Recommended Books?

[gjkdioepppp]

Recently I've been looking to expand my book collection, and i was wondering if anybody could recommend any good books for it. Can be any genre, length, style etc. Just has to be interesting.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Life & Fate - Vassily Grossman
The Histories - Polybius (good luck trying to find a full version of it...)

Interesting enough for you?

 

[Owen Robertson]

Have you read Game of Thrones (Song of Fire and Ice series)? Also, a few years ago I read a great series by John Ringo (Published by Baen Books). It's military Sci-Fi. First one's called Into the Looking Glass, then Vorpal Blade, Manxome Foe, and Claws That Catch (Yes there's a correlation to Lewis Carol's Through The Looking Glass). I found them cool as hell.

 

[Blunderboy]

I'd heartily recommend the following books.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.
A very long series but well worth the investment of time. An amazing word that draws you in and grabs hold of you. I've read it about three times in the past five years.

The Belgariad and The Mallorean by David Eddings.
Both series are five books long, with The Mallorean following the events of The Belgariad. Some of my favourite characters of all time are in these series.
I'd also recommend checking out the Sparhawk books, by the same author. The names escape me right now.

The Discworld Books by Terry Pratchett.
Another amazing world with rich characters and setting. Sam Vimes, Rincewind, Death, Susan and The Sweeper and just a tiny fraction of the brilliantly realized characters you will meet.

I'd also suggest checking out any books by the following authors.
David Gemmell.
Tom Holt.
Simon Scarrow.
Bernard Cornwell.

Hope this helped.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

 

[Blunderboy]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

Well he said he wasn't fussed in regards to genre or length. He's looking to expand his horizons. So list away my friend.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

Well he said he wasn't fussed in regards to genre or length. He's looking to expand his horizons. So list away my friend.

Right... but I'm not going to list "The Last Unicorn" for someone who isn't interested in border-line young adult fiction - for example. Or the Iliad for someone who doesn't like reading exceedingly long poetic epics. Something to go on, because "whatever I don't care" - to ME - translates to: waste time listing a bunch of things and I'll cherry pick my way through at my leisure.

 

[Tristan Knope-Jenkins]

I would like to Underline Terry Pratchett on the above posters list. He has been freaking Knighted for his services to Literature! The city watch is my favorite series starting with Gaurds! Guards! Or Going Postal is FANTASTIC. But really there are plenty of good starting points (I wouldn't actually recommend starting with books 1-8)

Another amazing author is Jim Butcher, He has written The Dresden Files about a Private Detective/Wizard. and he has also done Codex Alera, a fantasy series the can best be described as a mash-up of pokemon and a lost roman legion.

Hope you enjoy!

 

[Sonicron]

If you like dystopic science-fiction, you should give the Warhammer 40.000 novels a try. There's more than a hundred of them already, so take your pick; generally, I recommend anything by Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, James Swallow and Graham McNeill.

 

[gjkdioepppp]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

Okay, books that i have previously enjoyed are mostly fantasy, so that would be a good place to start. I refrained from putting this in the original post through fear of every response being a huge list of fantasy books with no variety, which negates the whole point of me asking in the first place.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Okay, books that i have previously enjoyed are mostly fantasy, so that would be a good place to start. I refrained from putting this in the original post through fear of every response being a huge list of fantasy books with no variety, which negates the whole point of me asking in the first place.

Joe Abercrombie should be up your alley.

For non-fantasy...there's a lot to choose from. Try "A Fine Balance" if you feel like opening your wrists when you're through.

 

[Blunderboy]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

Well he said he wasn't fussed in regards to genre or length. He's looking to expand his horizons. So list away my friend.

Right... but I'm not going to list "The Last Unicorn" for someone who isn't interested in border-line young adult fiction - for example. Or the Iliad for someone who doesn't like reading exceedingly long poetic epics. Something to go on, because "whatever I don't care" - to ME - translates to: waste time listing a bunch of things and I'll cherry pick my way through at my leisure.

Then don't. I'm sure plenty of people will do that for you.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

Okay, books that i have previously enjoyed are mostly fantasy, so that would be a good place to start. I refrained from putting this in the original post through fear of every response being a huge list of fantasy books with no variety, which negates the whole point of me asking in the first place.

