Best family saga fiction books according to redditors
We found 1,362 Reddit comments discussing the best family saga fiction books. We ranked the 470 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 1,362 Reddit comments discussing the best family saga fiction books. We ranked the 470 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Use of Weapons and, everything else by Iain M. Banks. Amazing stuff. Trust me.
The Blade Itself and the rest of that series by Joe Abercrombie.
Altered Carbon and the rest of that series as well as Thirteen and The Steel Remains, and it's sequel (still waiting on book 3) by Richard K. Morgan. He's pretty amazing.
That would keep you busy for a long time and are all pretty amazing. Seconding Dune, which is amazing, and the Name of the Wind which is great but very popcorn.
But really, if you were to read everything by Iain M. Banks you would be a better person.
Edit: The Sparrow
There was hardly any leisure time on a country-side homestead. Even in the dead of winter, farmers had tasks to accomplish--mending clothing, cutting wood, cleaning root vegetables, milling grains and baking bread (very important), churning butter, healing the sick/elderly/young/wounded, patching the roof for leaks, keeping tools and weapons sharp and well-oiled, skinning whatever animals one happened to hunt. Mostly in-door work, but work nonetheless.
While I am not an expert on country life, my research on Spanish monastic life in urban settings (think Toledo and Seville) reveals that daily tasks for monks and nuns, particularly the ones that required one to remain quiet (like lace-making, very pretty) were regarded as an exercise in solitude, discipline, and communion with God.
I will give you an example of monastic rule, which encouraged austerity, hard work, and contemplation, especially during holidays. The Carmelites, whose rule by St. Albert (here is the multi-lingual Carmelite site) encouraged the above traits in the followers, including those not fully associated with the order.
>[10] Each one of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord's law day and night and keeping watch at his prayers unless attending to some other duty.
"Attending to some other duty" actually took up most of the day. Those duties were comprised of what we might call "domestic tasks." A lively portrayal of monastic "duties" can be seen in Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth (for those that like their history with some drama).
The main raisin d'etre for the Carmelite reform in the 16th century, initiated by Teresa of Ávila & Co., resided in the leniency acquired by nuns and monks over the ages (think "you can eat meat only if you are sick" and then "we shall all be eating in the infirmary now"). She wanted a return to St. Albus' austerity and hard work. The woman and her followers travelled constantly, funding numerous convents per year, and you can imagine the administrative and bureaucratic mayhem involved in running a peninsular organization, with dozens of local chapters, without the resources more established (and non-stigmatized) orders had.
Why am I bringing Spanish monasticism in here, you ask? Well, seeing that your question was about labor on holidays, I wanted to give you one of the most religious communities as an example of "there is always work to do." Whether that work was motivated by an intense desire to serve a greater purpose, the domestic necessities of a cloistered community performing daily tasks, or the administrative demands inherent therein does not matter much. Even on "rest" days, like Christmas or Sunday, even the most religious had to work. How does a nun or a monk excuse this? Why, think about God in the meantime. San Juan de la Cruz says in his intro to "Subida al Monte Carmelo"
> Ni aun mi principal intento es hablar con todos, sino con algunas personas de nuestra sagrada Religión de los primitivos del Monte Carmelo, así frailes como monjas, por habérmelo ellos pedido, a quien Dios hace merced de meter en la senda deste Monte, los cuales, como ya están desnudos de las cosas temporales deste siglo, entenderán mejor la doctrina de la desnudez del espíritu (S Pro. 9, 366) (Jesús, Crisógono de. Vida y obras completas de San Juan de la Cruz. Ed. Madias del Niño Jesús and Lucino del Santísimo Sacramento. 5ta ed. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1964. Print.)
Translation/simplification: "it is not even my principal attempt to address everyone, but instead some people of our Sacred Religion of the primitives of Mount Carmel, friars as well as nuns, since they have asked it, for whom God in his mercy has placed on the road to the Mount, who, as they are already naked from temporal things of this age, will better understand the doctrine of nakedness of the spirit.
How does one "clean" the spirit from "temporal things" and make it ready for "out sacred Religion of the primitives of Mount Carmel"? According to Juan, a lot of HARD WORK. Not only physical tasks like walking barefoot from Seville to Granada to solve some issues with the local prior, but remaining humble, pacific, kind, compassionate, even though the world is cruel. Tough. Fucking. Work. I can hardly brush my teeth in the morning without quietly remarking that I would rather go back to sleep.
In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (which are the same thing. These people did not just wake up one day saying "well now this is going to be the rebirth of things that never died"--periodization sucks) peasants, urbanites, religious personnel, and, yes, even nobles always had something to do, though tasks might grow less strenuous with higher social status.
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For those who are interested, here is a bibliography for pertinent work philosophy in the time period we just talked about:
Aaron, N. Graca. Thought and Poetic Structure in San Juan de la Cruz's Symbol of the Night. New York: Peter Lang, 2005. Print.
Alonso, Dámaso. La Poesía de San Juan de la Cruz (desde esta ladera). Valencia: Tipografía Artística, 1958. Print.
Aquino, Tomás de. Summa Theologiae. Ed. Enrique Alarcón Alarcón. N.p., n.d. Corpus Thomisticum. Universidad de Navarra, 2011. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.corpusthomisticum.org/iopera.html&gt;.
Aristóteles. On the Soul. Trans. J. A. Smith. N.p., n.d. The Internet Classics Archive. Ed. Daniel Stevenson. Massachuets Institute of Technology, 2009. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/soul.html&gt;.
Agustín. De Genesi ad Litteram libri duodecim. N.p., n.d. Convento Agostiniano della Basilica di San Nicola da Tolentino, 31 Jan. 2010. Web. 5 May 2012. <www.augustinus.it>.
Baruzi, Jean. San Juan de la Cruz y el problema de la experiencia mística. 2nd ed. Valladolid: Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación y Cultura, 2001. Print.
Bryne, Susan. El Corpus Hermeticum y tres poetas españoles: Francisco de Aldana, fray Luis de León y San Juan de la Cruz. Conexiones léxicas y semánticas entre la filosofía hermética y la poesía española del siglo. Newark: Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs, 2007. Print.
Campbell, Thomas. "Blessed Albert." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 10 May 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01261a.htm&gt;.
Chapman, John. "Doctors of the Church." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 10 May 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05075a.htm&gt;.
Cuevas García, Cristóbal. "Aspectos teóricos de la poesía de San Juan de la Cruz." Edad de Oro 11 (1992): 29-42. Web. 28 Apr. 2012. <http://bib.cervantesvirtual.com/FichaObra.html?Ref=39676&amp;portal=291&gt;.
Delgado Gómez, Ángel. "Introducción." Cartas de relación. Ed. Hernán Cortés. Madrid: Castalia, 1993. 9-72. Print.
Di Camillo, Ottavio. El humanismo castellano del siglo XV. Valencia: Fernando Torres, 1976. Print.
Ficino, Marsilio, trans. Corpus Hermeticum. Mercurii Trismegisti Poemander, seu de Potestate ac sapientia divina. Aesculapii definitiones ad Ammonen Regem. Paris: Adrien Turnebe, 1554. Print.
Ficino, Marsilio. Three Books on Life. Ed. Carol V. Kaske and John R. Clark. Binghamton: The Renaissance Sopciety of America, 1989. Print.
Howells, Edawrd. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Mystical Knowing and Selfhood. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2002. Print.
Jesús, Crisógono de. Vida y obras completas de San Juan de la Cruz. Ed. Madias del Niño Jesús and Lucino del Santísimo Sacramento. 5ta ed. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1964. Print.
Lerner, Isaías. "La visión humanística de América: Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo." Las Indias (América) en la literatura del Siglo de Oro. Ed. Ignacio Arellano. Kassel: Edition Reichenberger, 1992. 3-22. Print.
Moliner, Jose Maria. San Juan de la Cruz. Su presencia mistica y su escuela poetica. Madrid: Ediciones Palabra, 1991. Print.
Padron, Ricardo. The Spacious Word. Cartography, Literature, and empire in Early Modern Spain. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. Print.
Plato. The Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. N.p., n.d. The Internet Classics Archive. Ed. Daniel Stevenson. Massachuets Institute of Technology, 2009. Web. 4 May 2012. <http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html&gt;.
Sanson, Henri. El espíritu humano según San Juan de la Cruz. Trans. Candido Cimadevilla. Madrid: Ediciones Rialp, 1962. Print.
Shumaker, Wayne. The Occult Sciences in the Renaissance. A Study of Intellectual Patterns. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972. Print.
Vega, Garcilaso de la. Obra poética y textos en prosa. Ed. Bienvenido Morros. Barcelona: Editorial Critica, 2001. Print.
Vercelli, Alberto de. "Regla "primitiva" de la Orden de la Bienaventurada Virgen María del Monte Carmelo, dada por San Alberto, patriarca de Jerusalén, y confirmada por Inocencio IV." Orden Carmelitos Descalzos. Curia General del Carmelo Teresiano. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2012. <http://www.carmelitaniscalzi.com/index.php&gt;.
Zimmerman, Benedict. "Salmanticenses and Complutenses." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 1 May 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13401c.htm&gt;.
. "St. John of the Cross." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 1 May 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08480a.htm&gt;.
. "The Carmelite Order." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 1 May 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03354a.htm&gt;.
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (short story collection)
You just reminded me of one of the best books I've ever read. Sarum. It describes the first man to settle down in the Salisbury delta, through the roman occupation, through the dark ages, the Middle Ages, and up to near history. It follows 3 or 4 bloodlines, and you see injustices perpetrated by one line against another be corrected generations later. So much fun.
