September 2024
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    Hi, I'm a burnt-out former "gifted kid" looking to get back into reading for the first time since high school. Apologies in advance for the long post, since I don't know what exactly I'm looking for I'm trying to include as much information as possible.

    I used to be a very avid reader as a child and into my early teens. I have autism/ADHD and was hyperlexic (meaning I developed reading and language skills much more quickly and easily than my peers). I think the combination of reaching my milestones too early, hitting academic burnout when I was in high school, and late diagnosis ultimately left me with no motivation or desire for reading. I haven't read a book in almost a decade, and in middle/high school I predominantly just worked my way through the classics, so I don't even really know how to look for books that might interest me.

    Generally speaking, most of what I used to enjoy falls under literary fiction, though I do enjoy some low and mid fantasy. I'm not a huge fan of romance or horror. I like stories that handle serious/heavy subjects or even delve into philosophical themes. I would prefer books written for an adult audience over teen/YA. Queer and/or disabled representation would be nice, but isn't a requirement.

    Some of my favorites from when I used to read in high school include Frankenstein, The Catcher in the Rye, Flowers for Algernon, and The Stranger. My favorite TV shows include Supernatural, The X-Files, and Penny Dreadful. I don't watch a lot of movies but my most recent favorite is Everything Everywhere All at Once, and my favorite plays/musicals include Hamlet and Hadestown. Some hobbies/interests of mine include TTRPGs, psychology, mythology and urban legends, medicine, and games like Baldur's Gate 3.

    Strategies for getting into reading/keeping yourself motivated are more than welcome as well as book suggestions. Thank you so much in advance to anyone who took the time to read all that! 🙂

    by brasskier13

    2 Comments

    1. Silly_Stranger_5623 on

      Have you read the perks of being a wallflower?

      I also am
      A fan of Francesca lia block for YA
      Also there is a comic/zine called Paper girls that’s really good
      Graphic novel:
      High desert
      That’s just a start 🙂

    2. brusselsproutsfiend on

      Maybe start with a novella? I put the shorter books first.

      Thornedge by T. Kingfisher

      Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

      Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

      Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

      A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

      The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

      Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

      Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

      Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett

      Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

      The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin

      Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater

      The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

      Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

      One for All by Lillie Lainoff

      The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

      Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

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