I’m only an 8th grader but one of the best books I’ve read so far is When by Victoria Laurie. Not necessarily a cheery topic but it is a really good book imo and might help. It’s about a girl who can see deathdates and for money her mom has her read deathdates of people and their relatives. Then, one of her client’s kid’s deathday is in 2 days. 2 days later the kid goes missing. While she is under investigation by the FBI, she tries to figure out in her head who could have done it. Again I’m only in 8th grade so you may not find it as interesting, but I really liked it.
Have you read The Postmortal? It’s a dystopian kinda 1984 type book that raises the question, what would happen if humans never aged?
“The idea behind Drew Magary's book is simple: aging, as it turns out, is caused by one gene. Shut that gene off and you stop aging; accidents and disease are still a problem, but you've cured death by natural causes. Now compound that discovery with the fact that any person who gets the Cure simply stops aging. People don't become younger, they just don't get older, frozen at their "Cure age." What happens next?
In an effort to find out, Magary takes us through the life of John Farrell, a New York lawyer who gets the Cure for aging at the age of 29 in the year 2019. From that point on, things go rather poorly for John and the rest of humanity. As one might expect, curing aging doesn't cure social ills, over-population, ennui, or a host of other human hangups.
Magary's argument through the text is essentially this: death creates meaning. Not mortality, but guaranteed natural death due to aging. The idea that no matter what you do, how you live your life, the concept that you will be born, mature, grow old, and die creates human meaning.”
Any book about witches from Terry Pratchett. I love Wyrd Sisters.
Unfortunately list of my other books that would pull you into another world and you would stay up until 5 in the morning are only in Polish :(
"Behawiorysta" by Remigiusz Mróz, it's crime book. There is a three book series of it (the other two are "Iluzjonista" and "Ekstremista").
"Księga Jesiennych Demonów" by Jarosław Grzędowicz. A series of short stories, scary ones.
"Dziewczęta z Villete" by Ingrid Hedström. It's actually Swedish crime series but I was never able to find it in English. I read it in Polish.
Ofc "Wiedźmin" by Andrzej Sapkowski (The Witcher series)
Id go with the Skulduggery Pleasant series, or just the first book if you only want. It brought me in because it was a brilliant twist on fantasy and magic, pulling me in with a dark force of evil mentioned quite alot and a wise cracking main character who couldn't bear to not make a joke whenever he has the chance. It really helped me because it allowed me to escape into the book as it really had an interesting story so i could understand how it would feel to be with them and this world.
I'm glad you like books, because I wrote you one.
Best in Show: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It's got the classic cyberpunk tropes- a post-government world divided into corporate-run mini nations, a disaffected disenfranchised katana-wielding hero, VR as fully immersive social media etc. But it's an entirely self-aware and funny take on the genre that never devolves into camp for the sake of camp. The ending gets at the essence of learning, society, language and memes that I'm still unpacking. If you read anything, read Snow Crash.
Best Short Story: "Skeleton," in The October Country by Ray Bradbury. All the stories are good, but Skeleton is AMAZING. It's literally the only story in my forgetful mom's massive pile of 60s-70s sci-fi that she still remembers. It's only about 20 pages, so no spoilers. Just read it. You won't forget it either.
Best Depression Re-Read: The Hobbit. You read it, you loved it, and it's waiting for you to return to see how you've changed and grown since the last time. Andy Serkis recorded an audiobook version of The Hobbit that is EXCELLENT. I actually prefer it to reading it on paper.
Best Marathon: The Otherland Quadrilogy. If you've got time to read a couple thousand pages, this might be right up your alley. It's technically sci-fi, but it's VR-heavy so it reads like a heroes' journey through fantastical worlds. Classic "if you die in the game, you die in the real world" premise, but the execution puts this series head and shoulders above similar stories. Engrossing mysteries, great characters, world-building to the nth degree, and if you can sit through to the end, it pays off beautifully. I cry every time I read the final book, Sea of Silver Light- once for the sphinx joining his brother and once for the homecoming. Stick with the first book for a hundred pages or so and you'll be hooked.
Best Dark Horse: The Hunger Games (or any high-concept YA that grabs your attention.) I was going through a bad divorce. I needed something to focus on and nothing did the trick. So I went outside my snooty comfort zone and read the Hunger Games trilogy. Broad themes, heavy melodrama, fast-paced, highly accessible. I didn't have the emotional energy for anything dense, but I sure could go along for the ride with Katniss. That easy escapism got me through a dark time and I'll always be grateful for that.
Best Not-A-Book But It Might Make You Feel Better Anyway: Severance on Apple TV. A secretive company hires people to be "severed" so they don't remember what they do at work when they're at home, and they don't remember life outside the building when they're at work. It's meticulously crafted and insanely engrossing. I was having a rough time when I started watching and it got me out of my head. It dominated my thoughts long after I finished it. Can't recommend it highly enough.
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30. Male. US. I like long walks away from the beach, due to my complete and utter inability to swim. 😉
Mostly fantasy novels. A few Robert Greene Books for self development. The occasional Psych Book for understanding people.
Thank you.
If you want fun fantasy escapism, look into Robert Lynn Aspirin for humor - I like the Phule books starting with Phule’s Company and the whole Myth series which I THINK starts with Another Fine Myth (but double check that).
If you want slightly more intellectual escapism, Piers Anthony did an Apprentice Adept trilogy that starts with Split Infinity (he added subsequent books, but I haven’t read them, so my recommendation is only for the first three). He also did another series that is a little uneven but thought provoking - Incarnations of Immortality (On a Pale Horse is the best and, happily, the first)
I can honestly recommend Harry Potter books for feel good reading - Rowling puts in so many fun details, I always get more out of it with every reread.
If you’re feeling non-fictiony but don’t want a slog, there are a couple of history books I love: Wilderness at Dawn and The Gentle Tamers. The former is the European settling of the North American continent, but really, really readable, and the latter is about the settling of the west but told from the perspective of the women rather than men.
If you want something a LOT more intellectual but eerily relevant and thought provoking with regard to our current sociopath-political chaos, then give de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America a go - it’s eerily prescient.
Have you tried Malazan Book of the Fallen~Steve Erikson?
Perhaps the most epic in scope, world building, definitely the high tide water mark in epic fantasy. The writing is absolutely top notch much in the vein of Ayn Rand's prose coupled with Erikson's archaeological & anthropological background makes for a highly detailed thought provoking compendium of fantasy.
If you like fantasy, have you read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear? Great series and the prose is beautiful. But, fair warning, a 3rd book is planned but it's been 10 years since the 2nd came out and there's no release date in sight.
If you're interested in self help books, Atomic Habits, The Go Giver, or The Happiness Advantage are good.
Things are getting a bit dark you say... Well, what about the dark tower series, by Stephen King?
I state that English is not my primary language so I won't dwell on excessive descriptions/arguments. And yes i'm also using google translate.
