I was in a very similar position but have been reading more fiction in the last year or two (though I did read _some_ fiction in the preceding decade) I think

I was in a very similar position but have been reading more fiction in the last year or two (though I did read _some_ fiction in the preceding decade) I think some "hard scifi" might be a good bridge? Andy Weir is a good example: he spends a lot of time on the "factual" details of the universe but there are still twists/turns/character arcs/satisfying resolutions. _The Martian_ and _Project Hail Mary_ were both very good.