I want to get into reading, and want to know what “must-reads” are there. But I find myself struggling when reading classics (The Great Gatsby, Pride Prejudice, some of Shakespeare’s works, etc) because of the complex vocab and rich figurative tone.
I don’t have huge imaginative power so books that use vivid descriptions, like fantasy, gets me lost while reading (had to rely on the movies to get me through each Harry Potter book). I find myself enjoying a couple of non-fiction books because of this. But I still want to slowly get used to this and become a better reader.
I did enjoy simple fairytales as a kid (those with like 10-20 illustrated pages were only what I could access), so maybe suggestions of simple short stories to start off with? Then gradually work from there till I get used to complex sentences to handle titles well-known within literature.
by mingcellaneous
10 Comments
My go to book for people who want to get into reading is Holes by Louis Sachar, because it appeals to all ages, has really short chapters, and is super engaging!
I always recommend Agatha Christie. Many to choose from so a good starting place is The Mysterious Affair at Styles which is the first book of her detective Hercule Poirot series.
The advantage of the mystery format is it tends to get you motivated to turn pages in order to solve the puzzle. Christie’s also stood the test of time as a talented, best-selling writer and their are many movie and TV adaptations.
My nephew had similar problem and I got him “The plot against America” by Roth. It’s very engaging, has a very interesting idea behind it and makes you reflect on the present situation. Not the best book by Roth but might be a good start. Otherwise, there is “The Wager” by Grann, non-fiction, I seriously couldn’t stop reading.
forty rules of love
See my
* [Readers 2: Here are the the resources and threads I have about books for adolescents/adults who want to start reading (“Get me reading again/I’ve never read”)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/19f48jl/readers_2_here_are_the_the_resources_and_threads/) list (six posts).
* [General Nonfiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18rv2pk/general_nonfiction/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (three posts).
Check out LeGuin’s Wizard of Earthsea. It’s delightful.
Best advice i ever got regarding starting to read is to always start from a movie/tv series/game that was based around a book. basically go read the source material. it helps you slide into reading more easily and also its interesting to see the difference between the books and the movie then you might want to see the recommended books and slowly find your genre. you might also want to listen to audiobooks if you don’t have much free time to read, i found out that doing normal tasks such as cooking and exercising (even work when i can) goes faster and smother with a book (might be hard at first but it helped me clear my to read list very fast also don’t be afraid to raise the speed to 1.2 or even 1,3 if it feel to slow)
That being said here some Two fantasy (cause its my go to so sry if you will not like it )books that are very good:
Percy Jackson series- while the movie was horrible the books are amazing and very easy to follow
Portal war saga – young noble magician in a world where magician are oppressed find old tower with the spirit of an old mage overlord. basic concept but it works. also its a 7 book series.
It might take a few tries to get into the classics. Why not visit your local library and try a book from different genres? Just read whatever you fancy, it’s not meant to be a chore. One person’s ‘must read’ might be something another hates 😁
The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
The first book is The Gunslinger
I got the set as a Christmas gift and didn’t know anything about the series. The first book was kind of slow to me but the ending, holy crap! I was not expecting that and I immediately started the second book and have not been disappointed. I’m actually excited to read again bc of these books and can’t wait to get home after work to dive back in.
Lots of good suggestions in terms of books, so I’ll just pop in to say that I absolutely love ready and I too have trouble with many of the classics.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading what you find enjoyable. Could you go to the library and ask them to help you find a stack of options that cover a few genres and styles? And then dig in – if you don’t enjoy something, just set it aside and try the next one!
Happy reading!