top 5 tuesday: Books for Non-Readers

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fantastic Bionic Bookworm.  This week’s topic:

SEPTEMBER 12TH – Top 5 recommendations for non readers

If you’re not a reader, I’m not sure what you’re doing on my book blog, but hello!  I have some recommendations for you!  What kind of non-reader are you?

“I don’t read because books are boring.”  Try:

Final Girls by Riley Sager: This novel is essentially a love letter to the horror genre, and while it may not be the most terrifying thing you’ve ever read, I guarantee that it’s going to be one of the most addicting.  I find that a lot of the time people who don’t read get bored with books easily and put them down after a few chapters, so my remedy for that is to suggest a book that’s going to be impossible to put down.  Look no further than Final Girls!

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“I don’t read because I don’t have enough time.”  Try:

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn: For any non-readers who are find high page counts daunting for whatever reason – try a short story!  This is the only Gillian Flynn that I’ve read so far, but I loved it.  It grabs you from the very first unforgettable sentence, and takes you on a crazy ride.  It’s part mystery, part thriller, part horror – a sort of modern, contemporary spin on the haunted house premise – and it ends up being nothing like you expect when you start it.

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“I don’t read because I don’t like fiction.”  Try:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.  Capote tells the true story of the murder of the Clutter family in 1959 Kansas, focusing on the capture and the execution of the killers.  While there’s a bit of fictionalization in the way Capote spins this story (notably including bits of dialogue that he couldn’t possibly have been privy to), it’s a mostly faithful and thought-provoking account.  If you’re someone who doesn’t like a lot of fiction, try a true crime book like this one, or a biography or memoir.

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“I don’t read because I just want to relax at the end of a long day.”  Try:

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice.  I had to wrack my brains to come up with something outside my usual tragic and depressing tastes, but we got there in the end.  This is actually one of my favorite books ever – I read it several times as a teenager and it is just so damn delightful.  It’s a sort of coming of age, romance, vaguely chick lit-y thing set in 1950s London.  If you’re looking for something that makes you feel happy and isn’t terribly intellectually rigorous, look no further!

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“I don’t read because I’m more of a visual person.”  Try:

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel: And finally, I feel like it would be remiss to not mention a graphic novel.  Admittedly it’s the only one I’m familiar with, but I still love it a lot.  In Fun Home Alison Bechdel recounts what it was like to grow up in a funeral home, though it’s mostly a story about her relationship with her father, and coming to terms with her sexuality.  The illustrations here are gorgeous, so if you’re a visual person, you’ll love it, though the prose is strong on its own.

What books would you recommend to non-readers?  And have you read any of my choices?  Comment and let me know!