i want to start reading books!

eurotrotter

hey gang

hope yer all well

im 24 years age and i finally have a bit of time on my hands

so i want to take up reading

its something in never really gave any time to, but i realise how important it is.

so i feel that now i s a good time to start

im not illiterate or anything, i have just completed a masters, buts its just i notice myself loosing interest or getting distracted quickly

i am on the internt for pretty much the whole day so i get news reports n all that sort of thing the whole time, but i now i wanna read fiction of something like that

i watch a lot of movies, and i am generally interested in movies that inspire me/get me thinkin about life, lets just say

im lookin to read books that are on teh same wavelength


any adviice

id really apreciate some help on this one


thanks very much and enjoy the wkd

ed

nayorleck114

Man you can't compare reading a book to looking at a movie. Have you ever read any book? (like lord of the Rings or such)

jumpguy

I don't think you "take it up". It's not like golf or rugby. You either like it and can get into or you don't tbh.

chin_grin

Catcher in the Rye,
Crime and Punishment,
1984,
Dracula,

start with those?

galwayrush

Stephen King is always a good read, older the stuff the better though.

nlgbbbblth

I recommend that you join a local library.
Good selection and inexpensive.

here's a selection that I keep coming back to

Brett Easton Ellis - American Psycho
Paul Auster - The Music Of Chance
JD Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye
John Steinbeck - The Pearl
George Orwell - Animal Farm
William Golding - Lord Of The Flies
JRR Tolkien - The Hobbit
Enid Blyton - The Valley Of Adventure
John Kennedy O'Toole - A Confederacy Of Dunces
Jonathan Coe - The First Rotters Club

turgon

Lord of the Flies, 1984 and The Grapes of Wrath are pretty excellent books.

<literary snob>Dont bother with any of the low brow nonsense. You may as well read something that can be thought about.</literary snob>

markok84

eurotrotter wrote: »

i notice myself loosing interest or getting distracted quickly

I think this comes from using the internet too much, reading will help improve your concentration span.

The trick is to start with a writer that you enjoy reading, don't jump straight in and try reading Tolstoy or something because you'll only get frustrated if you find it hard to read. I think Brian Keenan has an excelent command of the English language, try Evil Cradling (not fiction, but an excellent read)

waraf

Read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It's extremely easy reading and it's kind of philosophy for the complete novice told in a story about a boy. You could also check out Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
One other thing. You should join bookmooch.com as it's a great site for swapping books so you don't end up spending a fortune. Amazon.co.uk is good for second hand books too

c0rk3r

Go to the literature forum and read the thread titled "10 books to read before the apocalypse" or some such. Gradually you'll see the same books mentioned again and again. Buy them

Its usually - Catch 22, 1984, animal farm, catcher in the rye, brave new world, the alchemist etc. Id personally read catch 22 first

banjopaul

c0rk3r wrote: »

Its usually - Catch 22, 1984, animal farm, catcher in the rye, brave new world, the alchemist etc. Id personally read catch 22 first

Seriously? It's an amazing book like, I loved it, but as a first book to read?

My name is URL

Anything by Kurt Vonnegut tbh

Cat's Cradle in particular

javaboy

Moved from After Hours.

catbear

I've read a lot of different stuff, some mentioned already but one that I come back to every five years or so is "Treasure Island". It's a really good escape book, especially if you want a fun adventure read. I must read "Kidnapped"!

My twenties were full of Steven King, John Grisham etc, interrupted by the odd russian classic.

The best laugh I've got recently from books has been the Ross O'Carroll Kelly series, they saved my sanity during the height of the property bubble.

turgon

waraf wrote: »

You should join bookmooch.com as it's a great site for swapping books so you don't end up spending a fortune. Amazon.co.uk is good for second hand books too

I think Ive found you there...48.2 points?

I would see BookMooch as a completely viable alternative to buying books. Thats why I rarely leave points lying around but "spend" them as soon as Ive got them.

PK2008

Theres obviously thousands of books out there but i think one of the most important books for a non-book type person (which I am) is "Catcher in the Rye"

Reasons being:
1. Its short- you could finish it in a day
2. It will change your perception of "classic"- i always thought classic books were Shakespeare or Jane Austin etc. basically books about old english society in which I couldnt understand a word nevermind the plot- Catcher in the Rye could have been written yesterday- its themes are relevant and theres no bull5hit vocabularly to have your reaching for a dictionary.
3. You'll connect with it- many people say this book hit them in a way no other has- Im one of them.
4. It will turn you on to reading- its destroys all your non reader (bookworm) prejudices against reading.

Catcher in the Rye, my friend- READ IT!!!

I was an ardent non reader for years- just couldnt commit to any book- that all changed after I had to go to England for a week for work. I bought Cathcher in the Rye in the airport- dont know why, it just caught my eye- for the first time in my life i understood the phrase "couldnt put it down"- since then im an avid reader and recently read "War and Peace" another great book which I once dismissed as being posh bull5hit

LightningBolt

I'm actually pretty similar to yourself. Check out my readling log on the sub forum if you're interested. Currently reading catch 22. Just finished Catcher in the Rye. I would recommend to start off with, very easy to relate to. If you find books that you like, I find that amazon or other book sites are great for recommending similarly themed books.