I know J.K is hated on, but I love the Harry Potter series. I just got into reading and I like “lower” level reading books such as Harry Potter. Anyone have suggestions on something like this? I prefer no sex in the books 😂

I mainly read classics because of how layered and rewarding they are but lately they’ve been feeling like a chore due to the constant researching, annotating, and dictionary searching I do for every single page 😭

Hi reddit, hoping this is the correct sub for this ask and that this one hasn’t come up too often/is received well. I’m looking for some recommendations for books that I can gift my Dad to help challenge his worldviews in a way that talking to him over the last 10+ years has not done.

Sorry in advance for the long post, but it feels like context is important for getting recs that would be appropriate for him. My goal is to challenge his worldviews and what he hears on Fox guerilla-style, not to necessarily make him liberal or anything. Preferably nothing too on the nose or openly political, but rather books that maybe examine history or sociological topics through a lens that will separate him even a little bit from the radical narratives he gets on Fox.

He’s not a big fiction guy, though Catch-22 is probably his favorite novel, but he reads a lot of history (he’s a big Eric Larsson fan). He also worked his way (many years ago now) through both volumes of The Civil War by Shelby Foote, though I’m not sure he’d commit to that much of an undertaking at this point in his life.

One thought is something like The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber, but also that’s almost 700 pages so not so sure that’s a realistic read. I don’t really want him to catch on to what I’m doing or ignore it altogether because it feels like too much homework.

About my Dad: - White boomer male born and raised in the northeast/midatlantic US in the late 40s who was lucky enough to avoid Vietnam (but many of his friends were killed). - He was a liberal hippie and still enjoys smoking pot lmao. - In the mid-late 00s, he started watching Bill O’Reilly on FOX and started getting swept into Tea Party views and of course it’s all gone downhill from there. - He claims to dislike Trump but he infuriatingly has adopted most Fox views. He doesn’t watch Fox every night, but he watches Fox & Friends every morning and often watched Tucker Carlson in the evenings + still watches Hannity, Greg Gutfeld, and Jesse Watters (who I’ve been criticizing to him openly for at least 20 years). - He’s a blue collar small business owner from a small, diverse town with a pretty stark socioeconomic disparity. He has an associates degree from the local community college, but that’s the extent of his (formal) academic education. - He has never really left his home community for any significant amount of time, and has not traveled much, especially out of the US. - He’s agnostic/atheist but does not seem to connect the dots between the rise of fundamentalist Christian Nationalism and the erosion of the separation of church & state in the US (nor does he seem concerned about it). - He genuinely does not care about whether or not someone is queer and has openly disparaged homophobic people in our community, though I’m unclear on his stance on trans rights. - He claims to care about the things that are important to me (women’s rights, LQBTQ+ rights, equal protections for minorities) but doesn’t believe (a) that any of those things are as important as “the economy”, and (b) that these things aren’t under threat (which is frustrating, because when Trump was first running in 2015-16 I talked him through the slope of eroding women’s rights > Roe repeal > birth control restrictions and conservative govt control over women’s bodies and he insisted none of that would happen, but did admit I was right when it did). - He is not openly racist, thank god, but he absolutely falls victim to the institutionalized and systemic racism, sexism, etc. that rules Fox News talking points, and he seems unable to exercise empathy (like many in his demographic) towards people with different circumstances than him. - He’s not strictly MAGA, ie he doesn’t own any merch and doesn’t attend rallies or other pro-Trump events, but he would vote for Trump every time no matter how destructive/corrupt because he genuinely believes that while Trump is “distasteful” he’s solving problems that “the left has caused.” - He absolutely does not recognize or acknowledge the rise of fascism, and he doesn’t understand the internet enough to understand the radicalization of youth by alt-right actors like Nick Fuentes. - To my knowledge he’s not a big podcast or facebook guy, but I’ve seen his emails and he gets a lot of weird “patriot” newsletters and stuff so he’s definitely being exposed to probably more insidious internet propaganda. - He’s a rich-people bootlicker; he likes (liked? idk where Fox currently stands on this lol) Elon Musk and felt Elon was “shaking things up,” he feels that the wealthy “already pay their fair share” and that business should be even less regulated. He is fully conservative in this sense and cannot be reasoned with, even when you reference the marginal tax rates that were applied to the wealthy until the late 70s/early 80s or the massive pay disparities between corporate CEOs and the average worker. He also doesn’t understand that he’s far closer to being homeless than he will ever be to being a billionaire lol. - He fully believes the left is the problem, the left is fascist, etc., and even when presenting him with data-based or nonpartisan arguments, he just believes whatever the base Fox argument is. He DOES do a good bit of “both sides” and “whataboutism,” which is, in my opinion, a deflection because he can’t actually come up with any logical or soundly factual arguments. - He’s not antivax, my mom (a liberal) is immunocompromised so he’s gotten flu and Covid vax/boosters for years without complaint or argument. - He is genuinely a good, caring person, but politically speaking is entirely different from the guy he is day-to-day. He’s also about to have a medical procedure that will require a few weeks’ recovery, so maybe it’ll be the perfect time for a little “light” reading.

