this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2026
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Hello I’m fairly new to reading and am wanting to see what books people recommend and why, also i really enjoy horror/mystery!

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[–] GaumBeist@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 hours ago

Personally, when I was new to reading, I liked the DK Books reference books for their pictures, and also enjoyed the Hank The Cowdog series. For mystery, I'll recommend Encyclopedia Brown, because it actually requires reader participation.

As far as horror goes, I'd recommend The Hellbound Heart, because Clive Barker is a genius when it comes to suburban horror, and exposing the sinister desires that fester in the hearts of the repressed.

None of these statements was false, but only one of the recommendations was genuine; I'll let you guess which.

[–] lunarcat@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

My taste is a bit all over the place, but the last few books I read and loved are:

  • Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
  • Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

They're all very different from each other so fair warning to you!

[–] GaumBeist@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 hours ago

I read Frankenstein 4 times in school: once in senior year of high school, then thrice in freshmen year of college -- for the intro english class in my first semester, for an honors class about monster fiction that same semester, and for a class on gothic fiction that took care of my other core credit the second semester.

I have read that book in 4 different ways with countless different perspectives being share, and I can say

I didn't truly appreciate it the first time, it definitely requires multiple readings

[–] barlog@lemmy.ml 1 points 7 hours ago

Dan Simmons. Summer of Night. Give it a try.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 1 points 7 hours ago

Good for you, I'm glad you've gotten into it. However this statement is kinda confusing me. Did you not read before because you didn't like the genres available to you? Is it a new language thing? Are you young?

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 21 points 2 days ago

If you can, go to your local public library and have a chat to the librarians. They are a goldmine of quality recommendations.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My favorite recent book is Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke! It's a mystery/fantasy with light horror elements, and thoroughly stole my heart. I also recommend checking Standard Ebooks for high quality, free, public domain books! If you have some money, an eReader can really help you save money in the long run, or you can read on your phone using book apps like KoReader!

[–] Cookie1@discuss.online 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thank you for the recommendation! I aprecite it

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

No problem!!

[–] iByteABit@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day ago

Don't know if it's your taste, but my most recent favorite is The Dispossessed which is a political sci-fi kind of book about a brilliant mathematician who lives in an anarchist world

[–] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 6 points 1 day ago

i really enjoy horror/mystery!

Might I recommend 14 by Peter Clines. It should scratch that itch.

The Silent Patient is another good mystery one.

[–] notsosure@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 days ago

How old are you then?

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

For horror, Stephen King is one of the best. Start with something shorter of his, a short novel, or one of his collections of short stories. His longer novels are great too, but his short stories are where he really shines.

A couple of my favourites are:

1408

The man in the black suit

Pet Cemetery

The raft.

The cycle of the werewolf.

Happy reading!

Edit: for mystery I enjoyed Six Wakes by Muir Lafferty, a SciFi murder mystery on a spaceship. I also enjoyed Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories, they're fairly simple and easy to read.

[–] Cookie1@discuss.online 1 points 11 hours ago

Have you read any of Freida McFadden’s books?

[–] CCMan1701A@startrek.website 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Dracula is my go to. There is a daily email you can sign up for that follows the books entries. Jurassic Park is good as well.

[–] Cookie1@discuss.online 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Hey, what is the email do you mind sharing that with me? Thank you

[–] darklamer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 days ago

You don't really give any information that could be used to personalize this recommendation, but I can tell you that the classics have become classics for a reason. You might not personally like them all, but no book remains being read over centuries if it sucks.

[–] tyrant@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Maybe try The Fisherman by John Langan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fisherman_(novel)

I usually read sci Fi stuff but that was a good horror mysterious one.