Moderately historically inaccurate, but it sounds right in most places.
Edit: Because of the mild interest, here's the amazon link,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0449000729/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1367544195&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=SL75
Only 4 left, order now!
To replace the mythological creation stories of Genesis I would include the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
To replace the Law of Moses I'd include something like the Rule of St Benedict.
To replace the deliverance stories of Exodus and nation building wars of Joshua and Judges I'd use an historical novel by Leon Uris, also called Exodus, which follows the creation of the modern Israel after WWII.
For the history of Israel I'd use The Source by James Michener which is quite wonderful historical fiction covering the entire history of Israel interspersed with a story of an archaeological dig digging through the layers of history.
To replace the Psalms I'd include the New English Hymnal, and Mission Praise.
To replace the Prophets, I'd include Revelations of Divine Love by Julius Norwich.
To replace the Gospels, I'd include the screenplays of The King of Kings by Cecil B. DeMille, Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, The Greatest Story Ever Told by George Stevens, and Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
To replace the Acts, I’d include a history book, perhaps the three volumes of Christian Origins and the Question of God by N T Wright.
To replace the epistles, I’d include two or more opposing theology books such as Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision, by N.T. Wright, and The Future of Justification by John Piper (I’m working from reviews here, I haven’t read these books so don’t know how good they are – others may have their own suggestions, equally good)
And finally, to replace Revelation, I’d include the Left Behind series, just for fun.
I read "The Long Ships" in 1970 very good read, I think I will order it and read it again.
https://www.amazon.com/Long-Ships-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590173465/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1485897030&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+long+ships+by+frans+bengtsson
Now adays I go to archive.org and download Viking sagas also.
This is a question I have struggled with.
Read The Road.
If that sounds cool as shit, and it is, check out the novel Shogun
This is a key feature in the novel, "2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson". One of the prominent settings in the novel is a moving city on Venus. It sits on rails that expand when the intense Venusian sun hits it, pushing the city forward (fast enough to stay in the temperate zone between night/day).
There is a bunch of other cool, and plausible, science in the novel as well, if you're into that kind of thing. It was one of my favorite reads of 2014.
Edit: Not Venus, I meant Mercury has the moving city.
Shogun
Plus the miniseries based on the book is pretty good, too.
The First Law Trilogy
My all-time favorite novel is Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex. It covers three generations of a Greek family from escaping a Turkish invasion to settling in prohibition-era Detroit to learning to grow up as a hermaphrodite.
I would first recommend Shogun by James Clavell. It's an epic story with a great plot. I don't believe it's too accurate, but it's a good read.
If you want to continue on with historical Japanese literature you can't go wrong with Musashi or Taiko both by Eiji Yoshikawa.
Moving on to more western stuff, I recommend the many James Michener books, but they can be boring at times. My favorite of his is Hawaii.
I'd also recommend Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield about the Battle of Thermopylae.
Check out the First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Not to give it away or anything, but I found the ending to be a bit of a suckerpunch to the gut. Definitely worth looking into I'd think.
I just read a really good book called The Devil All The Time I finished it in 24 hours it was that good. It's about messed up people/families/small towns- it's very dark, almost a horror novel but there's nothing "supernatural" about it. It's kind of Southern Gothic- If you like Cormac Mccarthy, Flannery O'Connor, Faulker etc you'll enjoy it. I'm trying to read the guy's other stuff ASAP.
Ken Follett's Century Trilogy (Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, Edge of Eternity) but of the 3, Fall of Giants is probably the closest in terms of time period (right around WWI)
http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Giants-Book-Century-Trilogy/dp/0451232852
Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson - The Stormlight Archive
Peter Brett - The Demon Cycle
R. Scott Bakker - The Second Apocalypse
Joe Abercrombie - The First Law
Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastard
Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicle
All excellent. Some slightly more excellent than others.
https://www.amazon.com/Poisonwood-Bible-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/0061577073/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1503686447&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+poisonwood+bible
https://www.amazon.ca/Fall-Giants-Book-Century-Trilogy/dp/0451232852
Read it, you'll love it. Fucking long ass trilogy that's can be just basically summed up as "THE WESTERN WORLD - 20th CENTURY", but it starts off about exactly this in this same time period. And despite its length it needed to be way, way longer.
I first heard about this "trend" when reading the novel Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides many years ago (something to the effect that Asian women are the "last stop" girlfriend before a gay man comes out of the closet).
The article in the Village Voice is very sparse, offering no explanation why this even exists. Can anyone contribute and explain if this is really is a "thing"?
I loved these books for their beautiful writing and narrative structure:
Other suggestions, also well written but not quite in the same class as the ones above:
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's a fantastic book that traces the lives of three generations, from rural Greece to 1950s Detroit to today. I have no way of describing how beautifully written it is. A genomics researcher suggested it as an interesting point in the ongoing discussion of the determinism of genes (though you can decide what this book's message is!).
The Civil War: A Narrative series by Shelby Foote is available for Kindle. Foote is pretty well recognized as the authority on the American Civil War.
For a historical fiction The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara focuses on The Battle of Gettysburg. His son, Jeff Shaara, has written several historical fiction novels on the Civil War as well.
Radioactive missiles got you down? Gangs of bandits forming around you? Amazon recommends "The Road".
Joe Abercrombie. His style and the philosophy of his writing are similar to Martin. There are no good guys and bad guys in the sense that everybody has their own motives and act on them yet there are still clear protagonists and antagonists. They books focus on a smaller cast of characters and the world is less enormous but the characters are very well realized and the entire series is about 1 and a half times the size of a aSoIaF book. What really made it great for me is that Abercrombie is great at writing intrigue as well as humor that doesn't compromise the narrative.
Here is the link to the The Blade Itself, first book in Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy, and for a bonus here's an video of Joe Abercrombie interviewing GRRM about the Game of Thrones TV series.
If you want a longer review here's a pretty good one from Amazon.
>
>I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I read the blurb from the back and nearly turned away after reading only half of the summary. But something made me open it up and try the first few pages--and I was hooked. It starts with an action scene--like most fantasy novels--and it is described so well. It is realistic without splattering gore in your face. I can't think of any other author who treads that line so well as Joe Abercrombie does in The Blade Itself.
>
>I didn't find this a funny book, overall. It's not a comedy at all. But there are several moments where I did laugh out loud as I read some clever description or a reaction of one of the characters. In fact I think I found more to smile at in this book than most other novels that are specifically tagged as being funny or humourous. The humour here isn't forced. I didn't feel like the author was trying to be funny. It was more like the humour you might find in casual conversation with a friend.
>
>This book moves along at a good pace. It is one of those books where you want to keep reading to find out what happens, but, unlike many other page-turners, things actually happen in this one! I hate books that promise action or resolution just over the next page, just another page, one more page, and before you know it you've read half the book and still nothing's happened. This is definitely not a one-trick pony of a book. Each character is well developed and the plots intertwine naturally.
>
>What this book doesn't contain are tired old writing techniques. Well, it's not perfect, but it's as close as I've come across in 15 years. Anyway, there are no stereotypical cliched fantasy characters. The author doesn't end each chapter on a contrived cliff-hanger and then talk about another character's life for ten chapters before returning to the cliff-hanger. He doesn't especially dwell on the gruesome details of battle, but he writes it as realistically as you'd want. Perhaps not super-realistic--this is a fantasy, after all--but it's not nearly as predictable as many.
>
>Something else I noticed about the writing style is that Joe will change his writing a little to suit each character. So each time he changes the perspective to a new character, the way he describes the scenes changes, too. It's like he's letting us look through each of their eyes, rather than just giving us a homogenous narration throughout. They're not jarring transitions by any means, though. For me they really added to the story and made it all the more absorbing.
>
>This is by far the most absorbing novel I have read for many years. And this is the most glowing review I have given any book on Amazon!
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.
Wool by Hugh Howey.
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie.
Read through the "Look Inside" previews to see if any of these is right for you.
And if you’d like a good read of a series that is actually completed, the books are also worthwhile.
Well, my favorites are
The Moviegoer
The Road
A Confederacy of Dunces
Rendezvous with Rama
Watchmen
Snow Crash
Slaughterhouse-Five
Cat's Cradle
The Big Sleep
The Maltese Falcon
American Gods
A Clockwork Orange
Preacher
Fahrenheit 451
1984
Akira
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Lolita
Love in the Time of Cholera
Naked Lunch
Animal Farm
The Sandman
At the Mountains of Madness
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Brave New World
We
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
I haven't read it yet, but it sounds like you might really want 2312.
Most people will be suggesting Shogun by James Clavell, I think, while not a "accurate historical novel":
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell is a great, and thoroughly well-written, read.
I just finished reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follett where this was a big plot point. Great book if you have any interest in reading a historical fiction that takes place during WW1.
Okay, so, these are not all series, but are supposed to be really solid nonetheless.
Having said that, I'll start this off with something that actually is a series; the Oathsworn series, of which The Whale Road is the first installment.
Next we have the Saga of Eric Brighteyes, which, as that edition will not stop reminding you, was one of the books that inspired Tolkien.
Then there's Styrbiorn the Strong by E. R. Eddison, who you may know as the author of The Worm Ouroboros, another noted influence on Tolkien.
Poul Anderson was a rather prolific writer of Norse/viking inspired fiction during the 20th century, and his works include Hrolf Kraki's Saga, The Broken Sword, and War of the Gods among others. Note that these are historical fantasy, rather than purely historical though.
