/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.11703168]

Hi /lit/

I'm 22 and I've never read a book. What would you recommend I start with if I'm interested in literature and I want to try getting into reading? Is there a flowchart or something? A "recommended for beginners /lit/core tier list" maybe?

[Anonymous No.11703178]

read The Culture of Critique

[Anonymous No.11703186]

Start with the greeks. I personally started with Meditations by Aurelius. If you need stuff from there, try the /lit/ and /sci/ wikis.

[Anonymous No.11703191]

For once, this is applicable.

[Anonymous No.11703197]

>>11703168
>The Illiad
>The Bible
>The Epic of Girugamesh
>The Mahabharata
All good starting points.

[Anonymous No.11703199]

>>11703168
go to the WIKI!

[Anonymous No.11703200]

>>11703186
FUCK, sorry anon, hold on.

[Anonymous No.11703204]

Read what you like to read, if you get past the part where you are not just passionate about reading but are passionate about all things concerning reading, the history of literature (in the mundane western sense) really begins with the Iliad and the Greeks

If you’re mature enough to handle stomaching modern literature at the very least in a way that YOU find enjoyable not based on the whims of anybody else

I like the works of Herman Hesse and would recommend them to anyone beginner or not.

[Anonymous No.11703210]

>>11703200
bada bing

[Anonymous No.11703231]

>>11703210
This chart is garbage.

[Anonymous No.11703232]

>>11703204
>Read what you like to read

How is he meant to know what he likes to read if he has never read a book?

[Anonymous No.11703249]

I'm not really interested on the history of literature and I don't think I like the classics. The reason I've never read a book is because I tried starting with the classics and I found them boring.

What I want is a good story, something cool and interesting, the misadventures of a well written, deep and relatable character, something like a good thriller movie in the form of a book, I don't know.

[Anonymous No.11703254]

>>11703168
Read something that is fun. Frank Herbert's Dune for example. You should state your sex and interests though.

[Anonymous No.11703265]

hi op, perhaps you should start with something simple like a Mr Men book or "Thats not my elephant"

you fucking cretin

[Anonymous No.11703295]

look through the plot synopses and pick something fun

im not sure if this is the real chart, or if there even was a real chart to begin with, but it's an ok list imo

[Anonymous No.11703294]

>>11703249
try vonnegut's "mother night", lermontov's "a hero of our time" or gogol's "dead souls", listing them off the top of my head right now, i personally started with the sherlock holmes novels, also heller's catch 22 is pretty good

[Anonymous No.11703305]

>>11703295
just realised it doesnt have Lolita, which i dont believe /lit/ wouldn't vote for, so it can't be a reputable list

[Anonymous No.11703306]

>>11703168
it's not gonna happen anon, you're too old. i've never met anyone who was an actual reader (ie was both literate and really enjoyed it as an activity) that didn't start as a little kid. people who start at 20+ only become insufferable pseuds that love updating their goodreads but find actual reading a chore. the shit that needed to happen to your brain to make you a proper reader should have happened at 8-12 years old or whatever. blame your parents for fucking up your upbringing.

[Anonymous No.11703310]

>>11703168
that's not "fine art". thats amateurish garbage

[Anonymous No.11703324]

>>11703249
reddit.com/r/books might be more up to your speed

[Anonymous No.11703329]

>>11703231
why? t. anon who wanted to use it

[Anonymous No.11703362]

>>11703249
Read the Stephen King books.

[Anonymous No.11703367]

what books will look good on a bookshelf and impress girls when I invite them to my apartment?

[Anonymous No.11703373]

>>11703249
Frankenstein

[Anonymous No.11703384]

>>11703367
ride the tiger

[Anonymous No.11703386]

this start with the greeks stupid meme needs to end
the iliad is boring and everyone who thinks im a brainlet can shoot me and tell me how big my brain is

[Anonymous No.11703402]

>>11703367
talk with her about books, be interested in one she currently reads, wait a few days, "anon, I bought this book for you because you were so interested in it", works most of the time, a friend of mine has a shelf of those books, he never opened a single one of them

[Anonymous No.11703406]

>>11703386
I don't have the attention span for the iliad, I can't even keep up with Dante, barely got through Goethe's Faust, I zone out way too much reading such works, I'm a brainlet

[Anonymous No.11703423]

Start with Stephen King, especialy Carries for start.

