I used to love reading as a kid, but now that I’m an adult I am having trouble finding books that interest me and can keep me locked in to the story.
As a child I was obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie series, Percy Jackson series, Divergent series, anything by John Green or Ellen Hopkins. To the adults who read these as a kid… what are you reading now? Does the feeling of wonder ever come back? lol
by visual-wind306
5 Comments
The Glass Castle
If you like character driven stories and minimal conflict, I would try “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. It’s got great writing and the way she ties the stories in together makes your brain happy and actually engaged throughout the story as you connect dots and gather information. It’s not as gritty and violent as most post-apocalyptic stories, although there is definitely some violence and a few unsavory characters.
True Grit by Charles Portis
Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr. Such an amazing adventure to read. You will go medieval time to the future. You will have neurodivergent, gay and birth defect characters.
A couple ideas:
Piranesi by Susanna Clark. Very strange story with an innocent and unreliable narrator. Probably technically fantasy because of the setting, but really it reads like normal fiction. The audiobook is incredible, so if that’s an option I’d check it out.
James by Percival Everett. A retelling of Huckleberry Finn (you don’t need to remember anything) that is incredibly written. It was a huge book last year for good reason. It definitely focuses on racial themes (James is a slave afterall) so if that’s heavier than you’re aiming for I’d avoid it, but it’s incredible.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Everyone I’ve talked to has loved this book. Basically a memoir, Bourdain’s voice hangs on every word so it is very funny. Talks about his experience in kitchens coming up with tons of stories. He narrates the audiobook as well, which gives not only his voice but his delivery.
Mythos by Stephen Fry. Fry, wonderful man that he is, wrote this modern retelling of a bunch of myths. Might hit the Percy Jackson interest in mythology. The best part is that it’s a series of myths, not a single narrative so you can put it down, pick it up and keep going.
Beyond that I’d say look at books that align with your interests that are accessible. You don’t need to read Tolstoy or fancy books. Find something fun and see where it takes you. You can always reread some of those books you enjoyed before- I haven’t read those series but an familiar with then and they generally sit in the “perfectly acceptable YA classics” category.
Anyone who judges your reading choices can pound sand.