# Any Book Recommendations?



## Your Martyr (Nov 17, 2012)

As a proud bookworm, I absolutely love to read. But as of lately I've been a tad bit low on reading material. Any suggestions? I'm very open-minded and can get into anything really.


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## Sea Anenome (Mar 11, 2011)

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. The third book in the trilogy will be released next fall.

Although these are YA novels, they're great reads!


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## Adrift (Apr 5, 2011)

If you enjoy pet/pet owner relationship stories, I'd recommend:

Dewey The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron and

Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien.


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## Coldspot (Nov 7, 2011)

If you like historical fiction, I recommend David Gemmel's Troy trilogy (before you ask, there is no relation to the movie).


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## Faux (May 31, 2012)

I'll suggest a few.

The first is Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Stephen King is hit and miss, this book even more so, but I consider it a gem of his and it actually had me in tears.

At first it was about a writer's widow finally going over his mementos and setting his affairs in order two years after his death, and it was bittersweet to read both how much she loved him and how much she missed him. Later, as expected from a Stephen King novel, it took a few supernatural twists in the form of her discovering a kind of alternate world her husband visited and drew his inspiration from that he discovered (created?) during a deeply disturbing and tormented childhood. It was heartwrenching to watch her confront that along with people hounding her for some of her late husband's unpublished works, feeling almost as if he were alive again and as if she could reach the man she lost, in a way, only to have to put it to rest again knowing it was all just nightmares and memories, nothing really him.

It's roughly 650 pages and also contains a story of Lisey and her sisters.

Spoiler from the end of the book:


* *





Lisey winds up chasing a bizarre trail of clues through her husband's fantasy-horror world, almost believing he may be alive in some form at some point, and at the end of the book she uncovers something he left for her there. It's a box with some of his unpublished works, and a long letter to her. The letter tells the full story of the abuse in his childhood home, some words just for her, and has instructions on how to get home. It's signed:



> "Kisses—at least a thousand,
> Scott
> 
> P.S. Everything the same. I love you."







The second is Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman. This is a unique fantasy tale, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea. It takes place in ancient Japan, is told from the view of three main characters, and is the reworking of an old Japanese tale about a fox falling in love with a man and seeking to become a woman to be with him. It touches on social conventions, intimacy, identity, gender, and humanity. 

Snippets:

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> This is the gift of humanity: that it is claimed by the self. None of us—Shikujo or Yoshifuji or my grandfather or myself or my brother or my woman, Josei—are human unless and until we claim it for ourselves. But nothing can stop that claiming—not the eight million gods nor the spirits nor ghosts. Nothing but ourselves, anyway.





> The ink runs and blurs; when I try to read it later, I do not know if the words I think I see are real, or remembered, or even false memories created by my mind to fill the forgotten gaps. I remember being unhappy, but I remember being happy, as well, and neither seems more (or less) real than the other. I think perhaps reality has always been more fragile than I would want to think.







The third is the Dragonmaster trilogy from Chris Bunch. I liked it much less than the previous two, but it's uncommon in that it's military fantasy with a focus on the military. As someone who grew up on Tolkien and the like, this was a nice break from the norm.

The last is a series of hybrid pop culture/philosophy books, with the full list here. I first received Final Fantasy and Philosophy as a gift a few years ago, and while the books aren't going to impress any long-term students of philosophy they're fun for people who've only read bits and pieces. There's currently 70+ books, including ones for Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Star Wars.


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## Cellar Door (Jun 3, 2012)

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho


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## Thief Noctis (Jan 6, 2012)

I don't know what genres you're into, but there's only a select few books that have left a lasting impression on me and I absolutely love them.

There's the 'Chronicles of Ancient Darkness' series by Michelle Paver, which consists of six books (Wolf Brother, Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, Outcast, Oath Breaker, Ghost Hunter) and the main characters are a boy called Torak who loses his father to a demon bear pretty much in the first few pages, a girl called Renn (Raven Clan) who Torak meets later on in the first book, and a wolf called... well, 'Wolf', who becomes Torak's companion (Torak is part of the Wolf Clan).

