so i have depression, i take meds and i talk with people about it but im also bored/empty alot and i just want something to do that is diffrent, if that makes sense. i havent read a book in quite some time and im considerd a slow reader becasue im dylexic and i lack motivation. i feel if i find a good book to help with this it might help witha few things.
i dont want a super duper brick sized book or horror, im more into anything but that also fiction like fantasy, sci-fi, cyberpunk, something that feels modern also manga but manga is more exspensive than a book, etc just no horror or anyhting weird.
also where is a good place to get physical books from at a discount?
I’ve been there. My mum struggled to communicate with me when I was in that period of my life, and so she’d buy me various books that she thought - sometimes through title alone - would get through to me. Almost all didn’t. Almost. One did.
Now, I will recommend the book of course, and more, but that’s not the message I want to give you. We’re all different, we’ve all got into this differently, and we all get out of it differently - what started things rolling for me may well do nothing for you. My message more is that the answer is within you, you just can’t see it - it’s hidden from you through no fault of your own; but with the right nudge, the right spark, and you’ll start to see a way out - so dim at first you scarcely recognise it for what it is, but it’ll nag at you, pique your interest, and slowly, ever-so-slowly, the snowball begins to roll.
Form me, the book was The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse.
I firmly believe that it’s no co-incidence that this book connected with me, it is astonishingly well crafted, the author is a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and several of his books, including The Glass Bead Game, “explores an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality.” Reading it is a journey - it takes it’s time to get hold of you, presumably with different elements appealing to different people, then it starts to lead you down a very carefully crafted but almost invisible path to a self-realisation.
A modern author, Matt Haig, wasn’t on my radar when I suffered from depression, but he is a somewhat unusual author in that he writes self-help books and novels. His most famous book The Midnight Library is particularly good, and it was a page-turning read, though I’ve not yet read any of his other titles.
Finally, we’re getting into books that have nothing to do with self-help directly, but I think are just straight-up amazing and recommend them to everyone, but they’re inspirational too:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first book in The Kingkiller Chronicle’s, of which there are currently only two out of the three books at this time - so you will be left hanging, as we all have been for years - but it’s so very definitely worth it.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is a book that spawned a series referred to as the Ender’s Saga or Enderiverse - it’s brillant on its own, but I highly recommend reading Ender’s Shadow too as it really adds to the first book in an unexpected way.
The author Kazuo Ishiguro is a phenomenal writer and also a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His books are very diverse, but from my experience so far (I’m not finished reading them all) they have something in common to Hermann Hesse’s books; they carefully take hold of you and pull you down a very carefully constructed path that you can barely see, but you feel like you’ve found the way rather than been led there as you must have been! The Remains of the Day is a period drama, not my cup of tea at all normally, but is brilliant and is so well written it made me realise I’d been missing out reading so much pulp sci-fi/fantasy! Another pick is Klara and the Sun, a sci-fi book set from the perspective of an android, which is incredibly well written and manages to shift your perspective on the story so much with so few words.
And so onto my final recommendation, of where to buy cheap books, but I’m going to be sneaky and tell the story of how my search for cheap books helped me overcome my depression.
Charity shops, aka thrift stores, are great for cheap second-hand books - most places will sell them for less than you can find them online - you just might have to do some hunting and regular visits to find them. Now, depending on where in the world you are, they may or may not exist. If they don’t, find out what happens to used books in your country and hunt them out there… it could be church fund-raisers, libraries, etc. But the act of actually browsing all the books and hunting for something new to read is a great activity in and of itself, if you set the goal that you’ll come back with something new no matter what!
But it was while looking at used books in a local charity shop that I realised they were looking for volunteers. So I started volunteering. At first I just stayed in the back listing books for sale online. Then I was convinced to help someone on the till, then asked to look after the till, then the shop, then eventually a paid position came up and I applied for it and got it.
I didn’t know it then, but that act of volunteering truly set me on my path to wellness. Initially I thought it was because of the objective good I was doing in the world, which would make sense - but looking back it wasn’t that at all. It was a more immediate sense of purpose, of socialising, of talking to people and listening to their problems, of getting social cues wildly wrong and learning, and so on. I was in full control of the rate of social interaction, but they always pushed me that touch more - with encouragement, kindness, and support.
