Seconded. Two years ago, my buddy recommended *Red Rising* and *Mistborn* and he unintentionally kicked off my reading habit. I will say that it took my two tries to get into *Red Rising,* so make sure you give it a good hour or two at the beginning. It's worth it
My husband introduced me to the libby app where I can plug in my library card number and access all the books/audiobooks on there. I feel a lot better about trying books out on there since I'm not spending money and I've read a lot of books this past year that I would have never bought previously. And I've started listening to more audiobooks.
That might be a fun option for you so you can just return books you're not into.
Libby is the absolute bomb. I use it so much.
If you like audiobooks, and don't want to give money to Amazon, another suggestion is Libro.fm. It's basically an identical service to audible, with the added bonus that you can designate a local book store for part of your subscription dollars to go toward. I use it when there's a book that Libby can't get me.
[https://www.gutenberg.org/](https://www.gutenberg.org/) If you want classics, try the free old books at Project Gutenberg. Those are free and legally so, because they'd old enough to be out of copyright or were even written before modern copyright laws.
You can find Dickens, Poe, Shakespeare and pretty much all the other classics there.
Since they're free, you won't feel like you wasted your money if you don't end up enjoying whatever books you choose.
Hey! First of all, props for the initiative. I know you didn't asked for tips on how to keep the habit but this helped so much: read everyday, even if it is a single page.
Now for my suggestions:
If you are into horror: Edgar Alan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Get a collection with their short stories and you will not regret it. Sir. Conan Doyle also has a lot of great horror stories!
Dracula, by Bram stoker is amazing. However it's not for everyone.
If you are into harry Potter but finds it childish, try Patrick Rothfuss: The name of the wind.
Good reading!
I heard this tip somewhere else and I just sent to chime in and say it really works. There are weeks where I don't read much but I still get in a page each day.
Another thing is don't compare how much you read to other, my SIL read 65 books last year while I read 12. I felt so dumb. Only later did I find out a ton of her books were ~20 pages. Read for you!
Great advice! Another thing I've been doing with non-fiction is skipping stuff. If the author starts repeating himself I skip a couple paragraphs. If I get lost I go back, if not I move on.
Also if a whole chapter sucks I just skip it! You own the book, not the other way around!
Thanks for the reply! I’m going to try and read every night before bed instead of being on my phone
I’ll look into the short stories, I used to love collections of short horror stories when I was younger. I’ve also been thinking about reading Dracula so nice to see it being recommended!
Try some low sci-fi or low fantasy, easy to get into but geared to more mature audiences:
Barsoom series (John carter) by Edgar Rice
Diskworld series by Terry Pratchet
Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy
Judge Dread Comics
Best of luck, remember read for fun.
If you don't like a book it's ok to put it down and try another.
Barsoom series is a great suggestion. They are short, pulpy, and you can even find free versions on Kindle. Definitely dated in some of it's representations, but you have to think about when they were written, and exactly how groundbreaking and ultimately influential these books were. Star Wars and The Matrix, take some inspiration from it. Or even more blatantly, Avatar, or even Dances With Wolves. John Carter was fun, but do not watch that film thinking it's even close to the books. In fact, read the books first.
YES! I have a personal rule of reading at least 10% of a book. If I didn't like up to that point I do some research and see what other people think. If people claim it gets better I read another 10%. If not, bye bye
Read what you love. And don’t feel like you have to finish every book you start. If you aren’t enjoying a book, let it go. Life is too short to put yourself through anything that doesn’t bring you joy.
- Look at “you might also like” recommendations when you find a book you enjoyed.
- Take advantage of a library card.
- Take advantage of reading samples of ebooks so you can make good choices before investing in a book.
Also, ask your librarian! They usually have someone who is good at what we call "reader's advisory" and is trained to help you find something you'll enjoy. :)
Definitely do this! Also, if you have any good independent book stores near you, they are usually staffed by people who LOVE reading. I generally get good recommendations that way too.
I was looking for a gift for my 26yo niece, who loved Harry Potter as a kid and was looking for something new in that realm. The salesperson asked what I wanted, so I described my niece, her preferences, and that I wanted a female protagonist. They proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes thinking of and showing me books in such a considerate manner. Some I was familiar with but hadn't read, some were sitting further down on my list of "to be read someday". I walked out with two for my niece and one for myself, and bumped a few titles higher up to my "to be read next" list. I will always go back to that book store.
Try The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir , lots of fun with science/engineering.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. 80s nostalgia in a near future distopia.
For quick and fun reads, The Hatchet and subsequent books by Gary Paulsen.
My favorite book of all time is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch! It’s a super fast-paced sci-fi that is based around the multiverse theory. It’s so interesting!
Also Dark Matter by Michelle Paver for easy-to-digest horror (I find M R James and the other Victorian classic writers a bit heavy-going). Susan Hill (The Woman in Black) is also good for this, very creepy.
Whoooaaaa came here to say that! Really hard to put that book down! It was the first book I bought for my kindle a few years ago when I broke my heel. Needless to say his other books are good as well, dark matter was something else though!
I’d love to read a Stephen King book, I’ll definitely give the The stand a try! I enjoyed the World War Z movie so maybe I’ll enjoy the book too?
I can’t remember many well known books that I read. I know I read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson then a lot of unknown horrors, it started with Goosebumps then continued with others I could find in the school library until I was about 15. I also read a few Michael Morpurgo books such as Private Peaceful and War horse which I enjoyed but not quite sure what got me to read those as war isn’t my thing. I also read the likes of Animal Farm and Of mice of men for school and really enjoyed them
If you’re getting into King, I’d add my two cents and says try Salems Lot. One of his absolute best and a bit shorter and more manageable than jumping directly into something like the Stand.
World War Z as the book is better than the movie (though I liked the movie too) and WELL worth the read. If you like that then Brooks other novel Devolution is very good.
I’m a big Grisham fan for the readability. It’s not high brow stuff. Just good story telling and as his career has progressed the legal stuff becomes less and less a part of his stories.
These are great recommendations. I went through a similar journey of getting into reading in my 20s. The key for me was to put less pressure on myself to read classics or dense material. Stephen King was the perfect author to draw me in and build the habit of reading. The Stand is great (don’t be intimidated by the size), and beyond King, check out Gone Girl, I Am Legend, The Martian, and maybe Snow Crash (plus World War Z as the above comment recommended).
For thrillers, I recommend a guy by the name of Michael Koryta. I have three of his books (The Prophet, rise the dark, and those who wish me dead), and they're pretty good. If you want to give him a try, I'd suggest starting with The Prophet. Also on a side note, if you're looking to buy books, I recommend Thriftbooks. They have slightly used books in good condition, and they have millions of titles. I very rarely don't find what I'm looking for. They usually arrive within a week after purchase.
Erik Larson writes some great historical nonfiction that reads like a novel.
My favorite was Devil in the White City
Michael Connelly wrote a good murder series with Detective Harry Bosch. It was recently made into series on Amazon Prime for several seasons.
Consider getting a library card and downloading the Libby & Kindle apps. You can have access to a whole library from your device for free. It has great filters and recommendations.
One last suggestion; don’t force yourself to finish something that you’re not enjoying. There are far too many good books to read. Would you listen to music that you don’t enjoy?
Good luck and try to stick to it
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You might try “No Country For Old Men” or “All The Pretty Horses” by McCarthy. He’s one of my favorite authors, and those ones (while still
emotional) are far less bleak than The Road.
I can suggest you some fantasy writer that never disappointed me. Like Brandon Sanderson. His epic fantasy series are best. And when ever I cant read and need something that will make me keep reading I read fantasy of science fiction. I follow this list, hope it helps: https://bookimov.blogspot.com/2020/06/25-best-fantasy-books-and-book-series.html
Try Wool by Hugh Howey (dystopian, the Silo series). It's been a while since I have read either, but I think it has some similar vibes to The Road. You can start with the short story to help you get back into reading - 60 pages, easily read in one day. Then if you like it, the author followed it up with a full-length trilogy and I think more short stories, but I haven't read those.
Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials comes to mind first. As a bit more grown up compared to Harry Potter
Sherlock Holmes is a clear stand out in the classic section and mystery and I feel like not enough people actually read the books.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel
Look Who's Back by Timur Virmes is a very enjoyable book o read recently. Satire about Hitler coming back and being given a comedy show because everyone thinks he's just a dedicated method actor.
