I also love neuromancer and some of Gibsons older books! So, I picked up zero history around 2010 when it came out and I did not like it at all.

😅 it’s over 400 pages but it was a nice soft paperback. I was mostly startled, and then blown away that it was the one it was. It certainly didn’t hurt me enough to keep me from buying it. 😂

My pleasure! I’m so, so glad you enjoyed!

My favorite vonnegut short story, Thanasphere, is in that collection! I highly recommend. Not every story is as quirky and memorable, but that one story makes it worth it.

When I was around 18, a mentor of mine was talking about the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma when I was assistant teaching for her in Pennsylvania. Over the next year or so I kept thinking about that book occasionally, but totally forgot the title, so I couldn’t buy it for myself.

Eventually, I was on a trip in Maine and went into a tiny bookstore to see if I could find something interesting to read during my stay. There were no other customers in the bookstore, it was very quiet, and the one employee was just sitting at the register.

I slowly started making my way around the perimeter of the bookstore, carefully looking at all of the titles that were sitting at eye level for me, not touching anything. About 10 minutes into my browsing, a book simply fell from an upper shelf onto my head. To this day I have no idea what could have possibly caused it to fall.

The book was The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I bought it immediately. I love it. I’ve read it several times in the many years since. Thank you, bookstore ghost!

First of all, if you do have some kind of undiagnosed disorder, that’s totally ok. If it’s something like ADHD for example, it basically means your brain doesn’t produce as much dopamine as neurotypicals, so you really need something more engaging than 1984 to keep you invested. 😅

I feel we tend to overhype the classics and it makes it embarrassing to say “actually that book is boring as hell.”

You’ve listed some doozies that are honestly difficult to stick with, especially if you haven’t been a huge bookworm your whole life.

If a book is not engaging you, abandon it and try a different one. Start with modern ones that can feel more relatable. You will eventually land on your niche book interests. I think there are books out there for everyone, but there’s so much pressure for readers to get through the classics.

You listed some sci-fi and fantasy, so I would recommend NK Jemisin, Rebecca Roanhorse, Octavia E Butler, Kurt Vonnegut, and maybe Jeff Vandermeer and RF Kuang. They have much more fast paced books with relatable characters and plot twists that made my jaw drop.

Good luck!!!

Also BetterWorldBooks.com is the best place I’ve found for used books. If you haven’t already, I recommend checking it out!

The thing that really sold me on the kindle is the fact that I can use it to just read library e-books from the Libby app without having to pay for kindle unlimited or anything. So it was a big cost, but only for the one time. Some libraries allow you to apply for a card online so you never actually have to go in, and you can use Libby or other similar apps to get free e-books for your kindle.

I have the kindle paperwhite and I love it. I’m extremely prone to migraines so I was nervous. But you can adjust the brightness and warmth to your preference and I haven’t had any problems with it. I recommend!!

I used goodreads for a while which worked fine - you can make different shelves if you want to be more specific than just “to read” - but recently I started using StoryGraph and I like this app much more. When you go to search for your next read, you can filter within your own list for books you own, books of a certain genre or “mood,” etc. I’d recommend either of these apps for this purpose but especially StoryGraph.

Yes, it kind of just felt like the message was “oh, you wish you were famous? Guess what, there are downsides to that”

The book does not get better. It was wildly disappointing with all the hype. The ending was extremely predictable and still a letdown.

Very interesting! I’m glad goodreads works well for you.

Interesting! I found from using StoryGraph that there are patterns in my taste based on these clue words. I also like to know nothing about the plot before I start a book, which I realize it’s not common. But I know if it has a few of these qualities whether I’ll like it or not. For example, if I’m recommended a book by a friend, I would just add it to my huge TBR list on goodreads without a second thought. But if I go to add it on StoryGraph, and see it has some elements that I historically don’t enjoy, I know not to waste my time adding it to the pile. For me it’s very helpful.

I think you’re right in that your ease and enjoyment with it is based on your experience reading lots of fantasy set in other worlds. I remember having the same experience reading dune - many people had said it was difficult and confusing and I couldn’t figure out why they thought so. I think grasping another world is harder for people who don’t prefer fantasy and sci fi.

I “tried out” StoryGraph just to see if I liked it, and ended up deleting my goodreads account a few months later

I recommend StoryGraph! It’s so much easier to figure out what you’ll like based on how each book is tagged. For example it’ll say the genre, as well as the pace, if it’s character or plot driven, whether it’s dark or lighthearted etc

I find StoryGraph so much more helpful than GR!

I’m actually on the hunt for more time travel books myself lately, but I definitely recommend Paradox Hotel, and also Kindred which is darker. I couldn’t put that one down. And Vonnegut includes some time travel in most of his books.

Vonnegut stuff is fun and moves quickly. My favorite is The Sirens of Titan.

Also, I read Uglies in college and found it fascinating.

The Vault of Dreamers is super interesting and fast paced.

More recently I read Dark Matter and Paradox Hotel - really cool parallel worlds/time travel-y stuff.

Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a fun quick comfort read.

If you want something more dark, I highly recommend The Fifth Season.

I really love to use BetterWorldBooks.com - I’m pretty certain they ship the EU but I could be mistaken.