As the tittle says, I've always enjoyed writing and I love coming up and telling stories. But increasingly I've come across discourse about aspiring writers that don't read, either much or at all. Which I definitely fit into. At least when it comes to literature. I read blogs, TTRPG books and fanfics, but nothing published.
And upon reflection, I'd like to change that, just to see what happens if nothing else. So I'm looking for book suggestions based on my general preferences for stories, and maybe with a bit of consideration that it's for someone who's not read much in a while.
The two things that interest me the most is fantasy and horror. Since I'm looking at it from a "I want to be a better writer" perspective, I'd also love if the books you recommend did something fun or interesting with the prose, but considering the reading drought I've experienced probably even bread and butter prose will be helpful to see and analyze.
In fantasy, I love adventure and mystical creatures. Dragons are my favorite, so a book with a prominent dragon character will immediately spark my interest at least a bit. I'd love to maybe see some non-human character POV or at least ones that are more than just background, or gods forbid the fantasy-racism trope. I definitely prefer action and adventure to intrigue or politics.
And just want to say I've already read most of Dragonriders of Pern and don't think I can get myself to read Witcher (fantasy racism abound which really annoys me, also I have a bias against the author and know a lot from other media so books are a tough sell) since those feel like obvious targets. I remember loving His Dark Materials, though it's been years since I've read the trilogy.
For horror, I definitely prefer supernatural or science-fiction themes. Psychological or existential horror really fascinates me. I do like a good monster/creature too, especially if it's explored more than a simple threat or backdrop.
Welcome any suggestions.
Edit: and of course the second I post I notice a typo in the tittle…
by Araon_The_Drake