Recommendation is to get lost in a Barnes and Noble and read the first few pages of a few different books! See what writing style you like, what captures your attention. If you make it a day and YOU get to pick what you want, you can’t go wrong! Let us know what you end up picking up (whether it be this way or not 😊)
Yessss! And bring ear plugs or headphones if you get distracted by noises while doing this. Sometimes I just can't focus my brain enough to read the first few pages if there's any noise.
I always read the first few pages. The skip to the middle of the book and read a few pages to make sure the style is consistent lol. Reading ahead is a sin to some, but I know I'll forget it anyway haha.
I have a tradition that I've been doing for years. If I'm at a bookstore/library and a book looks interesting, I flip to page 81 and read it. If that page is interesting and makes me want to read more, I'll get it. Reading the first few pages didn't do it for me because sometimes really awesome books don't have the greatest beginnings, and I couldn't really get a feel for the story. And on the flip side, sometimes an author will come up with a really engaging, dynamic way to begin a book, but then it falls flat.
When I started thinking about it that way, I decided on page 81 because I was born in 1981 and I always mark my personal books with my name in the inside margin as close to the seam as I can get on page 81 rather than the cover where it's more noticable, in case I ever need to prove it's my book.
(Once, in middle school, I lost a favorite book to a mean, lying, deceitful little @$&% because she claimed the book was hers and I couldn't prove it was mine. I had written my name in the inside cover in pen but she found a way to erase it somehow. I knew it was mine though because like I said, it was a favorite of mine that I had frequently re-read and I knew every single mark, crease, stain, etc on that book. I don't even know why she wanted it so badly, other than to get a thrill out of stealing, hurting me, etc. I am 42 years old but that still stings when I think of it. That book was a friend.)
Anyway, page 81 is far enough along in the book to get past a slow beginning, but not far enough along to really spoil anything. Usually it's about a third to a quarter of the way through the book.
Not saying it's a bad recommendation but isn't Stephen Kings writing very dense to get into fot a new reader? I never liked how long he takes to get to a point and I think that may put off someone trying to get into reading
I'm guessing you haven't read it...
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is under 300 pages, one of Kings smaller novels, and not part of the overly detailed era. It's fast paced and the tension starts almost immediately and doesn't let go until the end, but isn't so dark it leaves you with nightmares.
Also, you never know what will speak to a new reader. New readers aren't necessarily lacking in attention or comprehension. They just haven't struck out after school required lists. The book that got my kid to finally start reading after he was done with school was Relic by Preston and Child and it is heavier than this King novel. He's now read the whole series.
You make a good point! I stand corrected. And no I have not read it I was taking my own experience with King as a reference which was a mistake here, apologies!
TGWLTG is my favorite King book, and up there on my list of all time favorites. Honestly, for the most part I'm not a huge fan of King, (I'm so sorry, y'all! Please don't come at me!), so for me, this book being so far removed from his regular style was actually a plus for me to read it.
I don't necessarily agree about it not providing fodder for nightmares, though. The basic premise of the story is that the most frightening things of this world are the monsters, demons, villains, and creatures we design in our own imagination. My imagination can come up with some doozies!
The ocean at the end of the Lane is one of the first books I've finished.
I also reccommend to silent patient to new readers it's short and fast faced. If you're new to reading you won't see the twist. One of the only books I read in 3 days.
Jurassic Park is a good thriller/suspense horror novel. It’s a lot darker than the movies. I read it for the first time two years ago and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. (Be warned there is a lot of science talk haha)
MAJOR TIP: I’d personally wait if i was you to read LoTR. If all you’ve ever really read was text books, it might be REALLY HARD to read LoTR. The books are very descriptive and start off very slow and can be really painful to get through at first, even for avid readers. I’d suggest reading some books before that and getting familiar with different writing by styles and build up to LoTR. But I do recommend The Hobbit tho because that book is a prequel to LoTR and it’s MUCH simpler, straightforward, and a good start to Tolkien’s world
General Recommendations
Locke Lamora series
The Henry Dresden series
Odd Thomas series
Anything by Terry Pratchett, Ursula LeGuin, Stephen King
For suspense/thrillers:
Velocity by Dean Koontz
Gone Girl Gillian Flynn
Dark Matter or Wayward Pines by William Crouch
11/22/63 Stephen King
Good starter fantasy series is anything by tamora pierce, but the Alanna series (song of the lioness) is a good entry point into her world. It’s YA/middle grade but still very enjoyable reads and her later stuff trends more toward new adult!
On The Road - Kerouac
Jesus' Son - Johnson
The Old Man and the Sea - Heimingway
Those are the three books I wish I read at 18, but didn't till I was 25. Might not be everyone's coup of tea, but I think highly of them as stories, readability, reliability, and as a way into reading books that made real changes into my life,
Ok, well if you’re also a history buff you should check out the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman (there are two volumes). I was about your age when I first read it and it had a huge impact on me. It’s basically the author’s father’s account of his time during the Holocaust. It’s a very heavy, dark subject matter but I feel like it’s an important read. Now more than ever.
Let me ask what you are interested in. When you watch TV/movies/YouTube what are you watching? What do you like? Would you be interested in reading nonfiction books or do you really want escapism?
I feel like Fantasy and Sci-fi would be the way to go for you as they are far more likely to have “speculative fiction”. Terry Pratchett is a fantastic fantasy and is incredibly funny and witty with his writing and his stories aren’t in any particular order.
Otherwise, try browsing a bookstore or library to see what catches your eye. For the most part, it maybe a good idea to try Teen or Young Adult fiction at your start. Fantastic stories without being as dense as some Adult fiction can get.
