The Book Thread Book • Page 113

Exaggerating. I like a fair amount of YA books. Robert Cormier, David Levithan, and SE Hinton all rule. I could think of a few others. I would probably like Ursula K LeGuin but haven’t read much yet. One day tho. It’s just not my preferred genre.

 

I don't mean for my friend - I already made him a lot that I can share in here if people are curious haha - I just meant in general. does anyone have a go-to book that they think could turn anyone into a reader

 

I think it's hard to give a generalized list of literature without knowing the perspective reader's taste in entertainment.

When I was a kid I thought I disliked reading because I was always recommended young adult series like Harry Potter that never clicked with me for whatever reason, or forced to read classics that were made to feel like homework because they were literally made homework, and it wasn't until an older family friend asked for my taste in movies and TV that I was recommended literature that I ended up loving.

The authors that ended up igniting my love of reading included Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, Kurt Vonnegut, and Han Kang.

But I recently recommended Jim Thompson and Elmore Leonard to a friend who wanted to start reading, and it was completely based on their established taste in entertainment.

I guess if I was to meet an alien and they asked for an example of human literature for their records I would give them every volume of In Search of Lost Time, but it's an interesting question. I'm not sure there exists an ideal introductory novel without taking into consideration a potential reader's individual taste.

 

The problem with the YA adult tag is that it has become a catch-all for female fantasy writers even when it doesn't apply

 

I think David Sedaris for me was the spark that got me to keep reading after school. Specifically When You Are Engulfed in Flames. It's an easy, light book, but also very funny, a little sad, and there's a lot under the surface to ponder on your own about.

 

This is the exact same with me. Sedaris and Michael Crichton were the two authors that kinda got me back into the swing of things. From there I branched out a bit but someone at the other forum recommended When You Are Engulfed in Flames to me and it really hit me.

 

I just purchased I’m Thinking of Ending Things after watching the film. Has anyone read the book? I’ve heard the film version is a little different.

 

Finished Irving’s The Cider House Rules last night, and well, it rules.

 

Right now I'm reading TH White's The Once and Future King and I'm loving it. Weird thing to say but it's like if Wes Anderson wrote/directed a King Arthur story. At least that's what it feels like to me lol

 

@Donnie Ruth just finished Riley Sager's new book. Gotta say I liked it, definitely his best!

 

This is awesome to hear!

I’m so upset with myself on how much lack of reading I’ve done in the last 2 months. Ever since I got a cat and work picked up I’ve been moving slow. I very much look forward to getting around to that new one!!

 

Started Lovecraft Country this week. Looking forward to it. Want read before I watch the show.

 

I just finished Wanderers also and that was just a rollercoaster! So many twists and turns and that ending!! Did not expect that at all.

 

Glad you enjoyed! One of my favorites I’ve read this year

 

RIYL?

 

Currently reading Nella Larsen's Passing. It's great so far. I could probably finish it in another sitting. Trying to knock out some short ones I haven't read yet before digging into something massive again.

 

Not sure book equivalents as I've admittedly not read enough to provide that, though Recursion from Blake Crouch has some similar themes, but RIYL without giving too much away:
1. Pandemics with believable science
2. Government conspiracies
3. Great character development (book has multiple POVs)

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig for synopsis and maybe some helpful RIYL suggestions.

 

The Stand is a too obvious Wanderers RIYL. But if you haven’t read The Stand yet, do that first.

 

Yep I almost wrote the Stand earlier but didn’t wanna be too obvious lol

 

Awesome. I added it to my list. Thanks!

 

Finished Nella Larsen’s Passing in a day, just as I thought I would. Great and haunting stuff. Think I’ll read Clarice Lispector’s The Passion According to G.H. next.

 

Finished Susanna Clarke's new book, Piranesi. In just about every way, it's a smaller book than Jonathan Strange, but I really enjoyed it and I can already tell some of its imagery is going to stick with me for a while.

After researching scary books, I decided to start The Croning last night. Right off the bat, there's some unfortunate misogynistic language which I'm hoping starts and ends with the introductory character, but that said, it's...pretty damn terrifying already.

 

New book haul from my birthday.

 

Do like a good Vonnegut read! It took me longer than I care to admit to realise those books are not suspending in thin air.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I thought they were in a refrigerator at first.