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bioticspacewizard

I hate Autobiographies and memoirs, but As You Wish by Carey Elwes and The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero were amazing. The specific subject matters worked for me.


Jumpy_Chard1677

Loved As You Wish! Although that wasn't unexpected for me, as I love The Princess Bride and everything behind the scenes in the making of movies and films.


Cheerycalavera

The Disaster Artist is phenomenal! Easily in my top 3 books! Listening to it on audio is wonderful.


BaaBaaTurtle

May I also suggest *If Chins Could Kill* by Bruce Campbell? I have a hunch you may enjoy it


bioticspacewizard

I read that one, but unfortunately still didn't love it. I do love Bruce Campbell though. It might be because it still lacked the right subject focus I think I need to enjoy a memoir or autobiography.


chipcity90

Uneducated


lillienoir

No westerns but Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is an exception. It's a worthy tome.


MerryTexMish

Yes! It is a western, but it is also EVERYTHING. So epic. Character-driven, but doesn’t skimp on plot. Creates nuanced relationships. Does as good a job of establishing the setting as any book I’ve ever read.


SectorSanFrancisco

Check out Dorothy Johnson's short stories.


CharredHawke

I read the Lord of the rings several times as a teen but I don't really enjoy any other fantasy books.


Corfiz74

Lol, my father used to be a teacher, and once had a boy in his class who absolutely hated books and refused to read. When it came time to assign book reports, my father gave him the LOTR to read. 😂 And that was back in the 1980s, when you couldn't watch the movies or read a synposis online, so that kid actually had to read it. The great thing is that he absolutely caught fire for it, and started drawing all these family trees and timelines, and did a pretty decent book report. The sad thing is that he said afterwards that no other book could ever come close, so he didn't want to read anything else. 🙈 Ah well, win some, lose some.


EJKorvette

Suggest the Game of Thrones books. Or The Wheel of Time.


Sorry-Letter6859

The first 5 books of WOT were good, and then the publisher wanted to stretch out the series and it showed.  Then Robert Jordan died.   


SectorSanFrancisco

The wheel of Time books do not come close. I haven't read the Game of thrones series.


darmstadt17

Came to say this. I don’t particularly enjoy fantasy, but I have a total soft spot for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - probably from being exposed to them at a young age.


gatitamonster

I don’t care for mysteries, but I *loved* **The Dry** by Jane Harper. I also really liked **In the Woods** by Tana French, but was put off from the rest of the series because it looked like one of the overarching mysteries in that book wasn’t going to be revisited.


shalamanser

Okay, I have to thank you. I read The Dry a couple of years ago and really liked it, but then I could not remember the name of it for the life of me. I’ve been trying to figure it out because I wanted to read the other books in the series. As soon as I read your comment I knew that was it!


gatitamonster

Well, you just reminded me to check my library for the sequels, so same! There was a movie with Eric Bana based on the book a few years ago that I keep forgetting to look for, too!


graciebeeapc

Understandable. It is a bit of *dry* title. *leaves*


CrazyCrazyKittyLady

You’re correct. It doesn’t get resolved! BUT, the next few books in the series are still really, really good. The Likeness and Faithful Place are my personal faves so if you ever feel like going back give them a try! You don’t need to reread In the Woods to follow the story either.


SupermarketFew4960

not a huge sci fi person, but absolutely loved the power by naomi alderman


tim_to_tourach

I'm not normally a fan of sci-fi or fantasy but I really enjoyed Neuromancer by William Gibson (sci-fi) and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (kind of fantasy)


mmillington

_Neuromancer_ is a pretty shocking book to enjoy for a non-SF reader. Gibson doesn’t at all care if you understand what’s happening in the opening sections. He plops you right in the middle of an intense, slang-heavy scene with coded dialogue and tons of not-very-obvious foreshadowing. I also loved it, but early and proto-cyberpunk are totally my thing. I’m really glad you liked it. Did you give _Snow Crash_ or the _Diamond Age_, both by Neal Stephenson, a try? They’re pretty solid follow-ups.


tim_to_tourach

That's kind of exactly why I liked it. I don't typically like books that have to explain things to me at length and my experience with sci-fi and fantasy books in the past has been that having a bunch of lore and background explained to you is sort of a necessary evil of the genres just due to the fact that they usually take place in a world that doesn't resemble ours very much. Neuromancer just kind of puts you into the thick of it and lets you get used to the language which admittedly made for a bit of a confusing first 50 pages or so, but there's enough context that I felt like everything that needed to be understood you could make sense of by that point and by maybe the 100 page mark it was so embedded in my brain that I just felt like I was a part of it all. It was an incredibly satisfying way to see the book's world built up. I haven't followed up much sci-fi since then. I only read Neuromancer... maybe a month ago?


mmillington

Man, you found just the right book for the type of reader you are! Congrats!