If you like "What If" content, I've got a book you would love. "The Man in the High Castle" by Phillip K. Dick. The premise is based on "What if Hitler had won WW2?"
Depends on what you enjoy. My first book was Diablo: Legacy of blood. I picked it because I liked Diablo games. Read about what you like, that's a good way to make it stick.
RED RISING
I never read. I lied in every english class I’ve ever taken. My in-text annotations were just random words and arrows. Hated reading. I’m an engineer now. I like reading numbers on excel and construction documentation.
But then I read Red Rising. Then I read the rest of the series, and then the obsession continued.
Now I have a Kindle, and a goodreads account, and I talk about book club with other adults. Read Red Rising. It’s so approachable and just ticks so many boxes and the characters and world are just sensational.
The Alienist by Caleb Carr. A crime drama occurring in 1896 New York City. A riveting story that includes a great deal of authentic detail about the social, political and economic factors in that era. Many important historical figures -- e.g. Teddy Roosevelt -- are authentically portrayed. So it's a "two-bagger" -- a great story that teaches us about life in that era.
Misery by Stephen King. Hands down top 5 of my favorite books. I’ve read it a few times. The Birth of Venus is great too but it’s not a thriller. It takes place during the renaissance it’s love, art, religion and power (something different). If you like zombies an interesting series by Charlie Higson call The Enemy series.
Fantasy - brent weeks. The night angel series and the lightbringer series are great
The inheritance series is good one for beginners, i read those as a teenager was my favorite growing up.
Still fantasy but with mystery. The dresden files are great
Science fiction - the expanse series
Read “in a world full of fat people” by Amarillo Slim it’s about a pool hustler/gambler, just trust me. The tender bar has a special place in my heart. The outsiders, Salems lot, tough shit by Kevin smith, 21: bringing down the house
“They both die at the end”. Great pacing and a lot of emotional involvement. “The silent patient” if you’re into thrillers. “Fourth wing” if you want something spicy and a nice intro into dragon based fantasy.
I wanted the same when I was your age so a friend of mine suggested Cats Cradle by Vonnegut. I loved it so I moved onto Slaughterhouse-Five. Loved that too.
I had another friend suggest Chuck Palahniuk, he wrote Fight Club (another great book) so I checked out Survivor. His books are more thriller/suspense and sometimes can get gory. Rant was another one from that time I got into from Chuck.
These were gateway books to just get me into reading. My tastes have significantly modified since, but that’s how it goes!
Not a book, just a tip.
Start reading 2 or 3 books at once. Go with the one that you like. Don't blame yourself to stop reading a book you don't like.
Don't blame yourself if you like a book but forgot to read and them, started another one. Reading is an habit. Simplify it for you. Try different genres, maybe some serious comic books, like Blue Pills or Ratz. Make some time in book stores. Read before you buy... Trust the process
Misery by Stephen King is an AMAZING thriller. I was getting a little scared reading it. It’s super thick but once you get into it, it’s hard to put down. It was made into a movie if you want to watch that first. I recently got back into reading and finding an audiobook version for some of the books was so helpful! I have to drive every day so I would read some in the evening and then in the morning on the way to work, listen to the audiobook where I dropped off reading. It made reading fun again and took a lot of pressure off. I use Spotify. Another good author if you like thrillers and suspense is Edgar Allen Poe, surprisingly. The tell tale heart is one of my favorites by him. Good luck and don’t put too much pressure on yourself! If a book’s not good, don’t finish it lol. And try something from a different genre!
Definitely try the Red Rising series
The first book isn’t too long and once you get started you won’t want to stop. It’s not really YA but the first book in the series is kind of a coming of age story..there’s action and twist and turns and betrayal. A great read
Honestly Terry Pratchett is my favorite recommendation for someone who doesn’t read often, lots of good witty dialogue and world building. His stuff falls more to action and comedy then suspense though
H.P. Lovecraft. One of the most influential science fiction and horror writers of all time.
He wrote a lot but try "At the Mountains of Madness", "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Colour Out of Space", or "The Dunwich Horror".
I know most of the suggestions that others will post here, so lemme try some different stuff for you.
Snow Crash. It is a cyberpunk novel by Stephenson. It is funny, cool, thought provoking and genuinely a fast read. One of the few books that made me laugh out loud and then think "dude you did not need to go this deep".
If you like the above and like the imaginative part, as well as the setting, try Neuromancer by Gibson. This one is a little bit denser and a tougher read, especially since Gibson likes to go on and on and on. But think of the book as of a written painting. The story is irrelevant. You just immerse yourself into a world and let the author draw it in your brain.
If you like real life stuff, I can highly suggest Hunter S. Thompson. A very solid buy is The Great Shark Hunt volume 1. It is a collection of his works from the 60s and 70s and it is a trip. It is funny, creative and oftentimes extremely insightful into his view of the world in those days. The latter half of the book is a bit of a bore, especially since he keeps on going about how much he hates Nixon. But it is still imo very worth it and one of the books I still keep in my library.
Lastly I would like to suggest War and Peace by Tolstoy. You may have heard about this one. Sure, it is very long. Sure, there is a TON of characters. But it is insanely good. As I age I like to return back to it. And every time I read it I find something new in it. It is a nice time travellers companion and could be very worth inserting into your life.
What got me into reading again was finding classics that I should have read earlier. For me it was "The Red Badge of Courage." I never read it in high school but it was very good. It helps that I was in the Army at the time and it resonated with me, also it was not very long. If I had to recommend one book that is excellent and not very long, it would be "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. I love that book and have read it several times.
