Topic

I'm looking for a good read

Not that lately the forum hasn't been entertaining enough but I am going to the lake this weekend (NO Glitch :`( )and want to take a good book along and was hoping to get some suggestions.
I like pretty much anything but tend to lean more toward fantasy. I also like regular fiction, satires, and distopian settings too. Oh, and smut of course!
But like I said I really like anything as long as it well written.
And yes, I've already read HP,  LOTR and Twilight.
Thanks!

Posted 17 months ago by curiousfae Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

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  • A few of my favorites:
    The Power of One by Bruce Courtenay (Maybe my all time favorite book) 
    The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (an oldie) 
    The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenger 
    Water For Elephants Sarah Gruen 
    Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (series) 
    I'm a Stranger Here Myself (and/or) A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 
    The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
    ETA Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz
    Posted 17 months ago by Riverwalker Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder.
    American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
    Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.
    ETA: A Wrinkle of Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
    Posted 17 months ago by Milolin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • re: Bradbury - if you've never read Fahrenheit 451 and if you're looking for a good time... well you should read it - but not now.  Read it when you want to feel virtuous because you are reading important social commentary - not when you want to smile anytime in the next week.  You'll find yourself checking the copyright over and over asking, "Seriously?  1953?  No way!"  But here's a tip (you who remember the details of the book will appreciate it) If you decide to enjoy this book in its audio form, prepare to be especially uncomfortable about using earbuds to listen.  Yikes - "little shells" indeed...
    Posted 17 months ago by ArtOfHands RoboGirl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • In the fantasy genre: Raymond E. Feist is a phenomenal author. He has a huge catalog beginning with Apprentice. I HIGHLY recommend it. The Mists of Avalon is one of my favorite books of all time (Arthurian legend told from the female perspective.) I love the Eragon series as well. The Host by Stephenie Myer is good too.

    Other genres: The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo series by Stieg Larsson is terrific (crime drama)
    Sarah's Key (can't remember the author) is great (WWII)
    Water For Elephants, Memoirs of a Geisha, Frankenstein, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the LIfe of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx...off the top of my head. They're all good.
    Posted 17 months ago by Audaria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 @ Fahrenheit 451. Remember the flat screen TV mounted on the wall in the movie??
    Posted 17 months ago by Saba Moon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I like the Eternal Champion series by Michael Moorcock with the Elric Saga being my favorite. The Dune series by Frank Herbert is also a great read. LOL @Princess NoDrama +1000 for fantasy AND Smut being anything by Laurall K Hamilton. I`d do Anita Blake in a heartbeat;) 
    Posted 17 months ago by Yark Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 The Host - can't wait for the next one!!!

    Consider the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  You've got your time travel, your historical fiction, and your hot sex!!!  (even as they age, which is nice for any one who has ever aged)  Warning though - it's an addictive series!  Did I mention men in kilts?  Tall, hot, redheaded men in kilts?

    When I worked at the bookstore, I was in the middle of one of these books, and spitting image of my mental picture of the leading man from the books walked into the store (kilt AND Scottish accent and everything!!)  I and another fan of the series just stood there like drooling idiots.  One of the guys had to wait on him because we were temporarily disabled. 
    Posted 17 months ago by ArtOfHands RoboGirl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Is she writing another one? I know some didn't like the Host, but I really did.

    ETA: And if I worked in a bookstore I would have to pay them! I would come home with more books than my salary could support. Like putting a drug addict to work in a pharmacy. Fun, fun, fun but bad, bad, bad.
    Posted 17 months ago by Audaria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • YOU HAVE TO READ DIAMOND AGE: A YOUNG LADY'S ILLUSTRATED PRIMER.
    Posted 17 months ago by A Magical Unicorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Audaria   If one read The Host hoping for sparkly Edward, they would be disappointed, but I liked it WAY better than any of the twilight books.  I don't know for sure if there will be another, but it certainly seemed that they left a wide opening for "the continuing story"  I just discovered there is an extra chapter in the paperback.  Maybe it wraps things up.  I'll have to check.
    Posted 17 months ago by ArtOfHands RoboGirl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • +1 to everyone that suggested Neil Gaiman.
    American Gods is probably my favourite by him :)
    Posted 17 months ago by Ebil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've been into Deltora Quest lately. Very interesting storyline. Yes, I am a fantasy reader.
    PS: If you like cracking codes, this series is for you. Plenty of codes. 

