Literature Recommended Literature

[Hatchet]

I am always on the look out for new content to read: historical, biographical, fiction, fantasy, referential, analytical, classical, chick lit, YA, and so forth. (My current signature photo is one shelf of one case of my books.) If you like a book, a series, or an author, feel free to drop a suggestion here. I mean for this collection to be useful to others as well, not merely personal. If you like, include a reason why you like the book/series/author, or a copy-pasted summary from the official work.


A few from my shelf:


The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Somewhat famous, this narrative truly put me on the path to becoming a writer.


Author Tamora Pierce, with a focus primarily in young adult fantasy featuring female protagonists in coming-of-age narratives. Pierce strikes a wonderful balance between identifiable character voices, realism and magic in all of her series: The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, The Protector of the Small, Daughter of the Lioness and Provost's Dog; Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens and The Circle Reforged; as well as a selection of shorts stories in the anthology Tortall and Other Lands.


Slake's Limbo by Felice Holman, a YA realistic fiction playing with two narratives styles and protagonists who seemingly have nothing to do with each other, discovering and recovering their self identity in New York City's subway.


The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers is a historical exploration of the events and circumstances leading up to the death of one of the most prominent figures in American Indian history. Exacting in detail and researched with evident care, this book changed my perspective on longevity.


I presume I will add more books in time. If it proves worthwhile, or necessary to reduce duplication, I'll compile a list based on recommendations herein.

 

[ninbinz]

David Gemmel is a fantasy writer and I can't recommend him enough, he has written the Drenai Chronicles which is a series of different books that tells the history of the Drenai and their legends, such as Druss The Legend, The Earl of Bronze, Skilgannon The Damned, and the Warrior Monks; The Thirty. Gemmel's also written a historical fiction series centered around a half Macedonian/Spartan named Parmenian who is at the center of a dark prophecy. He's also written a science fiction western series named after its main character, Jon Shannow but I haven't read this series. He has a few other series as well.


I can't think of anything else right now but I'll edit this post after I've gone through my book shelf.

 

[Kaerri]

For character-driven sci-fi (as opposed to sci-fi that's focused on the science aspect), I highly recommend Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden series. Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series is also excellent. Lots of great characters in both, lots of character development in both, in futuristic space settings.

 

[Grey]

Literally anything by the late Iain M. Banks - some of the best sci-fi I've read, after classics like Bradbury, Clarke, and Asimov.


China Mieville is great, if you hate joy so much Dostoevsky cheers you up.

 

[Kaerri]

Dostoevsky Tolstoy made me stop reading books from that period for a while. :tongue: Between Anna Karenina and Madam Butterfly (by someone else, I know, but I can't recall his name), I ended up wondering if everything from that time period was going to end the same way (not going to specify, because spoilers, but really, people!).


{Edit: Apologies to Mr. Dostoevsky, I don't think I've actually read his books (possibly for the above reason). Perhaps one day I will and then I can respond like an educated person.}


Though on the subject of period books, I love Jane Austen, and I liked Jane Eyre although I don't like any of the other Bronte sisters' works that I've read (Wuthering Heights was too angsty, and Villette just too weird).


Georgette Heyer is also great if you like Jane Austen-type romances (i.e., the ones with actual love and plot, not just lots of cliched-descriptions of sex in between thinly-veiled excuses for the sex). Her more modern (they were written in the 20s, I believe) mysteries are also good.


And if you want to go further back in time for your mysteries, you can't do much better than Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series, set in the early 1100s in England (and sometimes Wales).


For modern fantasy (or urban fantasy or whatever it's called these days), I recommend Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series and Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series (including the Alpha and Omega books). Though you might find Ms. Briggs in the Paranormal Romance section as well as Fantasy/Sci-Fi, she knows when to draw the curtain.


...I'll probably keep adding to this thread after I think of more, I read an awful lot.:smiled:

 

[Hatchet]

Anna Karenina, to clarify, was Leo Tolstoy.