Then there's 'The Sight' and 'Fell' (sequel), both by David Clement-Davies, which is also centred around wolves (I love them, I can't help it xD). Except 'The Sight' is from their view, and it's actually a pretty dark book. Amazing nevertheless, though. 'Fell' is from the POV of a girl called Alin whose family make her pretend she's a boy and she eventually escapes the place she's always lived in- which leads to her joining up with Fell (a wolf from the first book) and the story's all about those two.

I've not read a book in nearly two years (I know, it's dreadful) but I think I'll get around to reading those again. <3
Oh, there's also Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, I won't detail the plot but it's such an amazing story.


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## jdbullet23 (Jan 25, 2012)

'The Vampire Chronicles' by Anne Rice, or 'the Lives of the Mayfair Witches' by Anne Rice.

Both are pretty dark. The vampire chronicles has a total of 10 books, and it's absolutely captivating. I'm serious, it just gives you chills. It's an intricate story of vampires woven through centuries, with detailed descriptions of both beautiful and gory things, and ... it's just marvelous.

this is nothing like Twilight. There's nothing romantic about it, really. Very detailed about everything. Makes you feel like it's real, like you're there. It's very historical, since most of the characters including the main character have lived for centuries, and in different parts of the world. This stuff really makes you think, about things that you'd never think about before. You wonder about things beyond our safe little world, and beyond the scope of our understanding. Plus, it's very suspenseful. There's always something intense going on.

I like 'The Live of the Mayfair Witches' too, but the books are really long. There's only three, and each book is about 1,000 pages long. But really, that one's just as intense and mysterious. That's basically the kind of stuff I read.


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## mostafa.abdrabbu (Nov 29, 2012)

1984
_George Orwell_


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## SirDave (Sep 1, 2012)

For insight into mass movements, revolutions, and fanaticism I'd suggest Eric Hoffer's. 
THE TRUE BEIEVER

For something scary enough but believable enough to make you lock your doors at bedtime (assuming you don't already) I'd suggest Dean Koontz's 
ONLY THE NIGHT KNOWS

For a long historical perspective on America's political and philosophical forebearers with a political culture as venal and as competitive as our own I'd suggest Robert Harris' 
CONSPIRATA

For a bizarre, yet heartbreaking psychodrama cast in a military CSI slewth situation I'd suggest Nelson DeMille's 
THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER

For a good stand alone SF novel by one of the early masters about the perils of a robot dependent society run amuck and and an all knowing central intelligence I'd suggest Jack Williamson's 
THE HUMANOIDS

For a longer SF novel series about a far future in which Psychohistorians gone underground lay the foundation for a new galactic empire after ten thousand years of dark ages, I'd suggest Isaac Asimov's 
THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY

For a good story of the settlement of the American western frontier (specifically Colorado) from the dinosaurs and the first horses, to the building of the railroads, the closing of the open range, the Indian massacres, and the water controversies of today I'd suggest James Michenor's 
CENTENNIAL


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## Winds of Entropy (Dec 1, 2012)

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Everyone likes that book. Srs.


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## Praying Mantis (Nov 14, 2012)

A Time to Kill by John Grisham, his first novel. Its a legal thriller set in the 60's.


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## Little Light (Dec 2, 2012)

_The Lady of the Butterflies - _Fiona Mountain - Historical Fiction
_City of Thieves - _David Benioff - Historical Fiction? WWII time.
_The Game of Thrones - _George R. R. Martin - Fantasy
_The Outlander_ - Diana Gabaldon - Romance? 
_The Fault in Our Stars_ - John Greene - Fiction
_Running in the Family_ - Micheal Ondaatje - Fictional Memoir 
_The Stone Diaries_ - Carol Shields - Fictional Biography
_Memoirs of a Geisha_ - Arthur Golden - Fictional Memoir

Most, if not all, are YA type, though some I think might appeal to an older audience.