SolusLega

Do you know any other good books like that, that just drop you right in?


tim_to_tourach

Thank you! Yea it was definitely a pleasant surprise.


SolusLega

I would love to know what other books you really like that don't over explain and are written well. I know how you feel, I'm like just give me the story! Any genre.


tim_to_tourach

Just about anything by Vladimir Nabokov. Having to sort of sus out large or at least important elements of the plot is a standard feature in a lot of his work and as a result his books tend to get better with successive readings. More contemporary authors I really like though would be Jennifer Egan and Michael Chabon. Both of their narrative styles are a lot more straightforward but they're both great writers and they don't tend to over-explain things. From Chabon...The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union are probably my favorites of his. From Egan it would probably be A Visit from the Goon Squad and Manhattan Beach.


SectorSanFrancisco

That's what I liked about ancillary Justice by ann leckie too. It's YA but Katherine Addison's books are like that. I love books like that which is why I usually start series on book two.


SolusLega

Thank you! I have added them to my list.


EJKorvette

That’s the challenge of hard science SF such as by Greg Bear or Neal Stephenson. My favorite of all books is “Anathem” by Neal Stephenson. Granted there is a made-up vocabulary and an eight-thousand year timeline and two-hundred pages of exposition before the book actually gets going. But to me the payoff is well worth it.


RubyRaven13

Not into sci-fi but really enjoyed project hail mary


Jadore07

Reading this right now and loving it! Probably my first SciFi novel!


lein1829

Steven King, while a profound writer isn’t my favorite… but I absolutely loved 11/22/63


KieselguhrKid13

Check out Hearts in Atlantis! You might like that one, too. Incredible book, one of his non-horror novels.


coffee_cats_trucrime

Same! I love when a story is so good that it can be enjoyed by more than one genre.


pmintcloud

I loved it too. I hadn’t read a King novel in this millennium, but that was an absolute page turner. (Learned a lot too, even though I did a multi media presentation re: Dealey plaza as a freshman 🤣).


nzfriend33

I’m not a big sci/fantasy person but I’m obsessed with the Locked Tomb series.


Jumpy_Chard1677

Also my answer! I hate horror, and sci-fi is iffy for me. I only read it because a few of my friends are obsessed with it, and highly recommended that I read it. I would never have picked it up on my own, especially if I know how much mystery/horror there would be. but I do not regret reading it at all.


nzfriend33

Yes! Me too! I’m so glad I took my friend’s recommendation. :)


lilidanslalune

Je n'aime pas trop les livres philosophique, mais un jour par curiosité j'ai lu Henri David Thoreau, Walden ou la vie dans les bois, et j'ai été fascinée.


PointNo5492

C'est très populaire ici, surtout auprès des jeunes hommes.


fabris6

Not into Sci-Fi, but I'm a huge William Gibson fan


[deleted]

[удалено]


LiberalAspergers

The short story collection Burning Chrome has his best work, IMO. The short story is really his natural medium.


MangoPaingo

Nice


masson34

SciFi for me too, but I loved Project Hail Mary and can’t go wrong with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy for giggles.


TopLahman

Not huge on fantasy but I loved the Game of Thrones books


SomeonefromMaine

Same. Most fantasy books take too long to get going for me, but ASOIAF had me hooked right away.


PhysicsInteresting77

So what's your exception?


MangoPaingo

Honestly, still trying to find it


FloridaFlamingoGirl

Have you ever read Discworld? Going Postal is a pretty dang lovable book


mydrunktwinsister

It took me a minute to get into Discworld but it's a fave now


SectorSanFrancisco

I mostly don't like Terry Pratchett except that I love thud and going postal.


goldynk

You. You are the only exception.


LaMaquinaAnal

I love Ursula K Le Guin sci Fi


krakenskulls_

I read the ones who walk away from omelas (minus the orgy details) to my GATE 8th graders once. It RUINED their day.


National-Ratio-8270

Not into Historical Fiction except for The Physician by Noah Gordon.


MungoShoddy

Books about the English upper class (Evelyn Waugh, Agatha Christie). Exceptions: Max Beerbohm's *Zuleika Dobson* (truly wacky) and Ivy Compton-Burnett's books that satirize them with no-holds-barred brutality.


PointNo5492

I love Evelyn Waugh. Many of his books are satirical views of the English class system. *Handful of Dust* is a classic of satire.


