Book Recommendations

[aust1366]

I�m super into this new forum, so I�m hoping we can use it to suggest some reading materials! Post a recent book you�ve read or your favourites!

(Yay!)

[soleil]

Here are all of my 5-star rated books on Goodreads. Yeah, my taste is random and some of these books were read a long time ago, before my tastes became more sophisticated.

FWIW, some of my favorite books are Anna Karenina, Outlander (series), Educated, The Name of the Rose, Game of Thrones.

(Sorry, the pictures are taken on mobile so not super attractively curated.)

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Here are my 4-star books (I�d recommend any of them!). Many of these were read more recently.

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[Flordibel]

Most of what I read is historical fantasy - medieval-ish. So I'm a huge fan of Tamora Pierce (her Protector of the Small series is one I re-read every couple of months), and Garth Nix's Abhorsen series is amazing too, though that deals more with necromancy and spirits.

The Archangel series by Sharon Shinn is a really interesting reflection on religion, which SOUNDS silly, but actually fascinates me due to the way she handles it (it's not heavy-handed or preachy). It comes off as fantasy fiction, but is really sci-fi underneath if you continue reading the series.

Adult recommendations
I recently read "The Adorned" by John Tristan, which has pretty interesting worldbuilding, but contains explicit erotica, so please read the summary carefully if you decide you're interested. I also am a fan of The Cat Star Chronicles (it's just as frivolous and nonsensical as it sounds) and the Captive Prince series. Note that The Adorned and the Captive Prince series are both homosexual erotica, if that matters. And I have ebook versions of The Captive Prince if you'd like. :D

[bootiesrus]

Any one got any suggestions for someone who reads mostly victorian (and pre/post)? ~ just finished the Woman in White. it was hella amazing.
Thinking of starting George Eliot but not sure where to begin.

[soleil]

Any one got any suggestions for someone who reads mostly victorian (and pre/post)? ~ just finished the Woman in White. it was hella amazing.
Thinking of starting George Eliot but not sure where to begin.

I�m a very big fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Jane Eyre. Middlemarch is supposed to be good but I didn�t make it very far before I got distracted.


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[bootiesrus]

I’m a very big fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Jane Eyre. Middlemarch is supposed to be good but I didn’t make it very far before I got distracted.


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I read both of those and they're pretty amazing (though Dorian Gray made me depressed LOL)
I guess I will start with Middlemarch hmmm thanks!

[soleil]

I read both of those and they're pretty amazing (though Dorian Gray made me depressed LOL)
I guess I will start with Middlemarch hmmm thanks!

Same! Sometimes the books that make me most depressed have the biggest impact on me :) I didn�t even think about the fact that Middlemarch was Eliot so that�s perfect! Enjoy~


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[Pitoruke]

Pan's Labyrinth, the way those faun walks is creeping me out and the guy with the eyes for hands.

[5hego]

I always liked Jodi Picoult. Her metaphors were brilliant and communicated well into vivid imagery, for me anyways; and she always addresses Social Topics/ controversial parts of history that make the story so 'on the edge of my seat' . The Storyteller and Small Great Things sat well with me, enough to move me. I'll always recommend those two.

[Peanutface]

Super timely and a great read:
The Great Influenza by John Barry

It is about the 1918 Flu and I am enjoying it and all the information to be gleaned

[Souhaiter]

Worm is just... a complete trek of an ebook that I listened to throughout all of my engineering degree. It's a lot, but it's very fun and worth at least a partial listen!

[Misha]

Currently reading The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb (she's a 25 year family friend of my father's so I got her book for free :D). Some of my favorites, however, are John Sanford's Prey series. A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer of course, and I really liked Micro by Michael Chrichton.

I'm kind of very much in to the Crime/Sci-Fi genre if you couldn't tell.

[Flordibel]

Currently reading The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb (she's a 25 year family friend of my father's so I got her book for free :D). Some of my favorites, however, are John Sanford's Prey series. A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer of course, and I really liked Micro by Michael Chrichton.

