What are Some Good Books to Read?
- Thread starter jsmith86
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I liked the first few of the wheel of time, but it got monotonous and the books could have easily been shorter for the amount of story in them. I would suggest if you want Fantasy, go with "The Name of the Wind" and "A Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss. They are newer and a great read. If you want to read Sanderson (the guy who finished the wheel of time (and a better author in my mind), he is just starting his epic with "The Way of Kings." I would also suggest the "Night Angel" Trilogy by Brent Weeks.
Yes, the Foundation, Dune and Red Mars series (most of the books) are all very good. I appreciate the suggestions, I haven't read either Farmer or Vance so I'll give them a try.
Just looked through quick, but I didn't see anyone mention my favorite author, M. Crichton. Since you mentioned science books, there are many of his to choose from.
I personally really enjoyed:
Sphere
Congo
Andromeda Stain
reading Next at the moment and really into it.
Believe it or not, Jurassic Park and The Lost World were only somewhat good, with some saying they are his best.
Other books I loved that I did see on my quick browse of the thread:
World War Z (went out of order and still need to read Zombie Survival Guide
Into Thin Air
Into the Wild
Eiger Dreams (Also by Krakauer but not mentioned)
I also love books about modern warfare in Iraq/Afghanistan such as
Lone Survivor
House to House
Shooter
Generation Kill
If you want to try the fantasy genre, Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara and the following books of the Shannara series are excellent reads. Be prepared to spend some time reading these books as they tend to run as long as any of the Harry Potter series. If you like historical fiction, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Macherin series (Master and Commander, Post Captain, etc.) is probably the best series of this genre, and there are over twenty books in the series. With all the suggestions given in this thread, your Spring, Summer and Fall reading lists ought to filled out by now one would think. :wink:
Edit: BTW, if you want to read Vance, your public library may be the best source for his books as many of them are not being sold in any of the major book stores, nor in the Kindle Store.
Correction: It's Jack Vance's Demon Princes series. Sorry about that error. If you want a Kindle book by Vance, I recommend Lyonesse. Another excellent series is The Planet of Adventure series, rollicking throughout the three novels, they held me entranced from beginning to end. Also, Amazon does sell many of his titles, so my edit is not quite correct, although I checked out most of the Vance novels I read from my public library.
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"Slaughterhouse Five," Kurt Vonnegut.
Breakfast Of Champions is my choice in this matter....
I read BOC first myself -- It actually took me two tries on S-5. The drawings alone in "Breakfast" are classic.
Count me as another for Moneyball. I recently read the Star Wars Darth Bane series, awesome if you like that sort of thing. Provides a whole new saga of Star Wars from the perspective of the sith.
Here is a 2nd vote for Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. both educational and entertaining. And long.
Those are great suggestions.
Along those lines I would add Steven Erickson's Malazan series (lot of reading available here), Scotty Lynch, The Black Company series by Glen Cook, and Joe Abercrombie's First Law series.
Robin Hobb Farseer is okay, Tad Williams is not bad either, better than Jordan imo at least.
Hyperion books were interesting for sci-fi
John Grisham's BLEACHERS is a great quick read for anyone who who played or enjoy sports also all his other books seem to be good also.
John Grisham » Bleachers
John Grisham » Bleachers
Might I suggest "Lana, The Lady, The Legend, The Truth"? Only $900,000,000.00 for a used copy on Amazon...
Amazon.com: Lana, The Lady, The Legend, The Truth: Lana TURNER: Books
Amazon.com: Lana, The Lady, The Legend, The Truth: Lana TURNER: Books
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Listened to the audio book, then watched the mini-series. As usual, the books were MUCH better but both were good. The audio book is really good.
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Depends upon the age. I bought and read the Hitchhiker series in high school (over 25 years ago) and thought they were hilarious. Reread them a couple of years ago and they are OK but maturity and experience have dampened my enthusiasm. And his Dirk Gently Holistic Detective Agency book is pure crap.
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I've gravitated to non-fiction and business oriented books over the last ten years but my top nine list (all are VERY GOOD):
9. Nickel & Dimes; On Not Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
8. Mexifornia by Victor Hanson
7. Born to Run; A Hidden Tribe, Super athletes & Greatest Race by Christopher
McDougall
6. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
5. Confessions of a Tax Collector by Richard Yancey
4. Only the Super Rich Can Save Us by Ralph Nader
3. Brotherhood of Corruption by Juan Juarez
2. Dot Bomb; My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath by David Kuo
1. Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
Bringing Down the House I literally did not want to put the book down. Mezrich is now my favorite author and I have read several more of his books and they are all excellent too.
9. Nickel & Dimes; On Not Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
8. Mexifornia by Victor Hanson
7. Born to Run; A Hidden Tribe, Super athletes & Greatest Race by Christopher
McDougall
6. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
5. Confessions of a Tax Collector by Richard Yancey
4. Only the Super Rich Can Save Us by Ralph Nader
3. Brotherhood of Corruption by Juan Juarez
2. Dot Bomb; My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath by David Kuo
1. Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
Bringing Down the House I literally did not want to put the book down. Mezrich is now my favorite author and I have read several more of his books and they are all excellent too.
