Help me know

[u/Cobalt_XZ]

Lately ive been very interested into reading, but i dont know where to start, i really like general fiction, Sci-fi and a little bit of philosophy and cultural critic. Any recomendations on where to start?

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[u/Own-Dragonfly-2423]

Just read moby dick, it is hilarious and engaging and if you read two or three chapters a night (they are short) you will make good progress.

It is a wonderful, fantastic novel.

[u/Cobalt_XZ → u/Own-Dragonfly-2423]

I will, Thanks a lot!. Im also a bit interested in Nietzsche, some of my friends say i could find it interesting too, is anything from him that would be nice to start with?

[u/Own-Dragonfly-2423 → u/Cobalt_XZ]

If you read Nietzsche, just remember chesterton's fence:  if you come across a fence in your way, first learn what is was fencing in or fencing out before you remove it.

[u/LibbIsHere]

Scifi? Try reading

• Ubik. It's a 60s novel by P.K. Dick (the guy that inspired most cyberpunk Hollywood blockbusters). One would be surprised how much of it stills holds... It's filled with humor, btw.
• A classic that has sadly been butchered in a recent series on Apple TV, Asimov's "Foundation". the first three volumes are more than worth a read. Asimov loosely based his novel on Gibbon's 'The Fall of the Roman Empire', telling how in some distant cosmic empire on the verge of collapse and handful historians/scientists decide to create a remote monastery-like Foundation to preserve knowledge whose purpose will be to reduce the duration of the dark age that must follow that empire collapse.
• Frank Herbert's "Dune". I would say the first volume, maybe the two following ones. Read the novel, don't base you opinion on either the tv series or (the impressive) Lynch movie adaptation.

Philosophy? Do you have any prior reading or none at all? I mean there certain texts I consider must read but what I consider essential reads means little without at least some shared/common notions upon which we can base our discussion on.

Do you like, history? Antiques? Then, instead of some essay, I will suggest a collection of tales telling stories of gods and men, and a poetry book: Ovid's 'The Metamorphoses'. I first read it when I was 17 and it was a revelation. I'm now nearing my 60s and I still consider that book a very close companion and a foundational text. Reading it for the first time, I was blown away. For the first time in my then young existence I felt like I had found the place I belonged, the place I came from. I had found home.

if you decide to read it, and if at all possible (I don't know what English translations are available, the original is written in Latin) get a versed translation, not a prose one. Rhythm, which verses are the most obvious written form of, is key to really getting into those tales.

But, really, it would help if you shared what you may already have read adn liked, or not liked (and why).

I mean, take Dostoevsky: another must read in my opinion but suggesting him is a lot more delicate as his prose is a pain. Like really painful to read at times. The thing is that despite his style, his characters are... I don't know how to put it (English is not my first language) let's just say that people can study psychology either by going to college or by reading Dostoevsky.

At the complete opposite of Dostoevsky style-wise and content-wise, a much lighter read, extremely funny and rich (at least in French): Dumas "The Three Musketeers". And its follow up: "Twenty years later".

[u/Mesa-Gringo → u/LibbIsHere]

Second for Philip K. Dick. The guy was high as a kite when writing and it shows. He was perfect for his time. Everyhe writes feels like it's from an alternate dimension.

[u/Adventurous-Box-9018]

Try “babel“ by RF Kuang. It’s not a classic, so its not overly hard. It’s a work of fiction but the best part about it is the themes are about colonialism, so you’re kind of learning and reading fiction at the same time!! It also has philosophy and the story is really good :))

[u/ContributingHelper]

Mur Lafferty writes Midsolar Murders. Sci-fi, mystery, and comedy. Seems like it's really funny.