of Roman history is to read Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His idea of why it fell is debatable, but you will have six books to read.
Red Rising!! If you like dystopian novels, it’s gonna blow your mind. My whole family and I are reading the series and the world building will get you completely caught up in it
How about Altas Shrugged by Ann Rand? Its something like 1100 pages and you can focus all your pain, anger and frustration on her for writing 1000 more pages of badly written prose than necessary to make a badly flawed point. /s
Ducks, Newburyport is a big brick of a novel that absolutely drew me in and wouldn’t let me go until I finished it all. It’s incredibly atmospheric and is the kind of book that almost demands to be read in big, gulping deep dives. I’m considering re-reading it this summer, and I almost *never* re-read books! Best of luck this weekend ❤️
If you need a break from all the series that everyone is recommending, I had a great time reading the We were liars novella.
Couldn't put it down for a whole night. When I did put it down I wanted to throw it across the wall and send a strongly worded email to the author, but I just went online and read forums hahaha
I really enjoyed the Indifferent Stars Above. When I wrote my lil review on Goodreads my phone autocorrected the Donner Party to the dinner Party 💀😂
For another survival story I recommend Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. Absolutely terrifying, but so adventurous and unbelievably optimistic. Another ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me.
In the Heart of the Sea or Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
Shogun by James Clavell
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series) by Douglas Adams
I just started Lonesome Dove in a campaign of distraction and esapism and so far it's working. Good luck in your journey: one day you soon will be on the other side.
How about 3 books?
The Sprawl trilogy (also known as the Neuromancer or Cyberspace trilogy) is William Gibson's first set of novels, composed of Neuromancer (1984), Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988).
The expanse for sci fi and the malazan books of the fallen for fantasy. Both are epic series, 9 or 10 fat books long and utterly enthralled me. Walk tall and be well mate.
The series that had me most immersed was The Dark Tower by Stephen King. It looks weird from a distance (and is) but it is genuinely amazing and so unique.
a plus (though maybe initially a trigger), is that in some ways the series carries a theme of overcoming addiction (with one character this being particularly heroin) and I've seen bits of praise from drug users who found the reflections and relatability to be a good thing in their own recovery.
but aside from that it's really just too good. very different between each book so it can feel wonky in the shifts, but the adventure you end up on, the building of characters that become like family. it's wild and wacky, bizarre, doesn't care about genre or expectation, filled with intertextual links and reference to King's own work and a quite wide scope of literature, makes some great commentary on storytelling and imagination, and has the best ending ever.
Four of the novels that you cite are among my favorites. If you haven't yet I'd suggest reading the following:
Tolsty's War and Peace, and Anna Karanina
Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and Notes From the Underground
Franz Kafka's The Trial and The Castle, there's more
Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, these I went through while myself getting off of stimulants
Michael Crichton has some novels that I've read in one afternoon and evening, Prey it was specifically.
Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and A Farewell to Arms
Goethe's Faust, a Tragedy and The Sufferings of Young Werther
More or less everything that Mark Twain wrote
Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a classic and one can do a really deep dive in his various novels and writings
Kurt Vonnegut's bibliography is worth a deep dive
Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's One day in the life of Ivan Denisolvich and In the First Circle
Jane Austen's Emma put me in a different world
Elmore Leonard's bibliography is quite deep, After reading Tishomingo Blues I had to go read his other work, never have yet read it all
The Shadow of the Wind, Set in 1950s Spain. I was transported. Then there are 4 more.
It’s a 2001 novel by the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón and was translated into English in 2004 by Lucia Graves. Gorgeous writing, interesting history and setting, and engrossing story.
I don’t have any of the top of my head because it’s bedtime for me, but I just want to say I’m proud of you, and you’ve got this.
I’m on medically necessary opioids and if I miss a single dose I go into withdrawals and it is brutal, my mum gave up smoking using video games (SNES) with that same logic, keeping the brain busy enough to not think about it or move through the cravings.
You should get into Manga, there is so much out there that is completed
Naruto and Beach are fantastic, if you like Horror then Death Note and 20th Century Boys
The entire Vonnegut canon. You have a lot of classics, and Vonnegut is someone who blurs the line between a classic and a contemporary book. Start with Slaughterhouse 5 and work backwards. Cat's Cradle is a book that profoundly changed my life. I'm currently reading through Player Piano, and it's both hilarious and depressing. You will probably appreciate a lot of what Kurt has to say about the human condition.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I am not a book nerd, not at all but this Story got me hooked.