I'm kind of very much in to the Crime/Sci-Fi genre if you couldn't tell.

Ah, I love Michael Crichton as well!! My favorite is Timeline... I'll reread that book like once a year or so. So good!

[nom]

harry potter series is still really good after reading it 10 times! and you can always watch the movies too :)

[Crow]

My favorite books are generally those that are fiction/fantasy with a focus on personified animals or dragons, though I also love me some historical fiction. These are the books on my bookshelf (my most beloved books):

Taggerung by Brian Jacques (part of the Redwall series, which I recommend the whole series though this one is my fav)
Taggerung is a fictional fantasy story about an otter warrior named Deyna who is taken from his family as a baby and raised by a band of vicious vermin. Brought up to believe he is the legendary Taggerung foretold in the legends of the vermin band, Deyna finds he is increasingly at odds with their brutal actions.
The Named / Ratha series by Clare Bell (absolutely favorite books in existence, highly recommend; 3rd book is my fav)
Ratha and her people (the Named) are a clan of a strong sapient cheetah-like prehistoric nimravids. They have laws, languages, and traditions and live by herding the local prey creatures, such as dapple-backs (equids) and three-horns (pecorans), they once hunted.
The Dragon Delasangre by Alan Troop (there's sequels but I never read them; the first book stands alone well)
Peter DelaSangre, one of the few surviving members of the People of the Blood, mysterious creatures that are changelings during the day and slayers at night, narrates the story of his life, from his isolated youth on an island off the coast of Miami, to his struggle to find a balance between the worlds of humans and Dragons, to his search for love with a woman of his own kind.
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (dark and heavy, but well-written)
It tells the story of W. P. Inman, a wounded deserter from the Confederate army near the end of the American Civil War who walks for months to return to Ada Monroe, the love of his life.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (you will sob your heart out, but worth it)
The novel follows the story of Denny Swift, a race car driver and customer representative in a Seattle BMW dealership, and his dog, Enzo, who believes in the legend that a dog "who is prepared" will be reincarnated in his next life as a human.
Divergent by Veronica Roth (Insurgent is also fantastic, but I didn't care for the rest of the series)
The novel Divergent features a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago and follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior as she explores her identity within a society that defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with five factions, which removes the threat of anyone exercising independent will and re-threatening the population's safety.
Horns by Joe Hill (no book ever infuriated me so much, but damn that was a good story)
It employs the third-person omniscient, nonlinear narrative in telling the story of Ig Perrish, who—in the aftermath of his girlfriend Merrin Williams' mysterious rape and murder—awakes one morning to find horns growing from his head and diabolical powers at his command.
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson (cannot recommend this unique story enough!)
After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot, mischief-maker Cole Matthews is in major trouble. But instead of jail time, Cole is given another option: attend Circle Justice, an alternative program that sends juvenile offenders to a remote Alaskan Island to focus on changing their ways. Desperate to avoid prison, Cole fakes humility and agrees to go.
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals (riveting, true story)
In 1957, well before Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Melba Pattillo Beals and eight other teenagers became iconic symbols for the Civil Rights Movement and the dismantling of Jim Crow in the American South as they integrated Little Rock’s Central High School in the wake of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education.
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines (really fantastic story)
This is a novel in the guise of the tape-recorded recollections of a black woman who has lived 110 years, who has been both a slave and a witness to the black militancy of the 1960's.
The Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead (it's been a long time since I read it, but I remember loving it a lot)
When Robey Childs's mother has a premonition about her husband, a soldier fighting in the Civil War, she does the unthinkable: she sends her only child to find his father on the battlefield and bring him home.

As far as books I had to read for school that I actually really enjoyed, it would be the following:
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Jungle
The Crucible
Catcher in the Rye
Anthem
In Cold Blood
Lord of the Flies

[Hall]

I highly suggest:

Weird & Wonderful: 18 Holiday Themed Romances Featuring Unusual and Unlikely Holidays of All Stripes

Helmed by USAT Bestselling Author Caitlyn Lynch, eighteen authors have banded together to explore several lesser-known holidays such as Pi Day, World Naked Gardening Day, and Talk Like a Pirate Day. Our authors hail from around the globe and include bestsellers and emerging writers.

