Struggling to get back into reading

If you can try and listen to audio books.My husband listens to them with headphones and over the years hadgot through hundreds of titles.He started off listening to them while driving when he worked.Since retiring he wears his headphones while gardening, tinkering in the garage and when out for his daily walk.It has been a game changer.

Glenfinnan

I love all the Miss Read books! Fairacre and Thrush Green seem lovely places to live in!

Oh, me too! Over the years, my lovely late husband bought the whole sets for me in hardback, both the Fairacre and the Thrush Green ones. They reminded me of my Nana’s village in Wales which seemed to be much the same. The trouble is, they look so good and so new that I tend not to read them and stick to my old paperback versions instead! Stupid, or what?

Why don't you start with Children's Books. They are easy to read, tell a good story such as "War Horse" by Michael Portegeo
A good way to start reading again.

I too would definitely recommend short stories as a way of getting back into reading. One of my favorite authors is Elizabeth Taylor (not the actress!) her short stories are very readable and not "fluffy" as are her full length novels..
A book that I have treasured for years is a collection of articles by the late Mirror journalist Cassandra. . The book" Cassandra at his finest and funniest" is sadly out of print but if you Google it you will find copies are still available from bookshops. It is a wonderful book to dip in and out of and has been my go-to book to get me back on track after a non-reading spell

When I lost my mojo for reading, I re read Rosamund Pilcher and loved them all over again. I also read the Miss Read books in order. I was then ready to start reading other books again. It was as if I’d rebooted.

I’m a prolific reader but could read a word when I was going through chemotherapy and surgery.
I tried to read light and fluffy-Dawn French but that didn’t work. I ended up tackling Wolf Hall which was meaty and much more satisfying.
Why don’t you listen to audio books for a while too

I would recommend the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. They have very short chapters.

I second the ladies detective agency series. I had the same issue but finally got over it and can read now. I do take notes and write down the names and brief bio of the characters and keep them as a bookmark as I forget.

Nell8

Toast: the Story of a Boy's Hunger, by Nigel Slater, is one of my favourites. It's very entertaining, poignant and beautifully written. It's easy to read in short bursts.

Oh yes, I read Toast, it was a wonderful book, I forgot about it.

Ellie Griffith's Ruth Galloway series
Everyone I have shared these with has loved them

Toast: the Story of a Boy's Hunger, by Nigel Slater, is one of my favourites. It's very entertaining, poignant and beautifully written. It's easy to read in short bursts.

Hello eggplant - here's a thought not about what you might read but about how you might do it - and it's just my experience so it may not work for you but worth considering. When I moved house a few years ago I knew nobody in the area, went into the local book shop and learned that there was a book club - very informal, 5 or 6 ladies (men were not excluded) who met once a month rotating from one person's front room/kitchen/garden to another (a few nibbles and something to drink). I 'joined' in and found myself reading fiction and the odd biography after years of reading nothing but textbooks. The choice of what to read next is democratic, and at the following meeting we enjoy reflecting on the book. A month works for us as we're all very busy and some read several other books as well as the nominated one, while others only just manage to finish that. The essential ingredient is the light-heartedness among the people there. I feel that I get different perspectives on what we've read as we all offer our thoughts - and there's no book snobbery. So maybe you can find a small group or even just one new person in your local bookshop who would like to read with you and then talk about it a few weeks later over coffee, a glass of wine or whatever. Good luck.

M C BEATON books are quite a good read, you can pick up and put down, they are quite amusing. Or maybe try a poetry book to get you started, there are some great poetry books some short and amusing, does not have to be complicated poems just fun/nice. It makes a change from a long story.

My library offers selections of short-ish books for people who can struggle to read for all kinds of reasons. It also has 'mood-busting' books, which are longer. Might be worth asking your library if they do something like this.

I second Pack of Cards and Kate Atkinson (especially Jackson Brody detective series) but for ultra carefree non stressful but intelligent and humorous distraction reading I still say Bill Bryson.

I love the Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill. They are well written detective novels but with quite a lot of information about Simon's family, which evolve over time. Once I start one of her books I can't put it down.

If you enjoy Barbara Pym, as do I, then go to
the "Persephone Books " website for details of many excellent writers from an earlier era. e.g. Dorothy Whipple. They'll probably send you a lovely free catalogue if you contact them, too.

Choose something short to get back into reading. Try "Absolutely Forever" by Rose Tremain. Good quality writing in a lovely little book (less than 200 pp). I aso find that short stories are are good if struggling with concentration. I like Penelope Lively's "Pack of Cards". Kate Atkinson also good.

My mum couldnt stand Binchy either.

She found the books full of nothing, with no plot, or storyline.

A biography of someone you like/admire ? Can be as good as fiction if you pick th right person !

My husband lost some peripheral vision and short term memory after a stroke he finds short stories good and the abridged versions in readers digest .also theres a series of books called Penguin quick reads which are short books by top authors designed to encourage struggling readers .

I absolutely adore Hilary Boyd books!

MissAdventure

Maeve Binchy books are easy reading, I always find.

Now this just goes to show that we cannot really advise here. I find her quite boring, so I think the tip to read old favourites is much more useful than our telling who we would read.

I think getting into a new book is like entering one of those revolving doors or jumping on an escalator..once your in it’s like entering a new world.

Have you tried the Richard Osman 'Thursday Murder Club' books. Gentle sort of reading with a bit of a mystery vibe but nothing complicated. Otherwise agree with OP who suggested Maeve Binchy books.