Books

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"The Martian" by Andy Weir

Your book list makes it seem like you've got a pretty similar taste to me and that one hooked me in the first page. I like to describe that book as being "high adrelinaline problem solving". I'm also a SWE and think that's part of the reason it was so appealing to me.

I find when I get in a slump, that going to the library and picking up a bunch of books at a time and trying to jump into them to see what sticks really works.

If I go and commit to like five books, one is going to hook me!

Also if you liked Circe (oh man did I love it) you might really love Song of Achilles (also by Madeline Miller).

Try ‘Lady of Hay’ by Barbara Erskine

I can highly recommend basically anything written by Brandon Sanderson, especially the Cosmere series. It consists of a lot of books (and many on the way), that describe multiple worlds. What makes his books special is the way magic is integrated into the world. It's not just 14th century Europe with wizards here and there, magic makes an impact on the society in a way that's realistic. His books are easy to read, with a few exceptions (more on that below).

As for what to start with, I'd recommend two series:

• Mistborn - a series revolving around a dystopian world. The first book in the series is somewhat a fantasy heist story. Easy to read, though you can tell it's one of the earlier Brandon's books, his style of writing improves in time.
• Stormlight Archives - this is the series Brandon outdid himself TBH. The world is at the very alien, but in a way that makes sense. The books suck you in and don't let go, making you want know more about the world and the characters. Be wary though, getting through the first few chapters takes some determination, as it starts slowly. And since the world is very different to our own, some words don't make sense at start, which can be slightly offputting. But getting through the first chapters is worth it.

Hey! I would give a try to Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan. Thats the book that got me into reading. It is similar to Lord of the Rings in a way, but more light hearted.

If you liked Circe, you might enjoy Song of Achilles by the same author. Maybe also Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel — similar to Circe, it’s a mythic retelling focusing on a character that’s not usually in the spotlight. I read it recently and really liked it

You could try some novellas, something a bit faster passed might help out. For example there's the Murderbot Diaries.

I had fun recently reading the first 5 books in the 'Book of Amber' series by Roger Zelazny, published through the 70's-80's. Each book is also on the shorter side, and the first 5 books are a contained story. The rest of the series follows a different character after. The magic and world hopping I found pretty interesting, a bit different, and the family drama is entertaining.

'Pod' by Laline Paull. Multi perspective story, follows a hand full of different sea creatures. Quite a heavy story, It's a dramatization about the effects humanity has had on the ocean, and has a lot of other themes tied in to. It's just really well written, great characters, <\3.

You could also try some murder mysteries, Agatha Christie stories are still like for good reason. They are fun reads and there's a lot of them if you do end up liking them. 'And Then There Were None', and 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', or for the Miss Marple stories 'A Murder is Announced'. Though of course racism will just pop in sometimes. There's also more current series in this genre being published but I don't have enough experience with them to make any recommendations.

There's the Books of Earthsea, they read more along the lines of a fairytail. My favourite of them at the moment is 'The Tombs Of Atuan'.

Altered carbon is great as is the follow up book. The Netflix series really did the story dirty. Fast paced action with a sci fi noir feel.

The only way I've been able to "read" is through audiobooks. I listen during my work commute. It's really enjoyable. Makes commuting enjoyable to an extent. Also, if you get a really good narrator, the experience is great.

I didn’t really like to read until I bought a Kindle. For some reason, that made it way more enjoyable.

Hm. Some fantasy stories / books I really enjoyed and recommend are:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Just awesome. The pacing is gentle but a lot higher compared to The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings. One of the best fantasy stories I know, I read all the books multiple times. Warning: Don't watch the movie. Just don't.

The Idhún's Memories by Laura Gallego. I've read them a long time ago, so I don't know if I'd still enjoy them that much, but I've great memories.

I didn't read The Name Of The Wind yet, but it was recommended to me multiple times as THE best book.

If you don't mind science-fiction, I also would recommend Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovski.

Side note: Fantasy is quite a heavy genre if you're not really into reading yet. Often the good books are large, which makes it harder to finish in a reasonable time. General tipp: try to read one hour a day. This creates a habit and you will soon read a lot faster, which makes it a lot easier to just grind through a book as if it was nothing. Also try different genres, maybe one doesn't sound appealing, but you would enjoy it anyway.

What's gotten me back into reading has been the Red Rising series by Pierce. Scifi that reminds me a bit if the hunger games stuff, but better.

A favorite I like to recommend is The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson. It's the first in a trilogy, and could open you to a vast universe of stories if you enjoy it.

The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. It covers the parallel histories of post colonial Indonesia's status as the figurehead of the none-aligned third world countries during the cold war, alongside the establishment and growth of the CIA and apparently eventually culminates in detailing how the CIA overthrew the government, installed a dictator and then backed him to murder over a million communists, feminists and ethnic minorities.

its pretty damn grim, so far by chapter 5 Bevins has covered the CIA's roles in the coups in Iran, Guatemala and the Phillipines and their backing of rebels to start a low level civil war in Indonesia.

Kings of the Wyld - A fast-paced fantasy adventure where mercenary bands are treated like rock-stars. A group of famous mercs who are all way past their prime get the band back together for one last quest. Full of strong characters and humour throughout, doesn't outstay it's welcome and has a satisfying ending.

The long way to a small, angry planet - A wholesome sci-fi novel about the crew of a small ship on a long journey across the galaxy. The world-building is fantastic, and covers interesting topics such as the rights of artificial life-forms and learning to accept other beliefs and cultures. A slow burner, but the journey is worth going along for.

I think the easy way to slide in is to ask yourself what you're interested in. Let's start at the most basic:

Fiction or Non Fiction?

Each has their own sub genres and tropes, but that's the basics of it... Made up stories or real world stories?

Either way, what interests you? Techie sci fi? Read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Historical fiction? Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Travelogues? Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon. Road Fever by Tim Cahill. Autobiographies? Well, crap, anything by Hunter S. Thompson.

It's a wide, wide, world. Anything you are interested in, there are books for it.

Try non-fiction. I read 90% non-fiction and it is really life changing to me. Life changing to the degree I see myself reading and learning all my life (I'm 25 so there is plenty of time for that). I get better and better thanks to the books I've read and my own effort to understand them and contemplate the deeper connections.

A few general recommendations:

Nonfiction:

• The End of Everything, Katie Mack
• The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green
• Jenny Lawson's books - Broken, Let's Pretend This Never Happened
• What If?, Randall Munroe

Fiction:

• Later, Stephen King - it's a short Stephen King book. I prefer The Institute, but it's longer
• The Dresden Files series, Jim Butcher - action, mystery, urban fantasy
• Black Water Sister, Zen Cho (YA fantasy set in Malaysia)
• The Dragon Lords trilogy, Jon Hollins - medieval fantasy with comedy and a few twists
• The Color of Magic, Terry Pratchet - Discworld is a great fantasy series with humour

I highly recommend everything by Terry Pratchett. Funny and spoofes a lot of tropes you might have encountered in the books and movies you have already red. Good Omens is an easy first read, but the Guards series can be read as stand alones. The books are dense, I.e. packed with action and whacky hijinks and I have yet to find one that has a low energy mid part