​

Featuring sweet country romance and sex in the big city, there's something for all romance readers, including lovers of queer romance. Polar bear plunges. Second chance and workplace romance. Sexy neighbors. Persnickety vampires. Matchmakers galore. Even a cute shifter or two. This anthology has it all!

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And if you liked Crewel Intentions from that, or like queer, paranormal romances I point you toward:

Hunger Pangs By Joy Demorra

In a world of dwindling hope, love has never mattered more�

Captain Nathan J. Northland had no idea what to expect when he returned home to Lorehaven injured from war, but it certainly wasn�t to find himself posted on an island full of vampires. An island whose local vampire dandy lord causes Nathan to feel strange things he�d never felt before. Particularly about fangs.

When Vlad Blutstein agreed to hire Nathan as Captain of the Eyrie Guard, he hadn�t been sure what to expect either, but it certainly hadn�t been to fall in love with a disabled werewolf. However Vlad has fallen and fallen hard, and that�s the problem.

Torn by their allegiances�to family, to duty, and the age-old enmity between vampires and werewolves�the pair find themselves in a difficult situation: to love where the heart wants or to follow where expectation demands.

The situation is complicated further when a mysterious and beguiling figure known only as Lady Ursula crashes into their lives, bringing with her dark omens of death, doom, and destruction in her wake.

And a desperate plea for help neither of them can ignore.

Thrown together in uncertain times and struggling to find their place amidst the rising human empire, the unlikely trio must decide how to face the coming darkness: united as one or divided and alone. One thing is for certain, none of them will ever be the same.

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Link to Joy's Tumblr and about Phangs page:
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[Flordibel]

I had a friend in elementary school who deadass named her ferret Taggerung. We nerded out like KINGS

[Crow]

I had a friend in elementary school who deadass named her ferret Taggerung. We nerded out like KINGS

Fantastic! I named my ferret Twister after the character in Rocket Power lol.

[Domier]

I've been reading The Night Circus recently. (: It's a rather slow-paced book but it's so well-written.
If you're east-Asian I also recommend Crazy Rich Asians, it's filled with classic Asian family tropes and slang. It's like a book full of inside jokes. :D

[mariopepper]

I've been reading The Night Circus recently. (: It's a rather slow-paced book but it's so well-written.
If you're east-Asian I also recommend Crazy Rich Asians, it's filled with classic Asian family tropes and slang. It's like a book full of inside jokes. :D

I just started reading Crazy Rich Asians. More jokes then sence. I also can mention the book I've finished lately - Book Thief by Zusak. It was my college task to write an essay on the book but I was too interested and finished the book in one week. I've got problems with writing process so I used help but it doesn't change the fact I read the book with pleasure and recommend it everyone who ever heard of Marcus Zusak

[Alienator]

A bit long, but gorgeously written, Stephen King's Duma Key is a great read. Got shivers reading it. Guy essentially loses his arm in a construction accident and moves to Florida to get away for a while and recover, only, weird things start happening. You'll have to read it to know what I mean ;P

[kuplu]

I know I'm super biased, but I still think Drunkard's Walk is some good stuff that everyone should give a try. It does a great job in advovacating the beauty of probability and statistics, and it's super fun if you're into science (or biographies). Of course Mlodinow will not give you a lesson on how to use p values, but you can expect much history of mathematics, psycology and neuroscience well written and documented (with lots of references).

Another great book about probability (contextualized in short real stories) is Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom.

And I'm currently reading that popular one, Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh. Great investigative work and really interesting book about Number Theory.


I also want to try some Carl Sagan, did anyone read something from him? I heard great reviews on The Demon-Haunted World.

