5 Books to Start Your Reading Journey

Just over two years ago, I got back into reading regularly, and it's improved my life enormously. Reading is good for you, relaxing, and most of all entertaining. But where do you start?

So, for World Book Day 2026, I decided to list 5 books that are the perfect place to start reading fiction for fun.

The Books

Now, where to start reading might sound like a big question, but actually it's really simple.

What do you think you would enjoy?

Read that.

Are you after a twisty crime thriller? Or an epic fantasy? Or a period romance? Or maybe a blood-chilling horror?

For my 5 books, I decided to pick ones that tick a few boxes.

• They're entertaining

• They cover a few popular genres

• They're written by respected writers

• They are NOT difficult to read

That last point is most important. Reading should be fun, so even if there's challenging content or emotional scenes (or even death), these are not difficult reads.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

Anyone who knows me or follows my Instagram knows that I love Middle Earth. The world Tolkien created is a literary masterpiece, and the Peter Jackson adaptations are peak cinema in my mind.

But Tolkien's world is not the most accessible one for new readers, with the Lord of the Rings trilogy coming in at nearly half a million words it's quite an undertaking for people restarting or new to reading.

But The Hobbit is very different.

Originally written for Tolkien's children, this is the perfect intro to his works. High fantasy meets fairy tale as we follow Bilbo's journey to The Lonely Mountain ready to face the great dragon Smaug.

So wholesome, so enjoyable, so good.

A Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

The Queen of Crime herself has to make an appearance in this list.

This is the first of her books that the great Hercule Poirot makes an appearance, and it is the archetypal murder mystery. A country house, a poisoning, an inheritance, and one perceptive Belgian.

I love Christie's works and Poirot is my favourite of her detectives.

This is a really enjoyable read, and if you want to start reading crime or mystery fiction it's a great place to start.

Alternatively, you could also do And Then There Were None, or The Body in the Library.

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Another fantasy, but a completely different style.

Pratchett is an icon of fantasy fiction, but more than that, he is one of the funniest writers you will find on the planet.

He has a remarkable ability to make characters so believably human. In Mort he manages to do this with Death.

This is the first of the Discworld books that feature Death as a central character and in my mind it is Pratchett at his best.

Witty, irreverent, heartwarming and exciting. This is a perfect introduction to Pratchett and a great way to start reading again.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

If you want something funny but fantasy isn't for you, why not try some sci-fi?

In Douglas Adams' iconic novel, Arthur Dent has his home and planet demolished before being thrown across the galaxy with a president, a girl who rejected him at a party, and a clinically depressed robot.

Adams has a rare ability to make even the simplest things hilarious. Doors that sigh as they open being a wonderful example.

This is a really simple and quick read as the plot zips across the universe at a rapid pace.

If you prefer to listen to an audiobook there is a wonderful version of this narrated by Stephen Fry.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

The absolute darling of Bookstagram at the moment, and to be fair it deserves to be.

An RPG novel, Carl and his cat Princess Donut find themselves at the end of the world, stuck in a reality tv style game where the prize is surviving a bit longer.

If you're into gaming or battle royals, this is the perfect book to get you into reading. It's horrifying and funny in a completely unique way.

Despite the violence, the comedy, and the horror of this all, Matt Dinniman does an incredible job of humanising these characters.

You can't help but root for them.

This is a series I started at the end of last year and to put it simply, I've read the first 3 and been unable to put any of them down.

There's my list, 5 books to get you reading.

Have you read any of these before? Or do you have a completely different set of books you would recommend?