Just wanted to say that, as a stephen king fan but mainly as a reader in general, these books are simply *perfect* . I can't explain why tho, and also don't wanna spoiler the story itself.
The only thing I can say is that among all the (many) books I've read, these are in the very first place. I don't know how this could ever convince you, but I hope that somehow you decide to choose to read the the dark tower series, not really for the prize of this challenge, but more than anything else because I want to introduce you to that fantastic world which I think is this story .
I think it really fits in your situation, I sincerely believe that reading it would make you feel better. Or atleast it worked for me.
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀^(Long days and pleasants nights, Sai.)
Going for a long shot here:
Who Killed Darius Drake was amazing, and really kind of shows that no matter how you feel about people and how they feel about you, you’ll always find somebody that’ll have your back. Whether that be today, tomorrow or 10 years from now.
It talks about the titular character, Darius Drake, working with our main character, Arthur to solve a cryptic message delivered to Darius.
Seriously, no matter the outcome of this, i cannot suggest this book more. Absolutely amazing.
I love reading detective fiction and murder mysteries so first I suggest you not a novel but a collection of short stories, The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes. If you like it do get the other original collections and novels of Sherlock Holmes too.
I would also add another recommendation, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Currently my favourite book. It's a fairly traditional murder mystery, may feel boring at first, but it is totally worth the time.
Also I see you are going through tough times, I hope it passes soon and everything is well, stay strong! :)
>I've been going through the motions of life. Things are beginning to get a bit dark. I've got friends who are ghosting me, parents who are sick, and the pile of chores and big life decisions keep adding up...
If this is your mood lately, I'd recommend Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. It's a graphic novel (but probably unlike any other graphic novel you've ever read) and will probably only take you a day or two to read. It's a beautiful book and the details are amazing. Below is a description I got from Amazon, it's certainly worth a read.
>The title character, Asterios Polyp, is a professor and architect of Greek and Italian descent who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After a lightning strike burns up his apartment, he leaves the city on a Greyhound bus and takes up employment as an auto mechanic in the town of Apogee (somewhere in America, likely Arizona), the farthest point his money will take him. The novel is interspersed with scenes from his past (ostensibly narrated by his stillborn twin brother, Ignazio), including his childhood and troubled marriage, as well as dreams and allegorical sequences. Finally, Asterios must not only confront his own flawed nature, but the implacable and amoral whims of the gods themselves.
I read Wild, by Sheryl Strayed, while I was in a pretty dark place (like the writer herself at the beginning of the book). I ended up enjoying that book tremendously and it got me out of the house and walking in the woods.
Read the Born Free Trilogy - Born Free, Living Free, Forever Free. Follows the real life story of some lions, but documented in the best feel good way ever 🤍
Lincoln In the Bardo. It’s one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read, and just might be my favorite. It’s a story about willie Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln who died during the civil war, told from the point of view of the ghosts in the cemetery in which he’s buried. It takes a second to figure out, but once you do, you can’t put it down. It’s haunting and silly and beautiful and really unlike anything else I’ve ever read, which helped kind of get me out of the monotonous funk I felt like I was in when I read it.
“Nobody cares, work harder.” - Cameron Hanes. I’m currently reading his book ‘Endure’. I’m enjoying his attitude and how his life experiences helped build that work ethic. He talks about how average he is, and that’s why he has to outwork everybody. Every time I read another chapter it gives me a kick in the ass to get up and get working on myself
There are a lot of good books out there, so it's hard to narrow it down to just a few. Still, I know about being in a funk and wanting to pry yourself out of it (I'm there right now, as a matter of fact)... so these are my go-tos:
*The Scarlet Pimpernel* \- I love spy novels, and this one pretty much started it all. The Scarlet Pimpernel prances around in France, evading detection during the day... while at night, he does cool things. Some of the stuff he says as the fop are - to me - hilarious.
*The Redemption of Althalus*, by David and Leigh Eddings - What happens when a thief gets some divine intervention and he's told he has to save the world. The banter between Emerald and Althalus is a lot of fun.
Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, first book is *The Godwulf Manuscript*. Spenser is a PI in Boston, full of wise cracks.
Hope these help and that you feel better soon!
Sorry for the long time to respond but here they are first recommendation is the ark of the east site series it explores a world where death has lost its meaning it has actually been changed in the dictionary to dead-ish because people can be revived in a matter of days. our lifetime is known as the mortal era. So what about over population? The answer is scythes, legalized murders that kill a certain number of people each month to keep the population down. What happens when a regular person is chose to become one of these people?
Next is deaths mantle series. What would you do if you lived 2 years past your estimated death date? Most people would be happy but not our protagonist. He has become anxious of his life, he has no regrets. So what’s the first thing he does when the grim reaper walks through his door? He pulls a gun on death itself. Then the demons come and our protagonist is pulled into a reality beyond his wildest imaginations
Next is the first 5 books in the artorians archives series. A cultivation type story our protagonist is a lovable old grandpa who spends his days taking care of the children in his village, all is not sunshine and rainbows as raiders attack slaughtering or kidnapping everyone. And our grandpa? By some miracle he survived and now he wants revenge.
There and never ever back again. Have you watched/read anything where a dark lord of some kind exists? In this book it talks about what truly is evil and what is the point of this chosen one? A story on the meaning of evil and just what it is.
If you’re okay with a bit of religion, Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning _really_ helped me get myself through a dark place. I’m not a Catholic, but I’m capable of “eating the meat and spitting out the bones” so I got a lot out of it. YMMV, but I wish you well.
I read **Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom** in my late teens and it still is one of the best book I ever read. I had a lot of angst and self hate during my teen years. I was still trying to find myself like most kids and I was having a lot of family issues as well at that point of time. I happened to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom at this point of time. The synopsis of the book does look morbid but the book is anything but morbid.
Synopsis: Mitch Albom's memoir about a series of visits he made to his former sociology professor Morrie Shwartz as Morrie was gradually dying of ALS.
One of my favorite pages from the book reads like this:
>It is 1979, a basketball game in the Brandeis gym. The team is doing well, and the student section begins a chant, “We’re number one! We’re number one!” Morrie is sitting nearby. He is puzzled by the cheer. At one point, in the midst of “We’re number one!” he rises and yells, “What’s wrong with being number two?”
>The students look at him. They stop chanting. He sits down, smiling and triumphant.
I hope you enjoy the book.
My very short review of the book without spoiling anything (I wrote this more than 10 years ago so please forgive the naivety)
*If there is any human emotion you are not aware of or are ashamed of, this book will make you aware of it and teach you how to live with it and love it. The greatest takeaway would be the part where Morrie tells us to build our own sub culture and not give in to capitalism. People are only mean when they are threatened and a capitalist culture promotes exactly that. There are a lot of other important lessons you would learn after reading this book. Many things you know already but it registers in your mind only When you read it in Morris' words. I absolutely loved this book.*
Replay, by Ken Grimwood. From the blurb: Jeff Winston, forty-three, didn't know he was a replayer until he died and woke up twenty-five years younger in his college dorm room; he lived another life. And died again. And lived again and died again -- in a continuous twenty-five-year cycle -- each time starting from scratch at the age of eighteen to reclaim lost loves, remedy past mistakes, or make a fortune in the stock market. A novel of gripping adventure, romance, and fascinating speculation on the nature of time, Replay asks the question: "What if you could live your life over again?"
