Where from?
If you’re literally starting from near zero, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with what’s out there before buying willynilly and wasting your money.
Think about:
- Genre – what category of book would you like? fantasy, romance, science fiction, adventure, comedy, cozy, mystery, thriller, horror? (look into sub-genres for even better results)
- Tone – light-hearted or dark?
- Style – who is telling the story? is it first person (I, me, we) or third person)he, she, they)? written in purple prose or more conventional? linear or out of order? multiple points of view or one?
- Theme – grief, love, friendship, good vs evil, power, class, regret, family, parenting, mental health, identity, coming of age, coming out, sexuality, illness, education, siblings, marriage, war…
- Pace – something to get through quickly and move on or something to sink your teeth into for a longer period?
- Purpose – do you want to learn? be entertained? something light? something deeper? something popular? something unique?
Start here:
- Local libraries
- Friends and family
- Charity shops
- Supermarket
What kind of books work for beginners?
Obviously, what interests you is where you should begin! Don’t care about what’s popular or what looks good. Don’t worry about what other people you know like to read or what’s on the “books to read in a lifetime” list (although, could be worth looking into!).
That being said, here are categories that I think would work nicely for people who are just starting their reader journey.
Short books
It’s less intimidating to become a reader if you’re reading shorter books. If you feel less pressure or run less of a risk of being disinterested and distracted by longer reads at this stage.
Shorter book suggestions:
- Becky Chambers’s Psalm series
- On Earth As It Is Beneath
- Open Throat by Henry Hoke
- Muderbot series
- And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
- The Last Children of Tokyo
- Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark
- Before the Coffee Gets Cold
- Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
Audiobooks
It could also be a great idea to try out audiobooks, especially ones with great narrators. These can feel like watching a tv show! It counts as reading and it’s a great way to read more books if you have a busier schedule.
Some great audiobooks to try:
- The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
- Project Hail Mary
- The Kaiju Preservation Society
- Gideon the Ninth
- Great Big Beautiful Life
- In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
- Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Memoirs from your fave celebriites
- Educated by Tara Westover
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy
- Just Sayin’ by Malorie Blackman
- It’s Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke
- Yes Please by Amy Poehler
- Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
- Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Books with screen adaptations
Here are some recommendations based on films I’ve watched and loved that I know were books first (I’ve read some not all).
- Chaos Walking series
- Wool by Hugh Howey (Silo TV series)
- Angels and Demons or Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- Stephen King’s works
- Project Hail Mary
- The Martian
- The Housemaid
- Verity
- Hunger Games series
- Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit
- A Song of Ice and Fire aka Game of Thrones
Lighthearted or funny reads
Sometimes people think reading is boring but that’s just because they’ve only read boring books! There are LOADS of truly entertaining reads out there. Here are some that I’ve found very funny which made reading them a delight.
- Of Monsters and Mainframes
- Bride by Ali Hazelwood
- The Kaiju Preservation Society
- Project Hail Mary
- Friedrik Backman’s works (toes the line of tender and humorous)
- The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Fast-paced reads
These ones are typically thrillers or action-packed narratives that fly by. Whether it’s the narrative voice, the plot, or the short chapters.
- The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
- The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas
- The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- Later by Stephen King
Accessible reads
These books tackle some heavy themes but in a very accessible way. They are satirical or entertaining while handling their subject matter.
- Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
- Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
- Anxious People and A Man Called Ove by Friedrik Backman
- Atmosphere & The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
- Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis
- Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Childhood faves
- HP series
- Percy Jackson series
- Hunger Games series
- Anne of Green Gables
- How to Train Your Dragon series
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Narnia series
- Alice in Wonderland
- The Jungle Book
Sincerely,
S. xx