If you want to read poetry read author from your country.

if you want book who are more realistic : read Hemingway, Kawabata, Maupassant, Mishima.

If you want Fantasy read Lord of the ring by Tolkien and The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowsky.

[Anonymous No.11703460]

>>11703423
I remember a part from "For Whom The Bell Tolls", they are sitting in a cave and the main character asks someone "What are you thinking about?" I stopped and said "Of course he's gonna ask him that."

[Anonymous No.11703494]

>>11703168
Unironicaly 1984.
Its a great book, specialy for begginer lvl

[Anonymous No.11703500]

>>11703168
Why would anyone want to read books?

[Anonymous No.11703537]

>>11703494
1984 was one of the options I was considering. The others being catcher in the rye and Norwegian wood.

[Anonymous No.11703576]

>>11703249
Lord of the Flies. It's a great book. It's quite short and really a thriller. I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down.

[Anonymous No.11703583]

Genuinely never read a book? Something light. Children's books perhaps. Harry Potter.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are mostly light and fun.
H2G2 are also light and fun.

[Anonymous No.11703611]

>>11703329
It's fine. Check this out if you're interested in the Greeks and the western canon in general.

https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/classes/seminar/annapolis-undergraduate-readings

[Anonymous No.11703639]

>>11703168
>Never read a book.
Some of you need to slow the fuck down. This guy needs to read some Hardy Boys or Goosebumps.

[Anonymous No.11703645]

>>11703639
>tfw loved Hardy Boys back in the day

[Anonymous No.11703648]

Narnia. Good children's books

[Anonymous No.11703655]

>>11703500
To be seen doing it.

[Anonymous No.11703662]

>>11703583
Never. Like, I've started reading books but I've never fineshed one. I get bored after a couple of chapters. I like to think it's because I haven't found something interesting yet and not because books are boring in general.

[Anonymous No.11703678]

>>11703655
I read on my phone when I'm in public and have time to kill. People think that I'm probably on Instagram, which pushes me up the social ladder.

[Anonymous No.11703681]

Start with some short and easy books and go from there based on what you like and don't like after that.

[Anonymous No.11703683]

>>11703191
Is this really applicable?
I don't know, this doesn't look like a good book (I may be wrong).

[Anonymous No.11703692]

>>11703683
he probably missclicked the picture and wanted to post "conversations with goethe"

[Anonymous No.11703754]

>>11703168
google lit starter kit

[Anonymous No.11703783]

>>11703168
Anon, get some dystopia.
I would say 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The man on the High Castle..

I also really like 100 years of solitude and Don Quixote also.

[Anonymous No.11703791]

Is there any anime novels i can read without pics?

[Anonymous No.11703795]

>>11703186
Jesus Christ you don't need to start with the fucking Greeks don't believe this pseud meme. Just find a book you think sounds interesting and read it.

[Anonymous No.11703806]

>>11703254
>Dune
>fun

[Anonymous No.11703827]

>>11703791
Maybe... Battle Royale?
I've read the manga and the novel, you should give it a try, both are pretty good.
Just beware that there's tons os japanese names in the novel.

[Anonymous No.11703829]

Have you read any short stories you liked, fairy tales or anything like that? Maybe a book of shorter pieces would be a good place to start.

[Anonymous No.11703927]

>>11703168
Read Stoner. It's a great book that's not very long and it's pretty easy to understand

[Anonymous No.11703935]

>>11703829
I like the sound of that. I've always liked short stories and stuff I can read in one sitting. Any recommendations? I like dirty realism, maybe something by Raymond Carver or Bukowski? I've heard they're good.

