26F I have never been a reader. I read the whole set of Series of Unfortunate Events when I was young and those are the only books I ever read start to finish until recently. I just started to get into reading because I watch way too much TV lol. Not knowing where to start, I picked one up at the library that I thought would be an easy read to get into (I hope this finds you well – Natalie sue) it was ok.. I read it. But felt like I wasted time on it which is not what I want to feel after reading. I got about halfway through Big Swiss, and started Educated (Westover). That’s where I’m at so far with books lol. I feel like if I search on Tik tok I get so overwhelmed with recs so wanted to try here. Committing to a book is so hard for me so hoping it will hook me immediately lol. As for genres, no fantasy/sci fi/hist fic. I prefer non fiction/based on true events but open to fiction as long as it’s not dragon people smut. I love true crime shows so a crime book would be neat? Thank you in advance:-)
by adorableanxiousmess
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The Art Thief by Michael Finkle. True story of an incredibly prolific art thief in Europe. Fascinating story, well writen, not too long (I think around 225 pages).
Certain people (you know who you are) don’t like me recommending these, but they’re truly the most interesting books I’ve ever read and I think you’d enjoy them, too.
MARY ROACH –
“Stiff : the curious lives of human cadavers”
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”
JUDY MELINEK –
“ Working stiff : two years, 262 bodies, and the making of a medical examiner”
Read Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. Non fiction, but great story of a young man searching for himself.
Or Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, also non fiction of a woman searching for herself
Read both. Both great. Both with good movies you can watch after reading
I remember loving Oliver Sacks books – he was a doctor who worked with people with brain injuries, very fascinating stories about his patients and what he learned from them.
Nonfiction:
1. Just mercy, it’s a true story about a black lawyer in the south who founds the Equal Justice initiative where he fights for innocent people convicted of crimes who are in for life / on death row
2. When crack was king, it’s about the crack epidemic of the 80s and 90s and the consequences of the war on drugs
3. Evicted, it’s about a guy who studies the most impoverished ppl in Milwaukee, specifically to study the cycle of poverty & race
4. Picking cotton, a memoir about race and the justice system and about how eye witness accounts aren’t trustworthy
1. Black pill, a journalist follows the rise of extreme far right groups in the US
2. The emperor of all maladies, a Dr talks about the history of the study of cancer
3. He she they, a transmasc author talks about his experience transitioning, and the importance of affirmative language from allies
4. Hood feminism, a book about how white feminists forget about groups that helped make feminism what it is today (specifically black women)
5. Wordslut, the history of language and how the meaning of words change over time to reflect current society, all tied back to feminism
6. My stroke of insight, a neuroscientist has a stroke and simultaneously describes the of her symptoms while explaining what’s going on in her brain physiologically
As a kid who loved Series of Unfortunate Events and who is now as an adult currently slowly reading Big Swiss I feel very seen by this post lol.
Here are my best recs based off of vibes:
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Bunny by Mona Awad
Secret History by Donna Tartt
I’m a fiction girlie, but I loooove some crime/thriller books.
If you want some quick reads – The Arrangement series by Kiersten Modglin was really easy to get into! It’s a thriller – most of her books are. Really anything by Kiersten Modglin is a quick read – and the audiobooks range from 4 hours to 8ish. Smut is minimal, I think.
Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven is a book that I will never stop recommending – I think about it every day. If you’re open to audiobooks – this is extra amazing! It’s good from different POVs, and the audio experience is top tier. Kind of crime. Lord of the Flies meets the Walking Dead without zombies.
Lisa Jewell has some decent thriller/crime ones as well. None of This Is True is trippy. And I just finished Don’t Let Him In – I give both 4/5 stars.
Literally ANYTHING by S.A. Cosby is a masterpiece.
And if you’re ever open to reading the dragon people smut – I have more recs 😂😂
If you want NF that grabs you and holds your attention I recommend the following:
Into Thin Air, Krakauer;
Isaac’s Storm, Larson;
I’m Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy (memoir)
And, because I read your comment below about being “into medicine” I’ll add:
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Mukherjee (which was originally published in 2011 and was just update this year);
The Great Influenza by Barry
Nonfic/med:
Pandora’s Lab- Paul A. Offit, MD, Dr. Offit explores several historical events/discoveries and the science behind them that either succeeded or failed
Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin- Megan Rosenbloom, title kinda says it all, but the author reveals some surprising information
Code Name Badass: The True Story of Virginia Hall- Heather Demetrios, look I loved the extent the author went to in researching her topic but her yasss slay kween voice is grating. Obviously, I still think it’s worth a read/listen for the knowledge the author shares and the fact that Virginia Hall is an inspiring character, and her story really is fun to learn
Empire of Pain- Patrick Radden Keefe, Keefe explores the scandals and intrigue surrounding the family that made the opiod crisis a cash cow for themselves while they destroyed and took the lives of people living in the some of the most impoverished areas of the US. (I hear he also has some other good books you might like)
Trespassing Across America: One Man’s Epic, Never-Done-Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland- Ken Ilgunas, a reporter hitch/hikes from a small town in Canada down to the Texas gulf following the proposed path of the XL Keystone pipeline and interviews people about it