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DarcyLuffy t1_j9j2lyt wrote

I was like you. At one time the 7 Potter books were the 7 best books I had ever read. But gradually other books came into contention. I don't know if it is true for you, but for me I loved HP books 4 and 3 most of the 7.

The Percy Jackson books were okay. Among the 5 books in that series I gave only one of them 5 stars on Goodreads. Harry Potter was easy to read yet was genius. Keep that in mind when you try recommendations like The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (the series rests on satire and nods to Shakespeare and other literature).

I recommend The Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan (not the Riyria Chronicles! That is a prequel). The 3rd book in the Riyria Revelations, called the Heir of Novron is the only Fantasy book that I compare to HP books. It is very good and you will experience that familiar excitement that one gets out of Rowling's HP books.

Then there are books that are great but for different reasons than what was true for HP.

E.g. I read Perdido Street Station by China Mieville and its vocab is wonderful and the plot excellent. The book seems like Fantasy of a different kind. Maybe Steampunk? The sequel to PSS is called The Scar. I am going to read it at the end of this year. I hear it is almost as good as PSS. Also there is The City & the City, by CM again.

I have loved nonfiction books too. I recommend Means of Ascent by Robert A Caro. It is larger than life and reads like fiction (in ideas rather than style). I don't recommend you horror books, so not Stephen King. Except maybe for Desperation, The Shining, and Pet Sematary (that's how it's spelled). Don't try 11/22/63, by King. I don't advise it to you for now.

If you want simple writing with twists galore and some humour thrown in, please read The Jaine Austen mystery series by Laura Levine but only books 2-9. They are among the best books I have ever read. Good luck.

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