I've actually been enjoying the books I've read so far, but I want something that I can't put down, a book that makes me fall in love with reading all over again. I don't mind any genre as long as it's fiction 😊
Edit: Thank you for all the replies! So many books to choose from 🫶
Tried it when i was 18 and didn’t get it. Picked it up again at 31 and was spellbound.
Timshel
One of my favourite books ever. Somehow gets even better after every re-read
I've read it recently and I agree. Absolutely amazing.
I'm only a little bit in for the first time. Not gripped as of yet but I'll be continuing since it's always in the best books of all time threads 😊
I loved this book but The Grapes of Wrath hit me harder and deeper. Both are excellent!
Read it in the book club.
Great.
But couldn’t get into take of two cities
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseinni
i was in literal tears reading this book it is such a good read
Damn I see this at the thrift store all the time, I'll have to grab it after reading all the replies.
Do - it's well worth it
Such a good book. I'm always recommending it to people. I remember reading the ending while I was on a plane...it was a struggle to keep the tears in lmao
My sweet grandfather bought me that book for my birthday when I was just 10 (or 11?). It became my whole personality, I cried so much and the characters have become real people to me.
I read this years ago! Such an amazing book, cried so hard throughout it 😅
Second this one! It changed my entire worldview
I third it! A must read for so many reasons!
Such a good one. I read right after it came out. It probably defined my life and how I view the world from then on.
Lonesome Dove!!! Didn’t think I’d like it, but I was hooked right from the first page. Augustus McCrae FTW!
Finished that one last week. I never felt like I was reading a long book, and I didn’t want it to end!
Snakes in the river…..stuff of nightmares!
I saw the movie after. As soon as Robert Duval started speaking, I started crying. I missed him!!!
The Poisonwood Bible and Demon Copperhead, both by Barbara Kingsolver
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Demon copperhead was a revelation. It was so beautiful.
Demon Copperhead really stuck with me. I couldn’t get it off my mind when I’d finished reading it. It really helped me to understand my drug addicted sister so much better and made me sad that I’d judged her for so long for not being able to kick what I thought was a bad habit. I’d go as far as to say it had a profound affect on me.
The Poisonwood Bible and Demon Copperhead are two of my favourite books and I am desperate for a book I can actually get my teeth into - nothing has been hitting the mark recently. I’ve never heard of Migrations but I’m excited to give it a try!
Add Prodigal Summer! My annual springtime read. If you grow things or love bugs - a must read.
Migrations was phenomenal, but I liked her one about the wolves even more. That woman can write her ass off and just make you feel things.
I’m looking forward to reading that one about the wolves! Migrations struck so many chords with me, on so many levels.
Migrations does not get enough hype!! That book was so so good!
I'd put off reading The Song of Achilles for ages because it didn't seem like my thing. Then I absently picked it up to read in the bath when I was at my friend's place and seven hours later I was still sitting in the bath when I finished it.
100% cosign everything about this, but for Circe. Everyone told me it was great, I put it off because it didn't feel like my vibe. Finally read it and it was great. Need to read Song of Achilles.
Circe was fucking magical to me ✨
Circe is one of my favorites. I bought a copy to annotate and decorate I love it so much 😭
I'd have gone straight to Circe afterwards but my copy seems to have disappeared.
Who bathes for seven hours at a friends house? Is that a part of the book? Lol
She was away and I was catsitting.
Thank you for the closure on that.
but how did you not become a chilly prune?
I did on numerous occasions, but she lives in a big old place and there was always hot water. It might have been a different story otherwise.
edit: If you lift your feet out of the bath for ten or fifteen minutes they deprunify pretty quickly.
Are you still in the bath?
Prayer for Owen meany (3rd time) it’s so good and Lamb by Christopher Moore
Owen Meany is a 10/10!
Lamb is one of my absolute favorites ! So good!
My husband insists I need to read Owen Meany but I don't love John Irving. Maybe I'll bite the bullet.
