Recommend a Book

DataSpy · Post by **DataSpy** » Jan 23rd, '06, 23:36

I'm looking for some good books to read, and was hoping everyone could recommend a good book to me. I mostly read technical programming books or computer related, but I'm looking for a fiction book. I think I like fantasy books the most, I also like comedy a lot too. Any help would greatly appretiated, thanx in advance!

Dodbos · Post by **Dodbos** » Jan 23rd, '06, 23:44

how about a short play? it's kinda comedic.
Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet

pokute · Post by **pokute** » Jan 24th, '06, 00:02

Anything by Kobo Abe - perhaps start with The Ark Sakura
And how about anything by Paul Bowles - start with The Sheltering Sky

Also:

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Murakami
Lolita - Nabokov
The Rings of Saturn - W.G. Sebald
Collected Short Stories - Truman Capote
Black Rain - Masuji Ibuse
The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Life, A User's Manual - George Perec
The Recognitions - William Gaddis
The Tin Drum - Gunter Grass

wingsky · Post by **wingsky** » Jan 24th, '06, 00:08

I just finished da vinci code book, some girl at work gave to me to borrow... its very very good, but i feel left out because i am reading it after 2 years when everyone else read it or something. I want to read this guys other book now called angels & demons

oh the guy is called Dan Brown

cerberus · Post by **cerberus** » Jan 24th, '06, 00:11

I finished reading Da Vinci Code a month ago, and had the same feeling! Great read, and am reading Angels & Demons just now! (Which is very similar, a bit tooooo similar...).

I also recommend Terry Pratchett: "The Colour Of Magic", and "The Light Fantastic", and then "Mort" (in that order) as he's pretty funny with his irony, in a fantasy world (sounds like a match to me).

Oh yeah, "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" is a classic, by Douglas Adams, of couse.

veritati · Post by **veritati** » Jan 24th, '06, 01:47

Three off the top of my head: The Fountainhead, Tuesdays with Morie, Harry Potter (start with the first one, of course).

Rupugus · Post by **Rupugus** » Jan 24th, '06, 02:28

hrmm... just because I read them recently,

Black No more
and
On Bullshit

EDIT: Actually, nevermind those, I recently learned about this book, An enlightening and educational experience for all who read it.

Giraffes? Giraffes!

Dr. and Mr. Doris Haggis-On-Whey. A world-renowned and much feared expert on everything, Dr. Doris Haggis-On-Whey has seventeen degrees from eighteen institutions of higher learning. With her husband, Benny, she has traveled the world many times over, has learned about all aspects of life, including outer space and food, first hand.

When is the last time you actually sat down and had a conversation with a giraffe? That's what I thought. You are hopelessly clueless on giraffe culture, their likes/dislikes and voting patterns -- most giraffes are probably libertarian. GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES! is the authoritative text on the biology, history and overall nature of giraffes.

You are so behind on giraffes that it's rather embarrassing and you obviously need this book more than health insurance. Things you probably don't know about giraffes -- and can only be found in this book -- include giraffes' preferred mode of transportation (conveyor belt), what their bodies are made of (paper mache, a clock, fruit juices and a super-strong lightweight titanium alloy), where most giraffes live (Terra Haute, Indiana -- known for many things, including buildings made of wood and ground made of dirt), and basic giraffe history (in 50,000 B.C giraffes began to hang out with primitive man, they found him to be likeable and helped him paint buffaloes in caves).

Cheat Sheet on Giraffes (good for slumber parties and barroom brawls):

• Giraffes invented plastic. "No, not plastic--latex. My bad. Still, though isn't that amazing?"

• Frequently Asked Question: Why do we call giraffes "giraffes?" Answer: Because when they came to Earth they asked us to.

• Rarely Asked Question: How fast can giraffes run? The giraffes have tried to phase out running from their lives but if they had to, they could still run much faster than you. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that they can run 780 mph.

