Hi, I’m looking for book recommendations to get me back into reading as a hobby. I used to read constantly when I was younger and would read several books a day. but after having kids I stopped reading and started doom scrolling on my phone and I just feel like I lost a part of me. I need a book to rekindle that passion I used to feel about reading but I went to my local library and felt so lost I had no idea where to look or where to start and just felt embarrassed and left..
I used to love Nicholas sparks books but feel like they would be a bit too sad/heavy for me now, I have read all the Janet evonovich and enjoyed how funny they were and the mystery part of it so I think I would like crime/mystery novels and romance? Tried Addison Holmes series by Liliana hart a few years back and couldn’t get into it too much
Read a ton of young adult books in highschool and college that i enjoyed so much, is it weird to read YA books as a 28 yo? 😅
I also use to love some fantasy books like the Harry Potter/eragon/LOTR/wheel of time books as well as classic literary novels but think I need to start with something that’s a lighter read as I can’t focus as well as I used to… sorry for rambling and overthinking and thank you so much for the help!! 🙂
by honeybmama
8 Comments
“Act Of Oblivion” – Robert Harris.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. It’s the first in a series of funny, sweet mysteries.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto is a standalone funny/sweet mystery.
You might also like the Tess Monaghan series by Laura Lippman.
Just kids by Patti Smith
How about [The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/bea60a60-8dc1-416f-98b3-8ecff3039d0d) by Sangu Mandanna? (Also, it’s totally fine to read YA as an adult! I’m the same age as you, and I regularly read middle grade!)
Reading is hobby. Read what makes you happy. I’ll be diving into Howls Moving Castle for the first time and I’m 34!
I hate to say it, but A Court of Thrones and Roses got me back into reading. I read next to nothing in my 20’s and clocked 36 books last year.
I second The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. It has whimsy and romance and feels like a nice cup of tea.
There is no shame in reading YA! Books are books just the same as any other 😊
When I needed a light and fluffy read to get back into reading I picked up Book Lovers by Emily Henry. It was enjoyable, low stakes, bit of romance, story did the trick.
For fantasy I am really enjoying From Blood and Ash (it’s a series, so not sure if that’s the best place to start when you’re exiting a slump) it’s got graphic spicy (sex) scenes FYI. But if you’re looking for fantasy there are tons of great options out there right now.
Another option to consider is audiobooks. That is what helped me get back into reading when I was raising my babies. I just didn’t have the mental capacity to read but listening was totally different. A great story and a good narrator made it so enjoyable. I really like memoir read by the author, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and The Storyteller by Dave Grohl are great options. Otherwise, you said you liked Harry Potter when you were younger and I absolutely loved listening to them on audiobook. The narrator is really fantastic and I felt transported every time I listened.
Read all the YA you want! Whatever makes you happy. You might enjoy books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Helen Hoang, or Ali Hazlewood if you enjoy romance
The Daevabad series is one of my favorites for fantasy
If you were into romance, tiktok has so so many recs for spicy reads. There’s some wild shit getting popular so I highly rec checking for trigger warnings first. A court of thorns and roses was great and Sarah J Maas is incredible at world building!