Then one day I realised something strange - I was doing small-talk without thinking. It was almost terrifying, thinking back that I’ve literally just said something I’d not explicitly thought. But then it dawned on me… for the first time in over 20 years, I’d just been myself for a fleeting moment - free from worry and free from over-thinking; no conscious thought process martialling my thoughts and speech. It was in that realisation I knew for sure I’d eventually be OK. It took a long time, many years, and there were some bumps - but my rise to good health was inexorable.
Then the crazy part comes… dealing with emotions again! It had been so long since I last properly felt them, outside of expressing all emotions through negative emotions (i.e. I love my brother so much I would do X if someone did something to him"). I’d say I was actually manic for a while, having really high highs more powerful than the best drugs I’ve ever taken, and really low lows where I thought I was back at the start again. But having since seen my young nephews grow up, I realise now it was just learning how to deal with emotions again. It’s a wild ride, but one to be excited about and look forward to, not fear.
Another element that I really struggled with and slowed my progress was “blame”. Who’s fault was it I was like this? Mine? My parents? This event? That experience? It tore me up for a long time, there’s one thing worse than blaming yourself, and that’s blaming those you love. But over the years I came to see that it was a perfect storm, multiple overlapping waves that in isolation would have been tough but fine, but altogether at just the wrong times, sunk the ship. It was nobody’s fault that all these waves came at just the wrong times, that was chance.
So my advice is to read some of these great books and those others suggest, get involved with your community - there’s so many great causes desperate for your help, and set yourself on the path to find that first glimpse of the dim spark that will inexorably lead to your good health. You might not find it in days, weeks, or even months - but if you keep looking, even after a long break, you will eventually find it.
Good luck!
EDIT: Just to say, the Ender’s Game audiobook is amazing - tons of 80’s sci-fi sound effects!
Just wanted to commend you for sharing your experience and taking the time to write this out, you’re awesome ❤️
Do you have a local library?
I would start there if you do. The people who work there are in love with books and will have great recommendations for you.
If you like to laugh and you like fantasy, check out Terry Pratchett. The Night Watch series is my favorite Start with “Guards! Guards”.
Look into buying books on your phone or tablet. Both apple and Google frequently have “books under $5” sales. It’s not ideal for the physical feel of reading a book, but you can usually change the font and font size, which may make it more readable for you.
Hope this is helpful. The more you read the better you get at it, and the more you enjoy it.
FYI: Many e-readers, whether hardware or software, have a special font built in that helps dyslexics. It’s called OpenDyslexic and is a game changer. My wife uses it on her Kindle and it works a treat. Give it a go.
edit: Thought of a book recommendation. Check out the little known Avery Cates series, beginning with The Electric Church. Cyberpunk, spy, assassin. Good stuff.
The bone series of graphic novels are great. There are plenty of them, there easy to read, and there funny. Check the local library, they will have them all.
I’m a big fan of Douglas Addams (hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, dirk gently). He is easy to read and has a very sharp sense of houmor.
The Lunar Chronicles is another easy series to get into. Technically these are romances, but the romance is very light. It is a cyborg retelling of classic fairy tales.
Bone is great, but I think Adams’ work, particularly The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, will resonate with OP. You’re right, it’s an easy read (but not necessarily simple), and it never feels like a chore. @QuietStorm, if the opening paragraphs appeal to you, you might dig this book:
The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village. It stood on its own and looked out over a broad spread of West Country farmland. Not a remarkable house by any means—it was about thirty years old, squattish, squarish, made of brick, and had four windows set in the front of a size and proportion which more or less exactly failed to please the eye.
The only person for whom the house was in any way special was Arthur Dent, and that was only because it happened to be the one he lived in. He had lived in it for about three years, ever since he had moved out of London because it made him nervous and irritable. He was about thirty as well, tall, dark-haired and never quite at ease with himself. The thing that used to worry him most was the fact that people always used to ask him what he was looking so worried about. He worked in local radio which he always used to tell his friends was a lot more interesting than they probably thought. It was, too—most of his friends worked in advertising.
On Wednesday night it had rained very heavily, the lane was wet and muddy, but the Thursday morning sun was bright and clear as it shone on Arthur Dent’s house for what was to be the last time.
It hadn’t properly registered yet with Arthur that the council wanted to knock it down and build a bypass instead.