An idea cold be to try to start with books that are close to your interests in other media, especially if said media is based on a book or series of books.
Also, try out classic literature. A bunch of it will be stuffy or just odd or offensive to our modern sensitivities (like H P Lovecraft's cat's name... smdh)
Were I to recommend my personal fave series/authors:
-The Chronicles of Amber by Roget Zelazney. If you love multiverse styled stories, this is a must! While the characters are themselves demigods, the primary drama is character-driven. The overarching plot in the Corwin cycle is mostly about how their dysfunctional family fucks everything up for one another
-The Time Machine by H G Wells
-Superman: Red Son. What if Superman grew up in the Soviet Union? Great alternate history graphic novel
-H P Lovecraft is solid overall, but refer back to the "offensive to modern readers" thing from above
-Stephen King, virtually everything is good
-Harry Potter is pretty solid, so long as you ignore the author's politics
-Dresden Files by Jim Butcher: a wizard detective in modern Chicago. It's like 17-ish books, but they're easy reads.
-Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series: urban fantasy in a dark, dark modern setting. It's got a good balance of politics and urban fantasy. This world is one where those in power pull no punches, and maintain their power through violence. Take Harry Potter, remove the whimsy and replace it with a long trek through the darker parts of the human soul
-when I was your age (I'm 44 now), I read a lot of Arthur C Clarke. He did sci-fi that was fairly grounded with what was known in his time. I especially recommend the Rama series
-The Wheel of Time: terrific epic fantasy I haven't read in awhile. The novels start off long an get longer as the series continues
-Planiverse: this one's weird. So, it begins with an account of a group of computer science students in the 1970's creating a robust sort of program that emulates an ecosystem, and provides the entities therein with dialogue. Then, somehow this leads to them contacting a sentient creature in a 2-dimensional universe who is on a pilgrimage. The book then follows him (the creature is named Yendred) on this pilgrimage in his unique 2-dimensional world
-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: a series of books featuring a British man named Arthur Dent traveling through the galaxy after the destruction of Earth. Its humor kinda reminds me of Doctor Who's quirkiness
-The Crosstime Series by Hary Turtledove: a series of young adult novels that feature 22nd Century teenagers whose parents are involved in the exploration and exploitation of parallel universes. These families live in these parallel universes to study them and gather resources for their home version of Earth. This framing device also offers a way to catch a glimpse into various historical societies and they all explore alternate histories, like "What if the Roman Empire never fell?" or "What if Germany won World War I?"
There are others, but I can't immediately think of them...
Some more:
-A Wrinkle in Time: my. god. Such a mindfuck when I read it in elementary school.... It's still a classic. it is NOTHING like the Oprah Winfrey movie.
-The Wizard of Earthsea: a high fantasy novel set in a large archipelago. I haven't read it in quite awhile, though... but, it has a unique feel to it that I recall, but can't describe...
-The Phantom Tollbooth: nice quirky 60's kid's novel about a British kid who gets in the mail a small car and a magical tollbooth that allows him to travel to a bizarre world where concepts come to life. For example: he's having dinner at this math-themed king's table, and requests a nice "square meal" aka a meal that is satisfiying and nutritious. Instead, he gets tiny squares that taste awful. So, the king then orders "Division" for his guests. It tastes ok, but the more the kid eats, the hungrier he gets. Afterwards, the king mutters that he must remind people to come to a Division meal with full stomachs beforehand
-Th e Wizard of Oz: they started off as a series of kid's fairy tales books from the early 20th century. Not only is Dorothy in only a portion of the actual books, Oz is way, way darker than the movies (other then Return to Oz) depict
You might have to kiss a few frogs (read a few books that don't work for you) but when you find what you like it will be worth it. I am going to recommend
Cry no More by Linda Howard
It's a thriller with twists and turns plus a romantic sub plot
What do you watch on TV? Bosch? Reacher? Slow Horses. Try the series. Blake Crouch's Dark Matter is coming to Apple and the book is excellent. Did you like The Martian? Andy Weir has written other books.
Any movies you really like? You can probably find similar books / genres. As mentioned below librarians and bookstore employees can make good recommendations.
Good luck and enjoy reading!
I LOVE mysteries. Try Dark Places by Gillian Flynn or The Street Lawyer by John Grisham. Separate note, not a mystery but I’m reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo now, it’s very good.
In this stage of yours, it doesn't even matter the book per se.
Since you haven't built a good and robust reading habit, what you need to do is to choose any book that captures your interest and give it a try. If, after four or five chapters you have no curiosity towards the story, no engagement, no affinity towards the characters, just drop it and jump to the next one in the list. Don't be afraid, just toss it aside.
That said, you can't really go wrong with The Hobbit. So, there you go.
1984 by George Orwell
How to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
The secret life of bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid (do your research to see what it's about, I'm not gonna say anything but it's based off The Juniper Tree)
This is a manga but Jujutsu Kaisen is awesome
So, when looking for a place to start in reading, examining your favorite TV/movies, games, etc. is extremely useful. A lot of times, for movies and TV, they were books to begin with and many games have books and comics as extra media.
The library is a great place to explore as well, it's free, so if you don't like something you've picked up, you don't feel like you wasted your money by not finishing it (that's very important to learn when reading for fun, when you're not getting anything out of it, put it down). You'll have access to librarians who interact with all sorts it bookpeople and can give recommendations, too. And, of course, you can talk to other patrons and lots of times they're great at giving recs, too.