I also love Briggs, I have all of her Alpha and Omega and Mercy Thompson books as well.

 

[Kaerri]

Oops. Thank you, apparently I had a mental block there! I blame the ending.:tongue: Editing my post.

 

[Hatchet]

As I was recently reminded: Gary Paulsen's YA books are very engaging, feature male protagonists in diverse settings. Particular notes to Hatchet (from which I do not derive my username) and its subsequent sequels, and Harris and Me, which has some distinct autobiographical anecdotes.

 

[Grey]

I always found Tolstoy the easier one to read.


Also, not mentioning Philip K. Dick here would be criminal of me. Likewise Vonnegut.


If anyone tries to convince me Transmetropolitan doesn't get to count as literature, I will fight them. And they will explode.


I assume Terry Pratchett is on all our shelves, yes? One over from Stephen King? If you haven't read Pratchett, do - the Discworld books start as whimsical parody of fantasy tropes before metamorphosing into pitch-dark satire.


Neil Gaiman also goes without saying, I expect.

 

[augmentedspartan]

Anything from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, mostly The Shadow Over Innsmouth.


The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami. Extremely weird, mostly because of all the surrealist themes, but a great page turner.


Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. More of a light read, teen aimed book with action and magic, but the characters, the humor, and pretty much all of it is enough to keep one reading.


City of Thieves, by David Benioff. All you need to know is that it is about two guys looking for a dozen eggs in the Holocaust.


Metro: 2033, by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Post Apocalyptic novel set in Russia, in the metro system.

 

[Grey]

Anything from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, mostly The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami. Extremely weird, mostly because of all the surrealist themes, but a great page turner.


Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. More of a light read, teen aimed book with action and magic, but the characters, the humor, and pretty much all of it is enough to keep one reading.


City of Thieves, by David Benioff. All you need to know is that it is about two guys looking for a dozen eggs in the Holocaust.


Metro: 2033, by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Post Apocalyptic novel set in Russia, in the metro system.

Lawds, yes Murakami. Ryu Murakami, too. Charles Stross does a good line in Lovecraftiana now.


Back to Russia - the Sturgatski Brothers Roadside Picnic is a must-read.

 

[Kaerri]

If you like good science-based mysteries, try the series by Jefferson Bass (the writing team known individually as Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson). Kathy Reichs' books are also good, but I like the TV series based off them better (Bones). Dr. Bass and Dr. Reichs are both real-life forensic anthropologists (Dr. Bass is actually quite famous in his field and some ways out of it, and was in Patricia Cornwell's book The Body Farm, which "farm" is what he's famous for).


And yes, I have a sizable collection of Pratchett, though I'm sadly out of date. I can't afford all the books I want!


Sliding into the fantasy section (and sci-fi, and crossover sci-fi/fantasy, and some other things), I feel the need to mention Piers Anthony. Really excellent writing there!


Isaac Asimov is also a classic. I love his Robot novels, though somehow I just can't get into the Foundation books.


Moving over into the spy novels, I like Jack Ryan (R.I.P., Tom Clancy!) and Ian Fleming's James Bond books (and movies, especially with Danial Craig, my new favorite Bond!). If you like your spy books light and humorous, track down Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax books - they're a lot of fun!


Aaand I've dug out the notebook in which I keep track of my favorite series in case I see them in a used bookstore and can't remember which ones I already own. (I ended up with duplicates more than once before I started that notebook.)


Historical fiction:


C.S. Harris - What Angels Fear and succeeding books (I can't recall the main character's name offhand). Darker than my normal, but good writing. Early 1800s London, I think.


Stephanie Barron - mysteries starring Jane Austen. I normally don't go for that kind of thing, but I like the research she obviously put into it.


Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January books. Mid-1800s New Orleans, with a freed black main character. Lots of excellently-researched details and great characters.


Patricia Veryan does good period romance, but they're pretty much all in a series, I haven't been able to find them in stores, and my library doesn't have all of them, so I miss a lot.


