I’ve been a prolific reader most of my life, always had a book with me. In the last couple of years I’ve barely read at all. I love horror, crime, romance that doesn’t read like AI produced it, nonfiction, memoirs, and nonfiction. I’m ashamed to admit I even dipped my toes in the waters of fairy smut.
I need something that will trap me from the beginning. Please no Dostoevsky or Camus, or other required reading, at this point in my life I don’t need something I have to slog through. My favorite books are White Oleander, Dark Places, The Kite Runner, Brooklyn, Jane Eyre, Brain on Fire, anything by Michael Connolly, Stephen King, and Jonathan Kellerman. Thanks for your suggestions.
by jdinpjs
11 Comments
I’d try Agatha Christie mysteries! She’s great for pulling people out of a reading slump because her works are well-written and don’t feel like brain rot, but are also very quick and easy to read. Plus, the mystery element is so engaging that even at times when it’s felt like a chore to get through almost any book, I find myself racing through Christie’s.
I would suggest starting with The ABC Murders or And Then There Were None, both will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Try Idaho – I struggled with the first chapter but then was hooked. Can’t explain what made it so mesmerising.
Fiction:
The Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; The Girl Who Played With Fire; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest). It’s a slow burn for the first 50 or so pages in the first book with the setup, but then it speeds up, weaving multiple plot threads that eventually all come together, culminating with an ending that is just 🔥
Non-Fiction:
*Resilience is Futile* by Julie S. Lalonde. It covers an abusive relationship, which she fled at age 20, and was then stalked by him for a decade. Her public life as a VAW activist and public educator is starkly contrasted with the turmoil of her private life. It is an excellent read, and she’s a very engaging storyteller.
Have you ever tried reading Sci-Fi? You might enjoy something a little more grounded (per se) for the genre.
Project Hail Mary is a lovely read/listen with just enough grounding in reality to make it seem plausible for something happening in real life. (Same author as The Martian book/movie so if you enjoy PHM you might like that one too)
I get what you mean, I got into one of those slumps last year (I usually read about a 100 a year) and what got me out of it was Murderbot by Martha Wells – the first few books are short and you get through them fast because they’re so good and then you’re hooked enough to read the longer rest 🙂
P.S. Why would you be ashamed of fairy smut? It can be excellent haha. I would recommend GA Aiken/Shelly Laurenston, it’s not fairy smut but shifters and dragons with solid plot (*and smut),* and she’s really *really funny*, and all of her books are gold 😛
I ran out of patience for fiction decades ago, so I switched. These are all very good and every one was in my local library –
ROSE GEORGE –
“Nine pints : a journey through the money, medicine, and mysteries of blood”
“Ninety percent of everything : inside shipping, the invisible industry that puts clothes on your back, gas in your car, and food on your plate”
“The big necessity : the unmentionable world of human waste and why it matters”
JUDY MELINEK –
“Working stiff : two years, 262 bodies, and the making of a medical examiner”
MARY ROACH –
“Fuzz : when nature breaks the law”
“Grunt : the curious science of humans at war”
“Gulp : adventures on the alimentary canal”
“Bonk : the curious coupling of science and sex”
“Stiff : the curious lives of human cadavers”
“Packing for Mars : the curious science of life in the void” “Spook : science tackles the afterlife”
CAITLIN DOUGHTY
“Will my cat eat my eyeballs? : big questions from tiny mortals about death”
“From here to eternity : traveling the world to find the good death”
“Smoke gets in your eyes : and other lessons from the crematory”
What about Murakami ? He seems to have a huge fan base
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (riveting memoir)
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (paranormal romance)
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (mystery set on the Shetland Islands)
And, if you want a really quick, funny read, try the slim horror parody “A Taste of Oz” by Robin Blasberg. Here’s a link to an excerpt: [https://www.youthplays.com/play/a-taste-of-oz-by-robin-blasberg-563&ref=](https://www.youthplays.com/play/a-taste-of-oz-by-robin-blasberg-563&ref=)
You know what’s a fun read? The Devil Wears Prada. I am old enough to read it at its release. Even if you gave watched the movie, the book is always better.
If you like hot or maybe try The Terror by Dan Simmons.
We have a few overlapping favorites- here are some others I’ve enjoyed recently!
1. Just started ACOTAR series. I was snobbish about it but I’m totally hooked.
2. The god of the woods and long, bright River by Liz Moore
3. Grady Hendrix- especially Southern Book Club and Final Girls…
4. Under the Bridge: the true story of the murder of reena virk
5. Bright Young Women
6. Trespasses