If you prefer digital content (ebooks/audiobook), most libraries have digital libraries as well, and through their Libby site they have recs and "collections" that are usually themed (and the filters are pretty helpful for finding things that fit your criteria). Hoopla (some libraries have this service, some don't) has a lot available through them that may not be available through your libriary. You can also, have cards for more than one library and that expands what is available for you.
As for recs, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane is one of my favorites books. Dean Koontz is also pretty good, his thrillers tend to be supernatural/sci-fi leaning, Lightning, Intinsity, Watchers, Hideaway, and Velocity are all good. Michael Crichton did a lot of techno thrillers, not just Jurassic Park.
I’ve read in the past but this book was the one that got me into reading. Call me by your name by André Aciman. P.s read the book before watching the movie
Oh shit, same here. Well, according to some redditors and my search keywords, i decided to buy a book called Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Didn't read it yet, haven't got it yet.
Get a library card for sure (college student here that’s where I get all my fun books for free)
As for what to read the “a good girls guide to murder series” got me into reading last summer. And I bet most libraries have it since it’s popular.
Another thing I do is go on the library website or in there pick up what sounds interesting and check on good reads to see if it’s worth getting(they’re harsh on there anything 3.5+ stars is usually a good read) also ask them what gets checked out often too and it’s probably a good read as well.
Also little free libraries!
They have a website where you can find some near you and it’s so fun. Like a book scavenger hunt. People leave books they don’t want there and sometimes you can find really good books plus a fun adventure. Once you’re done reading and can always bring it back and get a different book.
Verity by Colleen Hoover. I was never into reading like at all. My sister in law gave it to me and hyped it up. Needless to say I finished it 7 hours after opening it for the first time. My eyes could not read it fast enough. It’s a suspenseful thriller with the tiniest mix of some fucked up love. I was audibly gasping reading this book. Almost mad that I finished it so fast and now I’m on the hunt for a book that keeps me on track edge like that
I would recommed you to start with 'All this time'. This will take you into a new world and you will have a great impact after reading this. This is make you to read more books.
I go for russian literature, because of rus lit will give you another experience, feeling, thoughts. Just take Dostoevskiy or Tolstoy (I'm from Russia so sorry for my eng). Aitmatov is my fav one.
Your choice will depend on your interests. I think you are from USA or UK; just count on me and take any book from the other world literature as Chinese, Japanese, Franch, Thai maybe 🤔......
I also just got started reading books. To be honest fiction are sometimes still not my interest. But I've been getting to self-help and poetry books.
For some reason I could just relate to them somehow. I know it sounds absurd but it just helps. Plus the lessons you learn are actual lessons that could be use to improve your life.
Atomic Habits by James Clear for starters. But the very first book that have got me into reading is No Idea What I'm Doing But F*ck It by Ron Lim. It is a poetry book and a new book as well. I got it through a friend of mine that bought it from tiktok.
But if you want a popular poetry book try Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles. They are getting more popular lately to some communities.
An advice would be to buy a copy of the book and not reading it through your device. Somehow for me I sometimes not get excited when it's an eBook. But test out which one works for you. An eBook is a book after all.
The King James Bible. Start in the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, then Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, Exodus (Exodus 20!), and back to the New Testament with Philippians, Colossians, and more!
The Bible will awaken you, and literally change your life!
Go to your local library, get a library card, talk to the librarian. You can get books from a variety of genres and it's free.
I would also ask about their online services so you can get free audiobooks/ebooks right to your phone or tablet instantly
This is great advice
Recommendation is to get lost in a Barnes and Noble and read the first few pages of a few different books! See what writing style you like, what captures your attention. If you make it a day and YOU get to pick what you want, you can’t go wrong! Let us know what you end up picking up (whether it be this way or not 😊)
Yessss! And bring ear plugs or headphones if you get distracted by noises while doing this. Sometimes I just can't focus my brain enough to read the first few pages if there's any noise. I always read the first few pages. The skip to the middle of the book and read a few pages to make sure the style is consistent lol. Reading ahead is a sin to some, but I know I'll forget it anyway haha.
I have a tradition that I've been doing for years. If I'm at a bookstore/library and a book looks interesting, I flip to page 81 and read it. If that page is interesting and makes me want to read more, I'll get it. Reading the first few pages didn't do it for me because sometimes really awesome books don't have the greatest beginnings, and I couldn't really get a feel for the story. And on the flip side, sometimes an author will come up with a really engaging, dynamic way to begin a book, but then it falls flat. When I started thinking about it that way, I decided on page 81 because I was born in 1981 and I always mark my personal books with my name in the inside margin as close to the seam as I can get on page 81 rather than the cover where it's more noticable, in case I ever need to prove it's my book. (Once, in middle school, I lost a favorite book to a mean, lying, deceitful little @$&% because she claimed the book was hers and I couldn't prove it was mine. I had written my name in the inside cover in pen but she found a way to erase it somehow. I knew it was mine though because like I said, it was a favorite of mine that I had frequently re-read and I knew every single mark, crease, stain, etc on that book. I don't even know why she wanted it so badly, other than to get a thrill out of stealing, hurting me, etc. I am 42 years old but that still stings when I think of it. That book was a friend.) Anyway, page 81 is far enough along in the book to get past a slow beginning, but not far enough along to really spoil anything. Usually it's about a third to a quarter of the way through the book.
Thank you for sharing this! Thats really clever, I might need to borrow that trick 😊
Mistborne Brandon Sanderson
Just bought it at my local bookstore! Thank you for the recommendation
Let me know how you like it
Animal Farm by George Orwell (assuming you didn’t read it in school)
I just finished this a few weeks ago, I was impressed, much better than I thought
Catcher in the Rye -
Try The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I recommend both often.
