Hey everyone,
I’m trying to reclaim the joy of reading after about 25 years of avoiding it. For context: I grew up in a very abusive household, and one of my parents was a modern lit professor who completely destroyed my love of books and writing. It’s taken a long time, but I feel ready to try again.
Background: I have a solid grounding in the European and US classics you’d expect up to A-levels. I remember loving The Master and Margarita, One Hundred Years of Solitude, most of Jane Austen, and Tortilla Flat, Solaris, Steppenwolf. I also have a soft spot for magical realism. The only “newer” book I’ve read in decades was Life of Pi, which I devoured while stranded in an airport.
Now I’d like to catch up a bit. If I wanted to read around 15–20 title that reflect the main trends of the past 30 years or so, what would you recommend? The sheer number of choices feels overwhelming, and I’d love some guidance.
I can read anything, never liked romance or rom-com too much. I'd rather stick to books with the vibe of "modern classics"
Big thanks!
by Kitchen-Engineer-00
6 Comments
Yellowface, pachinko, song of Achilles. Also, random and difficult to find in physical version but Crushing by G. Novak was amazing imo
4th Wing – (joke)
The Ministry of Time lives up to the hype, in my opinion.
World War Z, Project Hail Mary, Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, Poisonwood Bible, Hunger Games trilogy, 11/22/63, A Song of Ice and Fire, Demon Copperhead, The Stone Angel, and Station Eleven will give you one from every genre and capture the zeitgeist
If you’re open to lesser known options: The Beauty of Humanity Movement, The Summer of My Amazing Luck, Eleanor Rigby, The Fearsome Particles, Happiness, and J-Pod
Welcome back- what you’re describing is no joke. I am similarly trying to reclaim the love of writing after someone made me hate it 25 years ago. Solidarity!
I’m sure I’ll think of more, but I’ll contribute My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Will you consider reading translations of asian stories/written by asian authors?
I think reading books from Han Kang and some jap author i cant remember was what got me started on reading more books. Ive also heard alot of good reviews for Kazuo Ishiguro. Maybe Fuminori Nakamura? Ruth Ozeki is good too.
Not really european lit, but i think when i started getting back into books after some time, i went into stories written by asian authors and it was a fresh perspective for me