[mrs_fish]

Currently on book 8 of 9 of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series. It's basically a historical drama with a twist set during the Napoleonic wars and centers on Captain William Lawrence. The twist is that most of the nations have an aerial corps consisting of dragons.

[steeler]

1984 by Orwell, one of my favourites and also describing a situation kinda similar to our coronavirus situation.

[deMorphine]

The Road is a good one with a movie on Youtube if you want to watch too. Post apocalyptic world with a man and his son, no spoilers.

[katongpool]

Am currently reading Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing. It is really apropos for our current circumstances. Loved her previous book of essays too, The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone.

[mokavanila]

Just this last month I read like 5 books since I'm not at work, anyways, here are some recommendations-

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The Bell Jar, a novel by Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath's realistic, and intensely emotional novel about a woman falling into the grip of insanity.

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Veronika Decides to Die, a novel by Paulo Coelho
The author of The Alchemist addresses the fundamental questions asked by millions: What am I doing here today? and Why do I go on living? A quick read.

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Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking was recognized as one of the greatest minds of our time and a figure of inspiration after defying his ALS diagnosis at age twenty-one. He is known for both his breakthroughs in theoretical physics as well as his ability to make complex concepts accessible for all, and was beloved for his mischievous sense of humor. Within these pages, he provides his personal views on our biggest challenges as a human race.

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a novel by Milan Kundera
Best for last, Milan Kundera is my favorite author. Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover.

[hiddenblink]

Recently re-read an old favorite of mine: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire S�enz. This book made me cry in an ice cream shop. Very good read.
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[gjniev]

Late night rec: 'The Nickel Boys' by Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this past Monday and I cannot recommend it enough. A tough read based on a real life reform school in Florida and the nightmares that occurred there.

Also, just finished up 'All Who Go Do Not Return' by Shulem Deen. I don't read many memoirs but I was moved by it.

[Painwheel]

21 lessons for the 21st century, Yuval Noah Harari.

It's a great book with an excellent vision for the future. Gave me several brainstorms while reading.

[aust1366]

I'm currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I'm likely behind on the times as it seems most avid readers have already finished this one. That being said, it's heartbreaking and I can't stop reading it.

Another I just finished that was very good was The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. Seriously a 10/10.

[gjniev]

If anyone needs some recs for these trying times, my list of favorites:

'Citizen' by Claudia Rankine
'How To Be An Antiracist' by Ibram X. Kendi
'Between The World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates

As for me, started 'Lakewood' by Megan Giddings today.

[Dita]

I highly recommend The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore! It's a 32 book series and he is still writing! On top of that there are multiple other stories that intertwine with this one so you will have a hard time running out of material to read. Or listen if you are more into that since every one is on audible as well. It's a great series if you are into fantasy and D&D. There is a lot of things I feel you can relate with and the way he writes is just incredible. I especially loved the way he was able to capture one of the characters in their struggles of dealing with PTSD. I really liked that it could help people understand it better but also his character development is spot on! Definitely give it a try if you get the chance c:

[Nimue]

I finished A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the new Hunger Games prequel) last week and as much as I went into it baffled by how anyone could expect me to empathize with the VILLAIN of the main series...I did. There were some things that didn't make complete sense, and the ending felt a little rushed, but overall it was a good read! Lots of moments where I went "OMG THAT CONNECTS TO THG" and it does leave the door open for another prequel to explain even more - give it a try if you liked THG, Catching Fire, & Mockingjay!

[Chenbi]

My favorite trilogy is "his dark materials" (which has a show, a movie, 2 spin off books and a 4th one on the way after yearsss). I also like the series "uglies" and "molly moon", which is about a girl who learns how to hypnotize. Very fun.

