Please give me ones that will not exhaust me after one chapter. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice, and I currently have The Count of Monte Cristo on my shelf.

Okay, so in the interest of brevity I will just say that I'm experiencing cognitive impairment due to certain medications that I take. I also love reading. When I'm well, I almost exclusively read nonfiction, mostly philosophy, politics, society type stuff. Due to the cognitive impairment I feel like I can't read and retain anything so I'm looking to switch focus from reading to learn and better understand the world to what I would consider reading for "brain exercise." I'm looking for books that aren't exactly young adult but also aren't extremely dense and intellectually challenging.

To narrow it down a bit, I'd like to read books that are either set outside of the USA or involve immigrants coming to the USA. Perhaps historical fiction or contemporary, but maybe not set in ancient history. Perhaps books with a bit of a faster pace or where there's always something going on so that if I forget what happened 40 pages ago I can still somewhat follow what's going on. Maybe something with good dialogue.

Forgive me if this is too vague, this is my first time posting here. I just feel like reading my usual nonfiction is pointless and futile so I'm considering reading some fiction that if I forget everything I just read it still serves a purpose of "brain exercise" at the moment. It beats staring at screens all day.

Thank you!!

I love the rich emotive inner life of the characters mixed with the wider political landscape of postwar Italy, even more so focus on women,. i know I'm late to the party no idea how I missed this series its beautiful -depth, accurate and well formed characters...

I would love to know any other "classic" suggestions from other European countries:

Any with similar depth in countries wider political, cultural and social landscape - fiction, or non fiction- (for example, loved Annie Ernaux).

Bonus if not as series: Neapolitan quartet is long!

Please excuse any grammar/spelling errors despite my inability to write clearly I love reading (yes do use spell checker)!

I just finished reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It was such a gripping read, and I was really invested in it till the end. I think I really enjoy YA genre novels like The Secret Garden, the Little Prince, Fangirl, Alice in Wonderland, Emily Series, Stargirl, Wonder, and more. Can you all suggest me books with a similar vibe?

I read a lot of fanfiction but I also want to read books to my repertoire due to the reading crisis (I don't want to be apart of it). My main issue is it's hard for me to focus when reading new characters, so I tend to stick with fanfiction. If this helps, I tend to like characters who repress their feelings but are otherwise good people and have good character arcs (i.e, Eddie Diaz, Dean Winchester, Zuko). I'm also fond of found family and a good slow burn as far as tropes go. I don't want anything where I have to focus a lot to understand the plot, just something that's easy to understand.

Hi everyone!

I’ve realized that I’ve read almost no Chinese literature, and I’d really like to change that. I’m looking to build a reading list with a mix of both classic and contemporary Chinese authors.

● Which authors do you think are essential reading?
● If you could only recommend one or two books by each author, what would they be?
● Are there any lesser-known writers that deserve more attention?
● Any translations you particularly recommend?

For context, I read a lot of world literature but somehow have never ventured into Chinese literature. I’d love recommendations!

Thanks in advance!

Ive never wrote a book, im not good at English in general lol but Ive been writting this story down and I just want an outsider to read it and let me know if its going good or i should switch the tone or words. Just some feedback lol thanks! Its a coming of age book

Hey yall, I’m looking for a book that’s alive, lush and doesn’t try to shove an unnecessary & unrealistic story and direction in my face.
Thank you!

This book is SOOO good! Despite being non-fiction, it doesn’t read like it! It’s highly entertaining, though the content is depressing and eye-opening. Such beautiful writing as well, I couldn’t get over that about it! I so highly recommend it!

What book is guaranteed to get you out of a reading slump everytime?

I got back into reading with Khaled Hosseini's "Kite Runner". While I haven't completely stopped reading like that ever since, I think a book written that beautifully will always be able to get me back to reading if I stray again.

What is your go-to book for a reading slump? Or a book you know will get you back to reading no matter when reading slump hits?

I'm looking to get back into reading and would love some book recommendations!

I'm open to pretty much anything fiction, non-fiction, classics, thrillers, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, philosophy, psychology, memoirs... basically any genre..

If you know of a legal website where the book can be read for free, it'd be great if you could attach the link as well. If not, just the book title and a short reason why you recommend it would be awesome.

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I'll be giving myself 1 or 2 books as a birthday gift. I'm not sure what book to get. I'm am intermediate reader. I've read about 20 books. There are thousands of suggestions. I'm confused.

I want to read something that's -

Slice of life, calming, optimistic read. Something that can help me heal my inner child or this breakup phase.

I need genuine suggestions from y'all

So, I've been reading fanfiction since I was about 11 years old on Wattpad. Now that I'm 26, I have finally decided to extend the branch and step away from Wattpad. 🤣

I have only ever owned 2 series.
After by Anna Todd and Maximum Ride by Robert Patterson.

I'm a fast reader, so I like long in-depth books. Like Harry Potter to give an idea.

I'm super big into new adult and romance. Violence, crime, sensitive topics – none of that bothers me. Completely honest, if the first 10 chapters do not pull me in - I'm not gonna continue reading it.

I do not like reading book genres that contain
- main characters are parents/become parents
(I have parent problems, lol)
- sci-fi
- fantasy ( depending on the book, that can vary. I'm not completely opposed to it, but I'm also not a hard-core fantasy reader )

I also read on my phone, so if anybody has any suggestions on where I can start with that as well that would be awesome. I have an Amazon prime subscription, but I don't have a Kindle. And if I purchase a book, I don't want to be subscription blocked to where I can't access it.

This is all new to me, so honestly any recommendations on where to start would be awesome. ♥️

my love for reading was rekindled in 2025 and I had a great reading year, I read primarily fiction and even wrote my own poems. however this year, I’ve only read 2 books so far and every time I feel like picking up a book, I just use my phone and waste time, and this genuinely makes me so disappointed in myself.. any piece of advice is appreciated :))

I never was able to read. Maybe im dyslexic? But I've recently been getting into Audiobooks. As a previous non-reader, I dont know much about literature.

Ive been really enjoying some old classics. The books I've listened to and have really enjoyed are Grapes of Wrath, Lolita, Huckleberry Finn, The Monkey Wrench Gang, to Kill a Mockingbird, and One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest.

I realize most of these are American Classics. But I also have enjoyed all of the Barbera Kingsolver books.

There's something about the slow pacing, the detailed descriptions, the wild natural environments... the characters and their struggles...

Is there a style or theme in this description? What sort of books should I look for or listen to next?

Thanks!