I’m in a spot where I’m reading a lot of academic books about literature and the environment, and while I’m loving them, I really want to get back to my roots with books like the Shadowhunter series and Six of Crows where you meet lovable characters and can go ooh and ahh and cry a bit (or a lot) without using too much brainpower. But I also want something where I don’t have to roll my eyes at problematic relationships or motivations (wasn’t a big fan of Jace tbh, but I loved Jem). Something I can wind down with at night. The Murderbot Diaries is a *perfect* example.
For reference, one series I did not enjoy was the Darker Shade of Magic series because it had a cool aesthetic but not a lot of emotional or character depth, so it kind of fell flat for me—stopped two books in.
I’m also an infp, and my favorite books are Annihilation, The Haunting of Hill House, The Night Circus, Moby Dick, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and A Little Life (sue me). If love (not just romantic love but the overarching and underlying force (also known as empathy)) is a theme, I would love that too! Found family I suppose.
Edit: added a favorite book that I forgot
by BobbayP