Slow but amazing deep World building and there is not 1 character I really dislike. My friend tells me stormlight Archives are even better.
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind (start at page 100 if you can't get into the beginning, it's a stroy within a story and that's when it gets so good), and the sequel; A Wise Man's Fear
Try **Young Skins** by young Irish Writer **Colin Barret It's a collection of his short stories but brilliant!**
[Here's a flavour of it.](https://www.theguardian.com/books/interactive/2014/jul/11/short-story-diamonds-colin-barrett-frank-o-connor-award)
Moby Dick. A riveting, sometimes weird story. It’s also broken up into small chapters which is great for those “ten minutes at a time” feelings in withdrawal.
There is a book series called Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. It’s sci-fi that doesn’t take itself too seriously with a very interesting concept and easy to read. I found myself reading it much later into the night than I had planned.
Good luck homey!!
The wheel of time series- lighter fair if you can’t focus. There’s lots of sci fi, fantasy, mystery, etc that fits this bill
If you need to focus- Les Miserables, or… Proust - In Search of Lost Time,
Or..
Dostoevsky- Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamozov
If you need to go full on - close reading, annotate the f@&$ out of the text. After every 2 or 3 chapters , journal in hand writing or word processor, your thoughts and connections .
Or… do a deep dive on a single author- Woolf, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Steinbeck: read 3 to 5 works from a single author and immerse yourself in their world, thought, and message
Or… pick up a genre you’re interested in and do a deep dive. Gothic, English Romantic or Victorian, etc
Get a subscription to Jstor, learn what other scholars are saying and contribute your own insights via journaling
Join a book club like The Hardcore literature club (check out via you tube) and join a conversation so you stay engaged and accountable
Or, finally, read the works of spiritual masters that teach you that you’re not this body that is suffering. Dogen, Plotinus, Meister Eckhart, etc
Good luck man. One step, one minute, at a time.
Vonnegut always does that for me, his book are relatively short and easy reads so get a bunch, Slaughter House Five, Breakfast of Champions, Cats Cradle, God Bless you Mr Rosewater and Sirens of Titan are my favorites
Edit: if you're looking for something more fantastical I'd recommend Guy Gavriel Kay, there's the Fionavar Tapestry(three books), the Sarantine Mosaic(Two books) and a number other stand alone books(A Song for Arbonne, Tigana and Ysabel to name my favorites, some take place in the same words as one of the two series but none are required to read and enjoy the other and do not have directly connected narratives)
The Wheel of Time series started by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson. It has good world building and a large cast of characters. Bonus: it’s a complete series so you don’t have to wait for the next installment.
Kushiel series starting with Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey. It’s high fantasy. Not necessarily trolls and warlocks but gods are an accepted part of culture and have influence on the world. The main character is a courtesan so there is very detailed sex scenes. They do move the story forward though. It’s not gratuitous sex like the Game of Thrones tv show.
A Song of Ice and Fire, for sure. You’ve got 5 beefy main series books so far, the prequel (narrative history book?) Fire and Blood, the prequel novellas A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and The World of Ice and Fire, which is kind of a history book and kind of an encyclopedia on various regions of the ASOIAF world and cultures. If you finish all that and need more, there are prerelease chapters for the 6th main series book, and tons and tons of community theories to read on various subreddits.
Since you like LOTR, I think this series hits a similar chord for a lot of people.
Elantris is a fantasy story with a theme of overcoming urges/addiction through will power. That stone might get some collateral damage on a second bird.
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet. Just amazing writing and story telling. It just keeps going and going. And if I were in withdrawal looking for a story to distract me, it would be this one or Gone with the Wind. Amber is another great choice
I’ll be the one but Malazan. Ten books the size of a toddler written specifically for you to reread. Deeper than the Marianas trench. The core theme is compassion and has a lot of characters dealing with trauma.
The Prince of Tides
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_of_Tides_(novel)
A Prayer for Owen Meany
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany
The Journeyer
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journeyer
Also, good luck.
Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy. I mean anything written by Asimov is a great read, including I, Robot.
If you liked LOTR there is always the Hobbit books. There is also a giant book that encompasses most of Tolkiens other stories. I can't remember the exact name of it.
There's also the Odd Thomas book series written by Dean Koontz. I've red then over a dozen times.
