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books
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Who here is into reading?
I never have been before, in fact ive considered it to be a waste of my precious time. But as of late i have fuck all to do, i think taking a book to the park for a read would be quite nice.
So yeh, ive never read anything before. At school i pretended i had read stuff when i hadnt. At the start of uni i read some of "bitten" by kelly armstrong, bit childish now i think though it was ok at the time, didnt inspire me much.
I want something easy to get into, that will keep my attention (or else it WILL be lost very quickly), and im not really sure what genre i want either, because ive never experienced any before!
So any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated old chaps!
I never have been before, in fact ive considered it to be a waste of my precious time. But as of late i have fuck all to do, i think taking a book to the park for a read would be quite nice.
So yeh, ive never read anything before. At school i pretended i had read stuff when i hadnt. At the start of uni i read some of "bitten" by kelly armstrong, bit childish now i think though it was ok at the time, didnt inspire me much.
I want something easy to get into, that will keep my attention (or else it WILL be lost very quickly), and im not really sure what genre i want either, because ive never experienced any before!
So any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated old chaps!
Post edited by JustV on
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Comments
It's difficult to recommend anything when you don't know what genre you're looking for. Is there anything you are most definitely not interested in reading, then?
do you know what? im dont know!! I dont even know what genres there are, is it the same as for films? If yes, then im not interested in sci fi, or non stop action. I dont think i want erotica either, dont want to be left horny after a good read ha!
i just dont want something boring. I get bored very easily, need something that can grab my attention fairly early on, and keep my attention, all while not being too hard to follow!
Dammit. Here I was about to suggest Garden of Lies
I would recommend We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. sophia recommended it to me and I was gripped, despite my initial reservations because the author's column in The Guardian really gets on my tits most of the time. Very thought-provoking, to put it mildly.
One of my favourite books that I think is very easy to get engrossed in is The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx; it has some of the best characters I've ever experienced in print and I couldn't put it down - even if it is a little harrowing in parts.
If you want chick-lit then I'm not really the person to recommend it.
Are you a member of your local library? Because if not, you should be! Just go in and browse, read the backs of a few books and see if anything grabs your fancy. That's usually the best way to discover the genres and authors you like/would like!
i shall definitely join the local library, im in no position to be buying books, either that or i'll get my student friends to get them from the uni library
Current reads have included Jodi Picoult, Jasper Fforde and Philip Pullman. My favourite book of the year was probably The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which was a mystery sort of novel based around a set of books / author set in Spain. Then you have the wonderful His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman which I would definitely recommend.
Or, for an easy book, you always have Harry Potter. These are such fun books that I would recommend them to anyone.
Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
War and Peace by Tolstoj
Anna Karenina by Tolstoj
Psychology by Gleitman
One last shot by Mitch Krugel
Lol I doubt these are the types of books she'll be wanting to read.
Indeed, though it might not be quite what she's looking for, ha. But if that is the case, I'd recommend The Idiot and Notes from Underground, too
But, really, W&P?
Tis sooooo good. I read it on a train journey and didn't want it to end.
I love reading but I am a lazy reader. I'm stuck in my Terry Pratchett rut at the moment, I quite like it there, I think I'll stay
Actually Buddha of suburbia is a light read, it's funny and interesting....
Also, I read War and Peace in 2 days coz i couldn't put it down...
Wuthering Heights is a strange one. I adore it and count it among one of my all-time favourites but I've met many-a-person who thought it was nowt more than a twisted exercise in seriously unhealthy relationships, manipulation and animal torture.
The Catcher in the Rye is very easy-reading if you haven't read it, though it lost something the second time round for me... maybe it's my age now or something as I couldn't relate as I felt I had first time round. If you go for Salinger then that's the book, though, as I thought Franny and Zooey was unadulterated shit.
On the Road by Kerouac is a cliche but for all the right reasons, if you have a shred of wanderlust in you then I'm sure you'd love it, too. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson is one I read recently that I can't recommend enough. The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, Lady Oracle and Life Before Man (among others) all by Margaret Atwood and The Women's Room by Marilyn French, too, are all amazing reads if you have even the most passing of interests in feminism and excellent writing and storytelling.
Also, if you haven't read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë then do so asap. In fact, any Brontë novel or text is worth reading - even Branwell's mad ramblings. Then follow it [Jane Eyre] up with Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. That goes for everyone.
I concur
Oh, and if you do brave something epic Blah then let it be Don Quixote, it is phenomenal
p.s On the Road is dreadful.
I didn't like the writing style, I didn't like the characters and I had to force myself to read it.
I've probably missed the point of the book but I just got fed up with it.
I feel like an iconoclast
But, I tend to find it amazing common ground with new people I meet, and almost always become their best friend as I think there's definitely a certain mindset among people who love it.
I thought it was supposed to be a pistake of the then popular gothic literature...
I love to read everything except 19th century literature, it's just too irritating.