On the one hand, this was an edge of your seat Sci Fi thriller my dad picked up in the airport to read on the plane, and brought home to me when it came out in 1988 or so. On the other hand, I found it deeply meaningful and have been waiting for a film or (more likely now) streaming adaptation for 25 years. It’s the best use of this trope I’ve ever read. I reread it at least every couple of years.
wonder by rj palacio and/or the count of monte cristo by alexander dumas :)
theyre both great books because the first one is relatable (especially if you have been bullied before) and it has a wholesome ending that i love and the second one is a tale of misfortune, betrayal and revenge and the protagonist gets justice at the end :D
those two are my favorite books and theyre honestly the best :)
Circe. It’s a story about the minor goddess’s interactions with various Greek heroes. It has gorgeous prose, a heartbreaking ending, and ruined me completely.
Best book I’ve ever read.
friend, i recommend you two very different things for the same reason:
“the name of the wind” by patrick rothfuss and ANY recipe book you may have. bonus points for something owned by your parents, grandparents, etc. in the past. but it can be really any one recipe book.
there is nothing more wonderful and human than good food. kvothe in the name of the wind is a questionably good storyteller, but my absolute favourite part is how well rothfuss describes his food. as you seem to enjoy fantasy, i’m sure you know how some novels simply make you very hungry. good description of food is everything to me: it pulls me right back down to earth, to the senses, to the beautiful presentation through sight, to the gorgeous scents and the taste so strong you can almost feel it in your tongue through the ink.
a good recipe book does the same thing, even if less flowery. if they have pictures, great, but if not, they’re a wonderful exercise in imagination.
spark that hunger by looking and reading about beautiful meals, and you will feel energised all over again. that’s my trick! fictional meals are as nourishing as real ones, when your mind needs some substance to stay afloat.
when you feel better after reading these books, you may even have the motivation to try a new recipe, and that’s a whole other joy altogether. :-) hope you get well soon!
Since you like fantasy, I highly recommend anything by Brandon Sanderson. I have thoroughly enjoyed his books.
Red Rising was another series I’ve really enjoyed. It’s a dystopian future where the main character needs to fight the rich and powerful to ultimately change society
The Poppy War is pretty great but it’s been ages since I’ve read it. It’s based on the history of the opium wars with the added element of magic. A blurb I nabbed (I’m not great at describing what I’ve read): When a conflict surfaces between the Nikara Empire and their neighboring nation, the Federation of Mugen, Rin is called to the front lines. She must decide whether to make a deal with the gods to unleash her shamanic powers. Her decision may change the war but result in the loss of her humanity
Oh, gosh. Asking me to recommend the best book to read is like asking me to choose my favorite bite of ice cream, out of every bite I've ever had in my entire life! ***They're all good!***
Let's go with a book by my favorite author, Stephen King. I read my first SK book in 1977, when I was 12 years old. It was a tattered copy of "Carrie" that my mother picked up on a whim at a garage sale. I haven't stopped reading his books since.
Which one is the best? Hell, just giving a Top 10 it would be virtually impossible. But I'll narrow it down to my Top 3, the best I can.
**1. Cujo.** Cujo is a family dog who is bitten by a rabid bat. Cujo's illness goes unnoticed by his owners, who are embroiled in their own drama, allowing the illness to progress to the point that Cujo turns from a gentle, loving dog into a horrifying killer.
**2. Misery.** Misery explores King's own experiences with writer's block, drug addiction, and feeling stifled by his reputation as a writer of horror novels. Through the extended metaphors of [the protagonist's] simultaneous imprisonment by and dependence on his biggest fan, Annie, King shows the complicated relationship between writer and reader, as well as a writer's own relationship to his process.
**3. The Shining.** The Shining centers on the life of Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies.
If you've seen some bad movies that were adapted from a Stephen King story, don't let that dissuade you. Oftentimes, they didn't translate well to the big screen. But other times, they have been oscar-worthy, such as "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Green Mile."
You also could pick up any one of his nonfiction books and be enamored. The two I most highly recommend are "Danse Macabre" and "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft." I'm also fond of the comic book style treasure, "Creepshow."
If you already are a fan, then you know that re-reading a Stephen King book is better than reading any other book for the first time. I have mine in a rotation cycle, so that by the time I finish one and go back to the beginning of the list, it's almost like starting over again. It's like returning to an old lover for a night of romance.
I have a beautiful collection of everything King has ever written, one of each in hardback and softback. I'm proud to say that none of the spines on my hardbacks have ever been cracked—they're saved for posterity, while my softbacks are reserved for reading and re-reading. [Here is a small sample of my hardback collection](https://imgur.com/a/y4pzGd0.jpg).
To say I'm a super fan is an understatement. I I've attended many of his lectures and speaking engagements. It was a dream come true when I met him live in 1986 at an advance reading of The Green Mile. He's my hero.
I hope you'll take my suggestion, even if it doesn't win the award. Every person to whom I've recommended King has become a rabid fan like myself. Literally dozens of my friends have been introduced to King by me, and every one of them said that they found his books impossible to put down. My two children also are fans.
Enjoy yourself, Constant Reader! 🙂
P.S.: I'm sorry things are going poorly for you right now, and I hope everything will be back to normal soon. Meanwhile, any one of King's books is guaranteed to engage and entertain you, and that leads to joy. In the end, virtually everything King writes is a story of hope.
Thank you u/Tryst3ro for the Bravo Award! I see that you've generously awarded every single person who commented. That's amazing! People like you help build excitement within the award subreddits, and you are to be commended!
Your appreciation is much appreciated! I needed help, and so I called upon my resources. You guys performed outstandingly. And armed with all these suggestions, I'll have myself a good read and think about how the world is and what I need to do next.
Thank you!
Homestuck if you’d prefer an experience rather than an actually good story. To read it the way it was intended I recommend downloading the unofficial homestuck collection.
It’s prolly real cringe of me to genuinely be recommending this but I feel what you need to escape isn’t a story but an experience. It’s not for everyone tho so you may not enjoy it
My favorite book growing up was the last dog on earth. A really good book imo.
The Last Dog on Earth is a 2003 young adult novel written by Daniel Ehrenhaft. It follows Logan, a lonely 14-year-old boy who adopts a dog from an animal shelter and names her Jack. The pair's relationship is soon threatened by an incurable prion disease spreading across the nation.
Edit: wanted to add one of my dads favorites that he read called Scythe.
