I went through a phase where I just didn’t read.
I still liked books. I still bought them occasionally. I just never finished them. By the time the kids were in bed and the house was quiet, my brain was tired. Reading felt like another task instead of something relaxing, so I kept putting it off.
What got me back into reading wasn’t willpower or discipline. It was the right books at the right time.
Two authors did most of the work for me: Bill Bryson and Dan Brown.
Bill Bryson was the easy re-entry point.
What I like about Bill Bryson is that he writes in a very accessible way. He covers big topics: science, history, travel, and the human body but he explains things like a normal person would. You don’t feel like you’re in a lecture. You feel like someone interesting is talking and you just happen to be learning along the way.
Books like A Short History of Nearly Everything and The Body: A Guide for Occupants are full of facts, but they’re broken down into short sections, little stories, and moments of humour. You don’t need to remember everything. You can dip in and out and still enjoy it.
For me, his audiobooks were even better than reading the physical books. His writing really suits audio. The timing of the jokes, the calm pace, the way things are explained all lands more naturally when you’re listening. I could put an audiobook on while cooking or driving and feel like my brain was gently waking up again, not being pushed too hard. His books really helped me get back into writing.
Dan Brown came next, and for a completely different reason.
There’s a lot of conversation online about Dan Brown, especially on book forums and Reddit. One thing people say over and over is that he’s not a great writer in the technical sense. The prose is simple. The dialogue can be clunky. The sentences aren’t something you stop to admire.
And yet, many of those same people will admit they’ve read several of his books in a row.
That’s because Dan Brown is very good at telling a story. His books move fast. Chapters are short. There’s always a puzzle unfolding. Books like The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno are built around art history, religion, science, and conspiracy theories, and they’re designed to keep you turning pages. Once you get past the obsessive lone figures that keep appearing in his books, from the Hassassin in Angels & Demons, to Silas in The Da Vinci Code, Mal’akh in The Lost Symbol, and the Golem in The Secret of Secrets, the stories are hugely enjoyable. In fact, characters like Ensei Tankado, Bertrand Zobrist and even Luis Ávila, almost feel like a relief from the body-modified, self-punishing extremes.
And, if you already enjoy the idea of secret societies, hidden messages, and the feeling that there’s more going on beneath the surface of history, his books are very engaging. You don’t read them for beautiful language. You read them because you want to know what happens next.
When you’re coming back to reading after a long break, that kind of momentum really helps. You don’t want to work hard to stay focused. You want a book that pulls you along even when you’re tired.
That’s what these two authors did for me. Bill Bryson made reading feel calm and doable again. Dan Brown made it feel exciting and absorbing. Between them, they helped me rebuild a habit I thought I’d lost.