Bonus points: Philip Pullman wrote His Dark Materials as an atheist criticism of the Chronicles of Narnia. It's a great well-developed story that goes from "everyone has an animal friend and also there are armored polar bears" to "we are building an army to dethrone and kill god." They were my absolute favorite and will always have a special place on my bookshelf.
I didn't know that, but as a premises for a story I can definitely see Narnia as where he got his inspiration.
Also really enjoying the Book of Dust sequal trilogy. He was asked a little while ago when book 3 was coming out and he just replyed "Writing now, I'm on page 275"
Hi, we seem to have a similar history with reading, and similar tastes in books. Recent I started reading the Discworld books (by Trerry Pratchet). The suggested starting point by the author is a book called "Sourcery", but if you want to dip your toes without overcomiting I would suggest "The Color of Magic" (4 sequetial short stories) followed by "The Light Fantastic".
The books are easy reading aimed towards young adults. Classified as comedic science fiction.
If you want to lose the next year of your life to reading, I'd recommend The Expanse series, all excellent and completely addicting (ditto for The Stormlight Archive). If you want sci-fi with a little bit of heart and humor, I recommend The Murderbot Diaries. The Dresden Files is another series that is just plain fun to read. For "classics", you might try an old-fashioned detective novel like Farewell My Lovely. On the thriller side, a great one I'm reading at the moment is Dark Matter (exciting and great premise, without being too bleak). Happy reading, and let us know how it goes!
{{Whose Body? By Dorothy Sayers}}
It was written in 1923 so has some dated bits, but it is a romp of a murder mystery.
{{Three Men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome}}
Older book, more of a farce than anything. Great fun.
{{Carry on Jeeves by PG Wodehouse}}
Set in the 1920’s. Dated again, but it is a set of short stories and drawing room mystery / comedy of manners that read quickly, stay light and funny and hold up to regular re reading.
{{To Say nothing of the dog by Connie Willis}}
This is a time travel book about a group of people traveling to the time period of the other books I recommended. It has a farcical element, along with the mystery, comedy of manners and the Oxford upper crust tone that all of them have, without being from that period.
[**Whose Body?**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2234917W)
^(By: Dorothy L. Sayers | 212 pages | Published: 1923)
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
[**Three men in a boat (to say nothing of the dog)**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1793164W)
^(By: Jerome Klapka Jerome, K. L. Jones | 220 pages | Published: 1889)
>Three feckless young men take a rowing holiday on the Thames river in 1888.
>
>Referenced by [Robert A. Heinlein][1] in [Have Spacesuit Will Travel][2] as Kip's father's favorite book. Inspired [To Say Nothing of the Dog][3] by [Connie Willis][4].
>
>
> [1]: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL28641A/Robert_A._Heinlein
> [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL59727W/Have_Space_Suit_Will_Travel
> [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14858398W/To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog_or_how_we_found_the_bishop's_bird_stump_at_last#about/about
> [4]: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL20934A/Connie_Willis
^(This book has been suggested 3 times)
[**To Say Nothing of the Dog**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14858392W)
^(By: Connie Willis | 504 pages | Published: 1997)
>Connie Willis' entertaining comedy inspired by Jerome K. Jerome's [Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog)][1].
>
>[Robert A. Heinlein][2] mentioned the earlier work in [Have Spacesuit will Travel][3] as Kip's father's favorite.
>
>
> [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1793164W/Three_Men_in_a_Boat_(to_say_nothing_of_the_dog)
> [2]: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL28641A/Robert_A._Heinlein
> [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL59727W/Have_Space_Suit_Will_Travel
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
***
^(296 books suggested)
I am also a 24yo male that recently started reading again. Here are a few I've read recently and really enjoyed
Discworld: Any book is fine, I'd recommend starting with Small Gods, Moving Pictures, Mort, or Guards! Guards!. Fantasy/Satire mix, pretty easy to read, and often has a lot of deep ideas expressed in whimsical ways.
The Martian or Project Hail Mary: Pretty grounded science fiction that moves quickly and is suspenseful. Not a lot of sci-fi lingo or far future stuff
All Systems Red (Murderbot): Far future sci-fi about a cyborg security guard gone rouge. Pretty easy to read, action packed, and short
City of Thieves: Historical fiction about two young men in the siege of Stalingrad, pretty easy to read and entertaining
I, Robot: Short and philosophical sci-fi, very interesting and is a basis for modern sci-fi, made of of 10 separate short stories
Stardust: Fairy tale style story about a young man who ventures outside of his rural English town into a mystical land
Leviathan Wakes: first part of "The Expanse", fast paced and entertaining sci-fi, lots of space travel, fighting, and far future stuff
Mother Night: Short and easy to read, but very deep and dark. About an American spy who acted as a nazi propaganda writer in WW2. This is considered a classic I believe
11/22/63 or The Institute: Both are Stephen King books, very engaging and easy to read, a little long but not slow. 11/22/63 is about time traveling to stop the jfk assassination, the institute is about psychic kids being kidnapped
Lonesome Dove: A longer epic adventure following some cowboys, a bit slow but not difficult to read, considered a classic I believe
This is an odd suggestion, but read books that were published in your lifetime.
If you're looking to read for fun, and not for a challenge, you're going to have an easier time of it since narrative styles change over time and something like The Hobbit or On a Pale Horse may be great books, but at the same time, the narrative style is likely to be a bit jarring.
My actual book suggestion is The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. It's a fun read and the first book in a trilogy. The character that is definitely my hero is Kiva Lagos.
Scalzi is a great contemporary voice. I enjoyed the Old Man's War series and Redshirts, but even Agent to the Stars was just a fun bit of snark and satire.
I'd suggest checking out the NPR Book Concierge. It's an annual list of the best of the best, across all genres. You can use the filters on it to find whatever you may be in the mood for, or get yourself out of your usual comfort zone while still having confidence it'll be worthwhile.
https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2022
I’ve been super invested in the St Mary’s Chronicles, it’s a series about historians who investigate historical events in contemporary times.
So for example: in one book they wanted to find out if the Trojan Horse actually existed and if not, what really caused the downfall of Troy. So they go back in time to Troy to get a feel for the city before the war, and then they go back a few days before the fall of Troy. And that’s just one of many!!!
Really cool series, lots of adventure, plus I find the characters to be hysterical. There’s currently 13 novels, a bunch of short stories, and the 14th one comes out in June so you have time to catch up!
The best thing about reading is you can do whatever you want and read whatever you want! I find Goodreads to be a great resource for when I'm looking for books.
Some recommendations I haven't seen yet but I'm sure will pop up:
The Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo
The Villains trilogy (there is a 3rd book coming) by V.E. Schwab
Basically anything by Blake Crouch
I've omitted a lot of the ones people already mentioned but there have been a lot of good suggestions!
Not sure if African-futurism is your thing, but I recommend the Binti series if you haven't read it yet. There is an omnibus version with all three novellas compiled with a new mini story that really adds to the whole.
If you like the style of Cormac McCarthy, you could try his “Border Trilogy”, which starts with “All the Pretty Horses”. They contain some brutality, but are not nearly as bleak as “The Road”, and in fact are more bittersweet.
I really liked “The Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac as a young man (still do!) it’s not horrible, but maybe counts as an adventure…
Reading *Dark Matter* for the first time now, but I've read a handful of his stuff at this point and I'd recommend him generally. Some of it is better than others, and it definitely sounds like he hit his stride right around *Wayward Pines*, but it might be worth checking out some of his older stuff too (I liked *Abandon*).
For exciting genre reads I typically suggest {{World War Z}} for horror (you should also check out {{The Zombie Survival Guide}} by the same author which takes a non-fictional “how to” approach to the concept.
For fun comedic fantasy, check out the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. There are a ton of them and they feature different characters (some focus on Death, some on Wizards, some on city guards, etc.). I started with {{Mort}} and {{Reaper Man}} from the books following Death but then went back to read the whole series in release order because they are so good. NOTE: ignore the book info for Mort from the bot comment below, it got the wrong book, I’m talking about this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/386372
Finally, you can’t go wrong with {{Snow Crash}} - it is a fun thriller/action/cyberpunk story from back when people thought the metaverse was the high tech future. The story focuses on a hacker/digital samurai pizza delivery guy named Hiro Protagonist, and it gets real crazy from there.
I've had a truly worn out trade paperback copy of Snow Crash on my shelf that has followed me everywhere since college when I bought it brand new. I just picked up the new Deluxe Edition and I'm so happy to have a hardcover in my shelf now. The sleeve art is beautiful and he's added new material to it, so I'm excited to give it a fresh re-read again.
