The Best Books To Get Back Into Reading Even If It S Been Years

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 2, 2025, 5:59 PM

the best books to get back into reading even if it s been years

One of my favorite things in the world is hearing from people that have rediscovered a love of reading after years without picking up a book or who NEVER enjoyed reading growing up and... But in either scenario, the trick is a really good book that makes you want to shirk all your responsibilities and just live inside the world of that book for a little bit longer! If you’re looking for a great book to kickstart your reading life, I’ve picked a few favorites in a whole bunch of categories, from romances to non-fiction to historical fiction to graphic novels. No matter which category speaks to you, I hope you’ll find just the right book to help you get lost in the world of reading! The Accidental Beauty Queen by Terri Wilson Charlotte is a school librarian and happy to spend her life buried in a book. Her twin sister, though, has spent her life chasing beauty pageant crowns and now is competing for Miss American Treasure.

Except, the night before the pageant begins, Ginny has a horrible allergic reaction and begs Charlotte to take her place until Ginny is well enough to step back in. But even though they look alike, Charlotte and Ginny are wildly different – is there any way they can pull off a con at this level? I read this last summer and blew through it in a day – it was just so so delightful. It’s also squeaky clean! (Full review here) Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links.

As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop.org affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more. Getting back into reading can feel like restarting a long-lost habit — exciting but intimidating. Whether you’ve been away from books for months or years, the key is to start with stories that immediately pull you in and remind you why you loved reading in the first place. The books below are carefully selected for their readability, momentum, and emotional punch. They’re the kind of stories that make you forget you’re even reading.

Once you finish one, you’ll want to keep the streak going.aragraphs What if you could undo every regret and live all the lives you never chose? The Midnight Library is a mesmerizing dive into possibility, self-worth, and the meaning of life. The chapters are short and emotionally gripping — perfect for someone trying to fall back in love with books. Haig’s writing is accessible and heartfelt, blending emotional insight with a touch of fantasy. It’s ideal for readers who want depth without heaviness, and will leave you thinking long after the last page.

Eleanor is awkward, routine-driven, and secretly very lonely — until a random act of kindness begins to unravel her walls. This novel balances humor and heartbreak with remarkable grace, making it an easy but emotionally rewarding read. The writing flows smoothly, and Eleanor’s unique voice keeps the pages turning. For readers looking to ease back into fiction with a character you’ll root for, this is a top pick. "I cannot praise it enough. I cried three times while reading the last book."

"Viola Marek is a struggling real estate agent, and a vampire. But her biggest problem currently is that the house she needs to sell is haunted. The ghost haunting the house has been murdered, and until he can solve the mystery of how he died, he refuses to move on.Fox D’Mora is a medium, and though is also most-definitely a... But with the help of an unruly poltergeist, a demonic personal trainer, a sharp-voiced angel, a love-stricken reaper, and a few high-functioning creatures, Vi and Fox soon discover the difference between a mysterious lost... The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century--and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory.

Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized, beyond belief...Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a... And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance's one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic "Black Jack" legend... Here's a quick synopsis of The Housemaid from Goodreads:

"'Welcome to the family,' Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own… You remember what it felt like to fall into a book and not surface for hours.

Books to get back into reading bring that feeling back. The kind of stories that draw you in from the first line and make every page feel like time well spent, that is exactly why this list is for. What follows next are not just good books but the entry points, the books to end a reading slump. They are the kind of stories that slip past your defenses and bring you back to start reading books again. The Book Thief does it with quiet heartbreak. The Alchemist does it with strange wisdom that lingers.

Never Let Me Go does it with a soft sorrow that you never quite shake off. None of them demands more than your attention, and they earn it quickly. You do not need a reading plan or a five-year goal. You just need one story that makes you stay up a little too late. One book that reminds you why words matter. That is where we start, not with pressure, but with wonder.

These are the books to get back into reading, the ones that do not let go. Books like The Book Thief, The Alchemist, and Never Let Me Go do not beg for your attention. They earn it quietly and fully, and are the best books to end a reading slump. They meet you exactly where you are and pull you back into the story and make you start reading books again because they refuse to let go until you do. These are the books that linger. They make you feel, think, and pause.

If you’ve lost interest in reading, these stories have the emotional depth and narrative pull to draw you back slowly, powerfully, and lastingly. From swoonworthy romance to gripping family sagas—rediscover the joy of getting lost in a book There’s nothing better than cozying up by the fire, drinking a warm cup of tea and escaping into a good book. But there’s nothing worse than picking up a book, reading a few pages or chapters and realizing you just can’t get into it. We’ve all been there! And when you can’t find a book to read, that feeling of calm and comfort quickly disappears.

To the rescue: Our list of the 10 best new books. Whether you’re in a book slump or looking to get back into reading after a long stretch of being too busy to sit down with a book, we’ve got you covered. The best part? Our list of 2025 must-reads contains un-put-downable books in every genre: If you’re looking to escape to a world filled with romance and fantasy, check out The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy... If historical fiction is more your speed, consider the latest Read With Jenna pick Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, which one reader says is “easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.” Read on to discover our 10 best new books that are guaranteed to get you back into reading.

Warning: once you start you won’t want to stop! Glamour, fashion and friends abound in this historical fiction novel written by Annabelle Marx set in 1910. The plot follows Maisie McIntyre after she decides to move from Edinburgh, Scotland to New York City in the hopes of becoming a dressmaker. As she makes her way in a new city, she witnesses the unexpected, from the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to the women’s rights movement and love. A story of bravery, strength and self-expression. In honor of Literary Hub’s tenth birthday, we asked over 200 authors, editors, booksellers, publishing professionals, and other literary luminaries to weigh in on a few questions about the past, present, and future of...

We will be sharing their opinions on various subjects with you over the next weeks, but to start, we’ve collated some of the best answers on one of our favorite questions: what’s the best... NB that “recently,” in this case, meant the last 25 years (we’re long-term thinkers), and that rather than ask respondents to choose the best book published in the last 25 years, we asked them... Here are some of their responses, which reflect very little consensus—suggesting that books might not be dying in a monotonous, homogeneous heap after all: James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. It’s a perfect novel, and reads like it could have been published this year. –Kelsey McKinney, author and co-owner at Defector

Giovanni’s Room. “I stand at the window of this great house in the south of France as night falls, the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my life. I have a drink in my hand, there is a bottle at my elbow. I watch my reflection in the darkening gleam of the window pane. My reflection is tall, perhaps rather like an arrow, my blond hair gleams. My face is like a face you have seen many times.

My ancestors conquered a continent, pushing across death-laden plains, until they came to an ocean which faced away from Europe into a darker past.” Receive giveaways, book announcements and curated reading lists directly in your inbox. Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South—and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred. One of the most cherished stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an... A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as... The "brilliant, funny, meaningful novel" (The New Yorker) that established J.

The Best Books To Get Back Into Reading Even If It S Been Years

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