(By comparison, most of Georgette Heyer's are stand-alones.)


Philippa Gregory (of The Other Boleyn Girl fame) - I generally like her Tudor and Cousins' War books, but I find the others...disturbing. Mileage may vary, of course.


Mercedes Lackey - she drives me crazy sometimes with her apparent preference for whiny characters, but overall the Valdemar universe books are pretty good. The latest segment (Collegium Chronicles) and anything with Herald Alberich are my favorites. Her Elemental Masters books are fun, too.


Probably in the YA section is Madeleine L'Engle, of whose books I've enjoyed as many as I've been able to find, which isn't as many as I'd like. I don't know if these would be classed sci-fi, fantasy, or just YA (they don't break them down the way "adult" books do), but like Tamora Pierce, they're well worth reading no matter what age you are.


On the subject of darker-than-my-norm-but-others-may-like, Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (the book, not the manga, which I haven't read).


That's probably more than enough for now.:tongue:


Edit: OK, I had to add C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia because The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is here on my computer desk looking at me. But that's all for now!

 

[hellrazoromega]

Some of my favs:


I think Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy and his stand alone Warbreaker are amazing, like many of his books they break some of the tired old tropes that are so hackneyed in fiction you could almost recite them like a playbook.


I do enjoy many of the Grandmasters of Sci-fi and have more Sci-fi and fantasy books written before 1970 than I can count, though much of the science is out dated the stories still hold up to the the of time. I also love old pulp tales like John Carter of Mars and Armageddon 2419 A.D. (a.k.a. Buck Rogers) the latter of which gets mad props for having a female character from a story written in 1928, no less, who fought just as well as the men and did not need rescuing. Remarkable! Wilma Deering was a grade A badass!!!


Other favorites include Scott Westerfield's Leviathan Trilogy which ties in some great steampunk stuff to an alternate pre-WWI world and his Risen Empire books which are masterful hard sci-fi in the vein of some of the Grandmasters of Sci-fi. The hard to find quartet Forests of the Night, Emperors of the Twilight, Specters of the Dawn and Fearful Symmetries by S. Andrew Swann are fun reads if you like cyberpunk style adventure/detective stories. Christoper Hinz' Paratwa Trilogy is another post-apocalyptic/near space story that is a must read for Cyberpunk/Shadowrun or Eclipse Phase fans. I enjoyed also Margret Weis' Star of the Guardians series and its spin-offs.


But without a doubt my hands down favorite writer is John Varley (though Sanderson is a very close second) and while his Gaia Trilogy--Titan, Wizard and Demon are fun reads the novels Steel Beach and The Golden Globe are amazing. Now it helps that I am a classic movie buff and those not into classic films (40's-50's) would miss some of the references but I still that even barring that they are two very excellent books.


Lastly when it comes to pure action Sci-fi nobody does it better than Steve Perry in his Man Who Never Missed series of books, IMHO. They are not Clarke, Heinlein or Asimov but they a pure balls to the wall fun.

Aaand I've dug out the notebook in which I keep track of my favorite series in case I see them in a used bookstore and can't remember which ones I already own. (I ended up with duplicates more than once before I started that notebook.)

lol--I have so been there and done this. Only by extension, for me at least, there are some many books I hear about or am looking for I can't keep them all in my head. :tongue:

 

[Listette]

J R Ward is a great writer who writes a series named The black dagger brotherhood. It's nothing deep but a great light reading and I really like her style of writing. I recommend to everyone who likes to read action and modern fantasy that had a really original world.

 

[seul]

Murakami! Asimov's Foundations! Anna Karenina is on my near-future list (after Confessions of a Mask, by Mishima; which I have mixed feelings about)


The spill:


I also really liked the Dune series, as far as sci fi goes. I tend to read more sci fi short stories (I'm really impatient and have short focus). Kind of on a scifi note, but Blindness by Saramago really scarred and impacted me. It enveloped me in a pungent and bleak aura for a week. But coming out of it, I could appreciate things I used to detest as dirty or mundane. I strongly felt the infinite possibilities in the lives of people whom I once overlooked.


