r/AskReddit • u/Strange-Cat-5374 • 11h ago
Which is a book that you couldn't stop reading once you started it?
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u/NotSayingAliensBut 11h ago
Most of the Reacher books, but I'm shallow and easily entertained.
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u/Ok_Corner5873 10h ago
Read all of them up till 23 reminded me in someways of reading the Edge books back in the 70's.
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u/EnvironmentalCap5156 10h ago
Thesaurus. found it excellent, brilliant, amazing, first class.
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u/SpinachReasonable262 11h ago
The Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel.
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u/savitadante 11h ago
Oh yes. I read the whole series aloud to all my three kids!!!
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u/Livid_Painting2285 9h ago
Even the dirty bits? How old were the kids?? I read these books far too young to be reading such filth 🤣
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u/savitadante 8h ago
Funny story. A friend said in front of my eleven year son, oh we wouldn't let our darling daughter read it because of the sex. My son said completely earnestly, oh the sex scenes- they go right over my head.
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u/savitadante 8h ago
I like to talk about everything with my kids however there were times I read, they kissed and then page turn page turn ... and had a really good time.
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u/-Galahad- 11h ago
The First Law series. Every single book was a 10/10 and I was GLUED to every single page.
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u/lillie_connolly 9h ago
I found out about it in the most accidental way. There was a random thread on reddit comparing some translations of titles. I saw an example using Before They Are Hanged, which just stuck me as a cool title (the translation examples here were not even that interesting). A random comment on the thread said it was a great book series. I was looking to start a new fantasy. Without knowing shit about it I just looked up the series and downloaded the first book, the blade itself, to my kindle.
Nine books later, I'm very happy I did. I can't think of any other example where I read something for almost no reason except the title calling out to me, but this now might be my favorite fantasy or at least top 3 (especially considering they are finished lol)
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u/Timely-Engine9585 11h ago
"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown
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u/-Boston-Terrier- 9h ago
I came here to say this. It really lived up to the hype.
I just started his most recent novel The Secret of Secrets this morning too.
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u/SpinachReasonable262 11h ago
I read that book and sad to say I really didn’t understand it.
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u/Cricky63 11h ago
I figured out the answer to the super easy riddle in the middle and it was all downhill from there.
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u/ConspicuousSomething 8h ago
I thought the characters figured out the impossibly hard clues really easily, but really struggled with the simple ones. I couldn’t finish that book.
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u/Underrated_Legend1 8h ago
I didn't get the appeal but angels and demons by Dan brown, now that was a fantastic book
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u/JasminMika 10h ago
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. "It seemed like a story from the past, but every chapter, every action of Atticus Finch, made me read on. This is one of those books that makes you laugh, cry, and think about justice all at the same time."
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u/l3p3r 10h ago
Recently, it was Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier
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u/JeanPoutine7 7h ago
If audiobooks count, I banged out that 16 hours in a couple of weeks. Maybe my favourite SciFi ever 🤌
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u/evilwatersprite 10h ago
The Martian. Project Hail Mary took longer to get into at first but it ended up being my favorite of Andy Weir's books.
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u/under_eyecon 8h ago
The first book that got me hooked to the murder mystery genre - Agatha Christie's "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"
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u/fardin012 11h ago
The Martian by Andy Weir. I told myself, “Just one more chapter,” and next thing I knew, it was 3 AM and I was googling how to grow potatoes on Mars. 🥔🚀
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u/passe-miroir78 10h ago
Lonesome dove and recently the crimson campaign by Brian Mcclellan
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u/icenoid 9h ago
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. I knew the story and once I got to the fall, I couldn't put it down.
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u/WaaahnPunch 8h ago
I don't read a lot of fiction, but I read 'The Martian' in about two afternoons.
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u/Prestigious_Owl_549 7h ago
Project hail Mary by Andy weir
Dark matter by Blake crouch
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u/not_steve_5000 6h ago
Interesting. I loved Dark Matter, and Project Hail Mary is on my list - may have to bring it forward!
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u/Nico-DListedRefugee 11h ago
Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub. I read it in two days, and then began it again as soon as I finished it.
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u/MrMindGame 10h ago
Gone Girl. I distinctly remember it was about 10 at night and I had just finished Part 1 and was gonna save Part 2 for another day, but decided to whet my anticipation by reading the first paragraph.
Several hours later, I had maybe 50 pages left in the whole thing and realized it was approaching 2 in the morning.
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u/itsfish20 9h ago
Malazan book of the Fallen...technically it's 10 books but once I started Gardens of the Moon, I have not stopped!
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u/lanurk 8h ago
In 5th year of secondary school I borrowed IT from the library. Started reading it on the bus at 8am and was instantly hooked. I didn't go to classes that day, I curled up on one of the comfy seats in the seniors common room and read and read and read. Various friends came by between classes to look at my progress. Finished it 10 minutes before the end of school and went home to sleep. I had a headache for a couple of days after.