The Long Ships is supposed to be a particularly solid work, imitating the style of the sagas, and I'm personally biting to read it.
Speaking of the Sagas, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention them, since you didn't indicate that you've read them. The sagas, though old, are stories, rather than historical or religious texts. If you want actual viking books, you're not going to find any better than a proper translation of the sagas themselves. I'd recommend this one by Penguin Press.
The Blade Itself
Start here. Better than Game of Thrones, IMO.
I would suggest giving Joe Abercrombie a try, he writes witty, dark humor, and his books are light on the magic. There is no clear "hero" in his story, all the characters have flaws in the traditional heroic sense. I'm suggesting this due to you liking Game of Thrones and Neil Gaiman, it is like a odd mix between the two.
He did a AMA here: http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/oaxpd/i_am_fantasy_author_joe_abercrombie_ask_me/ and the first book in his trilogy is here http://www.amazon.com/The-Blade-Itself-First-Law/dp/159102594X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1344611006&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=joe+abercrombie
Also David Gemmell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gemmell is more pulpy, but he has written several stand alone novels.
It was a pretty productive weekend at our household. I did a bunch of meal prep yesterday, BBQ'd a bunch of chicken and asparagus, made a pot of chili, and tried my hand at making bread for the first time in like a decade. It turned out great, I think that could start to be a nice Sunday ritual. The friend I stayed with during my practicum last year has a couple books all about different breads, one is all about the science and why some things are done the way they are with some types of breads, and the other one is the actual recipes.
Squats went well yesterday, probably benching tonight since I didn't go this morning. Might just do cardio or take a rest day, I have an audiobook checked out for the next 3 weeks that's supposedly pretty intense (The Devil All The Time) so I could make some good headway with it.
Avengers: Endgame is this week! Much excite.
I just finished Middlesex by Jeffery Euginedes. It was a terrific book, and beautifully written.
>1) Why do you like this war in particular?
It's the single most defining moment in US history besides the revolution itself, imo. We still feel the repercussions of what happened to this day. The Civil War made what America is today, for better or for worse.
>2) Which side do root for?
I grew up north of the Mason Dixon line so if I had a side I was "rooting" for it'd be the Union. But the war is so much more than that.
>3) Why is seceding considered a betrayal or at least unpatriotic?
The rebels of any rebellion are often labeled as the traitors. The Founding Fathers were traitors. I wouldn't say the South was unpatriotic though. They were patriotic in their own way, for their own country. The South didn't secede because it wanted to destroy the country, they seceded because they thought the differences between North and South were irreconcilable. There's so much more on this topic I could write about.
>4) What are some interesting factoids or misconceptions about the Civil war?
Something like ~1/3 of the soldiers of the war, on both sides, were immigrants.
The war in the West was probably more influential about bringing an end to the war than most people realize. It's a shame it's not talked about nearly as much as the war in the East.
>5) What is your fav civil war movie?
Gettysburg, hands down. It's based off the book The Killer Angels. It really is a good work of historical fiction. I picked it for my "sustained silent reading" book in grade school read that one copy so much I wore the pages tissue paper thin.
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara is an amazing book. I am not much for historical fiction and my friend kept nagging me to read this and I truly enjoyed it.
There is a good Civil War novel that revolves around different viewpoints during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Called "The Killer Angels", seems like it is right up the alley of what you are looking for.
www.amazon.com/Killer-Angels-Classic-Novel-Trilogy/dp/0345348109/
Some personal favorites:
I haven't read it in years, but I always loved The Source by James Michener.
Joe Abercrombie came out with a decent series (First Law Trilogy) that managed to keep my attention for a few months. It was the first fantasy I had read since ASOIAF and it took me a bit to get into them because I'm soo attached to the ASOIAF characters... I got over that and ended up really enjoying these.
Well since you've read the Night Angel Trilogy you should definately read Brent Weeks next book 'The Black Prism'. I Absolutely loved it! Its the first book in the Lightbringer Series, only catch is he's only written one so far.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Prism-Lightbringer-Brent-Weeks/dp/0316068136/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Another awesome series is Peter Bretts Demon Cycle series, check out book 1 'The Warded Man' again awesome read.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Warded-Man-Peter-Brett/dp/0345518705/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331693550&amp;sr=8-1
And lastly since
both the series ive suggested so far are incomplete thought id at least suggest a completed trilogy for you to check out, Joe Abercrombie's First Law series are an excellent read as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law-Book/dp/159102594X/ref=pd_sim_b_5
hope that helps
Actually, I would definitely recommend the book quoted in this picture. The Kite Runner can be found here.
The Road because it made me cry.
Barbara Kingsolver would be a good author to tackle after Atwood. I especially enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible.
The Devil All the Time. I loved it.
As far as fiction goes, the best I have read is "Nevada" by Imogen Binnie. This is one of those books that I immediately started reading again as soon as I finished it the first time.
https://www.amazon.com/Nevada-Imogen-Binnie/dp/0983242232/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466321271&amp;sr=8-1-spell&amp;keywords=Nevada+imogene+binnie
Another work of fiction that is not about the transgender experience but does touch on some themes that you may be able to relate to is "Middlesex" by Jeffery Eugenides. It is really well done and has several interesting story arcs that intersect in really interesting ways with the protagonist.
https://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0312427735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466321681&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Middlesex
As far as bios go I really liked Janet Mock's "Redefining Realness" and "She Not There" by Jennifer Finney Boylan.
https://www.amazon.com/Redefining-Realness-Path-Womanhood-Identity/dp/1476709130/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466321501&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=redefining+realness
https://www.amazon.com/Shes-Not-There-Life-Genders/dp/0385346972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1466321522&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=She%27s+not+there
Edit: My auto correct want Boylan to be be Moylan.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is another great one. Keep us updated on what you are reading. I'd love to find some good new books to read!
Read Shogun yet?
Not already mentioned- Giants in the Earth. As a scion of Nords and a man married to a woman off kilter it appeals to me.
Shogun. Motherlovin' Shogun, and the entire Asian Saga. The TV adaptations of Shogun and The Noble House are the bees knees. Dirk Struan from Tai-Pan is a role model from me- the way he hates Brock just appeals to me.
I consider Moby Dick, and the Iliad/Odyssey as must reads. Even more so than the others before. I'm not yet through Don Quixote, but its looking promising.
"Pillars of the Earth" is about the masons who made castles and cathedrals. Historical Fiction but gripping read.
Jitterbug Perfume was my favorite.
Also, although I normally don't enjoy non-fiction as much, Blue Hand: The Beats in India was well done and gave me a lot of insight into a field I knew little about.
I understand exactly what you mean. Seems to be the same books recommended over and over and over on here. Here is my recommendation for just an awesome book I rarely hear anyone talk about:
The Long Ships
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Ships-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590173465/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377573684&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+long+ships
The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Starting with "The Blade Itself".
To me it was a nice departure from the DnD fantasy with some grit, lethality, and hard characters in a hard setting. Loved it.
The Road -- since that is what everyone else will suggest.
"The Road" - Cormac McCarthy
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0307265439
Georgia wins... 19:24 minute mark "The Devil all the Time" by Donald Ray Pollock in case anyone else was wondering! 😊
The Devil All the Time https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307744868/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_m9t4ybS7AR7NG
Outer Dark is really good, I would recommend that as well as Child of God. Both are some gritty dark tales in the south. If you are looking for a bit of a different McCarthy tale, check out Suttree when you get a chance - it has since become my favorite McCarthy novel or on par with Blood Meridian.
Other recommendations not McCarthy:
Those are all great as well and I was recommended those through Amazon after only reading MCarthy. If you ever need more, feel free to PM me, I pretty much only read this niche genre.
I love Terry Pratchett, and Good Omens was a fun read.
I lend:
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Songmaster by Orson Scott Card
and Still Life with Wood Pecker by Tom Robbins
I might be about to commit heresy by mentioning another author in this sub, but anyways. If you haven't read them already I highly recommend to you the Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. Historical Novels who are known to be well researched and they portray the Norse and their attacks on Britain around the time of Alfred the Great. He really tries to show that the Norse weren't the just Vikings out for plunder and rape, mindlessly killing people while wearing horned helmets and going full berserk. Funny bit of trivia: George Martin himself listed Cornwell in a list of authors he loves once.
Link
Sounds to me like "The Poisonwood Bible"
My mother read it and I started it but I was only 14 or so and lost interest
The Poisonwood Bible is the best book I've read in ages.
The Road http://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0307265439
Have you ever read The Road? If you are a dad, I'd highly recommend it. Most powerful father-son book I've ever read. Could not put it down!
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The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War
The book was Joss Whedon's inspiration for Firefly. It isn't sci-fi though.
The Fifties: David Halberstam
The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara
The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story - Douglas Preston
Oliver Cromwell and the Rule of the Puritans in England - C. H. Firth
JI Packer: An Evangelical Life - Leland Riken
Core Christianity - Michael Horton
My reading list is far too long, but involves mostly history, theology/Christian Leadership, and biography. I'm a very dull person at parties.
Seppuku is an honorable Japanese tradition. Only these days, most people don't cut their guts out with a sword to get the job done. Old traditions pervade cultural behavior to this day.
Along those lines, may I suggest one of the master classics of modern literature? Shogun. No westerner should die without reading this book.
Do you mean culturally or genetically? Culturally, Danelaw and Normandy were both regions under the influence of Scandinavian rulers and settled by Scandinavian people. I don't think the Vikings are particularly noted for their cultural rigidity and readily adopted local languages and customs. In Normandy and Danelaw, the scandinavians blended with the rest of the population becoming Normans and Anglo-Scandinavians, respectively.