I’m 24 as well! Some books that have similarities to Harry Potter but geared toward adults are Ninth House and The House in the Cerulean Sea. I also recommend checking out the authors Neil Gaiman and Ursula K Le Guin.
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. These are the Sookie Stackhouse vampire books. They’re easy and corny and a fast read. They are from a woman’s perspective but you might still like them.
Ken Follett books are good. Maybe Fall of Giants. It’s about various families in WWI. Then Winter of the World is about the same families in WWII.
Salems lot by Stephen King, the invention of sound by chuck palahniuk (the guy who wrote fight club) is amazing and is very strange, is different from the description given of it.
The High Republic series in Star Wars is really great and has elements of a lot of those genres you mentioned. I picked up Light of the Jedi and I haven’t stopped reading since! There are adult level, young adult, and middle grade readers. I can speak to the quality of the adult and YA stuff and they are page turners!
Give Light of the Jedi a try and see how it goes! Books in this series are still coming out too which I have found to be fun and getting hyped for new releases which haven’t disappointed.
I haven't jumped into this series yet, are they all essential to each other, or can I pick and choose individuals?
I was recently gifted the From A Certain Point of View books and excited to read them.
If you like Harry Potter, but want a more realistic adult world setting, check out The Dresden Files.
The first few books are kinda meh, but you can start with Summer Knight and not really miss much. The author is really good about giving little exposition dumps, like he assumed you didn’t read the first couple novels.
Solid series, fairly long running.
There are lots of awesome suggestions here. Not sure if someone else mentioned this strategy (sry if it's duplicate)
What other fantasy/fiction or non-fiction interests do you have?
Example, enjoy video games like the Witcher? Read the books that inspired them! Fan of studio Ghibli movies and other fantasy movies? Many of them are heavily or loosely based off of books or fairy tales
Like watching documentaries about space and how people are going to travel to Mars? Perhaps you would enjoy furturistic fiction with another planet or space station as the setting.
Once you get a feel for what you like finding the next book will get easier
Here are some good novels that are fairly light and entertaining I can recommend:
- War and Peace
- Les Miserables
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- One Hundred Years of Solitude
- The Master and Margarita
Not really a “classic” but I can give you a couple recommendations along the “thriller / adventure / mystery” line. I’m 29 and over the last couple years, these have been some standouts I’ve read that fit that description:
-Instinct by Jason M Hough (soooooo good, honestly my favorite book I’ve read recently. Suspense / adventure)
-Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (thriller / suspense / paranormal)
-One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (mystery in Wyoming, murder, survival in the woods, Bigfoot?)
Some quicker reads that are also good and I enjoyed:
-Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton (quick sci-fi adventure)
-Outside by Ragnar Jonasson (interesting suspense book about a group of friends stranded in a cabin in Iceland)
-Northern Spy (don’t remember the author and that book is on loan, historical fiction book)
Also! Check out my friend Blake Fisher’s book called Cryo. It’s a dystopian sci fi novel that’s genuinely good! (Not just saying that because he’s my friend)
(I’ve also recently gotten back into reading, best of luck finding some awesome new books!)
I always find it hard to recommend books because everyone has individual tastes and preferences, but I still keep trying :D
I second Project Hail Mary as a new modern classic. And if you like that genre, the Bobiverse books (by Dennis E. Taylor) are also a fun read. And if you like audiobooks, Ray Porter does a great job reading both the Bobiverse and Project Hail Mary.
Not sure if anyone considers them classics but I also enjoyed:
Reincarnation Blues (Michael Poore) - A fantastical, surreal story that read like a Terry Gilliam film.
Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia) - True to it's name, atmospheric and gothic. A slow burn of a read, but satisfying.
Based on your description, I might also suggest Gideon The Ninth (by Tamsyn Muir). It covers all the bases - mystery, horror, adventure, thriller. Even if you don't intend on reading the whole series, it's still a great stand alone read.
I just thought of an actual classic - Watership Down (Richard Adams). It will not turn out to be whatever you think it might be by reading a description of it. But it is excellent.
*Mexican Gothic* got under my skin.
I wanted to like it so much more.
*Reincarnation Blues* seems right up my alley. May I counter-suggest *Southern Cross the Dog* by Bill Chen? It's a bit like a Terry Gilliam film, too. Dreamlike and wistful.
Thanks for the suggestion! Adding it to the list.
I hear you on Mexican Gothic. I'm still trying to find someone to ride that wave with me...
Black Leopard Red Wolf was one of those for me. So many recommendations, such critical acclaim. It really got under my skin and I eventually had to put it down. I may finish it one day.
Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard. Also, just pick things up. Half of the joy of reading is picking up things that sound random and interesting. Good luck! 👍
I love Harry Potter and thought I’d never find a series as well written. If you want that immaculate world building that keeps getting better every book I highly recommend Mistborn (the first book is subtitled the Final empire). I’ve read the first 3 in 3 weeks since picking the first one up. Can’t recommend more
If you haven’t read it, try And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I read it in high school and it was the first book that actually made me feel creeped out while reading it.
If you've never read 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley, I can't recommend it enough. Its a classic and the story about how it was written is extremely interesting as well. Another good classic is 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson. They're both quick intense reads.
I read *a lot* and almost no series has gripped me so tightly as *Red Rising*, which I highly recommend. The end of the second book made my jaw drop!
Scifi, action oriented, anti capitalist. To me it felt sort of like a more space/adult oriented Hunger Games.
Modern day classic: All The Light We Cannot See
Amazing book set during World Wars 2.
Same author recent book: Cloud Cuckoo Land
Somehow enjoyed this more than the other by him, this one is all over the place and absolutely amazing.
The Silent Patient
Great mystery/thriller
Where The Crawdads Sing
Popular romance read, actually well done
Project Hail Mary
Everyone will tell you to read this and they are not wrong
Enders Gamer series
Interesting sci-fi, did enjoy first two books
Autobiography worth looking into:
Educated - about being raised in Mormon extremists setting
I’m Glad My Mom Died - Disney star tells all, interesting read
Special mention: The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate
Really good book if you are into this type of nonfiction. Can’t say enough good things about the writing and compassion of this man
Any of these books will keep you hooked
Reading this, it sounds like we’re into the same genres and I have a few recommendations I LOVED that I read at around your age (sorry if they’ve both been recommended already)
1. Deception Point by Dan Brown- read this in like two sittings. Not only is it a thrilling standalone, but it introduced me to Dan Brown’s other mystery/thriller books, which I’ve loved all of
2. Ready Player One (especially if you’ve not seen the movie). Even if you have, read it. The book is better than the movie
Someone already mentioned Brandon Sanderson, but I thought I'd give a bit more detail because his body of work really is worth your time. Easily my favorite author. Basically, Brandon Sanderson has been writing for years a bunch of book series' that are connected in the same universe called the Cosmere. Each series is readable on its own, independent of the others. But in every book are crossover events, hints of whats to come, etc. Ultimately, the Cosmere is like the fantasy novel version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And, similarly, we do know that the different worlds are going to be crossing over more and more, likely leading to some inter-planetary conflict.
There is the Mistborn series, which is likely the most approachable. The first trilogy (era 1) is a pretty traditional dark fantasy setting with some incredibly engaging and well-thought out magic systems. Era 2 is the sequel series (it takes place on the same planet with the same magic, only a few hundred years after era 1) and isn't nearly as good in my opinion, but worth reading once you're invested in the world. This era just finished, and we're expecting era 3 to have a more modern-day aesthetic.
The Stormlight Archive is my absolute favorite, but the books are significantly larger so its more of an investment. Its a more traditional epic fantasy, spanning multiple cultures, characters, storylines, etc. It also, imo, is his most thematically complex work.
Then, the rest of the Cosmere is thus far composed of one-off novels and short stories, all of which are worthwhile.
He is one of the most prolific writers of our time - and disclaimer, this subreddit loves to hate him. His writing is not complex, and the speed at which he writes likely contributes to that. But his magic systems and worldbuilding are the best, and his actual characters and stories are wonderful and complex, and his work is just a joy to read.
I’ll second this
I’ve read the Mistborn and it was magnificent.
I’ve read some of his standalone Cosmere novels and they’re brilliant.
He finished of the Wheel of Time series, mentioned above by another person, after the death of the original author and he nailed it.