And for Murakami, my favorite book is still Norwegian Wood (read The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann for more mountainy isolation goodness). I also liked Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human (1948), though it's definitely a bit on the depressing side (just a bit. The author had a tough life). Natsume Soseki (try reading the imaginative, I am A Cat) and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa (as in the Akutagawa Award) are two landmark Japanese writers from the turn of the 20th century (Entering the Meiji Restoration and beginning of Japan's rapid industrialization).


I also love Ursula Leguin's books, especially Tehanu (it really does a great job, talking about the roots of magic and showing the role of women). The first book in Earthsea, A Wizard of Earthsea, was also really inspirational to me when I first read it as a kid (who read a lot of fantasy), because it set what I thought, was a sensible foundations for magic (controlled by knowing and summoning things by their True Names).


100 Years of Solitude by Marquez was my favorite book from high school required reading, the end. It's magical realism in a vivid world, and it doesn't just create the characters and events; it creates an entire history. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse was a book worth thinking and brewing over. The messages and morals in the story just really stuck to me (even if it's only roughly inspired by the life of the Buddha).


Paul Coelho's The Alchemist was a book I finished at the library; as I closed the book and basked in its effects, there came an announcement of snow cancellations for the next day. Cue cheering from 5 floors of college students on a Wednesday afternoon. Something about that deafening roar of life had struck me in my vulnerable state, and I felt a fiery determination and passion coursing through my languid blood, to pursue my personal legend.

 

[ChanpuruDragon]

I'm quite surprised that no one's put up Neil Gaiman. His work is definitely a godsend for me, especially since he infuses so much mythology into this stories. My favorites are American Gods, Stardust, and Neverwhere. Not to mention his works in comics.


I've also enjoyed Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, patiently awaiting Day 3.


And a personal favorite series is Mike Carey's Felix Castor series. Just think of Constantine but less of an asshole.

 

[hellrazoromega]

Yeah American Gods and Anansi Boys are great tales. I have yet to get around to Stardust and Neverwhere though I have read a ton of his Graphic Novels. And his reading of his tale Shoggoths Old Peculiar (of which the full reading can be hard to find sadly-- though You Tube has a version which cuts off the end and require master level Search Fu to find) is funny as all heck IMO.

 

[ChanpuruDragon]

I could be wrong, but I thought I saw that story in a collected book on audible.

 

[Lady Sabine]

I was going to say Kingkiller, but it seems I've been beaten to the punch. xD


In terms of entertainment, I'm a fan of Holly Black. Her books aren't deep or meaningful, but they are fun and have a beautiful feel to them. If you've seen Hellboy 2, you can put practically everything Black writes into that sort of style. I would recommend Valiant above the others, but none are bad.


While we're covering YA, I'll second Tamora Pierce and Scott Westerfeld, and add in the Kiesha'ra by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. It was obviously written by a young author, but the first book (Hawksong) is highly entertaining and the second almost as good. From there it's hit and miss. If you're not a fan of that style you might still enjoy The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce. It's fantasy based on Sci-Fi, but with vastly different characters and themes. The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain falls somewhere in between, but is an awesome read right up until the last book which is the first time I've ever been genuinely angry at an author (yes, including ASoIaF). Fortunately the entire thing is set in a different time period so, presumably, reading it to understand the rest of the series will prove totally unnecessary. Oh, and I don't know if anyone has said Jonathan Maberry's Rot & Ruin yet, but if you're into zombies and you want some of your preconceived notions twisted around, go for it. There's an entire series but I only read the first two and I didn't take a whole lot away from the second.


But enough with YA!