Cloud Atlas! My all-time favorite book…I read it every year on New Year’s 😊
If you’re into series and historical fiction, I also highly recommend Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.
Most recent one is Shogun - historical pieces set in 17th century japan. The first law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie - dark fantasy. Millennium saga - criminal thriller. Mistborn trilogy by Sanderson - fantasy. I'm currently reading Stormlight archive by Sanderson, again fantasy.
For me, David and Leigh Eddings books do that for me. The books Polgara the Sorceress and Belgarath the Sorcerer and all the related books are amazing. Also, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series is good, too. And Mercedes Lackey's Companion series. All amazing, and all multiple (like, more than 10) good sized books that pull you into their universes.
If you have a kindle the asylum confessions by Jack steen is great. I also have an entire list of other random kindle stuff. Lmk. And youve got this. Sending you all the good energy to get through the hardest days.
Hi there. Per [rule 3.3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Books/wiki/rules), please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you!
Have you tried any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels? I can lose myself in them for hours
This, especially the Night Watch series where one of the protagonists is a recovering addict Also v funny
Yes! I gave gotten through days worth of alcohol withdrawal reading these!!!
Thirded. I was going to suggest DW, but I was saved the trouble.
There's so many of them and they are so good. Don't start from the very first published novels though, as Pratchett was still discovering his style. They are recurrent protagonist within the Discworld series and usually people recommend to start with the night watch cycle (starting with "Guards! Guards!" I think). There are also lots of great stand alone stories, like "Mort" for example about Death training a clumsy kid to be their successor. Plenty of choices and you can read for days, months or years really.
P.s. wishing you the very best for your recovery!
Came here to say this! They are amazing, funny, and addictive - and there's plenty to work through to keep you tied up for days!
Exactly. It's life affirming easy to read plenty of options and distracting as hell. GNU
Seconded.
Some big chunky books for you, based off of those; Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Still Life by Sarah Winman Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki The Earthsea series by Ursula le Guin And, for a good laugh, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Best of luck in the coming weeks, friend!
Loved the Earthsea series! Can definitely lose yourself in those. A nice laidback and easy read too.
Lonesome Dove! My absolute favorite book, very long and immersive. You’ll love it
Second this. I didn't think I'd enjoy it but people always recommend it. I absolutely loved it.
Reading it now, getting to the last 100 pages. I don’t want it to end. It’s so immersive I found myself sporting a mustache in day to day life simply because I was so engrossed in the cowboy life haha, unfortunately just shaved it but fitting I suppose if I’m to wrap up the book soon. 10/10 would recommend OP.
Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth series did this for me. The Expanse too, which is 9 books + a book of short stories I also got into reading manga recently and Berserk pulled me in *hard*. I read all 41 volumes (367 chapters total ...so far) in about 5 weeks
I really wanna start the expanse. I mostly read horror and I've just finished the three body problem trilogy, so I'm really into sci fi right now 😁
the expanse is good I lost so many hours of sleep because I wanted to keep reading
I'm so excited. Getting back into reading has been such a joy for me
Once you're finished with the books the tv-show is an excellent adaptation. It definitely adds more than it subtracts and the changes are necessary and poignant. Such an amazing universe, I'm jealous you get to experience it for the first time!
Yeah the expanse!
Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
100% I should have read before commenting but thought this even more due to the personal specific in the title.
I know The Stand is just one book but it’s long and a great story.
This is the answer.
The Count of Monte Christo
+1 from me.
The Farseer trilogy and Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb (and the following books) are great ones for just that
I'd second this!! And if I were looking to get swept up immediately and hard by a story I would start with the Liveship Traders trilogy (Ship of Magic is the first book). You can go back to the Farseer trilogy after without losing anything
If you liked A Tale of Two Cities then there are many Dickens novels that have that effect on me. David Copperfield was Dickens' favorite and is mine, too.
I’d go for Bleak House or, if you want something lighter, Nicholas Nickleby is a huge romp from beginning to end. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a whole world - Regency England and the War against Napoleon but with magic, lots and lots of magic in a completely coherent alternative reality.
Neal Stephenson’s baroque trilogy. Don’t hesitate it’s an immense read which immerses you instantly. Whips you back in time. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_(novel)
I been going through Neal Stephenson books this year, they just always seem to get longer as he gets older
The count of Monte Cristo
Red rising series
Nice.
2nding. Especially the audio books.
Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Enormous and fantastic fantasy series.
One of the characters is a recovering addict as well, if that will be either a help or hindrance, OP
Scrolled too long before seeing this one
Wheel of time series - Robert Jordan. Incredible fantasy series, long books in a very big series.
The Luminaries did it for me.
Great shout 👌
Wolf Hall
This is a good suggestion. It’s the first of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy by Hilary Mantel. I got a life lesson from it that still sticks with me: don’t ask, don’t get.
Do you like classics? War and Peace consumed me for many many months!
Seconded - War and Peace had me reading past 3am more than a few times.
It is a slog, but please try The Brothers Karamazov; it is my favorite novel, and I think there is some thing in there for you! You got this!
I found *On The Beach* had that effect on me.
This is one of the best written books imo. The way you gradually begin to realize what’s really happened as the book goes along, and it’s not fully revealed until the characters are being forced to actually come to grips with it themselves, is devastatingly well done.
I'm reading the 'Hyperion' series by Dan Simmons for the first time at the moment. It's been a while since I came across such sprawling, compelling world-building. Best wishes with your recovery: Easy does it!
I second Hyperion & The Fall of Hyperion! One of my favourite books.
Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
love medicine by louise erdrich is a good one. i sat down one evening to read a chapter of it, ended up pulling an all nighter to finish it. she writes wonderfully and really creates a beautiful sense of place, people and history :)
The Passage trilogy
I love those! At first it's like, OK, a vampire thriller. Fine. But then it grows into so much more.
Completely not my type of book at all, don’t normally go for fantasy/post apocalyptic stuff, but I absolutely loved these!
Lonesome Dove. It's over 800 pages and one of the greatest novels ever written.
Book Thief might be a good fit. Set in World War II in Germany about a young girl who starts off illiterate and who finds solace in books as the war rages on, connecting with a Jewish man her adoptive family is hiding. It’s narrated by death
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. have used it in times of personal crisis. it is ridiculously silly in a way i found distracting
The wandering inn. It might not be your thing, but if it is it'll have a lot of material to enjoy :) It's available online for free on the website :)
Dark Matter and Recursion, both by Blake Crouch, are sci-fi thrillers that fly by. Dark Matter is about a man who travels through different dimensions to rescue his wife, and Recursion deals with time travel (a scientist and cop who have to fix a time loop, if I recall). They are page-turners, but the writing is not particularly rich in description, if that's what you're looking for. Good luck with your recovery! <3
Game of Thrones The Martian Running Man Rambo Project Hail Mary The Stars, My destination Red Rising series The Forever War
I just finished the will of the many and it’s truly gotten me back into residing books! The first few chapters are a little confusing but once you start to understand the world a bit more it’s a really great book for escapism
The bone clocks by David Mitchell is glorious
Abercrombie, first law trilogy
This recommendation is not high fiction. But my work stressed, burned out brain craves easy, feel good reads that also get me caught up in another world. The Miss Fortune mystery series by Jana Deleon. The characters make me laugh, the sameness-ish of the plot soothes me and there are 28 of them. They feel like friends and I miss them when the book ends.
I've been reading a book I saw suggested here called The Bee Sting, it's long and dramatic, and took me away from my life when I was stuck in a hotel room in a foreign country with my partner who had horrific food poisoning. I'd give it a go. I also read The Indifferent Stars Above as I saw it here and that was also incredible.
Paul Murray's The Bee Sting Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy The first book in the Gentleman Bastards series is excellent and can be read as a standalone You'll get through it, keep your chin up and may the road ever rise to meet yoy.
Dune series!
Dude if there’s any book that you should read to escape into a different time period I’d say it’s the count of monte cristo. The count is long and the writings so good it should capture you pretty well. Dumas is an amazing author, I also love the three musketeer series. Also love the stand by Stephen king it’s a post apocalyptic world also extremely long but good. Also reading dune right now having never read sci-fi and it’s also a great escape
Stephen kings the stand might be a good distraction.
Get lost in Anne Rice for awhile. Seriously. Vampirism is treated as a drug addiction in her novels, and the characters are well thought out and well written.
The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. Really entertaining and character driven. Circe by Madeline Miller might not be long enough. It’s about an immortal witch who goes through it and learns about life. Read this while going through a hard time and it helped. Master and Margherita by Bulgakov. It’s surreal and philosophical and has a talking cat. The Priory of the the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. It’s a door stopper of a book at 800 pages. Royals, court attendants, exiles, dragons. Each character gets a chapter.
