Trying to find a fantasy book I *ACTUALLY* like 

Spinning Silver or Uprooted by Naomi Novik are good for beginners in a more classic fantasy style. You also might like Diane Setterfield's Once Upon a River or Catherynne M Valente's Deathless as more folklore/magical realism style fantasy.

This was a very interesting video! I used to love fantasy (I've read the whole Wheel of Time twice. Didn't like it as much the second time, though), but lately I've found that I'm often annoyed by fantasy books. Like you, I'm not interested in plot heavy books, I'm not a fan of romance, and I usually don't find humour in books funny. I also don't like ya and new adult because the characters are often very two dimensional, or the plot relies on miscommunication or the main character doing something very stupid/out of character for it to progress. I don't like tropey books, and fantasy (and romance) books often follow specific tropes. This last year I've finished the reread of the Wheel of Time (some parts are so good, others are so boring or annoying), the first two Eragon books (just no), the first Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (quite good), the Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin (the first book was really good, but I wasn't as invested in the last part of the series), and Tress of the Emerald Sea also by Sanderson (DNFed, too whimsical). Last month, kind of like a last attempt to like fantasy again, I read the first Malazan book by Steven Erikson. I really liked it. The ending was a little all over the place, but I'm going to read the second book before I decide if I'm sticking with the series. Am going to check out the Goblin Emperor though. If you liked it, I might as well. 😃

I loved this video! I really love fantasy (or the idea of reading fantasy), but don't actually read very much of it...because it can be so hard to find what you like! I usually don't like any of the contemporary ones, though I am curious to try The Spear Cuts Through Water. Most recently, I read and enjoyed the first two books of the the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, but I think there may be lots of dragons to come in later books so might not be for you haha. They are more character-driven and I definitely like her writing and will continue with the whole series, but I'm not yet completely enamored. I also enjoyed Lud in the Mist by Hope Mirrlees which is from the 1920s...I didn't love the plot, but it is quite peculiar, comical, and atmospheric and that I enjoyed. I am totally with you on Piranesi! People are so hyperbolic when they speak about how much they love it, but it was just okay for me. Was really enjoying the beginning and then it lost me in the end and I ended up just a bit confused about it all. I've been curious about Juliet Marillier for a while so definitely bumping her books up on my list. Also the Goblin Emperor! That sounds so good. Patricia McKillip might be an author for you! I've only read Ombria in Shadow, but it seems like most of her books are cozier and atmospheric than most...and a lot of them are standalones. I'm definitely here for any and all future fantasy content!

Fantasy is a great genre. Try reading shorter books of all kinds, even short stories. Not everything in life has to be difficult, you can just read for pleasure.

I was going to recommend Legends and Lattes 😀. Another one I love is Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater.

I am also trying to get into fantasy. I read the The Hobbit early this year and really enjoyed it. I want to get into the Lord of the Rings series too. I’m currently reading Shardik by Richard Adams and I’m enjoying it thus far. I typically read literary fiction and find older fantasy books appeal to me more than more recent releases. Great video!

I'm not a huge fantasy reader. At least not high fantasy books are not my cup of tea. There are some fantasy books I do like. The Harry Potter series for one as well as the Discworld series. I enjoy Jasper Fforde's books. Genevieve Cogman's Invisible Library series was fun as is Gail Carriger's fantasy series. You may enjoy The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

I would recommend Babel by R F Kuang. It's more dark academia with magic elements rather than complete fantasy. It goes into a lot of tangents about language and certain words, as well as following a plot

Hi there, I'm not a huge fantasy or science fiction reader. I primarily read literary fiction, classics, modern classics, translated fiction, some classic golden age crime, non-fiction, and children's literature. However, I do try to read as wide a range as possible so I do try out Sci-fi and Fantasy from time to time. For me character along with quality of writing are key, followed by a sense of place. Plot is the least important element of writing for me as a reader. I avoid books with hype and wait for years to read/try those ones. Three that were hugely popular that I would recommend if you haven't given them a try are Johnathan Stange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. (I haven't read Piranesi by her yet, but I will, I'm still waiting for that "hype" period to be over.) I read Johnathan Strange & Mr Norell two years ago, and I enjoyed it. Another possible fantasy is A Winter's Promise: Book One of The Mirror Visitor Quartet. Europa Editions translated Christelle Dabos quartet into English a number of years ago. I've only read the first in the series, but I plan to read the next one at some point and see how it is. The third is the Bear in the Nightengale Series by Katherine Arden. Again, I've only read the first book in the series but plan to try the next book. Other contemporary fantasy/sci-fi authors I've tried and enjoyed are N.K. Jemisin Fifth Season, Octavia Butler, and S. A Chakraborty The Kingdom of Copper. I plan to read the next books in the series by those authors at some point as well and see how they are. I think the key is to know that I'm looking for books based on the quality of the writing, the focus on character and the sense of place. That enables me to read successfully across genres, but I have to do my research based on these 3 elements that are important to me as a reader. It's good to explore and expand what we read! Great topic for a video!!