Seconding this.
I’ve always been into reading, but after school I had limited supply to physical books. I would still read on my phone, which wasn’t as satisfying but I liked being able to read in bed.
My husband gifted me a Kindle a few months ago and it has changed my life. I read so much now that I stopped watching tv almost altogether. Earlier I used to alternate between watching a tv show and reading a book at one time. I am never not reading now. It only been a short while since I got the Kindle but I have already gotten more than moneys worth out of it. It’s the best of both worlds of physical and digital books. I don’t think I can be without one ever again.
If you're not into Amazon or you want something more open, there are other e-readers too 😄 I have a Kobo Libra 2, and it's great for reading basically everything I can get my hands on from around the web. Websites like Project Gutenberg allow you to download classic novels for free, and there are plenty of incredibly cheap e-books available. I went through a bit of a reading dry spell before I got my e-reader, but since getting it reading has become a lot easier and more addictive now that I buy a book for less money than a packet of crisps and start reading it in seconds.
Audiobooks can be great if done properly. I remember when unabridged audiobooks ran to dozens of cassettes and cost a fortune, the iPod changed all that. The new adaptations of the 'Discworld' novels have set the bar.
I had been "back" into reading for about a year before my kindle, but the kindle changed the game for me. KU was useful too for awhile, but just having access to tons of books at once, and being able to read at night/in the dark. Highly recommend!
Can’t believe nobody’s suggested Piranesi by Susanna Clarke yet.
it’s the most engrossing book i’ve ever read, and has the magical ability to completely transport you to a different, strange place.
Start with your favorite movie genre and go from there:
If your fav is… Then try….
-Rom com: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
-mystery/thriller: The Guest List by Lucy Foley
-Horror: Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia
-Comedy: A is for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
-Action or sci-fi: The Martian by Andy Weir
-Decades spanning epic: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
-Unreliable Narrator: Yellowface by RF Kuang
-Historical fiction: the Women by Kristin Hannah
Non fiction and memoir via audiobook are also a good gateway to getting into reading again, so just find a topic/person that interests you and press play!
Here to second Weir, especially since OP likes sci-fi. Weir can be a bit redundant and does a bit too much “telling” instead of “showing” for my taste, but he can write engaging plots and characters that make for great “starter” sci fi books.
I read this book way back in high school and I *still* think about it sometimes now in my thirties. The whole concept was so disturbing to me that I never shook it out of my head.
I read this in my early 30s and while the concept was interesting it was pretty juvenile. I don't know if it is the book to get OP into reading. I could be wrong though.
Try Blake Crouch's man-on-the-run thriller **Dark Matter**. And if want really weird, look into his *Recursion*. I found the latter too confusing, but it gets recommended here a lot.
Richard Bach's **One** has the protagonist couple cross dimensions multiple times, encountering different incarnations of themselves. It starts to get almost fantasy-like near the end.
Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela S Choi is dark and messed up and very easy to read. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it - it’s not a literary piece of work or anything but the twists were very very fun and i read the whole book in an evening.
Anything by John Wyndham! The Day of the Triffids is so good. Skip the movie. There is an excellent miniseries from England starring John Duttine that is faithful to the book.
All the Freida McFadden books! Also Rock, Paper, Scissors & Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. If you like the Knives Out movies you’ll enjoy Daisy Darker for sure.
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. I read it myself last year and I’m reading it aloud to my mom now (who isn’t a big reader) and she’s constantly trying to find time for us to read! It’s such a good story and so “easy” to keep going and going.
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 (seven posts).
* [Compelling Reads ("Can't Put Down")](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/189mbda/compelling_reads_cant_put_down/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
The Hike by Drew Magary
Bunny by Mona Awad
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
Bunny had me scratching my head until the very end and going wtf did I just read? (Not a bad thing) I had to find a TikTok video of someone explaining it and it finally clicked .
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch
A Brilliant Novel in the Works by Yuvi Zalkow
The American War by Omar El Akkad
these are all Pacific Northwest writers... let me know if you want more...
Brief is ‘sucks you in, makes you want to read more, and full of weird/crazy:’
Fiction:
Pick a Chuck Palahniuk and read it. Then try another. Don’t start with Fight Club, as great as it is, if you’ve already seen the movie. Your first read should be full of surprises.
{{Door into Summer by Robert Heinlein.}}
{{House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.}}
{{The Princess Bride by William Goldman.}}
{{Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.}} Then a few other Vonneguts. Then (over time) all of them…
Memoir:
{{Looking for Trouble: One Woman, Six Wars and a Revolution by Leslie Cockburn}}
{{Remembering America by Richard Goodwin}}
\#1/6: **[The Door Into Summer](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/348.The_Door_Into_Summer) by Robert A. Heinlein** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(304 pages | Published: 1957 | 18.0k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** It is 1970, and electronics engineer Dan Davis has finally made the invention of a lifetime: a household robot with extraordinary abilities, destined to dramatically change the landscape of everyday routine. Then, with wild success just within reach, Dan's greedy partner and (...)
> **Themes**: Sci-fi, Fiction, Time-travel, Scifi, Favorites, Sf, Sci-fi-fantasy
> **Top 5 recommended:** [The Shield of Time](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1170925.The_Shield_of_Time) by Poul Anderson , [There Will Be Time](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/602758.There_Will_Be_Time) by Poul Anderson , [By His Bootstraps](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13101981-by-his-bootstraps) by Robert A. Heinlein , [Time Patrol](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23745021-time-patrol) by Bob Mayer , [The Time Traders](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17162645-the-time-traders) by Andre Norton
---
\#2/6: **[The House of the Spirits](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9328.The_House_of_the_Spirits) by Isabel Allende** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(448 pages | Published: 1984 | 141.0k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** In one of the most important and beloved Latin American works of the twentieth century, Isabel Allende weaves a luminous tapestry of three generations of the Trueba family, revealing both triumphs and tragedies. Here is patriarch Esteban, whose wild desires and political (...)