[revnov]

Also been reading up on fantasy..the Witcher books are some of the best out there

[Peanutface]

I am busy reading all the books in the Alex McKnight series. Light reading by Steve Hamilton. I am learning about all the Yoopers living in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Lots of fun

[wonderrabbit]

Sheep Farmers Daughter Trilogy by Elizabeth Moon
Black Jewel series by Anne Bishop
Tudor Wives series by Phillipa Gregory
Kushil Avatar by Jacqueline Carey

[revnov]

While looking for a new series to watch.. stumbled on Dune. To read. By Herbert Frank

[StockingAnarchy]

Chasing the Falconers
Book by Gordon Korman
*On The Run* series.

This book series has so many twists and turns I spent many a-nights reading it way past bed time only to wake up and start reading again. The series has six books and is really easy to get into as it's easy for a younger audience to enjoy as well. I haven't been as much as a book nerd lately but I used to down 25+ books during the school year...reading competitions were fun.


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[Anaak Zahard]

Been reading The Illiad and The Odyssey lately, both by Homer, of course.
I have plans to start a YouTube Channel with a mission to bring high-quality knowledge and accurate information. There is nothing like this in my country currently, so I think it has potential to go viral.
My first video will be on Literature, more spefically, on The Odyssey itself. It's such a high quality piece of World Literature that unfortunately not many people have read or even heard about.

My favorite book series however is the trilogy His Dark Materials.
As mentioned by Chenbi earlier, the trilogy currently has an HBO TV Show (currently on it's 1st season, 2nd will go live soon and 3rd is already being filmed), a movie (it sucks, don't bother with it), two spin-off books (Lyra's Oxford and Once Upon a Time in the North) as well a new trilogy which aims to expand upon the universe both before and after the events of the first trilogy.

[PrettySarcastic]

My favorite book series however is the trilogy His Dark Materials.
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I read HDM a couple years ago and my heart ached when it ended. I haven't had a youth-oriented series impact me as an adult like that in a long time - I shed tears! Philip Pullman is a really wonderful author who crafts a brilliant world and rich, engaging characters you really would want to know. (Or very much not want to know.)

This said, somehow Lyra's Oxford and his new trilogy in the world escaped my notice, so thanks for bringing that to my attention!

[kittyray]

I think I've mentioned this on ck, but I read the first two HDM before lockdown, and was a couple chapters into The Amber Spyglass, but I kind of stopped reading as a stress reaction when it started. I've been re-listening to the first two to prep myself to finally finish. But I've honestly just had the first two on repeat for a week and I managed to be on my third listen, but hopefully my mind will quiet enough to actually read soon.

[Anaak Zahard]

I read HDM a couple years ago and my heart ached when it ended. I haven't had a youth-oriented series impact me as an adult like that in a long time - I shed tears! Philip Pullman is a really wonderful author who crafts a brilliant world and rich, engaging characters you really would want to know. (Or very much not want to know.)

This said, somehow Lyra's Oxford and his new trilogy in the world escaped my notice, so thanks for bringing that to my attention!

OMG YES! I also cried while reading HDM, especially after that ending.
I do intend to make a pilgrimage to Will and Lyra's bench in Oxford one day.

Definitely do go after Lyra's Oxford and the others!
Lyra's Oxford is set two years after The Amber Spyglass.
Once Upon a Time in the North is set sometime before The Golden Compass (it's the story about Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison).
La Belle Sauvage is set 10 years before The Golden Compass and tells the story of baby Lyra.
The Secret Commonwealth is set 10 years after The Amber Spyglass and 20 years after La Belle Sauvage.

There is also "The Collectors" which was originally an audiobook for Audible set in Will's world and it was later turned into a small 24 pages ebook for Kindle, but I haven't checked that yet.

Should you want the PDF to those 4 books, hit me up on PMs! It can be quite hard to find a physical copy of Once Upon a Time in the North (or even online). The others should be relatively easy.

Also give a chance to HBO's TV Show. They've got a brilliant cast including Dafne Keen, Lin Manuel Miranda and James McAvoy and it's really well-produced! They did have to make some adaptations (like making Will appear in 1st season) but that actually made the whole thing better. Philip Pullman is of course supervising the whole thing.

[kittyray]

I think I've mentioned this on ck, but I read the first two HDM before lockdown, and was a couple chapters into The Amber Spyglass, but I kind of stopped reading as a stress reaction when it started. I've been re-listening to the first two to prep myself to finally finish. But I've honestly just had the first two on repeat for a week and I managed to be on my third listen, but hopefully my mind will quiet enough to actually read soon.

Okay, but I just spent the entire afternoon on my balcony finishing it. The first few chapters had the misfortune of feeling kind of slow for me co-occuring with the weirdness that was the start of lockdown, but I finally read another book in early July and that kind of made me feel ready to pick it up again.

Holy shit was that good. I knew this already from the first two, but discovering (not that I didn't know of its existence) childhood staples as an adult is always interesting. It isn't tinged with nostalgia, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

[tulpa19]

If anyone has any interest in YA urban fantasy, I've been reading the Villains series by V.E. Schwab, on the second one now, and I'm really obsessed with them. It feels dark enough I would probably bring it closer to new adult than YA. In terms of readability I'd compare it to something like ASOIAF in that it's a hefty read but the writing style moves at a fast clip without being difficult to get through. (Way shorter than ASOIAF though, thank god.)

It's really fascinating to read stuff where there are objectively no 'good person' characters or anything approaching a hero, especially in an urban fantasy that revolves around superpowers. One of the main character's ability is literally being able to psychically torture people - the books don't spend time waffling over whether he is morally just in using his abilities, he just uses them. People are fucked up and cruel and messy and it's just a fact of the universe they live in. It's grim and fun and I highly recommend it for anyone who's into emotionally fraught hateship dynamics LOL

[Sanctus]

This is sort of an underutilized thread so maybe I can revive it a little... I guess this probably would count as gravedigging, but having a book recs thread would be valuable IMO.

Currently I'm reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. It's a nonfiction book that looks at the intersection of racial inequality and the prison system/mass incarceration system in the United States. It's a pretty good read so far, though I do have some qualms about Alexander's writing style... but overall, I appreciate the arguments she makes in this book. I would say it's an eye-opener, and definitely recommend it to people who are unsure about race relations in the US (or even skeptical about why the issue matters!).

[Nala]

My favourite of all times, La trilogie des jumeaux by Agota Kristóf (The Notebook, The Proof, The Third Lie: Three Novels in english). First read it almost a decade ago and not a single book has topped it ever since.
TW: War (and pretty much everything else for anyone seeking recommendations and intend to read)
It's a postmodern fiction about a pair of twins' life that takes place during WW2 & the early age of communism in an unnamed European country-speculated to be Hungary (the author's homeland). What makes it so incredible in my eyes is the raw/unromanticized depiction of war, its atrocities and the immorality the twins inevitably have to train themselves into in order to survive through it. But the thing about it all is the protagonists, despite all the vividly descriptive horrors we bear witness to, keep a sort of "uncontaminated" and purely innocent sense of ethics & stone-cold worldview. Anyways I get carried away every time I talk about it so I'll shut the fuck up but I'd recommend it to anyone craving violent writing style, but note the read's pretty much all trauma-triggers.

[Remy]

Nod by Adrian Barnes. He only published two novels before passing away but to this day it's one of my favourites, if not my favourite book. It's so descriptive and completely envelopes you in that world. I realise I'm in the vast minority but I'm personally not much of a fantasy fan so if you're like me and enjoy books that are more like episodes of Black Mirror then Nod is totally for you.

It takes place in present day Vancouver and is about if everyone on Earth suddenly and inexplicably lost the ability to sleep over night told from the perspective of one of the select few who still can and how quickly people and everyone he loves would start to lose their minds. After six days of absolute sleep deprivation psychosis will set in and after four weeks the body will die. So it turns into a bit of an apocalyptic scenario.

Also Mud, Sweat and Tears - Bear Grylls' autobiography is so dope. I kinda liked the guy before but that man became one of my favourite people after reading about his life. Keanu Reeves levels of just a wholesomely interesting and great dude.