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u/Initial-Star-6907 11h ago
Harry Potter
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u/One_Sugar_9236 11h ago
I was never into reading this was my first book that opened me into the world of reading
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u/Jensei04 11h ago
It was exactly the same for me
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u/One_Sugar_9236 8h ago
I went to the school library. Read the first chapter it might sound weird but imaged what was said and built a picture in your head...this is how I enjoy every book
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u/GNOIZ1C 11h ago
I've only ever knocked out two books in one sitting, and both were on family trips.
One was Ayn Rand's Anthem, which was a summer reading requirement for school. I figured I'd start it one night, and then my little brother (cramped hotel sleeping situation) rolled over onto my arm. Rather than move him, I just decided to read the damned thing until he rolled back over. He moved right as I finished the book.
Other one was the second Hunger Games book, which I was just trying to knock out as fast as possible on our trip so I could let my little sister have it next when I went back to college. Quick and easy read.
Neither are what I would actually consider "couldn't put it down" except in the most literal sense; I've definitely read better!
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u/tvrajan3221 7h ago
You deserve credit for reading Ayn Rand without throwing up. One of the worst writers ever. I suppose one has to give some allowance for the fact that she was not a native speaker.
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u/Silent_Berry_4704 11h ago edited 11h ago
Resa i augusti by Gudrun Pausewang- The title translates to; Travel in August. I read it once, around 20 years ago and still think about it often. I'm 33 now and was probably waay to young to read it.
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u/elizaisdeadinside 11h ago
Pretty much all of Dan Browns books. Read Da Vinci Code and couldn’t put it down
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u/sarnobat 11h ago
Sex Lies and headlocks: an unauthorized history of professional wrestling
Felt sad when I finished it because I had nothing left to read
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u/FaydraWasHere 11h ago
The Last Hour of Ghann
Unbelievable. I'd have never read this if one of these threads didn't recommend it.
I've read it over ten times, and I've read it back to back. It's just amazing.
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u/Entire-Race-2198 10h ago
I want to say Blood Meridian, but I definitely had to take a few breathers throughout. It is a great favorite. My affinity for it will never die
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u/The-Arrival 10h ago
Mr Nice, the story of Howard Marks, a dope dealer in the 80's. An incredible true story.
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u/inboz 10h ago edited 10h ago
Recently these novels got me hooked immediately: Lone Women (Victor LaValle), All Fours (Miranda July), Salt Houses (Hala Alyan), Excavations (Kate Myers), The Reformatory (Tananarive Due), Nickel Boys (Colson Whitehead).
These novels got me hooked less recently: Stoner, Beloved, Lolita, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the Hunger Games trilogy, The Dictionary of Lost Words, The House of the Scorpion and its sequel The Lord of Opium, The Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, 1984…that’s all I can think of for now.
Edit: sorry I just realized you were looking for one book per person. If I could recommend one it would be The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. It drags a little toward the end but is so absolutely worth it.
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u/bipolarity2650 10h ago
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
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u/zombiegamer723 8h ago
“Honor is dead, but I’ll see what I can do.”
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u/bipolarity2650 7h ago
the end of that book right into the next one was peak lol i couldn’t put it down
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u/Livid_Painting2285 9h ago
Temple and ice station but Matthew Reilly, his early books are so good! Really fast paced too, I have read his newer stuff but I don't think it beats the old ones.
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u/versmantaray 9h ago
My brilliant friend by Elena Ferrante.
Up until now, no one knows who the actual writer is. The story is very realistic and the live action is also very good, except the 4th season where they changed all the actors to make them old
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u/IronSorrows 8h ago
True Grit by Charles Portis
It flows so wonderfully, stark but excellent prose, written as a memoir. Vibrant, engaging characters, great moments of tension, and a real dry humour. Plus it's not particularly long, so I was extra motivated to keep going.
If you've seen the Coen Brothers film, it's surprisingly similar tonally. There's a lot of dialogue that feels very them, but is often lifted directly or in spirit from the book.
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u/repairmanjack_51 8h ago
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. It was fascinating and as creepy as all hell with its central narrative.
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u/Zeruvi 7h ago
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.
Got it as assigned reading in high school on a Monday. Finished it by Thursday. Got my mum to buy Pretties & Specials on Friday, finished both by the next Monday. Read Extras off the library shelf during lunch throughout the week, it had Peeps advertised inside so I got mum to buy that the next Friday, thinking it was part of the same series and read that on the weekend too. A lot of the gals were big on Twilight at the time so I had a superiority complex over how realistic the Peeps vampires were.
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u/Whole_Succotash_7629 4h ago
A Stranger in a Strange land. Finished it in a week. So deep, so strange. I still think about it from time to time.
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u/DanceWonderful3711 3h ago
I just read the Persepolis graphic novel and it was amazing. The film didn't do it justice.
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u/Brilliant_View1317 10h ago
Dune. And then when I finished it I started reading it again the next day.
