Struggling to get back into reading

littleowl

I'm going to surprise you. Try Charles Dickens. He is a master of characters, story telling and yes, humour. He wrote for the common people so it could not be complicated. They are dirt cheap on Kindle. Try a sample and read the first paragraph of any of them. You will be hooked.

Absolutely agree, a wonderful author but sadly brain not in gear.

Jojo moyes or Ruth Jones

Personally I'm a fan of Penny Reid, American author. Knitting in the city is a great series as is Winston brother series.

"Graham Norton novels are good",
Also, not forgetting the brilliant Dame Catherine Cookson, whose stories are so rich & gripping, that you exist within the pages. If you enjoy well researched but thrilling historical books, try, Cynthia Harrod -Eagles, The Morland dynasty. A fabulous, tumultuous ride through the years, a marvellous read,! You feel as though you are within the pages & the characters will stay with you forever. 😊

littleowl

I'm going to surprise you. Try Charles Dickens. He is a master of characters, story telling and yes, humour. He wrote for the common people so it could not be complicated. They are dirt cheap on Kindle. Try a sample and read the first paragraph of any of them. You will be hooked.

Yes, littlowl! The brilliant Charles Dickens. A fantastic, masterful, very human author. My mother handed me down her collection & I'm so grateful for her marvellous gift. 😊

Did anyone else love Little Women by Louisa M Alcott? I had all four books in the series: Good Wives, Little Men and Jo’s Boys. None of the films were anywhere near as good as those books, I read and re-read them from the age of 10. Glorious! Nowadays, I’d recommend the Simon Serrailler by Susan Hill, and Ellie Griffiths Ruth Galloway series.

I do like Marcia Willet books too

I would second Rosamund Pilcher. She does lots of short stories as well as her novels. A great read.

I was exactly the same & then a friend lent me a book from The Shardlake series ..not my usual type of book (medieval fiction) but so well written & engaging I couldn't put it down! Would recommend.

After a recent tragedy in the family, I have only been able to read Anne of Green Gables. Read as a child, but seems totally diffferent now I'm an adult. There are eight novels, full of hope and joy. I just can't read modern books. I love Prince Edward Island, I feel safe there.

I discovered D.E.Stevenson a while back. A distant-ish cousin of R.L.Stevenson. She wrote first half of 20th century. Scottish, gentle books, old fashioned,about life really, often amusing. Maybe start with "Miss Buncle's Book" which is, I think, lovely.

mulberry7

After a recent tragedy in the family, I have only been able to read Anne of Green Gables. Read as a child, but seems totally diffferent now I'm an adult. There are eight novels, full of hope and joy. I just can't read modern books. I love Prince Edward Island, I feel safe there.

I rediscovered children’s fantasy literature last Christmas and immersed myself in The Box of Delights, The Children of Green Knowe and The Dark is Rising.

Have always been an avid reader and usually read at least three books a week. However, when my husband died suddenly I couldn't even mange to read a short newspaper article. After several weeks I was getting quite despondent as well as being totally grief stricken and my friend suggested Jeffrey Archer's The Clifton Chronicles. Really not my sort of books but they worked for me and got me back into reading. Can also recommend Bill Bryson.

Why not start with a book of short stories?

I slipped into MC Beeton -Agatha Raisin or Hamish Macbeth stories when I was having a down time ( and not in a good way). Not taxing, easy read whodunits. Enjoy.

Anne Tyler is a great writer with a light writing style yet her stories never patronise the reader. “Ladder of Years” is a good place to start

Pop into your local library and pick up a selection of books. I struggle with anything that isn't light hearted. Jo Jo Moyes has written some good books, Katie Fford, Sue Moorcroft, Anna Jacobs, Debbie Macomber are a few easy reading authors. Just grab anything you like the look of and if you don't get into a book then just go onto another. You can try all sorts at the library. Just return and choose something else.

Have a look at books by Julia Roberts from QVC, not too many characters, no jargon and easy to follow story lines, I've loved them all.

Maeve Binchy, Erica James, Kate Morton and Marcia Willett are all nice stories and easy to get into without being frothy. Rachel Joyce writes beautifully - my favourite is The Music Shop. I can also echo the posters suggesting Bill Bryson, particularly his earlier books; Down Under and Neither Here nor There are probably my favourites. To this day l still enjoy Miss Read's delightful books. They are easy to read but have a lot of wisdom, too. Anyone who has lived in a village or small town can recognise the characters and it is lovely to indulge in the nostalgia as they were written about the time most of us were children.

Oh, and l second the comments about favourite children's books. I read Wind in the Willows last year and it was such fun reconnecting with Mole, Ratty, Badger and, of course, the inimitable Mr. Toad. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is perhaps my favourite of all, but even though I have read it many times over the years and know what is going to happen next, l still get a lump in my throat at the beautiful ending. Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, too. Just William can still bring a smile and for something completely different and very whacky but clever, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is great. Lastly, my favourite author when I was a child was Noel Streatfeild. Ballet Shoes, of course, but The Growing Summer and The Circus is Coming were the my favourites.

Santa Montefiori writes family saga books which are very engaging. Also recommend Agatha Raisin series or reading Agatha Christie. Books that make you continue reading to find out what happens next. Another shout out for Ellie Griffiths. She has done at least 3 different series of novels and has just published a book of short stories. Anthony Horovitch novels are also very engaging and some are available on audio books. Sara Winman's Still Life was a fascinating listen to, read by the author. Also biographies. Anne Glenconner's Lady in Waiting and Lucy Worsley's Agatha Christie and also her Queen Victoria.

My daughter enjoys Santa Montefiore books very much, although I have not read any myself, but I know she would recommend them to you as well.

Thoroughly enjoying Lissa Evans' Small Bomb at Timperley, just out to lovely reviews..."Absolute joy to read" says The Times, "Austenesque wit... straightforwardly pleasurable" says The Guardian.

If you're in London, come & hear her in person talking to fellow novelist Elizabeth Buchan at the Clapham Book Festival. 12 Oct, Omnibus Theatre, Clapham Common. Tickets: payhip.com/claphambookfestival

Musicgirl

My daughter enjoys Santa Montefiore books very much, although I have not read any myself, but I know she would recommend them to you as well.

I didn't enjoy the last one of hers at all, Musicgirl, although I have enjoyed others.

It was called 'Wait for Me' and supposedly based on a true 🤔 story but made me feel very uncomfortable.

If, as I suspect, you are finding normal length novels either tedious or tiring, you might find short stories an easy route back to more lengthy reading. If you were to ask a librarian to signpost you to anthologies of short stories, I think you would enjoy getting to the end of a story without having to plough through 200 or more pages. Roald Dahl springs to mind - he didn't only write for children!