The puritans were quite a bit later than the "Vikings" and I doubt there were culturally distinctive that survived over that time scale (that were not absorbed into the greater Anglo culture).
If you are interesting in Historical Fiction, the works of Edward Rutherfurd (Sarum, London) might get you started on considering the relationships among the various peoples that settled England.
http://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0449000729/
http://www.amazon.com/London-Novel-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0449002632
Pillars of the Earth!!! One of my favorites!
No dragons or any of that sci-fi shit just an amazing story about a stonemason's life building a cathedral. Please check it out and report back to me when he's finished.
Pillars of the Earth
Try Fall Of Giants by Ken Follett. It's the first in a planned trilogy that starts around the outbreak of World War I and will end around present day.
I also read Pillars Of The Earth, also by Ken Follett, and really enjoyed it. There's a sequel to it called World Without End that I've yet to read.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. No other books villains have actually elicited strong emotions of hatred from me. And yeah, I know that he went on to write the "sequel", World Without End, but I feel like something got lost in the years in between the two writings.
Beyond that, and not singular works (sorry!), I want to see more books added to William Gibson's Bridge Trilogy of Virtual Light, Idoru, and All Tomorrow's Parties. The universe, the characters, the whole feel is just so perfect. More!
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett semi fiction (follows fictional characters but all events and dates are accurate) but gives a great insight into the mindset of the time.
Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker. Follow the link and read the reviews.
YES!!! I cannot stress Christopher Moore's books enough. Lamb is the greatest book of all time! I re-read it annually.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (which probably inspired Lamb) is also great as well.
A lot of historical / historical adventure / Western novels that I've really enjoyed feel like genre SF adventure novels exploring unfamiliar settings but with no actual SF elements:
See also actual historical narratives, particularly of contact between different cultures:
I'm going to suggest The Long Ships
Thanks. :-)
And here you go:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Blade-Itself-First-Law/dp/159102594X
Trust me, you won't regret it.
I can't give you "titles of the chapters are the characters' names", but Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy is one often recommended here, and for good reason. It shares an epic, wide-ranging, and (usually) tautly-paced plot advanced through multiple viewpoints and characters painted entirely in grey, along with exposing the harder edges of the world its characters populate.
A quick warning first - this genre tends towards long-running series, and these are no exception (nor are many of them yet complete). However, they're well worth trying:
PC Hodgell's Godstalk series. This is a sadly underappreciated series, but is IMHO one of the best fantasy series ever. The worldbuilding is phenomenal, and the protagonist, Jame, is one of my favourite characters in any novel.
GRR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire been mentioned (and is excellent), but in a similar vein (dark and gritty high fantasy) check out Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. This is similar Martin with the cynicism turned up even further. Where Tolkein is more or less black and white, this is very dark grey vs black (and it's not entirely clear which side is which)
Thirdly, check out Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series. Vlad is (initially) an assassin and later mob boss in a fantasy empire where magic is commonplace. Unlike the others I've mentioned, you can probably start with any book as they're mostly self-contained (though there's an ongoing story), and the chronology tends to jump around a lot anyway. The one exception is Teckla, which is much weaker than the rest.
Try The First Law series. Great characters, fun adventures, and it's not too fantastical. I'm just finishing up book 3 now, and I'll be sad not to be reading it.
ugh i've finished everything worthwhile in my local library been reading e-books but running low on those as well
heres some off the top of my head.. be warned these are more character driven then anything else... I hate books with a giant cast of characters ( though malazan was an exception )
Old Shit:
The Fionavar Tapestry (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Tree-Fionavar-Tapestry-Book/dp/0451458222/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1279523697&amp;sr=1-2
Farseer Trilogy (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1279523843&amp;sr=1-1
New Shit:
First Law Trilogy (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law-Book/dp/159102594X/ref=pd_sim_b_1
The Name of the Wind (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/0756405890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1257193424&amp;sr=1-1
Codex Alera (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Furies-Calderon-Codex-Alera-Book/dp/044101268X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1279524012&amp;sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/ss/customer-reviews/159463193X/ref=dpx_acr_txt?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ref_=dpx_acr_txt&amp;showViewpoints=1
The Kite Runner
The Stand is one of my favorites. I've compiled a list of other books that might be of interest to you.
Oryx and Crake
Handmaid's Tale
World War Z
On the Beach
Wool
The Road
I highly recommend the books by Bernard Cornwell, called the Saxon Series beginning with The Last Kingdom
edit: fixed link
Bernard Cornwell's series that starts here:
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Kingdom-Saxon-Chronicles/dp/0060887184/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311157472&amp;sr=8-6
The Saxon Tales series by Bernard Cornwell is going to be recommended to you by most readers. It is a historical fiction chronicling the adventures of the warrior Uhtred and his ambivalence through contradicting alliances to both the Saxon people and the Vikings amid war. This series is hands down the most addicting I've ever read in my life, so be prepared! Also, beware of the Netflix show based on these books. The show really doesn't do them justice. I'd just say steer away from the show altogether.
Here is the first book:
The Last Kingdom
So, I was in the same boat as you for a while in terms of what the hell to read for fantasy after GRRM. I highly suggest switching over to historical fiction for a bit, Bernard Cornwell to be exact.
Read his Warlord Chronicles, starts with The Winter King. Very dark and real retelling of the events of King Arthur.
I also HIGHLY recommend his Saxon Stories series, which starts with The Last Kingdom.
Both are fantastic series, and are actually quite similar to each other.
The last kingdom by Bernard Cornwall. Excellent fictional account of the Viking invasion and the old English push to throw them out http://www.amazon.com/Last-Kingdom-Saxon-Chronicles-Series/dp/0060887184
Nonfiction: The Penguin Historical Atlas: Vikings http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Historical-Atlas-Vikings-Hist/dp/0140513280
Fiction (but historical/realistic): The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell - Book 1 is The Last Kingdom: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Kingdom-Saxon-Chronicles-Series/dp/0060887184
Also worthwhile:
Beowulf: http://www.amazon.com/Beowulf-New-Verse-Translation-Bilingual/dp/0393320979/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1425795525&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=beowulf
Sagas of the Icelanders: http://www.amazon.com/Sagas-Icelanders-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe/dp/0141000031/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1425795544&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=sagas+icelanders
GURPS Vikings (tabletop RPG): http://www.amazon.com/GURPS-Vikings-Roleplaying-World-Norsemen/dp/1556342012/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1425795572&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Vikings+gurps
Vikings (comic): http://www.amazon.com/Viking-1-TPB-Ivan-Brandon/dp/1607061694/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1425795563&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Vikings+comic
Enjoy!!
The Devil All The Time by Donald Pollock and The Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell, both are great gritty small town stories.
Donald Ray Pollock's The Devil All the Time, but beware.
I'm sure your friend has access to all the recovery literature he can handle, and more. I wouldn't even go there, if you are considering it.
I might go for some light entertainment.
Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is about hiking the Appalachian Trail, it's an easy read and it's hilariously funny.
Cheryl Strayed's Wild is about hiking the PCT and is also a fun read.
For novels, I have to recommend A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, and Middlesex by Jeffery Eugendes. They are both big huge sprawling books that are also super enjoyable and easy to read. (So they are not a new Moby Dick.) I've never read them, but I hear the Lord of the Rings books are completely absorbing too. They would take up a huge chunk of his time.
You might also send some comfort clothes. Some warm socks or slippers or sweatpants or a hoodie, something like that. (I'm a huge fan of LL Bean's sweats, they are super comfy and well made.) Also maybe an iTunes gift card if he's got an iphone or ipod.
Out of curiosity, what's the scifi book you're sending? I'm a big scifi fan too.
Almost anything by Oliver Sacks is fantastic. On The Move was great. I listened to it as an audiobook in lab. Very motivating!
Not a new release, and I know there is some controversy, but I loved The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Middlesex. Fiction, not a new release, but a great story with some science mixed in (I may be biased because I happened to be reading this while taking developmental biology and learning about sex determination).
This gem by Scooter Libby, and briefly described here seems to be just fine according to their criteria and is the first result of "apprentice libby".
I generally think that people who read novels are mature enough to be able to handle anything, and firmly oppose any sort of censorship when it comes to literature, so I'm not at all saying that this book shouldn't be listed. However, if you specifically look up Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, which was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for literature, there are no current results sourced from Amazon in the first few pages of results. Clearly, this result which does still have a ranking in the top 2000, should have appeared on the first page, if something ranked lower than 550,000 about bears raping little girls could.
Here's Lorrie Moore's Wikipedia page. I love everything she writes, but a good place to start might be the collection of stories Birds of America. She has sharp psychological insights and persistently witty ironic tone.
Here's Jeffrey Eugenides' Wikipedia page. Many people start with The Virgin Suicides. But my favorite is Middlesex, a huge sprawling novel that covers three generations in the life of a Greek-American family set against the rise and decline of Detroit. His ability to capture psychological nuances in a wide variety of characters as well as to write grand bravura passages that distill the essence of historical periods and locations is tremendous.
I like the AI in the book 2312
https://www.amazon.com/2312-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316098116
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2312_(novel)
what do you mean, do most ppl think it's not?
A couple books that come to mind that do this are 2312 By Kim Stanley Robinson. And to a lesser degree Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. 2312 is kinda boring since Robinson does world building at the expense of story line and character development ... but it is IMO one of the most robust and coherent pictures of the future I've ever read in SciFi. Vinge's book is more balanced and thus entertaining. Both of them are mostly hard science books, that is they don't break the laws of physics per se. Great reads.