    And sci-fi ish series..... Artemis Fowl.
    Posted 17 months ago by KitkatCat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Absolutely read The Game of Thrones books.
    But my all-time favorite is Geek Love.
    Posted 17 months ago by serfer0 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • For a total change of pace try:

    Frankie and Stankie (or anything else) by Barbara Trapido
    Case Histories (or anything else) by Kate Atkinson

    Both are British authors - not sure of availability in the States.
    Posted 17 months ago by Hawkwell Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson has sci-fi, a little smut and some questions about contemporary society. :)
    Posted 17 months ago by stargirl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Have you read anything by Tom Holt - he's generally found in the Sci-fi section but runs more fantasy/mythological.  Best to start with The Portable Door which is the first of a series telling the tale of a very ordinary man who discovers he's more than he ever dreamed.  
    Posted 17 months ago by Daisy Petalflower Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My recent reads have been: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Unabridged Mark Twain, Vol. 1.  I plan to re-read The Hobbit series.  Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - whether seen as off-the-wall or profound, still amusing. 
    Posted 17 months ago by gimmegames Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Non Fiction                                                                                                                                                    The Greatest Show on   Earth - Richard Dawkin                                                                                        The Riddle and the Knight - Giles Milton                                                                                                  Fiction                                                                                                                                                             Family Matters - Rohinton Mistry                                                                                                                        Only in London - Hanan Al-Shaykh                                                                                                                      In the last week or so mainly on long flightsI give up trying to get this to be readable 
    Posted 17 months ago by Phochai Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sorry pressed reply b4 I was ready! (we reallllllly need delete buttons for our posts)!
    Posted 17 months ago by BumbleBeez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The Hunters Wife by katherine scholes, was a really good book...

    My all time favourite is by Nora Roberts (writting as JD Robb) 'In Death' series, its a crime series but set in the future (with some interesting ideas on what technology will b like!) plus (without giving too much away) has the main character is in a relationship with then gives you abit of 'sexual' references...
    Posted 17 months ago by BumbleBeez Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Momo by Michael Ende, Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson, Mort by Terry Pratchett, Neverending Story by Michael Ende, Smoke Bellew by Jack London.

    Pretty strange and nice books and i love to read them again and again.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lilla My Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Laurell K Hamilton, all of her Anita Blake/Vampire Hunter series is excellent... As well as her Merry Gentry/Fae novels. Warning, she does get very, very smutty, lol.

    As well, another excellent series is done by Janet Evanovich, first one being "One for the Money", (they are all numbered like that). They are making a movie out of her first book in the series now!
    Posted 17 months ago by Zora Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I recommend Stephen R. Donaldson,The 1st Thomas Covenant trilogy..Great read it is even worth a second read. The second trilogy could have been one book.
    Posted 17 months ago by warmmama Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The series by Diana Gabaldon and Jean M. Auel are master pieces
    Posted 17 months ago by Sanne Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, Milolin, yes, Sophie's World is great!  I found that one evening while stuck in D.C. for a conference and it's been part of my "favorites" shelf ever since.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lelu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Fantastic thread idea, thank you all! *Notices a ton of old favorites, madly scribbles down titles for next library trip*

    +1 for Wodehouse, Pratchett, Gaiman, Wynne Jones (*cry!*), LeGuin (reading "The Dispossessed" right now), Tolkein, Geek Love, Mists of Avalon, Ender's Game, Windup Girl

    Summer fantasy reads with a bit of thinky edge... perhaps Spider Robinson's Callahan books? Ohh, how about Patrick Rothfuss (Name of the Wind)?

    I love really good YA stuff: E.L. Konigsberg (The View from Saturday), Louis Sacher (Holes), Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer)... quick and delightful and so satisfying!

    One of my all-time favorite reads is The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas).

    I've been into the true-crime-history things lately... The Killer of Little Shepherds and The Devil in the White City were both pretty fascinating.
    Posted 17 months ago by Lilith Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I LOVED the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton...in the beginning. Shortly after Blue Moon, the storytelling really suffered. I don't mind the smutty, in fact some is good (grammar bells are going crazy here!) but it seems like she focused SO MUCH on smut, that she forgot to weave it around good stories. Very disappointing to me.

    @Thee I agree 100%! I enjoyed the Twilight series, but The Host was better, more mature. I'm very curious about that extra chapter now.

    I forgot to mention The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Wonderful book with vivid descriptions to evoke powerful emotions. There is very little dialog and yet it is extremely moving. Fantastic.
    Posted 17 months ago by Audaria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yes! Read American Gods! I had never read any Neil Gaiman books or anything of the sort until a few weeks ago. I was stuck in the middle of the countryside on a dig for two weeks and the book was in the house, so I read it. Best decision ever. :) It was a very very good read!
    Posted 17 months ago by Eleanor Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Neil Gaiman is god. I highly recommend his short story anthology, Fragile Things. It's a great sampler of the variety of voices he can write in. After that, read Stardust if you like fairy tales, and American Gods if you like mythology. Then go watch Mirrormask.