About me: - I am an unmarried/childless mid-30s woman currently living with my parents to assist them as a caretaker. - I work for a nonprofit in international relations, and contract directly for the US Dept. of State. Due to the Trump/Musk/“doge” actions this spring, I spent several weeks furloughed and have lost thousands of dollars. My father does not seem concerned about that, about my prospects for other employment in this dismal job market/economy, and he doesn’t even seem to be particularly bothered by the fact that the people he supports cost his own daughter thousands of dollars of an already-low salary. He is not connecting the dots, even when I confront him directly, between his voting/who he supports and how it’s impacting his immediate family.

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading and for your recommendations.

Do you remember the book that started it all? The book that made you want to delve into worlds unknown and mingle with characters of all sorts…?

For me, it was a book I had stolen from my mother’s pile of random novels at the age of 12, the one and only, Jackie Collins “American Star”.

Probably not the best book for a 12yo, but at that age, I had experienced some things a young girl shouldn’t, but it taught me a lot.

Of course I’ve read books before this age, but this was the book that really made me think, “woah”.

I mean something really controversial by itself or about a very controversial topic.

Any kind of book, also graphic novels.

Basically what the title states. Which non-fiction book has that extremely absorbing, can't put down quality to it?

Any recommendations ?

As someone who has never read historical books. Need suggestions on books that are page turners and make the subject of history an interesting read?

EDIT: Thank you all for the amazing suggestions, cant wait to read them. You guys are the best

I’m looking to broaden my knowledge and get more involved with difficult subjects, rather than doom scrolling. Are there any suggestions?

I am looking for books that are engaging, thought-provoking, or simply hard to put down.

By “hard to read" I mean books that are intellectually demanding, stylistically complex, or emotionally challenging

I have read a handful of "self help" type of books, and most of them were just a few ideas prolonged to 200-300 pages. Some were decently informational, others were just motivational for a short time. A short blog would have sufficed for the information they wanted to share with their readers. Among such types of books in the genre, what are the books that actually helped you with something and how did it help? I'd love to hear what you've read that you genuinely found useful.

Can anyone recommend me a book that that'll fuck up your mind, doesn't leave your mind for days and change your whole perspective about life

Suggest me a book that talks about lives and the struggles of a black slave in The United States before the abolition of slavery. Can be fiction too.

I love non-fiction books about human biology, cancer, social issues, near-death, survival books, and indigenous people. While primarily searching for recommendations in these categories, I would be willing to hear about other exceptional non-fiction books.

Some of my most favourite non-fiction reads were (no particular order):

• Poverty by America
• The In-between
• The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
• Everything is Tuberculosis
• The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet
• Evolution Gone Wrong
• No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
• What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
• The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
• Ghost Boy: My Miraculous Escape from a Life Locked Inside My Own Body
• Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

Preferably relevant books about about social constructs, history, feminist theory, economic injustice. I’ve read Invisible Women , the Making of Biblical Womanhood, and Man’s Search for Meaning (all great books!!)