The Killer Angels by Shaara. It's about the Battle of Gettysburg and won a Pulitzer for best fiction in 1975.
https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Angels-Classic-Novel-Trilogy/dp/0345348109
The Source by James A. Michener
O Jerusalem! by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
The Mossad: Israel's Secret Intelligence Service: Inside Stories by Dennis Eisenberg, Uri Dan, and Eli Landau
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz (I haven't read most of his other works, but you may find what you are looking for amidst his other works of fiction)
Sarum - the whole history of England from thousands of years BC to modern times.
The Source a history of Israel based on one archaeological site from thousands of years BC until modern times.
Both are very good reads, "historical novels" oldstyle.
An Amazon search shows several books called "The Source", but none come even remotely close to your description.
http://www.amazon.com/Source-Book-One-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B008Z11E5Q/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409185140&amp;sr=8-10&amp;keywords=%22the+source%22
http://www.amazon.com/Source-t-e-George-ebook/dp/B00MOXRC2K/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409185140&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=%22the+source%22
http://www.amazon.com/Source-Witching-Savannah-Book-ebook/dp/B00GM54GJS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409185140&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=%22the+source%22
http://www.amazon.com/The-Source-James-A-Michener/dp/0375760385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1409185140&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=%22the+source%22
I really like James Micheners "The Source", which tries to tell the story of the origins of religions in the form of a novel.
For Islam you absolutely must read "Islam: The Religion and the People" by Bernard Lewis.
For Judaism I would suggest "The Jewish Book of Why" for traditions and "Our People" for history.
And for Atheism you can read "The Rubayat" by Omar Kayyan.
Looks like I get to be the first to recommend Shogun
Check out Sarum
Same basic concept... Tracks multiple families but through several time spans in one area of England. The building of the Salisbury Cathedral will certainly draw parallels.
Canadians.....
http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Giants-Book-Century-Trilogy/dp/0451232852
"A Peoples History" and "House of Leaves" are great!
It's absolutely criminal to see Tom Robbins absent from that list, if you haven't read him yet, do.
Tom Robbins - Still Life with Woodpecker. Not the deepest book, but a lovely, beautiful story about "how to make love stay".
you should definitely check out his books! still life with woodpecker is a good place to start if you find the time.
Reminds me of that Tom Robbins book, Still Life with Woodpecker.
You should read Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins.
"Still Life with Woodpecker is a sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. It also deals with the problem of redheads."
Tom Robbins is the shit.
I think I'd have to say Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. It's a novel about a search for immortality, beets, and the perfect taco. I love the way he takes several different storylines and weaves them together. I also really enjoy his sense of humor.
And because I can never have just one favorite, I'll also add Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's a story about the end of the world and it's absolutely fabulous! <3
My Favorite Book!
I picked up this book, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, while I was stuck in the Paris airport. It is a epic book about the guy who travels all over the world and single handedly influenced major events all over while traveling. It is has now become my favorite fictional book. Amazon
The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson would be amazing to see as an anime. It's the chronicles of a Swedish viking, who goes on a fantastic adventure around Europe.
The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold would also be interesting. It's a collection of stories about a growth-stunted guy who ends up running a mercenary space fleet.
I read it in English, and a cursory Google search isn't giving me the translators name - I vaguely remember reading that it was re-translated at some point? Anyways, I read the edition that has an introduction by Michael Chabon. The language is WONDERFUL, it's one of the reasons that the book was so delightful to read. It's archaic and deftly used to paint both a visual and emotional landscape for the story. It was this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1590173465/
The Blade Itself (The First Law trilogy) - Joe Abercrombie
7.5/10
Low Fantasy
Exciting and fast paced with strong character building. Lacks the world building of other longer fantasy books, but it's very intriguing. Can't speak for the rest of the trilogy.
Amazon
Richard K. Morgan: A land fit for heroes
It's a pretty damn good fantasy series. I got into it because his cyberpunk noir novels were so damn good. Altered Carbon and the rest of the Takeshi Kovacs novels were excellent.
Also, I was lucky enough to have friends immediately recommend Joe Abercrombie post asoiaf. The First Law Trilogy is absolutely gripping. Personally, I think it's better than asoiaf.
The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie.
Phil Kessel, thou art a flesh-monger and a cream-faced loon.
The Blade Itself
Twelve Monkeys
The First Law by Joe Abercrombie
The Kite Runner. Incredibly moving book.
Edit: forgot what an adverb was.
Robert Buettner: Orphanage series.
Good for those who like hard sci-fi, right up until the last book.
The Kite Runner, and its companion: A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Rips your heart out.
I've never read this but I've seen the movie. I imagine the book being good.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown. SF.
Wool by Hugh Howey. Post-Apoc.
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie. YA Fantasy.
The Remaining by DJ Molles. Horror/Military Thriller.
I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Thriller.
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Vintage-International-Cormac-McCarthy-ebook/dp/B000OI0G1Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;sr=&amp;qid=
http://www.amazon.com/1984-George-Orwell-ebook/dp/B003JTHWKU/ref=sr_1_1_ha_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607743&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=1984
http://www.amazon.com/Brave-New-World-Aldous-Huxley-ebook/dp/B00JTYQJ3K/ref=sr_1_1_ha_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607785&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=brave+new+world
http://www.amazon.com/Altered-Carbon-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels-ebook/dp/B000FBFMZ2/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607819&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=altered+carbon
http://www.amazon.com/Neuromancer-William-Gibson-ebook/dp/B000O76ON6/ref=sr_1_1_ha_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607849&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=neuromancer
http://www.amazon.com/Fahrenheit-451-Novel-Ray-Bradbury-ebook/dp/B0064CPN7I/ref=sr_1_1_ha_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607872&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=farenheight+451
http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Cradle-Kurt-Vonnegut-ebook/dp/B003XRELGQ/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607936&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=cat%27s+cradle
http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Five-Kurt-Vonnegut-ebook/dp/B003XVYLDU/ref=sr_1_3_twi_1?s=digital-text&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419607936&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=cat%27s+cradle
>able to engage my sympathies for some utterly unsympathetic characters
Definitely try Mark Lawrence then.
As for Half a King, it's YA, and it hits a lot of points that seem to come up here a lot (disabled MC, boy in a traditionally feminine role, averting standard fantasy setting, fantasy without magic), but I read the ARC and I was not impressed. Poorly fleshed out character motivations that could have been fixed with a couple throwaway lines, the Big Twists were really freaking obvious from the instant the character was introduced each time, and too much whining from the MC for my tastes. Consistently high writing quality though.
you have a delusional belief about reality. reality is impossible to understand on an absolute level. direct communication is impossible. transmission of true intent is impossible.
we learn a symbolic system of expression (language), and we identify with our use of those symbols in our thoughts. we also have animal impulses that can fill our mind, and sometimes we identify with these, and other times we feel controlled by them. for example, does hunger feel like you?
in any case, any communication is magic. people have been working on this language (collection of symbols) forever. this language is somehow transmuted and evolved by needs and wants of humans back since the dawn of language. when you say "mother" or "car", it evokes a set of impressions within you. you might say "mother" and it will give you a positive emotional tone, but you're saying it to another person who has a negative emotional tone. everyone's symbolic system of impressions and associations is different.
still, people argue over the technicalities of certain symbols using nothing but other symbols. we argue over the technicalities of those symbols. we are doing this with squiggles and lines and sounds, like an occultist reciting invocations.
we are all completely fucking mad, wandering around in the dark. you are depressed because you think that we're not supposed to be this way, but we are. it's the only way for us. communication is magic, so the best option available is get better at magic. stop using magic to frame the world negatively and demotivate yourself.
i can't convince you of this shit. i would encourage you to find some sort of developmental spiritual practice. i can't tell you what.
the most convincing treatise on the madness of humans i've ever read is beelzebub's tales to his grandson, but you have to make the effort to read it. if you prefer novels, the road and blood meridian by cormac mccarthy or slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut give some sort of picture of the madness of the world. aleister crowley has a ton of fascinating writings. the book of lies and the book of law are short and strange.
you think you know things that you have no idea about. nobody can help you unless you let go of this.
If he likes fantasy type settings consider Half a King by Joe Abercrombie (it's the first book in a finished YA trilogy).
I'm currently speed reading through the third book right now, and I find it pretty good (though the romance is cringy as hell), and I generally hate YA books. The rest of what he writes is a lot more gritty and not really appropriate for kids though.
You should give us a little insight as to what genre you like, since every reader is different. Here are a few of my favorites from some random genres.
Fantasy: A Song of Ice and Fire, Harry Potter, Neverwhere, American Gods.
Sci-Fi: The Illustrated Man, Gold.
Dystopian Fiction: The Stand, The Road.
Classic Fiction: Flowers For Algernon,
Philosophy: Thus Spake Zarathustra, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Whatever Else: Fight Club, Fast Food Nation
edit: formatting
[Half a King]
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBQWGYO/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1)
[Red Sister]
(https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&amp;field-keywords=red+sister)
I see that you're potentially a Joe Abercrombie fan...I think we would both like a copy of Half a King (Shattered Sea Book 1), which is the first book in a new-ish series also by Joe Abercrombie.
I'm really failing at this whole thing.
I have three books I'm currently in an on hold status on:
Those would be my suggestions for this month. I have read The Girl on the Train and have neutral feelings on it.
The Road, also by McCarthy is another good one to check out.