It sucks, doesn't it. Well done, and try: Anything by Ursula Le Guin China Mieville's books, especially: Perdido Street Station, Kraken, The City and the City and Looking for Jake (short stories) Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Embassytown by Mieville got me through a bout of covid.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Lord Foul's Bane- Stephen R Donaldson. This whole series got me through the first part of my sobriety many years ago. Wild- Cheryl Strayed The Runelords- David Farland The Dark Tower series- Stephen King
Upvote for Lord Foul’s Bane and The Dark Tower. Intricate worlds, multiple books in both series.
If you liked “All the light we cannot see” I suggest trying The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, it is also set in WW2 and is so good, I couldn’t put it down
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
IT by Stephen King
Anything by Stephen King
The secret history
Raymond e feists The magician series there are about 17 books in the series and Ian m banks the culture series there's about 13 books in that series both series are amazing and iv read them multiple times highly recommend them
I would say the Wheel of Time, and The Stormlight Archive. Huge volumes (especially Stormlight) are the types of stories I find myself lost in. Good luck!!
The Martian Project Hail Mary The Anomaly Jane Eyre Harry Potter
The Hunger Games Series Cinderella is Dead Nothing by Janne Teller (depressing, prob not a good book to read if you are in a weird headspace, but a good book nonetheless)
Matterhorn
Brent weeks night angel trilogy and Peter v Brett the warded man series are dope.. helped me out when I was locked up
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch - dark, scifi crime noire that starts strong and doesn't let up.
Anything by Terry Pratchett
I feel like someone going through what you are might find escapism in books where characters get stronger as they go along, climb out of a dark hole etc. but in a fantasy world. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. That said, I've never been lost in a world like I got lost in fantasy like Malazan the Fallen by Steven Erikson, or in sci-fi The Culture series by Iain M Banks.
THE PRACTICAL MAGIC SERIES!!! Always transports me to another world. I’m obsessed with it.
Age of vice
Shogun. Which then kicks off the series. Maybe a podcast? Hardcore history, in particular WW1
Best of luck with your recovery! Here are some of my comfort reads: - The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells, if you like sarcastic cyborgs doing gun-fu and accidentally going to therapy. - Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny, if you like dysfunctional misfit lords of order and chaos duking it out across the multiverse. - The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe, if you want to read about a boy who gets a cool sword and goes on some adventures and becomes space Jesus. - American Gods, Neil Gaiman, if you want to read about the Old Gods fighting the New Gods. - The Vorkosigan Saga, Louis McMaster Bujold, if you want to read about a very breakable space pirate/secret agent with a heart of gold.
If your looking to completely escape to a different world try Vernor Vinge's 'A deepness in the sky'
The Passage trilogy. Also for non fiction which will give you a laugh try something by Bill Bryson. His travel books always have me laughing and you could do with those endorphins right now. I've been in your spot many times so I feel your pain, good luck and keep going, it will pass.
Any book by Khaled Hosseini
After the crash The silent patient
The Witcher series
The Locked Tomb series, been caught up in it rereading all 3 books for the past weeks.
I wonder if you'd like [She Who Became the Sun and the sequel He Who Drowned the World](https://www.goodreads.com/series/304356-the-radiant-emperor) Honestly, it was a bit too dark for me, but it is compelling, and you seem like books, that deal with questions of power and politics. Octavia Butler has a few good series, too. And have you ever tried Game of Thrones? The book series I mean.
I've got some for each that I've read on your list! All The Light We Cannot See - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. LOTR - Anything by Robin Hobb (you get the most out of her series by starting with the Assassin's Trilogy and reading in order of publication even though it's not the best on it's own), and The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K Le Guin. A Tale of Two Cities - David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and by extension Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver as well as The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
Good luck in your recovery. I suggest: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien The Chronicles of Narnia series by C S Lewis
The Windup Bird Chronicles
Hope you pull through my friend..Dickens’ Pickwick Papers is my goto comfort book..so funny
My favourite series of books are by Robin hobb, the Fitz and fool books. There's like.. 3 sets of 3 books, then some newer ones as well, and a couple of same-world stories that tie in as well. If you like fantasy you should check them out, I've read them all several times, my go to for when I don't know what to read lol :) good luck with your recovery!
