Must Reads - Literature Suggestions

[Kaura117]

Oh, hell no. The Honor Harrington's trashy pulp scifi trying to pretend it isn't. It doesn't get any better at all after "On Basilisk Station." And that's the first book!

No, for proper space opera? Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye" and "The Gripping Hand."

[G.I.R]

Some More Sci-Fi Suggestions

The Andromeda Strain   by Michael Chriton  (... and don't even think about that TV adaptation from this year.  Watch the 1971         
                                                             theatrical version. One of the most faithful adaptations of a book ever.)
I Robot   By Isaac Asimov
Rendezvous With Rama / Rama II   By Arthur C. Clark
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series (sans the last book) By Douglas Adams
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency / The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul also by Adams

[BunofGovt]

Count of Monte Cristo-Alexander Dumas(watched Gankutsuou-The Count of Monte Cristo, the anime before reading the book. It actually made me want to read the original work which i'm glad I did).

I once got a job because I listed Alexander Dumas as my favorite author.  Count of Monte Cristo is good, but Three Musketeers is better.  I read those books something like 3 times each in High School.  The Man in the Iron Mask really tore me up. (STILL need to watch Gankutsuou, never got around to that one).

I enjoy some newer books, but I've always been a fan of the classics.  Dumas, Doyle, Austen, Shakespeare, Montgomery, Alcott. 

Jules Verne and H.G.Wells definitely.  I'm a big mystery fan so I'm recommending Dick Francis as well. 

When the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came out, I re-read Dracula and then read each one of the novels/novelettes from which the lead characters came: Twenty thousand Leagues Under the Sea as well as Mysterious Island by Verne, The Invisible Man by Wells, Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, dang can't remember the rest, but it was pretty fun reading.

I also recommend the Bond series by Ian Fleming, anything by Alastair MacLean, and Stephen King but more so Dean Koontz for entertainment.

[Nina Star 9]

Anything by Vladimir Nabokov.


Don't jump right into his most famous work, Lolita, or my personal favourite, Invitation to a Beheading. Instead, try something like Despair (though a little slow-moving at times) or Pnin (though a little plotless at times), and then try those, since people seem to pick up Lolita, either love it or hate it, and then judge all his other books on that standard. It really is an excellent book, has great writing and a great plot, and moves at a perfect pace, but a lot of people cannot seem to stomach it, so if you can, go for it. Invitation to a Beheading, on the other hand, is absolutely amazing, but one of those books that you shouldn't jump into head-first due to the rather surrealistic style and the likley need to re-read it. Plae Fire is another one of his classics that you may want to try.

Other than that, I'm out. :D

(ZOMG Neeners is posting in the general section! :O)

[mDuo13]

Count of Monte Cristo-Alexander Dumas(watched Gankutsuou-The Count of Monte Cristo, the anime before reading the book. It actually made me want to read the original work which i'm glad I did).

Wow. I almost went and read the original, too, after watching Gankutsuou, but ended up chickening out because it's so massive. Props on finishing it.

I've noticed something (I guess it's something that could be taken for granted, if you really thought about it) but none of these books will appeal to everybody. For example, I found "Woman Warrior" somewhat dull and frustrating to go through, and the first Dune book never did it for me, though Dune Messiah (the second) was quite good.

