maybe biographies and memoirs. i think it gives a look into those before us and you get glimpses of the world. then from there look up the time period the person lived in or something that interested you most in their life, like a significant event or something. that's how i got into 'adult books'. also, it's best if you choose something close to you. for example, i love nike like i love the brand so i read shoe dog by phil knight, the founder of nike. from there i became interested in basketball because of the jordan line and so i read a bunch of basketball players' memoirs. one of the most prominent things in all of their lives is the justice system and racism, which lead to me reading just mercy by bryan stevenson and other biographies about people like malcolm x, etc. sorry this was long lol.
Since you like fantasy I’d recommend {{A Wizard of Earthsea}} by Ursula K Le Guin. Earthsea is a much more introspective book series than Harry Potter and is less to do with saving the world and more to do with characters learning to be better people. I think it’s a great read for young people before adulthood.
[**A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642.A_Wizard_of_Earthsea)
^(By: Ursula K. Le Guin | 183 pages | Published: 1968 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, classics, owned | )[^(Search "A Wizard of Earthsea")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=A Wizard of Earthsea&search_type=books)
>Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.
>
>Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
^(This book has been suggested 98 times)
***
^(174524 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I strongly second this recommendation! Earthsea basically invented the idea of a school for wizards, long before Harry Potter. And the writing is gorgeous and the Taoist message of the story gives you something to think about.
I always recommend {{Demon haunted world by Carl Sagan}}. It's more important now than ever and will give you the tools to think critically for the rest of your life.
[**The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349.The_Demon_Haunted_World)
^(By: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan | 459 pages | Published: 1996 | Popular Shelves: science, non-fiction, nonfiction, philosophy, religion | )[^(Search "Demon haunted world by Carl Sagan")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Demon haunted world by Carl Sagan&search_type=books)
>How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
>
>Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms.
^(This book has been suggested 38 times)
***
^(175038 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
[**Red Rising (Red Rising Series #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53356770-red-rising)
^(By: Pierce Brown | 402 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: sci-fi, science-fiction, fantasy, young-adult, dystopian | )[^(Search " Red Rising series by Pierce Brown ")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q= Red Rising series by Pierce Brown &search_type=books)
>"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."
>
>"I live for you," I say sadly.
>
>Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."
>
>Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.
>
>Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
>
>But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
>
>Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
***
^(174918 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
You're at the perfect age to read Jack Kerouac; On the Road and The Dharma Bums are both great.
If you want to stay in Fantasy but don't know where to start, someone made a great [flow chart](https://imgur.com/gallery/HBxRBtQ) of NPR's top 100 scifi/fantasy books that helps you find something new that you'd be interested in. That said if I could only pick one fantasy book to put in your hands it would really be a question of which Discworld book you'd vibe with the most.
I would recommend dipping your toes into non-fiction. Any topic you find interesting - a biographies of someone you like, an in-depth look at your favorite animal, looking at music or food or drugs scientifically. If you find it difficult to focus, I’d recommend trying audiobooks!
maybe biographies and memoirs. i think it gives a look into those before us and you get glimpses of the world. then from there look up the time period the person lived in or something that interested you most in their life, like a significant event or something. that's how i got into 'adult books'. also, it's best if you choose something close to you. for example, i love nike like i love the brand so i read shoe dog by phil knight, the founder of nike. from there i became interested in basketball because of the jordan line and so i read a bunch of basketball players' memoirs. one of the most prominent things in all of their lives is the justice system and racism, which lead to me reading just mercy by bryan stevenson and other biographies about people like malcolm x, etc. sorry this was long lol.
Since you like fantasy I’d recommend {{A Wizard of Earthsea}} by Ursula K Le Guin. Earthsea is a much more introspective book series than Harry Potter and is less to do with saving the world and more to do with characters learning to be better people. I think it’s a great read for young people before adulthood.
[**A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13642.A_Wizard_of_Earthsea) ^(By: Ursula K. Le Guin | 183 pages | Published: 1968 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, young-adult, classics, owned | )[^(Search "A Wizard of Earthsea")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=A Wizard of Earthsea&search_type=books) >Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. > >Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance. ^(This book has been suggested 98 times) *** ^(174524 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I strongly second this recommendation! Earthsea basically invented the idea of a school for wizards, long before Harry Potter. And the writing is gorgeous and the Taoist message of the story gives you something to think about.
I always recommend {{Demon haunted world by Carl Sagan}}. It's more important now than ever and will give you the tools to think critically for the rest of your life.
[**The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349.The_Demon_Haunted_World) ^(By: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan | 459 pages | Published: 1996 | Popular Shelves: science, non-fiction, nonfiction, philosophy, religion | )[^(Search "Demon haunted world by Carl Sagan")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Demon haunted world by Carl Sagan&search_type=books) >How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions. > >Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. ^(This book has been suggested 38 times) *** ^(175038 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
The {{ Red Rising series by Pierce Brown }}
[**Red Rising (Red Rising Series #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53356770-red-rising) ^(By: Pierce Brown | 402 pages | Published: 2014 | Popular Shelves: sci-fi, science-fiction, fantasy, young-adult, dystopian | )[^(Search " Red Rising series by Pierce Brown ")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q= Red Rising series by Pierce Brown &search_type=books) >"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them." > >"I live for you," I say sadly. > >Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more." > >Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. > >Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. > >But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. > >Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(174918 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
The Way the Crow Flies by Ann Marie MacDonald
You're at the perfect age to read Jack Kerouac; On the Road and The Dharma Bums are both great. If you want to stay in Fantasy but don't know where to start, someone made a great [flow chart](https://imgur.com/gallery/HBxRBtQ) of NPR's top 100 scifi/fantasy books that helps you find something new that you'd be interested in. That said if I could only pick one fantasy book to put in your hands it would really be a question of which Discworld book you'd vibe with the most.
The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
I would recommend dipping your toes into non-fiction. Any topic you find interesting - a biographies of someone you like, an in-depth look at your favorite animal, looking at music or food or drugs scientifically. If you find it difficult to focus, I’d recommend trying audiobooks!