Hey there – I would love to get into reading a few books a year. I hated just about every book I was forced to read as a kid/young person (Brave New World being an exception), and as a result, I’ve spent too much of my adult life avoiding books. I’ve probably read 1 book a year (if that) for the last 15 years. It’s not that I don’t like reading (I read the news a lot)… I know I’ve had a bad attitude about reading since I was a kid, and I’m trying to shake this. Here are a few criteria I’ve got in mind:
\- Books that everyone, I mean absolutely everyone, loves. Eventually I might find my niche, but until that time, I really don’t want to roll the dice (otherwise my lingering teenage brain will be quick to say “yep all books still suck!”)
\- Ideally something that will hook me relatively quickly. I’m unlikely to survive 100 pages with the promise of “it’ll be worth it – just keep going!”. I’m not going to keep going.
\- Nothing that’s so long that I won’t remember what happened at the beginning when I get to the end. As a kid I specifically remember giving up on Harry Potter after I finished the book in the series that was super long (book 4 or 5, maybe?) and then just fully giving up on the series.
\- I’m open to fiction and non-fiction. Books I’ve enjoyed in the past include those by Michael Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell. I read World War Z a couple of years ago and also loved that. I also recently read Die with Zero (finance/self-help kinda book) and also enjoyed that.
\- I’m a dude. Do with that information as you see fit. I posted elsewhere and someone posted a few books about family and sick kids and some other stuff that just seemed way out of left field.
\- At this point, probably best to avoid “the classics.” I’m sure some of these books are good, but it seems like people give a lot of credit to stuff that is old just because it’s old. I don’t really care that people have been struggling with the same issues for a long time. I’m not interested in trying to navigate some old style of writing just for the sake of it. I just want to read and enjoy.
\- I guess I like books that are either really compelling/interesting or tell a great story. Not looking for some artsy, emotional, fluffy book…
I guess I’m looking for the short list of “Everyone loves these books, and you’ll like them too, and if you read them, you’ll want to read more.”
I really appreciate everyone’s help with this.
by clickclack88
6 Comments
I suggest “Angels and Demons” or “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. These are page turners and easy to read. Have fun!
Into Thin Air or Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer is an excellent storyteller and both of these are definitely captivating enough to keep your attention. Personally, I prefer Into Thin Air but they’re both probably his most popular works. These are both nonfiction.
Into Thin Air is Krakauer’s account of a disastrous Everest climb. It’s about 300 pages.
Into the Wild is about Chris McCandless who just abandoned his life to venture off into the Alaskan wilderness. It’s about 200 pages.
You said you’re not interested in the classics, but you also said you’re a guy who liked Brave New World, so some obligatory recommendations are:
1984 by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut (this is personally my favorite book)
Beyond that, I’d try some short works in different genres to see what you enjoy. Some ideas are:
Horror: The Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
Scifi: All Systems Red by Martha Wells (this is the first in a series called Murderbot)
Fantasy: Piranesi by Susanna Clark
Give John Gierach a try. He writes outdoor essays, mostly fishing. He does a good job of describing the place he is, the fish, and his thoughts on it. Since they are short essays, they are good for reading one or two and then putting it down for a while. There are no overreaching plots or characters to remember. It you don’t like his style of writing, you’ll know in the first couple of essays, so no major time lost. To give you a title, consider At The Grave of the Unknown Fisherman or Standing in a River Waving a Stick.
You may like The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks.
My suggestion for anyone who wants to get into reading if they want to read fiction is to look at the types of movies you like to watch. Then go to the library look for an anthology. You can find anthologies of science, fiction, mystery, fantasy, romance, And just good short stories. This way you can find a style or an author that you like without a huge investment.