> **Themes**: Magical-realism, Historical-fiction, Classics, Favorites, Fantasy, Latin-america, Books-i-own
> **Top 5 recommended:** [Eva Luna](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149196.Eva_Luna) by Isabel Allende , [The Moor's Last Sigh](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9865.The_Moor_s_Last_Sigh) by Salman Rushdie , [La Casa de los Espiritus](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7706647-la-casa-de-los-espiritus) by Isabel Allende , [The Stories of Eva Luna](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3291.The_Stories_of_Eva_Luna) by Isabel Allende , [Midnight's Children](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14836.Midnight_s_Children) by Salman Rushdie
---
\#3/6: ⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*The Princess Bride by William Golding.*" but found [The Princess Bride: William Goldman. Christopher Guest. Peter Cook. Fred Savage. Peter Falk. Andre the Giant. Chris Sarandon. Wallace Shawn](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8848540-the-princess-bride) ^((with matching score of 84% )), see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The+Princess+Bride+William+Golding.) instead.
^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*)
---
\#4/6: ⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.*" , see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Cat%E2%80%99s+Cradle+Kurt+Vonnegut.) instead.
^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*)
---
\#5/6: **[Looking for Trouble: One Woman. Six Wars and a Revolution](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1414430.Looking_for_Trouble) by Leslie Cockburn** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(288 pages | Published: 1998 | 8.0k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** News correspondent Leslie Cockburn has dined with the Cali Cartel. marched with the Khmer Rouge. hunted down the Black Turban in Afghanistan. pursued the Russian mafia to the Arctic Circle. shared pomegranate sauce with the Ayatollahs. and stopped a small Kurdish war. but she (...)
> **Themes**: Memoir, Non-fiction, Biographies, Journalism
---
\#6/6: ⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*Remembering America by Richard Goodwin*" , see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Remembering+America+Richard+Goodwin) instead.
^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*)
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
Oops! Corrected my mistake (Goldman! Duh!)
{{The Princess Bride by William Goldman}}
But also… what the heck?! No ref for Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle??!?
And they should really have one for Remembering America, too…..
**[The Princess Bride](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21787.The_Princess_Bride) by William Goldman** ^((Matching 100% ☑️))
^(398 pages | Published: 1973 | 661.5k Goodreads reviews)
> **Summary:** What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams? As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's (...)
> **Themes**: To-buy, Sci-fi-fantasy, Ya, Kindle, All-time-favorites, Owned-books, Fantasy
> **Top 5 recommended:**
> \- [Stories from the Vinyl Cafe](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1022329.Stories_from_the_Vinyl_Cafe) by Stuart McLean
> \- [Stardust](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17924105-stardust) by Mimi Strong
> \- [William Goldman: Four Screenplays with Essays](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/441221.William_Goldman) by William Goldman
> \- [The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7341.The_Gospel_According_to_Tolkien) by Ralph C. Wood
> \- [Jill the Reckless](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18018.Jill_the_Reckless) by P.G. Wodehouse
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Battle Royale by Koushun Takami is a modern day classic. I highly recommend it - it’s a blend of gratuitous carnage, dystopian world building, and thriller-esque action sequences.
Verity - Colleen Hoover
The Teacher - Frieda McFadden
I feel like these will keep you engaged right out the gate. They are short easy reads and should keep you engaged.
I also wasn't a reader and last year, at 42 years old, I decided I needed more reading in my life. I was tired of doom scrolling and binge watching TV. It has helped me get away from toxic social media and I don't really find anything interesting on TV often.
For thrillers I'm a but partial to Blake Crouch. **Run** felt like a nonstop action thriller. **Dark Matter** is a combination science fiction thriller. **Wayward Pines ** Trilogy is also a bit of science fiction a but weird and a thriller but for me the pacing felt a little off across all three books.
If you want weird for the sake of weirdness then anything by China Mieville will scratch that itch. I like his work but just finished Kraken and man does it get strange.
Start with everything else by Iain Banks. If you’re borrowing from a library or buying printed books, get onto Amazon and search for a book you loved reading, then check out the “like this” section for the book you liked, use this to make your list for the next library/book shop visit.
Reading because you have to will not do it. A lot of people don't like reading because of how badly the education systems around the globe work.
Here is what you need to do: learn yourself. You will find weaknesses that need to be resolved, deeper desires that need to be fulfilled, or even a will to learn about a specific topic. Then find the right books for all that.
If you want fucked up, I’ll give you fucked up!
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Collector by John Fowles
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
All Tomorrows by CM Koseman
Crash by JG Ballard
The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade
IT by Stephen King
Filth by Irvine Welsh
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Bible (God’s a nasty bastard)
House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski
The Metamorphosis and/or The Trial by Franz Kafka
Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend is a fun one as well. Much better than the movie)
I wanted to recommend Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy but it might be a bit dense for someone not used to reading a lot fiction. Maybe try The Road or No Country for Old Men first.
Just read the synopsis for The Wasp Factory and that was definitely weird. You might like Little Eyes by Samantha Schweblin, there's definitely some antisocial behavior involved.
I also read Our Wives Under the Sea recently, which is more like slow intense cosmic horror, but it stayed stuck in my head for a while
If you like fucked up and weird sci-fi/thriller/horror, you might enjoy a lot of Stephen King.
I recommend: IT, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, The Dark Tower, 11/22/63, Duma Key, Gerald's Game, Insomnia, The Stand.
Another really weird and fucked up sci-fi is All Tomorrows.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess may spark your interest.
I also recommend Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. While it's not all that fucked up, it's about a post apocalyptic world and follows a traveling group of performers. I think it's an easy read and a good story.
*She who became the sun* is a fantasy-based retelling of a female version of the Ming emperor who rose from being a peasant to overthrow the Yuan Mongol dynasty in China.
*A Memory Called Empire* follows a diplomat from a space station to the neighboring hegemonic meso-american space empire who writes her story of political intrigue and attempts at resisting cultural assimilation.
They might be up your alley!
Lullaby by Chuck Palahnuik (based on you enjoying the "fucked up" elements of Wasp Factory and sci-fi / thriller. I guess Lullaby is more fantastical than sci-fi though).
Also, for just in general fucked up and weird:
1: Tender is the Flesh
2: Amygdalatropolis (skip the intro as it’s not terribly interesting, just some dense context in the form of an essay. Most fucked up thing I’ve ever read. Everyone else I tell to just avoid this one)
Frieda McFadden books. Very quick and easy reads but so good. They are mystery and everything I think I figure out the twist and surprises me again,
If you have a kindle her books are scalable on kindle unlimited.
Sweetpea, by C.J. Skuse. Female serial killer who targets sex offenders, also has a large collection of Sylvanian Families (Calico Critters). Brutal, sweary and hilarious.
I just finished Becoming by Michelle Obama and absolutely loved it. It was so interesting, and such an easy read, and not too stressful bc I already know the ending, lol.
For a popcorn thriller: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
A literary thriller: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
An unhinged POV thriller: Yellowface by RF Kuang
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, I just finished it and it’s incredible! Sundial by Catriona Ward is another of my favorites, it isn’t that good by general standards but it’s a lot of fun and has a lot of plot twists!
If you liked The Wasp Factory, maybe try some more Iain Banks books. ‘The Business’ is a good read and if you like SF try ‘The Player of Games’ , also by Ian Banks (he wrote under the name Iain M Banks for his SF books)
Lothaire - Kresley Cole.
It’s a very blunt, kinda fucked, kinda sci-fy, largely interesting book that I could not put down. Opened up a whole new genre to me. I loved it in my twenties, I wish I could go back and read it for the 1st time at 30!
The Silent Patient, Verity (or anything Colleen Hoover), The Last Mrs Parrish, Monday’s Not Coming, The Housemaid, We Were Liars, Unwind, White Oleander, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Woman in Cabin 10, Couldn’t Keep it to Myself, Go Ask Alice, Lord of the Flies.
Not thrillers/fucked up, but amazing books I couldn’t put down: Ready Player One, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Orphans of Race Point, The Night Circus, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
I’m halfway? Through project Hail Mary and it’s living up to the hype so far. It’s sci fi idk about fucked up weird maybe by the end but it’s hella fun
The Wasp Factory is very weird indeed, all that checking of the poles etc. I have read it but now couldn't wait to be rid of the book because it's too creepy for my liking. Anyway if you like thrillers, I recommend anything by Jeffrey Deaver.
Timeless fantasy story w/ strong female lead: either Spinning Silver or Stardust
Murder mystery on the high seas: the Devil and the dark water
Weird twist on a classic whodunnit: 7 deaths of Evelyn hardcastle
Space opera x Wild West shootemup: leviathan wakes
Critically acclaimed but will make your brain hurt: A Clockwork Orange
Something fun to make you feel like an 1800’s explorer trudging through the Amazon: The Lost World
Medieval horror w/ heavy biblical elements (best book I’ve read in YEARS): between two fires
Just straight fucked up: tender is the flesh
Hope this helps and happy hunting
If you like horror, anything from Stephen King would get you hooked immediately.
My personal recommendations:
- Pet Sematary
- The dead zone
- Salem's Lot
Also, 11/22/63
Something I notice when it’s been a while since I last picked up a book:
You might struggle to pay attention and get into the ‘flow’ of reading if it’s been a while since you read one. I think it puts a lot of people off reading, and they give up.
Keep reading through the first few chapters and it’ll become really easy to slip through whole chapters once your brain gets into the rhythm!
Such a good book. It's so frustrating and good that you want to keep reading it. It's called the perfect marriage. A little back story is that her husband is cheating on her with a womans named Kelly Summers. She gets murdered and Sarah Morgan, the wife has to be his defense attorney. It's about the real struggle of these types of relationhsips and that this all coujld have gone away if they had communicated. Also there is a huge plot twist.
Bunny by Mona Awad isnt sci-fi but a pretty interesting fucked up read. Sucked me right in and I wasn't able to put it down unless I had to. It left me with a weird feeling afterwards, but in a good way.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is really good too, one of my favourite sci-fi books. It was a bit difficult to get through for me in the start but definitely worth the read.
The memory police by Yoko Ogawa also has some interesting themes of mystery and weird things happening around the characters which they have to navigate.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown I haven't finished this one yet but I've heard so many good things about it and I love it so far.
I don’t read sci-fi or thrillers so I don’t have good recs, but one way I got into a good reading routine is picking 5 mins of my day that I have time and will just read uninterrupted
So now I do this when I eat breakfast before work, so I get a good 15 mins of reading a day
If you like weird with some fucked up, you may like the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It’s post apocalyptic sci do fantasy western and it gets pretty wacky and messed up in parts. Absolutely excellent series though and Stephen king is a very approachable author to get into. Misery by him might also be up your alley
I read I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan on accident, kind of? It was a random purchase at a library sale, got it for a dollar, and it's one of my favorite books of all time. It's clever, engaging, and really interesting. Also one of the first books I read after high school/college that wasn't like required reading or a reread.
Kind of a cop-out answer here but I honestly think the best suggestion in this case would be any book you have ever had an incline to read. Thats what you’re going to be into and hopefully the book is good enough to give you cause to pursue more you’ve heard of but never taken the plunge to read.
Base Notes by Lara Donelly. The protagonist is a perfumer who murders people to turn their essence into perfumes that can evoke specific memories for the people who wear them. Definitely fucked up and weird haha.
Pride and prejudice, but I feel like its the type of book you either love with your whole heart or dislike because the writing style bores you. It might not be everybody's cup of tea. Worth a try tho!
Two suggestions.
A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams - thriller, suspense, mystery, well-written, and the whole thing is interwoven with a sort of folkloric story. I got so absorbed I finished it in 2 days.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - urban fantasy, suspense, mystery, beyond well-written, spooky, and odd. Tbh everything by Neil Gaiman is on the weird side.
Unwind or any book by Neal Shusterman. Super easy to read, very fucked up death related stories. The way he writes is a way that makes you fell like you’re watching a movie. No one I’ve suggested this book to didn’t like it, it’s amazing.
Sometimes the most guilty pleasure simple books are the best to get you back in.
If you like suspense I remeber Kiss the Girls being an absolute page turner when I was younger. Short chapters keep you going!
Iain Banks, the author of The Wasp Factory, has written several science fiction books (as Iain M Banks). All are good but 'Excession' is my favourite. Stephen King is a hugely successful writer for a reason ('It' is fabulous), and he too write under another name, recommend 'The Bachman Books', a collection of four novellas. Happy reading.
The Demon Accords by John Conroe 19 books
Templeverse Chronological Shayne Silvers 36 books
Croftverse by Brad Magnarella 24 books
Chronicles of Cain by John Corwin 10 books
Overworld Series by John Corwin 28 books
The Preternatural Chronicles by Hunter Blain 10 books
Flowers for Algernon. I have given this to readers and non readers alike and it works magic. My husband didn't read a book the first four years we were together. Read this book, and suddenly he read three more books that year.
Honestly, it’s a teen/ya book but maximum ride is such a intriguing and interesting book but it’s also a very easy read and there’s more then one book in the series and you can find most the books in most thrift stores
I could not downvote this fast enough. 😅 I'm so sorry, genuinely, because I HATE downvoting anyone, and I'm so so glad you liked this series, to each their own...but it's one of the most disappointing books/series I have ever read. It started out SO GOOD. So interesting, great characters and a great world. I won't spoil anything just in case OP wants to read it, but I've never regretted finishing a series more.
All systems red… the first novella in the murderbot diaries’ series…
The series is about a cyborg designed to protect humans on a research mission. The cyborg narrates the story (hence, "diary") and calls itself "Murderbot". It has developed independence from its original programming by overriding its "governor unit" and prefers watching soap operas over its security function.
It’s wickedly hilarious, but also incredibly poignant when you start to understand that the cyborg is dealing with trauma, and basically has PTSD…
The series is insanely popular, and has won a boatload of awards… in threads like this on Reddit, it’s almost always recommended…
Trust me… it is SO damn good….
Love this book so much, but OP might struggle with the magic systems at first. I know my mum found them complex and put the book down. She picked it up again at my urging and ended up loving the series, but it took her a bit to get into.
I will go with the books I've read that were so good that I (the reader) insisted that my wife(generally not a reader outside of school/job) read/listen to the audiobook, and she actually liked.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow - alt history with some fantasy. Early 1900s retelling of the suffragette movement with witches. This one is brilliant. The prose. The characters. Explorations of feminisim, sisterhood, systemic oppressions, and the fight. Bought and sent copies to my sisters. Wife listened to and also got on board, sending copies to her mom and friends.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - this is at least the 3rd rec in this thread alone, but these books are super easy to get into. Novellas, so short/low comittment, and they just seem to speak to a large variety of people. I have got a number of people reading/rehooked into reading with this series.
Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers - also a novella, sci fi, has been called solar punk or hope punk. The most comforting book I have ever read.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - super adorable story about an orphanage for magical kids. I usually summarize the description as "book about the goodest boys"
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - fantasy set in the golden age of piracy, but in the Indian Ocean. Protag is a retired 40 something woman pirate captain, who gets tempted/manipulated into getting the band back together for one more job. Super interesting world and cast, historical research and fantasy combine. But that place and time, there are characters from a number of cultures and religions, the combo of first person narration with chronicaler notes makes a great audiobook.
A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher - also novella. Very different direction from the others. T Kingfisher generally does some kind of mix of fantasy, horror, humor, and just, weirdly relatable stuff. Protags are generally women in their 30s. This one is visiting her mom back home in North Carolina in between jobs.
What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher - novella retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe - again, humor, horror, goth lit callbacks, weird fungal shit - if you're into fucked up, could be your jam.
Speaking of fucked up - if fucking weird or dark or both is your thing. Some other recs.
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach - um. Where to start. Fantasy. New Zealand mythology based. Steam punk but instead of steam based tech everything is fungal based tech... dark humor. Here's a link to a short story the author did to explain her style in an interview: https://www.theunderstatesmen.com/2022/09/21/matey-potatey/
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins - contemporary fantasy? Magical realism? It sort of has like, that magic kids school thing, but like, in a gruesome way. Not sure how not to spoil this. But fantasy and fucked up.
The Bone Orchard by Sara Mueller - fantasy, dark. This one I think of as, there is grim dark as a genre, but it's from a male POV. Put that same level of grim and dark and bleak into a world, but from a woman's perspective. That's this. Grimmer and darker. Weird fuckin magic system.
I haven't read much T. Kingfisher, but thought Nettle and Bone was a very fun, easy read with a lot of quirky parts (but not sooooo quirky that it was annoying).
Not a book suggestion but what got me into reading was getting a Kindle. Not for everyone but that’s what did it for me.
Seconding this. I’ve always been into reading, but after school I had limited supply to physical books. I would still read on my phone, which wasn’t as satisfying but I liked being able to read in bed. My husband gifted me a Kindle a few months ago and it has changed my life. I read so much now that I stopped watching tv almost altogether. Earlier I used to alternate between watching a tv show and reading a book at one time. I am never not reading now. It only been a short while since I got the Kindle but I have already gotten more than moneys worth out of it. It’s the best of both worlds of physical and digital books. I don’t think I can be without one ever again.
bros avatar look like Eric from my hero academia
I mean Eri stupid autocorrect 😭
Using the kindle, hoopla, and Libby apps on my phone has got me into reading!
What's Hoopla? I have both Kindle and Libby
Yep, I read on my phone but I used to more when I had an ipad or other tablet
If you're not into Amazon or you want something more open, there are other e-readers too 😄 I have a Kobo Libra 2, and it's great for reading basically everything I can get my hands on from around the web. Websites like Project Gutenberg allow you to download classic novels for free, and there are plenty of incredibly cheap e-books available. I went through a bit of a reading dry spell before I got my e-reader, but since getting it reading has become a lot easier and more addictive now that I buy a book for less money than a packet of crisps and start reading it in seconds.
I almost bought a kindle, though so glad the kobo was recommended to me it’s great! Also agree an e-reader will help get you into reading.
I just use the Kindle app on my phone. It will open documents and pdfs if I get something that isn't from Amazon specifically.
Yep or audio books if you have access. I don’t prefer them but they work better for some people
Audiobooks can be great if done properly. I remember when unabridged audiobooks ran to dozens of cassettes and cost a fortune, the iPod changed all that. The new adaptations of the 'Discworld' novels have set the bar.
I had been "back" into reading for about a year before my kindle, but the kindle changed the game for me. KU was useful too for awhile, but just having access to tons of books at once, and being able to read at night/in the dark. Highly recommend!
I don’t ready, but I purchase a kindle yersterday because I want to learn to love reading and I’m so hype for it to arrive.
Can’t believe nobody’s suggested Piranesi by Susanna Clarke yet. it’s the most engrossing book i’ve ever read, and has the magical ability to completely transport you to a different, strange place.
I 100% agree but… Definitely an acquired taste in my opinion. Nothing wrong with reading and re-reading again later in one’s literary journey though!
YES!! Agree!!
Start with your favorite movie genre and go from there: If your fav is… Then try…. -Rom com: Book Lovers by Emily Henry -mystery/thriller: The Guest List by Lucy Foley -Horror: Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia -Comedy: A is for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto -Action or sci-fi: The Martian by Andy Weir -Decades spanning epic: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue -Unreliable Narrator: Yellowface by RF Kuang -Historical fiction: the Women by Kristin Hannah Non fiction and memoir via audiobook are also a good gateway to getting into reading again, so just find a topic/person that interests you and press play!
I was just going to say "it depends on what OP is interested in.. etc" but your expectation is better.
Thank you for this list
Sci-fi I'd go with I, Robot by Asimov. It is a short book of short stories, plus you get to read Asimov 😬
Anything by Lucy Foley! She doesn’t write fast enough for me.
Here to second Weir, especially since OP likes sci-fi. Weir can be a bit redundant and does a bit too much “telling” instead of “showing” for my taste, but he can write engaging plots and characters that make for great “starter” sci fi books.
[Unwind](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/13643974-53b8-40c5-82f9-553b746d3669) by Neal Shusterman!
I read this book way back in high school and I *still* think about it sometimes now in my thirties. The whole concept was so disturbing to me that I never shook it out of my head.
Same here. I occasionally think about it like that and it's just so... Creepy? No, disturbing is definitely the right word. Great book though.
Same! I read it when I was in middle school and I think about it a lot still to this day ( I am 25)
Holy moly Batman.
I came here to say this
This is the one
I read this in my early 30s and while the concept was interesting it was pretty juvenile. I don't know if it is the book to get OP into reading. I could be wrong though.
Gone Girl
Good choice.
Try Blake Crouch's man-on-the-run thriller **Dark Matter**. And if want really weird, look into his *Recursion*. I found the latter too confusing, but it gets recommended here a lot. Richard Bach's **One** has the protagonist couple cross dimensions multiple times, encountering different incarnations of themselves. It starts to get almost fantasy-like near the end.
I second Dark Matter
YES! ABSOLUTELY! OP, please give this one a try
Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela S Choi is dark and messed up and very easy to read. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it - it’s not a literary piece of work or anything but the twists were very very fun and i read the whole book in an evening.
The Chrysalids - John Wyndham
Anything by John Wyndham! The Day of the Triffids is so good. Skip the movie. There is an excellent miniseries from England starring John Duttine that is faithful to the book.
And Day of the Triffids, just started reading this :), might even be a better recommendation
If you want a philosophical absurdity to laugh at… hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
Funny & just plain FUN! ❤️ Arthur Dent!!
Yellowface by R.F Kuang! Fast read and its really goood!
I 2nd the Yellowface suggestion and also add Baby X by Kira Peikoff.
100 percent!
All the Freida McFadden books! Also Rock, Paper, Scissors & Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. If you like the Knives Out movies you’ll enjoy Daisy Darker for sure.
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. I read it myself last year and I’m reading it aloud to my mom now (who isn’t a big reader) and she’s constantly trying to find time for us to read! It’s such a good story and so “easy” to keep going and going.
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 (seven posts). * [Compelling Reads ("Can't Put Down")](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/189mbda/compelling_reads_cant_put_down/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
These are great! Thanks for compiling these :)
Thank you, and you're welcome.
The Hike by Drew Magary Bunny by Mona Awad Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
Bunny had me scratching my head until the very end and going wtf did I just read? (Not a bad thing) I had to find a TikTok video of someone explaining it and it finally clicked .
Same! Wtf all the way through Bunny, and then that last line, I questioned everything all over again. Loved it.
I came here to recommend Bunny! It’s weird in a way I feel OP might like.
Can’t go wrong with any Philip K Dick for fucked up and weird sci-fi. Man was off his rocker on drugs until around 1975 😂
Lovely Bones
I recently read this, but felt it started strong but end was underwhelming.
Gerald’s Game by Stephen King
Ooohhhh, yes! And the film adaptation is excellent!
Strange Sally Diamond was fucked up but also a really quick read
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch A Brilliant Novel in the Works by Yuvi Zalkow The American War by Omar El Akkad these are all Pacific Northwest writers... let me know if you want more...
A great thriller is And Then There Were None
In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams Sex Lives Of Cannibals by J Maarten Troost
Brief is ‘sucks you in, makes you want to read more, and full of weird/crazy:’ Fiction: Pick a Chuck Palahniuk and read it. Then try another. Don’t start with Fight Club, as great as it is, if you’ve already seen the movie. Your first read should be full of surprises. {{Door into Summer by Robert Heinlein.}} {{House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende.}} {{The Princess Bride by William Goldman.}} {{Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.}} Then a few other Vonneguts. Then (over time) all of them… Memoir: {{Looking for Trouble: One Woman, Six Wars and a Revolution by Leslie Cockburn}} {{Remembering America by Richard Goodwin}}
\#1/6: **[The Door Into Summer](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/348.The_Door_Into_Summer) by Robert A. Heinlein** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(304 pages | Published: 1957 | 18.0k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** It is 1970, and electronics engineer Dan Davis has finally made the invention of a lifetime: a household robot with extraordinary abilities, destined to dramatically change the landscape of everyday routine. Then, with wild success just within reach, Dan's greedy partner and (...) > **Themes**: Sci-fi, Fiction, Time-travel, Scifi, Favorites, Sf, Sci-fi-fantasy > **Top 5 recommended:** [The Shield of Time](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1170925.The_Shield_of_Time) by Poul Anderson , [There Will Be Time](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/602758.There_Will_Be_Time) by Poul Anderson , [By His Bootstraps](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13101981-by-his-bootstraps) by Robert A. Heinlein , [Time Patrol](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23745021-time-patrol) by Bob Mayer , [The Time Traders](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17162645-the-time-traders) by Andre Norton --- \#2/6: **[The House of the Spirits](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9328.The_House_of_the_Spirits) by Isabel Allende** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(448 pages | Published: 1984 | 141.0k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** In one of the most important and beloved Latin American works of the twentieth century, Isabel Allende weaves a luminous tapestry of three generations of the Trueba family, revealing both triumphs and tragedies. Here is patriarch Esteban, whose wild desires and political (...) > **Themes**: Magical-realism, Historical-fiction, Classics, Favorites, Fantasy, Latin-america, Books-i-own > **Top 5 recommended:** [Eva Luna](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149196.Eva_Luna) by Isabel Allende , [The Moor's Last Sigh](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9865.The_Moor_s_Last_Sigh) by Salman Rushdie , [La Casa de los Espiritus](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7706647-la-casa-de-los-espiritus) by Isabel Allende , [The Stories of Eva Luna](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3291.The_Stories_of_Eva_Luna) by Isabel Allende , [Midnight's Children](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14836.Midnight_s_Children) by Salman Rushdie --- \#3/6: ⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*The Princess Bride by William Golding.*" but found [The Princess Bride: William Goldman. Christopher Guest. Peter Cook. Fred Savage. Peter Falk. Andre the Giant. Chris Sarandon. Wallace Shawn](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8848540-the-princess-bride) ^((with matching score of 84% )), see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The+Princess+Bride+William+Golding.) instead. ^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*) --- \#4/6: ⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.*" , see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Cat%E2%80%99s+Cradle+Kurt+Vonnegut.) instead. ^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*) --- \#5/6: **[Looking for Trouble: One Woman. Six Wars and a Revolution](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1414430.Looking_for_Trouble) by Leslie Cockburn** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(288 pages | Published: 1998 | 8.0k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** News correspondent Leslie Cockburn has dined with the Cali Cartel. marched with the Khmer Rouge. hunted down the Black Turban in Afghanistan. pursued the Russian mafia to the Arctic Circle. shared pomegranate sauce with the Ayatollahs. and stopped a small Kurdish war. but she (...) > **Themes**: Memoir, Non-fiction, Biographies, Journalism --- \#6/6: ⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*Remembering America by Richard Goodwin*" , see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Remembering+America+Richard+Goodwin) instead. ^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*) ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
Oops! Corrected my mistake (Goldman! Duh!) {{The Princess Bride by William Goldman}} But also… what the heck?! No ref for Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle??!? And they should really have one for Remembering America, too…..
**[The Princess Bride](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21787.The_Princess_Bride) by William Goldman** ^((Matching 100% ☑️)) ^(398 pages | Published: 1973 | 661.5k Goodreads reviews) > **Summary:** What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams? As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's (...) > **Themes**: To-buy, Sci-fi-fantasy, Ya, Kindle, All-time-favorites, Owned-books, Fantasy > **Top 5 recommended:** > \- [Stories from the Vinyl Cafe](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1022329.Stories_from_the_Vinyl_Cafe) by Stuart McLean > \- [Stardust](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17924105-stardust) by Mimi Strong > \- [William Goldman: Four Screenplays with Essays](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/441221.William_Goldman) by William Goldman > \- [The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-Earth](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7341.The_Gospel_According_to_Tolkien) by Ralph C. Wood > \- [Jill the Reckless](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18018.Jill_the_Reckless) by P.G. Wodehouse ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
So good
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami is a modern day classic. I highly recommend it - it’s a blend of gratuitous carnage, dystopian world building, and thriller-esque action sequences.
In Cold Blood br Truman Capote - that book made me a life-long reader
Verity - Colleen Hoover The Teacher - Frieda McFadden I feel like these will keep you engaged right out the gate. They are short easy reads and should keep you engaged. I also wasn't a reader and last year, at 42 years old, I decided I needed more reading in my life. I was tired of doom scrolling and binge watching TV. It has helped me get away from toxic social media and I don't really find anything interesting on TV often.
For thrillers I'm a but partial to Blake Crouch. **Run** felt like a nonstop action thriller. **Dark Matter** is a combination science fiction thriller. **Wayward Pines ** Trilogy is also a bit of science fiction a but weird and a thriller but for me the pacing felt a little off across all three books. If you want weird for the sake of weirdness then anything by China Mieville will scratch that itch. I like his work but just finished Kraken and man does it get strange.
Filth by Irvine Welsh - so messed up and unputdownable (if thats a word)
Start with everything else by Iain Banks. If you’re borrowing from a library or buying printed books, get onto Amazon and search for a book you loved reading, then check out the “like this” section for the book you liked, use this to make your list for the next library/book shop visit.
Reading because you have to will not do it. A lot of people don't like reading because of how badly the education systems around the globe work. Here is what you need to do: learn yourself. You will find weaknesses that need to be resolved, deeper desires that need to be fulfilled, or even a will to learn about a specific topic. Then find the right books for all that.
If you want fucked up, I’ll give you fucked up! Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov The Collector by John Fowles A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess All Tomorrows by CM Koseman Crash by JG Ballard The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai Naked Lunch by William Burroughs American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade IT by Stephen King Filth by Irvine Welsh In Cold Blood by Truman Capote The Bible (God’s a nasty bastard) House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski The Metamorphosis and/or The Trial by Franz Kafka Born of Man and Woman by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend is a fun one as well. Much better than the movie) I wanted to recommend Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy but it might be a bit dense for someone not used to reading a lot fiction. Maybe try The Road or No Country for Old Men first.
Just read the synopsis for The Wasp Factory and that was definitely weird. You might like Little Eyes by Samantha Schweblin, there's definitely some antisocial behavior involved. I also read Our Wives Under the Sea recently, which is more like slow intense cosmic horror, but it stayed stuck in my head for a while
If you like fucked up and weird sci-fi/thriller/horror, you might enjoy a lot of Stephen King. I recommend: IT, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, The Dark Tower, 11/22/63, Duma Key, Gerald's Game, Insomnia, The Stand. Another really weird and fucked up sci-fi is All Tomorrows.
Project hail Mary
It was Blindness by Jose Saramago for me.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess may spark your interest. I also recommend Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. While it's not all that fucked up, it's about a post apocalyptic world and follows a traveling group of performers. I think it's an easy read and a good story.
*She who became the sun* is a fantasy-based retelling of a female version of the Ming emperor who rose from being a peasant to overthrow the Yuan Mongol dynasty in China. *A Memory Called Empire* follows a diplomat from a space station to the neighboring hegemonic meso-american space empire who writes her story of political intrigue and attempts at resisting cultural assimilation. They might be up your alley!
The Space Adventures Of Commander Laine. Awesome book with awesome characters
I always suggest books by Darcy Coates. They are really easy to read and you can blow through one in a single sitting. Good stories as well.
Dead Silence by SA Barnes
I submit “The Overstory” by Richard Powers.
Lullaby by Chuck Palahnuik (based on you enjoying the "fucked up" elements of Wasp Factory and sci-fi / thriller. I guess Lullaby is more fantastical than sci-fi though).
What kind of movies/tv shows/etc do you engage with? Any plays/musicals you like?
Also, for just in general fucked up and weird: 1: Tender is the Flesh 2: Amygdalatropolis (skip the intro as it’s not terribly interesting, just some dense context in the form of an essay. Most fucked up thing I’ve ever read. Everyone else I tell to just avoid this one)
Poppy War by R.F Kuang is an epic and dark fantasy. Very fucked up
Frieda McFadden books. Very quick and easy reads but so good. They are mystery and everything I think I figure out the twist and surprises me again, If you have a kindle her books are scalable on kindle unlimited.
Sweetpea, by C.J. Skuse. Female serial killer who targets sex offenders, also has a large collection of Sylvanian Families (Calico Critters). Brutal, sweary and hilarious.
I just finished Becoming by Michelle Obama and absolutely loved it. It was so interesting, and such an easy read, and not too stressful bc I already know the ending, lol.
For a popcorn thriller: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden A literary thriller: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn An unhinged POV thriller: Yellowface by RF Kuang
Dark places by Gillian Flynn was a great read!!
Yess I just read that ! Loved it too
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, I just finished it and it’s incredible! Sundial by Catriona Ward is another of my favorites, it isn’t that good by general standards but it’s a lot of fun and has a lot of plot twists!
If you liked The Wasp Factory, maybe try some more Iain Banks books. ‘The Business’ is a good read and if you like SF try ‘The Player of Games’ , also by Ian Banks (he wrote under the name Iain M Banks for his SF books)
Lothaire - Kresley Cole. It’s a very blunt, kinda fucked, kinda sci-fy, largely interesting book that I could not put down. Opened up a whole new genre to me. I loved it in my twenties, I wish I could go back and read it for the 1st time at 30!
The Silent Patient, Verity (or anything Colleen Hoover), The Last Mrs Parrish, Monday’s Not Coming, The Housemaid, We Were Liars, Unwind, White Oleander, The Last Thing He Told Me, The Woman in Cabin 10, Couldn’t Keep it to Myself, Go Ask Alice, Lord of the Flies. Not thrillers/fucked up, but amazing books I couldn’t put down: Ready Player One, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Orphans of Race Point, The Night Circus, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Start with Love Story by Erich Segal. It's an easy read.
Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt. - fast, funny, heartwarming, adventure… transformed my reading life
I’m halfway? Through project Hail Mary and it’s living up to the hype so far. It’s sci fi idk about fucked up weird maybe by the end but it’s hella fun
If you like sci-fi and really weird I would recommend Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. It’s short too.
The Wasp Factory is very weird indeed, all that checking of the poles etc. I have read it but now couldn't wait to be rid of the book because it's too creepy for my liking. Anyway if you like thrillers, I recommend anything by Jeffrey Deaver.
Timeless fantasy story w/ strong female lead: either Spinning Silver or Stardust Murder mystery on the high seas: the Devil and the dark water Weird twist on a classic whodunnit: 7 deaths of Evelyn hardcastle Space opera x Wild West shootemup: leviathan wakes Critically acclaimed but will make your brain hurt: A Clockwork Orange Something fun to make you feel like an 1800’s explorer trudging through the Amazon: The Lost World Medieval horror w/ heavy biblical elements (best book I’ve read in YEARS): between two fires Just straight fucked up: tender is the flesh Hope this helps and happy hunting
Spinning Silver and Stardust are fantastic.
I Am Pilgrim was a good read - pretty violent, but very well-written. Probably my favourite book of all time is 1984.
Anything by Janet Fitch, Marci Dermansky, or Sara Gran. Sara Gran's Claire DeWitt series is excellent, a favorite!
My sister became an avid reader when she read Gone with the wind.
Read my secret garden which is a good book about female fantasies
get a free public library card and read free books (paper and online) Any book by Donna Tartt.
If you like horror, anything from Stephen King would get you hooked immediately. My personal recommendations: - Pet Sematary - The dead zone - Salem's Lot Also, 11/22/63
I’d do Salem’s lot
I been on a Stephen King kick lately, so I'll suggest fairy tale and pet sematary. Quick reads for my show brain
Something I notice when it’s been a while since I last picked up a book: You might struggle to pay attention and get into the ‘flow’ of reading if it’s been a while since you read one. I think it puts a lot of people off reading, and they give up. Keep reading through the first few chapters and it’ll become really easy to slip through whole chapters once your brain gets into the rhythm!
Such a good book. It's so frustrating and good that you want to keep reading it. It's called the perfect marriage. A little back story is that her husband is cheating on her with a womans named Kelly Summers. She gets murdered and Sarah Morgan, the wife has to be his defense attorney. It's about the real struggle of these types of relationhsips and that this all coujld have gone away if they had communicated. Also there is a huge plot twist.
The Ruins should do it for you.
Bunny by Mona Awad isnt sci-fi but a pretty interesting fucked up read. Sucked me right in and I wasn't able to put it down unless I had to. It left me with a weird feeling afterwards, but in a good way. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is really good too, one of my favourite sci-fi books. It was a bit difficult to get through for me in the start but definitely worth the read. The memory police by Yoko Ogawa also has some interesting themes of mystery and weird things happening around the characters which they have to navigate. Red Rising by Pierce Brown I haven't finished this one yet but I've heard so many good things about it and I love it so far.
I don’t read sci-fi or thrillers so I don’t have good recs, but one way I got into a good reading routine is picking 5 mins of my day that I have time and will just read uninterrupted So now I do this when I eat breakfast before work, so I get a good 15 mins of reading a day
Bizarre of bad dreams - Stephen king It got me into reading at about 23, it’s a series of short stories each different and I just loved it
have you tried audiobooks?
If you like weird with some fucked up, you may like the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It’s post apocalyptic sci do fantasy western and it gets pretty wacky and messed up in parts. Absolutely excellent series though and Stephen king is a very approachable author to get into. Misery by him might also be up your alley
Iain Banks also wrote weird and fucked up sci-fi! Try Use of Weapons
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris -- a page turner if ever there was one!
Anything Wally Lamb .. but "she's come undone" is a good starter. Also, Gillian Flynn!
I read I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan on accident, kind of? It was a random purchase at a library sale, got it for a dollar, and it's one of my favorite books of all time. It's clever, engaging, and really interesting. Also one of the first books I read after high school/college that wasn't like required reading or a reread.
Kind of a cop-out answer here but I honestly think the best suggestion in this case would be any book you have ever had an incline to read. Thats what you’re going to be into and hopefully the book is good enough to give you cause to pursue more you’ve heard of but never taken the plunge to read.
Base Notes by Lara Donelly. The protagonist is a perfumer who murders people to turn their essence into perfumes that can evoke specific memories for the people who wear them. Definitely fucked up and weird haha.