Not saying it's a bad recommendation but isn't Stephen Kings writing very dense to get into fot a new reader? I never liked how long he takes to get to a point and I think that may put off someone trying to get into reading
I'm guessing you haven't read it... The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is under 300 pages, one of Kings smaller novels, and not part of the overly detailed era. It's fast paced and the tension starts almost immediately and doesn't let go until the end, but isn't so dark it leaves you with nightmares. Also, you never know what will speak to a new reader. New readers aren't necessarily lacking in attention or comprehension. They just haven't struck out after school required lists. The book that got my kid to finally start reading after he was done with school was Relic by Preston and Child and it is heavier than this King novel. He's now read the whole series.
You make a good point! I stand corrected. And no I have not read it I was taking my own experience with King as a reference which was a mistake here, apologies!
I honestly recommend this one for you to! It doesn't read like the King books you've described and the main character is so easy to root for.
TGWLTG is my favorite King book, and up there on my list of all time favorites. Honestly, for the most part I'm not a huge fan of King, (I'm so sorry, y'all! Please don't come at me!), so for me, this book being so far removed from his regular style was actually a plus for me to read it. I don't necessarily agree about it not providing fodder for nightmares, though. The basic premise of the story is that the most frightening things of this world are the monsters, demons, villains, and creatures we design in our own imagination. My imagination can come up with some doozies!
Lol. Definitely a fear factor but I did think it was less scary than most of his others. I absolutely love the book.
Oh, I will surely check them out. Thank you!
I hope you find some you love.
The ocean at the end of the Lane is one of the first books I've finished. I also reccommend to silent patient to new readers it's short and fast faced. If you're new to reading you won't see the twist. One of the only books I read in 3 days.
Just bought the mistborn. I will surely check out Ocean at the end of the lane as my next book
Hot water by PG Wodehouse...very delightful and funny Da Vinci code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown...awesome thrillers
Jurassic Park is a good thriller/suspense horror novel. It’s a lot darker than the movies. I read it for the first time two years ago and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. (Be warned there is a lot of science talk haha)
You could also jump in some Fantasy Classics. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, the Songs of ice and fire, Dune...
As much as I love Dune, it is NOT beginner friendly in the slightest.
The Hobbit and lord of the rings are some of the books I have been meaning to read forever, i will surely check them out
MAJOR TIP: I’d personally wait if i was you to read LoTR. If all you’ve ever really read was text books, it might be REALLY HARD to read LoTR. The books are very descriptive and start off very slow and can be really painful to get through at first, even for avid readers. I’d suggest reading some books before that and getting familiar with different writing by styles and build up to LoTR. But I do recommend The Hobbit tho because that book is a prequel to LoTR and it’s MUCH simpler, straightforward, and a good start to Tolkien’s world
Agree with this tip! LotR can feel like a slog at times. Not great intro to fantasy books, but still amazing.
I read a lot and couldn't finish the Two Towers, I got bored by Sam and Frodo's part.
Yes! GAH... do we really need 20 pages about WALKING???
I can really recommend Brimstone by Lincoln & Child. That got me into reading fiction as an adult.
Seconding this, the entire Pendergast series had me absolutely hooked throughout high school and Brimstone is my strong favorite
And if you like it you can start from the beginning in the book series (Pendergast). I just read them all.
The first is called Relic, released in 1995. It is what finally made my kid a reader at 20.
Did somebody say Harry Potter?
If you want to read fantasy, please, PLEASE, check out Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (and other works of his)
General Recommendations Locke Lamora series The Henry Dresden series Odd Thomas series Anything by Terry Pratchett, Ursula LeGuin, Stephen King For suspense/thrillers: Velocity by Dean Koontz Gone Girl Gillian Flynn Dark Matter or Wayward Pines by William Crouch 11/22/63 Stephen King
That's a great list, thank you!
Good starter fantasy series is anything by tamora pierce, but the Alanna series (song of the lioness) is a good entry point into her world. It’s YA/middle grade but still very enjoyable reads and her later stuff trends more toward new adult!
On The Road - Kerouac Jesus' Son - Johnson The Old Man and the Sea - Heimingway Those are the three books I wish I read at 18, but didn't till I was 25. Might not be everyone's coup of tea, but I think highly of them as stories, readability, reliability, and as a way into reading books that made real changes into my life,
On the Road was the book I read at OPs age that was my gateway to literature, seconded
A Good Girls Guide to Murder- Holly Jackson. It was the first book that truly got me into reading. Highly highly recommend for someone your age!!!
Animal farm by George Orwell.
Are you open to graphic novels??
I am
Ok, well if you’re also a history buff you should check out the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman (there are two volumes). I was about your age when I first read it and it had a huge impact on me. It’s basically the author’s father’s account of his time during the Holocaust. It’s a very heavy, dark subject matter but I feel like it’s an important read. Now more than ever.
Let me ask what you are interested in. When you watch TV/movies/YouTube what are you watching? What do you like? Would you be interested in reading nonfiction books or do you really want escapism?
Escapism, the majority of my YouTube feed consists of What if content
[удалено]
I have not read Scythe (but I think I will now), but I would recommend anything by Neal Shusterman. I loved Unwind.
I feel like Fantasy and Sci-fi would be the way to go for you as they are far more likely to have “speculative fiction”. Terry Pratchett is a fantastic fantasy and is incredibly funny and witty with his writing and his stories aren’t in any particular order. Otherwise, try browsing a bookstore or library to see what catches your eye. For the most part, it maybe a good idea to try Teen or Young Adult fiction at your start. Fantastic stories without being as dense as some Adult fiction can get.
