Book for non-reader

BillyBoy13

Im going to give this reading thing one last shot. All the years growing up I tried reading books. Id love to be able to read books. But I cant. I tried the LOTR and barely got 2 chapters in. I tried some of the classics, dracula, paradise lost, dickens, portrait of dorian grey etc and I dont know what it is I just cant get a feel for reading. My mind wanders so much. Anyone else in the same boat? Or am I alone on this one?

Aenaes

LOTR is a bit heavy going even for people who like to read alot. Your best bet is to read something that interests you and try to move on from there. If you like football, then maybe a footballer's autobiography. Maybe you like stories of gunfighters in the Wild West so you could try some books by Louis L'Amour.

BabysCoffee

Would you try non-fiction? Maybe some travel writing? Something written by Bill Bryson

BillyBoy13

Aenaes wrote: »

LOTR is a bit heavy going even for people who like to read alot. Your best bet is to read something that interests you and try to move on from there. If you like football, then maybe a footballer's autobiography. Maybe you like stories of gunfighters in the Wild West so you could try some books by Louis L'Amour.

Now that you mention gunfighters I just remembered one book I promised myself Id try to read- 'point of impact'. I really enjoyed the film (shooter) and said Id definitely give the book a go some day.

Do you think this would be a good "starting" novel? Or should I build up to it?

cloudatlas

What kind of films, hobbies do you like?

When I was starting to get back into reading I chose books that were easy to read and had a low page count, also easy to read crime thrillers. If you start with classic literature then you're doomed to failure, modern classics are sometimes an exception. I second Bill Bryson for readability and entertainment value.

paulmorro

Wow you didn't pick the easiest of books to get into! I like some of what you mentioned but others I found very inaccessible! If you're getting into reading for the first time, something more modern will at least have the type of language that you're used to. As mentioned, read what you like, not what is supposed to be good. And don't shy off reading something 'trashy' (say, dan brown) if you think you'd like it.

BillyBoy13

cloudatlas wrote: »

What kind of films, hobbies do you like?

Light and entertaining all the way. Work is so mentally draining I mainly stick to watching (or reading hopefully) something that doesnt take too much thought. The type of film that you can watch while cooking the dinner at the same time.

Also, Im definitely not a fan of anything that's overly gory/horrors/depression/cheating on spouses etc I like upbeat films.

Hobbies? What are they :P When I was younger and actually had some time to myself I used to enjoy fishing, hiking, camping etc and when it was raining and I was stuck indoors I quite enjoyed building robots and building models etc

poundapunnet

would you give Terry Pratchett a go? Mostly fantasy so maybe that'd be a put-off, but it's easy going, pretty sure there are a few short ones, it's definitely upbeat and you can pick them up cheaply everywhere.

Also if it's not really condescending to say, it's so cool to see an adult try and get into reading when they haven't been before, yay for you! And just stick with it, reading is something that requires a different type of concentration and mental energy (not saying harder or better, just different) than other things, it'll take the auld neural pathways a while to get into it.

paulmorro

poundapunnet wrote: »

would you give Terry Pratchett a go? Mostly fantasy so maybe that'd be a put-off, but it's easy going, pretty sure there are a few short ones, it's definitely upbeat and you can pick them up cheaply everywhere.

Also if it's not really condescending to say, it's so cool to see an adult try and get into reading when they haven't been before, yay for you! And just stick with it, reading is something that requires a different type of concentration and mental energy (not saying harder or better, just different) than other things, it'll take the auld neural pathways a while to get into it.

Pratchett's great, easy to read and stupid in a really fun way.

cloudatlas

If you like the outdoors you'll probably find 'A walk in the woods' by Bill Bryson very funny. 'The curious incident of the dog in the night time' by Mark Haddon is light. The Jack Reacher series is addictive. The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy is funny if you like Monty Python type humour. +1 Terry Pratchett.

Another vote for Bill Bryson here, he's easy, amusing and light.

I get what you mean about reading though OP, I often have to read some pretty heavy material for work and the last thing I want is something that I have to concentrate too hard on. 'Heavier' books are for when I have enough room left over to absorb them properly.:)

bullpost

If you enjoyed hiking try http://www.charlieconnelly.com/and-did-those-feet-walking-through-2000-years-of-british-and-irish-history/

Its a really enjoyable book and easy to read.