[Anonymous No.11704022]

>>11703639
>>11703168
Maybe not Hardy Boys. But yeah, some YA lit seems way more sensible than "start with the greeks".
I vote for Harry Potter. I mean why not.

[Anonymous No.11704041]

>>11703294
>”I don’t like reading”
>”try Dead Souls!”
I really was going into this thread expecting to see the least fun, stupidest and most fucking retarded responses and I think I’m only going to get more sad as I remember why I never visit this board. I loved Dead Souls but it is not a book to recommend to someone getting into reading. Get your head out of your ass.

[Anonymous No.11704047]

>>11703783
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE AND DON QUIXOTE AS UNIRONIC SUGGESTIONS FOR SOMEONE JUST GETTING INTO READING. IT’S LIKE MOST OF YOU DON’T HAVE CONTACT WITH ACTUAL BREATHING HUMAN BEINGS OUTSIDE OF THIS STRANGE UPTIGHT BUBBLE OF A BOARD.

[Anonymous No.11704059]

>>11703168
Wow, really nice. My first book was when i was 20. My parents never read too, so there's not that culture in my house. My first book was really really easy, A Tale for the Time Being (i think it's YA). It was a very good start because i wasn't used to reading at all. I recommend starting with any book that you're REALLY interested in the story and with a simple writting, then move to something deeper. I think starting to read easy fantasies are probably cool too. Maybe some short texts for now.

I wish you the best, i know how it feels bad to be in this position.

[Anonymous No.11704081]

>>11703295
>Shakespeare's complete works
>2nd best
Proof that nobody here has read anything since high school.

[Anonymous No.11704091]

>>11703827
thanks dude. I was joking but got a legit response

[Anonymous No.11704100]

>>11703197
Wrong

Start with the Qur'an. Everything else is inferior.

[Anonymous No.11704122]

Start off with something light anon.

[Anonymous No.11704128]

>>11703402
that is a profoundly sad analogy for current society.

someone tries to share something meaningful with you and you just shelf it without looking at it because you want something more shallow, and once you get it you skip on to someone new

[Anonymous No.11704129]

>>11704122

[Anonymous No.11704205]

>>11704129
Nah, I've read lots of books, but I've still failed to finish this a few times. I think I couldn't even make it through the audio book.

[Anonymous No.11704209]

>>11703168
Anti-Oedipus.

[Anonymous No.11704212]

>>11704047
IT WAS THE FIRST BOOK I READ WHEN I STARTED READING FAGGOT. FIT ME 1VS1

[Anonymous No.11704232]

>>11704205
there is no hope for you. stick with pleb entertainment like movies and tv shows

[Anonymous No.11704233]

Is there anyone else here who also started after 18yo as op? I also started to read after 18yo.

[Anonymous No.11704239]

>>11704205
Diagnosis: you’re a moron

[Anonymous No.11704240]

>>11704232
You talk like movies aren't as art as books/paintings/sculptures/etc, lil bitch

[Anonymous No.11704245]

>>11703210
>all that unnecessary bullshit
>only the metaphysics

[Anonymous No.11704246]

>>11704240
Yes, because all marvel superheroes movies = Masterpieces in Literature.
GTFO

[Anonymous No.11704250]

>>11704245
I know...

[Anonymous No.11704251]

>>11704232
Or maybe I just don't like Tolkein, since I've already read the greeks.

[Anonymous No.11704287]

>>11704246
>Only knowing disgusting hollywood shit
Educate yourself, burger

[Anonymous No.11704293]

>>11703168
Harry Potter

[Anonymous No.11704298]

>>11703168
>>11704293
Oh wait, scratch that since you've probably seen the movies

[Anonymous No.11704300]

>>11704287
Disgusting hollywood shit is what's in evidence.
Do I need to search for an obscure indian movie from the 70's just to find a """"good"""" movie?

[Anonymous No.11704310]

>>11704300
You know what? Forget it, I'm not talking about this anymore. You can be with your illusions of grandiose movies.

