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/lit/ - Literature

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16939825 No.16939825 [Reply] [Original]

Ive never read a book before. I want to start reading but Im not sure what I want to read about. I feel like Im missing out on literature, pls help

>> No.16939843

>>16939825
Donna Tartt's The Secret History. It's fun to read.

>> No.16939880

harry potter

>> No.16939914
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16939914

We like to start people off on the Greeks, so read The Odyssey (Fagels translation os accessible and popular, but look around if you like) guys like the Iliad too.

Read short stories and maybe some essays to get in the swing of it. Borges and George Saunders are a lot of fun. George Orwell’s essays too.

>> No.16939940

>>16939825

what are your interests

>> No.16939944

in my opinion. The Count of Monte Cristo.

It's a book kids, women and men can all enjoy. It's writing style is am de for the layman, same with the entire plot. Which is just a huge wish fulfillment fantasy,

Very fun book, with cool twists that keep you reading.

>> No.16939968

>>16939825
Wait, do you want to read because you think you could enjoy it, or because you feel like you are missing out by not reading literature?

>> No.16939991

>>16939843
>>16939914
>>16939944
will check these out

>>16939940
Im not sure

>>16939968
Both

>> No.16940000

>>16939825
read the standard HS curriculum type books.
Of Mice and Men
1984
Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World
Frankenstein
The Outsiders
Catcher in the Rye
I could go on.

>> No.16940006

>>16940000
>Catcher in the Rye
Naww

>> No.16940008

>>16939914
You aren't supposed to start with the greeks if you aren't already a reader dumb bitch. The greeks are for when you want to get more serious and start reading philosophy. Start with contemporary highschool curriculum books.

>> No.16940010

>>16939991
>Im not sure

You don't know what you're interested in?

>> No.16940021

>>16940008
No. Step off.

>> No.16940024

>>16940006
cringe retard

>> No.16940063

>>16940000
These are too sad. We should suggest some happy books to provide some levity.

>> No.16940078
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16940078

>>16939825
https://opensyllabus.org/

good luck have fun

>> No.16940166

>>16939825
infinite jest

>> No.16940184

>>16939825
I wouldn’t listen to the advice here about beginning with high school curriculum lit if you really have never read a book before. Those books can easily be boring or confusing, and may steer you away from reading again.

Go to the bookstore and head to the young adult section. Find a book that’s between 150-300 pages and read the back of it. If nothing really catches your attention in the summary, put it back and pick up another book. Repeat until you’ve found something you think you would like to read. Then, go home and read it. You can start off by setting aside 15-30 minutes a day to read (away from phone or tv) and adjust as you see fit; the only thing that matters is that you make sure to read something every day.

Once you finish your first book, think about whether you liked it or not and think about why you feel that way. Let those thoughts help you to choose another book. I would repeat this process a dozen or so times to begin with, and I would recommend sticking with young adult genre fiction for your first books (this is because YA books generally are not too long, have simple but entertaining plots, do not contain an overly large vocabulary, and are the books most people read when they first start).

Once you have done this a couple of times and think you are ready to move on to more mature literature, read these books (not necessarily in this order but they are listed in an order I suggest):

Of Mice and Men
Fahrenheit 451
Flowers for Algernon
1984
Grapes of Wrath

These are some standard high school required readings. Some may entertain you, others may not, but it’s important to read these so that you can start to familiarize yourself with how some classic books feel to read. After this, you may have an idea of what kinds of lit you want to start reading.

There are countless ways to get into reading, but this is what I recommend. Keep visiting /lit/ to keep up with interest in literature discussion, and good luck.

>> No.16940208

>>16940063
add some Vonnegut then

>> No.16940213

>>16939825
If you want to get into philosophy/politics than just start with the greeks

>> No.16940232

>>16940008
>Responding to a tripfag that unironically uses 'we.'
Why bother?

>> No.16940243

>>16939825
The collected tales of Nikolai Gogol
Confederacy of dunces
The shootist
V.

>> No.16940250

>>16939825
Notes from Underground is good, short too.

>> No.16941638

>>16939914
>We
Please go.

>> No.16942508

>>16941638
We originals of lit.
You ought to be leaving now