I need recommendations for books

[The Funslinger]

I prefer things a little more upbeat and comedic, but thank you. ^_^

I'm currently in the process of reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

It does have some subtle comedy and some upbeat moments, and it manages to do it without compromising the plot.

Everyone's very well characterized, too.

On a related note, Good Omens, co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. That has more of an open comedy element than AG simply due to Pratchett's involvement.

 

[SonOfMethuselah]

Try any of the Discworld books. It's probably the best series of satire I've read, and some of it is genuinely 'bust a gut' funny.

And, if you haven't read them, I would recommend the original 'trilogy in five parts,' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Books. (That's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless. I've also heard there's a sixth book, And Another Thing, but I've not read that one).

If you're looking to get into Lovecraft, there are a whole bunch of collections that bring together his best work. Call of Cthulu, and Other Weird Stories would probably be the best compilation to start with, in my opinion. It's got all the 'important' stories.

OR! You could read Mogworld and Jam. Both are really amusing reads, and you get to support Yahtzee while you're laughing, so everybody wins.

Feel better!

 

[Whytewulf]

My favorite series was Eddings "the belgariad"
If you liked potter check out Riordans "Percy jackson and the Olympians"
Thrones is not cheery.. Brent Hicks "Assasins" is great but also not very cheery.
But if you havent read hitchhikers and hobbit. That's a requirement.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Since most have been recommended, Temeraire? It has dragons in it, and if you are amused, as I am, with the way they are written, it will be an endless source of hilarity.

 

[Screamarie]

Try any of the Discworld books. It's probably the best series of satire I've read, and some of it is genuinely 'bust a gut' funny.

And, if you haven't read them, I would recommend the original 'trilogy in five parts,' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Books. (That's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless. I've also heard there's a sixth book, And Another Thing, but I've not read that one).

If you're looking to get into Lovecraft, there are a whole bunch of collections that bring together his best work. Call of Cthulu, and Other Weird Stories would probably be the best compilation to start with, in my opinion. It's got all the 'important' stories.

OR! You could read Mogworld and Jam. Both are really amusing reads, and you get to support Yahtzee while you're laughing, so everybody wins.

Feel better!

I had totally forgotten about Hitchhiker's, so I think that will be one I'll have to get. As for "Another Thing", I haven't read it but, in case you didn't know, it was written by Eoin Colfer the Artemis Fowl author if that means anything to you.

And I do want to get Mogworld and Jam, I've heard good things about both.

Also thanks for the well wishes, I'm already starting to get better, just gotta get over the last humps of illness.

To the rest of the thread, in case any of you catch this, I'm sorry I didn't answer more of you. At the time this thread hit it off I was catching some much needed sleep after about three days of never getting more than an hour of sleep at a time.

I thank everyone for their recommendations and I have read all of them and will continue to read any more that pop up.

At this point I've gotten several good recommendations and I don't know which to pick now.

 

[Not Matt]

well there is jo nesbø (nesbo if you can't write ø) any of he's books. they are really cool. he's book "the snowman" is the best book i have ever read.

yatzhee's books. mogworld and jam. mogworld is a humorous tale of a corpse who wanna die and i absolutely loved it. the characters are funny and memorable, you'll end up feeling completely different about all the characters. i surprises you and has a fun story with entertaining sidestorys. i loved it.
jam: not as good as mogworld and the end feels a bit rushed. sadly jam has boring beginning and rushed end (still a great ending) but everything in the middle is just pure fun. but it was good on two things. story and character development. especially the development of the main character. he is not the same guy as he was in chapter one when the last chapter arrives and shit has got him serious.
both books are fun and i recommend them both

also. lovecraft. i do recommend the necronomicon. to a limit. first of all it's huge so it will take some time. it is good but it's not that good. and it's kind of over rated (except on the rating that says it is messed up. cause it sure is)still fun and amusing story's.

[other books i enjoy and recommend but didn't care to write a short review about:
world war z
karlolegy
headhunters
a study in scarlet
the playbook
i can make you hate

 

[SonOfMethuselah]

I had totally forgotten about Hitchhiker's, so I think that will be one I'll have to get. As for "Another Thing", I haven't read it but, in case you didn't know, it was written by Eoin Colfer the Artemis Fowl author if that means anything to you.

Hmm. I knew it was a different author, but I didn't realize it was that author. Not sure how I feel about that. I mean, the Artemis Fowl books are great in their own right (or they were when I was younger; not sure if they'd hold up now), but they're a totally different style... Well, now I'm curious. To the bookstore!
...
Tomorrow.

 

[magicaxis]

"Mogworld", Yahtzee's first book, is SO GOOD I'm almost finished it now, and it's written so well. And of course, its full of those amazing zero-punctuation similes that he's famous for.

 

[Zen Bard]

Also I've thought about reading some H.P. Lovecraft, but I don't know where to start, so any suggestions for a book of his to begin with would be appreciated.

No no no! Never read Lovecraft when you're laid up sick or have a fever! You'll have the freakiest dreams!

But if you insist...I'd say start with "Call of Cthulhu", "Shadow Over Insmouth" or "At the Mountains of Madness.

Also, if you like the "Elric" series (and it's personally one of my favorite), you might try "The Cornelius Chronicles" also by Michael Moorcock. It's basically the same plot as Elric but set in what I can only describe as Austin Power's Shaggedelic Sixties. I am not joking.

If you're looking for a good series, you might try "The Death Gate Cycle" by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. Start with "Dragonwing".

And good stand-alone book that has elements of sci-fi and fantasy (and some sly humor) is Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light".

Finally, I remember reading the "Dune" series when I was sick with chickenpox once.

Good times...

 

[Nubrain]

Well all the series I wanted to mention already have been but I'll put another voice in for them too.

Wheel of Time I'm in the middle of but there are 12 books with the last one coming out soon and you can get the 3 book box sets for pretty cheap.

Redwall there are a tone of these 14 or 15 I think and for the most part each one is a stand alone story with some connections. I'd recommend reading the books in published order not chronological order. also three of the books were made into an animated series that is no Netflix instant watch so you can look to see if it's something you like without investing in the books.

The Percy Jackson/Hero's of Olympus/Kane chronicles books the early ones are kind of meh and feel like Harry potter rip offs but as the books go on they get much much better and it's worth getting through the first three mediocre books as they are pretty fast reads.

hope that helps and I hope you get on the mend quickly.

 

[kyuzo3567]

Snip

Most of what I would suggest has already been mentioned on the first page...

I support: Dark Tower series, the Hobbit/LOTR, Inheritance Cycle, the Bartimaeus trilogy, the Wheel of Time series, definitely everything by Jim Butcher!!!

I also add:
Chronicles of Prydain (Lloyd Alexander)

Sword of Truth series (Terry Goodkind)

Abhorsen chronicles and the Dark Tower series (Garth Nix)

Lost years of Merlin series (T.A. Barron) Favourite magic book growing up as a kid

Legend of Drizzt series (R.A. Salvatore) this is over 20+ books just dealing with the main character and not other characters in the same world... My advice is start with the Dark Elf Trilogy, its a prequel trilogy to the Icewind Dale trilogy that the author wrote first.

Get well soon and enjoy going broke over all these books! (or get the cheaper e-books... I've bought every book I own twice cuz I love having the physical books at home)

 

[Gamer_Fries]

I would like to suggest you try the Rot and Ruin/Dust and Decay books which are in my opinion quite good.

 

[guess who]

I'm going to be kinda different here and recommend The Last Rune books by Mark Anthony starting with Beyond the Pale (the first book) it's a mighty fine read on it's own and it sets up the rest.

Their different for fantasy with the main characters being from earth, their also a little dark particularly when it comes to the characters pasts. Also if homosexuality bothers you you may want to avoid it, it's not the focus of the books but it's in there.

Captcha: over there rather fitting.

 

[Hazy]

Pick up Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon

It's cyberpunk noir. Who doesn't love cyberpunk noir?

Nobody, that's who.

 

[Evil Smurf]

the "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman: It is about a fight between religion and science in a parallel universe. One of the movies was censored in 'Merica for being subversive.

"The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx, even if you hate communism, it is worth a read to know what goes on in the mind of communists.

 

[Greyfox_Shep]

I would suggest the Discworld series.
The books are quite funny and the writing is really good.

 

[PinkiePyro]

I recommend the Chronicles of Chrestomanci series and, Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones if you like harry potter you will like these,and of course I have to recommend the whole of the redwall series (heck my screenname is from them)

and seeing as you like circus Du freak I recommend the following horror World war Z and morningstar strain they are about zombies rather than vamps but they are quite good and are a better suggestion than H.P. lovecraft that some have said dont get me wrong I love his works but from your comments he might be a little bit hard for you, he's kinda the Shakespeare of horror really good but takes a large vocab. to understand


Also in before someone suggests Yatzee's new book

 

[Screamarie]

Snip

Most of what I would suggest has already been mentioned on the first page...

I support: Dark Tower series, the Hobbit/LOTR, Inheritance Cycle, the Bartimaeus trilogy, the Wheel of Time series, definitely everything by Jim Butcher!!!

I also add:
Chronicles of Prydain (Lloyd Alexander)

Sword of Truth series (Terry Goodkind)

Abhorsen chronicles and the Dark Tower series (Garth Nix)

Lost years of Merlin series (T.A. Barron) Favourite magic book growing up as a kid

Legend of Drizzt series (R.A. Salvatore) this is over 20+ books just dealing with the main character and not other characters in the same world... My advice is start with the Dark Elf Trilogy, its a prequel trilogy to the Icewind Dale trilogy that the author wrote first.

Get well soon and enjoy going broke over all these books! (or get the cheaper e-books... I've bought every book I own twice cuz I love having the physical books at home)

I just wanted to say that I actually read Lost Years of Merlin back when I was in 7th grade. I LOVED that book. I had actually kind of forgotten about it so it was a neat little nostalgia moment to see you mention it.

PENDRAGON SERIES

read. now. no no don't ask me what the fuck it's about it'll ruin it just go get the first one and read from beginning to end and pick up the next one rinse and repeat.

From your mentions, I think you will enjoy this series immensely... And it really just leaves you a bit open-jawed in the last book...

Okay does this Pendragon series start with Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale? You gotta give me a little information here or else I don't know what you're talking about.

I'm going to be kinda different here and recommend The Last Rune books by Mark Anthony starting with Beyond the Pale (the first book) it's a mighty fine read on it's own and it sets up the rest.

Their different for fantasy with the main characters being from earth, their also a little dark particularly when it comes to the characters pasts. Also if homosexuality bothers you you may want to avoid it, it's not the focus of the books but it's in there.

Captcha: over there rather fitting.

I am very much not put off by homosexuality. In fact my favorite book of all time is God Eaters by Jessie Hajicek, a self-published title, in a fantasy somewhat wild west setting with a male homosexual couple as the main protaginists.

the "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman: It is about a fight between religion and science in a parallel universe. One of the movies was censored in 'Merica for being subversive.

"The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx, even if you hate communism, it is worth a read to know what goes on in the mind of communists.

I actually tried reading His Dark Materials back whenever I was a kid and I just found the writing far too dry. Sorry.

 

[iplaygamesyo]

Have you ever heard of Way of the Wolf by E.E. Knight? If not it is the only book series I have ever read I like more than Harry Potter. I love Harry Potter. I'm just saying.