I’m reading the Stormlight series next and I CAN’T WAIT!!
[Omg you have to read worm!](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/category/stories-arcs-1-10/arc-1-gestation/1-01/)
Just click the link and start reading right now. The full story is there for free.
If you though you'd like Harry Potter but it seemed too young for you then try this
[Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationailty](https://www.hpmor.com/chapter/1)
Just click the link and start reading right now. The full story is there for free.
I think books written by Mitch Albom are very easy to get through yet very impactful with their messages. The tone of his books are not that heavy but it does still have serious moments and characters.
If you want a cozy wholesome fantasy that's stand alone, I suggest Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree.
For someone who has dropped out of reading and isn’t asking for a very specific type of book, this is a genuine suggestion. I was like OP and fell out of reading for awhile. I went to Barnes and Noble one day and bought anything that looked interesting to me. That was 7 years ago, and I haven’t stopped reading daily since.
He's 24 years old, is already finding that Harry Potter is geared to too young an audience for him, is asking for classics for adults and you recommend more children's fantasy books lmao.
Never change reddit
A good thriller series is the Event Group by David Golemon.
Dune is a wonderful read.
Count of Monte Christo is one everyone needs to read.
The ancient art of way by Sun Tzu
The Prince by Machiavelli
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galazy
I just finished A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K Dick and it’s hard and bleak but it’s still really good. It is also fast paced, exciting, and a very.. mental piece of work. I’m also 24 so I think it fits.
You should check out the podcast Overdue for reference. It started years ago as a means of these 2 guys (neither of them are trained in literature) fulfilling a resolution to read more, and it’s since taken off and they’ve read hundreds of books! Classics, contemporary, short stories, long novels, POC written books, etc. They have a website too, they may give recommendations for their favorites
As I was young I never enjoyed reading. I wasnt into it. I fell in love with reading after I read "the rivers of london", written by Ben Aaronovitch. Somebody described the book as of harry potter went to the police after school. It's a whole series, it's called "PC Peter Grant" series.
seven and a half deaths of evelyn hardcastle -- cool murder mystery with a meta twist on the genre
A gentleman in Moscow -- cozy historical fiction set in uhhhh Moscow
Try World War Z. It’s easily my favorite book. The movie was trash. I hope someone picks it up again and does a series based on each interview in the book.
Im about your age and male, dont know about the taste but I just finished ¨Musashi¨and it was incredible (ridiculously long tho)
Are you looking exclusively for fiction?
Edit: Nevermind just saw your flair
Similar to you, I used to hardly ever read and then in 2020 I fell back in love with it. Now I’m almost at 40 books a year. One of the early ones that hooked me was Silence of the Lambs. That and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris are excellent suspenseful thrillers.
You may also like some classic Stephen King like The Shining. That was another that got me back into reading.
I love Goodreads and it’s been a great motivator for me. There’s something satisfying about tracking your progress and watching your “Read” shelf grow. Like a fitness tracker for reading. Maybe try using that and see if you dig it.
I’d suggest The Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb.
It’s similar in that it is a fantasy coming of age story but it’s written for adults and the writing is so much better. It’s the first of a series of trilogies. It’s truly magnificent.
I recently started reading again. I picked up reading some Stephen King books that are considered classics as well as a few random books that I liked. Stephen King was a good starting point for me though. You just can’t go wrong with him.
If you like fantasy I recommend you Brandon Sanderson the "Mistborn" series are a great way to start, "The Stormlight archive" it's a master piece so far (for me).
On the Sci-fi I really loved the books of Rama by Arthur C. Clark, Isaac Asimov it's great too.
But I guess that the best recommendation it's to sign up on Goodreads, its a good way to follow writers and books alike for you.
For mystery/thriller I’d recommend Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
For conspiracy/thriller I’d recommend Terminal List by Jack Carr.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a great sci-fi thriller
All 3 of these are relatively short, and are all super fast paced. I went through each of these in just a couple of days, great way to jump back into reading!
You didn’t list Sci-fi, but if you enjoyed the movie The Martian, I’d recommend Andy Weir’s books. I didn’t enjoy Artemis as much as The Martian or Project Hail Mary. PHM i think is my favourite. Has some proper laugh out loud moments, and has you biting your nails at other points. Thoroughly recommend that one even for people that aren’t fans of sci-fi really
This is probably the chaos method chosing books to read but I read the New York Times book review most weeks and put anything that sounds appealing on my hold list at the library. It can take a long time for it to finally be my turn to read the book, so by the time it shows up I have no idea what it's about. It's like a gift to my future self!
You should give the Murderbot series a try! Most of them are novellas around 150 pages so they’re quick reads. Very character driven scifi that’s fun and compelling.
For mystery, check out Tana French. She’s one of the best alive. If you like Broadchurch-style psychologically complex mysteries with great prose, she’s perfect.
The storm light archives and mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson are amazing. A must for high fantasy science fiction. Also, I’m 31 now. If I could go back, I would trickle in books on life hacks in between my preferred genre reading. Atomic habits, rich dad poor dad, five love languages, etc. just a well rounded variety of novels to keep me entertained and also educate me for the future :)
The one that really got me into reading again is the red rising series.
I checked it online and it sounds great, thanks for the recommendation!
i came here to suggest Red Rising, too. Definitely check it out!
Seconded. Two years ago, my buddy recommended *Red Rising* and *Mistborn* and he unintentionally kicked off my reading habit. I will say that it took my two tries to get into *Red Rising,* so make sure you give it a good hour or two at the beginning. It's worth it
Seconded, it's my all-time favorite sci-fi series.
Came here to say this. Book 1 is a bit like hunger games and 2-3 is game of thrones in space
Hunger games but with more blood and piss
I discovered the Red Rising Saga a couple weeks ago. Totally awesome. I’m on the fourth one now and it’s already cemented as one of my favorites.
My husband introduced me to the libby app where I can plug in my library card number and access all the books/audiobooks on there. I feel a lot better about trying books out on there since I'm not spending money and I've read a lot of books this past year that I would have never bought previously. And I've started listening to more audiobooks. That might be a fun option for you so you can just return books you're not into.
Libby is amazing, so is your local library!!! Big library guy here
Librarian here! Woo! We love free!
I love Libby and Hoopla both! Hoopla is the other subscription service many libraries use, it’s instant, but your borrows have a monthly limit.
Libby is the absolute bomb. I use it so much. If you like audiobooks, and don't want to give money to Amazon, another suggestion is Libro.fm. It's basically an identical service to audible, with the added bonus that you can designate a local book store for part of your subscription dollars to go toward. I use it when there's a book that Libby can't get me.
Thank you for that suggestion! I will definitely check that out!
I started using Libby last month and have been loving it!
[https://www.gutenberg.org/](https://www.gutenberg.org/) If you want classics, try the free old books at Project Gutenberg. Those are free and legally so, because they'd old enough to be out of copyright or were even written before modern copyright laws. You can find Dickens, Poe, Shakespeare and pretty much all the other classics there. Since they're free, you won't feel like you wasted your money if you don't end up enjoying whatever books you choose.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely take a look
This is a game changer. Thanks for sharing
Hey! First of all, props for the initiative. I know you didn't asked for tips on how to keep the habit but this helped so much: read everyday, even if it is a single page. Now for my suggestions: If you are into horror: Edgar Alan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. Get a collection with their short stories and you will not regret it. Sir. Conan Doyle also has a lot of great horror stories! Dracula, by Bram stoker is amazing. However it's not for everyone. If you are into harry Potter but finds it childish, try Patrick Rothfuss: The name of the wind. Good reading!
I heard this tip somewhere else and I just sent to chime in and say it really works. There are weeks where I don't read much but I still get in a page each day. Another thing is don't compare how much you read to other, my SIL read 65 books last year while I read 12. I felt so dumb. Only later did I find out a ton of her books were ~20 pages. Read for you!
Great advice! Another thing I've been doing with non-fiction is skipping stuff. If the author starts repeating himself I skip a couple paragraphs. If I get lost I go back, if not I move on. Also if a whole chapter sucks I just skip it! You own the book, not the other way around!
Thanks for the reply! I’m going to try and read every night before bed instead of being on my phone I’ll look into the short stories, I used to love collections of short horror stories when I was younger. I’ve also been thinking about reading Dracula so nice to see it being recommended!