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## benfoldsfive dude (Nov 24, 2009)

"Private Parts" Howard Stern
"Here Comes Trouble" Michael Moore

These are a couple of the several books I'm reading simultaneously.


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## 26355 (Aug 27, 2011)

Read a book called Delirium by Lauren Oliver. If you liked Hunger Games you will love it. It does not borrow themes from Hunger Games at all. It is its own concept entirely. It's basically set in a dystopian world where love is taboo and you get injected with something so you cant fall in love when you're sixteen. The language and word choice are so amazing in this book the way the idea that love is this uncontrollable, unethical and wrong force which does nothing but corrupt your senses and judgment is weaved in this story and the viewpoints represented by the character which either support or oppose this notion are really amazing. I personally thought it was better than hunger games probably because of the story telling aspect by Lauren Oliver vs Suzanne Collins. Also it will become a movie really soon probably within the next year or so it's gonna have a huge following so you might as well read it now vs later


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## TheWildOne (Feb 22, 2011)

Such good and diverse recommendations! *steals list of books*

Here's a recent thread with some recs on Post Apocalyptic Fiction (beg'ya pardon, I posted there too, ahem ahem)



Samandeep Grewal said:


> Read a book called Delirium by Lauren Oliver.


Have you read the sequel, Pandemonium, yet? Is it good?

I'd like to see how the story goes, but am a bit afraid the writing isn't quite as good...


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## 26355 (Aug 27, 2011)

Oh yes I have. I get obsessive about things like books and poetry. Once i'm hooked I'm gonna devour it lol. I always find myself reading a book more than once especially if it was really good and intense the first time around. Just because I probably didnt pay attention to alot of stuff the first time around because everything was so new that I didnt relish it at first. 
Back to my point (definitely an ENFP thing to do, jump around get every thought out and THEN go back to the main point,lol): Pandemonium was amazing; talks about alot of dystopian things, picks up where Delirium left off. WIthout going into it too much its so amazing and I loved it. There is soo much in there that there are moments which Lauren Oliver just leaves little crumbs sorta like Hansel and Gretel which end up coming back in a major way. She leaves little fodder here and there and then gives you an intense burst of craziness then shuts it down making want it more and where it ends off is like a perfect cocktail of fire and magic lol. Wow, I totally should be a writer. Well, I already do songwriting and poetry so I might as well


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## TheWildOne (Feb 22, 2011)

Samandeep Grewal said:


> Oh yes I have. I get obsessive about things like books and poetry. Once i'm hooked I'm gonna devour it lol. I always find myself reading a book more than once especially if it was really good and intense the first time around. Just because I probably didnt pay attention to alot of stuff the first time around because everything was so new that I didnt relish it at first.
> Back to my point (definitely an ENFP thing to do, jump around get every thought out and THEN go back to the main point,lol): Pandemonium was amazing; talks about alot of dystopian things, picks up where Delirium left off. WIthout going into it too much its so amazing and I loved it. There is soo much in there that there are moments which Lauren Oliver just leaves little crumbs sorta like Hansel and Gretel which end up coming back in a major way. She leaves little fodder here and there and then gives you an intense burst of craziness then shuts it down making want it more and where it ends off is like a perfect cocktail of fire and magic lol. Wow, I totally should be a writer. Well, I already do songwriting and poetry so I might as well


Cool! ^^ I've always wanted to do songwriting. Even tried it with a fellow ENFP who is actually a musician, but... imagine a team of two ENFPs bouncing ideas off each other... lots of really great creative talk, but nothing ever got done!

Anyway, thanks for the insight on Pandemonium. I'll try and get me a copy soon. =)


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## Soldier of fortune (Nov 29, 2012)

_Brave New World _by Aldous Huxley
_Animal Farm _by George Orwell
_The miserables _by Victor Hugo
_Steppenwolf _​by Herman Hesse


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## GoldenApple (Nov 7, 2012)

Never Let Me Go is a great read. It's one of those that just sticks with you long afterward.

The Left Hand of Darkness is a great one as well.

Townie gets an A+ too. To write about oneself with such honesty is admirable.


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