Book reader community.
I find when I get in a slump, that going to the library and picking up a bunch of books at a time and trying to jump into them to see what sticks really works.
If I go and commit to like five books, one is going to hook me!
Also if you liked Circe (oh man did I love it) you might really love Song of Achilles (also by Madeline Miller).
I can highly recommend basically anything written by Brandon Sanderson, especially the Cosmere series. It consists of a lot of books (and many on the way), that describe multiple worlds. What makes his books special is the way magic is integrated into the world. It's not just 14th century Europe with wizards here and there, magic makes an impact on the society in a way that's realistic. His books are easy to read, with a few exceptions (more on that below).
As for what to start with, I'd recommend two series:
Thanks a bunch for the long reply. I'm going to order Mistborn and see how it goes, it looks good!
Hey friend, I know it has been a while. Just wanted to let you know that I have been reading the first Mistborn book (The final empire) and I have been enjoying it a lot. I think this is the first time I'm actually looking forward to my reading session so I can find out what is happening next.
Thanks a bunch!
Hey, great to know you liked it! Thanks for the update!
Try ‘Lady of Hay’ by Barbara Erskine
"The Martian" by Andy Weir
Your book list makes it seem like you've got a pretty similar taste to me and that one hooked me in the first page. I like to describe that book as being "high adrelinaline problem solving". I'm also a SWE and think that's part of the reason it was so appealing to me.
The only way I've been able to "read" is through audiobooks. I listen during my work commute. It's really enjoyable. Makes commuting enjoyable to an extent. Also, if you get a really good narrator, the experience is great.
The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. It covers the parallel histories of post colonial Indonesia's status as the figurehead of the none-aligned third world countries during the cold war, alongside the establishment and growth of the CIA and apparently eventually culminates in detailing how the CIA overthrew the government, installed a dictator and then backed him to murder over a million communists, feminists and ethnic minorities.
its pretty damn grim, so far by chapter 5 Bevins has covered the CIA's roles in the coups in Iran, Guatemala and the Phillipines and their backing of rebels to start a low level civil war in Indonesia.
If you liked Circe, you might enjoy Song of Achilles by the same author. Maybe also Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel — similar to Circe, it’s a mythic retelling focusing on a character that’s not usually in the spotlight. I read it recently and really liked it
Hm. Some fantasy stories / books I really enjoyed and recommend are:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Just awesome. The pacing is gentle but a lot higher compared to The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings. One of the best fantasy stories I know, I read all the books multiple times. Warning: Don't watch the movie. Just don't.
The Idhún's Memories by Laura Gallego. I've read them a long time ago, so I don't know if I'd still enjoy them that much, but I've great memories.
I didn't read The Name Of The Wind yet, but it was recommended to me multiple times as THE best book.
If you don't mind science-fiction, I also would recommend Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovski.
Side note: Fantasy is quite a heavy genre if you're not really into reading yet. Often the good books are large, which makes it harder to finish in a reasonable time. General tipp: try to read one hour a day. This creates a habit and you will soon read a lot faster, which makes it a lot easier to just grind through a book as if it was nothing. Also try different genres, maybe one doesn't sound appealing, but you would enjoy it anyway.
The name of the wind is absolutely one of the best fantasy books ever written, the only thing is that the author is not likely to finish the series anytime soon. The second book in the triology came out in 2011 and still has no date for the third to be released :/
A favorite I like to recommend is The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson. It's the first in a trilogy, and could open you to a vast universe of stories if you enjoy it.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
What's gotten me back into reading has been the Red Rising series by Pierce. Scifi that reminds me a bit if the hunger games stuff, but better.
Have you read the later ones in the series (books 4-6)? I really liked the first 3 but then there was a pretty big break between books and I heard some not so good things about them so never picked them back up. Curious what you think of them if you read them.
Second trilogy breaks into multiple point of view, and unfortunately most of them are not very interesting. Quit halfway book 1
I didn’t really like to read until I bought a Kindle. For some reason, that made it way more enjoyable.
I do own a very old Kindle that I thought would ignite my interest in reading. I found that I didn't enjoy reading on the Kindle, which is honestly quite a bummer. I also found it harder for me to read books in English and the Kindle store doesn't have books in portuguese. It's not like I can't read in English, more like it's another small obstacle to pick up the book and read.
I'd rather have a digital library and not spend space to store the books but alas :(