My girlfriend loves reading, it's one of her favorite hobbies. However, for the five years I've known her, she's almost exclusively read non-fiction: science, economics, biology, that kind of thing. I know that as a teenager she read more fantasy and sci-fi, Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, the usual, but she drifted away from narrative fiction over time.
Recently we went on a trip and, as we usually do, we each brought our own book. I brought Dune and she brought something on biology. By the end of the trip, she had barely touched her book, she kept asking me to read Dune out loud to her, asking to read it herself, and we basically spent the whole trip reading Dune together.
I've been trying to convince her to read it with me, but she doesn't want to commit to such a long series. She wants to get back into narrative fiction but is specifically looking for something that isn't a multi-book saga where you finish the first one without resolution and feel obligated to read five more.
She doesn't like leaving things unfinished, so ideally we're looking for a standalone book, or at least a series where the first book offers a satisfying conclusion on its own. Sci-fi, fantasy, or general fiction all work. We're both 26 if that helps.
by NeoTeabagger
4 Comments
Any Andy Weir books like, The Martian or Project Hail Mary.
Project Hail Mary or The Martian, both by Andy Weir
oh man your gf has good taste getting hooked on Dune like that! totally get the series commitment thing though – sometimes you just want a complete story without signing up for like 6 more books.
For standalone sci-fi that scratches similar itch, maybe check out The Left Hand of Darkness or Station Eleven. both are complete stories that don’t leave you hanging. if she’s into the political intrigue side of Dune, The Goblin Emperor is fantasy but also standalone and has really good worldbuilding without being overwhelming.
since she likes the science background, she might dig The Martian too – it’s got that problem-solving element but tells a full story in one book. good luck getting her back into fiction!
One thing I discovered that helps with long commutes or road trips are light & fluffy audiobooks.
Try the Stephanie Plum series, Jasper Fford or Terry Pratchett. These are silly and not complex so you wont loose track of the plot over a weekend, but are entertaining and distracting. Oh Christopher Moore is another good author.
If your car ties to your phone – sign up for Libby/Hoopla to get audiobooks for free. Then play them on your car stereo system while you drive.