I have been asked to recommend books for beginners on various occassions by people who wish to start reading. There are so many good and easy reads to begin with that I was confused what books to suggest.
Here’s a few that I think many can sit through as a starting book. π π
1. Any book from the famous five series by Enid Blyton
Childrens’ Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery
I have only read one and it was literally the first novel that I ever read. It is a series of children’s adventure novels. It features a group of 4 young children- Julian, Dick, Anne, and Georgina aka George and their dog, Timmy.
Why read? There are 21 books in the series to choose from, you can have your pick based on the setting, as they aren’t dependent on each other you can read any book from the 21 books. The books fall roughly between 200-300 pages so they are not too much or too less for a beginner.
2. Chocolate Guitar Momos by Kenny Deori Basumatary
Contemporary Romance
This book starts with Joseph who is a young aspiring musician, getting kicked out of a relationship by his third girlfriend. He believes that relationships won’t work unless they are destined to be. So, he decides to track down a girl who smiled at him from across a bus stop eight years ago. The only thing that he remembers is that she was wearing a grey skirt. He knows nothing, not her name, not her address, he doesn’t even remember her face.
Why read? There are so many funny moments in this book, the writing style is raw, it will keep you hooked in, the ending is sad which perfectly balances the light-heartedness going on. It has some really creative insults that will leave you giggling like a kid saying a curse word for the first time. π
3. Diary of a young girl- Anne Frank
Non- Fiction
Most of us either had a chapter based on this book or on Anne’s father Otto Frank in our English books. In the back of our minds we already have our interests sparked because we are a little familiar with this book, thanks to our academics.Β It shows a simplistic, individualistic account of a part of the Nazi period of history, not the political, public view but a glimpse in lives of humans who were the most affected by it.
Why read? Because it is in the form of a diary (addressed as Dear Kitty) it is much easier to read as beginners than other books and much meaningful to experience.
4. The fault in our stars by John Green
Young Adult, Fiction
The story is narrated by Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16 year old girl with cancer. Her parents force her to attend a cancer patient support group where she meets and falls in love with 17 year old Augustus Waters, who lost his right leg to cancer and wears a prosthetic. There is an emphasis on metaphors in this book that became a representing feature of the book.
Why read? This book is a beautiful journey, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, The ending is totally unexpected, it took a really sad turn. (Ofcourse) The first book that made me cry. π π
5. A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini
Fiction
This, despite being fiction, feels real when you read it, maybe because it was somewhere inspired by reality. This book focuses on 2 female characters- Mariam and Laila and their lives and struggles in Afghanistan when taliban was in power.
Why read? This again is an individualistic take on a mass affecting circumstance and event. This book touches various aspects of reality and dynamics of various relations written in a way that keeps a reader reading.
6. Between the lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Fairy Tale, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy
A 15 year old teenager, Delilah finds this fairy tale in a library and becomes obsessed with it. She is a bookworm and kind of an introvert. The fairy tale is called “Between the lines” and is about Prince Oliver. She has a punky, rock bff who is fun to read about.
Her dad divorced her mom when she was a baby, being lonely she confides her worries to Prince Oliver and guess what… he talks back. To cut a long story short, they fall in love.
Why read?Β A fairy tale inside a fairy tale. A fresh concept, it is an interesting read and fairy tales are fairly easy to read, most of us have read or been read to.
7. What happened to goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary
This book is about the self discovery of a 17 year old girl, named Mclean Sweet. She hates the fact that her parents divorced and her mom married her dad’s favorite basketball team’s new coach, Peter Hamilton. Her dad’s job makes them move a lot, she decides to take on a different persona each time, creating a new name for herself, a new personality, a new Ume page. (similar to a Facebook profile)
On the 4th move, she somehow ends up being herself, she makes a lot of friends and is truly happy but then her secret is revealed and everything starts going downhill.
Why read?Β Β It’s a journey of self discovery written in a very engaging manner. The flow of the story is good, the stories of the supporting characters make Mclean’s story more enjoyable.
8. P.S. I love you by Cecelia Ahern
Fiction, Romance
This story revolves around Holly and Gerry, a married couple. They are deeply in love but they fight occassionally. Gerry dies suddenly of a brain tumor and Holly realizes how much he means to her and how insignificant their arguments were.
Holly is grief stricken and she withdraws from her friends and family. She loses herself. Then the letters start to arrive. They are from Gerry, each signed at the end with p.s. I love you.
Why read?Β This is a touching story about love and the strength of true love. This is about being there for the people you love even when the circumstances are not favorable. The curiosity of what each letter contains will keep you reading. You will feel the emotions that Holly goes through and even though this book is 500 pages, I think it is an easy read.
Romances are generally easy reads and the anticipation of Gerry’s next letter will keep you going.
9. Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary
The story is about Amy Curry, who is not happy with her life. Her dad died in a car accident and now she has to take a cross-country drive, because her mom decided to move from California to Connecticut, with Roger who is her mom’s friend’s son. Amy hasn’t seem him in years but the road trip develops a bond between them.
Why read?Β The story is written in a very nice and visually pleasing format, the narrative is accompanied with scraps from the road such as bills, tickets, playlists, etc.
The book is not just filled with words but as relative visuals too so it will hold a beginner’s attention.
10. Asylum- 13 tales of terror by Matt Drabble
Horror, Fiction
This is a collection of 13 short stories about the residents of Blackwater Heights, a mental health hospital. These 13 tales tie into a single main story regarding Martin Parcell, who is an ex-journalist and wanted to be an author, after a car crash’s injury he is forced to take a custodian’s position is Blackwater Heights.
Martin is deeply troubled as the tales unfold before him and is worried about his own sanity.
Why read?Β It’s a really well written book, the author knows how to make you feel his words. This book gave me real chills. Being written as short stories, it mentally prepares a beginner to read one more and one more and when all the stories tie into a single story you get the sense of reading a complete novel without the pressure of reading a full fledged novel. I feel like rereading it right now. π
These are my recommendations as of now. If you would life to watch it in video format click on the pictures. ( I divided it in 2 parts because I explained it all a bit more aka going on rambling. π )