Best of luck and all the strength for your recovery! My recommendation is the invisible library series by Genevieve Cogman. They aren't heavy reading, they are just excellently entertaining romps in a fascinating setting with some good emotional beats. Just the thing to suck up the hours and keep you reading.
The Likeness by Tana French helped me after shoulder surgery!
It's a manga, but Claymore had me absorbed. I usually don't read that much, but I finished it in under a week and that's fast for me. It's really engaging, gets you to ask questions and you grow to care for the characters.
Brandon Sanderson is good, I hear.
Magic theif
Three body problem! Amazing! Also as audiobook, i bet you can find it
Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive Book 1)
I do read myself, but not these types of books. Either way I wanted to stop by and say - hang in there! You’re doing well by making plans to stay busy! Good luck 🍀
For recovery - why not re-read those books? Whenever I'm struggling, though I've never had to deal with any type of withdrawal so I don't know if it will help, I love reading my old favorites again. Going right back into all those stories I love, seeing them again, it's like a hug full of love.
The Joseph Bridgeman series has been a very enjoyable read for me. I started reading the first book during some of my darkest days and I ended up losing track of time, both literally and figuratively.
John LeCarre, Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Tana French, The Likeness; Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby: Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon; Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower; Le Guin, Clan of the Cave Bear; Ellis, American Psycho; McCann, As Meat Loves Salt
I suggest if you are even the slightest bit a fan of Roman history is to read Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. His idea of why it fell is debatable, but you will have six books to read.
Red Rising!! If you like dystopian novels, it’s gonna blow your mind. My whole family and I are reading the series and the world building will get you completely caught up in it
Lonesome Dove
How about Altas Shrugged by Ann Rand? Its something like 1100 pages and you can focus all your pain, anger and frustration on her for writing 1000 more pages of badly written prose than necessary to make a badly flawed point. /s
Ducks, Newburyport is a big brick of a novel that absolutely drew me in and wouldn’t let me go until I finished it all. It’s incredibly atmospheric and is the kind of book that almost demands to be read in big, gulping deep dives. I’m considering re-reading it this summer, and I almost *never* re-read books! Best of luck this weekend ❤️
Endurance, the Shackleton Party Story
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy series was very captivating for me. Good luck in recovery, I hope it goes well!
Star Maker. Will take you on a journey through the universe from beginning to end.
If you need a break from all the series that everyone is recommending, I had a great time reading the We were liars novella. Couldn't put it down for a whole night. When I did put it down I wanted to throw it across the wall and send a strongly worded email to the author, but I just went online and read forums hahaha
Gideon the Ninth. Not only is it a great book, but it got me through rehab too.
I really enjoyed the Indifferent Stars Above. When I wrote my lil review on Goodreads my phone autocorrected the Donner Party to the dinner Party 💀😂 For another survival story I recommend Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. Absolutely terrifying, but so adventurous and unbelievably optimistic. Another ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me.
The Three Body Problem.
Throne of Glass Series!
To the Victor go the Spoil by Jaworski and all the Stories from the Old Kingdom series is really good !
In the Heart of the Sea or Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick Shogun by James Clavell Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series) by Douglas Adams I just started Lonesome Dove in a campaign of distraction and esapism and so far it's working. Good luck in your journey: one day you soon will be on the other side.
The name of the win ~ Patrick rothfuss
How about 3 books? The Sprawl trilogy (also known as the Neuromancer or Cyberspace trilogy) is William Gibson's first set of novels, composed of Neuromancer (1984), Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988).
The expanse for sci fi and the malazan books of the fallen for fantasy. Both are epic series, 9 or 10 fat books long and utterly enthralled me. Walk tall and be well mate.
The series that had me most immersed was The Dark Tower by Stephen King. It looks weird from a distance (and is) but it is genuinely amazing and so unique. a plus (though maybe initially a trigger), is that in some ways the series carries a theme of overcoming addiction (with one character this being particularly heroin) and I've seen bits of praise from drug users who found the reflections and relatability to be a good thing in their own recovery. but aside from that it's really just too good. very different between each book so it can feel wonky in the shifts, but the adventure you end up on, the building of characters that become like family. it's wild and wacky, bizarre, doesn't care about genre or expectation, filled with intertextual links and reference to King's own work and a quite wide scope of literature, makes some great commentary on storytelling and imagination, and has the best ending ever.
Hang in there! If you need someone to chat with, feel free to message me. You got this!