Here are a few more reading recommendations from me, though some of them are more along the lines of enjoyable light reads than literary masterpieces:
The Armies of Memory by John Barnes. A sci-fi adventure story, about a special operative looking for the mind-recording of his former boss, because it has very important, very classified information. Actually has some interesting love-story aspects to it, too.
Neuromancer by William Gibson. Ryu is right, you should start reading William Gibson's works from his first book. Everything else builds on it while keeping a lot of the same formula. But, even if the plots are often similar, his books are worth reading because the guy is a visionary. You know how good science fiction sometimes comes true? William Gibson's stuff often seems like it already has.
Talion, Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole. This book has a couple of rough edges, I guess, being Stackpole's first novel, but in my opinion it's really cleverly put together, and emotionally moved me a lot for just a simple fantasy adventure story.
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick. PK Dick is another science fiction visionary. His books deal with serious existential issues, and often get made into interesting movies (Total Recall, Blade Runner, Minority Report) but his sometimes-wry, sometimes wistful writing style is hardly ever carried over into Hollywood. (Arguably, A Scanner Darkly and some versions of Blade Runner come close.) He's definitely not for everyone, but those who like him will love him.
Redwall by Brian Jacques. Most people will probably have had some encounter with these books already, but it bears repeating: they're interesting and exciting fantasy stories despite the fact that all the main characters are anthropomorphized rodents. Actually, if I recall correctly (it's been a long time), my favorite in the series was Salamandastron. Though, it probably depends on the order in which you read them - you don't need to go in strictly publishing or chronological order.

[BrightHeart76]

When the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came out, I re-read Dracula and then read each one of the novels/novelettes from which the lead characters came: Twenty thousand Leagues Under the Sea as well as Mysterious Island by Verne, The Invisible Man by Wells, Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, dang can't remember the rest, but it was pretty fun reading.

GRRR...when I left the movie theater after watching that piece of nastiness I was spitting venom.  That movie made me SO angry.  Forget the fact that the vampire spends half the movie in sunlight.  Forget what they did to poor Captain Nemo.  Forget that they basically took a bunch of characters that were no longer protected by copyright and just threw them together like a bad masquerade skit.  When all is said and done the let Tom Sawyer kill James Moriarty.  I am a tried and true Holmsian...I barely kept from making a scene about that in the theatre. 

I'm not dumping on you for liking the movie BunofGovt.  If we all liked the same things this would be a very boring world.  I just had to continue my gripe about that movie...grrr.

That being said I'm going to re-read "The Final Problem".

[Dragon Ninja]

Anyone who enjoys the TV show Monk should read the new series of Monk books written by Lee Goldberg, who's a screenwritter on the show. Here's the list of books so far in the series:

Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse
Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
Mr. Monk in Outer Space

[Kaura117]

More book recommendations!

ANYTHING BY TERRY PRATCHETT EVER

You want a modern literary genius? Nobody does satire and fantasy better than Pratchett. Even at his worse, even his earlier stuff, is of monumental creativity and insight. And then you get to his best stuff- Night Watch, Monstrous Regiment, Reaper Man- and you're completely sucked in. And NOT reading Good Omens- which is a coauthorship between both Pratchett and the incomparable Neil Gaiman- counts as a literary sin, as far as I'm concerned.

[G.I.R]

When the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came out, I re-read Dracula and then read each one of the novels/novelettes from which the lead characters came: Twenty thousand Leagues Under the Sea as well as Mysterious Island by Verne, The Invisible Man by Wells, Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, dang can't remember the rest, but it was pretty fun reading.

GRRR...when I left the movie theater after watching that piece of nastiness I was spitting venom.  That movie made me SO angry.  Forget the fact that the vampire spends half the movie in sunlight.  Forget what they did to poor Captain Nemo.  Forget that they basically took a bunch of characters that were no longer protected by copyright and just threw them together like a bad masquerade skit.  When all is said and done the let Tom Sawyer kill James Moriarty.  I am a tried and true Holmsian...I barely kept from making a scene about that in the theatre. 

I'm not dumping on you for liking the movie BunofGovt.  If we all liked the same things this would be a very boring world.  I just had to continue my gripe about that movie...grrr.

That being said I'm going to re-read "The Final Problem".

I think he's referring to the graphic novels by Alan Moore, not the movie.

[BunofGovt]

When the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came out, I re-read Dracula and then read each one of the novels/novelettes from which the lead characters came: Twenty thousand Leagues Under the Sea as well as Mysterious Island by Verne, The Invisible Man by Wells, Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, dang can't remember the rest, but it was pretty fun reading.

