Lately, I’ve been struggling to get into books. It feels like a hit-or-miss situation, either I get completely hooked or I just can’t push through. For example, I devoured the entire Metro 2033 series and absolutely loved it. Today, I finished Roadside Picnic, and it was the same, Icouldn’t put it down.
Another theme I really enjoy is Lovecraftian horror. Conceptually, I love it, but reading Lovecraft himself is inconsistent for me. The Shadow over Innsmouth was amazing, but At the Mountains of Madness is a slog and I’m really struggling to get through it.
The problem is, I don’t have much money, so I hate this “trial and error” approach. I read epubs on my tablet, but I get distracted way more easily than with physical books. I could do something a bit unethical, like using Amazon’s return policy to return books that I read, but I also feel bad about not keeping some of them, like Roadside Picnic, which I’d like to own physically.
Another one I really enjoyed was The Fisherman, it combined my love for fishing with Lovecraftian horror in a way that just clicked for me.
In short, I really hate "gambling" on books.
So, how do you guys deal with this? And aside from that, do you have any recommendations based on what I’ve liked?
by FrankFrancis333
2 Comments
Do you have a library in your area? That’s where I’d suggest you go to try a lot of different genres without losing money. In the desktop version of Amzon you can also often read a short extract of books without buying.
I also learnt not to be too disappointed by a book not giving me as much pleasure as others. It can still be worthwhile to keep reading for the sake of getting to know different ideas, styles, and what it is that makes a good book for you.
I totally get the “hit-or-miss” struggle – especially when you’re reading digitally and distractions are everywhere. Based on your preferences I’d recommend you check out:
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
Also to avoid the “gamble” try checking out your local library’s digital lending system, you can often preview a lot (without guilt).