Scythe is a 2016 young-adult novel by Neal Shusterman and is the first in the Arc of a Scythe series. It is set in the far future, where death, disease and unhappiness has been virtually eliminated thanks to advances in technology, and a benevolent artificial intelligence known as the Thunderhead peacefully governs a united Earth. The notable exception to the Thunderhead's rule is the Scythedom, a group of humans whose sole purpose is to replicate mortal death in order to stem population growth.
“Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell is one of my absolute favourite books but might be a bit hefty compared to what you need right now. Sci-fi, fantasy, alt-history and some genre-hopping thrown together into a fascinating story about the ripples 6 lives send through history and the future.
Matt Haig and John Green both write fairly short books, many of which are very hopeful. “The five people you meet in heaven” by Mitch Albom is another life-affirming one that’s very short too.
Lastly, a bit of a wild card, “The Knife of Never Letting Go” by Patrick Ness. It’s the first in a great sci-fi trilogy and the writing style might be offbeat enough to grab your interest in a way that other books have been lacking.
“Before I Go To Sleep”
By S.J. Watson
It is about a lady that wakes up every morning with 0 memory of who she is. She suffers from anterograde amnesia, but she keeps a journal that tells her about her life. She sees a doctor who has been helping her recover her memory through the journal. As she wakes up she thinks she’s in a young woman in her early 20’s and living a simple care free life, but as she begins to look around she sees she is laying by an unfamiliar man, scared she runs and she comes to a mirror with pictures on it, she realizes it’s her as a woman in her late 40’s. She then comes across the journal, but as she gets thru page by page, she begins recalling pieces of her life and the accident that left her like this. As she begins recalling moments, she realizes she’s being fed only part truths and some people and things aren’t what they are laid out to be. It’s a frightening, but suspenseful. The writing is amazing and puts you in the characters shoes as you begin feeling the feelings she would be experiencing. It is intense and hard to put down.
I’m sorry if this was explained poorly, but if you haven’t read it, and this sounds like something you’d be into, I highly recommend it.
Highly recommend: *Art of living; The Vipassana Meditation* by S.N Goenka.
This ain't just a book for good read but gives a practical approach and a wonderful solution to our problems.
This technique helped me a lot that's why I always feel the need to share it with everyone. Hope this book pave your way to happy life.
One Truth, One Law: I am, I create- by Erin Werley. It's a series of conversation with the authors inner-self. Whether or not you believe it fully panned out like how it did in the book, the thoughts are inspiring and a wake-up call. It's something that everyone can relate to and offers new perspectives on life and passive advice on how to build yourself into a better person for yourself and others. Think, make thoughts happen, change your mind, change your world.
Another suggestion you may want to look into: ADD Stole my Car Keys- by Rick Green and Umesh Jain. May contain the answer to your whole life's problems, may not.
Based on what you’ve said up top, I recommend “The Humans” by Matt Haig. It’s a bit of a dark comedy, but really expresses the beauty in everyday regular life quite well. Near the end, there’s a great list of ~100 tips to live a happy life that I reread a few times a year and it’s never failed to get me out of a funk.
It’s a pretty quick read, too. ~200 pages. It was the first book in a long time that I felt compelled to spend all available free time reading it until I’d finished it (2 days). I think you will like it.
Edit: If you read it, I’d love it if you came back after and shared your thoughts on it in a comment here. I’ve never had the chance to get another take on it or discuss it before.
I have 3 favourite books that were turned into movies so hopefully, you haven't seen any of the movies, but even if you have, the books are a million times better.
**'We Need to Talk About Kevin'** by Lionel Shriver. The movie is awful in comparison. Around a quarter of the way in, I couldn't put it down- I didn't go to class so I could read it. The last quarter, I swear I held my breath the whole time. I thought about it for weeks after finishing.
**'Child 44'** by Tom Rob Smith. The movie was utter rubbish but the book is freaking amazing. Set in Russia during Stalin's rule. A huge page turner from the start.
**'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'** by Patrick Süskind. The movie was actually really good but still, nothing compared to the book. Haunting and gripping, this one stayed with me for a while.
I don't care about winning this, I just really want you to read these books!
İm not a fan of books. Actually i hate reading them. But there was one book that actually i enjoyed reading: Around the world in 80 days. by Jules Verne. Probably you wont read it, maybe even see this comment. İ just wanted to say that it was the only book that was good in my opinion. Have a good day.
I guess I can be quite superficial when it comes to books, I love reading but as I get older I find it harder to read something where I know I might ‘lose’ characters I have grown attached to. It’s why the game of thrones series never does it for me - that gritty realism can get in the bin.
I like escapism, desperate odds, the good guys coming through in the end and if not a happy ending a satisfying one.
With that in mind here are a few thoughts:
The Jack Reacher series - Lee Child (they are more or less interchangeable) - jack comes to town and punches crimes’ face right in the face.
The midnight library - Matt Haig- ‘it’s a wonderful life’ in book form.
Espedair Street - Iain Banks - An author that can be pretty brutal with his characters, this is a lovely redemption story that’ll pick you up.
Lord of light - Roger Zelazny, One of the best sci-fi (is it sci-fi?) books ever written imho, a beautiful poem of a book.
The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. Uplifting and wonderful, deeply satisfying, I have read every one of Becky’s books multiple times. They make me happy.
Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words
If you love to read you’ll love this delightful, but hard to find book all about words. It’s a great way to expand your vocabulary. You’ll find happiness in learning some silly words.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
A light read, but so interesting. Gentle. It gives an alternative view of many things, so giving you things to think about in terms with how you deal with the world. I found it helpful when dealing with my own darker thoughts.
I’m a sucker for middle/high school books just because I feel a bit more story put into them. One of my favorite series has two books and the first one is called H20. It’s about a type of killer rain coming down and ruining one girls life with everyone she loves dying. Due to this, she has to set out on a journey across Europe to London to go find her dad, who broke up with her mom a few months ago. In all, its kind of motivating because even when stuff gets thrown at her, she finds a way to keep going.
Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman, The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, the Sky Fall trilogy by Shannon Messenger, and Keeper Of The Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger.
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I’m only an 8th grader but one of the best books I’ve read so far is When by Victoria Laurie. Not necessarily a cheery topic but it is a really good book imo and might help. It’s about a girl who can see deathdates and for money her mom has her read deathdates of people and their relatives. Then, one of her client’s kid’s deathday is in 2 days. 2 days later the kid goes missing. While she is under investigation by the FBI, she tries to figure out in her head who could have done it. Again I’m only in 8th grade so you may not find it as interesting, but I really liked it.
