Can you enthuse a reluctant reader? (Me)

[jambutty]

I used to read a bit, stopped just after university. I'm one of those people who buys worthy books and never reads them.
Now, at 44, I accept that I'll probably never read them but I do want to start reading again - and slightly more than Maeve Binchy, which appears to be my current limit.
Can anyone suggest some good books by new authors to start me off? No horror/sci fi/chick lit. Bit of a fan of gritty social realism. I've ordered a couple of Granta books from Amazon if that gives you any sort of clue.
Thanks!

Another vote for "The Common Reader" a fab funny but still thought provoking read !

Also just finished "The Road Home " by Rose Treman for book group and enjoyed it very much, I found it a modern sort of fairy tale of a book. An easy read but with enough bite to keep you going.

I read Ben Elton's first few and found them a bit "easy", IYSWIM.
Just ordering The Common Reader on your recommendation! I'll also have a look at the others. Thanks a lot.

Ah - it's the UNCommon Reader - the other one is by Virginia Woolf - and I bought it for my mum for Christmas so I'll borrow her copy!

Message withdrawn

The Red Tent by Anita Diment is fantastic. I wasn't sure from the synopsis on the back but I've read and re-read it several times.
It's about women and sisterhood from the dawn of time. The characters are biblical in origin (Jacob and Joseph etc) but I'm not really religious and didn't get that heart sinking "I'm being Preached to" feeling from this book at all. It's basically a celebration of women.

If you like gritty, then I'd suggest The Red Riding Quartet by David Peace. The first novel is 1974.

jambutty - I am 46, had a career as an academic until a few years ago and and have not read a book in 25 years. I have a PhD and read things on the interent all day, academic papers, parts of books, many blogs and forums like MN, newspapers, magazines, emails from friends and lots of web pages. I estimate I easily read the equivalent of 150 - 200 pages of a paperback book every single day. I do read all day because its an important part of my job.

To me, reading a whole book seems quite 'narrow reading' but reading from a range of sources every day or 'wide reading' appeals to me more. It may be an alternative that you could feel happier with than ploughing through whole books.

For example, I read 3 pieces on quite deep philosophy today, a lot on economics, politics, human relationships, history, cooking, fashion, engineering and some poetry.

I have no plan for what I might read tomorrow - but if I was ploughing my way through one book I am sure I would learn a lot less.

If a book is really so tiresome that one has to "plough" through it then it's probably not worth reading.

I'm a big fan of John Irving (not really gritty realism though). Cider House Rules and World According to Garp are very readable, Widow for One Year is my fave.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy has been my most remembered book of the last 12 months.

Do you like crime novels? I thought I didn't but recently read a Henning Mankell Wallander book and loved it so much have just ordered 2 more from Amazon.

Interesting thoughts ABetaDad.
For years after my frst degree, I couldn't concentrate for longer than around 40 pages (a result of reading chapters in what seemed like millions of history and social science books ), and as a result had a fantastic collection of short stories and poetry.
I also now read a lot of articles online and in the papers and magazines - hence starting again with Granta.
I like the idea of picking up novels/longer books again because it stimulates another side of my thinking, IYSWIM - or maybe it will just improve my ability to concentrate!

jambutty - thats exactly the reason I cannot read for more than 40 pages. I have done 3 degrees since my first one so I never really recovered my reading habit. I do sometimes think like you though that I really must get back to reading books. As a child and young adult I used to read a whole book every week.

But Betadad, how much do you retain from that lot?
If you read, for example, Crime and Punishment, you take longer over one question, but you really think about the subject. And you take away images that stay with you for the rest of your life.

NighbyNight - I can see your point. I suppose, that what I do for a living is very immediate and constantly changing so I sift literally thousand of bits of information every day trying to make sense of an ever changing world.

I do not 'remember' everything I read in a strict sense but what I read does get fed into my changing viewpoint - so a part of it gets remembered as part of a broader view.

That said, reading for me is a bit like pigging out at a sumptuous buffet rather than savouring one beautiful Michelin starred meal.

Hmm, I am a bit the same at my job. But I dont consider that I am first class at my job, precisely because I never study anything in depth, just read enough to get the facts I need to do the task in hand.

Right and wrong, and life, on the other hand, I take very seriously and will invest more time to read a book by someone who's got something interesting to say about it.

I just read the OP and was about to suggest Kate Atkinson, that's a good suggestiong IWoulddoDrWho! I bought When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson and when I've got an exam out of the way, can't wait to read it!

This is a bit contriversal. I would suggest the childrens section. There are some really good reads out there and they are short and catchy. More of my personal favourites is the Winnie the witch series for 5-7years old. Easy to pick up and put down as each story is only about 15-20 pages with not too many words. i don't have the time or energy to get round to my good intentioned purchases. but do enjoy the quality of modern childrens books. If you enjoy reading then you will be more likely to pick up an adult book. (can you tell the only books I read are at DS bedtime )

Actually, that is a thought about children's books being short and easy to read.

I read an Ernest Heminway novel called "The Old Man and the Sea" many years ago. He wrote beautifuly short ecomomical books with deep allegorical meaning but that were still good yarns in their own right. I read that book (127 pages) in under a day.

Hemingway was an adult author but might be place to start for a reluctant adult reader.

I read children's books every day with my children and I have enjoyed some of the ones I've read with dd1 who's 9 - Indian in the Cupboard and the Just So Stories, fo rinstance. We've read a book by Carol Ann Duffy and poems by Roger McGough, but I'd never consider reading a child's book on my own - although I think I once read an Oscar Wilde book that was for children, or was it? Something to do with a prince?
Getting some good pointers here - thanks.

not really your brief...but how about little women and Dear Daddy Long Legs...

You might like to look at www.persephonebooks.co.uk

These are reprints of neglected twentieth century works, mostly fiction, and they are all very readable.

I think the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books are good. Upbeat, short and very easy to read. A different view of an Afican country. Not really gritty though.