I have a childhood friend who struggled with reading as a kid (she was very slow to pick it up and as an adult was diagnosed with ADHD which helped explain her struggles getting into and sticking with books). School in general was a struggle for her, and the adults in her life (parents, teachers) weren’t very understanding of her challenges at the time, so she would just get in trouble instead of getting support. Anyway, it essentially turned her off to reading for the rest of her childhood all the way into her late 20s.
Well imagine my surprise when she asked if I could pick out a book for her this Christmas! She said she wants to give reading a try and actually enjoy it. She didn’t give me a *ton* to go off of, but I thought the good people here might be able to help. So here we go:
* Can be either fiction or non-fiction, though she’s a little more interested in the former.
* Published within the past 5 or 6 years and is a recognizable title (a recent bestseller, for example. She is not interested in digging into the classics (at least for now).
* Riveting from the get-go (not looking for slow burns or “it *really* picks up around chapter 12”). My hunch is that she would enjoy something more plot-driven than character-driven, at least for the time being.
* Based on her TV/movie consumption, she doesn’t think she’d love sci-fi/fantasy or history/historical fiction.
Looking forward to your recommendations!
by tibleon8