^from Amazon.com

GhstDreamer · Post by **GhstDreamer** » Jan 24th, '06, 05:55

For light reading that's funny, try Bill Fitzhugh. I highly recommend these three books by him:

Pest Control - about an exterminator who is mistaken to be a hired assassin

Organ Grinders - the shady world of organ donations (before reading this book, I never knew the whole organ donation process was that complicated and kind of funny.)

Cross-Dressing - about this guy who's in the advertising industry and he gets mixed up with the Catholic Church at the same time.

anakmelayu · Post by **anakmelayu** » Jan 24th, '06, 06:08

omerta, books by Mario Puzo

cuteangelika · Post by **cuteangelika** » Jan 24th, '06, 06:29

I highly recommend Sophie Kinsella's books...
> Confessions of A Shopaholic
> Shopaholic goes abroad
> Shopaholic ties the Knot

and her best selling novel, Can You Keep A Secret?

By the way, are we allowed to attach ebooks here? I can share if you want.

ali-chan · Post by **ali-chan** » Jan 24th, '06, 10:06

I recomend you Song of Ice and Fire, is the best fantasy book ever written

. It´s autor is George R.R. Martin, you can try and then you´ll love his books

!!!!

bugsie · Post by **bugsie** » Jan 24th, '06, 10:09

"Neil Gaiman" books are good reads.

junebaby · Post by **junebaby** » Jan 26th, '06, 03:26

DataSpy wrote:I'm looking for some good books to read, and was hoping everyone could recommend a good book to me. I mostly read technical programming books or computer related, but I'm looking for a fiction book. I think I like fantasy books the most, I also like comedy a lot too. Any help would greatly appretiated, thanx in advance!

Thrillers
The Aquitaine Pregression by Robert Ludlum
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

Autobiography

Angela's Ashes - sad but extremely witty & FUNNY

- Frank McCourt
Teacher Man -Frank Mc Court

Schala · Post by **Schala** » Jan 26th, '06, 11:30

Hmmm...If you're looking for comedy, try one of George Carlin's books! He cracks me up! (He can be rather vulgar sometimes though, so just be warned.)

I also have been reading Koji Suzuki's novels; Ring, Spiral, Dark Water, and I finally just got Loop, the final book in the Ringu series, which I will start reading soon! I really like his style of writing!

I also recommend Battle Royale. The novel is much more detailed than the movie.

sugarbloodsuckers · Post by **sugarbloodsuckers** » Jan 27th, '06, 00:10

The Clan of the Cave Bear is really good. I just finished reading it and started the sequel. It's about a cro magnon girl who is raised by neanderthals...

mimmi · Post by **mimmi** » Jan 27th, '06, 01:02

hmm....haven't read any book lately....not in the mood, though I bought the Harry Potter #16 for my niece (a big fan of Harry Potter) and I mean to borrow it from her when she's done with it....anyway, fantasy books....also try Margaret Weis and Tracy's books....Sorry I forgot Tracy's last name, but she and Margaret work together on some of the books....a trilogy about a sword....the last of the trilogy is "ascend into the void".... ofcourse start with the first novel, I forgot the title, it's a couple years since I read them, but unforgetful stories....ah, The Da Vinci Code, somebody took off with the book, never return it, I'm angry about it just to remember about it again, the sad story is, I haven't start on it and it was gone....I'll look it up in the book stores later again when I'm in the mood of reading again....

suebee · Post by **suebee** » Feb 2nd, '06, 15:28

Some of the best sci-fi/fantasy books I've read so far are:
Ender's Game -- Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead (2nd book of the Ender's series) -- Orson Scott Card
Artemis Fowl series -- Eoin Colfer
The Thief Lord -- Cornelia Funke & Oliver Latsch

Just plain old good fiction:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time -- Mark Haddon
The Kite Runner -- Khaled Hosseini
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series -- Ann Brashares

Classics:
Jane Eyre -- Charlotte Bronte
Pride & Prejudice -- Jane Austen

liongig680 · Post by **liongig680** » Feb 2nd, '06, 16:18

well if you do like comedy then i think "High fidality" by nick hornby is very good. it's about music store owner in north london. really really funny. you will love it more if you know a few song since there are reference in the book. obviously it was made into the film but you learn more about character from the book