GRRR...when I left the movie theater after watching that piece of nastiness I was spitting venom.  That movie made me SO angry.  Forget the fact that the vampire spends half the movie in sunlight.  Forget what they did to poor Captain Nemo.  Forget that they basically took a bunch of characters that were no longer protected by copyright and just threw them together like a bad masquerade skit.  When all is said and done the let Tom Sawyer kill James Moriarty.  I am a tried and true Holmsian...I barely kept from making a scene about that in the theatre. 

I'm not dumping on you for liking the movie BunofGovt.  If we all liked the same things this would be a very boring world.  I just had to continue my gripe about that movie...grrr.

That being said I'm going to re-read "The Final Problem".

I think he's referring to the graphic novels by Alan Moore, not the movie.

Actually I never said I like the movie.  I did NOT like the movie, hence the reason for reading all of the novels instead.  So much more entertaining.  And I haven't read the graphic novels either. 

Definitely everyone should read Twenty thousand Leagues and Mysterious Island for a better grasp of Captain Nemo's character.

Oh, and please let me recommend the Dr. Thorndyke series by R. Austin Freeman.  Mysteries, yes, but the good doctor is one of the first forensic scientists.

[mDuo13]

More book recommendations!

ANYTHING BY TERRY PRATCHETT EVER

You want a modern literary genius? Nobody does satire and fantasy better than Pratchett. Even at his worse, even his earlier stuff, is of monumental creativity and insight. And then you get to his best stuff- Night Watch, Monstrous Regiment, Reaper Man- and you're completely sucked in. And NOT reading Good Omens- which is a coauthorship between both Pratchett and the incomparable Neil Gaiman- counts as a literary sin, as far as I'm concerned.

Terry Pratchett is indeed ingenious, but (like a lot of satire) reading too much of it can make you sick and tired in a hurry. Some of his early stuff really isn't that great, either. I definitely like Reaper Man, Hogfather, and Wyrd Sisters, though. Oh, and "Guards! Guards!" How could I forget my favorite?

[Dragon Ninja]

I've just gotten interested in Animorphs again and are getting the books on eBay and at used book stores. I'm already reading Book #6 The Capture. Animorphs ROX!!! 8)

[G.I.R]

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

[Jun-Watarase]

Wow, I'm loving the list you've got in the OP. Time to make a list of my personal favorites that haven't been mentioned yet (I think? I semi-checked. lol), some better than others. Some love to Murakami, Palahniuk, and Kafka. I normally hate putting classic titles in my lists, but I'll include ones that I've observed less avid readers don't normally pick up.

"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" - Haruki Murakami
"Kafka on the Shore" - Haruki Murakami
"Norwegian Wood" - Haruki Murakami
"Sputnik Sweetheart" -Haruki Murakami
"After Dark" - Haruki Murakami
"Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" - Haruki Murakami
"Goodbye Tsugumi" - Banana Yoshimoto
"Kitchen" - Banana Yoshimoto
"Choke" - Chuck Palahniuk
"Haunted" - Chuck Palahniuk
"Lullaby" - Chuck Palahniuk
"Invisible Monsters" - Chuck Palahniuk
"Rant" - Chuck Palahniuk
"The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists" - Neil Strauss
"The Metamorphosis and Other Short Stories" - Franz Kafka
"The Castle" - Franz Kafka
"Thicker Than Water" - Kathryn Harrison
"Envy" - Kathryn Harrison
"Innocents" - Cathy Coote
"Sophie's World" - Jostein Gaarder
"The Rule of Four" - Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

[PyronIkari]

Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower- R.L. Stein

[Jun-Watarase]

Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower- R.L. Stein

Pffffffffffff HELLZ YEAH. o/

I remember in elementary school, where there'd be groups that'd read different series whenever we made a trip to the library. All the girls (and one really metrosexual little boy) would read The Babysitters' Club. Some would follow Goosebumps, while others would read stuff like Judy Blume/Nancy Drew, and the rest wouldn't read at all.