Suggesting A Song of Ice and Fire is probably beating a dead horse, but I'll give it a whack because it really is one of the fantasy giants and the fandom is incredibly fun to get involved in. If you don't want the greats, though, try Sara Douglass. Australian author of a dozen relatively unknown but completely awesome books that are loosely tied together. If you do read them, start with the Battleaxe trilogy. The final book is the only time I've ever just bawled my eyes out because of the emotional release at the very end. Also she had the good grace to finish everything before she died, so there aren't any loose ends and you won't be left hanging for years, waiting for more. (Looking at you here, GRRM. You're not old yet but if you keep writing at this pace you will be >.<)


If you're looking for books that will change your life (and who isn't?), here's some great places to get started:


V for Vendetta. The movie is actually a bit better than the graphic novel at getting the point across, but they're both worthwhile because they'll make you question your relationship with authority and give you a very different perspective, and have a lot of fun along the way.


Animal Farm. Short, simple, and surprisingly accurate brief fable of Russian history.


1984. Am I getting on a theme here? Yes I am. 1984 is the kind of book you should read when you're wondering whether you should keep your mouth shut or stick your neck out.


The Lord of the Flies. As a story I found it dull, since a dozen authors have rewritten the same scenario to be much more entertaining. If you want to look strangely at kids for a few weeks, though, it's awesome. It sums up the reasons why sociopathy can't be diagnosed before 18.


Of Mice and Men. Cruelty, kindness, human nature, fate... it's powerful.


Flowers for Algernon. The short story is, in my opinion, just as effective as the expanded version. I'm not too sure how much I ought to say about theme, but it's one of those stories where you take away what you put into it, so definitely pick a time to read it when you can get emotionally invested.


My Side of the Mountain is great when you need a breather from people. It has always been great at clearing up my perspective when I get too caught up in the petty things.


There are a dozen books that will make you weird about meat, but Robin Cook's Toxin is probably the best read imho.


And, as a bonus, Zombies vs. Unicorns is awesome. I'm not much of an anthology fan but it's an exception.

 

[augmentedspartan]

[QUOTE="Lady Sabine]There are a dozen books that will make you weird about meat, but Robin Cook's Toxin is probably the best read imho.

[/QUOTE]
Oh Robin Cook's book are great. I personally liked Invasion a lot, quite a different view of aliens.


A book I'm currently reading is House of Leaves. To put it bluntly its weird as hell. Not for the story, but for the format screw it has. It has footnotes of footnotes (going up to 10 footnotes inside one another) pages that are upside down. Pages that you have to ride sideways,upside down, and normally all at once. Footnotes that start on the side of one page, and end ten pages later, then to continue upside down going backwards. Pages with only one word. Or with only one letter. Its quite a read.


The story is quite strange itself. The main character (sort of) find this book that was written by a now dead old man. The book is an analysis of a family's time in a haunted house, viewed as a movie in the Navidson Record. So the main meat of the story is the analysis and story telling of what happens in the house, while in the footnotes you get snipes of the main character's reaction to this strange novel as he slowly descends into madness.


Its a good read if you are looking for something different.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Oh Robin Cook's book are great. I personally liked Invasion a lot, quite a different view of aliens.

He's not the greatest writer, but he manages to make everything sound very real and it's all fairly accurate. Outbreak would probably be another good choice, especially with the current Ebola outbreak. ^^

 

[hellrazoromega]

[QUOTE="Lady Sabine]I was going to say Kingkiller, but it seems I've been beaten to the punch. xD
Suggesting A Song of Ice and Fire is probably beating a dead horse, but I'll give it a whack because it really is one of the fantasy giants and the fandom is incredibly fun to get involved in. If you don't want the greats, though, try Sara Douglass. Australian author of a dozen relatively unknown but completely awesome books that are loosely tied together. If you do read them, start with the Battleaxe trilogy. The final book is the only time I've ever just bawled my eyes out because of the emotional release at the very end. Also she had the good grace to finish everything before she died, so there aren't any loose ends and you won't be left hanging for years, waiting for more. (Looking at you here, GRRM. You're not old yet but if you keep writing at this pace you will be >.<)


If you're looking for books that will change your life (and who isn't?), here's some great places to get started:


V for Vendetta. The movie is actually a bit better than the graphic novel at getting the point across, but they're both worthwhile because they'll make you question your relationship with authority and give you a very different perspective, and have a lot of fun along the way.


