What book ruined reading for you?

Submitted by velvettwilight t3_zv98kq in books

I read The Blue Castle by L.M Montgomery when I was 14 and since the I’ve just been chasing the feeling it awoke in me ever since. Every book I read I’m hoping it does what that book did to me. But it never does and I still haven’t found it. You ever finish a book and turn it over in you hands and just marvel at it. I did that with the blue castle. What book changed you in some way? Your thinking, the way you see the world, you homes interior design? Let me know because I miss that feeling and haven’t experienced it since. That feeling that everything is going to be fine and whilst life is awful, it’s beautiful. A book that makes the world seem crispier or more clear, brighter I think.

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jefrye t1_j1nwvx7 wrote

I love The Blue Castle! Read it earlier this year for the first time and it was an instant favorite. Maybe a bit of a soap opera with all the convenient twists and coincidences, but I just love it. The characterization is great and the nature writing is beautiful.

Not to turn this into a recommendation thread, but you might also like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and Jane Eyre and Villette by Charlotte Brontë, which have similar main characters and also really gorgeous prose.

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Irulantk t1_j1nxgb2 wrote

Carrion Comfort. Nothing will ever top that for me. Although...its not exactly sunshine and rainbows but it did change me

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s-mo-58 t1_j1nz5d8 wrote

Before I read the description I thought I was going to say Grapes of Wraith, which I HATE haha but really I think the first book that ever made me feel in love with reading was when I was really young and either Ella Enchanted or the Jedi Apprentice Star Wars books. I remember finishing both and feeling, like, "wow, there are things that can really affect me."

As a teenager, I know it's a little cringe now, but Looking For Alaska had the feel you describe. And as an adult, I'd say Infinite Jest. I devoured that book and when I finished I'll never forget the longing I felt at the end. I've been searching for that feeling ever since.

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C9_Tilted t1_j1o03ho wrote

Reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen series has ruined pretty much all other fantasy books for me and I read a LOT of fantasy books.

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bibliophile222 t1_j1o05zj wrote

None so far. Sure, I have favorites that evoke feelings no other book can, but I don't see why that would ruin all reading. It's possible to like books for different reasons and enjoy books even if they aren't your very favorite! My favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but that doesn't mean I don't love plenty of other books as well.

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1ToeIn t1_j1o4sho wrote

“the Ladies of Missalonghi” by Colleen McCollough borrows a lot of elements from “Blue Castle” & sets it in Australia. An enjoyable read if you’re able to find a copy.

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Beginning_Pickle2180 t1_j1oajk1 wrote

I didn't read another book for over a year and a half after I read the first Way of the Shaman Novel. LitRPGs were something that were constantly recommended to me, and so I asked what's considered the best, and so I decided to try it. I stayed up all night waiting for it to wow me, and I spend the the last 75% glazed over, because most of the content in it didn't actually need to be there, because most of it was filler. The dissapointment was so bad I couldn't get myself to read anything again for a long, long time!

And because my ocd sucks, I'm looking for some actual good Gamelit now, and I'm afraid that I'll just be dissappointed all over again.

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seriouslyfluffy71 t1_j1occqv wrote

Replying to 1ToeIn (#1,064,023)

This is the first time I’ve ever seen The Ladies of Missalonghi mentioned on this sub or really, anywhere. I absolutely loved it as a teen. I’ve long since lost my copy and had all but forgotten it until now. I need to find another copy asap!

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domuz21 t1_j1oy8m5 wrote

It didn't ruin reading per se, but One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez blew my mind and took me to places I never thought a book would be able to.

Epic masterpiece is the least I can say about this book.

The magic realism of Marquez made me love Latin American literature, I think one of the best out there.

I am a Literature professor and I still cannot find the proper words to describe how this book made me feel, it was like I entered the pages and left my body at my bed.

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voaw88 t1_j1qgeqp wrote

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. It's just so wholesome and chill, and while there were some things about it that annoyed me, overall it was unlike anything I had ever read. The ending was just perfect and so hopeful and beautiful and energizing. I reread the last few pages whenever I'm having a bad day.

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GiraffeCity294 t1_j1r1z7d wrote

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier and The Eight by Katharine Neville. Two totally different novels, but both transported me.

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