Recommend a read

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Salems lot.

 

[Ite]

Another good'un.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

amurkan gawds

 

[Ryushikaze]

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and Long Dark Teatime of the Soul.

Also, all of Pterry Pratchett's NON disc books. They don't get enough love.

 

[Dana Scully]

amurkan gawds

just bought this book

Sabbat Worlds if you're a WH40k fan, shit's awesome

Colour Bleach if you're a Bleach fan, shit's hilarious

Flash and Bones if you're a Kathy Reichs/mystery-with-snappy-dialogue fan, shit's excellent

just good shit all around

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Percy Jackson Franchise:
Most of you have seen the movie, but the books are something different. They are narrated by Jackson himself and it has that narration of sarcasm mixed with Wittyness. For those of you who haven't seen the movie it makes a lot of references to the Greek Gods. Percy is sent to a camp where, like himself, tons of kids whose father/mother are a God, train in order to survive in the normal world.

So much love for this series. I like them better then Harry Potter. Probably has to do with fact that the gods are not stuck in the dark ages like the wizards are.

 

[Unlucky]

I strongly recommend The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It's a fictional novel about an Indian boy whose family was killed in a shipwreck, leaving him stranded in a boat with some zoo animals they brought with them, including a full-grown Bengal tiger. It won several awards and is soon to be released as a film sometime in November 2012, directed by Ang Lee.

It's a story full of hope and faith, sad and happy just the same. It brought me to tears, and yet it was told in such a light-hearted, funny tone. I don't even know how it would translate into film as well as in the book, so if anybody's interested in the movie, I recommend that you read first-- it's definitely worth your time and money.

 

[Ite]

About Life of Pi, I have heard incredibly mixed reviews from the friends that I go to for book recs. They usually agree, but they are split down the middle on this one, violently almost.

For non-fiction lovers I would recommend Polyamory by Tony Ravenscroft. I found it absolutely fascinating, and better than most other books on the subject.

 

[looneymoon]

I enjoyed The Life of Pi, if only for bringing up an interesting discussion. If anything, Martel knows how to present things in a way to get people divided (in s really angry way too).

Kind of overrated, but worth the time of day at least.

 

[Theozilla]

http://www.mangapark.com/manga/koe-no-katachi/c0/1

I thought this thread would be the most appropriate place to recommend this one shot manga. It is a comic about bullying that made me get teary.

Summary:

A one-shot about a grade school class that accepts a girl with impaired hearing. Everything is not as happy as it seems. Although this one-shot won the 80th Weekly Shounen Magazine Newbie Best Mangaka Award, the vector of the content made it difficult for publication on any manga magazine, until it was picked up, after months of legal dispute, by the February edition of Bessatsu Shounen Magazine, where it got first place despite its being a one-shot. This one-shot was recently publicized again on the 12th edition of the 2013 Weekly Shounen Magazine.

 

[Dee]

I would recommend nearly anything written by William Gibson. In the last 4 months, I read six of his books (the sprawl and the bridge trilogies), and I'm reading Burning Chrome right now. They're all wonderful in their own ways, but not as good as Neuromancer. I would recommend that one, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light, Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties.

However, now I am at the point where I want more cyberpunk/scifi and it's difficult to navigate through people's recommendations because apparently Gibson is the cream of the crop. I kind of wish I hadn't started out with him since now my expectations are kind of high. Can anyone recommend a cyberpunk read that's similar, if not great in its own respect?

 

[HylianMogget]

However, now I am at the point where I want more cyberpunk/scifi and it's difficult to navigate through people's recommendations because apparently Gibson is the cream of the crop. I kind of wish I hadn't started out with him since now my expectations are kind of high. Can anyone recommend a cyberpunk read that's similar, if not great in its own respect?

Maybe The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester? It's more of a predecessor of cyberpunk, so I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for, but I think Gibson himself really likes it.

 

[Dee]

I'll check it out. I really do want the quintessential cyberpunk action/adventure-type deal, though, if not something similar.

 

[Ⓐaron]

Bruce Sterling is apparently really good, though I'm only really familiar with him through his collaboration with Gibson, which is credited with inventing steampunk (The Difference Engine).

As far as more general sci-fi goes I can give you a shitload of recommendations in that.

 

[Cait Sith]

I just finished reading "Alice in Deadland" and "Through the Killing Glass" by Mainak Dhar ... I'm not into Apocalypse stuff, but these were actually decent reads.

Anne McCaffrey is another of my favs... Not just for the Dragonriders of Pern books (which amass to well over 20 in total), but her short story compilations and her other books.

A couple of others: Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario.. It's a true story about a boy who risked his life to cross into the U.S. illegally to be with his mother who'd left him at a young age in hopes of making a better life for him and his older sister. The author actually went down to El Salvador and re-traced his journey, riding the trains as he did, and spoke with his family. She's a very sweet woman. I've had the privilege of communicating with her via email - just curious about how Enrique and his family are doing today and whatnot.

Coyotes, by Ted Conniver.. It's a very well written book about a man who decided to see exactly how hard it is to get into the U.S. and live here illegally. It's a very good read.