Animal Farm. Short, simple, and surprisingly accurate brief fable of Russian history.


1984. Am I getting on a theme here? Yes I am. 1984 is the kind of book you should read when you're wondering whether you should keep your mouth shut or stick your neck out.


And, as a bonus, Zombies vs. Unicorns is awesome. I'm not much of an anthology fan but it's an exception.

[/QUOTE]
I agree with Orwell and many other dystopian novels such as We, Harrison Bergeron, Make Room, Make Room, Logan's Run, A Clockwork Orange (would have been interesting if Kubrick knew about the missing 21st chapter that American versions of the book lacked when he made the film) and Brave New World. I guess you could say I have a bit of a dystopia fetish.


That name Sara Douglass sounds familiar--may have been recommended in the back of something else I read--I'll have to take a look.


As for Song of Fire and Ice I am one of those rare Philistines who can't gt into it. When I read books I have favorite characters, it just sort of develops naturally when I read. I get so attached to characters that if enough of those favs die (or in some case one major fav) I lose all interest in the book, because I was sort of taking the journey from the perspective of those characters. I know people love Martin because his stores are brutal and reflect real life, but if I want brutality and death I read the news. As idealistic as it sounds I want my fictional heroes to triumph, oh I expect hardships and loss along the way, but I want to them to win--if they die at the end having made some change that's fine. In Song of Fire and Ice only the brutal and ruthless tend to survive while the idealistic ones die. I guess with some of the past jobs I've had it smacks too close to the brutal things I've seen humans do to each other in real life and it's not something I relish in my fiction. ( I worked as a contractor for police agencies in both Southern California and Colorado in the past and have seem truly nasty things done to people). So while I say, "more power" to those that love Martin (tastes do vary) I just can't get into it even though I did try due to all the buzz about them, but I just could not get past the first book .

 

[Kaerri]

I made it through the third book, largely because the person I borrowed it from made me promise not to throw it. This was something of a warning because neither he nor I are the type to throw books, especially borrowed ones. (No, I didn't throw it, because I promised. But I wanted to.) I haven't read any of the others, nor watched any of the series, because the main attraction for me is characters, and he kept killing off people I liked! Also, like hellrazoromega, I get more than enough bad news in the real-life news, I want happy endings for my fictional enjoyment.

 

[hellrazoromega]

I made it through the third book, largely because the person I borrowed it from made me promise not to throw it. This was something of a warning because neither he nor I are the type to throw books, especially borrowed ones. (No, I didn't throw it, because I promised. But I wanted to.) I haven't read any of the others, nor watched any of the series, because the main attraction for me is characters, and he kept killing off people I liked! Also, like hellrazoromega, I get more than enough bad news in the real-life news, I want happy endings for my fictional enjoyment.

Exactly, I have even stopped watching TV shows I was enjoying because a character I like got killed off and the show lost its appeal for me. Just the way I am wired I guess. Not to say that Martin is not a great writer and world builder. I have actually enjoyed some of his early Sci-fi stuff. A Song for Lya and Nightflyers are both great short story collections. The former of which won a Nebula and the latter of which was made into a low budget Sci-fi film.

 

[augmentedspartan]

@hellrazoromega[/URL] I also can't get much into the Song of Fire and Ice. Not because of characters death, but more about the way its written. There is a reason why his killing of characters seems to be effective because, as he himself said, there is more tension when a character is in a dangerous situation since they have a big chance of dying, making the tense moments more impacting, thus more effective. However, I also see the downside you and @Kaerri said. The appeal of some stories are the characters themselves, so the appeal of the book is lost when they die. I think that its more effective when important characters die at the middle-end of the book for single novels, and in series during the last few books. You get enough of the character to be satisfied, but you also get the effect of danger when other characters are in perilous moments.