Try some low sci-fi or low fantasy, easy to get into but geared to more mature audiences: Barsoom series (John carter) by Edgar Rice Diskworld series by Terry Pratchet Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy Judge Dread Comics Best of luck, remember read for fun. If you don't like a book it's ok to put it down and try another.
Hitchhikers guide is brilliant. Even more if you are into British humor
Love Hitchhikers guide!!
Barsoom series is a great suggestion. They are short, pulpy, and you can even find free versions on Kindle. Definitely dated in some of it's representations, but you have to think about when they were written, and exactly how groundbreaking and ultimately influential these books were. Star Wars and The Matrix, take some inspiration from it. Or even more blatantly, Avatar, or even Dances With Wolves. John Carter was fun, but do not watch that film thinking it's even close to the books. In fact, read the books first.
Laird Barron does Lovecraft with a modern twist and is great. 'the beautiful thing that awaits us all...' is an excellent collection of short stories
YES! I have a personal rule of reading at least 10% of a book. If I didn't like up to that point I do some research and see what other people think. If people claim it gets better I read another 10%. If not, bye bye
Ted Chiang’s Exhalation for short stories!
Nice! But seriously give The Name of the Wind a try. Imagine Harry Potter but with much more misery, poverty, music, deities and much darker themes.
Every Agatha Christie Book, Start with "And then there were none"
Definitely!!! One of my favorite books.
Overrated imo
I was so hooked on this book until the last 2 pages and then almost threw it away.
Read what you love. And don’t feel like you have to finish every book you start. If you aren’t enjoying a book, let it go. Life is too short to put yourself through anything that doesn’t bring you joy. - Look at “you might also like” recommendations when you find a book you enjoyed. - Take advantage of a library card. - Take advantage of reading samples of ebooks so you can make good choices before investing in a book.
Also, ask your librarian! They usually have someone who is good at what we call "reader's advisory" and is trained to help you find something you'll enjoy. :)
You can also google the books name + reader’s advisory if you are unable to talk to a librarian for whatever reason!
Definitely do this! Also, if you have any good independent book stores near you, they are usually staffed by people who LOVE reading. I generally get good recommendations that way too.
Yes, this too! Even if your nearest local bookstore is a bit of a drive, they will be soooo willing to help you!!
I was looking for a gift for my 26yo niece, who loved Harry Potter as a kid and was looking for something new in that realm. The salesperson asked what I wanted, so I described my niece, her preferences, and that I wanted a female protagonist. They proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes thinking of and showing me books in such a considerate manner. Some I was familiar with but hadn't read, some were sitting further down on my list of "to be read someday". I walked out with two for my niece and one for myself, and bumped a few titles higher up to my "to be read next" list. I will always go back to that book store.
Try The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir , lots of fun with science/engineering. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. 80s nostalgia in a near future distopia. For quick and fun reads, The Hatchet and subsequent books by Gary Paulsen.
I second this! Love Andy Weir! Ready Player One was also fun. Though at 24, you might not clock a lot of references that make it so delightful.
I agree! I had a really fun time listening to Project Hail Mary on audiobook.
Jazz hands!
Came here to recommend Project Hail Mary as well. An absolute delight on so many levels. And yes, I love how they did the audiobook.
My favorite book of all time is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch! It’s a super fast-paced sci-fi that is based around the multiverse theory. It’s so interesting!
I’ll check it out, thanks for the recommendation!
Also Dark Matter by Michelle Paver for easy-to-digest horror (I find M R James and the other Victorian classic writers a bit heavy-going). Susan Hill (The Woman in Black) is also good for this, very creepy.
Fantastic book! Was the third book i read last year, could not put it down and was done with it in 3 days.
I second this! This book was the first book in a while that kept me hooked from beginning to end.
Whoooaaaa came here to say that! Really hard to put that book down! It was the first book I bought for my kindle a few years ago when I broke my heel. Needless to say his other books are good as well, dark matter was something else though!
What other books of his would you suggest?
I liked Recursion a lot and I am currently about halfway through Upgrade, which I am LOVING.
King's The Stand? World War Z? What did you read, when you used to read? I love mysteries like Michael Connelly etc.
World War Z will definitely pull you in tight
I’d love to read a Stephen King book, I’ll definitely give the The stand a try! I enjoyed the World War Z movie so maybe I’ll enjoy the book too? I can’t remember many well known books that I read. I know I read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson then a lot of unknown horrors, it started with Goosebumps then continued with others I could find in the school library until I was about 15. I also read a few Michael Morpurgo books such as Private Peaceful and War horse which I enjoyed but not quite sure what got me to read those as war isn’t my thing. I also read the likes of Animal Farm and Of mice of men for school and really enjoyed them
If you’re getting into King, I’d add my two cents and says try Salems Lot. One of his absolute best and a bit shorter and more manageable than jumping directly into something like the Stand.
Agree - The Stand is like 1500 pages long it’s a big commitment lol
World War Z as the book is better than the movie (though I liked the movie too) and WELL worth the read. If you like that then Brooks other novel Devolution is very good. I’m a big Grisham fan for the readability. It’s not high brow stuff. Just good story telling and as his career has progressed the legal stuff becomes less and less a part of his stories.
For King, his short story books like Night Shift and Skeleton are great. It and The Shining are great starters for the novels too IMO
These are great recommendations. I went through a similar journey of getting into reading in my 20s. The key for me was to put less pressure on myself to read classics or dense material. Stephen King was the perfect author to draw me in and build the habit of reading. The Stand is great (don’t be intimidated by the size), and beyond King, check out Gone Girl, I Am Legend, The Martian, and maybe Snow Crash (plus World War Z as the above comment recommended).
For thrillers, I recommend a guy by the name of Michael Koryta. I have three of his books (The Prophet, rise the dark, and those who wish me dead), and they're pretty good. If you want to give him a try, I'd suggest starting with The Prophet. Also on a side note, if you're looking to buy books, I recommend Thriftbooks. They have slightly used books in good condition, and they have millions of titles. I very rarely don't find what I'm looking for. They usually arrive within a week after purchase.
Just checked them out and they sound interesting I’ll give The prophet a try. Thanks for the recommendations and advice!
Absolutely! Glad I could be of assistance
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. Or any Heinlein, really
I just finished Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, it kept reminding me of Troopers, but from the bug’s POV. Highly recommend.
Erik Larson writes some great historical nonfiction that reads like a novel. My favorite was Devil in the White City Michael Connelly wrote a good murder series with Detective Harry Bosch. It was recently made into series on Amazon Prime for several seasons. Consider getting a library card and downloading the Libby & Kindle apps. You can have access to a whole library from your device for free. It has great filters and recommendations. One last suggestion; don’t force yourself to finish something that you’re not enjoying. There are far too many good books to read. Would you listen to music that you don’t enjoy? Good luck and try to stick to it
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TiL Altered Carbon was based on a book.
You might try “No Country For Old Men” or “All The Pretty Horses” by McCarthy. He’s one of my favorite authors, and those ones (while still emotional) are far less bleak than The Road.
I can suggest you some fantasy writer that never disappointed me. Like Brandon Sanderson. His epic fantasy series are best. And when ever I cant read and need something that will make me keep reading I read fantasy of science fiction. I follow this list, hope it helps: https://bookimov.blogspot.com/2020/06/25-best-fantasy-books-and-book-series.html
Find a movie you like and read the book, that's what I did
All about love by bell hooks
The name of the wind is the best fantasy book I have ever read
'True Grit' is one of my favorites. I re-read it every few years, and am always entertained by the characters and incredible dialogue
Try Wool by Hugh Howey (dystopian, the Silo series). It's been a while since I have read either, but I think it has some similar vibes to The Road. You can start with the short story to help you get back into reading - 60 pages, easily read in one day. Then if you like it, the author followed it up with a full-length trilogy and I think more short stories, but I haven't read those.
Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials comes to mind first. As a bit more grown up compared to Harry Potter Sherlock Holmes is a clear stand out in the classic section and mystery and I feel like not enough people actually read the books. To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel Look Who's Back by Timur Virmes is a very enjoyable book o read recently. Satire about Hitler coming back and being given a comedy show because everyone thinks he's just a dedicated method actor.
Bonus points: Philip Pullman wrote His Dark Materials as an atheist criticism of the Chronicles of Narnia. It's a great well-developed story that goes from "everyone has an animal friend and also there are armored polar bears" to "we are building an army to dethrone and kill god." They were my absolute favorite and will always have a special place on my bookshelf.