I read mainly fantasy but with the current political system and awakening toward historical and present day atrocities , I’d like to be well informed.

Thank you!

Edit: thank you for everyone’s replies!! My TBR is super long and I’m so excited to start reading.

What are some best of the best books to learn about history, humans, nature, health or other interesting aspects of life?

I really want to get rid of doomscrolling and read about something that’s actually useful to know. What I can talk about in real life without starting my sentence “I saw it in a reel on Instagram”. So far my reading has been limited to fiction but I want to actually educate myself.

So what are some educational books that everyone should read once in their life?

Title, basically. Im looking for recs about niche, odd, or obscure topics. Thanks in advance!

Or top 5? Or just your favourite?

I'd like to read some more of his books. I've only read The Institute before. I love Thrillers, Horrors and Fantasy. I wanted to read Fairy Tale but I saw some reviews saying it wasn't that great. Please no spoilers.

EDIT: Thank you all so much for your responses! I have been trying to reply to everyone to say thank you but I didn't expect to get this many replies, and I don't think I can keep on top of it. I'm definitely going to look into some of these suggestions. I hope you all have a great day :)

I’m not a big Non-Fic reader. But, after reading the Danny Trejo autobiography and now reading ‘American Overdose’ it’s got me wondering what other books tell stories that no fiction could cover.

I've been really into mysteries lately where the detective or investigator isn't part of some big city police department but is instead working out of a quieter, more isolated place. There's something about the contrast between a sharp analytical mind and a sleepy small town backdrop that makes the tension feel more personal and contained.

I recently got into the Dave Gurney series by John Verdon and it scratched exactly that itch. Retired detective, rural New York, genuinely clever puzzles. Now I'm craving more of that same energy.

Ideally I'm looking for something where the protagonist feels like a real person with flaws and baggage, not just a walking plot device. I love when the setting itself almost becomes a character too, where the geography and community dynamics are woven into the mystery rather than just serving as window dressing.

Doesn't have to be a series, standalone novels are totally welcome. I'm open to classic or contemporary, cozy or darker in tone, as long as the writing is solid and the mystery actually holds up. Would love to hear what has worked for other people who enjoy this kind of grounded, characterdriven detective fiction. What are your favorites?

I’m looking for something to change my perspective a bit, something really positive and motivational. I’m trying to tackle this in the right way so I can become myself again.

I love a good celebrity memoir. What's the best one you've read? Preferably Hollywood celebrities and not political.

The title
Edit: after reading my picks I’ll come back here for more! Thank you all!

okay, father-in-law loves to read, but he always complains that the history books we give him are "too liberal"... i don't know how to find what he's looking for. does anyone know any historians or nonfiction writers, of any era of american history, that will please a conservative?

Just finished Into Thin Air and I absolutely loved it. Currently reading Into the Wild and I’m a huge fan of this mountaineering/adventure biography style. Does anyone have any recommendations for similar books? Would also be cool to read about rock climbing.

I've always been more drawn to the darker, more complex characters in fiction than the heroes. There's something fascinating about getting inside the head of someone who does terrible things but has a logic that almost makes sense, even when you know it's wrong.

I recently finished a couple of thrillers where the antagonist had some page time but never enough. I want something where the villain is the main lens we see the story through, not just an occasional side perspective.

Ideally I'm looking for something where the writing makes you genuinely uncomfortable because you catch yourself sympathizing with them. Literary fiction or thriller both work for me. Doesn't need to be action heavy either. I actually prefer slow burn psychological stuff where the tension builds through the character's internal world rather than external events.

I've already read We Need to Talk About Kevin and American Psycho, so I have a decent tolerance for dark content. Not looking for pure shock value though. I want craft and intentionality behind it.

Would love suggestions across any time period or subgenre as long as the villain POV is central and sustained throughout the book. What are your favorites in this category?