(TLDR at the end)
I’m usually into classics with philosophical depth, detailed storytelling, beautiful and mature writing, Hugo, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Balzac etc. I’ve been reading very little the past year because with my usual reads it’s just become too difficult for me to keep up the same attention anymore because of the ramping up of my uni workload and stress.
I’ve tried to pick up some other books to read in the meantime but nothing much has stuck. Rivers of London was ok until a few chapters in when I realized the writing is just a bit too thin. Late last year I went through the Harry Potters on audio, that was very fun but it ended. I tried Lord of the Rings on audio too but turns out I found it incredibly boring and lost steam after the voice of Saruman chapter. I read Oliver Twist last year and absolutely loved it – easy to read, great story and overall fantastic. Some time ago but similarly stressed I binged through Lady Anna by Trollope which was very fun too. Perhaps something like those would be ideal. But it doesn’t need to be ancient either. I was really enjoying Freedom by Jonathan Franzen until about half-way when I started feeling like his writing was just a bit too, idk, inconsequential.
I’ve tried some time ago to have another stab at Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive since I liked them several years ago and a few new books have come out since, but I couldn’t get past the prologue of Rhythm of War, literally everything sounds like it was written by a 12 year old. I remember really enjoying Kingkiller Chronicle not long ago but it’s too soon for a reread. That would really be the perfect book, it’s so well written on every level. Something that’s not fantasy would also be ok.
So, tldr:
Just want something to grip my attention and make me want to keep reading. Perhaps something I can take with me for a listen while on a walk, or for a nice read before bed.
Things that worked recently:
\-harry potters, oliver twist, lady anna, patrick rothfuss
Things that did not:
\-brandon sanderson, jonathan franzen, rivers of london, lord of the rings
by yakobperalberg