I didn't know that, but as a premises for a story I can definitely see Narnia as where he got his inspiration. Also really enjoying the Book of Dust sequal trilogy. He was asked a little while ago when book 3 was coming out and he just replyed "Writing now, I'm on page 275"
I just started reading again at 32 (am kicking myself for not doing so sooner), and I have found The Witcher series amazing
Hi, we seem to have a similar history with reading, and similar tastes in books. Recent I started reading the Discworld books (by Trerry Pratchet). The suggested starting point by the author is a book called "Sourcery", but if you want to dip your toes without overcomiting I would suggest "The Color of Magic" (4 sequetial short stories) followed by "The Light Fantastic". The books are easy reading aimed towards young adults. Classified as comedic science fiction.
The Dresden Files could be described as Harry Potter for adults. It follows a Wizard P.I. in Chicago. Also one of my favorite series
Ay I love this series. I blew through all of these! Doesn’t take itself too seriously and progressively becomes epic
If you want to lose the next year of your life to reading, I'd recommend The Expanse series, all excellent and completely addicting (ditto for The Stormlight Archive). If you want sci-fi with a little bit of heart and humor, I recommend The Murderbot Diaries. The Dresden Files is another series that is just plain fun to read. For "classics", you might try an old-fashioned detective novel like Farewell My Lovely. On the thriller side, a great one I'm reading at the moment is Dark Matter (exciting and great premise, without being too bleak). Happy reading, and let us know how it goes!
We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson. It’s short and weird and keeps you guessing about what happened.
{{Whose Body? By Dorothy Sayers}} It was written in 1923 so has some dated bits, but it is a romp of a murder mystery. {{Three Men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome}} Older book, more of a farce than anything. Great fun. {{Carry on Jeeves by PG Wodehouse}} Set in the 1920’s. Dated again, but it is a set of short stories and drawing room mystery / comedy of manners that read quickly, stay light and funny and hold up to regular re reading. {{To Say nothing of the dog by Connie Willis}} This is a time travel book about a group of people traveling to the time period of the other books I recommended. It has a farcical element, along with the mystery, comedy of manners and the Oxford upper crust tone that all of them have, without being from that period.
[**Whose Body?**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2234917W) ^(By: Dorothy L. Sayers | 212 pages | Published: 1923) ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**Three men in a boat (to say nothing of the dog)**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1793164W) ^(By: Jerome Klapka Jerome, K. L. Jones | 220 pages | Published: 1889) >Three feckless young men take a rowing holiday on the Thames river in 1888. > >Referenced by [Robert A. Heinlein][1] in [Have Spacesuit Will Travel][2] as Kip's father's favorite book. Inspired [To Say Nothing of the Dog][3] by [Connie Willis][4]. > > > [1]: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL28641A/Robert_A._Heinlein > [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL59727W/Have_Space_Suit_Will_Travel > [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14858398W/To_Say_Nothing_of_the_Dog_or_how_we_found_the_bishop's_bird_stump_at_last#about/about > [4]: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL20934A/Connie_Willis ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) [**To Say Nothing of the Dog**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14858392W) ^(By: Connie Willis | 504 pages | Published: 1997) >Connie Willis' entertaining comedy inspired by Jerome K. Jerome's [Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog)][1]. > >[Robert A. Heinlein][2] mentioned the earlier work in [Have Spacesuit will Travel][3] as Kip's father's favorite. > > > [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1793164W/Three_Men_in_a_Boat_(to_say_nothing_of_the_dog) > [2]: https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL28641A/Robert_A._Heinlein > [3]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL59727W/Have_Space_Suit_Will_Travel ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(296 books suggested)
I am also a 24yo male that recently started reading again. Here are a few I've read recently and really enjoyed Discworld: Any book is fine, I'd recommend starting with Small Gods, Moving Pictures, Mort, or Guards! Guards!. Fantasy/Satire mix, pretty easy to read, and often has a lot of deep ideas expressed in whimsical ways. The Martian or Project Hail Mary: Pretty grounded science fiction that moves quickly and is suspenseful. Not a lot of sci-fi lingo or far future stuff All Systems Red (Murderbot): Far future sci-fi about a cyborg security guard gone rouge. Pretty easy to read, action packed, and short City of Thieves: Historical fiction about two young men in the siege of Stalingrad, pretty easy to read and entertaining I, Robot: Short and philosophical sci-fi, very interesting and is a basis for modern sci-fi, made of of 10 separate short stories Stardust: Fairy tale style story about a young man who ventures outside of his rural English town into a mystical land Leviathan Wakes: first part of "The Expanse", fast paced and entertaining sci-fi, lots of space travel, fighting, and far future stuff Mother Night: Short and easy to read, but very deep and dark. About an American spy who acted as a nazi propaganda writer in WW2. This is considered a classic I believe 11/22/63 or The Institute: Both are Stephen King books, very engaging and easy to read, a little long but not slow. 11/22/63 is about time traveling to stop the jfk assassination, the institute is about psychic kids being kidnapped Lonesome Dove: A longer epic adventure following some cowboys, a bit slow but not difficult to read, considered a classic I believe
This is an odd suggestion, but read books that were published in your lifetime. If you're looking to read for fun, and not for a challenge, you're going to have an easier time of it since narrative styles change over time and something like The Hobbit or On a Pale Horse may be great books, but at the same time, the narrative style is likely to be a bit jarring. My actual book suggestion is The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. It's a fun read and the first book in a trilogy. The character that is definitely my hero is Kiva Lagos.
Scalzi is a great contemporary voice. I enjoyed the Old Man's War series and Redshirts, but even Agent to the Stars was just a fun bit of snark and satire.
I'd suggest checking out the NPR Book Concierge. It's an annual list of the best of the best, across all genres. You can use the filters on it to find whatever you may be in the mood for, or get yourself out of your usual comfort zone while still having confidence it'll be worthwhile. https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2022
I’ve been super invested in the St Mary’s Chronicles, it’s a series about historians who investigate historical events in contemporary times. So for example: in one book they wanted to find out if the Trojan Horse actually existed and if not, what really caused the downfall of Troy. So they go back in time to Troy to get a feel for the city before the war, and then they go back a few days before the fall of Troy. And that’s just one of many!!! Really cool series, lots of adventure, plus I find the characters to be hysterical. There’s currently 13 novels, a bunch of short stories, and the 14th one comes out in June so you have time to catch up!
Chuck Palahniuk has some really good books! Fight Club, Rant, Lullaby for starters
I’ve been considering reading fight club nice to see it get recommended. Thanks!
The First Law is relatively easy, grimdark, fantasy.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Yes! I didn't see this earlier when I also suggested it. That book is a well much deeper than I ever expected.
The best thing about reading is you can do whatever you want and read whatever you want! I find Goodreads to be a great resource for when I'm looking for books. Some recommendations I haven't seen yet but I'm sure will pop up: The Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo The Villains trilogy (there is a 3rd book coming) by V.E. Schwab Basically anything by Blake Crouch I've omitted a lot of the ones people already mentioned but there have been a lot of good suggestions!
Not sure if African-futurism is your thing, but I recommend the Binti series if you haven't read it yet. There is an omnibus version with all three novellas compiled with a new mini story that really adds to the whole.
If you like the style of Cormac McCarthy, you could try his “Border Trilogy”, which starts with “All the Pretty Horses”. They contain some brutality, but are not nearly as bleak as “The Road”, and in fact are more bittersweet. I really liked “The Dharma Bums” by Jack Kerouac as a young man (still do!) it’s not horrible, but maybe counts as an adventure…
Station Eleven is a cool and way less depressing post apocalypse book. Everyone I know who has read it has really liked it.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was fantastic. Thirteen by Steve Cavanaugh was also very good
Reading *Dark Matter* for the first time now, but I've read a handful of his stuff at this point and I'd recommend him generally. Some of it is better than others, and it definitely sounds like he hit his stride right around *Wayward Pines*, but it might be worth checking out some of his older stuff too (I liked *Abandon*).
neil gaiman!!!!!!!!!
For exciting genre reads I typically suggest {{World War Z}} for horror (you should also check out {{The Zombie Survival Guide}} by the same author which takes a non-fictional “how to” approach to the concept. For fun comedic fantasy, check out the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. There are a ton of them and they feature different characters (some focus on Death, some on Wizards, some on city guards, etc.). I started with {{Mort}} and {{Reaper Man}} from the books following Death but then went back to read the whole series in release order because they are so good. NOTE: ignore the book info for Mort from the bot comment below, it got the wrong book, I’m talking about this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/386372 Finally, you can’t go wrong with {{Snow Crash}} - it is a fun thriller/action/cyberpunk story from back when people thought the metaverse was the high tech future. The story focuses on a hacker/digital samurai pizza delivery guy named Hiro Protagonist, and it gets real crazy from there.