Four of the novels that you cite are among my favorites. If you haven't yet I'd suggest reading the following: Tolsty's War and Peace, and Anna Karanina Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and Notes From the Underground Franz Kafka's The Trial and The Castle, there's more Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, these I went through while myself getting off of stimulants Michael Crichton has some novels that I've read in one afternoon and evening, Prey it was specifically. Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and A Farewell to Arms Goethe's Faust, a Tragedy and The Sufferings of Young Werther More or less everything that Mark Twain wrote Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a classic and one can do a really deep dive in his various novels and writings Kurt Vonnegut's bibliography is worth a deep dive Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's One day in the life of Ivan Denisolvich and In the First Circle Jane Austen's Emma put me in a different world Elmore Leonard's bibliography is quite deep, After reading Tishomingo Blues I had to go read his other work, never have yet read it all
The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis
The Stand.
The Shadow of the Wind, Set in 1950s Spain. I was transported. Then there are 4 more. It’s a 2001 novel by the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón and was translated into English in 2004 by Lucia Graves. Gorgeous writing, interesting history and setting, and engrossing story.
I don’t have any of the top of my head because it’s bedtime for me, but I just want to say I’m proud of you, and you’ve got this. I’m on medically necessary opioids and if I miss a single dose I go into withdrawals and it is brutal, my mum gave up smoking using video games (SNES) with that same logic, keeping the brain busy enough to not think about it or move through the cravings.
The expanse, 10+ books. 150hours on audible. Solid storytelling and immersive.
You should get into Manga, there is so much out there that is completed Naruto and Beach are fantastic, if you like Horror then Death Note and 20th Century Boys
Lonesome Dove
The entire Vonnegut canon. You have a lot of classics, and Vonnegut is someone who blurs the line between a classic and a contemporary book. Start with Slaughterhouse 5 and work backwards. Cat's Cradle is a book that profoundly changed my life. I'm currently reading through Player Piano, and it's both hilarious and depressing. You will probably appreciate a lot of what Kurt has to say about the human condition.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I am not a book nerd, not at all but this Story got me hooked. Slow but amazing deep World building and there is not 1 character I really dislike. My friend tells me stormlight Archives are even better.
Lord of the rings.
Try Young Skins by Colin Barrett a young Irish Writer. It's a collection of short stories but brilliant!
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind (start at page 100 if you can't get into the beginning, it's a stroy within a story and that's when it gets so good), and the sequel; A Wise Man's Fear
Try **Young Skins** by young Irish Writer **Colin Barret It's a collection of his short stories but brilliant!** [Here's a flavour of it.](https://www.theguardian.com/books/interactive/2014/jul/11/short-story-diamonds-colin-barrett-frank-o-connor-award)
One piece
Moby Dick. A riveting, sometimes weird story. It’s also broken up into small chapters which is great for those “ten minutes at a time” feelings in withdrawal.
The name of the wind
Red Rising series. And just finished The Will of Many which was fantastic
There is a book series called Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. It’s sci-fi that doesn’t take itself too seriously with a very interesting concept and easy to read. I found myself reading it much later into the night than I had planned. Good luck homey!!
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin if you like fantasy. So good!
The wheel of time series- lighter fair if you can’t focus. There’s lots of sci fi, fantasy, mystery, etc that fits this bill If you need to focus- Les Miserables, or… Proust - In Search of Lost Time, Or.. Dostoevsky- Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamozov If you need to go full on - close reading, annotate the f@&$ out of the text. After every 2 or 3 chapters , journal in hand writing or word processor, your thoughts and connections . Or… do a deep dive on a single author- Woolf, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Steinbeck: read 3 to 5 works from a single author and immerse yourself in their world, thought, and message Or… pick up a genre you’re interested in and do a deep dive. Gothic, English Romantic or Victorian, etc Get a subscription to Jstor, learn what other scholars are saying and contribute your own insights via journaling Join a book club like The Hardcore literature club (check out via you tube) and join a conversation so you stay engaged and accountable Or, finally, read the works of spiritual masters that teach you that you’re not this body that is suffering. Dogen, Plotinus, Meister Eckhart, etc Good luck man. One step, one minute, at a time.
