Sunday, January 18, 2015

SFF: The 5 Books To Kickstart Your Reading Journey

The Sunday Fun Five #19

Sunday Fun 5:
#19: The 5 Books To Kickstart Your Reading Journey
For the 1st of Feb. #20: The 5 Character Couples that are Matches Made in Heaven
Feel free to participate by commenting below or writing a blog post: I wrote up some guidelines for blog participation here.

A Countdown of

The 5 Books To Kickstart Your Reading Journey

(Because January is supposedly National Book Month)



5. The Rowan (The Tower and the Hive #1) by Anne McCaffrey
Science Fiction, 336 pages
What I love about this one is it's everything I love about science fiction: space, spaceships, alien races, and telekinetic powers. It also doesn't hurt that the Rowan is a very independent-minded heroine with a sad backstory. This is the perfect book to start your science fiction journey.


4. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Fiction,  301 pages
If there were ever a book that reminded me of a Hallmark movie, this would be it. It also turned into a movie that aired on the Hallmark channel, so clearly someone was thinking the same thing as I was. If you're interested in a general fiction title that may be more than a tad uplifting and heartfelt, Plainsong is what you should read.


3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy #1) by Stieg Larsson 
Crime Thriller, 465 pages, but remains glued to your hand once you start reading.
I hate to say something is "un-put-downable" but with this book, that's the perfect way to describe it. I stayed up way too late at night to finish this, but still had to put it down once before I could finish it. This book is also extremely edgy (i.e. major adult content: sex and torture scenes) so don't pick it up if you can't stand that type of thing. I generally hate crime fiction and thrillers, but this book pulverizes the mold of the genres.


2. A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas
Memoir, 190 pages
This is about a woman whose husband who has a traumatic brain injury and is sent to live at a specialized nursing home due to his memory loss and mood swings. I can't remember much about it, but I do recall it helped me rethink some of what I think about life. Not exactly Hallmark material, but decidedly heartfelt and compelling. If you're unsure about nonfiction books or memoirs, give this one a try- it's short and has staying power.


1. Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors
Historical Fiction, 344 pages
Something about this book still appeals to me, despite having rated other historical fiction books higher. I suppose what makes it so recommendable is I learned a lot, I don't recall being bored reading it, and the subject matter itself. Learning some of the backstory behind the Taj Mahal makes it something I want to learn more about, despite never having interest in the subject before.

Which books do you recommend to people wanting to jump into a certain genre? What are the books you've read that have helped you out of a dreaded reading slump?

2 comments:

  1. Ahhh! The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo! Unputdownable for sure. I love the Swedish movie versions, too.

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    Replies
    1. My brother recommended the Swedish movie versions to me, but I only got around to seeing some of the English/American version, which was... okay. The book was so compelling that I had a better movie version playing in my head when I was reading it.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Becca!
      ~Litha Nelle

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