Khaled Housseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Kite Runner. Just read them.

Life of Pi, Yann Martel - I know. There's the movie. And I think it was rather well done, surprisingly. But I found this book in my sister's closet back in 2006 and have completely worn it out since. The last time I flew on an airplane (in 2009), I had it under my arm and it was a major conversation starter. I got stopped so many times by people and the guy sitting next to me on the plane was practically begging me to give it to him. lol

The Poisonwood Bible, Barbra Kingsolver. Just read it. It's great.

 

[Dee]

Bruce Sterling is apparently really good, though I'm only really familiar with him through his collaboration with Gibson, which is credited with inventing steampunk (The Difference Engine).

As far as more general sci-fi goes I can give you a shitload of recommendations in that.

I do enjoy sci-fi as a genre, but not so much when fantasy is mixed in, so if you could recommend something like that I'd much appreciate it. And yeah, I was looking at The Difference Engine, but I got Gibson's Burning Chrome instead (at like $4.50, yay Powell's!) That's one I'm eyeing once I finish Burning Chrome.

 

[Ⓐaron]

Offhand, relatively "pure" sci-fi recommendations:

Isaac Asimov - Foundation trilogy. The prequels are also not bad and Foundation's Edge is pretty good as well; however, I never much cared for Foundation and Earth. Start with the original Foundation though.

The robots novels are also pretty good.

Walter M. Miller, Jr. - A Canticle for Leibowitz. You'll have to deal with the author's strong (at the time; he had lapsed by the time he wrote the interquel) Catholic faith but it's well worth it because it is a superb novel. Tremendously depressing though.

Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said; The Man in the High Castle; probably a bunch of other novels as well

Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle; The Sirens of Titan; Slaughterhouse-Five; Breakfast of Champions (although this last is arguably more metafiction than science fiction)

Ursula K. Le Guin - Hainish cycle (particularly The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed)

China Miéville - The City & the City; Embassytown. His other stuff is also very good but tends to be a blend of fantasy and sci-fi.

Also Douglas Adams but I'm sure here everyone here already knows him.

Anyway I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy among those.

 

[Dee]

I found another cyberpunk scifi novel that seemed to be able to keep my interest. In fact, I finished it not too long ago. It's called Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. It takes place in the 25th century. A man named Takeshi Kovacs has been hired by an old man named Laurens Bancroft to investigate his death, which has been ruled a suicide by the police, but he doesn't believe it. In this world, you can be 'resleeved' into a new/another body as cortical stacks implanted into the base of ones brain can store your memories and whatnot. It's a sort of cyberpunk, detective noir 'whodunnit' story, and it really held my attention from start to finish.

 

[Octo]

Necro posting and really I shouldn't have to....you illiterate swines!

I jest. But recommend some books, preferably grown up stuff (not hunger games/harry potter type stuff and not bloody Game of Thrones which I concede is grown up-ish but I cba with it) and preferably available cheaply/free and/or by electronic means.

Seriously, just pretend I'm an alien who has never read anything

 

[Clement Rage]

What are you into?

 

[Octo]

I dunno, dark stuff, but also humor. I'm not against the idea of fantasy per se but most of the stuff that has made the mainstream bar LOTR has left me cold.

Basically I'll try anything if it's cheap

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Various books/scripts I think are worth reading at least once...

Death of a Salesman by Arther Miller. Fantastic deconstruction of the "American Dream" and also deals with the idea of parents expecting their kids to carry on the parent's ideals.

Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Victorian era thriller (not horror) that makes great use of an unreliable narrator (who is female).

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Yes, I know. This get's easier to read once you realize that half the book is historical fiction and that the other half the book is a (mostly) non-fictional account of how Napoleon failed to take over Russia. You can get the full storyline of the book by only reading the historical fiction parts and skipping over everything that deals with Napoleon. Features political intrigue, love triangles, social climbing (and descending) and well... war and peace.

The classic monster novels, aka Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyell and Mr. Hyde. If simply becasue they deconstruct most of the ways those monsters are portrayed now a days. Dracula is pretty ugly and that's just the tip of the iceberg, the monster is probably the smartest character in Frankenstein, and Jekyell is very much aware of what Hyde is up to.

On another topic... what order would you guys recommend reading Lovecraft's works in if you've never read his stuff before?

 

[The G'randiest' Daddy]

Anything by Terry Pratchett. He write cynically, but truthfully. It is fantasy, but using his fantasy he reflects the world in a way that leaves you thinking. And also he is hysterically funny.

Also the Legionary series by Gordon Doherty. I still want to read his Strategos series as well. Based loosely on some facts, and fitted to historical timelines, but with a lot of violence and well, the reality of the times, built into it.

Answer Clement's question and I'll see what I can do Edit: Ninja'd

 

[Airling]

Death is Part of the Process has consumed my life and I can't even think of other things I've read recently. Except 20 000 Leagues and Journey to the Centre of the Earth and both those were over a year ago. I can suggest all of them if you haven't read them yet.

 

[Keveh Kins]

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, I really liked it

Oooh, and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd