Many of us loved reading as a child, but for one reason or another, we stopped when we got older. Since we're seeing a lot of posts of people asking for books to get back into reading, we'd like to consolidate all the answers in one place.
So, in this thread, please answer the question:
"What should I read if I loved reading as a child and want to get back into it again?"
Please tell us all about these books in here. There’s no single right answer, we’d love to hear a wide range of suggestions. Share books that are engaging, magical, comforting, nostalgic or really fun. Anything that might help someone get back into reading!
by sunrae_
19 Comments
The book that made me a lifelong reader is The Outsiders by SE Hinton.
Depends on what you liked reading as a child.
I’ve offered A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik to a lot of former Harry Potter fans.
I didn’t necessarily take to reading a ton as a child, but I did like some Stephen King.
Reading **The Shining** helped kick start things for me in adulthood because it’s so exhilarating, and perhaps due to having liked Stephen King when I was younger.
This varies a ton from person to person. There is a certain type of (usually) guy whose interests skew slightly nerdy but is still totally a dude who LOVES Dungeon Crawler Carl. The early books especially have this kind of madcap energy and seratonin reward system that mimics a good video game.
Sourdough by Robin Sloan.
Warm, quirky novel about bread, tech, and finding joy in something you wouldn’t expect.
Maybe a book where you’ve already watched the film or TV adaptation. You already have a familiarity with the characters and story, but you (usually) get a greater depth with the book.
Good books in this category might be:
*The Martian* by Andy Weir
*The Last Kingdom* by Bernard Cornwell
*Outlander* by Diana Gabaldon
heir apparent by Vivian vander velde is a great slump-buster!
Jacqueline Wilson has 2 books for adults now – Think Again (a sequel to her Girls series) & Picture Imperfect (a follow up to The Illustrated Mum)
Jurassic Park. It’s a very well written and accessible page turner and expands on the movie so a fun companion piece.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
The Guncle
The House in the Cerulean Sea and sequel
11/22/63 (albeit it has many pages lol)
Author Fredrik Backman
Here are some I recommend, and why:
* **We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker.** This author has an easily readable writing style. Tons of her [short fiction is available free online](https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Sarah_Pinsker.html) if readers wish for a sample. The novella And Then There Were N-1 is especially similar to Blake Crouch’s writing, an author typically popular among those new to reading. I don’t personally like Blake Crouch so that’s why I don’t usually recommend his writing even though he is popular. I feel Sarah Pinsker’s writing has much better-written characters while still having relatively quick pacing and compelling plots.
* **A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher.** This is a young adult novel that can still appeal to older readers. Good humor, and surprisingly high stakes to what begins as a humorous story.
* **Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson.** A mix of genres that tends to tick a lot of boxes. For instance, I’ll recommend it if someone says they used to like Harry Potter, because this book also features a nonmagical regular world and a hidden magical world just out of sight. I’ll recommend it if someone asks for cyberpunk, because the nonmagical regular world is a cyberpunk near future.
* **The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.** Everything by this author is delightful. If someone’s a fan of the Mass Effect video games, I’m always sure to recommend this.
* **Red Rising by Pierce Brown.** Anecdotally, I know some people who got back into reading through this book. The mix of sci fi, action, and an intelligent, scheming protagonist seems to be generally appealing. However, I have encountered some who feel the usage of women in the story is bad, such as the inciting incident is the protagonist’s wife being killed and he spends the rest of the book being sad about her, but she herself isn’t really a character in her own right.
* **Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.** Incredibly popular, not just for new readers but also long time readers. The characters are cardboard cutouts with only enough to them to make the story move forward, but it’s still a very fun read and a good gateway into the sci fi genre.
Dungeon Crawler Carl and Project Hail Mary are both really great options for guys (and women too) who are trying to get back into reading. They’re super fun, engaging, smart enough to make it interesting but not so challenging that it’s a barrier.
Also, if people really did love to read as a child, rereading childhood favorites can be a great entry point.
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, T Kingfisher’s books, and Christopher Buehlman are also really engaging for folks who like fantasy.
I see a lot of people recommending really challenging or older books for this kind of post, which can sometimes be great (some people will find Blood Meridian or The Count of Monte Cristo or East of Eden absolutely gripping) but also, going for something lighter and more fun can be helpful to remind people that reading is really enjoyable.
Rather than recommending specific books, because it depends so much on taste, I think that anyone in a reading slump should try:
-rereading something they already like
-the book version of an adaptation you’ve seen (someone already mentioned this)
-books with short chapters
-shorter books that are the beginning of a series, so that the first book does not feel like too much of a commitment, but if you like it then it’s really easy to continue on once you already are invested
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo reminded me of that feeling of being totally immersed in a fantasy novel when I was a kid. And it’s a series!
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
When I was in middle school I noticed that a lot of the books I liked were Newbery Medal winners. And while I know they’re awards for children’s books, I would argue that a lot of the winners (or runner ups, if you can find them) are enjoyable for adults as well. So I would start there.
Some titles I remember:
– Number the Stars
– The Westing Game
– Maniac Magee
– Holes
– The Bridge to Tarabithia
– A Wrinkle in Time
– The Dark is Rising
I usually recommend YA or fast paced pop fiction books. Best selling romantasy for people that like romance and fantasy like fourth wing or acotar, hitchhiker’s guide or Kingfisher for fast paced humorous reads, Ender’s game or The Martian for adventure or sci/fi. For anyone that doesn’t like fiction, biographies. i’d also STRONGLY recommend choosing simpler language over page count. Writing in plainer text requires more words which bumps up page count.
Pet semetary by Stephen king
It helped me to read a few of my favourite books again to see what I loved about them and then I looked for similar books.
A lot of books especially fantasy or romantasy seems to be only for younger people but they are often very well written and enjoyable for adults.
But here are some authors I would always recommend:
– V. E. Schwab
– Jay Kristoff
– Erin Morgenstern
– Leigh Bardugo