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Books @lemmy.ml pathief @lemmy.world

Trying to get into reading, need suggestions

I, 35M, have never been much into reading. I just never found that one book that I thought was fantastic. Everything felt OK at best.

How can I ask you for advice when I don't even know what I like myself? I don't know. I think a fantasy or mythological theme would work best. Something fast paced and with a non sad ending. I'm open to pretty much everything, though.

Maybe by listing what books I have read and what I found displeasing about them you can suggest me a book or two to try? Give me some feedback!

Books I remember reading:

  • Circe - I like the mythological theme, I think this was the book I enjoyed the most. I found it a bit bland, like the story pretty much lead to nothing of interest.

  • The Hobbit - I love the lord of the rings movies (never tried the books), I thought maybe I'd enjoy this book. I didn't enjoy the plot, don't really wanna spoil why.

  • Da Vinci Code - I thought it was fine, I guess I enjoy plots with some mystery.

  • Angels and Demons - honestly felt like the same book, I don't know if I even finished it

  • Digital Fortress - as a software developer, i thought the theme would pull me in but it didn't. It actually felt like the same book again and I have tried reading it three times without success.

  • 100 years of solitude - I read this a long time ago so I don't really remember why I didn't enjoy it. I remember it being a slog with long and very detailed descriptions of situations that didn't feel to matter at all.

Thanks!

2
2 comments

  • Hm. Some fantasy stories / books I really enjoyed and recommend are:

    Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Just awesome. The pacing is gentle but a lot higher compared to The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings. One of the best fantasy stories I know, I read all the books multiple times. Warning: Don't watch the movie. Just don't.

    The Idhún's Memories by Laura Gallego. I've read them a long time ago, so I don't know if I'd still enjoy them that much, but I've great memories.

    I didn't read The Name Of The Wind yet, but it was recommended to me multiple times as THE best book.

    If you don't mind science-fiction, I also would recommend Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovski.

    Side note: Fantasy is quite a heavy genre if you're not really into reading yet. Often the good books are large, which makes it harder to finish in a reasonable time. General tipp: try to read one hour a day. This creates a habit and you will soon read a lot faster, which makes it a lot easier to just grind through a book as if it was nothing. Also try different genres, maybe one doesn't sound appealing, but you would enjoy it anyway.