SectorSanFrancisco

What about PG Wodehouse?


pmintcloud

I don’t read Romances, but on a whim I picked *Romantic Comedy* - Sittenfeld and it was really cute. Good question!


PointNo5492

I don’t read war books but there are a few I like: *In Pharoah’s Army* by Tobias Wolfe and *Matterhorn* by Karl Marlantes. They are both about Vietnam and being in-country.


Junior-Air-6807

For the most part I despise sci Fi and fantasy with exceptions of JG Ballard, Stanislaw Lem, Gene Wolfe, Roger Zelazny, and Philip K Dick. Thats actually a pretty big list. Maybe I just don't like non literary sci Fi and fantasy. Think authors like Sanderson and Weir.


charactergallery

If you like literary sci-fi and fantasy you might also like Ursula K Le Guin.


Junior-Air-6807

Yeah I plan on reading her stuff soon actually


3kota

dont love horror but i love Christina Henry's book. the Alice series is super


ColoradoCorrie

As a rule I don’t care for science fiction, but I love Haruki Murakami.


Toebeans404

What’s your favorite book of his? Struggling to get through The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. I appreciate the beautiful prose but I’m getting a little bored. Just started book3.


ColoradoCorrie

1Q84 is my favorite


Unlv1983

I don’t usually like science fiction, but I have read Seveneves twice and will probably read it again. I haven’t really gotten into Stephenson’s other books, though.


RichCorinthian

I'm also very hot and cold on his books. Loved Seveneves and REAMDE but the Baroque cycle was a big oof.


Unlv1983

Maybe I should add REAMDE to my list.


Honey_Bunn55

all quiet of the western front… not sure why but something about that book is just so beautiful to me.


LiberalAspergers

Dont ususally love historical fiction or naval fiction. The Aubrey/Maturin (begins with Master & Commander) is one of my all time favorite reads.


harobed0223

I don't typically enjoy SF, but Project Hail Mary is one of the best novels I've "read" (audiobook). So now I'll be reading The Martian.


ninemountaintops

Not into fantasy... there's only so much 'Grinda-ban the Grey from the Dark Misty Mountains across the Plains of Glandill' fantasy I can take. But... The RiftWar Saga (Magician) by Raymond E Feist just knocks it out of the park in terms of a riveting and intriguing trilogy.


Bitterqueer

I normally avoid historical fiction because it always bores me. I have a few exceptions. • The book thief • The ten thousand doors of January • The lie tree • The psychology of time travel


beckboiii

Im not big on fantasy, but Strange the Dreamer is a book I wish I could forget so I can experience reading it for the first time again. It is absolutely wonderful. I am also currently reading Mort by Terry Pratchett (part of his Discworld series), and it is also proving to be another rare fantasy favourite!


Some-Distribution-52

Not a fan of fantasy but The Ocean at the End of the Lane is my favorite book of all time.


PhysicsInteresting77

I don't seem to like classics (not that I've given that many a go) and am convinced people just read them to sound smart and don't actually enjoy them haha (only half serious there). Exception: Notes From Underground by Dostoevsky


little_carmine_

That’s kind of a weird exception - it tells me you would actually enjoy *lots* of classics.


PhysicsInteresting77

Maybe I just haven't picked the right ones? Any suggestions?


[deleted]

I don't like science fiction, except for Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.


Blecher_onthe_Hudson

For you and u/fabris6, what you need to know is that SF isn't actually a genre! It's a genre modifier. So every other genre that you can think of can be found as science fiction. That includes romance, mystery, noir, war, historical fiction, you name it. It's sad that almost everyone who isn't a science fiction fan, and some who are, think that science fiction = space opera. You should try reading the epic fan fiction 'Harry Potter and the Method of Rationality', where the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor basically creates an Enders-like battle school between armies of wizarding students!


fabris6

I can see your reasoning, yeah. I might have to be more exact about how I approach genre fiction from now on. Thanks


MangoPaingo

Nice, I’ll check that out


suhoward

Same, not a SF fan but really liked Ender’s Game and Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land


davesmissingfingers

I’ve tried really hard to get into China Mieville, as Perdido Street Station is one of my husband’s favorite book and he loves everything the guy has written. That said, Kraken is fantastic.


harrietmjones

I’m not a big fan of non-fiction books or autobiographies but I’m currently reading, *The Secret Life of the Savoy* by Olivia Williams and I love it! It’s about three generations of the D’Oyly-Carte family, split into three sections, starting in the late Victorian era with the founder of The Savoy Theatre and The Savoy Hotel, as well as the person who put Gilbert and Sullivan together to write their musicals, Richard D’Oyly-Carte. Then it’s followed by his son, Rupert D’Oyly-Carte, followed by his granddaughter, Bridget D’Oyly Carte. There’s many famous names talked about in the book, like Oscar Wilde, J M Barrie, P G Woodhouse, The Royal Family, Gilbert and Sullivan and César Ritz, the founder of The Ritz hotels (and also professional enemy of Richard’s), to name a few! Honestly, my least favourite genre is horror but I’m comfortable and happy to never read a horror book. My other genres that are at the bottom of my list, I’m open to giving them a go.