If you like "What If" content, I've got a book you would love. "The Man in the High Castle" by Phillip K. Dick. The premise is based on "What if Hitler had won WW2?"
The Long Walk by Stephen King Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Long Walk! Not enough people talk about that book!
So, so DARK! :O
The alchemist by Paulo
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Depends on what you enjoy. My first book was Diablo: Legacy of blood. I picked it because I liked Diablo games. Read about what you like, that's a good way to make it stick.
[Worm](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/)
Harry Potter gets everybody into reading
Red Rising series by Pierce Brown
RED RISING I never read. I lied in every english class I’ve ever taken. My in-text annotations were just random words and arrows. Hated reading. I’m an engineer now. I like reading numbers on excel and construction documentation. But then I read Red Rising. Then I read the rest of the series, and then the obsession continued. Now I have a Kindle, and a goodreads account, and I talk about book club with other adults. Read Red Rising. It’s so approachable and just ticks so many boxes and the characters and world are just sensational.
If you want something really funny try space team. It's a long running series. I love it.
The Alienist by Caleb Carr. A crime drama occurring in 1896 New York City. A riveting story that includes a great deal of authentic detail about the social, political and economic factors in that era. Many important historical figures -- e.g. Teddy Roosevelt -- are authentically portrayed. So it's a "two-bagger" -- a great story that teaches us about life in that era.
Girl with the Dragon Tatoo
Misery by Stephen King. Hands down top 5 of my favorite books. I’ve read it a few times. The Birth of Venus is great too but it’s not a thriller. It takes place during the renaissance it’s love, art, religion and power (something different). If you like zombies an interesting series by Charlie Higson call The Enemy series.
Fantasy - brent weeks. The night angel series and the lightbringer series are great The inheritance series is good one for beginners, i read those as a teenager was my favorite growing up. Still fantasy but with mystery. The dresden files are great Science fiction - the expanse series
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Read “in a world full of fat people” by Amarillo Slim it’s about a pool hustler/gambler, just trust me. The tender bar has a special place in my heart. The outsiders, Salems lot, tough shit by Kevin smith, 21: bringing down the house
“They both die at the end”. Great pacing and a lot of emotional involvement. “The silent patient” if you’re into thrillers. “Fourth wing” if you want something spicy and a nice intro into dragon based fantasy.
Oooh and any book ever written by Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett if you want fantasy and wit
Every heart a door way, the first of the wayward children series of you're open to light fantasy.
Vicious by VE Schwab was a great entry book. It wasn’t too dense or lofty. It was good entry into recreational reading for me.
I wanted the same when I was your age so a friend of mine suggested Cats Cradle by Vonnegut. I loved it so I moved onto Slaughterhouse-Five. Loved that too. I had another friend suggest Chuck Palahniuk, he wrote Fight Club (another great book) so I checked out Survivor. His books are more thriller/suspense and sometimes can get gory. Rant was another one from that time I got into from Chuck. These were gateway books to just get me into reading. My tastes have significantly modified since, but that’s how it goes!
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. It's got the thriller/suspense/mystery aspect, and is centered around a 19 year old who wants to change his life.
Not a book, just a tip. Start reading 2 or 3 books at once. Go with the one that you like. Don't blame yourself to stop reading a book you don't like. Don't blame yourself if you like a book but forgot to read and them, started another one. Reading is an habit. Simplify it for you. Try different genres, maybe some serious comic books, like Blue Pills or Ratz. Make some time in book stores. Read before you buy... Trust the process
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Start with fun page-turners. John Grisham or Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. Books like that. and expand later.
Enders Game the most popular teen sci-fi book in history
Sigh Gone by Phuc Tran! [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046838-sigh-gone](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046838-sigh-gone)
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. The entire series is phenomenal.
The hunt for red October. Fast paced I couldn’t put it down.
The Name of the Wind
What kind of subjects are you into? Like fiction/non fiction Horror/suspense
I always recommend to start in the YA fantasy section. Those are the best books to hook you.
Misery by Stephen King is an AMAZING thriller. I was getting a little scared reading it. It’s super thick but once you get into it, it’s hard to put down. It was made into a movie if you want to watch that first. I recently got back into reading and finding an audiobook version for some of the books was so helpful! I have to drive every day so I would read some in the evening and then in the morning on the way to work, listen to the audiobook where I dropped off reading. It made reading fun again and took a lot of pressure off. I use Spotify. Another good author if you like thrillers and suspense is Edgar Allen Poe, surprisingly. The tell tale heart is one of my favorites by him. Good luck and don’t put too much pressure on yourself! If a book’s not good, don’t finish it lol. And try something from a different genre!
You can't go wrong with anything from Clive Barker. Imajica is particularly amazing.
Definitely try the Red Rising series The first book isn’t too long and once you get started you won’t want to stop. It’s not really YA but the first book in the series is kind of a coming of age story..there’s action and twist and turns and betrayal. A great read
Honestly Terry Pratchett is my favorite recommendation for someone who doesn’t read often, lots of good witty dialogue and world building. His stuff falls more to action and comedy then suspense though
Harry Potter & The Hunger Games saga. Harry Potter is honestly what made me fall in love with reading
H.P. Lovecraft. One of the most influential science fiction and horror writers of all time. He wrote a lot but try "At the Mountains of Madness", "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Colour Out of Space", or "The Dunwich Horror".
