Some Good Fiction Books

[Fluvial]

Although why no on the Harry Potter?

Cat's Cradle I think you will like, it is bizarre and fun but also thought-provoking.

I'm not sure why I'm not attracted to HP. I liked a lot of sword & sorcery as a teenager (Conan springs to mind). I guess maybe my tastes have changed in reading ... as you can see, I haven't read any of the newer stuff.

Cap'n, one may need to be at a certain stage in life to like the Zen book. I read it as a young twenty-something (before college as I recall, I finished college late), and it was perfect. I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much now.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Cap'n, one may need to be at a certain stage in life to like the Zen book. I read it as a young twenty-something (before college as I recall, I finished college late), and it was perfect. I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much now.

It was a little to hippy-dippy for me. Aside from a love of tie-dye, that's never been my thing.

 

[Fluvial]

Ah, so.

 

[Supe]

Surprised I haven't seen 1984 listed here yet.

 

[MGX]

Wow, so many greats already listed here so I won't bother to repeat.

James Clavelle - Shogun, Tai Pan

I've always been a fan of Rudyard Kipling, but some hate his rambling style.

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance was also a let down. I have to second skipping of 10+ pages when reading Rand; most of the rants you can skip that many or more pages and still not lose the story. Still, they're modern classics and should be read.

 

[z06dustin]

stereotypical stephen king and tom clancy for me

I've read Without Remorse 6 times.

 

[z06dustin]

Ayn Rand needed an editor with some backbone.

Rand paid out of her own pocket for the extra pages of Galt's speech and some other portions. The original publisher wanted to trim it.

I liked her books, even if they are verbose.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Surprised I haven't seen 1984 listed here yet.

That and Animal Farm are both worth a read. I have them both in one book.

 

[dagget]

Two books that I've read recently that I recommend without reservation:

Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond

The Trouble with Physics - Lee Smolin

(Not even Wrong by Peter Woit is similar but not as well written, IMHO)

I guess I've mosthly gotten away from reading fiction in the last ten years, though I did read the Harry Potter books since everyone else in the house was reading them.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Surprised I haven't seen 1984 listed here yet.

Because it sucked. I have to admit that I have a hard time reading novels from about the pre-1975 time frame. I don't know why that is, but it is. the writing style just doesn't appeal.

i have hard time with British and women writers, too. Go figure.

I've read Without Remorse 6 times.

That was an awesome book, and pretty atypical of Clancy, IMO.

Rand paid out of her own pocket for the extra pages of Galt's speech and some other portions. The original publisher wanted to trim it.

I didn't know that. Shame, though. i think her verbosity really detracts from the story. it would have been an awesome 350-400 page book.

Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond

That was a good one. I've started his book, Collapse, several times, but haven't really gotten into it.

I have The Forgotten Man on the shelf, a history of the Great Depression, but its in queue after Stephen King's Under the Dome.

 

[Fluvial]

Thanks for mentioning Guns, Germs and Steel, dagget. I need to read that.

 

[dastuff]

Two books that I've read recently that I recommend without reservation:
Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond

I just found that during my move (i think my roommate may have left it for me). Good times, it definitely has a catchy title.

 

[MechGuy]

I'm kind of a sci-fi guy, I like anything by Heinlein and any of the Ender series books by Orson Scott Card.

 

[Dexman1349]

A "tame" sci-fi writer that hasn't been mentioned that I really enjoy is Dean Koontz. His books are are close enough to reality, it's hard for the conspiracist in me not to believe there is some truth in it.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Any thoughts on Brad Thor? I've heard mixed reviews.

And, I just realized that four years on, I STILL haven't finished The Forgotten Man, although I picked up last week to give it another go.

 

[snickerd3]

i need to get tot he library this weekend for more books. Although more than half of the adult fiction section is either sappy romance novels or some vampire themed novel thanks to the twilight phenom. And they don't separate them from the rest. they file by author name not type then name.

 

[Flyer_PE]

Any thoughts on Brad Thor? I've heard mixed reviews.

And, I just realized that four years on, I STILL haven't finished The Forgotten Man, although I picked up last week to give it another go.

I've read most of Brad Thor's books and I like them. Like anything in the art/entertainment realm, YMMV.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

^10-4.

 

[ventilator]

I'm not a big reader but I did recently start the Sherlock Holmes books and have enjoyed them so far.

The last thing I read before that was the Game of Thrones books. Took me quite a while to get through them since they are so long but I did really enjoy the story and will read the rest whenever they get written.

 

[Exception Collection]

For fantasy readers, I suggest Jim Butcher's "Codex Alera" (6 books & done, "medieval" fantasy) and/or "The Dresden Files" (ongoing, ignore the show, urban fantasy). I'm also a fan of Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles. Oh, and Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books - start the "The Last Herald-Mage" trilogy.

Butcher does a better job of creating "real" fantasy than most; while magic exists, it (mostly) follows certain laws as defined in the series (including physics).