[Anonymous No.11704316]

>>11704300
If we're being superficial then let's talk about crap YA and not classics.

[Anonymous No.11704340]

>>11704300
Disgusting YA shit is what's in evidence.
Do I need to search for an obscure german book from 1800 just to find a """"good"""" book?

[Anonymous No.11704345]

>>11703806
Point being that it should be something that many people consider an addictive reading experience within a subject that is of interest to him. No sense in starting with the Cambridge history of Byzantium or whatever.

[Anonymous No.11704359]

OP, please consider Masquerade by Crystal Heart. It was voted to be one of the top 25 all time best ever sailor moon fanfics on geocities in 1999. Also, no other sailor moon fanfic on geocities in that year came even close, according to the small (elite) number of people who decided on the award.

You can read it here anon https://web.archive.org/web/20090805102343/http://geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/8024/masquerade.html

[Anonymous No.11704364]

>>11704340
*blocks your path*

[Anonymous No.11704427]

Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar
...

Ok Im gina stop Fucking around, start reading juvenile literature. Its easy to read and even if a Lot of them are total shit, they are kinda... enjoyable (oh boy I feel so dirty after say that)

[Anonymous No.11704435]

>>11703178
This. And the art of the deal.

[Anonymous No.11704445]

>>11703935
Yeah, give Bukowski a shot if you're into that kind of thing. Maybe Notes of a Dirty Old Man. His novels should be pretty short and easy too.

[Anonymous No.11704454]

What is the Tarantino of books?

[Anonymous No.11704458]

Catcher in the rye, unironically

[Anonymous No.11704462]

>>11704454
Thomas Pynchon?

[Anonymous No.11704469]

unironically, the first two books in the Hitchhiker's Guide series.

[Anonymous No.11704542]

>>11704454
That depends on what you consider Tarantino to be.

[Anonymous No.11704731]

>>11704469
These, Cat's Cradle, and the Hobbit are my favorite books from childhood

[Anonymous No.11704747]

>>11703168
Gravity's Rainbow

[Anonymous No.11704754]

>>11704462
Basically

[Anonymous No.11704758]

>>11704454
Or YeCarthy

[Anonymous No.11704767]

>>11703168
Finnegan's Wake

[Anonymous No.11704801]

literally any classic from the 20th century that isn't adored by snobs (i.e. ulysses and such). if you have a interest in marginal literature/characters, I'd suggest you take a look at Bukowski's influences on goodreads, and the old fart himself. they are all easy and interesting reads.

[Anonymous No.11706299]

Read these books that start with C:

Cat's Cradle, Crying of Lot 49, Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22, Clockwork Orange, Cloud Atlas, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

[Anonymous No.11706335]

bump for interest

[Anonymous No.11706342]

>>11703197
Ironically this.

[Anonymous No.11706365]

Do people unironically believe that the Bible is a good book, or just think that because it's the sacred book of their religion? I hardly believe that even a 20% of /lit/ has ever read all the bible. It stops making sense sometimes, or repeats itself beating some dead horse over and over, and goes to talk on some heavy fantasy shit towards the end, and I know that this is a pretty reductive and poor argument, but I don't want to go full on depth on everything the bible makes no sense. Not hating on the religion,(before you desu vult lovers start seething) I hardly find it as one of the best book written like on this meme list >>11703295

[Anonymous No.11706385]

>>11703306
That's true OP you can't enjoy reading at this age!!

[Anonymous No.11706400]

Find a pdf of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
It's short, it's the oldest classic and I was surprised to find it's actually a fun and light story and not some ancient slog.
Then you'll be able to truly say you started at the beginning, if anyone ever asks.

Next, you should find something light or short. Harry Potter, Hitchhiker, Cat's Cradle, Crying of Lot 49, Animal Farm, The Time Machine, Siddharta, The Giver, Fight Club, Snow Crash, Wizard of Earthsea, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Flatland.
You want to create a regular habit of reading; that's more important than picking up particular meme books or huge tomes or /lit/ classics. You don't want to get bogged down in the beginning. You want to be completing books, forming an identity as a reader that will be robust against an encounter with a book you don't like.