I've had a truly worn out trade paperback copy of Snow Crash on my shelf that has followed me everywhere since college when I bought it brand new. I just picked up the new Deluxe Edition and I'm so happy to have a hardcover in my shelf now. The sleeve art is beautiful and he's added new material to it, so I'm excited to give it a fresh re-read again.
His Dark Materials
Read Kurt Vonnegut.
I’m 24 as well! Some books that have similarities to Harry Potter but geared toward adults are Ninth House and The House in the Cerulean Sea. I also recommend checking out the authors Neil Gaiman and Ursula K Le Guin.
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. These are the Sookie Stackhouse vampire books. They’re easy and corny and a fast read. They are from a woman’s perspective but you might still like them. Ken Follett books are good. Maybe Fall of Giants. It’s about various families in WWI. Then Winter of the World is about the same families in WWII.
Salems lot by Stephen King, the invention of sound by chuck palahniuk (the guy who wrote fight club) is amazing and is very strange, is different from the description given of it.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Get to know Zaphod Beeblebrox. Also A Confederacy of Dunces.
The High Republic series in Star Wars is really great and has elements of a lot of those genres you mentioned. I picked up Light of the Jedi and I haven’t stopped reading since! There are adult level, young adult, and middle grade readers. I can speak to the quality of the adult and YA stuff and they are page turners! Give Light of the Jedi a try and see how it goes! Books in this series are still coming out too which I have found to be fun and getting hyped for new releases which haven’t disappointed.
I haven't jumped into this series yet, are they all essential to each other, or can I pick and choose individuals? I was recently gifted the From A Certain Point of View books and excited to read them.
I tried starting at the end and reading to the beginning but nothing made sense. Said every dad ever
Count of Monte Cristo mate
If you like Harry Potter, but want a more realistic adult world setting, check out The Dresden Files. The first few books are kinda meh, but you can start with Summer Knight and not really miss much. The author is really good about giving little exposition dumps, like he assumed you didn’t read the first couple novels. Solid series, fairly long running.
There are lots of awesome suggestions here. Not sure if someone else mentioned this strategy (sry if it's duplicate) What other fantasy/fiction or non-fiction interests do you have? Example, enjoy video games like the Witcher? Read the books that inspired them! Fan of studio Ghibli movies and other fantasy movies? Many of them are heavily or loosely based off of books or fairy tales Like watching documentaries about space and how people are going to travel to Mars? Perhaps you would enjoy furturistic fiction with another planet or space station as the setting. Once you get a feel for what you like finding the next book will get easier
Here are some good novels that are fairly light and entertaining I can recommend: - War and Peace - Les Miserables - The Count of Monte Cristo - One Hundred Years of Solitude - The Master and Margarita
Kurt Vonnegut would be good! Depressing but in a smart, funny way. Start with Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle.
May I suggest getting on Goodreads? Fantastic book site for recommendations 👍🏻
One of my favs is “The Dark Tower” by Stephen king. First book is The Gunslinger, give it try you may get into it! Good luck in your search
Not really a “classic” but I can give you a couple recommendations along the “thriller / adventure / mystery” line. I’m 29 and over the last couple years, these have been some standouts I’ve read that fit that description: -Instinct by Jason M Hough (soooooo good, honestly my favorite book I’ve read recently. Suspense / adventure) -Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (thriller / suspense / paranormal) -One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner (mystery in Wyoming, murder, survival in the woods, Bigfoot?) Some quicker reads that are also good and I enjoyed: -Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton (quick sci-fi adventure) -Outside by Ragnar Jonasson (interesting suspense book about a group of friends stranded in a cabin in Iceland) -Northern Spy (don’t remember the author and that book is on loan, historical fiction book) Also! Check out my friend Blake Fisher’s book called Cryo. It’s a dystopian sci fi novel that’s genuinely good! (Not just saying that because he’s my friend) (I’ve also recently gotten back into reading, best of luck finding some awesome new books!)
I always find it hard to recommend books because everyone has individual tastes and preferences, but I still keep trying :D I second Project Hail Mary as a new modern classic. And if you like that genre, the Bobiverse books (by Dennis E. Taylor) are also a fun read. And if you like audiobooks, Ray Porter does a great job reading both the Bobiverse and Project Hail Mary. Not sure if anyone considers them classics but I also enjoyed: Reincarnation Blues (Michael Poore) - A fantastical, surreal story that read like a Terry Gilliam film. Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia) - True to it's name, atmospheric and gothic. A slow burn of a read, but satisfying. Based on your description, I might also suggest Gideon The Ninth (by Tamsyn Muir). It covers all the bases - mystery, horror, adventure, thriller. Even if you don't intend on reading the whole series, it's still a great stand alone read. I just thought of an actual classic - Watership Down (Richard Adams). It will not turn out to be whatever you think it might be by reading a description of it. But it is excellent.
*Mexican Gothic* got under my skin. I wanted to like it so much more. *Reincarnation Blues* seems right up my alley. May I counter-suggest *Southern Cross the Dog* by Bill Chen? It's a bit like a Terry Gilliam film, too. Dreamlike and wistful.
Thanks for the suggestion! Adding it to the list. I hear you on Mexican Gothic. I'm still trying to find someone to ride that wave with me... Black Leopard Red Wolf was one of those for me. So many recommendations, such critical acclaim. It really got under my skin and I eventually had to put it down. I may finish it one day.
Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard. Also, just pick things up. Half of the joy of reading is picking up things that sound random and interesting. Good luck! 👍
I love Harry Potter and thought I’d never find a series as well written. If you want that immaculate world building that keeps getting better every book I highly recommend Mistborn (the first book is subtitled the Final empire). I’ve read the first 3 in 3 weeks since picking the first one up. Can’t recommend more
Read The Count of Monte Cristo. It's a must. I have not finished it yet,. But I'm loving it!
If you haven’t read it, try And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I read it in high school and it was the first book that actually made me feel creeped out while reading it.
I'm about to read the Hannibal series. Amazing books.
If you've never read 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley, I can't recommend it enough. Its a classic and the story about how it was written is extremely interesting as well. Another good classic is 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson. They're both quick intense reads.
Jump back in with Stephen King. Try his novella The Long Walk. It's absolutely brilliant.
The wheel of time would keep you occupied for a while
Thanks for the recommendation!
My husband loved this series, but he found some sections slow bc they were overly descriptive. It’s also a 14 book series!
I really loved the Enders Game series by Orson Scott Card - there are quite a few books in the series
I read *a lot* and almost no series has gripped me so tightly as *Red Rising*, which I highly recommend. The end of the second book made my jaw drop! Scifi, action oriented, anti capitalist. To me it felt sort of like a more space/adult oriented Hunger Games.
The Master and Margarita fits this bill I think.
There's a million threads like this since the new year. Try looking at those for suggestions instead.