Kae · Post by **Kae** » Feb 6th, '06, 11:34

In addition to cerberus' suggestions on books by Terry Pratchett:

Small Gods
The Theif of Time

In fact, read all of Pratchett's Discworld series.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
John Sandford's Kidd series
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
The English Patient
The Scarlet Pimpernel

Of Human Bondage
Rule of Four

redsea · Post by **redsea** » Feb 7th, '06, 15:39

suebee wrote: Just plain old good fiction:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time -- Mark Haddon
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series -- Ann Brashares

The incident of the Dog...is really funny and kind of touching as well. I like that book. Sisterhood of traveling pants is also a nice try.
Da vinci Code is really interesting but at the same time, as a thriller...it seems normal to me. But I really love the art, numerical codes, manuscripts, mystifying symbolism...ect...In general, It's a good book. Must read !!! Other books of Dan Brown more or less...similar... I read all of them and suggest that you shouldn't go for all.

How about Kazuo Ishiguro? Start with Where we were orphans or Never let me go. They're beautiful stories...
For relax, easy going book:
1. Can you keep a secret is funny lol
2. or series stories of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend. If you ever read "The secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4" (I read it when I was in primary school), you will have a good laugh
3. I also love Paulo Coelho's books, especially The Alchemist.

I real all kind of books. Now it's so hard to remember all of them.....Above are all I have in my mind now

*Lifo* · Post by ***Lifo*** » Feb 7th, '06, 15:43

MANGA-MANGA-MANGA!!

IceThy · Post by **IceThy** » Feb 7th, '06, 16:41

I recomend you Song of Ice and Fire, is the best fantasy book ever written . It´s autor is George R.R. Martin, you can try and then you´ll love his books !!!!

Yeahhh I read a lot of fantasy books but this is one of the best....
margaret weis and tracy hickman's dragon lance series was also

Michael A. Stackpoles Battletech triology

funny ones...... I guess I just read those for women .... like bridget jones... -.- or PS I love you mwahaha....

what about history? It's almost the same feeling as fantasy........

Noah gordons physician is amazing..... or rebecca gable is also a great author.[/spoiler]

ali-chan · Post by **ali-chan** » Feb 7th, '06, 17:31

Hey, and what about The pilars of the Earth??? It´s an excellent book

xKiMix · Post by **xKiMix** » Feb 7th, '06, 17:34

ali-chan wrote:Hey, and what about The pilars of the Earth??? It´s an excellent book

who wrote it, and what's it about?

I think some good books are The Da Vinci Code, Beloved, and my all time fav, HARRY POTTER!!!

and of course MANGA!

ali-chan · Post by **ali-chan** » Feb 7th, '06, 19:56

It´s a Ken Follet´s book. Is a historical saga of a family in the middle age days...
ok, here i post a review from his web page (because my english is not as good as I´d like to

)

In a time of civil war, famine, religious strife and war, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.

enkhee · Post by **enkhee** » Feb 7th, '06, 20:14

for sci-fi and fantasy the Dune series by Frank Herbert is by far the best.

for just fiction the Runaway Jury by John Grisham is good.

AngelGurl6 · Post by **AngelGurl6** » Feb 7th, '06, 20:17

Yes, I agree that besides several interesting mangas, Harry Potter is the next best thing!

Honestly, I was one of those people who though Harry Potter books were just for children

, but it's really not. My friend finally persuaded me to read it and I absolutely loved it!

That book was such a page turner that I ended up buying them for myself!

I heard nothing but good reviews for The DaVinci Code, so I'll have to give it a try. As for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, well, I didn't enjoy it as much.

Then again, that's just me. The book was just ok. I kind of expected it to be better than ok. Oh well...

xKiMix wrote:
ali-chan wrote:Hey, and what about The pilars of the Earth??? It´s an excellent book
who wrote it, and what's it about?

I think some good books are The Da Vinci Code, Beloved, and my all time fav, HARRY POTTER!!! and of course MANGA!

laungmai · Post by **laungmai** » Feb 7th, '06, 20:22

enkhee wrote:for sci-fi and fantasy the Dune series by Frank Herbert is by far the best.

