November 2024
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    Sorry for the upcoming wall of text, I just wanna make sure my tastes are well defined so I don't waste anyone's time on suggestions I'm not interested in.

    Been trying to get back into books lately after spending most of my 20s being a full time caregiver to my late wife, which didn't leave a lot of time for reading. I'll list below some stuff I like. Oh and I have pretty bad ADHD so I find it easier to focus on a story if I'm doing something like cleaning or playing a mindless video game, so audiobooks are preferred. I'm up for anything ranging from classics to modern stuff.

    I'd say my top 5 favorite books in no particular order are:
    House of Leaves (Both in how creatively written it is and also non-euclidean or Escher-esque architecture is a horror trope I love, as well as anything to do with the subtle uncomfortable horror of liminal spaces. That and any horror/thriller that utilizes time loops I really enjoy. Think movies like Triangle, Primer or +1)

    Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (I remember seeing somewhere that Haunted was part of a trio of similarly themed books he'd written, but now can't for the life of me find anything about that. Looking over his works, I wanna think Choke sounds familiar as part of that trilogy.)

    Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit (note that I MUCH prefer the "ragtag group of misfits on a journey to acquire/destroy a macguffin" style fantasy over EPIC BATTLES and throne room drama kinda stuff that has taken over fantasy. For the love of God do not suggest Game or Thrones lol)

    Anything Lovecraftian (remembering that cosmic horror =/= tentacles. I want the very fabric of reality called into question. Some great examples aside from HP himself would be House of Leaves as mentioned prior, 14 and The Fold (I'm aware the author now has 2 more books in that universe and I plan to check them out) Times that Stephen King has tackled the genre such as in Revival and From A Buick 8 and the lovely world of Analog Horror like Mandela Catalogue, Greylock, Local 58, Gemini, etc. Not sure that genre would translate into books though)

    I've always enjoyed the humor of people like Lemony Snicket. Would love to see that kinda humor and wit in a more adult oriented book. And I adore horror/comedy, though I haven't seen much of that in book form. Currently working my way through John Dies At The End after having enjoyed the movie with my wife years ago. Then I might check out his other book called, I think, "This book has spiders in it."

    Lastly, I've got Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a complete set of Sherlock Holmes books (I'm down for a good whodunnit if you've got a suggestion,) and the Witcher books on my to-read list. I often see people suggest Headful of Ghosts when someone mentions House of Leaves; I tried it and really didn't care for it. And one final tidbit, I still plan to check the website Doesthedogdie for trigger warnings if I get any suggestions, but try to avoid suggesting anything with storylines involving infidelity. Major trauma trigger for me. Anyway, hopefully I get some good suggestions out of this. Thank you, and I'll try to pay it forward by regularly checking this sub for other posts I might be able to contribute suggestions to.

    by CranberryFormal2867

    2 Comments

    1. If you haven’t read it, Perdido Street Station by China Mieville might interest you. Mieville says Lovecraft is one of his influences. This story is a mix of fantasy, horror and sci-fi.

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