I read Harry Potter books as a kid and used to self insert myself and pretend I was a student in Hogwarts. Then I found out anime which became a new escapism tool for me for a long time but I'm fed up with it now, can't stand it anymore.
So I would be very thankful if someone can recommend any good books for escapism and such. Fantasy, scifi, realism, anything goes.
>>31858
Depends on if you're looking for Eastern books or Western books (translated Japanese light novels vs English). Also depends on if you insert yourself as main character or just into the settings (aka if you would be okay with a setting where everybody besides the main character isn't that great). And also depends on if you're male or female.
Western:
-For inserting as MC: Daniel Black Series (https://www.goodreads.com/series/144936-daniel-black). Probably ultimate self insert western novel that's actually not shit. Main character gets sent to a medieval world that's undergoing Fimbulwinter which is pretty much an ever-lasting winter with a ton of monsters roaming around. He uses the magic powers he gets to collect survivors, build a fortress, introduce modern day tech, build a harem, etc. Elements of interest: Transported to fantasy world, having powerful magic, applying modern day knowledge, fortress-building + survival, lots of attractive girls (succubus, elves, etc.), OP character.
-Inserting into the world (not as the MC): To be honest, there are a lot of books like that. Ex: Dresden Files, Chronicles of Narnia, Bartimaeus series, etc. It REALLY depends on what you're looking for.
Eastern:
Well, if you like escapism anime, you'll probably be interested to know that escapism webnovels/light novels are probably one of the most translated japanese novels right now.
Everything on this list:
http://www.novelupdates.com/series-ranking/?rank=popmonth&org=496
could probably fit your criteria.
And once again: it really, really helps if you can give a better criteria for what you're searching for. Even a "I'm looking for a novel like XXX" would help a lot.