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happilyeverbooks t1_j1loabo wrote

Since the pandemic I haven't wanted to read anything realistic or true to life. Only want escapism now - fantasy and sci fi all the way.

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aurinxki t1_j1m374d wrote

Nothing too dark either (in my case). When I'm happier in real life I can enjoy dystopian and horror stories.

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SobiTheRobot t1_j1mik29 wrote

You need a balance of light and dark between your fiction and reality. When life ventures too far in either direction, you compensate with fiction.

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Ladyharpie t1_j1ml3a7 wrote

That's what I thought and then proceeded to constantly sell out of horror series throughout the pandemic. I could not figure out why some of the best horror stories in decades were being released, extended, and sold out completely during what felt like the plague lol.

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[deleted] t1_j1mvl3q wrote

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Ladyharpie t1_j1nc5gp wrote

I haven't had anyone explain why they were craving these books until this comment, I think a lot of us know what we like or need without always having the words. I was obsessed with horror and legends and mythology as a child but I never thought of the why behind it.

I never saw horror as having an adversary though, I guess because as a queer person there's a long history of identifying with the monsters instead. I still love the genre just need more of a balance as I began experiencing monsters in real life.

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Merle8888 t1_j1ounml wrote

I definitely get this. While I’m not immune to the desire for comfort reading, I often like to read something that puts my problems in perspective.

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nanketo t1_j1niwqv wrote

Check out the Cradle series by Will Wight. Fun and playful cultivation fantasy series that’s nearly concluded (the 12th and final book should come out within the next few months). The books are based on a Daoist-style magic system that combines elemental power cultivation with martial arts style battling. I used to lean more heavily toward more traditional European medieval set high fantasy, but this series is a refreshing and lighthearted turn away from that into Eastern fantasy with a more uplifting balance in the whole good vs evil trope that it centers around. Can’t recommend it enough, and the online communities around it are pretty active.

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happilyeverbooks t1_j1nye1k wrote

I actually already had this on my list to check out for 2023. Your comment definitely makes me keen to get to it!

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alohadave t1_j1osfj3 wrote

I certainly never want to read anything realistic to pandemics. Watching Contagion was enough.

I read an article at the beginning comparing to the Spanish Flu, how there are very few stories/books/movies that reference it at all. Like people didn't want to be reminded about it and put it behind them as fast as they could.

It tracks with this one that most media that isn't news is pretending that it isn't happening at all.

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BlackjackCF t1_j1o7fhu wrote

I was like that too for the first year of the pandemic.

I dunno if I’m just numb to everything now, but I used to be too scared to watch or read anything horror, and now I’m like ¯_(ツ)_/¯. House ghost? Meh. I have the existential dread of climate change.

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iruletheworld22 t1_j1osjlg wrote

Books about my real life sound terrible! Like, I love that shit, I don't need to read about it.

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Pickleyourpoison t1_j1ohlxw wrote

Same! I read then re-read Brandon Sanderson's work during the pandemic and now I have a hard time reading anything else. I also haven't been able to finish professional improvement books or non fiction since the pandemic. Kinda glad to hear I'm not the only one.

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