Recommend great fiction novel for an 18 year old girl who doesn’t like reading

[mum]

My dd, 18, doesn’t like to read, but she’s actually interested in cultivating that skill. I’d love to give her a book for Christmas. Any recommendations? No vampires or violence-she’s a soft hearted soul. She especially likes happy books or at least happy endings. She’s smart too, so it needs to be a great YA or adult book.

Thank you!!

[plansrme]

How about some of the classics she may have missed? Anne of Green Gables comes to mind. There are several more in the series if she likes it. It is approachable and sweet, and no one would look askance at its being read by an 18 yo.

[lisabees]

I Capture the Castle

 

Jane Eyre

 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

[OneStepAtATime]

Why doesn't she like to read?  Does she have some phonemic awareness struggles?  Difficulty with fluency while reading?  Difficulty with comprehension?  Developmental or visual acuity vision issues?  Focus issues?

 

Would audio books tied to the written text help her?  As in getting a book on something like a kindle device that can also link to the audio book so she is seeing and hearing the text at the same time?

 

I am trying to think of happy series but my brain is tired.  I will attempt to add to the list later.  Good luck in finding something of interest to her.

[tjlcc]

Girl of the Limberlost or Keeper of the Bees

 

A Lantern in Her Hand

 

Princess and the Goblin

 

 

[Pegasus]

I have a DD who is almost 18 and, while she loves to read, she is also a strong proponent of graphic novels.  They can be a great gateway to an increased enjoyment of reading.  She could probably provide some good recommendations of specific titles if you are interested.

 

[Storygirl]

I'd recommend the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. The first one is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. They are mysteries starring a young girl, but they are technically adult books, not YA. Flavia is unique and delightful, and the mysteries are charming. Very, very fun, though there are some serious bits as well.

[Vida Winter]

I would recommend Time and Again by Jack Finney. It is one of my favorite books and I re-read it every few years. Recently my teenager read it and gave very positive feedback.

[maize]

Remembering Isaac is lovely:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Isaac-Joyful-Potter-Niederbipp/dp/0615276067

[J-rap]

My dd who never really enjoyed reading for pleasure finally got into reading biographies and historical fiction at that age.  Recently, she has gotten into reading the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, which is a history-centered mystery series that takes place in England between WWI and WWII.  

 

https://www.amazon.com/Maisie-Dobbs-Jacqueline-Winspear/dp/1616954078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1512931500&sr=1-1&keywords=maisie+dobbs+book+1

 

 

 

[crazyforlatin]

I'd recommend the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. The first one is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. They are mysteries starring a young girl, but they are technically adult books, not YA. Flavia is unique and delightful, and the mysteries are charming. Very, very fun, though there are some serious bits as well.

Now that I know about this series of books, I’m beginning to see references to it.

 

Thanks for the recommendation because Dd is engrossed. I downloaded the books to her kindle so she is having a blast. We miss Terry Pratchett so this is sort of therapy.

[Free Indeed]

I'd recommend the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. The first one is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. They are mysteries starring a young girl, but they are technically adult books, not YA. Flavia is unique and delightful, and the mysteries are charming. Very, very fun, though there are some serious bits as well.

Would these be ok for a 14 year old girl as well?

[crazyforlatin]

Would these be ok for a 14 year old girl as well?

Not storygirl, but just wanted to say that DD is 12 yo and is captivated so far. I've been reading through parts of it mainly because she keeps showing me the funniest parts. It has everything I would like in a book - big words, complex sentence structure, humor, female heroine, some darker parts because it's not as fun if it's all sunshine.

[ChrisB]

How about Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier?  I loved this book as a teen/YA.  It's not sunny but a real page turner.

[Kendall]

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

 

My husband and I and all of our teen boys (My 3 teen girls will read it this year) enjoyed this one. Lots of literary and historical allusions, well written, and amusing. 

 

I personally think that to develop the joy of reading, great children's literature is a great place to start for adults.  Then skip to classic and quality adult fiction. I'm sure there must be some  quality YA books, but there is lots more that isn't IMO. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KSinNS]

A Christmas Carol

 

Also, anything by Agatha Christie (especially anything written before 1940-some of the later ones are a bit weird.) My personal favourites (and least gruesome) are: Murder at the Vicarage and The Man in the Brown Suit, but many of the others are also awesome. 

[Excelsior! Academy]

If you think she might like to choose her own you might try https://www.bookofthemonth.com/ We are giving our 18 yo dd a 3 month subscription for Christmas.  Right now they are offering a free bonus month for the gift giver, so you would get a bonus book for you. 

[Storygirl]

Would these be ok for a 14 year old girl as well?

 

Yes, they would be fine for a 14 year old. But there are deaths and murders, and Flavia has some personal tragedies to face. Her mother is gone; her father is preoccupied to the point of neglecting her; and her older sisters are unkind. But Flavia is resourceful and resiliant. She is a serious self-taught chemist (at age 11) and lives in an old crumbling estate owned by her family. She uses her knowledge of chemistry to solve the crimes. Flavia has both a humorous outlook and an underlying seriousness. She is both immature and mature for her age, in charming ways.

 

If the 14 year old would be sensitive to these kind of things, you might want to wait. There are dead bodies, but I can't think of anything too graphic. I did recommend it to my daughter at 14, though she hasn't decided to read them yet.

 

You can always read one yourself first to decide whether to get it for the teen. They are a pretty quick read. I'm sure you will enjoy it!

Edited December 15, 2017 by Storygirl

[Free Indeed]

Thanks- I just ordered the first one for my daughters Christmas book. I had never heard of this series but it looks like something she will enjoy! I'm excited!