    Then read Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett.
    Speaking of Pratchett, you can read the Discworld books in any order--my favorites are Going Postal, Monstrous Regiment, and The Truth.

    Diana Wynne Jones is also amazing. As you've read LotR, I recommend starting with The Dark Lord of Derkholm.  I read it first when I was 14, but I didn't realize how INCREDIBLY HILARIOUS it was until I reread it over Christmas. There's a lot of very subtle in-jokes for genre-savvy fantasy fans. Also, Howl's Moving Castle. LOVE that book. And Howl. He's hot stuff.

    I see that no one (unless I missed it) has yet mentioned Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. Sanderson is a fairly new author; he's terribly prolific, and he's changing the face of modern fantasy. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Mistborn is BRILLIANT--it has a perfectly paced plot and a *wonderfully* original magic system.
    Posted 17 months ago by Arii Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Terry Pratchett and Jasper FForde.

    Ease yourself over from Neil Gaiman with Good Omens which he co wrote with Terry P
    Posted 17 months ago by Momo McGlitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I have just read Divergent by Veronica Ruth. Absolutely loved this book. It is a Dystopia. Any one who has read the Hunger Games will love it.
    http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8306857-divergent
    Posted 17 months ago by Misha Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Great list of reads here.
    My recommendation (I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet): The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. On my top ten list of all-time best fantasy books--actually 3 books in one. A sheep farmer's daughter who becomes a warrior--and something more. It's an astonishing work.
    Posted 17 months ago by ElleD Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Lots of great suggestions above.

    Would also like to advocate Salman Rushdie - for a fantasy fan, I recommend starting with Haroun and the Sea of Stories (for the parents out there, this makes an excellent bedtime story), or perhaps Grimus if you're into headier fare, but do at some point delve into The Satanic Verses as well. He is truly one of the most gifted storytellers of our time.

    If you're looking for a somewhat scary headtrip, check out Mark Danielewski's 'House of Leaves'. It's a gripping page-turner unlike any other book I've read, and will linger in your mind for some time after you've finished.
    Posted 17 months ago by BeatFreq Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I love Paksenarrion!  That's a great book. 

    I just read The Parasol Protectorate series by Gaill Carriager.  Excellent fantasy/steam punk.  
    Posted 17 months ago by Feylin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow! So many authors and books I'd forgotten about...

    Actually just looked up this thread to add Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith since I mentioned another of his books in another thread. Utterly awesome, and one of the first books I ever read more than once. His other (scifi) books are great too (Spares, One of Us)

    @Thee Robot Creator (and others since) -  Snow Crash was good. While trying to remember the title for that, I also found Head Crash, which doesn't seem like the book I thought it was reading the reviews now... hrmm, maybe I'll let that one through to the keeper.

    @Linnaea - Ender Series totally awesome. @cerulean - I don't think you're the only one there =)

    And Bradbury, of course...

    And for all of you who like the Neil Gaiman stuff, there's always Clive Barker's work for the more horror-oriented version of twisted semireality.

    So many good authors and stories here, and hollywood remakes shite every week instead of making something new and interesting (new for film, anyway =) ) Mind you, did hear they're making American Gods...
    Posted 16 months ago by arcturus Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm a lifelong, rabid reader of science fiction and fantasy literature, and have observed the trend toward urban fantasy in the past few years. I'd like to recommend a similar series, one of better quality than many, which turns most of the tropes on their heads, and reads like fun urban fantasy: The Quantum Gravity series by multiple award winning author Justina Robson .

    From Booklist: Robson lets loose and has fun with this tale, a rock 'n' roll saga including elves, magic, and cyborgs. After the Quantum Bomb of 2015, Earth proper has coexisted with alternate dimensions peopled by elves, demons, elementals, faeries, and the dead. Government agent Lila Black was nearly killed by elves while on a diplomatic mission, and now she is mostly machine. She has been assigned to guard the legendary band the No-Shows, especially lead singer Zal, who's precisely opposed to every elf stereotype out there, first and foremost in his music. Lila becomes trapped with him in a game caused by wild magic and, in the process of protecting him, discovers some of the complicated plots swirling just under the surface of Alfheim, the elves' dimension. Robson creates fascinating characters and worlds for them to inhabit, meanwhile sacrificing none of her other strengths and not once succumbing to the easy genre cliches, at least not without keen irony. 

