“It’s Worth Every Minute Spent”: People Are Sharing The “Couldn’t Put Down” Books That Made Them Love Reading Again
People Are Sharing The Books That Got Them Out Of A Deep Reading Slump, And I’m Itching To Get My Hands On All Of Them
“I read it in two days and have found the joy of reading again because of it!”
1.
“All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown. It’s a beautiful romance told in post-apocalyptic America! It’s perfect for any fans of queer literature!”
2.
“I can’t say I’ve ever fallen out of love with reading. To me, it’s like sunlight: if I don’t read, I can’t live normally. I will say, however, that I’ve had some slumps. For recovering from a book ‘hangover,’ I love Rin Chupeco. Her work is so unique; it always shakes off the blues. The Bone Witch, The Girl from the Well, The Never Tilting World — I love everything she writes. The other book I like to reread while in a slump is Will Wight’s Cradle. I think I’ve read that series 20 times. It’s phenomenal.”
3.
“Read Abby Jiminez and prepare to bawl. Start with The Friend Zone, then read The Happily Ever After Playlist. I’m telling you, you won’t regret it. She is my favorite rom-com author.”
4.
“The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.”
5.
“The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It was the first book I looked forward to reading in a while because it was so fantastically written. I cannot recommend it enough, both in terms of plot and message and the quality and style of writing. Read it!”
6.
“Crossroads and the Himalayan Crystals by C. Toni Graham. It’s a Harry Potter meets Narnia adventure with modern-day teens.”
7.
“Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. It’s a feminist LGBTQ+ book without any of the same old tropes. The writing is fantastic, too; I was in awe as I read it. The characters and world-building are also amazing, complicated, and complex. I’ve never read anything like it! Coming from someone who reads a book a day, it’s my favorite book, and everyone needs to read it!”
8.
“The Bin by D. Malone McMillan. It addresses modern-day society, particularly (the lack of) adequate mental health care and people from all walks of life impacted and brought together by the system, all while simultaneously exposing corruption through the use of dark humor.”
9.
“The Dwarves by Markus Heitz.”
10.
“I used to love to read, but in the last several years, I haven’t been able to get through many books. However, on a self-dare, I checked out Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry and was HOOKED by the end of the first page!”
11.
“I am the poster child for falling out of love with reading — I kept picking up books just to fall asleep and never finish. But then I read The Relentless Tide by Ted Komenda. I read it in two days and have found the joy of reading again because of it! If you love crime documentaries, you will LOVE this serial killer novel based in Cape Cod. Trust me!”
12.
“Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon. It’s about a CIA assassin hiding out in Louisiana. It’s laugh-out-loud fun!”
13.
“The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. It’s a space opera-style series with absolutely no plot armor. The twists had me gasping out loud, and some scenes had me crying. Each book just gets better and better.”
14.
“The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score pulled me out of a funk and made me laugh out loud numerous times. Many books are touted as ‘laugh out loud,’ but this one was hilarious and helped pull me out of a seemingly endless negativity cycle.”
15.
“I love anything by Emily Henry, but my favorite of hers is Beach Read. Her characters seem so real; the romance had me giggling to myself, and I like how she always talks about grief in her stories. I wasn’t a reader before, but I started my reading journey after reading Beach Read.”
16.
“The Never After series by Emily McIntire. They’re books loosely based on Disney villains and heroes with dark twists and A LOT of spice. Definitely worth every minute and dollar spent.”
17.
Lastly: “I recently reread The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and fell in love with reading all over again. It was my favorite book when I was in high school, and I think it’s appropriate to read in this day and age in particular. I’ve read all the books since, and they’re much better than the movies (which is saying a lot since the movies are awesome).”
Not to show my bias, but I am obsessed with Red Rising and could talk about it for hours! If you’ve ever recovered from a deep reading slump, what was the book that got you out of it? Let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously share your recs using this form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
