Hi all,
I am currently in a bit of a slump and wondered if some of you could help with some recommendations. I have about a month of my PhD left so I'm feeling quite stressed and I am in intense focus mode during most of the day. I usually destress in the evenings by reading but I am struggling to be excited about any books at the moment and not being able to find something is stressing me out even more. Reading fiction is usually the one thing that I look forward to during the day, it helps me fall asleep and keeps me off my phone scrolling so I am reluctant to just give in and stop outright for the next few weeks.
I am looking for something that is;
- easy to get in to.
- medium pace (not too slow that I can't get into it and not too bingable that I won't be able to work until I've finished it).
- around 250-500 pages.
- no short story collections.
- almost any genre apart from space/sci-fi as my PhD is space related and I just can't at the moment and not romance either as I tend to get too attached and will stop everything to finish them.
- not too heavy/dark.
- not overly complicated and doesn't require me to think too much.
- plot driven but with good characters.
Some recent fiction books/authors that I've read and enjoyed
- all souls trilogy.
- the bandit queens.
- the outsider/stranger.
- 1984.
- the city and the city.
- I hope this finds you well.
- case study – gmb.
- fantasy – the usual: brando sando, robert jordan, john gwynne et al.
- ottessa moshfegh.
- donna tartt.
- Slice of life style (Convenience store woman, kim jiyoung born 1982, diary of a void).
- Connie willis.
- a thousand splendid suns.
Any help would be really appreciated, I just want to read again!
by Mammoth-Ear2393