I can't read. Help me write.

Silver-Midnight · May 12, 2012

jjdebenedictis said:
Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series might be to your liking. I'd say skip the first two books, since his writing got better/plottier/livelier as he went along.

Just started reading the series myself, and I wanted to say that I do find it funny, quirky, and enjoyable.

Cosmic Crayons · May 12, 2012

Once! said:
I must admit I'm struggling a bit here. You don't like too much description but you like Dickens. You like writers to be economical and books to be short, but you include JK Rowling on your list. You don't like Pratchett because of the emphasis on comedy but you like PG Wodehouse and Pixar.

- Dickens IS hard to read, but his characters leap off the page (I do have to listen to his work via audiobook) I'm talking about Great Expectations (David Copperfield) more than anything, where you have Pip's funny observations of the world and the hysterical, absurd characters. That's why I really want to find someone who distills all of that into something easy to read. G.K Chesterton too.

- As for JK Rowling, I'm thinking more of the first three books. Azkaban a bit more because it strikes a good balance between the whimsy/wonder of the first two and the darker, serious tone of the later ones.

- With Pratchett, his jokes make me feel less immersed in the story. I get the impression that he is trying to be funny. Not that he isn't, it's just that it's very obvious/crude. PG Wodehouse gets away with it because of his plotting, and maybe I find his humour a bit more charming than Pratchett (although I don't like when his 3rd person asides are TOO frequent)

Thanks for your recommendations, everyone.

Corinne Duyvis · May 12, 2012

I likely have ADHD as well, which makes it exceedingly hard to stick to books that don't grab me. This is probably one of the reasons I'm so into YA--I can almost always blaze through those.

bearilou · May 12, 2012

magicmint said:
If you are into fantasy, Glen Cook's Black Company series would work too.

zanzjan said:
If you're looking for fantasy, you may also like Steven Brust's Taltos series.

I was coming to make those suggestions.

Also, I blew through Gail Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate series. Those were a fun and fast read. Steampunk.

Ketzel · May 12, 2012

Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy? Strange, funny and on the cartoonish side, but in a sophisticated way.

Marceline · May 12, 2012

Diana Wynne Jones reminds me a lot of the early Harry Potter books, especially her Chrestomanci stories.

Kate Monster · May 12, 2012

Miss Plum said:
The modern writer I idolize is John Updike. Novels, novellas, and short stories. His non-fic is also great. He passed away a few years ago.

Oh gawd, I would NOT recommend Updike to anyone who dislikes long-winded descriptive passages. The guy spends orders of magnitude more time on flowery descriptions of flora and fauna (and genitalia, and occasionally golf) than he does on plot.

I would recommend giving YA a shot in general. YA authors are practiced at catching the shortened attention spans of teenagers, and so what YA lacks in detailed world-building it often makes up in dynamic characters and plot lines.

(Although frankly, if you like Dickens but find GRRM too dry, I'm not sure I understand what it is you like. I don't have an attention problem and I still find Dickens difficult...)

Flicka · May 12, 2012

Hmm... Some of Evelyn Waugh's earlier stuff? Like Decline & Fall? Very absurd and fast paced.

Lady Ice · May 13, 2012

Cosmic Crayons said:
I have ADHD, so it's difficult being 'omnivorous' in my reading in that my brain will NOT process certain writing styles. If the style is too serious, or too descriptive, or lacks a strong voice, or too 'poetic', then I'll have a hard time reading it.

These writers work for me:

PG Wodehouse
GK Chesterton
Charles Dickens
Roald Dahl

I'm looking for modern authors that are as 'lively' (and maybe cartoony) as the above in terms of characterizations, but are also swift with their plotting. Sometimes with the above authors (maybe not Dahl), you do have plenty of 'stuff' to wade through until you get to the point. I'd like to read authors that are more economical.

JK Rowling hits the sweet spot in that she combines elements of these authors (caricature-like descriptions, mystery, humour, inventive ideas), but the execution isn't really to my liking. So maybe someone similar to her. also I love stories that have drama and intrigue, like ASOAIF, but the writing is far too dry for me...

It'll be a bonus if the author writes short stories. I like Terry Pratchett, but there's too much of an emphasis on comedy in his work.

I know this is weird, but if there's a short story/novelist who writes like Pixar that would be amazing.

I'm impressed that you have ADHD and can read Dickens. I'd recommend Vanity Fair- Thackerey's style is similar to Dickens.

Lolita is a good mix of "poetic" and comic so you should be able to experience a different style.

Quite a few of the old American writers wrote short stories, so you could read some of their short stories to just get a flavour for their work (Hemingway and Fitzgerald in particular).

What about poems? I know you don't like poetic styles of writing but poems are mostly short and it gives you a feel of different writing styles.

Lady Ice · May 13, 2012

Stijn Hommes said:
If Dickens and Dahl are to your liking, then perhaps Neil Gaiman or Douglas Adams have the right mix of voice and quirky ideas to keep you reading.

Douglas Adams is also a very good choice.

Debbie V · May 14, 2012

Typing as the parent of a ten year old with ADHD - it isn't always what you read, it can be how you read it.

The audiobook suggestion is a good one.

I make my daughter read to me. Someone else being there forces her to focus more. If she reads independently she skips ahead and jumps back if she needs to. She also can't recall details as well. That impacts schoolwork. She has to write a journal entry on one book she's read each week. She chooses the books.There's something to hearing the work along with seeing the words.

Perhaps reading out loud will work for you, though you may get stared at in public.

Another vote for YA here. Some middle grades are great too and the added occasional visual may be helpful.

I also agree that every book by an author may not grab you. Sample three or four and see if any stick.

I can't read. Help me write.

Silver-Midnight

Cosmic Crayons

Corinne Duyvis

My New Cat Is Too Big for Shoulders

bearilou

DenturePunk writer

Ketzel

Leaving on the 2:19

Marceline

Kate Monster

Prophecy Girl

Flicka

Dull Old Person

Lady Ice

Makes useful distinctions

Lady Ice

Makes useful distinctions

Debbie V

Mentoring Myself and Others