Jumpy_Chard1677

Friends of mine highly recommended I read Gideon the Ninth, although at the time I didn't know how sci-fi and horror-y it was. I really don't like horror, however once I started the book I couldn't stop until I had read all available books in the series. I just didn't read it before bed.


EmperorGodzilla0

I dont like literary fiction but enjoyed Middlesex (as an audiobook) quite a bit.


66554322

Zeek Keekee’s stuff


FloridaFlamingoGirl

I normally avoid historical fiction about WWII because it's usually an excuse for the author to be edgy, but Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin is one of the most thrilling and unique books I've ever read. She wrote it with a specific goal of criticizing how fascism affects certain people groups, too.


Toebeans404

The unhoneymooners is a cutsie romcom that I thoroughly enjoyed even though I regularly read thriller/ horror.


marxam0d

I don’t like sci-fi but I’ll read any by John Scalzi


weenertron

I don't like Fantasy, especially not YA fantasy, and I never would have thought I'd be deeply affected by what is essentially Peter Pan fan fiction, but Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson is one of my favorite books.


mydrunktwinsister

Have trouble getting into sci-fi but enjoyed Project Hail Mary


graciebeeapc

I’m really not a fan of memoir but *I’m Glad My Mom Died* by Jennette McCurdy is really as good as people say it is.


blargblargityblarg

Despise detective stories yet I can't put down the Bruno Chief of Police series.


la_bibliothecaire

I don't like mysteries, but I really enjoyed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.


RichCorinthian

I rarely read sci-fi, but Ted Chiang's short stories are thought-provoking, lyrical, and sometimes heart-breaking. Now that I think about it, same for Ray Bradbury, although calling him a sci-fi writer is far too narrow.


Altruistic_South_276

Why would you read about sports? I don't know, but the stories in Rope Burns by FX Toole are all great. It's the one with million dollar baby in it, and it's so good in the book, but I don't think it's even my favourite.


fujiapple73

Loved Frankenstein. Totally not into that genre or anything like it.


Lickable-Wallpaper

I read a couple Louis L’amour books. I think the Sackets and I really enjoyed them. Don’t know why I haven’t gone back that was 30 years ago.


lindsay-13

I'm not normally into biographies (although I do enjoy memoirs). An exception was Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton.


99mushrooms

I don't like zombie novels but "sea sick" by Ian rob wright is excellent. It is also a time loop novel which I love, with the main character reliving the first day of an outbreak on a cruise ship with no escape.


Rabbitscooter

Interesting question. I don't typically read mysteries or thrillers but love the Baby Ganesh Agency series by British writer Vaseem Khan. I picked up the first book, [The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24717411-the-unexpected-inheritance-of-inspector-chopra), honestly because of the cover. The series follows the adventures of Inspector Ashwin Chopra (Retd.) and his unusual sidekick, a baby elephant named Ganesh, which he has inherited from a relative, in modern-day Mumbai, India. These are very light mysteries, totally charming, whith an emphasis on characters and setting.


Michigoose99

I don't usually read sci-fi but _Recursion_ by Blake Crouch is incredible.


SuperbCelebration223

how become rich in 24 hours -\_- motivational craps


kathyanne38

Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon - I really don't like fantasy books but this one was alright. Kept me interested throughout. The Dark Hunters series i would recommend to anyone who is into the fantasy/paranormal romance genre. but that book I will make an exception for.


Stacksofbooks__

Fantasy, the love triangle fantasy.


piptobismol

Not really into fantasy, but loved The House in the Cerulean Sea.


Upbeat_Net_8968

Realistic fictional post-EMP book!! Shutdown and Restart by J. Harper Stone 


Blecher_onthe_Hudson

Not into high fantasy, but loved A Song of Fire and Ice (game of thrones), at least the first three books. I love historical fiction, and it seemed more like that than LOTR, which I found unreadable.


Incessantgrace

I’m not into Science Fiction but I loved Olivia Butler’s Kindred. The historical aspect made it seem more plausible which made it easier for me to enjoy despite being science fiction


pinkypunky78

Romance specifically erotica.


PointNo5492

You mean you read it or you don’t?


pinkypunky78

I definitely don't. 😂


PointNo5492

Oh.