Embarrassing admission. Help and reading advice welcomed.

[Embarrassingadmission17]

I was taught to read very early. I had a bit of a peculiar childhood in many ways, and books were entertainment and escapism.

I read my fair share of trash literature - of Enid Blyton and the like, and I had an obsession with pony books but I also really challenged myself with literature. I read abridged versions of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre following a trip to Haworth when I was eight or nine, and then struggled my way through the unabridged versions. I followed a similar theme with Shakespeare, reading a simple version and then painstakingly but determinedly reading the plays in their original format, much aided by notes at the side until eventually I got to grips with and understood the language. I wasn’t limiting myself to the classics or to fiction, but read books about history and about animal behaviour in particular.

Then my mother died, which sounds as if it had nothing to do whatsoever with the above - but my literary habits stopped. I continued to read, but for the most part I read children’s books, or books for young adults. On the very rare occasion I read a book aimed at an adult, it was generally a book for adults written from the point of view of a child or primarily about a teenager (think ‘Room’ type of novel, although that wasn’t one I read in this phase, or books like Carrie by Stephen King which are about a teenager even though the subject matter is adult.)

I think a lot of it was about wanting the comfort of childhood.

At any rate, I read adult books now but they’re mostly chick lit, or badly written crime novels. I suppose I’m asking for things highbrow, but not so complex and bizarre that I’d struggle to get on with them. Can anyone help me fall in love with reading again?

[NomNomNominativeDeterminism]

That's a tricky brief and hard to answer beyond purely personal tastes. How about browsing in the library and seeing if anything takes your fancy - maybe in the 'new acquisitions' stack, or whatever the theme of the month is, if they do one in your local library? Then if you pick something you don't get on with it doesn't matter, you can just put it down and return it.

Here's my purely personal recommendation though - Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. It's riveting, beautifully written and narrated by someone looking back at / in the voice of her teenage self. You let yourself in for a fair bit of emotional turmoil, mind, so if you are feeling fragile it's not the thing for now. Especially if you are turning over the emotions surrounding your mother's death. Yeah, I'm talking myself right out of this recommendation.

I would say you can't go wrong with Rose Tremain. Pretty much every book she writes is different, and every one a joy.

[Embarrassingadmission17]

Oh, I am fine with her death. I just wanted to explain why I stopped reading, although I know I can and I do enjoy it.

[keepingbees]

Have you tried a true story? A friend lent me a book written by a woman who had been sex trafficked (might be a bit heavy I know!) It wasn't the kind of thing I would have chosen myself, and I actually couldn't put it down.

I love to read but feel my tastes have changed as I grow older. I find a lot of books poorly written, boring or unbelievable.

[MadamePince]

My dad died last year and I have only just got back to reading. I know my sister has had the same issue (she is worse than me - not reading anything, I'm slowly getting back to it). Dad was a big reader, and we used to chat about books we'd read, so that might have something to do with it.

I think with me it might be a brain processing thing, in the weeks following my dad's passing I couldn't even concentrate on a TV soap.

Books I've enjoyed in the last year (since he died)
Fall of Giants
The Martian (He'd have loved that)
North and South
Stonehenge

[NoSquirrels]

I’m going to recommend you the Cazalet Chronicles, a series of novels by Elizabeth Jane Howard.

Utterly absorbing family saga, and follows child characters as they grow up as well as adults.

Or The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, or Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, if you want more literary highbrow that is accessible and memorable.

[DayKay]

Try Richard and Judy’s Book club and see if anything appeals. They usually have some engaging books that are easy to get into and read.
www.richardandjudy.co.uk/home

[reynoldsnumber]

How about We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. Really unusual book, very well written, and very thought provoking. It's about families and relationships but has psych theory running through it.

Or Margaret Attwood? Try Oryx and Crake. A near-future dystopia. Or one of her less sci-fi ones if you don't fancy that.

The book of strange new things by Michael Faber. Really unusual book that I enjoyed.

[NoSquirrels]

Or Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. She writes crime too (Jackson Brodie series) and every book she’s ever read is superb but Life After Life is tremendous.

Also maybe Us by David Nicholls - Booker prize shortlisted but very readable.

[Scarydinosaurs]

Perfect book for you is Tana French ‘In the Woods’.

Includes lots of focus on children, but is also well written and adult.

A nice bridge book.

[MaroonPencil]

I was also going to say Never Let Me Go - I know there was a thread about this recently and how much someone hated it, but the "boarding school with a secret" element really drew me in.

The Essex Serpent - I really loved it as did many of my friends, although others I know including DH found it slow.

The Magicians - alright, it isn't highbrow, but I found it a cracking read especially if you like children's stories like the Narnia books and harry Potter (it is not a children's book though).

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - again I know some people who didn't like it but I think it draws you in straight away.

[MaroonPencil]

Sorry cross posted with reynoldsnumber!

[PilarTernera]

I recommend The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante. There are four of them and they tell the story of two women's friendship throughout their lives. The first one is called My Brilliant Friend.

And The Gold of Small Things is one of my favourite books, ever.

[Scarydinosaurs]

Never Let Me Go is a great suggestion.

[Altwoo]

The Time Traveler’s Wife - you think it will be chick lit, but much darker and much better written. The Dice Man, about the choices we make. The Martian is an entertaining read. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is excellent and intriguing. Catch 22 is a RIOT. Also try slimmer novels from key authors, such as The Stranger by Camus, The Catcher in the Rye.

[ShowMeTheElf]

Moving on to something more satisfying that chick-lit but not so rich that you sicken yourself before the meal is over?

Start with Cecelia Aherne. Something like The Marble Collector. Charming, you exopect it to be chick lit from the cover but very well written.
Then anything by Anne Tyler. Everyday people described with such vivid simplicity you get right inside their head. I'm rereading 'Back when we were grown ups' at the moment as I'm a bit overwhelmed by real life and it is so relatable.
...and then into Annie Proulx. Still about people but more verbose and linguistically complex.
It's a short journey but a taste of those three will hopefully get you back on track; from there branch into whatever genre you fancy but aim for the literatary fiction section if that is the level you want. Man Booker long list is about a years worth of novels I find!
There's no need to be embarrassed. At different times in our lives we need different parts of your lives to meet different needs. When busiest/most stressed at work I read the amazon kindle dreadful freebie novels at bedtime just to correct the spelling...it really is all my brain can cope with!

[efeslight]

You mention badly written crime novels. I can recommend some well written crime you could try...Susan Hill, the Simon Seraillier series are good. Erin Kelly has written a few crime/mysteries you might like.

[doctorcuntybollocks]

Earth Abides by George R Stewart. A man attempts to rebuild civilisation after the world as we know it ends in a pandemic. Intelligent, thoughtful and moving. 'Genre', but real literature.

[southeastdweller]

Seconding the Kate Atkinson crime books. Very well-written books with characters you can believe in.

[lastqueenofscotland]

4 3 2 1 by Paul auster maybe?
A Little Life or In Preparation For The Next Life if you don't mind complete lack of levity.
Welcome to Lagos is an enjoyable read
A Kind Of Loving by Stan Barstow I adore

[furlinedsheepskinjacket]

the lost art of keeping a secret eva rice - you will love it :)