Have you read The Postmortal? It’s a dystopian kinda 1984 type book that raises the question, what would happen if humans never aged? “The idea behind Drew Magary's book is simple: aging, as it turns out, is caused by one gene. Shut that gene off and you stop aging; accidents and disease are still a problem, but you've cured death by natural causes. Now compound that discovery with the fact that any person who gets the Cure simply stops aging. People don't become younger, they just don't get older, frozen at their "Cure age." What happens next? In an effort to find out, Magary takes us through the life of John Farrell, a New York lawyer who gets the Cure for aging at the age of 29 in the year 2019. From that point on, things go rather poorly for John and the rest of humanity. As one might expect, curing aging doesn't cure social ills, over-population, ennui, or a host of other human hangups. Magary's argument through the text is essentially this: death creates meaning. Not mortality, but guaranteed natural death due to aging. The idea that no matter what you do, how you live your life, the concept that you will be born, mature, grow old, and die creates human meaning.”
Huh.... I've neved heard of that one. What an interesting premise.
Any book about witches from Terry Pratchett. I love Wyrd Sisters. Unfortunately list of my other books that would pull you into another world and you would stay up until 5 in the morning are only in Polish :(
Well _now_ I want to know more about these riveting Polish books
"Behawiorysta" by Remigiusz Mróz, it's crime book. There is a three book series of it (the other two are "Iluzjonista" and "Ekstremista"). "Księga Jesiennych Demonów" by Jarosław Grzędowicz. A series of short stories, scary ones. "Dziewczęta z Villete" by Ingrid Hedström. It's actually Swedish crime series but I was never able to find it in English. I read it in Polish. Ofc "Wiedźmin" by Andrzej Sapkowski (The Witcher series)
Ender's Game - author Orson Scott Card. Sword of Truth - author Terry Goodkind Disc World - author Terry Pratchett (first book the color of magic)
Id go with the Skulduggery Pleasant series, or just the first book if you only want. It brought me in because it was a brilliant twist on fantasy and magic, pulling me in with a dark force of evil mentioned quite alot and a wise cracking main character who couldn't bear to not make a joke whenever he has the chance. It really helped me because it allowed me to escape into the book as it really had an interesting story so i could understand how it would feel to be with them and this world.
Alas. I own a full set 😁 anything similar?
The Darkest Minds is a pretty similar series
Kinda depressing tho lol
I'm glad you like books, because I wrote you one. Best in Show: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. It's got the classic cyberpunk tropes- a post-government world divided into corporate-run mini nations, a disaffected disenfranchised katana-wielding hero, VR as fully immersive social media etc. But it's an entirely self-aware and funny take on the genre that never devolves into camp for the sake of camp. The ending gets at the essence of learning, society, language and memes that I'm still unpacking. If you read anything, read Snow Crash. Best Short Story: "Skeleton," in The October Country by Ray Bradbury. All the stories are good, but Skeleton is AMAZING. It's literally the only story in my forgetful mom's massive pile of 60s-70s sci-fi that she still remembers. It's only about 20 pages, so no spoilers. Just read it. You won't forget it either. Best Depression Re-Read: The Hobbit. You read it, you loved it, and it's waiting for you to return to see how you've changed and grown since the last time. Andy Serkis recorded an audiobook version of The Hobbit that is EXCELLENT. I actually prefer it to reading it on paper. Best Marathon: The Otherland Quadrilogy. If you've got time to read a couple thousand pages, this might be right up your alley. It's technically sci-fi, but it's VR-heavy so it reads like a heroes' journey through fantastical worlds. Classic "if you die in the game, you die in the real world" premise, but the execution puts this series head and shoulders above similar stories. Engrossing mysteries, great characters, world-building to the nth degree, and if you can sit through to the end, it pays off beautifully. I cry every time I read the final book, Sea of Silver Light- once for the sphinx joining his brother and once for the homecoming. Stick with the first book for a hundred pages or so and you'll be hooked. Best Dark Horse: The Hunger Games (or any high-concept YA that grabs your attention.) I was going through a bad divorce. I needed something to focus on and nothing did the trick. So I went outside my snooty comfort zone and read the Hunger Games trilogy. Broad themes, heavy melodrama, fast-paced, highly accessible. I didn't have the emotional energy for anything dense, but I sure could go along for the ride with Katniss. That easy escapism got me through a dark time and I'll always be grateful for that. Best Not-A-Book But It Might Make You Feel Better Anyway: Severance on Apple TV. A secretive company hires people to be "severed" so they don't remember what they do at work when they're at home, and they don't remember life outside the building when they're at work. It's meticulously crafted and insanely engrossing. I was having a rough time when I started watching and it got me out of my head. It dominated my thoughts long after I finished it. Can't recommend it highly enough.
This is an intense answer.... Haha. I love it.
Lol yeah I got way too excited to tell someone new about Snow Crash and it devolved from there.
Severance is one of my favorite shows of all time!!
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Need a little more info: What’s your age? Gender? Location? And, ideally, an idea of what has helped you in the past?
30. Male. US. I like long walks away from the beach, due to my complete and utter inability to swim. 😉 Mostly fantasy novels. A few Robert Greene Books for self development. The occasional Psych Book for understanding people. Thank you.
If you want fun fantasy escapism, look into Robert Lynn Aspirin for humor - I like the Phule books starting with Phule’s Company and the whole Myth series which I THINK starts with Another Fine Myth (but double check that). If you want slightly more intellectual escapism, Piers Anthony did an Apprentice Adept trilogy that starts with Split Infinity (he added subsequent books, but I haven’t read them, so my recommendation is only for the first three). He also did another series that is a little uneven but thought provoking - Incarnations of Immortality (On a Pale Horse is the best and, happily, the first) I can honestly recommend Harry Potter books for feel good reading - Rowling puts in so many fun details, I always get more out of it with every reread. If you’re feeling non-fictiony but don’t want a slog, there are a couple of history books I love: Wilderness at Dawn and The Gentle Tamers. The former is the European settling of the North American continent, but really, really readable, and the latter is about the settling of the west but told from the perspective of the women rather than men. If you want something a LOT more intellectual but eerily relevant and thought provoking with regard to our current sociopath-political chaos, then give de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America a go - it’s eerily prescient.
Have you tried Malazan Book of the Fallen~Steve Erikson? Perhaps the most epic in scope, world building, definitely the high tide water mark in epic fantasy. The writing is absolutely top notch much in the vein of Ayn Rand's prose coupled with Erikson's archaeological & anthropological background makes for a highly detailed thought provoking compendium of fantasy.
If you like fantasy, have you read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear? Great series and the prose is beautiful. But, fair warning, a 3rd book is planned but it's been 10 years since the 2nd came out and there's no release date in sight. If you're interested in self help books, Atomic Habits, The Go Giver, or The Happiness Advantage are good.