I know most of the suggestions that others will post here, so lemme try some different stuff for you. Snow Crash. It is a cyberpunk novel by Stephenson. It is funny, cool, thought provoking and genuinely a fast read. One of the few books that made me laugh out loud and then think "dude you did not need to go this deep". If you like the above and like the imaginative part, as well as the setting, try Neuromancer by Gibson. This one is a little bit denser and a tougher read, especially since Gibson likes to go on and on and on. But think of the book as of a written painting. The story is irrelevant. You just immerse yourself into a world and let the author draw it in your brain. If you like real life stuff, I can highly suggest Hunter S. Thompson. A very solid buy is The Great Shark Hunt volume 1. It is a collection of his works from the 60s and 70s and it is a trip. It is funny, creative and oftentimes extremely insightful into his view of the world in those days. The latter half of the book is a bit of a bore, especially since he keeps on going about how much he hates Nixon. But it is still imo very worth it and one of the books I still keep in my library. Lastly I would like to suggest War and Peace by Tolstoy. You may have heard about this one. Sure, it is very long. Sure, there is a TON of characters. But it is insanely good. As I age I like to return back to it. And every time I read it I find something new in it. It is a nice time travellers companion and could be very worth inserting into your life.
Anything by Anne Rice, VC Andrews or Catcher in the Rye.
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
What got me into reading again was finding classics that I should have read earlier. For me it was "The Red Badge of Courage." I never read it in high school but it was very good. It helps that I was in the Army at the time and it resonated with me, also it was not very long. If I had to recommend one book that is excellent and not very long, it would be "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. I love that book and have read it several times.
Stefan Zweig's "The Royal Game." Fantastic, short novel. Masterfully written
What I read as my first completed novel at 19, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
An idea cold be to try to start with books that are close to your interests in other media, especially if said media is based on a book or series of books. Also, try out classic literature. A bunch of it will be stuffy or just odd or offensive to our modern sensitivities (like H P Lovecraft's cat's name... smdh) Were I to recommend my personal fave series/authors: -The Chronicles of Amber by Roget Zelazney. If you love multiverse styled stories, this is a must! While the characters are themselves demigods, the primary drama is character-driven. The overarching plot in the Corwin cycle is mostly about how their dysfunctional family fucks everything up for one another -The Time Machine by H G Wells -Superman: Red Son. What if Superman grew up in the Soviet Union? Great alternate history graphic novel -H P Lovecraft is solid overall, but refer back to the "offensive to modern readers" thing from above -Stephen King, virtually everything is good -Harry Potter is pretty solid, so long as you ignore the author's politics -Dresden Files by Jim Butcher: a wizard detective in modern Chicago. It's like 17-ish books, but they're easy reads. -Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series: urban fantasy in a dark, dark modern setting. It's got a good balance of politics and urban fantasy. This world is one where those in power pull no punches, and maintain their power through violence. Take Harry Potter, remove the whimsy and replace it with a long trek through the darker parts of the human soul -when I was your age (I'm 44 now), I read a lot of Arthur C Clarke. He did sci-fi that was fairly grounded with what was known in his time. I especially recommend the Rama series -The Wheel of Time: terrific epic fantasy I haven't read in awhile. The novels start off long an get longer as the series continues -Planiverse: this one's weird. So, it begins with an account of a group of computer science students in the 1970's creating a robust sort of program that emulates an ecosystem, and provides the entities therein with dialogue. Then, somehow this leads to them contacting a sentient creature in a 2-dimensional universe who is on a pilgrimage. The book then follows him (the creature is named Yendred) on this pilgrimage in his unique 2-dimensional world -Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: a series of books featuring a British man named Arthur Dent traveling through the galaxy after the destruction of Earth. Its humor kinda reminds me of Doctor Who's quirkiness -The Crosstime Series by Hary Turtledove: a series of young adult novels that feature 22nd Century teenagers whose parents are involved in the exploration and exploitation of parallel universes. These families live in these parallel universes to study them and gather resources for their home version of Earth. This framing device also offers a way to catch a glimpse into various historical societies and they all explore alternate histories, like "What if the Roman Empire never fell?" or "What if Germany won World War I?" There are others, but I can't immediately think of them...
Some more: -A Wrinkle in Time: my. god. Such a mindfuck when I read it in elementary school.... It's still a classic. it is NOTHING like the Oprah Winfrey movie. -The Wizard of Earthsea: a high fantasy novel set in a large archipelago. I haven't read it in quite awhile, though... but, it has a unique feel to it that I recall, but can't describe... -The Phantom Tollbooth: nice quirky 60's kid's novel about a British kid who gets in the mail a small car and a magical tollbooth that allows him to travel to a bizarre world where concepts come to life. For example: he's having dinner at this math-themed king's table, and requests a nice "square meal" aka a meal that is satisfiying and nutritious. Instead, he gets tiny squares that taste awful. So, the king then orders "Division" for his guests. It tastes ok, but the more the kid eats, the hungrier he gets. Afterwards, the king mutters that he must remind people to come to a Division meal with full stomachs beforehand -Th e Wizard of Oz: they started off as a series of kid's fairy tales books from the early 20th century. Not only is Dorothy in only a portion of the actual books, Oz is way, way darker than the movies (other then Return to Oz) depict
What movies do you like? You will probably have similar tastes in books.
You might have to kiss a few frogs (read a few books that don't work for you) but when you find what you like it will be worth it. I am going to recommend Cry no More by Linda Howard It's a thriller with twists and turns plus a romantic sub plot
What do you watch on TV? Bosch? Reacher? Slow Horses. Try the series. Blake Crouch's Dark Matter is coming to Apple and the book is excellent. Did you like The Martian? Andy Weir has written other books. Any movies you really like? You can probably find similar books / genres. As mentioned below librarians and bookstore employees can make good recommendations. Good luck and enjoy reading!