Do you have a library card? At my library I can reserve the books I want, and if they don’t have them they borrow them from another library in their system, and I get an email when they’re ready to be picked up. I also use the app Goodreads to track what I want to read.
If reading physical books is difficult, consider audiobooks as well!
For something sci fi/fantasy but more a serious/intense story:
A Deadly Education / the Scholomance series
Project Hail Mary
For more feel-good sci fi/fantasy:
The House in the Cerulean Sea
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Also if you’re in the US most libraries have access to Libby to check out audiobooks
You should check out The Dresden Files. It’s modern fantasy chock full of pop culture, anime and folklore references. They’re easy and fun to read and don’t take themselves too seriously.
it sounds very interesting ill have to check it out. ill probrably have to but it becasue my librairy probrably dont have it.
Check with your library. Most systems in the US have online catalogs you can check, and if your branch doesn’t have it, they will can place it on hold and transfer it to yours for you at no cost. If they don’t have it, ask if you can get it via LINK+ (an inter-library loan) from another system. This is also provided at no cost with most systems.
A quick internet search can get you in touch via chat, phone, or email with your local library and someone to help you find a book.
I work at a library and people reach out to us looking for books all the time. It’s our job and we like to help people connect with information. Don’t be afraid to reach out. We serve everyone from retired boomers, little kids, unhoused, and people with special needs all day long. It’s a big club and you’re invited.
For, example - in my county we have over 20 branches (big and small) and allow you to check out up to 100 books (ridiculous right?) free of charge for three weeks (that you can re-new) for twice for 3 more weeks each time. That’s over two months to read a book! (I’m a slow reader too!).
Go get yourself a library card and use it to unlock the world.
I think you’ll like A Wizard of Earthsea. It’s on the shorter side, moves quickly. It’s pretty good.
ill have to look into it then.
also where is a good place to get physical books from at a discount?
In the US, most public libraries have collections of everything you mentioned (including manga). Also, a lot of libraries have bookstores where they sell donations and old books from their collections. Reference librarians are great people to talk to for book recommendations.
The stranger. Cannery row. Catch 22. Extremely loud and incredibly close.
Some of my favorite depression books.
Highly recommend “The Expanse” series of books. Really great story, really great characters, and some moderately heavy topics. Good books to get lost in.
I also recommend CS Lewis’ space trilogy which starts with “Out of the Silent Planet”. Very accessible but well-written sci-fi that’s not nearly as long as other traditional Sci-Fi.
Heinlein is also all wonderful (Starship Troopers is a goodie that’s very different than the movie).
The Martian is a really fun, easy read. It was originally written as a series of online blog posts so it’s pretty consistently entertaining without any big, boring filler chapters.
Personally though, I don’t read a lot of fiction. There’s also a ton of really entertaining nonfiction out there. I’d particularly recommend Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larsen. It’s about the devastating hurricane that leveled Galveston, Texas in 1900 and weaves in the history of hurricane prediction in a really interesting way, telling the stories of some of the people involved.
I dunno if that will turn out to be something you like, but just a little something different to consider trying.
(Also, I know everyone is saying library and they’re definitely right you should do that. But also I wanted to share my favorite eBay book seller as another option for low cost books. Their selection is amazing: https://www.ebay.com/str/secondsalecom)
I find sci fi can be a good escape. The Expanse series is great. Large books but the story flows so well it moves quickly. A feel good sci fi option is project hail mary. If you want some smaller stories with lots of humor, try the Murderbot series or the Bobiverse series.
You could try audiobooks from Libby or audible. It’s not the same as reading the physical text but maybe it can help getting through books faster. For digital manga, there’s tachiyomi. Some are scanlations and some are official translations from old publishers like tokyopop and yen press.
I have nystagmus, so after a full day of reading for work and playing games online after, my eyes are too tired to sit there and read.
I switched to audiobooks about 8 years ago and haven’t looked back. It’s amazing. Increasing the speed slightly makes them sound more conversation speed, so start with 1.3-1.6. I’m up to 3.3 now, which gets me through books at an insane rate.
What did it for me was reading the books to my favourite movies and TV shows. It was at least 15 years of no books until I found The Expanse and now I would consider myself a regular reader.
As for where to get books I’d suggest a local library (free) or eBay (cheap).