The Age of Innocence-Edith Wharton
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir! Wasn’t a sci-fi fan before and now I’m definitely gonna be looking into more. It’s a great read for anyone and explains the science stuff so so well—I never felt lost. It’s heartwarming, funny, exciting, and has such big stakes and loveable, complex characters. It’s just under 500 pages, but I read it in about three weeks (super fast for me I’m a very slow reader). It’s also the same guy who wrote The Martian so you have a built in book to read after you finish Project Hail Mary, so less to think about!
You should read The Martian from the same author
Unless you watched the movie, it’s pretty spot on.
Such an amazing book, and if Audiobooks is more your jam - can't lose with Ray Porter as the narrator for this one!
The Egg is a good way to dip your toes into Weir’s writing.
Amaze amaze amaze
This was going to be my suggestion as well! Absolutely loved it!
I loved Project Hail Mary!
Vicious by V.E Schwab. Just brilliant
11/22/63 by Stephen King.
It was my first King novel, and I hadn’t fully read a book cover to cover for almost a year. I devoured it in two weeks. It’s so well written and even though the premise is far-fetched, it never ever feels that way. And there’s an unexpected, beautiful part of the story that I won’t spoil much more than I already have.
I love this book so much.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
My #1 as well. So very beautiful, I didn't want it to end.
Just finished it - unreal. My new favourite book and definitely made me fall in love with reading again.
I came here JUST to say this. That book is beautiful.
Absolutely unputdownable!
Agree but despised her other novel, Free Food for Millionaires.
The last book I read that I absolutely loved, was War of the Worlds by H.G Wells.
Second this also read for the first time recently and was surprised how much I liked it! Much more entertaining then the Tom cruise movie 😂
The covenant of water - Abraham Verghese .. Just breath taking
The covenant of water
I'm a 4th year medical student, and it was surprisingly helpful in studying for my Pediatrics shelf exam and my boards 🤣
Also a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I came here to share this one, Cutting for Stone was brilliant as well
I’m listening to this right now!
Omgosh, me too! Long but totally worth it. Didn't see the ending coming.
Fairy Tale by Stephen King !!!
I tried this one but couldn’t get into it. Should I try again?
Ive heard that from a couple of people, ive personally read it twice & absolutely love it beginning to end. Id say give it another shot but if its not for you then its not for you! The Talisman by SK & Peter Straub is also a favorite of mine , have you read that one?
I have not. Maybe I’ll see if I can get fairy tale on audiobook. Sometimes that helps me get past the slow beginnings
I know what you mean. I was getting a little bored, but I pushed through and it's really good!!
Hyperion - Dan Simmons
What a ride!
Have you completed the series yet? Just…stunning. I couldn’t think straight for the next hour after I finished it.
The Wool Trilogy
Circe by Madeline Miller
Perfume.
I absolutely understand. The way perfumery is described, smell never written so beautifully.
BEARTOWN
Loved the whole series!
I was crying at the end of the final book. I can’t think of the last time a book brought me to tears.
So incredibly good! I adore Fredrik Backman so much. The whole series is a winner.
Piranesi—I can’t quite put my finger on why but I really enjoyed the journey
Just read The Women by Kristin Hannah and absolutely loved it
I really like her writing style. I absolutely loved Great Alone.
The Four Winds crushed me. It was very well written, but I need to recover before I pick her up again.
Really anything by Kristin Hannah makes me fall in love with reading again. She's my go to when I'm stuck in a rut
I absolutely loved The Nightingale but I’m in the middle of The Women and not loving it as much… something about the style of writing is not grabbing me like The Nightingale did.
I CAME HERE TO SAY THIS AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE IT AS THE TOP COMMENT. I haven’t read Kristin Hannah since 2017? I loved the nightingale and it’s the last book I remember being totally enthralled by. The Women is the same way. I cannot get enough. I miss the characters when I’m not reading it. She is phenomenal.
Dune!! It reignited my passion for reading!
omg same the entire series is so complicated yet fascinating
The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay. Middlesex. Shadow of the wind.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I resisted it because it’s on a celebrity recommended list, but I really enjoyed it. I also have mother related trauma, so maybe that’s part of the reason I connected to Eleanor.
i got back into reading at the beginning of this year and the first book i read was Good Omens by Neil Gaiman. i used to read constantly when i was younger, but stopped around middle school. i would get recommended novels and i never liked any of them so i thought i just didnt like novels but this one literally rekindled the fire of my love of books lol
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
I also recently started The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. I’m not too far into it yet but I am loving it so far.