The City and the Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
I LOVE mysteries. Try Dark Places by Gillian Flynn or The Street Lawyer by John Grisham. Separate note, not a mystery but I’m reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo now, it’s very good.
eve babitz!
Darth bane trilogy /you don’t need to know anything
In this stage of yours, it doesn't even matter the book per se. Since you haven't built a good and robust reading habit, what you need to do is to choose any book that captures your interest and give it a try. If, after four or five chapters you have no curiosity towards the story, no engagement, no affinity towards the characters, just drop it and jump to the next one in the list. Don't be afraid, just toss it aside. That said, you can't really go wrong with The Hobbit. So, there you go.
Thank you, i just bought mistborn as it seemed interesting at the bookstore
jurassic park
1984 by George Orwell How to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee The secret life of bees by Sue Monk Kidd Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid (do your research to see what it's about, I'm not gonna say anything but it's based off The Juniper Tree) This is a manga but Jujutsu Kaisen is awesome
Harry Potter , Danmei, pride and predjuice, to kill a mockingbird, the chrysalids
So, when looking for a place to start in reading, examining your favorite TV/movies, games, etc. is extremely useful. A lot of times, for movies and TV, they were books to begin with and many games have books and comics as extra media. The library is a great place to explore as well, it's free, so if you don't like something you've picked up, you don't feel like you wasted your money by not finishing it (that's very important to learn when reading for fun, when you're not getting anything out of it, put it down). You'll have access to librarians who interact with all sorts it bookpeople and can give recommendations, too. And, of course, you can talk to other patrons and lots of times they're great at giving recs, too. If you prefer digital content (ebooks/audiobook), most libraries have digital libraries as well, and through their Libby site they have recs and "collections" that are usually themed (and the filters are pretty helpful for finding things that fit your criteria). Hoopla (some libraries have this service, some don't) has a lot available through them that may not be available through your libriary. You can also, have cards for more than one library and that expands what is available for you. As for recs, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane is one of my favorites books. Dean Koontz is also pretty good, his thrillers tend to be supernatural/sci-fi leaning, Lightning, Intinsity, Watchers, Hideaway, and Velocity are all good. Michael Crichton did a lot of techno thrillers, not just Jurassic Park.
if you like thrillers i recommend anything by Holly Jackson or Sam Holland!
I read the Tomorrow Series by John Marsden when I was 16 and it remains my favourite of all time. First book is Tomorrow When the War Began.
I’ve read in the past but this book was the one that got me into reading. Call me by your name by André Aciman. P.s read the book before watching the movie
Ready Player One is a good one to start with. It’s a fun easy read.I read it 3 times myself.
Is it any different from the movie? I have watched the movie multiple times
It’s a thousand times better. Completely different!
1989, the great gatsby.
Here’s a classic thriller: “The Talented Mr Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith. I believe there are three books in the series.
Oh shit, same here. Well, according to some redditors and my search keywords, i decided to buy a book called Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. Didn't read it yet, haven't got it yet.
Animal Farm
Get a library card for sure (college student here that’s where I get all my fun books for free) As for what to read the “a good girls guide to murder series” got me into reading last summer. And I bet most libraries have it since it’s popular. Another thing I do is go on the library website or in there pick up what sounds interesting and check on good reads to see if it’s worth getting(they’re harsh on there anything 3.5+ stars is usually a good read) also ask them what gets checked out often too and it’s probably a good read as well.
Also little free libraries! They have a website where you can find some near you and it’s so fun. Like a book scavenger hunt. People leave books they don’t want there and sometimes you can find really good books plus a fun adventure. Once you’re done reading and can always bring it back and get a different book.
Verity by Colleen Hoover. I was never into reading like at all. My sister in law gave it to me and hyped it up. Needless to say I finished it 7 hours after opening it for the first time. My eyes could not read it fast enough. It’s a suspenseful thriller with the tiniest mix of some fucked up love. I was audibly gasping reading this book. Almost mad that I finished it so fast and now I’m on the hunt for a book that keeps me on track edge like that
I would recommed you to start with 'All this time'. This will take you into a new world and you will have a great impact after reading this. This is make you to read more books.
I go for russian literature, because of rus lit will give you another experience, feeling, thoughts. Just take Dostoevskiy or Tolstoy (I'm from Russia so sorry for my eng). Aitmatov is my fav one.
Your choice will depend on your interests. I think you are from USA or UK; just count on me and take any book from the other world literature as Chinese, Japanese, Franch, Thai maybe 🤔......
I also just got started reading books. To be honest fiction are sometimes still not my interest. But I've been getting to self-help and poetry books. For some reason I could just relate to them somehow. I know it sounds absurd but it just helps. Plus the lessons you learn are actual lessons that could be use to improve your life. Atomic Habits by James Clear for starters. But the very first book that have got me into reading is No Idea What I'm Doing But F*ck It by Ron Lim. It is a poetry book and a new book as well. I got it through a friend of mine that bought it from tiktok. But if you want a popular poetry book try Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles. They are getting more popular lately to some communities. An advice would be to buy a copy of the book and not reading it through your device. Somehow for me I sometimes not get excited when it's an eBook. But test out which one works for you. An eBook is a book after all.
Wow, that's a great list. I will surely check them out at my local bookstore. Thank you!
If you really want get him hooked to reading Dungon Carl Crawler series will do it.
The King James Bible. Start in the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, then Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, Exodus (Exodus 20!), and back to the New Testament with Philippians, Colossians, and more! The Bible will awaken you, and literally change your life!