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Best,
Geoff Jones
Author of The Dinosaur Four
(Not even remotely literary) :)
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
A Canticle for Liebowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr.
World War Z, by Max Brooks
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
I started to type out a few others, but then re-read your post, and realized that the books I was recommending were heavy on psychological and existential angst.
Hap hap hello there! I am a bot and you linked to Amazon.
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I see there are a lot of fantasy recommendations here, but I think you may want to try out historical fiction.
GRRM gets a lot of his inspiration from history. Try out Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough.
The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell are good. The first book is The Last Kindgom. The series details the viking (Dane) invasion and occupation of the British Isle.
I haven't read anything by Robert Low, I will have to give those a try. Thanks for the recommendation.
If you liked Dan Brown, you could give Umberto Eco a try with Foucault's Pendulum or In the Name of the Rose - His books are more intelligent and were written before Brown was around.
I read a lot of historical fiction, if that is of interest you could start with The Gates of Fire by Pressfield or The Last Kingdom by Cornwell
Mystery, action, and fantasy all rolled into one - Dresden Files might be of interest to you - it is kind of a detective noir mixed with fantasy. Also, the series vastly improves as it progresses.
If you would like a coming of age story, The Power of One follows a boy in turn-of-the-century South Africa and examines class and race relations in a very accessible way.
If you want to try reading some of what are considered "The Classics" I would recommend All Quiet on the Western Front and To Kill a Mockingbird
Tried to think of some of my favorites across several very different genres...If any of these appeal, I can expand on them with more similar suggestions.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is an amazing book about a family of missionaries in Africa in the 60's and covering the next few decades as well. It is set against the backdrop of Congolese independence and is super interesting. Also just beautifully written.
I second As I Lay Dying - one of my favorites
The Poisonwood Bible is also wonderful and fits the bill!
Get her a copy of the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0061577073/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345901838&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=poisonwood+bible+by+barbara+kingsolver&amp;condition=used
About a crazy fundamentalist Baptist guy who goes to the Congo and everything unravels. Might make interesting reading for her!
The Vintage Mencken
Brain Rules
The Road
If you like sports at all Friday Night Lights, Ball Four and Moneyball are amazing reads. World War Z and Zombie Survival Guide is pretty interesting. Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes is an awesomely fun read set in the golden age of piracy, and if you like noir/hard boiled detective stuff, Richard Stark's Parker series, starting with The Hunter, is outstanding.
I know nothing about what an english major would read, but have you read The Road? It's a wonderfully bleak, post apocalyptic book :) Oski!
I like McCarthy but thought it was over rated. I thought 'child of god' was better. along the same vein, I enjoyed this more:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-Time-Donald-Pollock/dp/0307744868
I’m just going to throw this out there: Mr. Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex (2005). Middlesex is one of my all-time favorite novels, has excellent character development, beautiful, haunting descriptions (without going overboard on poetic language), and has many fascinating subplots. If you want a good read that’ll offer a panoply of essay options, it might just be your book.
https://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0312427735/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491703485&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=middlesex
In the womb, the penis and the clitoris are the same organ. The clitoral hood is the foreskin, and the vaginal lips are the scrotum. I'd like to think that guys with big balls would have had big pussy lips if they had been born female. The embryo and then fetus usually develop their undifferentiated genitalia into either a penis or a vagina, but sometimes people are born with ambiguous genitalia (microphallus, large clitoris, etc).
The best fiction book written on this topic is the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
Einstein's books about relativity written by Einstein for the non-expert
-Helps you understand not only his theories well, but piques your interest in science a lot, and improves your way to approach all problems. His essays (in particular The World As I See It, be careful of edited versions on the internet which cut out parts they don't like about God, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y0_aNvH0Wo) are amazing as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Relativity-The-Special-General-Theory/dp/1619491508/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347758889&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=einstein+relativity
Middlesex By Jeffrey Eugenides
-A novel, Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction (called the great american epic), will increase your understanding of those with LGBTQ considerations, but mostly an amazing book
http://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0312427735/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347759265&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=middlesex
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers By Robert Sapolsky
-Entertaining book, will increase your knowledge of a whole lot of things, and increase your interest in psychology and statistics. Also Freakanomics by Levitt/Dubner and Outliers/Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. All good to get your foot in the door to approach the complicated world we live in logically.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Ulcers-Third/dp/0805073698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347759102&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=why+zebras+dont+get+ulcers
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman
--Autobiography of a nobel prize winning physicist, very funny. Will (again) demonstrate how a brilliant person approach the world. Very funny and easy read.
http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347759305&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Richard+P.+Feynman
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson.
From Amazon:
The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.
The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them.
(I bought this last month thinking it was going to win! Thanks to /u/punninglinguist for the copypasta from last month.)
I just finished 2312 which paints a pretty interesting projection of the next three centuries.
You should read the book, but the portion somewhat relevant to this discussion posits that capitalism is pushed to the fringes of luxury and niche goods and services, because all receive basic necessities of food, housing, and clothing. Unfortunately, as humanity settles the rest of the solar system, earth gets culturally left behind, too entrenched in nationalism and classism of its history.
I doubt you want to read a 700-page book in search of insights, but Kim Stanley Robinson's 2312 is the best take on local colonization that I have ever read. One idea that I hadn't seen elsewhere is hollowing out asteroids and spinning them. Then you can put tens of thousands of colonies in any orbit you want.
He also puts a lot of people out on all the gas giants' moons, for what that's worth. But you've probably thought of that.
See also: 2312.
I would personally recomend the book 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Killer Angels is a GREAT novel set in the civil war, with really accurate depictions of the battle's mechanics and history.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a great novel set in WWI, examining young men's reactions to the atrocities and realities of modern warfare.
Hopefully that helps you out in your quest.
The Killer Angels
James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom is immediately the first book that comes to mind. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, it is “the book” to read on the Civil War. It is a highly readable account of the build-up to the Civil War, causes, and the war itself. It also won a Pulitzer Prize. For more, I’d also check out Ta-Nehisi Coate’s online book club on Battle Cry of Freedom over at The Atlantic.
Other excellent works on the period I would recommend are:
Also, the Civil War produced some of the greatest memoirs in American letters:
And, I always recommend reading poetry and fiction, so I would also encourage you to look at Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, as well as the war poetry of Walt Whitman and Herman Melville, particularly Melville’s poem The Martyr, written days after Lincoln’s assassination. More contemporary fiction would be Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, or EL Doctorow’s The March.
Finally, check out David Blight’s Open Yale Lectures on the Civil War. Prof. Blight is a fantastic lecturer. They are free, and the course syllabus is online, and in 26 hours you can take a full Yale course completely on your own.
The source is a fiction by Michner that is pretty good.
I read this picture Bible twice, once as a kid and once as an adult, and really enjoyed it both times. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a quick refresher on all of the basic Bible stories.
Also, The Source isn't exactly what you are looking for but might be relevant. I like Michener in theory, if not in practice.
The last re-read was Shogun by James Clavell. Awesome book.
The last new book that I haven't already read was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for the library young adult book club. Absolutely did NOT like it.
I would love an Amazon GC if we are allowed to request our item. :)
Thank you for the contest!
Right now, this one
Read it at least 10 times, first time maybe 15 years ago.
I highly recommend Rora by James Huggins. Takes place during the 1600s, following the commander of a group of freedom fighters against the Catholic Inquisition.
And, of course, the titanic Shogun.
I recently started reading Shogun by James Clavell based on a /r/books recommendation, and it is amazing. The narrative flows so fast, and the story, setting and time period are all incredibly interesting.
Thanks bookit!!
Sarum - The Novel of England https://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0449000729/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1467644580&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=sarum
It is presented as fictional history of man and the establishment and growth of Salsbury in England but it does a great job of explaining the probable source of religion. It is also very entertaining.
Off the top of my head:
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon: Outlander
Sarum, by Edward Rutherford: Sarum
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, by Allen Gurganus: Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
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Blessings to you!
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If you really want some indepth historical fiction, look at Edward Rutherfurd. His books are a fantastic read if you like thick books with a lot of detail. https://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0449000729
All of the ones I'm thinking of are named after the area he's writing about. So he's got Sarum, which is around the English city that becomes Salisbury, London, New York, The Forest (another area of England, the New Forest area), a couple set in Ireland, one in France and one in Russia.
It's been a while, but while they tell the stories of different families I do not think there are any explicit sex scenes. I don't remember any sex scenes whatsoever. More like, "they spent a night together" level of explanation.
I also hate crappy sex scenes that are especially crappy when written by men. I don't know why they are so much worse than women in general. This article might explain why. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/nov/25/male-writers-bad-writing-sex
Note: women can write some truly awful sex scenes. It's just been my experience that you get a whole lot more of them from male authors.
I love pillars of the earth! A book Id suggest is Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd http://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0449000729
People keep telling me about this book with my username. I've never actually read it. My name comes from this. It's in memoriam of a dead friend who liked drugs a little too much.
I'll have to go pick up that book one of these days. People keep telling me about it.
If you ever remember the name of that other book, which sounds like a Chick tract, just tell me the name. I can go fetch it for myself. No need to be buying me stuff, k.
If you like to read, hell yeah, let's talk. My hubs and I are both bookworms to an amazing degree. I just read one called Everything I Never Told You which won some kind of award from Amazon - best new or first book of the year, can't remember. It's a mindfucker.
The only book that ever made me cry was written from the point of view of a family dog. It was made into a movie that completely sucked, but the end of the book had me bawling. I've had to fight to retrieve that book from people I've loaned it to; only one printing, there aren't that many around, so I wasn't able to just let them keep it.