Another vote for Demon Copperhead.
I wanted to flip back to page one of Demon Copperhead and just experience it all over again as soon as I was done.
The Secret History
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I've read it recently and I agree. Absolutely amazing.
It has been about 20 years since I read this, and I still think about the ending. I also hold it as my 'gold standard for quality reading'. -Whether or not this or that book was as good as East of Eden...
The covenant of water. Omg
My last read was Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. Really enjoyable. Not one of my typical genres (medieval horror), but a really good book. Moody, vibrant, unforgettable scenes in this one. It’s pretty dark.
Edit: just saw your request for fiction! In that case, Practical Magic. The audiobook is on spotify and the reader is delightful! If you liked the movie, you’ll love all the extra details and fleshed out characters. I couldn’t stop listening, it gave me such warm feelings despite the struggles of all the characters.
Braiding Sweetgrass. Magic in a book. The author is so earnest and her wonder and pain and hope just shines through. Truly a pinnacle of non-fiction writing for me. Can’t believe as a lifelong humanities lover and someone that struggles with math and science, she really convinced me that learning biology/botany is something I REALLY want to do, even as a hobby!
The House On The Cerulean Sea.
I came here to say Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. I love Cerulean, too!
Also, I offset whatever grumpy wingnut went and downvoted EVERY comment in this thread. I went through and upvoted them all. Trolls suck in general, but book trolls are the worst.
Some books that I really enjoyed have been
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
I love Amor Towles. His writing is superb! A Gentlemen in Moscow is an all time favorite. The perfect book for any fan of beautiful language.
I can't remember who recommended Sam Hell to me, but whoever it was, God bless them. It's so so good!
Yes! The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. I read it as my Amazon Prime read and I am not giving it back. Loved loved loved that book.
Just finished Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and it is the best thing I have read in a while.
So good.
Great book
I do not understand the hype for this book.. besides from the intro the rest of the book and the protagonist is so deeply uninteresting
You either love it or hate it I suppose. I can definitely understand someone disliking it despite it being a favorite of mine.
Song of Achilles. It is just…beautiful
The Last Policeman (trilogy) - Ben Winters
Station Eleven. Hell, all of Emily St John Mandel
The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I absolutely loved it.
The name of the Wind by Patrick Rothuss
If you are Tolkien, R.R Martin fan this is your next fix
Specially if you can handle RR Martin waiting times
And Patrick Rothuss lol
Remarkably Bright Creatures. Absolutely fell in love with the book and I can’t wait for Shelby Van Pelt to release a new novel.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Children of Time felt like it was written for me
The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. I just finished this and the sequel and I loved them so much. Whimsical, cozy, light romance, academia
All the light we cannot see
I don't understand this one. I am halfway through but it is so boring I couldn't finish.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons Pretty unique sci-fi, a bit on the darker side, with interesting mysteries. Absolutely loved it.
Demon copperhead
I just read Hyperion and damn that was special. Debating whether I want to read the next one or not.
The 100 yr old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson
Unexpectedly enjoyable and now part of my yearly re-reads.
I'm reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë and I'm about a third of the way into it. I am loving this beautifully written book.
A few years ago I started reading the classics. My education included very few so I dove in. I absolutely loved The Count of Monte Cristo, Anna Karenina, Dracula, Crime and Punishment, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and East of Eden.
I did not enjoy Tess of D'Uberville and Jane Eyre, as I found the protagonist women so whiny and unwilling to change their situations. Actually, I very much enjoyed the writing, but the characters frustrated me to no end. Which is probably why I'm enjoying Anne Brontë so much--Helen is a strong woman.
I actually consider Jane Eyre to be a strong character. I haven’t read it in years, but I was struck that she stands up for herself on the basis that she is a person, whereas Eliza Bennett in Pride & Prejudice (which I also love!) stands up to Lady Catherine de Bourgh with: “I am a gentleman’s daughter.”
In terms of Thomas Hardy, you might like Far from the Madding Crowd? Bathsheba is quite independent!