[Anonymous No.11706410]

>>11703168
Read what interests you. You'll find reading more enjoyable than having to plow your way into books that don't even interest you because a flowchart told you to.

[Anonymous No.11706418]

>I'm 22 and I've never read a book.

How does that happen?

[Anonymous No.11706436]

>>11706418
I think he meant it like "Read a book on my own initiative", otherwise I doubt he would be able to ask that question.

[Anonymous No.11706848]

>>11706418
see
>>11703662

[Anonymous No.11706887]

>>11703168
Perhaps a good place to start is to read something that's familiar. There's a lot of movies based off books and sometimes it helps if you can visualize the characters or already know whats going on in the story. It also depends on your taste. I didn't seriously get into reading until I was 18 and one of the first books I read was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson.

[Anonymous No.11706899]

>>11703249
Infinite jest

[Anonymous No.11706972]

>>11703168
>>11703249
>>11703204
>>11703362
>>11703294
>>11703423

Anon, don't listen to these dopes. What you need is a quick, easy, short book to spark your taste. Pick up Of Mice and Men first. Then move on to the following (in no real order): Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Deadliest Game, Catcher in the Rye (I actually didn't really like this one - it's bland), and 1984. That will give you the all-around to get started and keep you from getting bored. Oh, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Loved that book as a beginner and even still.

Most if not all of this books I believe are on the beginner's wiki. However, I at least selected of few "especially starter" reads for you.

P.S. Don't read books to be smart

[Anonymous No.11707024]

>>11704233
Fucking hell.

[Anonymous No.11707944]

>>11706400
great post

[Anonymous No.11707988]

>>11706365
>Do people unironically believe that the Bible is a good book, or just think that because it's the sacred book of their religion?

Have you considered its one of the most, if not the most influential book in the West? Ergo, the world?

[Anonymous No.11708085]

>>11703249
Read Lolita, if that doesn't get you interested in reading more books then you are beyond help. It's funny and nice to read.

[Anonymous No.11708093]

>>11706400
any particular translation of gilgamesh you recommend

[Anonymous No.11708521]

>>11706972
Exactly. It seems like half the people here expect people who don't read to just jump in and enjoy reading high literature. No one also seems to understand that people should just read what genres they would most likely enjoy to read.

[Anonymous No.11708580]

>>11703611
thanks

[Anonymous No.11708741]

>>11707988
the emperor has no clothes. everyone references the bible because it is popular, and there is a cultural expectation that you view it as good. in reality, it is the most overrated book in existence

[Anonymous No.11709002]

>>11703191
>more "how to read" books are published nowadays rather than real books.

[Anonymous No.11709146]

>The Epic of Gilgamesh
>The Fall of Gondolin
>Frankenstein
>Dracula
>The Way of Kings
Any of these I shouldn't read? I'm just getting into reading, and I think I was told to just try to read as much as possible before I do anything else.

[Anonymous No.11709207]

>>11703191
can I get this on audiobook?

[Anonymous No.11709459]

>>11703249
The Once and Future King.

[Anonymous No.11709467]

>>11703168
.40 Glock, quite place in the woods, a single round, some bravery for once in your life [/spoiler]a nice heineken bottle about 75 yards out and steady aim

[Anonymous No.11709526]

There's a lot of people trying to troll you here saying about books that are actually NOT GOOD for begginers. Plus: there's no age to start reading. There's no such a thing for reading.
It will be very hard but just for some years, everything takes time, every ability works like this ;drawing, paintings, reading, writting, cooking;

[Anonymous No.11709550]

>>11709146
Sanderson is a hack.

[Anonymous No.11709552]

>>11703791
Journey to the West

[Anonymous No.11709555]

>>11703168
>>11703249
Here on /lit/, we discuss more (let's say) advanced books. God forbid you start with the Greeks or anything theological. That would bore you to death.