Want to read one from the point of view of a velociraptor? Here you go.
Another mindfucker: Room. Jesus, this one will have your skin crawling and hair standing up on the back of your neck.
My main thing is historical fiction, though. Gotta be well-researched and accurate - and yes, I check. I can go on and on about this, but the best is Edward Rutherfurd. He takes several lineages and follows them throughout history - Sarum starts in prehistory, do that one first - with a ton of detail.
Hubs is into science fiction, favorite author is Neal Stephenson. We both dig Kim Stanley Robinson, though. If you've never read his stuff, try this. If sci-fi is your thing, I can ask him for some recommendations.
When I say that Himself and I are bookworms, I am not kidding. We turned the dining room into a library to contain the overflow. You walk in our front door, and to your right is a wall; to your left, a library. Pretty fucking cool, if you ask me.
Holy shit found it! I amazon searched James Michenor and england, got this; Sarum: The Novel of England [Paperback] by
Edward Rutherfurd. Thats it, thx reddit, and Dirtyoldduck
4.5/5 stars on Amazon here is a link
http://www.amazon.com/Sarum-Novel-England-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0449000729/ref=sr_1_28?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1344526511&amp;sr=1-28&amp;keywords=james+michener
If you like long historical fiction about England, check out Sarum. Starts in pre-history, ends with WWI I think.
Don't worry too much about Catch-22, it's a bit of an odd book.
The key is finding books that interest you, since that will give you the incentive to continue reading them. My son loved stories but didn't care for reading. I'd read him books at or above his reading level and then, just when we got to a really good part, close the book (with a book mark) and leave it with him. "Lights out in 15 minutes -- you can read a bit more if you like, but I have to help Mom with the dishes." Worked like a charm.
There have been a lot of recommendations for Tolkien, which is great, but there are a lot of other good books out there. Take a look at Tom Clancy's earlier books, like Hunt for Red October, for good spy novels.
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is a great story that's very readable, and you'll pick up a good bit of history and architecture along the way.
I'm glad you asked! I know you said you like American and more modern history but I'm going to suggest something from a little bit further back.
One of my personal favorites is "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss. It's set in the 1700s in London so it's not too extreme of a culture shift and it's an action/mystery novel that I couldn't put down. It's also really well researched and has a lot of history about one of the earliest stock markets in the world.
http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Paper-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0804119120/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b
If you're feeling a little more bold, check out Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. It's set in the 12th century and it traces the growth of a town into a city over about 100 years. If you like fantasy as a genre, this might be more your thing and it is also has a lot of history about what life was like during the Middle Ages and its a cool mystery/drama to boot.
http://www.amazon.com/Pillars-Earth-Ken-Follett/dp/045123281X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331181793&amp;sr=1-1
Lastly, this is less historical and more of a just a really good read but check out The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's a collection of war stories from Vietnam and really gets you into the mindset of what it was like to fight over there and then come home. I read it years ago and loved it.
http://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Carried-Tim-OBrien/dp/0618706410/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331181955&amp;sr=1-1
Let me know if you end up liking any of these! Everyone has different tastes so you may find something else you like better but these are the first three that popped into my head.
I just finished The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. Highly recommended.
http://www.steamcommunity.com/id/zipeater
If you like How to Kill a Mockingbird, you should like other classics like The Pillars of the Earth or Grapes of Wrath. But sometimes it's good to take a break from fiction entirely and read a good biography or science book.
I re-read Louis L'Amour's series "The Sacketts" about every 3 years (link here).
I also re-read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet (link here) every 2 years or so.
The Eye of the Needle is a good straight-up spy novel, and it is really good. However, what Follett does best is sweeping epics. His current trilogy starts with The Fall of Giants, and includes enough cloak & dagger to keep a person happy, along with a lot of great historical information & storytelling about WWI & the Russian Revolution. The second book is Winter of the World, which follows the same families we met in book 1 through WWII. His third book (Edge of Eternity) is due out Sept 16th.
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett is pretty fantastic.
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra is also great.
Really dig this [one](http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0553348973/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1253576547&amp;sr=1-3"It's never too late to have a happy childhood.").
You just told me not to come to the northeast until next (late!) summer, so I guess you have to come to NC and
hangmake out with me if you want to before that.P.S. That song is dope. I'm getting a tattoo based on my favorite book next fall. In a few short years, I'm gonna be covered in cute animal art.
Really, give it a read - it's great stuff - classic Tom Robbins. And I also have to say if you're a Seattle resident and haven't read Still Life with Woodpecker, you need to take that one in too.
Princess Leigh-Cheri from Still Life with Woodpecker
http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0553348973
>"They observed her as she turned to go upstairs. They observed her as if it were the first time they'd really looked at her in years. Despite her pale color and the unhappiness that clung to her the way a bad dream clings to a rumpled pillowcase, she was lovely. Her hair, as straight and red as ironed ketchup, rode gravity's one-way ticket all the way to her waist; her blue eyes were as soft and moist as huevos rancheros, and the long curl of their lashes caused fimbrillate shadows to fall on the swell of her cheeks. She was not tall, yet the legs that hung out of her skirt seemed a tall woman's legs, and beneath her No-Nukes-Is-Good-Nukes T-shirt, her astonishingly round breasts jiggled ever so slightly, like balls balanced on the noses of Valium-eating seals."
EDIT - source
Some are better than others, but they all showcase his special humor, imagination and perception. My top three:
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates
Still Life with Woodpecker
Jitterbug Perfume
I have three to recommend.
First, "Invisible Monsters," by Chuck Palahniuk. Linky. I love this guy's books, they're all really dark and leave an odd taste on the tongue after reading. This one is one of my favorites by him. I used to own it, but my bitch-ass sister stole it. It's that good, though. I totally don't blame her for taking it. Another one of his I highly recommend is "Lulluby." No one's managed to steal that one from me yet. :D
Second is "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," by Stieg Larsson. Linky. The whole trilogy is fantastic, the second book being my favorite of them, but you have to start at the beginning, right?
Third, and definitely the best, IMHO, is "Jitterbug Perfume," by Tom Robbins. Linky. My favorite book by my favorite author. I could go on about his books for days, they're so damn amazing, but this book takes the cake, by far. It stuck with me for weeks after reading it. It's not really all that dark, but in a way it is.
All of them are perfectly well under $8 if you get used paperbacks! And even if you don't buy any of these, at least get to the library and check them out that way. You won't regret it, especially the Tom Robbins. And if you ever want any more book recommendations, I'm here! I effin' love books, if you can't tell by the wall I just submitted here. :D
Highly recommend Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. It’s a beautifully written story about undying love that spans centuries and the power that scent plays in our memories.
Jitterbug Perfume: A Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553348981/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_uPwUBbN6WPPQK
I'm all over the place, I have a few books in progress.
Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins
Packing for Mars - Mary Roach
Freakonomics - Levitt & Dubner
Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell
I just finished Jitterbug Perfume and found it to be quite delightful.
Here are some suggestions that might work:
Eleanor & Park
The 100-Year-Old-Man Who...
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
It really depends on where your taste overlaps.
Comforted huh. Hmm. Guess it depends on what you like, but, one of the funniest books I've ever read and most comforting books I've read in a long while is: The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. I adore this story, it's genious and helped me get through one of the worst times in my life. Very highly recommend. Much Love
https://www.amazon.com/100-Year-Old-Man-Climbed-Window-Disappeared/dp/1401324649
tha sounds like a part of this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-100-Year-Old-Climbed-Window-Disappeared/dp/1401324649
this book Is a happy little book i read that mentions this.
Yep, I still read for entertainment.
I just finished reading The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared and I would highly recommend it. The book is about a 100year old man who's lived THE most interesting life. He's been on adventures and met Harry S. Truman and Mao to mention a few, oh yeah, Stalin as well. Now on his 100year birthday he escapes from the retirement home and starts a new adventure, while he's escaping, all his past adventures are told, and it's amazing! The writer uses imagination for all its worth, and weaves fiction and reality into an amazingly entertaining story. Even though it's got "only" 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon, it's still a very, very good read.
I personally love GRRM's writing, repetitive phrases and all (and I wouldn't call myself an inexperienced reader at all). I am absolutely absorbed in the world he's created and I can safely say it's my second favorite series of all time.
But if it's recommendations you're after, I just started Joe Abercrombie's first book, "The Blade Itself." Very interesting so far in that you really aren't sure that you're cheering for any of the protagonists, and I hear the character development is sublime as the books progress.
Also, the Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) are my absolute favorite series. Talk about character development! He does a great job blending sci-fi and fantasy from all over and adds in some really likeable (and snarky!) characters.
And cheers to Redwall! I miss those books. :)
I also hear The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is pretty genre breaking and similar to the "grittiness" of ASOIAF. I read the first chapter of Best Served Cold (not from the trilogy but same world) and liked it so far.
EDIT: (added link to Amazon) I would also like to plug The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I enjoyed the political maneuvering of Dalinar and his son, the 'fuck yeah' moments of Kaladin, the worldbuilding of Shallan's sketches and various interludes, the neat stormlight Lashing/soulcasting magic system, interesting pace, and overall excellent quality of the book. I don't think it had the same tone as Martin but I enjoyed it far more than Dance. Just my $.02!
I am glad I am able to expose many of you to these as I have been. If I had to briefly describe them I would have to say satisfyingly dark, plenty of violence and great fight scenes. The characters is what makes this stand out though. Hate them or love them they are truly unique and greatly enjoyable, the perspectives change from chapter to chapter so you never get bored. Everyone is out for themselves and there are no good guys, many betrayals and twists. This is truly the most entertaining books I have read.