You should read Villette by Charlotte Bronte; a heroine who starts out in a very difficult position like Jane, but ends up strong and self-reliant. Less gothic than Jane Eyre, but more relatable. There are even moments of humour; who knew CB could be funny!
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin ^ I could see how this one is an acquired taste but I loved it. Really bizarre off the wall characters, laugh out loud fun, peak weird literary fiction.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
For me, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
Lamb by Christopher Moore
any book by Carl Hiaasen
A Gentleman From Moscow. Beautiful read
LOTR trilogy
Educated, by Tara Westover. We listened to it through Audible.
The Ledft Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. I'll never stop recommending this book. It's a sci fi novel with beautiful writing, reflecting on the theme of gender identity.
The Hobbit
Remarkably Bright Creatures
The Night Circus. Absolutely beautiful writing
Valley of the Dolls
Might not be for everyone, I just remember being told I was not allowed to read it but would take my mother’s copy every night and read under the covers and then put it back in the morning.
Also The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, could not put it down and was upset when it ended.
A Gentleman in Moscow—which I discovered on this r/
Shanataram.
What a book!
I am in the middle of reading this, but American Dirt is absolutely a page-turner. Hopefully the ending is good, too.
But the last books I fell in love with are Life of Pi and Covenant of Water. Neither are page-turner or fast-face but both are very well written with amazing/shocking endings.
The teacher by Frieda McFadden… but also pretty much anything by her!!
Gormenghast series by Mervyn Peake. It took a little while to click, but once I got it I was blown away.
I really loved Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls. Really sad book that I think draws amazing parallels about a child coping with grief. Beautiful, touching story. Movie was really good too.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. And currently reading A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and I just love his writing.
Recursion by Blake Crouch. He is one of my absolute favorites
To Kill a Mockingbird
My Dark Vanessa. I haven’t really been able to read anything else since it was just so good. Before that Mystic River and Wellness by Nathan Hill.
The Kite Runner
The Count of Monte Cristo, robin b's translation
Been a while, but one that really made an impression?
Circe by Madeline Miller
Slowly opens like a flower, the scent lingers, and it's carefully pressed in the pages of my mind. Petals drift out when least expected.
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I hadn’t ever picked it up before, but when the movie came out, I thought I’d give it a shot before I watched. I was swept away. My only gripe is that the last 10% felt a little rushed, but otherwise it was a near-perfect book.
Project Hail Mary
East of Eden by Steinbeck. It's amazing. The characters are so well realised.
The September House- delightful from start to finish.
The City & the City, a neo-noir weird fiction police procedural by China Miéville.
edit- Caveat- “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” - Hunter S. Thompson
This is How You Lose the Time War.
The Bee Sting.
There were moments where I just stared at the pages
The Goblin Emperor
The Secret History was such a weird reading experience but I could not put it down. For a day and a half I was transfixed as I watched the books cast of admittedly terrible people living their best classics student lives.
The only warning I’ll issue is that the book is phenomenal, but left me significantly unsettled for a while after I read it.
I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
anna karenina. the ending was ehhhhhhhhh. but the love between vronksy and anna, and the real human emotions that came from their circumstances was just amazing.
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls
None of this is true by Lisa Jewell
My fave in the past few years was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Midnight library
The Princess Bride
The House in the Cerulean Sea -- sweet but not saccharine
Klara and the Sun, by Ishiguro
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
beartown - fredrik bachman kitchen confidential - anthony bourdain
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I've read thousands of books and I have an English degree. This book hit me so hard and I'll never be the same.
The Clan of the Cave Bear - by Jean M. Auel. It's actually the first book in a series of six called Earth's Children, but I found it to be the best one and my favorite out of all of them 😊
Valley of Horses was my fave of the series!
Does a Mandalorian fanfic count?
I really enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing. I've never seen the movie, but I couldn't put the book down.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Amazing in audiobook format (Meryl Streep narrates).
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. "lesbian necromancers in space" is the tag line on the books, which yes, that is all true, but it is also SO much more than that. You gotta like dark & edgy, but also campy and expect a lot of f-bombs.
East of Eden