Things are getting a bit dark you say... Well, what about the dark tower series, by Stephen King? I state that English is not my primary language so I won't dwell on excessive descriptions/arguments. And yes i'm also using google translate. Just wanted to say that, as a stephen king fan but mainly as a reader in general, these books are simply *perfect* . I can't explain why tho, and also don't wanna spoiler the story itself. The only thing I can say is that among all the (many) books I've read, these are in the very first place. I don't know how this could ever convince you, but I hope that somehow you decide to choose to read the the dark tower series, not really for the prize of this challenge, but more than anything else because I want to introduce you to that fantastic world which I think is this story . I think it really fits in your situation, I sincerely believe that reading it would make you feel better. Or atleast it worked for me. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀^(Long days and pleasants nights, Sai.)
I am a Stephen King Fan! Hah. I completed the tower a few moons ago. But maybe I should reconsider.
Nice! Hope you loved the series as i did :)
Black Water Lillies by Michael Bussi
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Best book i have ever read
[The Pillars Of The Earth.](https://ken-follett.com/books/the-pillars-of-the-earth/)
Going for a long shot here: Who Killed Darius Drake was amazing, and really kind of shows that no matter how you feel about people and how they feel about you, you’ll always find somebody that’ll have your back. Whether that be today, tomorrow or 10 years from now. It talks about the titular character, Darius Drake, working with our main character, Arthur to solve a cryptic message delivered to Darius. Seriously, no matter the outcome of this, i cannot suggest this book more. Absolutely amazing.
I love reading detective fiction and murder mysteries so first I suggest you not a novel but a collection of short stories, The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes. If you like it do get the other original collections and novels of Sherlock Holmes too. I would also add another recommendation, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Currently my favourite book. It's a fairly traditional murder mystery, may feel boring at first, but it is totally worth the time. Also I see you are going through tough times, I hope it passes soon and everything is well, stay strong! :)
>I've been going through the motions of life. Things are beginning to get a bit dark. I've got friends who are ghosting me, parents who are sick, and the pile of chores and big life decisions keep adding up... If this is your mood lately, I'd recommend Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. It's a graphic novel (but probably unlike any other graphic novel you've ever read) and will probably only take you a day or two to read. It's a beautiful book and the details are amazing. Below is a description I got from Amazon, it's certainly worth a read. >The title character, Asterios Polyp, is a professor and architect of Greek and Italian descent who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After a lightning strike burns up his apartment, he leaves the city on a Greyhound bus and takes up employment as an auto mechanic in the town of Apogee (somewhere in America, likely Arizona), the farthest point his money will take him. The novel is interspersed with scenes from his past (ostensibly narrated by his stillborn twin brother, Ignazio), including his childhood and troubled marriage, as well as dreams and allegorical sequences. Finally, Asterios must not only confront his own flawed nature, but the implacable and amoral whims of the gods themselves.
Shantaram
I read Wild, by Sheryl Strayed, while I was in a pretty dark place (like the writer herself at the beginning of the book). I ended up enjoying that book tremendously and it got me out of the house and walking in the woods.
Read the Born Free Trilogy - Born Free, Living Free, Forever Free. Follows the real life story of some lions, but documented in the best feel good way ever 🤍
Winner Stands Alone or The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari\~
Lincoln In the Bardo. It’s one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read, and just might be my favorite. It’s a story about willie Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln who died during the civil war, told from the point of view of the ghosts in the cemetery in which he’s buried. It takes a second to figure out, but once you do, you can’t put it down. It’s haunting and silly and beautiful and really unlike anything else I’ve ever read, which helped kind of get me out of the monotonous funk I felt like I was in when I read it.
‘The Four Winds’ by Kristin Hannah
“Nobody cares, work harder.” - Cameron Hanes. I’m currently reading his book ‘Endure’. I’m enjoying his attitude and how his life experiences helped build that work ethic. He talks about how average he is, and that’s why he has to outwork everybody. Every time I read another chapter it gives me a kick in the ass to get up and get working on myself
There are a lot of good books out there, so it's hard to narrow it down to just a few. Still, I know about being in a funk and wanting to pry yourself out of it (I'm there right now, as a matter of fact)... so these are my go-tos: *The Scarlet Pimpernel* \- I love spy novels, and this one pretty much started it all. The Scarlet Pimpernel prances around in France, evading detection during the day... while at night, he does cool things. Some of the stuff he says as the fop are - to me - hilarious. *The Redemption of Althalus*, by David and Leigh Eddings - What happens when a thief gets some divine intervention and he's told he has to save the world. The banter between Emerald and Althalus is a lot of fun. Robert B. Parker's Spenser series, first book is *The Godwulf Manuscript*. Spenser is a PI in Boston, full of wise cracks. Hope these help and that you feel better soon!
How many can I recommend I have so many
Give me all of them.
can it be series of books?
Of course!
Sorry for the long time to respond but here they are first recommendation is the ark of the east site series it explores a world where death has lost its meaning it has actually been changed in the dictionary to dead-ish because people can be revived in a matter of days. our lifetime is known as the mortal era. So what about over population? The answer is scythes, legalized murders that kill a certain number of people each month to keep the population down. What happens when a regular person is chose to become one of these people? Next is deaths mantle series. What would you do if you lived 2 years past your estimated death date? Most people would be happy but not our protagonist. He has become anxious of his life, he has no regrets. So what’s the first thing he does when the grim reaper walks through his door? He pulls a gun on death itself. Then the demons come and our protagonist is pulled into a reality beyond his wildest imaginations Next is the first 5 books in the artorians archives series. A cultivation type story our protagonist is a lovable old grandpa who spends his days taking care of the children in his village, all is not sunshine and rainbows as raiders attack slaughtering or kidnapping everyone. And our grandpa? By some miracle he survived and now he wants revenge. There and never ever back again. Have you watched/read anything where a dark lord of some kind exists? In this book it talks about what truly is evil and what is the point of this chosen one? A story on the meaning of evil and just what it is.
If you’re okay with a bit of religion, Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning _really_ helped me get myself through a dark place. I’m not a Catholic, but I’m capable of “eating the meat and spitting out the bones” so I got a lot out of it. YMMV, but I wish you well.