The Dune series by Frank Herbert is amazing. Definitely a good read!

Hmm, since I just watched King King check out Heart of Darkness, I really enjoyed it when I read it a while back.

hmm, I don't have much in the sci-fi fantasy department, but here are some fiction:

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (I read it before Oprah's book club

)
Atonement by Ian McEwan

(Most stuff by Ian McEwan is really good)

Oh and a classic Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

...can't think of anymore off the top of my head. I'll have to take a look at my small collection of books.

Tifleur · Post by **Tifleur** » Feb 7th, '06, 21:19

If you like fantasy, I recommend :

ROBERT JORDAN

The wheel of time (11 volumes) : The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos, A Crown of Swords, The Path of Daggers, Winter’s Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, Knife of Dreams

DAVID EDDINGS

The Belgariad (5 volumes) : Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, Enchanter's End Game

The Malloreon (5 volumes) : Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda, Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell

The Elenium (3 volumes) : The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight, The Sapphire Rose

The Tamuli (3 volumes) : Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, The Hidden City

azndgn26 · Post by **azndgn26** » Feb 7th, '06, 21:32

I dislike reading books so if the book is really good, then I would actually read it. Most are classics, so a lot of people have already read them.

These are highly recommended:
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
They Cage the Animals at Night - Jennings Michael Burch
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov

wingsky · Post by **wingsky** » Feb 7th, '06, 21:33

azndgn26 wrote:I dislike reading books so if the book is really good, then I would actually read it. Most are classics, so a lot of people have already read them.

These are highly recommended:
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
They Cage the Animals at Night - Jennings Michael Burch
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov

yup, of mice and men is relee good, thumbs up!!

OvertheRainbow · Post by **OvertheRainbow** » Feb 7th, '06, 21:40

wingsky wrote:
azndgn26 wrote:I dislike reading books so if the book is really good, then I would actually read it. Most are classics, so a lot of people have already read them.

These are highly recommended:
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
They Cage the Animals at Night - Jennings Michael Burch
The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov
yup, of mice and men is relee good, thumbs up!!

we had to read Of mice and men for our summer reading, I didn't really get it at first but I guess I understand now..Oh has anyone read Animal Farm? People around me keep talking about that but I haven't read it

I happened upon a summary of Lolita and the plot scares me..o.0

I can't think of any good books I've read but I have to read To Kill a Mockingbird for class right now

laungmai · Post by **laungmai** » Feb 7th, '06, 22:22

OvertheRainbow wrote:
we had to read Of mice and men for our summer reading, I didn't really get it at first but I guess I understand now..Oh has anyone read Animal Farm? People around me keep talking about that but I haven't read it

I happened upon a summary of Lolita and the plot scares me..o.0

I can't think of any good books I've read but I have to read To Kill a Mockingbird for class right now

I've read Animal Farm by George Orwell. Its a really good book. The plot may sound a little scary, but it is an amazing allegory. Similary, 1984 is another good book. Both are good satires!

h0shikoxtenshi · Post by **h0shikoxtenshi** » Feb 7th, '06, 23:01

bugsie wrote:"Neil Gaiman" books are good reads.

I second this, love this author! For other fantasy novels try books by Diana Wynne Jones and Robin Mckinley. I'm currently reading The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, never read her stuff before but she seems popular so far it's pretty good. ^^ Try classics too like Count of Monte Cristo.

redsea · Post by **redsea** » Feb 8th, '06, 00:43

Yeah, Animal Farm and 1984 are really good. The Animal farm carry the politic aspect of the Russian Revolution and Communism. It soon became a big bang in the Western society at that time. The way I saw it was that major represented marx, napoleon=stalin, snowball= a russian idealist, etc. It's an amazing book. Give it a try. You won't regret.

