Help - can't seem to finish a book at the moment

[Dingdong99]

I love books and normally always have one on the go, and read every day

However, for the past few months I can't seem to get into anything. I've tried about put down about 20 books now :-(

I feel like I need a real page turning, engaging book to get into. Something like American Dirt, or maybe a really good thriller

Can anyone suggest a book to get me back into reading? Feel like it's really missing in my life! I'd be very grateful for recommendations of books that you got straight into and loved

I've been the same for quite a while, really struggling to get into anything and stick with it.

I recently read Pachinko and absolutely loved it. DP very rarely reads fiction and idly started reading the first page after I'd finished it. He then read the whole thing in a weekend!

I'm not sure whether it fits your genre description but I found it very easy to get in to.

I find as I get older I am less likely to plod on to the bitter end. Sometimes it's me being restless, sometimes it is a sense that the author is just going through the motions. For example the latest Elly Griffiths book got abandoned a third of the way in. I was sorry because it had been a birthday gift from DH, hardback £20 so it felt like such a waste! But there are plenty more books out there - I read the latest Ballard/Bosch book and that was great.

I’ve discovered I can’t really finish a book since I got an iPad and iPhone - too much time on the next drifting from the Guardian to Mumsnet to Facebook to Pinterest to Twitter. My concentration span is absolutely zero.

I’ve decided as a NY resolution to delete a load of apps to remove temptation starting 1 Jan. I want to read a book a week so I’m easing myself into it gently with things like autobiographies, memoirs and diaries, which I can dip into more easily than a full-on work of fiction. I re-read an old Bill Bryson book this week (The Thunderbolt Kid) which is easy and funny, followed by Alan Bennett’s Pandemic Diary, and I’m going to start Alan Rickman’s diaries (a Christmas present) tonight.

The Handmaids Tale has helped me getting back into reading, it’s hard to put down!

Anything by Lisa Jewell is compulsive reading for me. I had a few people suggest the book "Shantaram" and tell me how amazing it was. I just couldn't get into it so gave up. Sometimes a book simply doesn't grab you.

Have you managed to find anything that interests you yet @Dingdong99?

I started a few last year that I couldn't get into all all.

I've not read American Dirt though, so I can't give you any recommendations based on that unfortunately.

I’m feeling the same at the moment, just cannot get into a book, lose track of what is going on and get about 150 pages in and give up as no idea what’s happening. I’m listening to an audio book at the moment and it’s brilliant. Really taking it all in and following the plot better. X

I have just recommended The Housemaid by Freida McFadden on a different thread. It is ages since I felt excited by a book. I thought it was a proper page-turner. It's not too long and is broken up into short chapters which makes it very easy to read. It also has a sequel which is something to look forward to if you get on well with it!

@PauliesWalnuts thats me! I was reading a book every 6 weeks for 10 years as part of a f book club but lately I can’t settle. I read so much other info on my phone it can be hard to switch off unless I’m really into the book straight away.