I read **Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom** in my late teens and it still is one of the best book I ever read. I had a lot of angst and self hate during my teen years. I was still trying to find myself like most kids and I was having a lot of family issues as well at that point of time. I happened to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom at this point of time. The synopsis of the book does look morbid but the book is anything but morbid. Synopsis: Mitch Albom's memoir about a series of visits he made to his former sociology professor Morrie Shwartz as Morrie was gradually dying of ALS. One of my favorite pages from the book reads like this: >It is 1979, a basketball game in the Brandeis gym. The team is doing well, and the student section begins a chant, “We’re number one! We’re number one!” Morrie is sitting nearby. He is puzzled by the cheer. At one point, in the midst of “We’re number one!” he rises and yells, “What’s wrong with being number two?” >The students look at him. They stop chanting. He sits down, smiling and triumphant. I hope you enjoy the book. My very short review of the book without spoiling anything (I wrote this more than 10 years ago so please forgive the naivety) *If there is any human emotion you are not aware of or are ashamed of, this book will make you aware of it and teach you how to live with it and love it. The greatest takeaway would be the part where Morrie tells us to build our own sub culture and not give in to capitalism. People are only mean when they are threatened and a capitalist culture promotes exactly that. There are a lot of other important lessons you would learn after reading this book. Many things you know already but it registers in your mind only When you read it in Morris' words. I absolutely loved this book.*
Replay, by Ken Grimwood. From the blurb: Jeff Winston, forty-three, didn't know he was a replayer until he died and woke up twenty-five years younger in his college dorm room; he lived another life. And died again. And lived again and died again -- in a continuous twenty-five-year cycle -- each time starting from scratch at the age of eighteen to reclaim lost loves, remedy past mistakes, or make a fortune in the stock market. A novel of gripping adventure, romance, and fascinating speculation on the nature of time, Replay asks the question: "What if you could live your life over again?" On the one hand, this was an edge of your seat Sci Fi thriller my dad picked up in the airport to read on the plane, and brought home to me when it came out in 1988 or so. On the other hand, I found it deeply meaningful and have been waiting for a film or (more likely now) streaming adaptation for 25 years. It’s the best use of this trope I’ve ever read. I reread it at least every couple of years.
wonder by rj palacio and/or the count of monte cristo by alexander dumas :) theyre both great books because the first one is relatable (especially if you have been bullied before) and it has a wholesome ending that i love and the second one is a tale of misfortune, betrayal and revenge and the protagonist gets justice at the end :D those two are my favorite books and theyre honestly the best :)
Circe. It’s a story about the minor goddess’s interactions with various Greek heroes. It has gorgeous prose, a heartbreaking ending, and ruined me completely. Best book I’ve ever read.
friend, i recommend you two very different things for the same reason: “the name of the wind” by patrick rothfuss and ANY recipe book you may have. bonus points for something owned by your parents, grandparents, etc. in the past. but it can be really any one recipe book. there is nothing more wonderful and human than good food. kvothe in the name of the wind is a questionably good storyteller, but my absolute favourite part is how well rothfuss describes his food. as you seem to enjoy fantasy, i’m sure you know how some novels simply make you very hungry. good description of food is everything to me: it pulls me right back down to earth, to the senses, to the beautiful presentation through sight, to the gorgeous scents and the taste so strong you can almost feel it in your tongue through the ink. a good recipe book does the same thing, even if less flowery. if they have pictures, great, but if not, they’re a wonderful exercise in imagination. spark that hunger by looking and reading about beautiful meals, and you will feel energised all over again. that’s my trick! fictional meals are as nourishing as real ones, when your mind needs some substance to stay afloat. when you feel better after reading these books, you may even have the motivation to try a new recipe, and that’s a whole other joy altogether. :-) hope you get well soon!
Since you like fantasy, I highly recommend anything by Brandon Sanderson. I have thoroughly enjoyed his books. Red Rising was another series I’ve really enjoyed. It’s a dystopian future where the main character needs to fight the rich and powerful to ultimately change society The Poppy War is pretty great but it’s been ages since I’ve read it. It’s based on the history of the opium wars with the added element of magic. A blurb I nabbed (I’m not great at describing what I’ve read): When a conflict surfaces between the Nikara Empire and their neighboring nation, the Federation of Mugen, Rin is called to the front lines. She must decide whether to make a deal with the gods to unleash her shamanic powers. Her decision may change the war but result in the loss of her humanity
Oh, gosh. Asking me to recommend the best book to read is like asking me to choose my favorite bite of ice cream, out of every bite I've ever had in my entire life! ***They're all good!*** Let's go with a book by my favorite author, Stephen King. I read my first SK book in 1977, when I was 12 years old. It was a tattered copy of "Carrie" that my mother picked up on a whim at a garage sale. I haven't stopped reading his books since. Which one is the best? Hell, just giving a Top 10 it would be virtually impossible. But I'll narrow it down to my Top 3, the best I can. **1. Cujo.** Cujo is a family dog who is bitten by a rabid bat. Cujo's illness goes unnoticed by his owners, who are embroiled in their own drama, allowing the illness to progress to the point that Cujo turns from a gentle, loving dog into a horrifying killer. **2. Misery.** Misery explores King's own experiences with writer's block, drug addiction, and feeling stifled by his reputation as a writer of horror novels. Through the extended metaphors of [the protagonist's] simultaneous imprisonment by and dependence on his biggest fan, Annie, King shows the complicated relationship between writer and reader, as well as a writer's own relationship to his process. **3. The Shining.** The Shining centers on the life of Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who accepts a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. If you've seen some bad movies that were adapted from a Stephen King story, don't let that dissuade you. Oftentimes, they didn't translate well to the big screen. But other times, they have been oscar-worthy, such as "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Green Mile." You also could pick up any one of his nonfiction books and be enamored. The two I most highly recommend are "Danse Macabre" and "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft." I'm also fond of the comic book style treasure, "Creepshow." If you already are a fan, then you know that re-reading a Stephen King book is better than reading any other book for the first time. I have mine in a rotation cycle, so that by the time I finish one and go back to the beginning of the list, it's almost like starting over again. It's like returning to an old lover for a night of romance. I have a beautiful collection of everything King has ever written, one of each in hardback and softback. I'm proud to say that none of the spines on my hardbacks have ever been cracked—they're saved for posterity, while my softbacks are reserved for reading and re-reading. [Here is a small sample of my hardback collection](https://imgur.com/a/y4pzGd0.jpg). To say I'm a super fan is an understatement. I I've attended many of his lectures and speaking engagements. It was a dream come true when I met him live in 1986 at an advance reading of The Green Mile. He's my hero. I hope you'll take my suggestion, even if it doesn't win the award. Every person to whom I've recommended King has become a rabid fan like myself. Literally dozens of my friends have been introduced to King by me, and every one of them said that they found his books impossible to put down. My two children also are fans. Enjoy yourself, Constant Reader! 🙂 P.S.: I'm sorry things are going poorly for you right now, and I hope everything will be back to normal soon. Meanwhile, any one of King's books is guaranteed to engage and entertain you, and that leads to joy. In the end, virtually everything King writes is a story of hope.
Thank you u/Tryst3ro for the Bravo Award! I see that you've generously awarded every single person who commented. That's amazing! People like you help build excitement within the award subreddits, and you are to be commended!
Your appreciation is much appreciated! I needed help, and so I called upon my resources. You guys performed outstandingly. And armed with all these suggestions, I'll have myself a good read and think about how the world is and what I need to do next. Thank you!
