What book restored your love of reading?

[Hush25]

I recently purchased a couple of physical books for the first time in ages (mostly because I realised my collection was out of control when I started storing them under the sofa). The first was a long-time favourite, Dracula by Bram Stoker and the other was something completely new. I was super excited about the second book, feeling that sensation of embarking on a new adventure...Only to be completely disappointed. The pacing was off, it was littered with typographical errors and the ending was a rushed-wait-for-season-2.

It's true I've become really picky and often can't find anything that appeals to me or holds my interest. At the same time I started to read a friend's work on SH - a little warily because the genres it crosses are intimately familiar to me and I didn't want to invest time in something that wouldn't appeal.

Imagine my delight...I promise I'm getting to the question...Imagine my delight in discovering something I thoroughly enjoyed and was binge-reading? Hint: It mainly involved hushing anyone who came to pester me while I was reading and then excitedly telling my friend how amazing her story was.

So, my question is: what story did you read that made you a reader, re-invigorated your love of reading or is just something you want to share with everybody because of the joy it gave you?

Mine is Bloodsworn Eternity - Vow Across Lifetimes by the lovely @pangmida .

* Holds out mic * ?

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BL Cultivation Smut for Everybody!
Secretly, I'm a Cultivation Genius
My Master is Too Dramatic
Scholar Song Goes on an Adventure

 

[Deleted member 266]

Various... but of the top of my head...

Short story collection...
SUM - by David Eagleman

then later again...
Small gods - by Terry Pratchett

Then again...
Murderbot diaries - by margaret wells

Then again...
Series: Legends of the First Empire - by Michael J. Sullivan

Then again...
Series: Mystery man - by Colin Bateman

Lost of on and off with my reading...

 

[Hush25]

Various... but of the top of my head...

then later again...
Small gods - by Terry Pratchett

* Instantly loses mind * I LOVE Terry Pratchett. Saddest part about losing Sir Terry was not being able to buy my Dad the next book and watching his joy in discovering a new set of witticisms to chuckle over and share. My Dad passed away earlier this year, but every time I re-read a Discworld book, it's with warmth and gratitude.

 

[Deleted member 266]

My Dad passed away earlier this year

 

[Anemic_Vampire]

Sherlock Holmes books. He was slightly different in the books than movies. I liked the book version more.

 

[Envylope]

I am still waiting for such a book again. Earlier they were some books my friend recommended me, but since then, I've not found many books interesting.

 

[CountVanBadger]

I wouldn't say it restored my love of reading, since that never went away, but listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl on Audible got me into listening to audiobooks after I'd gone a couple years without having any time to sit down and actually read a book.

 

[CinnaSloth]

Mine is Bloodsworn Eternity - Vow Across Lifetimes by the lovely @pangmida .

YAAAAAAY Pangmida!! Headpats for Pangmida


My personal list is.. niche:

Goth by Otsuichi - A sequence of stories stitched together to create one big narrative of dark fantasy, mystery, and murder.

The Ribbajack: and Other Haunting Yarns by Brian Jacques - A collection of fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror stories.

The Nevernight Chronicle by Jay Kristoff - A trio of dark fantasy books full of murderous assassins, action, thrills, magic, murder, and mystery.

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

I've got quite a few of them, but these are my favs:

The Poet by Michael Connelly
Sherlock Holmes (both collections and novels) by Arthur Conan Doyle
11/22/63 by Stephen King / 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Gunmetal Gray by Mark Greaney

 

[HotConsensualSalt]

So, my question is: what story did you read that made you a reader, re-invigorated your love of reading or is just something you want to share with everybody because of the joy it gave you?
* Holds out mic * ?

Undergrad (studying Mechanical Engineering and English) wrung all my joy for reading out of me, until my then gf/now wife mentioned waiting for the second Broken Earth series, by N.K. Jemisin. I ended up reading the first one (The Fifth Season) and enjoying it so much that I finished the trilogy with her. It was nice getting back to a fun, fantasy series that felt like The Last Airbender but less YA.

That ended up leading to more fantasy like The Grace of Kings and boom, I liked fantasy again. Not classic fantasy, or YA romantasy, but modern fantasy from authors I would have never thought to look for otherwise.

 

[J_Win]

Share the same sentiment with being picky and not willing to invest time with stories that are too familiar and can’t offer something different that can at least weigh out the familiarity

But oh boy, did Eighty-Six by Asato Asato and The Military Chronicles of a Little Girl by Carlo Zen made me realize that there’s still hidden gems beneath slop of Light Novels

 

[Wenlock]

Well the love for writing doesn't wane completely, but recently The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell kind of invigorated me. I read it all in one night because it did not feel taxing but was also really interesting.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

My love for it has never faded, I just have times when it is not practical to read anything. And other times when that is all that I do. Still need to get my Kindle charged back up so I can finish "The Big Sleep" come to think of it.