    You may get some ideas from my bookshelves, happy browsing!
    Posted 16 months ago by Widdershins Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series or anything by Ryu Murakami, Scarlett Thomas or Lian Hearn
    Posted 16 months ago by jackbarnes Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "Jasper Fforde. Deserves to be better known because he's wonderful."

    He is!  Thursday Next is so cool.

    Also mentioned earlier, Kate Atkinson series with Jackson Brodie...re-read all of these recently to get ready for the PBS series starring Jason Isaacs.  Love them!  
    Posted 16 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede, Sorcery and Cecelia: Or, the Enchanted Chocolate Pot.

    Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. (The third book, The Hallowed Hunt, is sadly not as good.)

    Ellen Kushner, Swordspoint and The Privilege of the Sword.

    Linda Medley, Castle Waiting graphic novels (if you can find them).
    Posted 16 months ago by Clumdalglitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I read a lot of dystopian fiction as well. I've been meaning to read World War Z for awhile, I haven't had a chance to yet. Currently going through 1984 again. Brave New World is my favorite of the genre. Perhaps Hunger Games if you're looking for a series that's an easy but interesting read (geared toward teenagers so it's not too complex in writing, but I still liked it.)
    Posted 16 months ago by Lung Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Since we're all here because of gaming may I recommend Larry Niven and Steven Barnes Dream Park series.  Gaming, holograms, and LARP'ing all in one package with a murder mystery thrown in for good measure.

    I keep waiting for the park to open.

    ~~TJ Fuzzybut
    Posted 16 months ago by Thaddeus J Fuzzybut Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Off topic, but I just have to say that   Thaddeus J Fuzzybut   has to be one of my most favourite usernames. I kept seeing you around in game last test and noticing the name :)
    Posted 16 months ago by Ebil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh god. I have not thought about about the Dream Park books in forever!

    This thread is basically a book by book list of what I've read and enjoyed.

    I would recommend my favorite book... but 90% of the people I recommend it to either don't finish it or dislike it. The other 10% LOVE it. But here it goes: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. (Note: If you have read read it and hated it, I do not judge. I completely understand.)

    As anyone mentioned Wicked? Great book. (Could get into to groove of the sequels.)
    Posted 16 months ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Tom Robbins.
    Posted 16 months ago by goodstory Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Going by your preferences and what you've already read ... Charlaine Harris ... ANY of her Series .. but the Sookie Stackhouse Series probably ticks the most boxes.  Fantasty, Mystery, Comedy and some smut thrown in.
    Posted 16 months ago by Angel Slocombe Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I bet you'd like Julian May. Here's a link to her wiki page:

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia...

    If you've never read any of her work, start with the Galactic Milieu series and then read the Pliocene Exile stuff. It's wonderful!
    Posted 16 months ago by SuziMio Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Another gaming book I'm fond of, though it may not be easy to find, is Melissa Scott's Burning Bright. John M. Ford's Growing Up Weightless also centers on a gaming group.
    Posted 16 months ago by Clumdalglitch Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If you want something different, I recommend 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In fact, I might have to re-read that.
    Posted 16 months ago by FrankenPaula Subscriber! | Permalink
  • " If you want something different, I recommend 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In fact, I might have to re-read that.  "

    One of the books of my life !!!

    I suggest the Master King too ... perhaps Pet Cemitery ??? :-))))
    Posted 16 months ago by ameixa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • 100 Years of Solitude, so amazing, have read it several times. Damn..going to re-read it again, starting tonight.  Marquez got me started on a Latin American author jag that kept me busy for years.  Llosa, Neruda, Borges, Paz.  I guess Borges and Marquez are my favorites.  
    Posted 16 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • When I read the original post, Piers Anthony's Xanth series immediately came to mind.

    This thread is full of good suggestions, but I have to agree emphatically with Lilla My: read about moomins!
    Posted 16 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Robert Jordan's wheel of tme series
    Janny Wurtz Mistwraith series
    Lois Mcmaster Bujold - Miles Vorkosigan books (he's my hero -lol)

    People have already mentioned Mercedes Lackey, Terry Goodkind, Anne Macaffrey, Song of ice and fire series ( I haven't actually seen any of the tv series yet), terry Pratchett

    Most recently read - The parasol protectorate books by Gail Carriger. British, sort-of-steampunk in places- vampires and werewolves and a heroine who likes her food and likes to get her say. Several times 'rofl' was a good description.
    Posted 16 months ago by Twoodle Subscriber! | Permalink
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