Books

I can highly recommend basically anything written by Brandon Sanderson, especially the Cosmere series. It consists of a lot of books (and many on the way), that describe multiple worlds. What makes his books special is the way magic is integrated into the world. It's not just 14th century Europe with wizards here and there, magic makes an impact on the society in a way that's realistic. His books are easy to read, with a few exceptions (more on that below).

As for what to start with, I'd recommend two series:

• Mistborn - a series revolving around a dystopian world. The first book in the series is somewhat a fantasy heist story. Easy to read, though you can tell it's one of the earlier Brandon's books, his style of writing improves in time.
• Stormlight Archives - this is the series Brandon outdid himself TBH. The world is at the very alien, but in a way that makes sense. The books suck you in and don't let go, making you want know more about the world and the characters. Be wary though, getting through the first few chapters takes some determination, as it starts slowly. And since the world is very different to our own, some words don't make sense at start, which can be slightly offputting. But getting through the first chapters is worth it.

Try ‘Lady of Hay’ by Barbara Erskine

Hm. Some fantasy stories / books I really enjoyed and recommend are:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Just awesome. The pacing is gentle but a lot higher compared to The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings. One of the best fantasy stories I know, I read all the books multiple times. Warning: Don't watch the movie. Just don't.

The Idhún's Memories by Laura Gallego. I've read them a long time ago, so I don't know if I'd still enjoy them that much, but I've great memories.

I didn't read The Name Of The Wind yet, but it was recommended to me multiple times as THE best book.

If you don't mind science-fiction, I also would recommend Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovski.

Side note: Fantasy is quite a heavy genre if you're not really into reading yet. Often the good books are large, which makes it harder to finish in a reasonable time. General tipp: try to read one hour a day. This creates a habit and you will soon read a lot faster, which makes it a lot easier to just grind through a book as if it was nothing. Also try different genres, maybe one doesn't sound appealing, but you would enjoy it anyway.

The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. It covers the parallel histories of post colonial Indonesia's status as the figurehead of the none-aligned third world countries during the cold war, alongside the establishment and growth of the CIA and apparently eventually culminates in detailing how the CIA overthrew the government, installed a dictator and then backed him to murder over a million communists, feminists and ethnic minorities.

its pretty damn grim, so far by chapter 5 Bevins has covered the CIA's roles in the coups in Iran, Guatemala and the Phillipines and their backing of rebels to start a low level civil war in Indonesia.

If you liked Circe, you might enjoy Song of Achilles by the same author. Maybe also Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel — similar to Circe, it’s a mythic retelling focusing on a character that’s not usually in the spotlight. I read it recently and really liked it

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

"The Martian" by Andy Weir

Your book list makes it seem like you've got a pretty similar taste to me and that one hooked me in the first page. I like to describe that book as being "high adrelinaline problem solving". I'm also a SWE and think that's part of the reason it was so appealing to me.

I find when I get in a slump, that going to the library and picking up a bunch of books at a time and trying to jump into them to see what sticks really works.

If I go and commit to like five books, one is going to hook me!

Also if you liked Circe (oh man did I love it) you might really love Song of Achilles (also by Madeline Miller).

The only way I've been able to "read" is through audiobooks. I listen during my work commute. It's really enjoyable. Makes commuting enjoyable to an extent. Also, if you get a really good narrator, the experience is great.

Hey! I would give a try to Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan. Thats the book that got me into reading. It is similar to Lord of the Rings in a way, but more light hearted.

I didn’t really like to read until I bought a Kindle. For some reason, that made it way more enjoyable.

A favorite I like to recommend is The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson. It's the first in a trilogy, and could open you to a vast universe of stories if you enjoy it.