How to get into reading classics and literary fiction?

[BunchofPocus]

I do like to read but mostly I read young adults books, chick lit and other genre type books usually with a strong (cheesy) romance element. Nothing wrong with any of that but I am now in my 30's and I just want to read better books!

I have a friend who has always had more literary tastes and has read a lot of classics and I also find her to be wise and insightful which she says comes from reading so much. I saw this https://www.newschool.edu/pressroom/pressreleases/2013/CastanoKidd.htm
which would seem to back up her sense that reading books has helped in this sense.

I asked her how to get into more literary fiction and classics especially, she recommended books like Dracula and Frankenstein as good entry points for classics but I just couldn't get into either of them, they were both such a hard slog even though I know both stories are good. For literary fiction she recommended an entry point list including works by Angela Carter, Kazuo Ishiguro, Banana Yoshimoto and Ottessa Moshfegh but again after trying quite a few I just can't get into them, my friends description of them sounds great but when I try to read them I just get bored.

I feel a bit defeated because I really wanted to elevate my reading and to feel like I was actually learning something while being entertained but perhaps I'm just not smart enough?

I’ve been reading since I was 4. Not all highbrow stuff, of course but any reading is better than not reading at all. If you don’t read you can’t spell x

No not scared off, a bit overwhelmed but I'm taking note of it all! My mum used to read Barbara Vine novels when I was young so I might raid her bookshelves next time I am am home!

A more enjoyable progression might be to read people like David Nicholls, Fredrik Backman, Rachel Joyce, Celeste Ng first.

I can definitely recommend Rachel Joyce and Celeste Ng - and would class both authors as ‘normal reading’

Great to see the Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell appreciation on this thread. She’s such an under appreciated writer. Filed under genre because of her Wexford series, I would argue that her best stuff qualifies as literary fiction.

As well as the psychological aspect, she was fantastic on how London streets being together the most disparate characters. I lived there in the late 90s/early 00s, roughly when a lot of her London novels are set, and she really captures the feel of a particular type of London life.

Up until this year I pretty much only read one type of book (crime/psychological thrillers.)

My New Year's resolution this year was to read more widely and things I wouldn't normally read. Not necessarily "classics" by any stretch but they've really broadened my reading horizons.

Books I've read and particularly enjoyed this year and would recommend as a starting point are:

1984

Rebecca

The Kite Runner

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Jane Eyre

The Handmaid's Tale

I've really enjoyed lots of Agatha Christie's short stories

Poetry by Charles Causley

100 per cent agree x

My New Year's resolution this year was to read more widely and things I wouldn't normally read. Not necessarily "classics" by any stretch but they've really broadened my reading horizons.

@ThreeRingCircus thats why I like being part of a book club, it makes me try books I would never have chosen myself, and there have been some real successes!

I would start with slightly more accessible literary fiction. Some examples - Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, The Wall by John Lanchester, A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers.

Slightly more accessible classics:

1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell
Brighton Rock and End of the Affair by Graham Greene
Pride and Prejudice and Emma by Jane Austen

Dont worry if it all seems a bit opaque to begin with, just keep reading and like anything else, you’ll get “better” at classics 😊 I have an MA in literature and I often still read books and wonder what on Earth I’ve just read.

Apologies for the delay in responding, but it took me ages to find these two book related sites which hopefully will be useful to you.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/
Allows you to search and browse the complete works of over 50,000 bestselling fiction authors, with all the latest books and series listed in order.

https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/authors/
Provides an alphabetical list of authors from which you can browse and see what books they’ve written.

At the end of the day, I feel you should read whatever interests you and makes you happy.

Marking place for ideas..