Well in that case...

Yeah, that's still really not enough but here's what I can think up in a few minutes.

Possession A.S. Byatt - I just read this, it's Victorian themed with a scholarship/love story embedded

Ramayana - the William Buck novelization is what I recommend vs. the epic poem, then the poem if you really like it.

The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle - just because I love it.

IT - The Stand - Insomnia and other Stephen King (skip Pet Cemetery, Cujo, Carrie, Firestarter, imo, and most of his short stories / serial works)

Dark Jewels Trilogy Anne Bishop - darker shade of fantasy (mature themes at times)

Hitchhiker's Guide Douglas Adams (if you get the complete works, you might get worn out by the last few stories, I suggest reading them as separate works after first two)

Vampire Chronicles Anne Rice

I have boxes and boxes of books so it's hard to make non specific recommendations.

 

[Tartarga]

Ever read the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks? It's a really damn good series of books, especially if you like magic, assassin's and other such badassery.

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Having just a tiny bit more insight into what you'd be likely to enjoy would be helpful, before I spend time writing up a list.

Well he said he wasn't fussed in regards to genre or length. He's looking to expand his horizons. So list away my friend.

Right... but I'm not going to list "The Last Unicorn" for someone who isn't interested in border-line young adult fiction - for example. Or the Iliad for someone who doesn't like reading exceedingly long poetic epics. Something to go on, because "whatever I don't care" - to ME - translates to: waste time listing a bunch of things and I'll cherry pick my way through at my leisure.

Then don't. I'm sure plenty of people will do that for you.

Being thus chided I searched my computer for a list of books I read for a Humanities teacher who had us read 30 books in a semester, so here are some more:

Wicked Gregory Maguire (the Wicked Witch of the West.. I love her now)

Watership Down Richard Adams (tis an epic about bunnies)

The Ghatti's Tale Gayle Greeno (it's a start of a series or trilogy I didn't read the rest of, but it's good on its own too - psychic cats and dispensers of justice vs. evil on alien planet)

Wild Swans Jung Chang - biographical story about Women in China

 

[Axolotl]

I recently read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and it's very good. It's insanely dark but the way it's written and everything that happens in it makes it an absolute masterpiece.

I'd also reccomend The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton, the funniest book I've ever read. It's got some Christian subtexts but it's still great. It was also one of the main influences for Deus Ex.

Since you say you like fantasy I'd reccomend the following as fantasy books that don't follow the usual cliches: The Elric saga by Michael Moorcock, Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, The Tales of Dying Earth by Jack Vance, The Book of All Hours by Hal Duncan and The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.

And if you like Sci-Fi the following are must reads:
Neuromancer by William Gibson-The first great Cyberpunk novel, starting the genre.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson-The last great Cyberpunk novel, ending the genre.
Dune by Frank Herbert-Possibly the greatest space opera ever written, avoid the sequels.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson-Best vampre novel of all time.
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut-The funniest book ever wrtten about the end of the world.
The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K Dick-This is still the best alternate history book ever written.

 

[kickassfrog]

I'd heartily recommend the following books.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Read it, a good read, gets a bit slow around book 4 or 5, but otherwise pretty solid
A very long series but well worth the investment of time. An amazing word that draws you in and grabs hold of you. I've read it about three times in the past five years.

The Belgariad and The Mallorean by David Eddings. again good, but I get the feeling that all the characters back stories were lifted straight out of lord of the rings
Both series are five books long, with The Mallorean following the events of The Belgariad. Some of my favourite characters of all time are in these series.
I'd also recommend checking out the Sparhawk books, by the same author. The names escape me right now.

The Discworld Books by Terry Pratchett.[reading them now, fantastic- the air of parody is there, but it's still all good standing by itself[/i]
Another amazing world with rich characters and setting. Sam Vimes, Rincewind, Death, Susan and The Sweeper and just a tiny fraction of the brilliantly realized characters you will meet.

I'd also suggest checking out any books by the following authors.
David Gemmell.
Tom Holt.
Simon Scarrow.
Bernard Cornwell.

Hope this helped.

And Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost, which I find rather enjoyable, if you're british enough.

Oh, and hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.