I love novels of Franz Kafka and Gabriel Garcia Marquez as well. But I love Erich Maria Remarque's novels the most. You can try all of the novels and they are really really good such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Three Comrades, Arch of Triumph...etc..which are books that I love. I collect all of his Novels

François Sagan with Bonjour tristesse is also nice. I love it when I was 18...till now

prismatic_star · Post by **prismatic_star** » Feb 8th, '06, 01:14

Here are some books I definitely recommend:

Thinner by Stephen King --- Shocking Thriller that got me hooked. It's about a fat man whom has run over a gypsy and has become cursed and becomes thinner and thinner until he melts away.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden---Movie sucked but my gosh, you'll be blown away at this novel. I was. I cried. Simply brilliant.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel ---- Common~ It's really famous here in Canada.. not as much as the Da Vinci Code though. WHO DOESN'T LIKE AN INDIAN BOY NAMED PI WHO'S LOST AT SEA WITH A TIGER? Oh, my gosh, it's a life-altering novel. Makes you see things in a different light. It's becoming a classic.

The Child Called It by Dave Pelzer ---- It's about California's most BRUTAL child abuse case ever. This book appeared in Oprah's show, just so you know.. The author is actually describes how he survived those horrifying tortures his mom put him through. One including how his mother forced him to lie on the oven while it was on.

Daughter of The Forest by Juliet Mariller --- Fantasy. and goddamn brilliant. It's about a supposed to be the seventh son of the seventh sons but the child was a girl. In order to save her brothers whom an evil echantress turned her loving brothers into swans, she cannot speak and sacrifice to save her brothers. It's Part one of the Sevenwaters Trilogy. It's based on the Celtic legend of the Swans.

redsea · Post by **redsea** » Feb 8th, '06, 01:17

prismatic_star wrote: Here are some books I definitely recommend:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden---Movie sucked but my gosh, you'll be blown away at this novel. I was. I cried. Simply brilliant.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel ---- Common~ It's really famous here in Canada.. not as much as the Da Vinci Code though. WHO DOESN'T LIKE AN INDIAN BOY NAMED PI WHO'S LOST AT SEA WITH A TIGER? Oh, my gosh, it's a life-altering novel. Makes you see things in a different light. It's becoming a classic.

YAYYY, Life of Pi is definitely a MUST READ. I guess I give too many suggestions

....

bLaCkNbLuE · Post by **bLaCkNbLuE** » Feb 8th, '06, 02:36

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Was featured on Oprah's Book club. It is a beautiful tale of a poor, hard-working, Chinese farmer and his wife, raising their family in pre-revolutionary China in the 1920s.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A true classic, and one of my most favorite peices of 19th century literature. The movie doesn't even hold a candle to this.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Again, so much better than the movie.
Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
Coming-of-age novel set in 15th century Florence, Italy, about a 14-year old girl caught in an unconventional, loveless marriage and her secret romance with a mysterious painter.

sahansah · Post by **sahansah** » Mar 6th, '08, 21:56

Bo, Bo-ok? Whats a book?

Can you eat it?

atskv9 · Post by **atskv9** » Mar 6th, '08, 23:37

I don't read much that isn't digital but I definitely recommend Shogun by James Clavell.
"It is set in feudal Japan in the year 1600 some months before the critical battle of Sekigahara, and gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" (clearly in reference to the real-life Tokugawa Ieyasu) to the Shogunate, seen through the eyes of an English sailor whose fictional heroics are loosely based on William Adams' exploits."
(credit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dgun_%28novel%29)
I learned a great deal about feudal Japan and samurai through this novel. Not to mention the story is great

Post by **lilswtangel** » Mar 6th, '08, 23:40

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A Thousand Splendid Suns + The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan + Peony in Love by Lisa See
The Kitchen God's Wife + The Bonesetter's Daughter + The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Purnaiya Taylor
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (may she RIP...)

and I'm sure these were probably already mentioned:
The Da Vinci Code + Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

sahansah · Post by **sahansah** » Mar 7th, '08, 01:17

I recommend Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. This is a really good classic. Its a rather morbid dark book with alot of symbolism and imagery. It deals with lust and revenge, very fascinating.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson I remember reading once and it wasn't a bad read.

The Harry Potter series of course lol

I have been reading The Prince by Niccol Manchiavelli but started that like last year and I still haven't finished it yet ~ kinda forgot about it

I heard that His Dark Materials the triolgy of books by Philip Pullman are really good. I need to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy one day and 1984 by George Orwell

I haven't really read much books recently. I used to read quite a bit when I was younger but can't be bothered to open a book any more sadly.

Egg-chan · Post by **Egg-chan** » Mar 7th, '08, 06:25

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ^^ (all of them!)

SmiLeeGirl · Post by **SmiLeeGirl** » Mar 7th, '08, 06:46

Romane Novels:
The Mallory Stories - Johanna Lindsey
The Bride, The Wedding - Julie Garwood
Once and Always - Judith McNaught

Paranormal Romance
Brotherhood of the Dagger Series - JR Ward
Dark Hunter Series - S. Kenyon

Fiction:
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
Battle Royale (The book not the graphic novels) - Koushun
The 5 people you meet in heaven - morris

Non-Fiction
Freakanomics

YA Books:
The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Wickedly Lovely - Melissa Maar
Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
Modern Fairetale #1 / #3 - Holly Black

Upper El/Middle School
Harry Potter Series
Charlie Bone Series
Elsewhere

XainzMe · Post by **XainzMe** » Mar 7th, '08, 07:01

I am Morgan le Fay by Nancy Springer just because i like to reminisce ;D terribly childish but still such a good book~ takes place in Camelot a bit before King Arthur's time
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, about foot-binding just for a heads up (:

alcozar · Post by **alcozar** » Mar 11th, '08, 14:45

Stephen King's book Gerald's Game.

Good read (like most of King's books).

myusername · Post by **myusername** » Apr 28th, '08, 16:14

All of David Gemmell's books are excellent. They're all stand alone novels and not series where you have to read it in an order, although some of them are considered series you don't have to read them in order to understand everything. I hate romance in my fantasy books and he puts in just enough to make the character more human. IMO his writing style is simple and easy to understand.

Guy Gavriel Kay is a good author too. I've only read The Lions of Al-Rassan but it was good enough for me to want to read his other novels. This book was more political and the setting was basically in medieval Spain. IMO I found it very violent but I still loved it.

Someone already recommended Maragret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance novels. I also enjoyed reading the series. It has your typical elves, dragons, dwarf's, knights, and an half-elf plus the saving the world.

XrayZ · Post by **XrayZ** » Jun 6th, '08, 10:48

As my first post on this site, i thought reccommending a book is appropriate (even if the thread's a bit old!), since i'm kind of obsessed....

Almost everybody has reccommended new(ish) and popular(ish) books, so i thought i'd shout out a few all-time faves which are a bit off the beaten track....

"Titus Groan" by Mervyn Peake
This is one of the greatest fantasy novels ever written. No action, not much plot, but a lot of heavy atmosphere, bizarre characters and astounding writing.... it's like drowning in beautiful language! The two sequels "Gormenghast" and "Titus Alone" are also excellent, but not quite so essential. Way, way better than LOTR (although i confess most people diagree with me on that!). I'm re-reading it now for the first time in fifteen years, and i find that there are still paragraphs i remember almost whole...

"The Book & the Sword" by Jin Yong (Louis Cha)
Awesome kung fu novel by one of the world's most popular novelists. Originally published in daily serial form in HK's Ming Pao newspaper, so it moves at a cracking pace! There are several translation but the best by miles is the one by Graham Earnshaw from Oxford University Press (US)... a bit expensive but a beautiful hardback as well as a thrilling read. Like all his works i've readto date it has a sly sense of humour in with the madcap action... and a crazy twisty plot to boot.

"The Cold Six Thousand" by James Ellroy
Possibly the most cynical crime novel ever written, with some of the most intense, almost anti-literary prose ever written. There's not a paragraph over five lines, and his clipped, short, no-BS style is jaw-dropping. Most of the characters are obsessive, violent, psychotic and racist, so it's an often uncomfortable read, but well worth it. You also get a fictional "insider" view of the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK as the author twists reality and fiction together beautifully.

"The Broken Sword" by Poul Anderson
Anderson's sf is so-so, but his fantasy novels are outstanding! This is the book which inspired Michael Moorcock's Elric novels, and for my money it's way better. Set in the Danelaw of Medieval Britain, it mixes folklore and myth with a tragic love-story and lots of intense fighting! Like Conan but with a lot more finesse.

PPS - who reccommended Ayn Rand? I read "The Fountainhead" as a teenager and i laughed my butt of but i don't think i was supposed to. That's some scary '50s right-wing craziness right there, my advice is avoid like the plague! But then again i'm a leftist nutter, so what do i know?

kungb · Post by **kungb** » Jun 16th, '08, 19:30

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, a really well written book with a really good story. Check it out if you got the time

kadetdawidow · Post by **kadetdawidow** » Jul 12th, '08, 15:54

hmmm.... my favorite books that I'd recommend are....
the Ender series and the Bean series by Orson Scott Card
the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
anything by HP Lovecraft
the Xanth series by Piers Anthony is amazingly good
Anita Blake - the earlier books
and probably the Philip Marlowe series by Raymond Chandler - although those are kind of 1930s detective novels, so not many people that I've met are into it.....

Ruka707 · Post by **Ruka707** » Aug 24th, '08, 16:17

Anything from Laurell K. Hamilton.
Earlier Anita Blake books and Merry Gentry are my favorites, I'm currently reading A Kiss of Shadows ^^

Post by **Keiko1981** » Feb 28th, '09, 17:17

I just began listening to the audio book of "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" (Original Swedish title: "Män som Hatar Kvinnor" in English "Men who hate Women") by Stieg Larsson. (I wonder why they didn't keep the direct translation?)
After seeing a small clip of the movie, which had its premier on Feb 16th. It looked interesting so I decied to give it a try.
I'm on chapter three now and so far it's good.

kuro570 · Post by **kuro570** » Apr 5th, '09, 02:57

I usually love anything from Stephen King or Tom Clancy but I'll give a list of my absolute favorites.
I won't go into much detail about the books since well... you can read them in reviews and prologues

Tom Clancy:
Rainbow Six -I think this is a must read book with all the twists, action, and story that will leave you in your seat for every page.

Without Remorse
Patriot Games
Clear and Present Danger
The Sum of All Fears
Shadow Warriors- Great insight on American special forces
Red Rabbit

The Net Force series is under Tom Clancy name but wrote by Steve Pieczenik and some other guys.
Hidden Agendas
State Of War

Stephen King 2 must read
IT- Epic book well over a thousand pages and will easily keep you hooked and wishing for more
Cell

If you can read Japanese and know a good bit of kanji you would probably enjoy

天国の本屋うつしいろのゆめ-Tengoku no ya utsushiiro no yume- Main character Izumi and is mainly about her and her fiance. I usually don't like books like these but since it was to practice reading and what not for class I gave it a chance, not a bad book by any means but overall story could be better imo.

There's a good amount of Japanese books to read but I'm completely biased towards all because of Tom Clancy and Stephen King lol

Apex86 · Post by **Apex86** » Apr 5th, '09, 03:38

how about East of Eden by John Steinbeck? I enjoyed the novel so much more than the drama of the same name. You can also try Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

Post by **Keiko1981** » Apr 5th, '09, 10:51

Apex86 wrote:how about East of Eden by John Steinbeck? I enjoyed the novel so much more than the drama of the same name. You can also try Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

I recently read on another forum where someone compared East of Eden with The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson (I'm on the second book now The Girl who Played with Fire, still very good).

kuro570 · Post by **kuro570** » Apr 5th, '09, 11:16

Apex86 wrote:how about East of Eden by John Steinbeck? I enjoyed the novel so much more than the drama of the same name. You can also try Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

I've haven't really read books by Steinbeck but I've read East of Eden. I don't really like that book, its probably more or less just because if its not about horror, suspence, military or counter terrorism I'm just not interested lol

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