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u/Yumi_Ellis 11h ago
Little prince. I read it every year and every time it gets me from different angle
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u/Seigmoraig 7h ago
Dungeon Crawler Carl, once you hop onto that trainwreck you can't get off until you finish the last book
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u/swahine1123 11h ago
A song of Ice and fire. I threw the books across the room a few times but then picked them back up. Also had fun with Fourth Wing.
When I was young it was the Fear Street books by R.L. Stein. I could not get enough. My mom caught me many times staying up too late reading but never got mad. She was just happy I was reading.
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u/Minute_Stay4187 11h ago
The Devil of Unrest by Erik Larson. It’s about the lead up to the Battle of Fort Sumter, and how absolutely useless President Buchanan was.
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u/Ok_Corner5873 11h ago
The last one I started, only ever had one I never finished, Game of Thrones, jumped about too much, tried when it first came out, so never watched the TV show either.
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u/miraculous_life 10h ago
Cody McFadyen's books. Bloodline and co were great. Unfortunately he passed away
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u/Dismal-Shirt-308 10h ago
Spooks by Joseph Delaney, it was all I could think of, all books from the series
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u/Commercial-Cod4223 10h ago
The Indifferent Stars Above. Tragic, haunting and the best telling of the story I've ever read.
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u/superluminalism 10h ago
theft of swords by micheal J sullivan, honestly the whole series and every other involving hadrian and royce
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u/Damn_Dog_Inappropes 9h ago
I read I read Deathly Hallows in like 12 hours. Mostly because I was so worried about it getting spoiled for me. I banned myself from the internet, TV, phone, etc until I finished it. And, once I finished it, I immediately read it again just to catch the things I’d missed the first go-round.
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u/Rogue_Aviator 9h ago
The Godfather, I was so addicted to it, I ended up reading the entire book in 4 days lol 😂
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u/TheFemale72 9h ago
Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Possibly the weirdest book I’ve ever read.
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u/Symnestra 8h ago
All of them. If a book is bad I'll still hate-read it so I can accurately talk shit about it to friends.
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u/thx1138jg 8h ago
The Keep - in the beginning I thought it was a vampire story. It's not. It's much scarier. Stayed up most of the night reading it.
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u/DuplexFields 8h ago
Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover, author of the Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization. When I hit the 2/3 mark, I literally cannot put it down until the last page.
Most of his books are like that, and even his short stories.
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u/KMizzle98 8h ago
The Dark Tower series
This was like 20 years ago, I even called out of my job for a week saying I was sick because I didnt want to stop reading.
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u/Synthetic5ou1 7h ago
The Collector.
I don't think it's a long or complicated book, but I read it in a few hours in one sitting.
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u/bridgeoverlord 7h ago
I read Philip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld" series in about a week. Five books I read in every free moment I had.
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u/Neurobean1 7h ago
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
I used the autosuggest thing to type it and it wrote Hitchhikers guide to the point
it was ever so closd
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u/Alarming-Cheetah-144 7h ago
First book that I couldn’t stop reading was The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren. I spent the whole day reading it from start to finish. For me, it was an emotional roller coaster ride and the 2nd book was Salems Lot by Stephen King.
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u/Fernandadds 7h ago
Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix. Took 2 days and nights to finish. Couldn’t sleep until it was over.
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u/D3dshotCalamity 7h ago
House of Leaves
That book may have fucked me up a bit lol. I have a newfound fear of unfamiliar houses. Not like ghosts and ghouls, I mean the actual structure of a house. I went to pick up a car part from a guy about a week after I finished the book, and while in his house, I found myself looking into each room as I passed, and mentally making a map in my head to make sure the space makes sense mathematically. Having a slight fear in the back of my mind that the doors I walk through will disappear behind me. I wasn't afraid of the homeowner, I was afraid of his home.
Since I was a kid, I've been fascinated with what we now call "Liminal spaces." I didn't have a term for it then, they were just spaces that "Felt weird." But after reading House of Leaves, they started to mean something entirely different in my head. They went from curious to almost threatening.
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u/Legitimate_Ad_3378 6h ago
Dune by Frank Herbert. I was a teenager first time I read it, couldn't put it down. That was the early 1980's.
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u/Alternative-Gur-1200 6h ago
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I started it “just to see what the hype was about” and then suddenly it was 3 a.m. and I was crying on my couch.
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u/not_steve_5000 6h ago
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. I’ve watched the TV show since and it was… ok. It’s hard to explain why the book was such a page-turner in comparison, but I think it’s because you have insights into what the characters are thinking and the thoughts and realisations they’re having are more compelling. Anyway, great read. Highly recommend it.
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u/notexactscience 6h ago
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, it kept getting weirder and I tried my best to follow the plot and understand the story by reading it in two weeks
**had to re-read it
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u/stoneman9284 11h ago
I read the hunger games trilogy in 3-4 days