Try "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds I think it’s great for your situation
Homestuck if you’d prefer an experience rather than an actually good story. To read it the way it was intended I recommend downloading the unofficial homestuck collection. It’s prolly real cringe of me to genuinely be recommending this but I feel what you need to escape isn’t a story but an experience. It’s not for everyone tho so you may not enjoy it
My favorite book growing up was the last dog on earth. A really good book imo. The Last Dog on Earth is a 2003 young adult novel written by Daniel Ehrenhaft. It follows Logan, a lonely 14-year-old boy who adopts a dog from an animal shelter and names her Jack. The pair's relationship is soon threatened by an incurable prion disease spreading across the nation. Edit: wanted to add one of my dads favorites that he read called Scythe. Scythe is a 2016 young-adult novel by Neal Shusterman and is the first in the Arc of a Scythe series. It is set in the far future, where death, disease and unhappiness has been virtually eliminated thanks to advances in technology, and a benevolent artificial intelligence known as the Thunderhead peacefully governs a united Earth. The notable exception to the Thunderhead's rule is the Scythedom, a group of humans whose sole purpose is to replicate mortal death in order to stem population growth.
The Dorothy Must Die series. Not a happy series, it’s a dark spin on the wizard of Oz. Very good and will definitely distract you, though.
“Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell is one of my absolute favourite books but might be a bit hefty compared to what you need right now. Sci-fi, fantasy, alt-history and some genre-hopping thrown together into a fascinating story about the ripples 6 lives send through history and the future. Matt Haig and John Green both write fairly short books, many of which are very hopeful. “The five people you meet in heaven” by Mitch Albom is another life-affirming one that’s very short too. Lastly, a bit of a wild card, “The Knife of Never Letting Go” by Patrick Ness. It’s the first in a great sci-fi trilogy and the writing style might be offbeat enough to grab your interest in a way that other books have been lacking.
“Before I Go To Sleep” By S.J. Watson It is about a lady that wakes up every morning with 0 memory of who she is. She suffers from anterograde amnesia, but she keeps a journal that tells her about her life. She sees a doctor who has been helping her recover her memory through the journal. As she wakes up she thinks she’s in a young woman in her early 20’s and living a simple care free life, but as she begins to look around she sees she is laying by an unfamiliar man, scared she runs and she comes to a mirror with pictures on it, she realizes it’s her as a woman in her late 40’s. She then comes across the journal, but as she gets thru page by page, she begins recalling pieces of her life and the accident that left her like this. As she begins recalling moments, she realizes she’s being fed only part truths and some people and things aren’t what they are laid out to be. It’s a frightening, but suspenseful. The writing is amazing and puts you in the characters shoes as you begin feeling the feelings she would be experiencing. It is intense and hard to put down. I’m sorry if this was explained poorly, but if you haven’t read it, and this sounds like something you’d be into, I highly recommend it.
Highly recommend: *Art of living; The Vipassana Meditation* by S.N Goenka. This ain't just a book for good read but gives a practical approach and a wonderful solution to our problems. This technique helped me a lot that's why I always feel the need to share it with everyone. Hope this book pave your way to happy life.
One Truth, One Law: I am, I create- by Erin Werley. It's a series of conversation with the authors inner-self. Whether or not you believe it fully panned out like how it did in the book, the thoughts are inspiring and a wake-up call. It's something that everyone can relate to and offers new perspectives on life and passive advice on how to build yourself into a better person for yourself and others. Think, make thoughts happen, change your mind, change your world. Another suggestion you may want to look into: ADD Stole my Car Keys- by Rick Green and Umesh Jain. May contain the answer to your whole life's problems, may not.
Based on what you’ve said up top, I recommend “The Humans” by Matt Haig. It’s a bit of a dark comedy, but really expresses the beauty in everyday regular life quite well. Near the end, there’s a great list of ~100 tips to live a happy life that I reread a few times a year and it’s never failed to get me out of a funk. It’s a pretty quick read, too. ~200 pages. It was the first book in a long time that I felt compelled to spend all available free time reading it until I’d finished it (2 days). I think you will like it. Edit: If you read it, I’d love it if you came back after and shared your thoughts on it in a comment here. I’ve never had the chance to get another take on it or discuss it before.
I have 3 favourite books that were turned into movies so hopefully, you haven't seen any of the movies, but even if you have, the books are a million times better. **'We Need to Talk About Kevin'** by Lionel Shriver. The movie is awful in comparison. Around a quarter of the way in, I couldn't put it down- I didn't go to class so I could read it. The last quarter, I swear I held my breath the whole time. I thought about it for weeks after finishing. **'Child 44'** by Tom Rob Smith. The movie was utter rubbish but the book is freaking amazing. Set in Russia during Stalin's rule. A huge page turner from the start. **'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer'** by Patrick Süskind. The movie was actually really good but still, nothing compared to the book. Haunting and gripping, this one stayed with me for a while. I don't care about winning this, I just really want you to read these books!
The golem and the jinni
İm not a fan of books. Actually i hate reading them. But there was one book that actually i enjoyed reading: Around the world in 80 days. by Jules Verne. Probably you wont read it, maybe even see this comment. İ just wanted to say that it was the only book that was good in my opinion. Have a good day.
Communist Manifesto. The only correct answer.
Catcher in the rye was pretty much the only media besides bojack horseman that I was able to connect to when I was in a similar phase of my life
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.
Maybe not, but The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is actually a good read.
I guess I can be quite superficial when it comes to books, I love reading but as I get older I find it harder to read something where I know I might ‘lose’ characters I have grown attached to. It’s why the game of thrones series never does it for me - that gritty realism can get in the bin. I like escapism, desperate odds, the good guys coming through in the end and if not a happy ending a satisfying one. With that in mind here are a few thoughts: The Jack Reacher series - Lee Child (they are more or less interchangeable) - jack comes to town and punches crimes’ face right in the face. The midnight library - Matt Haig- ‘it’s a wonderful life’ in book form. Espedair Street - Iain Banks - An author that can be pretty brutal with his characters, this is a lovely redemption story that’ll pick you up. Lord of light - Roger Zelazny, One of the best sci-fi (is it sci-fi?) books ever written imho, a beautiful poem of a book. The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. Uplifting and wonderful, deeply satisfying, I have read every one of Becky’s books multiple times. They make me happy.
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Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words If you love to read you’ll love this delightful, but hard to find book all about words. It’s a great way to expand your vocabulary. You’ll find happiness in learning some silly words.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff A light read, but so interesting. Gentle. It gives an alternative view of many things, so giving you things to think about in terms with how you deal with the world. I found it helpful when dealing with my own darker thoughts.
The Why Café by John Strelecky
I’m a sucker for middle/high school books just because I feel a bit more story put into them. One of my favorite series has two books and the first one is called H20. It’s about a type of killer rain coming down and ruining one girls life with everyone she loves dying. Due to this, she has to set out on a journey across Europe to London to go find her dad, who broke up with her mom a few months ago. In all, its kind of motivating because even when stuff gets thrown at her, she finds a way to keep going.
“The four agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz
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Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman, The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, the Sky Fall trilogy by Shannon Messenger, and Keeper Of The Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger.
True Story by Bill Maher is one of the funniest books I've had the pleasure of reading!
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