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I’m not enjoying the books I am reading

106 replies

AnnotherReader · 31/07/2023 20:02

I am not enjoying the books I am reading at the moment. I have read 38 books so far this year and only 2 have been 5 stars and one of them was a reread.

I have been through all my favourite books and picked out common themes. Can you recommend me any books based on my likes/dislikes below. I have also listed some of my favourite books and how they fit with the list.

likes:
time period 1800-1939 (either written in this period or more recent books set in this period)
rural or wild setting
a book within a book or books to do with books/stories/reading
pirates/books set on ships
romance
adventure
magic
crime especially golden age
epistolary novels
the chosen one trope

don’t like:
thrillers
literary fiction
smut/ too much sex

favourite books:
Emma by Jane Austen (time period, romance, rural setting)
Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer (time period, romance, rural setting in part)
A Month in the Country (time period, rural setting)
The Reader by Traci Chee (rural setting, book about a book, adventure, pirates/ships)
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (book within a book, romance)
The Documents in the Case by Dorothy Sayers (epistolary, crime, time period)
Dangerous Liasions (epistolary, romance)
The Liveship Traders trilogy by Robin Hobb (ships, pirates, adventure, some romance)
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (time period, romance, rural setting)
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (time period, magic)
Harry Potter (magic, the chosen one)
The Famous Five by Enid Blyton (rural setting, adventure) - I loved these books as a child and have never managed to find the equivalent adult adventure books

I have read all of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie, the Brontes, Elizabeth Gaskell and am currently working my way through the rest of Robin Hobbs Realm of the Elderlings books.

If you have read all this, thank you, as you can see from my favourite books they don’t have to include everything on my likes list but most have at least 2. Please give me some recommendations for other books I might like.

OP posts:
Chewbecca · 31/07/2023 20:51

I recommend Green Dolphin Country by Elizabeth Gouge - it meets almost all of your criteria in one book! And is great.

LunaLoveFood · 31/07/2023 20:48

What about Sherlock Holmes? Once I had finished reading the originals I started making my way through the ones on the kindle list and am really enjoying them.

RitzyMcFitzy · 31/07/2023 20:46

Have you read Josephine Tey's books?

snowspider · 31/07/2023 20:45

The Binding Bridget Collins

Hermanfromguesswho · 31/07/2023 20:45

I’ve just read the first in the Seven Sisters series. It’s got a few of your ‘likes’ in it! I really enjoyed it ahd will be reading the next book

snowspider · 31/07/2023 20:43

Francis Spufford On Golden Hill and Light Perpetual
Scarlett Thomas The Seed Collectors

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