Something to help me get back into reading ‘proper’ books

[helpmeCalifornia]

I used to be such an avid reader. Under another name was a regular on the 50 book threads, and from childhood onwards was basically never without a book in my hands. I read it all, plenty of lighter ‘beach read’ types but also the classics, selections from the Booker and Women’s prize lists, non-fiction and biography etc etc.

The rot set in when I was pregnant really, I couldn’t get through so much as a recipe without my mind wandering. I’ve made occasional attempts to get back into reading and sometimes managed it for a time but I keep drifting away. My child is nearly 5 (and still doesn’t bloody sleep but that’s by the by) and I really want to rediscover this part of the old me, but my attention span is absolutely shot to shit and nothing grabs me at all. I’m also probably perimenopausal and the brain fog and memory lapses are real.

I’ve developed a slightly embarrassing porn romance habit, reading truly awful free billionaire type romances that are free on kindle unlimited, but I’ve not read anything with the slightest hint of literary merit in about a year I think.

I did devour the Richard Osman murder series, can’t even think of the name now, even though I knew it wasn’t great. I tried the ones that were recommended as similar - Marlow murder - but hated them. And I always get lost in the Galbraith/ Strike books (again, all the valid criticism and lack of editing notwithstanding). To give an idea of the level of thing that might be likely to tempt me back!

I’d love recommendations for books that are going to get me back into reading, that are well written but not too challenging. The Wolf Hall trilogy are some of my all time favourite books for example, but I don’t think anything in that vein is going to work - I doubt I’d have been able to read them if they came out today.

Ultimately I think I just need a really good story. It can’t be terribly written and has to be somewhat plausible/ coherent but I can also forgive quite a lot in terms of style if I’m invested enough to want to know what happens.

Some things that did break through the fog in the last 5 years to give more idea of taste -

• Circe Madeleine Miller
• Kiss Myself Goodbye, the Many Lives of Aunt Munca
• The strike books as mentioned above
• The Final Revival of Opal and Nev - Dawnie Walton
• The Dark Queens - Shelley Puhak
• Rizzio - Denise Mina
• Foster - Claire Keegan (all of hers, though I’m looking for something a little happier I think)
• Still Life - Sarah Winman, little too much whimsy maybe for me but I do remember enjoying it

Things I hated - that Crawdads one, Elinor Oliphant

Would love any ideas! Or stories of people who got back into reading and what did it for you?

That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn is brilliant. I have already re-read it twice!

All the colours of the dark
American dirt

Amor Towles - I’m not sure if I loved ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ or ‘Rules of Civility’ more.
Erin Morgenstern - ‘Night Circus’

I too was not a fan of Eleanor Oliphant.

Anything by Kate Atkinson

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart got me out of my reading intertia a couple of years back. It was different to the sort of books I'd read before but I absolutely adored it and promptly went on to read Young Mungo straight after. Absolutely not light-hearted fluff but just absolutely brilliant reads.

I like balancing out the literary fiction with something light-hearted and easy to read - Lesley Lokko is my goto for that. Her books are brilliant and hard to describe the genre - a sort of upscale, less cheesy or predictable chick lit.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet was also very good.

I loved that whole series but the second one did almost make me stop at times.
I was very glad I carried on as it was well worth it - but I think MBF is a great stand alone book in its own right.

Children's / YA books can be very well written without being dense or overlong. I'm a bit behind the times, but how about:
Robert Westall: Falling into glory
Anything by Jan Mark, but try especially Heathrow nights, Turbulence or Dream house.
Mary Hooper: Two sides of the story

You will likely have to get these second hand now. Try abebooks.co.uk

Another vote for the Slow Horses series and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. It’s a tome (for me anyway) but I was gripped.

I also lost my reading habit after having kids, and now think am going through peri menopause so get brain fog and lack of concentration. Lack of sleep and scrolling on phone also doesn't help - have to put aside 30mins or so to read. I enjoyed American Dirt, Lessons in Chemistry, Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Hearts Invisible Furies (bit of a long one), the first Strike book and Project Hail Mary over the last 12 months. Also joined a book 5 months ago which has meant at least starting the book to discuss a little. Although it is mainly a social catch up in the pub!
So hoping to have got a bit of my reading mojo back. Currently reading The Women by Kristen Hannah - about 80 pages in and good so far!

Whilst waiting for the next Strike I have devoured the Ruth Galloway series and the Maeve Kerrigan series.

OMG I could have written your OP!! I was such a massive reader pre kids, new releases, classics, weighty times, anything and everything, and now I struggle so hard, to find time, to focus, to just have me time to be honest.

I have 3DDs, 10, 8 and 4. I struggle so hard to read ANYTHING actually decent. But I love reading, it is absolutely my wind down, I love falling asleep with a book, sitting by the fire with a book, on the beach with a book while the kids play, in the sun with a book...you get the idea!