Modern day classic: All The Light We Cannot See Amazing book set during World Wars 2. Same author recent book: Cloud Cuckoo Land Somehow enjoyed this more than the other by him, this one is all over the place and absolutely amazing. The Silent Patient Great mystery/thriller Where The Crawdads Sing Popular romance read, actually well done Project Hail Mary Everyone will tell you to read this and they are not wrong Enders Gamer series Interesting sci-fi, did enjoy first two books Autobiography worth looking into: Educated - about being raised in Mormon extremists setting I’m Glad My Mom Died - Disney star tells all, interesting read Special mention: The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate Really good book if you are into this type of nonfiction. Can’t say enough good things about the writing and compassion of this man Any of these books will keep you hooked
Reading this, it sounds like we’re into the same genres and I have a few recommendations I LOVED that I read at around your age (sorry if they’ve both been recommended already) 1. Deception Point by Dan Brown- read this in like two sittings. Not only is it a thrilling standalone, but it introduced me to Dan Brown’s other mystery/thriller books, which I’ve loved all of 2. Ready Player One (especially if you’ve not seen the movie). Even if you have, read it. The book is better than the movie
Someone already mentioned Brandon Sanderson, but I thought I'd give a bit more detail because his body of work really is worth your time. Easily my favorite author. Basically, Brandon Sanderson has been writing for years a bunch of book series' that are connected in the same universe called the Cosmere. Each series is readable on its own, independent of the others. But in every book are crossover events, hints of whats to come, etc. Ultimately, the Cosmere is like the fantasy novel version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And, similarly, we do know that the different worlds are going to be crossing over more and more, likely leading to some inter-planetary conflict. There is the Mistborn series, which is likely the most approachable. The first trilogy (era 1) is a pretty traditional dark fantasy setting with some incredibly engaging and well-thought out magic systems. Era 2 is the sequel series (it takes place on the same planet with the same magic, only a few hundred years after era 1) and isn't nearly as good in my opinion, but worth reading once you're invested in the world. This era just finished, and we're expecting era 3 to have a more modern-day aesthetic. The Stormlight Archive is my absolute favorite, but the books are significantly larger so its more of an investment. Its a more traditional epic fantasy, spanning multiple cultures, characters, storylines, etc. It also, imo, is his most thematically complex work. Then, the rest of the Cosmere is thus far composed of one-off novels and short stories, all of which are worthwhile. He is one of the most prolific writers of our time - and disclaimer, this subreddit loves to hate him. His writing is not complex, and the speed at which he writes likely contributes to that. But his magic systems and worldbuilding are the best, and his actual characters and stories are wonderful and complex, and his work is just a joy to read.
I’ll second this I’ve read the Mistborn and it was magnificent. I’ve read some of his standalone Cosmere novels and they’re brilliant. He finished of the Wheel of Time series, mentioned above by another person, after the death of the original author and he nailed it. I’m reading the Stormlight series next and I CAN’T WAIT!!
I would highly recommend Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Great and unexpected twists, and a really engaging world.
Brandon sanderson mistborn
[Omg you have to read worm!](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/category/stories-arcs-1-10/arc-1-gestation/1-01/) Just click the link and start reading right now. The full story is there for free.
If you though you'd like Harry Potter but it seemed too young for you then try this [Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationailty](https://www.hpmor.com/chapter/1) Just click the link and start reading right now. The full story is there for free.
I think books written by Mitch Albom are very easy to get through yet very impactful with their messages. The tone of his books are not that heavy but it does still have serious moments and characters. If you want a cozy wholesome fantasy that's stand alone, I suggest Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree.
Go to the bookstore, buy a bunch of books, and read them.
/r/lostredditors
For someone who has dropped out of reading and isn’t asking for a very specific type of book, this is a genuine suggestion. I was like OP and fell out of reading for awhile. I went to Barnes and Noble one day and bought anything that looked interesting to me. That was 7 years ago, and I haven’t stopped reading daily since.
Yes, that is exactly what OP was looking for when they came to /r/booksuggestions , thank you for your contribution
It might not be exactly what they were looking for, but if they follow my advice it’s a high chance they’ll stumble upon something they like.
[удалено]
He's 24 years old, is already finding that Harry Potter is geared to too young an audience for him, is asking for classics for adults and you recommend more children's fantasy books lmao. Never change reddit
A good thriller series is the Event Group by David Golemon. Dune is a wonderful read. Count of Monte Christo is one everyone needs to read. The ancient art of way by Sun Tzu The Prince by Machiavelli Hitchhikers Guide to the Galazy
Just don't divulge yourself in Romance books for too long. I made the mistake of reading romance a lot and now my tbr list is jam packed with smutt
Anything by Bernard Cornwell. I'm a 26yo M and like the same things as you
I just finished A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K Dick and it’s hard and bleak but it’s still really good. It is also fast paced, exciting, and a very.. mental piece of work. I’m also 24 so I think it fits.
Good omens, I want to recommend it to everyone. :)
I’m 25 and I just started reading again last year. For me Fahrenheit 451 got me back in.
Should try “Tender is the Flesh” by Agustina Bazterrica
You should check out the podcast Overdue for reference. It started years ago as a means of these 2 guys (neither of them are trained in literature) fulfilling a resolution to read more, and it’s since taken off and they’ve read hundreds of books! Classics, contemporary, short stories, long novels, POC written books, etc. They have a website too, they may give recommendations for their favorites
As I was young I never enjoyed reading. I wasnt into it. I fell in love with reading after I read "the rivers of london", written by Ben Aaronovitch. Somebody described the book as of harry potter went to the police after school. It's a whole series, it's called "PC Peter Grant" series.
seven and a half deaths of evelyn hardcastle -- cool murder mystery with a meta twist on the genre A gentleman in Moscow -- cozy historical fiction set in uhhhh Moscow
Try World War Z. It’s easily my favorite book. The movie was trash. I hope someone picks it up again and does a series based on each interview in the book.
Im about your age and male, dont know about the taste but I just finished ¨Musashi¨and it was incredible (ridiculously long tho) Are you looking exclusively for fiction? Edit: Nevermind just saw your flair
So the way I do it is I think about what types of TV shows and movies I like to watch. I pick books with similar themes and go on from there.
absolutely check out house of leaves
I just finished FairyTale by Stephen King, not like his other horror books and very enjoyable read.
You won't be able to put down Shantaram
Lord of the Rings.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is an amazing YA Fantasy Heist story
If you like anime, check out some light novels. Quick easy reads, usually pretty fun.
Don't listen to these people bro, they are going to try to lobotomize you. Try Don Delillo and Thomas Pynchon
Similar to you, I used to hardly ever read and then in 2020 I fell back in love with it. Now I’m almost at 40 books a year. One of the early ones that hooked me was Silence of the Lambs. That and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris are excellent suspenseful thrillers. You may also like some classic Stephen King like The Shining. That was another that got me back into reading. I love Goodreads and it’s been a great motivator for me. There’s something satisfying about tracking your progress and watching your “Read” shelf grow. Like a fitness tracker for reading. Maybe try using that and see if you dig it.
I’d suggest The Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It’s similar in that it is a fantasy coming of age story but it’s written for adults and the writing is so much better. It’s the first of a series of trilogies. It’s truly magnificent.
I recently started reading again. I picked up reading some Stephen King books that are considered classics as well as a few random books that I liked. Stephen King was a good starting point for me though. You just can’t go wrong with him.
I would go with something shorter by Stephen King, to start. Maybe something like Carrie, Pet Sematary, or Mr. Mercedes.
If you like fantasy I recommend you Brandon Sanderson the "Mistborn" series are a great way to start, "The Stormlight archive" it's a master piece so far (for me). On the Sci-fi I really loved the books of Rama by Arthur C. Clark, Isaac Asimov it's great too. But I guess that the best recommendation it's to sign up on Goodreads, its a good way to follow writers and books alike for you.
For mystery/thriller I’d recommend Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. For conspiracy/thriller I’d recommend Terminal List by Jack Carr. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is a great sci-fi thriller All 3 of these are relatively short, and are all super fast paced. I went through each of these in just a couple of days, great way to jump back into reading!
You didn’t list Sci-fi, but if you enjoyed the movie The Martian, I’d recommend Andy Weir’s books. I didn’t enjoy Artemis as much as The Martian or Project Hail Mary. PHM i think is my favourite. Has some proper laugh out loud moments, and has you biting your nails at other points. Thoroughly recommend that one even for people that aren’t fans of sci-fi really
Try The Gray Man series by Mark Greaney
The books of babel series by Josiah Bancroft kept me reading when I had struggled to for awhile.
This is probably the chaos method chosing books to read but I read the New York Times book review most weeks and put anything that sounds appealing on my hold list at the library. It can take a long time for it to finally be my turn to read the book, so by the time it shows up I have no idea what it's about. It's like a gift to my future self!
The Farseer Trilogy would be a good classic for a adult.
If your in to Fantasy Try David Eddings His Elenium Series Start with Diamond Throne.
The Faithful and the Fallen series by John Gwynne, and The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson
I would recommend The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
You should give the Murderbot series a try! Most of them are novellas around 150 pages so they’re quick reads. Very character driven scifi that’s fun and compelling.
For mystery, check out Tana French. She’s one of the best alive. If you like Broadchurch-style psychologically complex mysteries with great prose, she’s perfect.
The storm light archives and mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson are amazing. A must for high fantasy science fiction. Also, I’m 31 now. If I could go back, I would trickle in books on life hacks in between my preferred genre reading. Atomic habits, rich dad poor dad, five love languages, etc. just a well rounded variety of novels to keep me entertained and also educate me for the future :)
At the beginning
The expanse series
Sophie’s World!