People Are Sharing The "Mind-Blowingly Good" Books That Made Them Love Reading Again, And I'm Booking It To The Library ASAP

As someone who loves to read, I find myself getting into a reading slump more often than I'd like. Recently, I asked the bookworms of the BuzzFeed Community to share the books that got them out of a reading rut, and I'm running to the library as we speak. Here are some of the books people recommend if you're trying to fall back in love with reading:

1."Red Rising by Pierce Brown. The book is set in a society where humans have been genetically engineered to be more adept at different tasks. For example, one group of people are great pilots, while others are great doctors. They're in a caste system grouped by color, with Golds at the top and Reds at the bottom. Discrimination is widespread. Darrow, our main character, is a Red. Not to give too much away, but he suffers a horrific tragedy and, as a result, rapidly rises through the ranks of society to remake the world in which they live. The society models itself after ancient Rome, but the setting is spread out over multiple planets, like Mercury, the moon, and Mars. In terms of content, there's a lot of gore, and the books have gotten increasingly longer over time. I cannot recommend them enough."

2."The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It was mind-blowingly good, and I couldn't put it down."

3."I just reread Wicked by Gregory Maguire, and it sparked that reading fire in me again. Just a fair warning: it's not exactly a fluffy read — it's political and violent, but really good."

4."I would read a book or three then not pick up another book for months if not years. I walked past my bookshelf and remembered buying Catch-22 by Joseph Heller a few years ago. It is such an absurd and hilarious book that it brought back my love of reading again."

5."I needed something not too heavy and tripped on John Grisham's Theodore Boone series. They are credible, with interesting plots and enough twists to keep me connected. I read all five books, then started all over again. They were my gateway back to legal thrillers."

6."Rereading a classic or personal favorite always helps me get my reading mojo back. Also, any Shakespeare. But, I love to reread short, inspiring non-fiction to get me up and running again, like The Camel Knows the Way by Lorna Kelly or Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh."

7."Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. It's way better than it has any right to be for a book whose premise is 'newlywed man gets a disease that turns him into a literal shark,' but it's incredible. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you won't put it down. It was an 11/10 for me."

8."The Family Business series by Carl Weber. It's a story that spans nine books with character spin-offs (there are so many I lost count). The storyline and characters will draw you in with their energy and personality so much."

9."The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It's quirky; there's found family, acceptance, and love, all while dealing with bigots both locally and in the government. I adore this book."

10."I'm rereading Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson right now after a large gap of unfinished or otherwise unsatisfying reads — and it's phenomenal. It's easily one of my favorite books ever. The characters are just so well done and have such natural chemistry, and the voice it's written in is appropriately witty, somber, and empathetic. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone."

11."The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni. It's wonderfully written, original, and engaging. It's basically the best book trilogy ever!"

12."The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The storylines and the depth and majesty of the writing make me lose myself in Tolkien's world. There's so much that's fantastic about these books, but I don't have enough space to list them. Just read the trilogy."

13."The Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. I love futuristic dystopian fiction, and the world-building is great. Plus, the moral ambiguity of being tasked with deciding who lives and dies leads to lots of interesting conflict in the story."

14."One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. I've been suffering from a years-long reading slump. I read the first few chapters a couple of years ago, then reread the first five a few months ago. I had nothing to do one Thursday, so I picked up where I left off and read for the entire day! The book has a great plot, great character development, and an amazing mystery that kept me guessing. Not only was the mystery not predictable, but the way all the pieces fit together was brilliant! I went to bed that night and woke up the next morning still thinking about it."

15."The Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins. I actually like this series a million times more than The Hunger Games. It has some of the most memorable characters and will make you feel like there's actually another civilization under New York City."

16."I love reading rom-coms when I'm in a slump. I love anything by Emily Henry, but my favorite is Happy Place. It's about a couple who broke off their engagement but hasn't told their friends yet. So, when they go on their yearly friend vacation to Maine, they have to pretend to still be together because they don't want to ruin the trip by announcing their split. It's a fun and honest read and deals with so many relatable emotions. I loved it!"

17.Lastly: "A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Read at your own discretion because a lot of wild stuff happens in the book, so I'd look up the trigger warnings before picking it up. But it's one of the most emotional, powerful, and impactful books I've ever read. Before reading that book, I only read here and there and had never actually committed to anything as much as I did with A Little Life. It's 800 or so pages, but it's so, so worth it."

BRB, going to reread Red Rising so I can prepare myself for the last book coming out soon (hopefully)! If you've ever been in a deep reading slump, what's the book that got you back into reading? Let me know in the comments, or you can submit your answer anonymously using this form!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.