My desperation books (must read something, have no brainpower to focus...) anything by Janet evanovich (awful but easy to follow story, great to read!), anything by Jilly Cooper, even though I've read all her books multiple times, anything Philip Pullman. So easy to get lost in and follow all of these.

We live in Australia and have an outstanding local independent bookshop (happy to link to their instagram, they're really prolific and make amazing recommendations) who really champion Australian authors (most of whom are published overseas too), and do regular 'meet the author' book chats. I often go to these with a friend regardless of who it is, $30 including the book, a glass of wine, and an author chat, great kid free night out! Some are outstanding (Marcus Zusack of the book thief was just incredible!), and I've found a few wonderful authors who I just love (Robbie Arnott, Hannah Kent, Catherine Kinnon), making it easy to go read their past works.

I've accepted that to enjoy reading, some of the time it just needs to be absolute shite. But not always.

Also wanted to say, if you'd like an overseas read-along book friend, no pressure, no time constraints, let me know. Like book club without the weekly stress and pressure!

I hope you get back to reading, back to you. It's just the best.

I did much the same thing - in 2021 I wrote that I'd read hardly any actual books in the last couple of years, only a title I don't remember while staying with family and Mansfield Park when Mumsnet started talking about it.

Mansfield Park reminded me how great writers can be with language. I kept declaiming bits to myself as I went

I decided to get back in to books, and for a while wrote reviews on the 50 books thread. Looking back at them here are some of my suggestions

Olivia Joules and the overactive imagination - Helen Fielding
Economix: how our economy works (and doesn't work) in words and pictures - Michael Goodwin, ill Dan E Burr
The Colour of Heaven - James Runcie
Unquiet Women - Max Adams
Other Minds: the Octopus the sea and the deep origins of consciousness - Peter Godfrey-Smith
The Madman's Library - Edward Brooke-Hitching

During the same period I also read
Frankenstein in Baghdad - Ahmed Saadawi tr Jonathan Wright
The book of Chocolate Saints - Jeet Thayil
but would not personally consider them gateway reading!

Anything John Marrs,
try some audio books most libraries have BorrowBox or Libby.
Think of your favourite book from school and reread as often short with lots of action (To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, A Kestrel for a Knave, Animal Farm, 1984, Across the Baracades, Joby.

If you liked Claire Keegan you might like Carys Davies. Short and well written.

Or books by Elizabeth Strout.

@canihaveacoffeeplease yes to Janet Evanovich 😁 her Stephanie Plum books are brilliant, so hilarious and really engaging.

Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer. It’s just a very absorbing story.

Michael Connelly’s books. I’m mentioning these as you like detective books. His Bosch series (and the Lincoln lawyer series if you like court room type novels) is great.

Kazu Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go

Literary but not a slog whatsoever. Excellent book. Not too long.

Eileen by ottessa moshfegh did it for me

Girl.goddess.queen

The maeve kerrighan books by claire casey

Achillies

I would love to be able to read like I used to. To be so completely absorbed in a book that I am oblivious to anything else around me, utter bliss! I remember my mum having to actually touch my arm to get my attention, after I’d just not heard her talking to me.
I’ve recently decided I need to try harder and have made a start on The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly which I’m really enjoying. I’ve managed not to be distracted for an hour or so at a time, which is encouraging. Apparently she co-wrote Broadchurch, so if you enjoyed that you might enjoy this too.

To anyone struggling with reading, I would suggest taking a look at some of the Japanese and Korean fiction around, because these are often pretty short. So you can have a fantastic, well-written (and translated), absorbing read but not be put off or overwhelmed by it being a tome.

Convenience Store Woman (Japanese) is a fabulous short book.

When my reading was at its lowest ebb, I relied on audiobooks by Elly Griffiths, the Ruth Galloway series. (I had pandemic brain and menopause and depression. Lovely.) Found them very comforting in a weird way.

To get back into it I read a few novellas, as they take two or three evenings.

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan
Heartburn, Nora Ephron
Orbital, Samantha Harvey
Nightbitch, Rachel Yoder

Once I got my head back:

Piranesi, Susannah Clarke - you spend ages working out what the fuck is going on
Pachinko is great as someone else said
Currently reading Diane Setterfield, she's a proper storyteller

I love re-reading, as well. Wolf Hall is one of my favourites. Currently on Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, which was recommended to me on a thread on here about 18 years ago!

How about short really well written books? That's what got me back on track. I listen to trashy longer ones on Audible.

So short but well written:-

The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark
Orbital by Samantha Harvey (seems to be marmite from these boards but I like it
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon
Pereira Maintains by Antonio Tabucchi
Of Cattle and Men by Ana
Paula Maia

These are mostly around 100 pages; at most 160

Oh snap with @Myrobalanna !

Middlemarch, George Eliot

Arguably the greatest novel in the English language.