r/readwithme

Not necessarily your favorite book—just the one whose opening line instantly hooked you.

Drop the first line (or the book title if you want to avoid spoilers) and tell us why it hit so hard.

I'm looking for books that make you think, "Yeah... I'm finishing this."

And damn, this book is something crazy, man.

I have not felt this much happiness, sadness, puzzle, love, grief, and anger all at once, and I have not cried this much reading the end of a book.

Last time was with Tuesdays with Morrie, which was pretty sad, but this is as much sad.

I now understand more of the book. What her father went through, what her mother went through, what kind of stories they told her about the old Iran.

And especially reading this right now, when somewhat of a war has just ended but really hasn’t.

To understand what Iran was before 1953, how crazy it was, how people were hopeful, how they were hoping for democracy.

And the characters of this book, man.

Even while I’m writing this I’m crying.

But holy f, how can someone write this good?

This was too much for me.

I realise everybody wants to love, everybody wants to be in love, but to be in love has its own trauma, its own highs and lows.

And this book clearly describes it.

F, I’m gonna be crying for some more days I guess.

But yeah, this book has etched itself into my memory, into my existence.

I just think what she has written is so beautiful.

Marjan Kamali, is amazing.

I so want to read more of her books but I won’t lie, I am a bit scared to go through this fictional (but real) pain again.

How do you stop yourself of wasting time on social media (my biggest addiction is youtube. I can spend hours on gameplays, commentaries and reactions.) Most of the time I feel that these videos don't even bring me joy/interest but I can't stop watching.

After a long day in work or uni, I simply put on whatever is on my feed. I'm curious, how do you read elat the end of the day when you are exhausted ?

Do you start with genre, author, length, cover art, questionable recommendations, reviews, or something else entirely?

Sometimes I know within the first chapter that a book won‘t pull me in. I like to call it having Reading Spidey Senses.

True to being an avid reader, books tend to resonate with me. There are times when I feel like if I’m in a certain season of my life, or experiencing a certain emotion, then I try not to read the opposite of that at the time.

In my previous post, I mentioned James Patterson as an author that I couldn’t engage with until later on in my life. I was introduced to him at a young age, and couldn’t get into his work because of the short chapters. Now that I am an author myself and understand the craft of reading and writing a whole lot more, I his style of is actually brilliant.

Sometimes, I like to imagine his chapters are my favorite candy. They tend to bite-sized, but long lasting like a box of Buncha Crunch or movie theater popcorn.

Yes, I just paired reading with candy all before 10 AM EST. It’s July 4th, so I’m excusing myself from being a responsible adult today, and you should, too. 😁

I’m curious—what’s the quickest you’ve ever realized a book wasn’t for you?

• Was it the writing style?
• The pacing?
• The characters?
• Something else?
• Do you have Reading Spidey senses?
• Is there a specific time of year that you choose to read your favorite author more than usual?

I’d love to hear your experiences.

I’m curious how other readers approach this.
If you’re not enjoying a book, do you push through and finish it, or do you set it aside and move on to something else?

Some people believe every book deserves to be finished. Others think life is too short to spend time reading something that isn’t connecting with them.
Has your approach changed over the years?

I used to feel bad if I had to DNF (Did Not Finish) a book. Now, though, because I strive to achieve my reading challenge yearly, I DNF a lot quicker if the book loses my attention. I still end up feeling bad, but I rationalize it that I have a goal to finish. My goal this year is to read 130 books, and I have only DNF 3 books thus far.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and what influences your decision.

So I have been binge-reading Stephen King books since I was introduced to his writing this April, and I enjoy them so much. But I think I need something light in between, something that will make me laugh so hard or something that will warm my heart and make me feel safe. Something like a palate cleanser, sort to say. Please help your girl out. Thanks!

P.S. So far, I’ve enjoyed Piranesi and Funny Story as examples of light reads. ❤️ Rom-coms with good prose are very much welcome! 💕

This has happened a couple times to me, where books echo each other and make them each richer? Most recently I experienced this reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey (fiction) and Notes on Complexity by Neil Thiese (popular science). Cosmic themes of infinite vastness and connection kept occurring to me. Now I'm looking to pair books that might have a similar effect :)

Hi everyone! I’m new here and hope you can recommend some books for me.
I’m from a non-English-speaking background, so I’m still quite new to reading English novels. I’ve listed the books I’ve read below so you can get an idea of my taste.

My favorites (no particular order):
The Martian
Project Hail Mary
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
The Da Vinci Code
The Hunger Games

Books I enjoyed, but not as much as above:
Angels & Demons
The Secret of Secrets
Dark Matter
Murder on the Orient Express
And Then There Were None
Ready Player One

I’m open to any genre, but I especially enjoy adventure, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, and books with great world-building or a strong sense of discovery throughout the plot.
What books made you completely lose track of time while reading?

Edit: Wow, thank you all so much for the recommendations! I honestly wasn’t expecting so many replies. My reading list has grown a lot, and I’m excited to start working through it one book at a time. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share your favorites. Happy reading! 😊