Hi all,
I have the pretty classic backstory of playing lots of video games when I was young, plus being forced to read books I didn’t want to read in school making me dislike reading.
Until about 2 years ago, I hadn’t read a book for pleasure in quite a few years, probably before high school. And even before then, I didn’t read that much.
I’m making this post because… when I first got back into reading (2 years ago), I don’t think I really understood how fun reading could be. I viewed it as a healthy hobby (which it is of course), and don’t get me wrong I did enjoy reading, but it always felt a bit like something I was doing for health reasons instead of really enjoying it. Sorta like a chore that I was forcing myself to do.
If you’re in my position… Just keep trying different authors, different genres, different series. I think I accepted reading as being only a slightly enjoyable thing because that’s just what I thought it was.
6 months ago I finally read a book series my brother had been recommending for a while, and it completely changed my relationship with reading. I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I could. I didn’t have to convince myself to read anymore, it was the main thing I wanted to do. I think in one day I read about 250 pages. I was almost too obsessed with it, I nearly cancelled plans with friends because I wanted to read haha.
I’m not trying to advertise this specific book series or anything, but if you’re curious it’s Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
TL;DR - if you’re newer to reading and feel like it’s a chore, don’t give up hope, keep trying new authors or genres and you might find something you really enjoy. there’s almost certainly something out there that’s made just for you, and you might have to sift through a couple “okay” books until you find it.
You have to be brutal with new books/authors. Resist the gravity of sunk cost and put down the book you know you don’t like after chapeer1.
It’s a judgement call. I’ve definitely been glad I continued with books that were slow for a while. It’s only a certain type of book that’s gripping on every page, and sometimes patience is part of the skill set that reading builds. That said, definitely err on the side of keeping it interesting for yourself while you’re building the habit.
Agreed! Although, I drop a ton of books within a few pages, and still end up with a lot of “okay” reads. I don’t super mind that; if I only read things I happily breezed through or couldn’t put down, I’d only end up finishing one or two books a year. Maybe I’m just hard to please?
Funny, Mistborn was the last reading for pleasure I tried and I couldn’t get through it, haha. But yes, we should also normalise just stopping books we are not feeling. It is ok to try something else or juggle a few books, and come back to them later.
I can totally imagine that book being really boring to some people. I almost didn’t include the actual book series in this post but I thought people would be curious.
I think for people who are big readers, reading books that they only kinda enjoy isn’t a big deal for them. They might even just appreciate that it’s different.
But for folks who don’t read much and are trying to get into it, chugging through a book they only partially like might ruin their entire vision of what reading should be.
re: Mistborn- To be honest, it is just Brandon Sanderson. I want to like his stuff, especially as I liked what he did with Wheel of Time, but his originals just aren’t for me. What has drawn me back more is the Discworld series and non-fiction other stuff. People love Sanderson’s stuff though. I’d like to see them as movies, I think, or a show!
If you love Mistborn then you should read some of his other series. Personally I love them all but my favorite is the Stormlight Archive series.
Also can I recommend the Wheel of Time series? Robert Jordan wrote it but he died with the last few books unwritten so Brando Sando took over for him and finished it.
I’m reading Warbreaker right now because someone said I should read it before Stormlight Archive, but I’m very excited to start that series soon.
I’ve heard great things about Wheel of Time, although one of my friends said it can be a bit harder to get into.
Warbreaker is great. WoT is also fantastic, but it is an investment: took me 3 years to get through all 12k pages reading before bed for 15 mins or so every night.
Stormlight is also very, very good.
If you don’t mind an unfinished series, Name of the Wind is probably also up your alley.
Def dont be afraid to put down a book. Also, for anyone who loves video games. I found the Dungeon Crawler Carl audio books to be AMAZING. I would think the books are solid too because its funny and action packed but admittedly I have not read them.
I hadn’t read a book in years, probably a decade, when a few weeks ago my partner and I decided to pick up audiobooks during commutes and work hours. Finished a good handful already and have no plans to stop now, it’s been such a delightful addition to my days.
Just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora and highly recommend it.
I also just recently saw the light regarding audiobooks a few months ago. It helps me actually finish more books and faster than reading the text versions. I’m guessing it’s probably related to ADHD. I’ve only done non-fiction so far though. As much as I try to boycott Amazon, I’ve kept paying for an Audible subscription.
I haven’t read Mistborn but it’s on my list. Stormlight Archive (the whole series) also by Brandon Sanderson is the same for me. I think about it all the time and look for excuses to read.
Just a quick warning: don’t expect Mistborn to be equivalent in quality to Stormlight. There are definitely people that enjoy both but I’ve tried twice to get through the first Mistborn book and couldn’t do it.
I firmly believe that everyone enjoys reading* most just haven’t found their books. That’s why there are spikes in reading around popular erotica like 50 shades, or smutty fantasy, or book release parties for the Harry Potter books etc…
*- for definitions of reading that aren’t strictly processing printed words on a physical page.
I’m really happy to be reading multiple times per week after years of just brainrot passive entertainment. It’s a joy to learn new things and I’m really into history. I happened to read a book because it had an interesting title and a character in a tv show was reading it for a few seconds in one scene. I happened upon a phenomenal topic and have been reading about early christianity for the past eighteen months. As an atheist, I never would have thought I’d be into this but it’s great!
all of the cosmere is good
So far not enjoying Yumi and the nightmare painter. But I’ve read basically all the other ones and liked them (except the one about Lyft, I didn’t care for that one enough to finish it).