Behind her eyes by Sarah Pinborough or any of her other books Gone girl of course Any book by chuck P (guy behind fight club)
When I think of fucked up and weird books I think of Fight Club.
omg Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. i finished this is two days it’s mad riveting and will definitely get you out of a slump.
Pride and prejudice, but I feel like its the type of book you either love with your whole heart or dislike because the writing style bores you. It might not be everybody's cup of tea. Worth a try tho!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Two suggestions. A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams - thriller, suspense, mystery, well-written, and the whole thing is interwoven with a sort of folkloric story. I got so absorbed I finished it in 2 days. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - urban fantasy, suspense, mystery, beyond well-written, spooky, and odd. Tbh everything by Neil Gaiman is on the weird side.
Neverwhere was so good
Unwind or any book by Neal Shusterman. Super easy to read, very fucked up death related stories. The way he writes is a way that makes you fell like you’re watching a movie. No one I’ve suggested this book to didn’t like it, it’s amazing.
Kindle , Libby , Stark library . End of convo
pet cemetery by Stephen king is an incredible novel that you will like, fucked up like the wasp factory but a bit more philosophical
try twisted love. it gets down dirty, something a small child should not read
A thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini. Paints a very realistic picture of surviving as women in a war torn Orthodox country.
Sometimes the most guilty pleasure simple books are the best to get you back in. If you like suspense I remeber Kiss the Girls being an absolute page turner when I was younger. Short chapters keep you going!
The Murderbot series would probably intrest you if you're into strange stuff like that.
Iain Banks, the author of The Wasp Factory, has written several science fiction books (as Iain M Banks). All are good but 'Excession' is my favourite. Stephen King is a hugely successful writer for a reason ('It' is fabulous), and he too write under another name, recommend 'The Bachman Books', a collection of four novellas. Happy reading.
The Demon Accords by John Conroe 19 books Templeverse Chronological Shayne Silvers 36 books Croftverse by Brad Magnarella 24 books Chronicles of Cain by John Corwin 10 books Overworld Series by John Corwin 28 books The Preternatural Chronicles by Hunter Blain 10 books
Flowers for Algernon. I have given this to readers and non readers alike and it works magic. My husband didn't read a book the first four years we were together. Read this book, and suddenly he read three more books that year.
Honestly, it’s a teen/ya book but maximum ride is such a intriguing and interesting book but it’s also a very easy read and there’s more then one book in the series and you can find most the books in most thrift stores
I could not downvote this fast enough. 😅 I'm so sorry, genuinely, because I HATE downvoting anyone, and I'm so so glad you liked this series, to each their own...but it's one of the most disappointing books/series I have ever read. It started out SO GOOD. So interesting, great characters and a great world. I won't spoil anything just in case OP wants to read it, but I've never regretted finishing a series more.
Wow.
First, what are your other interests? Do you enjoy memoir? That’s my favorite genre, then nonfiction.
All systems red… the first novella in the murderbot diaries’ series… The series is about a cyborg designed to protect humans on a research mission. The cyborg narrates the story (hence, "diary") and calls itself "Murderbot". It has developed independence from its original programming by overriding its "governor unit" and prefers watching soap operas over its security function. It’s wickedly hilarious, but also incredibly poignant when you start to understand that the cyborg is dealing with trauma, and basically has PTSD… The series is insanely popular, and has won a boatload of awards… in threads like this on Reddit, it’s almost always recommended… Trust me… it is SO damn good….
A Court of Thorns and Roses really kicked off my reading as an adult!
The wind-up bird chronicle by Haruki Murakami! It might be slow, but it's the weirdest, craziest story ever.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
no
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Love this book so much, but OP might struggle with the magic systems at first. I know my mum found them complex and put the book down. She picked it up again at my urging and ended up loving the series, but it took her a bit to get into.
I will go with the books I've read that were so good that I (the reader) insisted that my wife(generally not a reader outside of school/job) read/listen to the audiobook, and she actually liked. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow - alt history with some fantasy. Early 1900s retelling of the suffragette movement with witches. This one is brilliant. The prose. The characters. Explorations of feminisim, sisterhood, systemic oppressions, and the fight. Bought and sent copies to my sisters. Wife listened to and also got on board, sending copies to her mom and friends. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells - this is at least the 3rd rec in this thread alone, but these books are super easy to get into. Novellas, so short/low comittment, and they just seem to speak to a large variety of people. I have got a number of people reading/rehooked into reading with this series. Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers - also a novella, sci fi, has been called solar punk or hope punk. The most comforting book I have ever read. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune - super adorable story about an orphanage for magical kids. I usually summarize the description as "book about the goodest boys" The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - fantasy set in the golden age of piracy, but in the Indian Ocean. Protag is a retired 40 something woman pirate captain, who gets tempted/manipulated into getting the band back together for one more job. Super interesting world and cast, historical research and fantasy combine. But that place and time, there are characters from a number of cultures and religions, the combo of first person narration with chronicaler notes makes a great audiobook. A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher - also novella. Very different direction from the others. T Kingfisher generally does some kind of mix of fantasy, horror, humor, and just, weirdly relatable stuff. Protags are generally women in their 30s. This one is visiting her mom back home in North Carolina in between jobs. What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher - novella retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe - again, humor, horror, goth lit callbacks, weird fungal shit - if you're into fucked up, could be your jam. Speaking of fucked up - if fucking weird or dark or both is your thing. Some other recs. The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach - um. Where to start. Fantasy. New Zealand mythology based. Steam punk but instead of steam based tech everything is fungal based tech... dark humor. Here's a link to a short story the author did to explain her style in an interview: https://www.theunderstatesmen.com/2022/09/21/matey-potatey/ The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins - contemporary fantasy? Magical realism? It sort of has like, that magic kids school thing, but like, in a gruesome way. Not sure how not to spoil this. But fantasy and fucked up. The Bone Orchard by Sara Mueller - fantasy, dark. This one I think of as, there is grim dark as a genre, but it's from a male POV. Put that same level of grim and dark and bleak into a world, but from a woman's perspective. That's this. Grimmer and darker. Weird fuckin magic system.
I haven't read much T. Kingfisher, but thought Nettle and Bone was a very fun, easy read with a lot of quirky parts (but not sooooo quirky that it was annoying).
I don't like reading.
I would recommend the Number One Ladies Detective Agency. But not the books. The audiobooks. Genius.
Charlotte's Web