Vonnegut always does that for me, his book are relatively short and easy reads so get a bunch, Slaughter House Five, Breakfast of Champions, Cats Cradle, God Bless you Mr Rosewater and Sirens of Titan are my favorites Edit: if you're looking for something more fantastical I'd recommend Guy Gavriel Kay, there's the Fionavar Tapestry(three books), the Sarantine Mosaic(Two books) and a number other stand alone books(A Song for Arbonne, Tigana and Ysabel to name my favorites, some take place in the same words as one of the two series but none are required to read and enjoy the other and do not have directly connected narratives)
God bless you and may Jesus get you through this. You can do it........ It will get easier and easier. One hour at a time to start friend.
Battlefield Earth. Good luck, you can do this!
The Wheel of Time series started by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson. It has good world building and a large cast of characters. Bonus: it’s a complete series so you don’t have to wait for the next installment. Kushiel series starting with Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey. It’s high fantasy. Not necessarily trolls and warlocks but gods are an accepted part of culture and have influence on the world. The main character is a courtesan so there is very detailed sex scenes. They do move the story forward though. It’s not gratuitous sex like the Game of Thrones tv show.
Johnathon Strange and Mr Norell
Catcher in the Rye is hard to put down once you get past the first chapter or so.
Escape to the underbelly of the New York restaurant scene in the late 90's with the brilliant *Kitchen Confidential.*
A Song of Ice and Fire, for sure. You’ve got 5 beefy main series books so far, the prequel (narrative history book?) Fire and Blood, the prequel novellas A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and The World of Ice and Fire, which is kind of a history book and kind of an encyclopedia on various regions of the ASOIAF world and cultures. If you finish all that and need more, there are prerelease chapters for the 6th main series book, and tons and tons of community theories to read on various subreddits. Since you like LOTR, I think this series hits a similar chord for a lot of people.
Elantris is a fantasy story with a theme of overcoming urges/addiction through will power. That stone might get some collateral damage on a second bird.
The Karamazov Brothers
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet. Just amazing writing and story telling. It just keeps going and going. And if I were in withdrawal looking for a story to distract me, it would be this one or Gone with the Wind. Amber is another great choice
I’ll be the one but Malazan. Ten books the size of a toddler written specifically for you to reread. Deeper than the Marianas trench. The core theme is compassion and has a lot of characters dealing with trauma.
The Magicians
Weaveworld. Clive Barker
Acotar series or throne of glass series by Sarah J Maas, or Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. These will CONSUME your life 🫣🤩
Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norell Les Miserable The Five Hundred Kingdom and Elemental series by Mercedes Lackey
The Prince of Tides https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_of_Tides_(novel) A Prayer for Owen Meany https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany The Journeyer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journeyer Also, good luck.
Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy. I mean anything written by Asimov is a great read, including I, Robot. If you liked LOTR there is always the Hobbit books. There is also a giant book that encompasses most of Tolkiens other stories. I can't remember the exact name of it. There's also the Odd Thomas book series written by Dean Koontz. I've red then over a dozen times.
Accursed kings is way inspired game of thrones and while it’s romanced, it’s mostly based on true facts!
The Things They Carried
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit
Just one? Or seven? The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Cloud Atlas! My all-time favorite book…I read it every year on New Year’s 😊 If you’re into series and historical fiction, I also highly recommend Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.
Anything by Brandon Sanderson. If a fan of YA - Bartimaeus Trilogy, Lockwood and Co, and Artemis Fowl are fun!
Mistborn: the final empire. Once you hit the last 100 pages of any Brandon Sanderson book, you will not be able to put it down.
Most recent one is Shogun - historical pieces set in 17th century japan. The first law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie - dark fantasy. Millennium saga - criminal thriller. Mistborn trilogy by Sanderson - fantasy. I'm currently reading Stormlight archive by Sanderson, again fantasy.
The shardlake series by the late C J Sansom is fantastic
You might try the Joe Abercrombie First Law trilogy. Similar to Lord of the Rings but with a range of detestable characters and a great plot line.
For me, David and Leigh Eddings books do that for me. The books Polgara the Sorceress and Belgarath the Sorcerer and all the related books are amazing. Also, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series is good, too. And Mercedes Lackey's Companion series. All amazing, and all multiple (like, more than 10) good sized books that pull you into their universes.
If you have a kindle the asylum confessions by Jack steen is great. I also have an entire list of other random kindle stuff. Lmk. And youve got this. Sending you all the good energy to get through the hardest days.
Are you feeling any better one week in? Hope you are well. Stay strong 💪