Here is the amazon link for those interested in more reviews.
After the trilogy takes place there are 2 stand alone novels taking place in the same world. The first roughly 4 years after the trilogy titled Best Served Cold, the second roughly 8 years after the trilogy is The Heroes.
If you are someone that has been searching for that truly violent epic that doesn't hold back, with a cast of amazing characters and a non stop energy that just flows through the entire set then check these out, It will not disappoint!
You might like The Blade Itself I don't know if I would consider it "excessively violent" though.
I usually recommend Abercrombie's First Law trilogy to fans of ASOIAF.
The Blade Itself
Before They Are Hanged
Last Argument of Kings
Hm, here are some recommendations of my favorite Dark/Gritty Fantasies that immediately come to mind:
Joe Abercrombie is one of my favorite new authors, his books are incredibly gritty dark and original, but the characters are simply amazing. The best starting place is The Blade Itself, but you can read his two other books that aren't part of the trilogy and can be read without losing too much, though they are in the same world and there's more to like about it if you already read the First Law Trilogy. Out of his two stand alone books I'd recommend Best Served Cold which is a Fantasy revenge story in the vain of Kill Bill.
One really good book I read recently is Daniel Polansky's Low Town which is a really cool gritty noir fantasy novel. Where the main character is a former detective for a Fantasy city, but at the beginning of the book he's a drug dealer. Then when murders start to occur, he gets drawn back into the politics of the city, resulting in a great story and multiple plot twists and revelations.
One of my favorites books I've read recently has to be Brent Week's Black Prism. It has some really unique world building, where the magic powers are based on light/colors, and the different magic users have different really unique powers based on their color wavelength. His previous work, the Night Angel Trilogy is also great and it's a little more gritty, with the main character being an assassin.
Next I'll go a little indie here, with the author Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Sun. It features an assassin with slight magical powers and the conscience of a beautiful invisible woman (a real imaginary friend) that is always following him around. There's a lot of things to like in this book, even if they are a little shallow.
Two books from different authors (both of which I really loved) that have kind of similar settings featuring thieves running amok in the underbellies of fantasy cities with a decent amount of grit (without being too dark) are The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Doug Hulick's Among Thieves.
There's also Ari Marmell's [The Conqueror's Shadow] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquerors-Shadow-Ari-Marmell/dp/0553593153/ref=la_B001JSDH98_1_20?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1340785404&amp;sr=1-20), the main character is a former evil warlord who gave it all up to live a mundane life with a woman he kidnapped. He then has to put back on his fear inducing armor, when someone else is out in the world impersonating him. There is no evil force in this book, and there's a lot of interesting stuff here, the guy actually has a demonic amulet as a partner that provides him with magical abilities, and the demon is hilarious.
The next series isn't too gritty but it's awesome, so I'd still recommend the author Michael Sullivan, a DIY author that was so successful Orbit picked up his 6 book series to release as three larger books (he's also done some great AMA's on Reddit), the first of which is Theft of Swords. The characters in his book are absolutely superb. It's about these two master thieves that are brought into the conspiracy that they wanted no part of, but will see it to the end no matter what the cost.
Robin Hobb technically isn't real gritty, but she is one of my favorite authors, and in her books serious and horrible things can happen to the characters at times, but the endings of some of her trilogies are some of my favorite endings I've ever read. You could start with her first book about the bastard son of a king (that can bond with animals) being trained as an assassin, Assassin's Apprentice, or my favorite trilogy of her's set in the same universe but a different continent, Ship of Magic that has some awesome pirate settings, talking ships, and dragons. I also love one of her other trilogies set in a different universe than the rest of her books, Shaman's Crossing, the first book has kind of a Harry Potter-esque academy setting without the magic, and the rest of the trilogy gets into some really interesting stuff that's too weird to attempt to explain.
I think that's all I got, and you wouldn't go wrong reading any of these books, all of the pages I linked to are the book's Amazon page, so you can read further descriptions that I'm sure are better than mine. :)
For a more sci-fi feel check out the expanse series by James S.A Corey,
also the long price quartet by Daniel Abraham, is pretty neat as it is fantasy that isn't centered around Europe.
I would also recommend checking out the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie
the links are in order
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.
I'm considering to pick up these books next since a lot of people are giving them high praise. However everytime I read the description of the first book, like on amazon, I get a bit put off since I get the feeling that the plot is constructed with a D&D rulebook an a pair of dice.
A few Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V from Amazon to show try to lift my point.
With some luck it's just a bad description and I'm a fool for putting these books off.
Can never have too many blades, as Logen Ninefingers would say.
A trilogy I enjoyed very much and I feel is undervalued are The First Law books by Joe Abercrombie. Here is the link to the first book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/159102594X
Annnnd here we go again. I'm doing this with all books, just because.
Allegiant
Berenstain Bears
Calvin and Hobbes
Dune
Edgar Allen Poe collection
Fahrenheit 451
Gulliver's Travels
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Julie of the Wolves
Kite Runner
Little House on the Prairie
Machine of Death
Neverending Story
Omnitopia Dawn (The book I'm reading now, actually!)
Pilgrim's Progress
Quarter Share (Also available free as a podiobook!)
Room
Snow Crash
[Tell-Tale Brain](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=tell-tale brain&sprefix=tell-tale%2Cstripbooks%2C222&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Atell-tale brain&ajr=2)
Uglies
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Watership Down
Xenocide
Year Zero
Zen and the Art of Knitting
Lately I find it more common for people trigger-ready to say “okay thats enough” when others become ‘too gay’ as if there was some comfortable tolerance of gay exposure. And its not about tolerance so much as the world is becoming less safe again.
My biggest concern is active censorship of Pride Month by reddit boards and other ‘fake news’ mediums. Like yes two blocks away theres going to be a huge noisy event with loud obnoxious colors and that chipotle you frequent for lunch will have drunk men in too little clothing and too much makeup. Its uncomfortable to some people seeing some efeminate man with too much confidence slosh around trying to hold a debit card straight. But to me it sounds exactly like what a sports event does, or 2 am after a comedy show lets out. People are upset at being uncomfortable that gayness is being spread in guerella like ways. Its literally a bunch of people being a little louder and a little happier than usual because Theyre Celebrating!
Yeah all your favorite brands are being decorated in ‘Too Much’ rainbow for a month. The impression that gayness is being thrown in your face is there. But thats also no different from valentines day even. A perfect example of how stupid ugly hearts and the color red gets plastered over the eorld to a bunch of single people who are sick of it.
As for TV having too many gay people and gay themes represented, well tv shows usually start with a number of screen writers sitting around a table coming up with stories to entertain. If you grew up gay, you would know how many times your own sexuality was needlessly brought up by others. It was an uncomfortable talking point for your aunt or the bully though it was time to humiliate the fairy. Straights have always brought up homosexuality more than gays. What writers choose to portray on tv, though it can be biased, is really still catering to a straight majority (90% of viewers are straight). Its what the viewers want to see and talk sbout. I can’t tell you how many times growing up I DIDNT want people to bring up homosexuality but they did anyway.
So About that article...
I do know gays have always had a history of being labeled the degenerate child abuser without reason or probable cause. Campaigns and fear-based stigmas about ‘predatory gay men’. And its definitely not the gays who are pushing adding a P to the blanket of acceptance based acronyms as in LGBTP (p as in pedo). Thats a tactic used to sway public opinion and troll mainstream into believing the acronym is out of hand.
I think the book ‘The Kite Runner’ perfectly describes how awful child abuse is but from the standpoint of adult men after the fact as they articulate exactly how they feel about the past and their own futures. (Spoiler: it accurately articulates how abuse can be labeled a gay problem but gleans on proper recourse of the true problems of society and traditionalism.)
The Kite Runner https://www.amazon.com/dp/159463193X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QU-7CbM1A8T4W
http://www.amazon.com/The-Kite-Runner-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/159463193X
Thanks for the giveaway :)
The vocabulary isn't difficult at all, but McCarthy definitely has a unique style of writing, it could take a bit to get used to. You might want to read a bit of it before deciding to buy it.
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy-ebook/dp/B000OI0G1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1394422327&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+road
The Devil All The Time by Donalld Ray Pollock.
Also, as you mentioned, I'm currently reading Tampa by Alissa Nutting and it is excellent; brave, sassy and disturbing.
Here, I'll help you so it's not so obvious you're intellectually void next time there's a discussion like this.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-E-Lee
Also read this: https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Angels-Classic-Novel-Trilogy/dp/0345348109
Here's the Ken Burns documentary, it's very informative. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Civil_War_(miniseries) You can catch in on Netflix.
Here's another decent resource.
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history
I understand it's easy to just bleat about in ignorance. But I challenge you to educate and improve yourself. Virtue signalling for the sake of it, is a very pointless endeavor. Challenge yourself, improve yourself. Be someone whose opinions people actually care about.
I liked to read, so I got started by reading fiction set in different places, cultures and periods of time. One of the first important ones I read just happened to be The Source by James Michener.
You might like this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Pillars-Earth-Ken-Follett/dp/045123281X
I would also suggest cross-posting this to r/booksuggestions.
Also, I love historical fiction so a few of my recommendations:
Joe Abercrombie's books are a good kickass follow up to Lynch.
Try The Blade Itself
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - link
Have you read this book?
The Long Ships is what you are looking for. It is a fantastic book.