My sincere advice is, read some good old fantasy to get you into reading. Stuff like Vinnetou, Eragon-Inheritance and maybe even Harry Potter if you think you'll be into it. I think authors like Tolkien or Pratchet are not a good starting point as they are a bit more sophisticated

[Anonymous No.11709568]

>>11703168
Just read literally anything that interests you and also challenges you.

Don't read Young Adult or any science fiction that isn't Heinlein, Clarke, or Asimov. Don't read ANY fantasy.

Be wary around self-help material but don't cross it off entirely.

I highly recommend the book in this post:
>>11703191

It can be really dry and a bit overwhelming at first, but it's worth it, and afterwards Adler guides you through the true great classics of literature, fiction and nonfiction. It's good to have a mix of both, that way you don't get burnt out reading incredibly dense stories, but you don't get bored with incredibly dry ideas.

Most of all, just keep at it. Start off with a promise to yourself to read only one page a day. Grow from there to two. Then five. Ten. Twenty. Before you know it you'll be reading 100 pages in a single sitting and you'll be loving every minute of it.

[Anonymous No.11709599]

>>11703168
charles bukowski - ham on rye

easy to read & fun. while also moving you every now and then.

[Anonymous No.11709666]

>>11709555
harry potter will lead him down the wrong path.

[Anonymous No.11709688]

>Start with the Greeks
>recommends a roman

[Anonymous No.11709971]

>>11708093
Even ignoring translation differences, the oldest tablets are piecemeal and incomplete, and the story was embellished with details over time, so there's no definitive version.
I'm in no position to judge, but here's a version that goes line by line from early tablets: http://www.uwosh.edu/home_pages/faculty_staff/minniear/2010/Pages/Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf
And here's a longer version I remember reading, probably incorporating the later details: http://l-adam-mekler.com/epic_gilgamesh.pdf
It's short enough that you could easily read both styles.

[Anonymous No.11709996]

>>11703249
Moby Dick

[OP No.11710468]

the remains of the day - kazuo ishiguro
what we talk about when we talk about love - raymond carver
norweigan wood - haruki murakami
a prayer for owen meany - john irving
cloud atlas - david mitchell
atonement - ian mcewan
1984 - george orwell
lolita - vladimir nabokov
brighton rock - graham greene
sense of an ending - julian barnes

[Anonymous No.11710524]

Oingo boingo trilogy of zaleedooper Dooper land.

A classic.

[Anonymous No.11710559]

>>11703191
Imagine having NEVER read a book before in your life and the first thing you try is a 400 page fucking manifesto on the intricacies of 'syntopical reading' and 'read hard books slower, then reread them'. why is /lit/ so autistic

[Anonymous No.11710592]

[Anonymous No.11710655]

>>11704300
>is what's in evidence
That’s some blatant esl right there

[Anonymous No.11711188]

>>11707988
You can say the same about all the sacred books at their respective region, retarded condescending mongoloid. And no, the bible isn't as important as you think it is at the east. Now, instead of using such a stupid fallacy as depending as an ad nauseam and ad populum, explain why the bible is a good book, remember that at the time christianity went full force barely anyone knew how to read and take as granted w/e bs was said on there.

[Anonymous No.11711799]

>>11704081
moron

[Anonymous No.11711864]

>>11703210
I keep seeing different versions of this chart, all relatively similar.

[Anonymous No.11711889]

>>11709550
How is Sanderson a hack?

[Anonymous No.11712195]

>>11711799
Retarded Anglo who thinks making a few of the most mundane points imaginable in a long-ass manuscript can ever count as being one of the greatest writers. "B-buh he covers so much of the HUMAN CONDITION in his collective works!" Alright, call me when he covers something of any worth whatsoever, because I don't need some theatre monkey to tell me about how depression or forbidden love feels. Get your fucking shit together, England, you have so many better writers and poets in your canon.