One thing that I wish I did more was read books. I’ve enjoyed a few in the past a lot but find myself being drawn to movies/tv/internet stuff and lately have been wanting to read something that takes me away from regular life.
For context I’m in a depressive slump, haven’t found a lot of joy in things, have a hard time focusing, and am generally feeling a bit apathetic. I’m not sure i want something “uplifting”, and feel i might generally gravitate towards something that I can identify with more given my current state of mind.
I love cerebral content, crime content (organized crime mafia type stuff), finance stuff, “harsh reality” type things, and sometimes brutal stuff. My favorite TV show is Mr. Robot, favorite movie is Goodfellas. I enjoy Sci Fi but sometimes find them hard to read. I tried reading Neuromancer a while back and while I did think it was cool, it was a bit difficult for me to get imagery properly going which is important for me to stay engaged. I love the movie No Country for Old Men but have not read the book, or any other Cormac McCarthy books, not sure if I’d like what I’ve heard of his prose but maybe I would.
I find myself gravitating towards anything that makes me question reality. I’ve had my fair share of self induced moments of “enlightemnent” if you catch my drift, and movies like The Matrix, Ex Machina, and the show Devs are incredible to me as I tend to question the very basis of reality around me most of the time.
Thanks for reading this long post. I figured any additional context for who i am and what I’m interested in might help me find something that could act as a gateway to similar books down the road and provide me a constructive hobby moving forward.
by mcc4b3
2 Comments
I, too, wasn’t particularly enthralled by Neuromancer. I have liked pretty much everything else by William Gibson, though, especially the sequel Count Zero.
That said, here’s some sci fi I found interesting, with good imagery and a bit of “harsh reality”:
* [Autonomous](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28209634-autonomous) by Annalee Newitz. Near-ish future dystopia.
* Books by Karl Schroeder, an author who writes incredibly far future sci fi. It’s so far in the future, the fabric of reality is unrecognizable. If you want something fast paced and action packed, read [Sun of Suns](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77887.Sun_of_Suns). If you want a slower, more philosophical book, read [Lady of Mazes](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34009.Lady_of_Mazes).
* [Player of Games](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18630.The_Player_of_Games) by Iain M. Banks. Far future, but not as weird as Schroder’s writing.
{{A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck}} is a super quick read and a recent favorite of mine.
{{I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman}} is a pretty bleak book, but great.