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What are the best fictional books you’ve ever read? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 months ago by saayoutloud@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I started reading last year, mostly productivity stuff, but now I’m really looking to jump into fiction to unwind after a long week of uni, studying, and work. I need something to help me relax during the weekends without feeling like I’m working.

I’d love some recommendations for books that are short enough to finish in a day but still hit hard and are totally worth it. No specific genre preferences right now. I'm open to whatever. Looking forward to seeing what you guys suggest. Thank you very much in advance.

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[-] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

It's a super generic choice, but Catch-22 (if you're looking for something less generic, Heller also wrote the more obscure Something Happened that focuses his satirical prowess on 1960s family life, but that's a longer book). It's just so effortlessly funny.

[-] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago

i tried to read this more than once to figure out what the hype is, and it never made me care what happens next. every page to the halfway point is a boring slog for me-- what am i missing? i consider vonnegut's cat's cradle to be good satire. yossarian just seems like a whiny bitch to me, the type of person i go out of my way to avoid irl

[-] TheHarpyEagle@pawb.social 2 points 2 months ago

Yossarian is kind of a whiny bitch, but it's because he's trying to cover up his exhaustion and terror with anything that will keep him out of harm's way. What I liked about it was all of the silly jokes that come back to hit hard in the second half of the book.

[-] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 months ago

i intend to give it one more try--it wouldn't be the first book that took multiple attempts for me to start liking

this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024

135 points (98.6% liked)

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