I'm currently reading a book on the history of England called Foundation by Peter Ackroyd. I'm not British myself, but the history of the Isles has nonetheless always interested me to a degree. I'm now at the point where the Anglo-Saxons and British natives have intermingled and become a unified culture of sorts. And already I've forgotten about the figures during the time of the Roman occupation and all the battles that took place. It just went in one ear and out the other seemingly.

And I'm just wondering if any of you have experienced this.

2.9k

348 comments

243

Posted by6 hours ago

Getting into Stephen King again

So I haven't read King's books in a while and yesterday decided to start IT for the second time.

I had forgotten how much I liked the way this guy describes and gives depth to his characters. I mean, just that first couple of scenes of Bill and Georgie making the boat, the description of his child fears of the basement and the darkness (and I actually pick up the detail of the turtle on one of the cans while Georgie is looking for the paraffin), I think they're pretty good fleshed out.

What are your opinions on King's books? Do you like his style?

243

182 comments

175

Posted by6 hours ago

Found out I like reading, I've just been reading the wrong genre for 10+ years

I never got into reading as a kid, hated it more when I was forced to in school. In my later teens I did start warming up to the idea but I could never pay attention enough. Never liked Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Twilight or any Roald Dahl stories.

I was fine with text-heavy comics, video games and I almost exclusively watch subbed anime. I liked a lot of adventure and fantasy stuff so I tried books in that genre but just couldn't pay attention. I can easily binge-read 200k fanfictions, just not books.

This year I tried adding an audiobook mod for Elderscrolls:Skyrim in another attempt to get into reading. Again, I just couldn't get interested in anything until I found Immortal Blood. I've never felt excited(?) after listening to a book. Literally been thinking about it all year and its only 1,200 words.

Thought I liked vampire stories and so I tried Dracula. Couldn't get past the first few pages. Tried listening to an audiobook of Fahrenheit 451 to see if it was just the act of reading I didn't like. Also couldn't get interested in it.

Recently a book shop was closing so I got 2 books on a whim. The first I read was Anti-Social by Nick Pettingrew. I liked the beginning of it, with the tales of finding dead bodies and the dry humour. But as I got to around 120 pages I've lost interest.

The second book I got was The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. Looked like a typical, kids fantasy book so I gave it a go. Started off slow bit as I got further and further in it got more and more disturbing. But I started loving it. I realised I was getting anxious as I'm getting closer to the end but because I don't want it to end.

As I was describing scenes in the book to a family member, she asked if i was really reading a children's fantasy. Turns out, The Spook's Apprentice is actually between the genre of children's fantasy and horror. Horror that felt similar to Immortal Blood.

At the age of 22 I finally found that I like horror books; not adventure/fantasy. I can finally say I like reading.

175

29 comments

73

Posted by4 hours ago

A Huge Merger’s Collapse Breaks a Pattern of Consolidation in Publishing. The deal to acquire Simon & Schuster would have made the buyer, Penguin Random House, even larger, and reduced the number of big publishers in the U.S. to four.

nytimes.com/2022/1...

73

0 comments

252

Posted by12 hours ago

I can't believe how little people talk about the creativity and masterful works of Anthony Horowitz

I got started with The Word is Murder, a wonderfully meta book where Horowitz inserts himself into the story seamlessly as a lovable Watson-like character. That series is wonderful, a cross between Holmes and Christie with the added bonus that it's written with enough real-life facts from Horowitz's career that it's very believable. And I'm currently reading Magpie Murders, again, a great story with a unique twist on these detective stories. Completely worth it.

But as I read, I'm surprised at how Horowitz will write in these completely different styles. In one book, he gives an excerpt written by a "bad novelist", and the style sounds exactly like an unpolished writer. And then, there's another excerpt from another book, and the style again is so vastly different. It's no surprise that Horowitz was allowed to write James Bond books and Sherlock Holmes books by their estates, given that he can fluidly adapt his writing styles so well.

Honestly, I'm just loving this writer so much, and I think that some may have automatically assumed that since he wrote the Alex Rider series, he's lumped into a category that unfortunately doesn't define him. That's all. Rant over.

252

63 comments

About Community

This is a moderated subreddit. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. If you're looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our Weekly Recommendation Thread, Suggested Reading page, or ask in r/suggestmeabook.

Created Jan 25, 2008

r/books topics

21.8m

Members

3.0k

Online

Filter by flair

WeeklyThread

r/books Rules

1.

Discussion is the Goal

2.

Uncivil behavior

3.

Recommendation Requests

4.

What's That Book Called?

5.

Promotional

6.

Distribution or solicitation for pirated material

7.

Unmarked spoilers

8.

Homework help request

9.

Image-Only/Video-Only

10.

Low Quality Book List

11.

Full Rules and Guidelines

Scheduled Posts

Favorite Books about Evolution

November 24, 2022

Weekly Recommendation Thread

November 25, 2022

Simple Questions

November 26, 2022

Weekly FAQ: What book format to you prefer? Print vs E-Books vs Audiobooks

November 27, 2022

What are you Reading?

November 28, 2022

List of "Best Books of 2021" Lists

November 29, 2022

Simple Questions

November 29, 2022

Literature of Mauritania

November 30, 2022

Favorite Books

December 1, 2022

Weekly Recommendation Thread

December 2, 2022

Upcoming AMAs

Barry Lyga Author of I Hunt Killers

November 29, 2022 • 17:00

Emily Nagoski Author of Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life

November 30, 2022 • 18:00

Tony Tetro and Giampiero Ambrosi Author of Con/Artist: The Life and Crimes of the World's Greatest Art Forger

December 2, 2022 • 20:00

Joe Abercrombie Author of A Little Hatred

December 5, 2022 • 17:00

Charmaine Wilkerson Author of Black Cake

January 9, 2023 • 17:00

Moderators

Moderator list hidden. Learn More

User Agreement Privacy policy

Content policy Moderator Code of Conduct