[Chun]

I've read most of what society deems "required reading", Orwell and Huxley predominantly, and Brian Jacques' work, so I'll recommend a couple of my short favorites.

Holidays on Ice - Davis Sedaris

A very small, memoir-like entertaining reading experience. I remember being recommended this by a friend for leisurely reading and I enjoyed how much humor was placed into a small 130-150 page text. Wonderfully executed.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail - Robert Edwin Lee and Jerome Lawrence

This small two-act play is centric around the topic of living one's life differently; to be civilly disobedient, and the pursuit of a transcendent outlook on living life. It's heavily influenced my way of thinking and observation of what a common humanity is versus what is known as uniquely created.

~Chun

[Jun-Watarase]

Eddited my list a bit to cater the thread. Took out a few titles, some felt too odd to list, some were already listed in other people's posts. Though, when making book recommendations, I see little point in listing well-known, and common household titles.

I absolutely love reading, though. But I have to be in the mood for it. While I used to read more frequently as a younger teen, I pretty much only read up to 4 or 5 books a month at most, now. The average is about 2 or 3, so I can savor the effect of the "afterglow" after reading a book for a week or two. And more than anything do I love psychological stimulation-- not necessarily philosophical, nothing mundane like, "Why are we here? Where are we really from?" hoopla, but more like observing what a writer writes and absorbing it as a refreshing feeling, then breathing out as if after an orgasm. Speaking of orgasms, I also find reading words and descriptions of eroticism much more intense than just watching pornography just to get you going.

I've been meaning to get into the Mode series my friend recommended to me, before, though. Since it fits the general interest of most readers, I might as well post a description if anyone is interested.

"The Mode series is a quartet of novels by Piers Anthony. Like many of Anthony's other fictional works, it explores themes of violence, the abuse of power, sexism and male dominance, gender roles, the environment, integrity and personal honor, sapient animal life, parallel and alternative evolution, space travel, alternate dimensions, paradox, obscure concepts in physics and mathematics, sexual assault and abuse, child and adolescent sexuality, and suicide." (Wikipedia)

And maybe some more Wikipedia quotations, as I find myself failing to describe my favorite authors without being distracted by my own fascination of the personal experiences their books give me.

Haruki Murakami: "Murakami's fiction, often criticized for being "pop" literature by Japan's literary establishment, is humorous and surreal, and at the same time digresses on themes of alienation, loneliness, and longing for love in a way that has touched readers in the US and Europe, as well as in East Asia. In addition, Murakami's writing has also been criticized because of his portrayal of Japan's obsession with capitalism. Through his work, he was able to capture the spiritual emptiness of his generation and explore the negative effects of Japan's work-dominated mentality. His writing criticizes the decrease in human values and a loss of connection between people in Japan's capitalist society.

A lot of Murakami's work tends to be pretty sophisticated, surreal, and satirical in terms of his own personal views of society. I must add, though, a lot of his writing is VERY cultural (Japanese) in context, but I'd assume that the resulting effect is about the same. Very stimulating for the ones with a vivid imagination, and their endings tend to stir up feelings that are left with you for a very long time-- I'd describe them more or less like a sorrowful type of peacefulness. While reading, it feels like somewhat of a dislocated, yet personal trip through the worlds he illustrates while reading his novels. Quite hard to describe. One of his greatest influences is Franz Kafka, another favorite author of mine. My personal favorites are Kakfa on the Shore (one of my absolute favorite books) and Norwegian Wood.

