I want to become more of a reader, and I have a lot of books I'm already interested in, but I feel like they aren't good books for getting into the habit of reading. I keep trying to build the habit with books that seem dense/heady/heavy-on-worldbuilding or are just a lot older and therefore written in a way that takes a little more conscious effort to absorb and internalize.
I have some kind of attention problem that clangs with books like these – at least for now while I still have 'weak reading muscles' so to speak. My brain gets worn out fast, or I will easily lose focus and have to re-read whole paragraphs. BTW, I have tried audiobooks as well, I run into all the same problems whether I'm reading or listening.
In other cases the book in question is just really long and just sitting down with it feels daunting.
What I would really love is to find some smooth, not-too-long, more digestible sci-fi/fantasy reads that I can use to get into the habit of reading without basically frying my brain in 20 minutes. Tone can be light or dark, as long as they actual text isn't too flowery or antiquated or informationally dense, if that makes sense. Do y'all have any recommendations for me?
Thanks!
EDIT: While I am mainly looking for sci-fi/fantasy, I do also have a real soft spot for archaeological treasure hunt adventure movies and I think I could enjoy that genre in book-form too!
by PresentDayPresentTim
2 Comments
I’ve been reading a lot of Jody Picoult lately, her books span a wide variety of topics but always have a big plot twist or surprise towards the end that reminds me of the twilight zone. She doesn’t get detail crazy and a lot of the chapters are shorter so there are plenty of good stopping points.
You might enjoy some Brandon Sanderson, he writes a lot of fun, fairly fast-paced, interesting fantasy, with a very readable, modern writing style.
Check out Warbreaker for a great standalone with a twisty story, compelling characters, and interesting magic. Tress of the Emerald Sea is another fun, quick read by him, once again with a unique world and magic.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown is a fast-paced, twisty, dystopian sci-fi/fantasy revenge story. Easy to read, great characters and interesting worldbuilding, a fair bit of action and violence, and a compelling story that grows to be quite epic beyond the first book.
For a more classic-feeling fantasy novel that’s a lot of fun, easy to read, and the start of another great series, check out Theft of Swords (The Crown Conspiracy/Avempartha) by Michael J Sullivan. The first book in the Riyria Revelations series, it follows a ‘rogues-for-hire’ duo who take on a seemingly simple job only to be pulled into an adventure way bigger than they were expecting. It starts fairly light/low stakes, but gets quite epic, with great characters, fun banter/dialogue, and lots of twists and ‘revelations’ along the way.
You might also enjoy Joe Abercrombie’s books, especially the audiobooks narrated by Steven Pacey. Dark, gritty, morally-gray, funny, character-driven fantasy.
His most recent book, The Devils, is a pretty easy read/listen, and lots of fun. A bit more on the comedic side than his other series, with great characters, lots of action, dark humour, and adventure. It’s a standalone, so can be read without any knowledge of his other stuff.
That said, my favourite by him is his main series, The First Law, starting with The Blade Itself. Endlessly quotable, filled with highly flawed, even villainous characters that you’ll end up loving and rooting for regardless. The first book is a bit light on ‘plot’, since it’s the start of the whole series and just throws you in with the characters, but it’s a lot of fun following them and if you go in expecting that, the plot does come together in quite a big way as the first trilogy progresses. 10 books in that series, all excellent, and once again would highly recommend the audiobooks for these ones.
Unsouled by Will Wight is the first book in another fun, fast-paced, easy-to-read fantasy series, Cradle. The books are all pretty short, the series is complete, and the audiobooks are also super good, narrated by Travis Baldree. In a very magical world, Lindon is forbidden to study the ‘sacred arts’ of his clan, and must head out into the world to forge his own path, leading to an adventure beyond what he could have possibly imagined. Lots of fun characters (especially by book 3 onwards), interesting world building, tons of magic/powers/action.