Banana Yoshimoto: "Critics think that much of her work is superficial and commercial; her fans however, think it perfectly captures what it means to be young and frustrated in modern Japan. Yoshimoto herself identifies her two main themes as "the exhaustion of young people in contemporary Japan" and "the way in which terrible experiences shape a person's life." Her novels can be fun and escapist, but are always touched with traditional Japanese ideology. Her writing can be quite piercing, haunting, poignant, and darkly humorous all at once. Though critics believe her to be "lightweight," Yoshimoto unabashedly states that she aims to win a Nobel Prize for Literature."

Requires a bit of understanding and knowledge of how Japanese society functions, but I'm sure people here would take interest. My absolute favorite author when it comes to light reading. I'd describe her work as "refreshing", but in a darker sense of the word, because Yoshimoto's description of her work being "the exhaustion of young people in contemporary Japan" pretty much hits the nail on the head. VERY cultural, and by that, I mean modern culture. Personal favorites are Good Bye Tsugumi, and currently reading Kitchen, which I've already grown to love.

Chuck Palahniuk: Palahniuk's writing style has been influenced by authors such as the minimalist Tom Spanbauer (who taught Palahniuk in Portland from 1991 to 1996), Amy Hempel, Mark Richard, Denis Johnson, Thom Jones, and Bret Easton Ellis. In what the author refers to as a minimalistic approach, his writings use a limited vocabulary and short sentences to mimic the way that an average person telling a story would talk. In an interview, he said that he prefers to write in verbs instead of adjectives. Repetitions of certain lines in the stories' narratives (what Palahniuk refers to as "choruses") are one of the most common aspects of his writing style, found dispersed within most chapters of his novels. Palahniuk has said that there are also some choruses between novels; the color cornflower blue and the city of Missoula, Montana, are said to appear in all of his books. However, Palahniuk is best known for the cynical and ironic black humor that appears throughout his work. It is the mix of this sense of humor and the bizarre events around which these stories revolve (considered discomforting by some readers) that has resulted in Palahniuk being sometimes labeled as a "shock writer" by members of the media.

That description sounds about right. Palahniuk's writing style is shockingly aggressive, and filled to the brim with dark humor. Each and every one of his books are dramatically different, but his blunt euphemisms are never lackluster. The language in his books tend to be very simple and understandable, and should be taken with a grain of salt, resulting in a bittersweet understanding of the points he tries to bring across. As for genre, "satirical horror" pretty much sums it up, but to describe exactly what that means, you'll just have to read them yourself. My recommendations are Lullaby and Choke.

Have fun~

[Sunara Ishi]

Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower- R.L. Stein

Pffffffffffff HELLZ YEAH. o/

I remember in elementary school, where there'd be groups that'd read different series whenever we made a trip to the library. All the girls (and one really metrosexual little boy) would read The Babysitters' Club. Some would follow Goosebumps, while others would read stuff like Judy Blume/Nancy Drew, and the rest wouldn't read at all.

~laughs~ I was the weird one that read them all. XD;

[Jun-Watarase]

Goosebumps: A Night in Terror Tower- R.L. Stein

Pffffffffffff HELLZ YEAH. o/

I remember in elementary school, where there'd be groups that'd read different series whenever we made a trip to the library. All the girls (and one really metrosexual little boy) would read The Babysitters' Club. Some would follow Goosebumps, while others would read stuff like Judy Blume/Nancy Drew, and the rest wouldn't read at all.

~laughs~ I was the weird one that read them all. XD;

Haha, I read them all, too. My mum was also the one who got me into Judy Blume, and it was Nancy Drew that got me into Agatha Christie. Reading Goosebumps wasn't so much weird, since it was really popular where I was at (and everywhere else, I thought), only mostly with guys and a few girls. I had another girl-friend that would read them all with me and diss all the other girls reading Babysitters' Club.

I liked most classics as a kid, too. My friend I were discussing how our perspectives change, as we grow in life, changes our view on literature when reading them. Like reading Mark Twain as a kid, then a teen, then a young adult, an adult, and an elder. I've felt this way with many books, though-- it makes rereading worthwhile.