Book/Author recommendations

[da101uk]

Hey I'm starting my first thread here woohoo, anyhoo I've got a load of book vouchers for xmas (always do I'm known for eating books) and I can't decide what the bloody hell to get with them (too many books......help!) so I was wandering what books have really inspired or like me kept all you kittens up at nite cause you couldn't put them down.

I better get the ball rolling then:
Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif
and a book I'm reading now The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

[JustSkipIt]

The Amazing Adventures of Kavelier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Passage by Connie Willis
Three Men and a Boat by Connie Willis
Bellwether by Connie Willis
A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
Temple of my Familiar by Alice Walker
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Gift of Fear by Gavin Debecker (sp)
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkein
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
The PoisonWood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Affinity by Sarah Waters

Ok, there's a list. If you want details like funny or serious or general summary, send me a PM.

[Alcy]

I'm generally a fan of very weighty volumes, normally if it's not over 500 pages it's not in depth and detailed enough to grab my attention...with the exception of children's lit that I enjoy like Harry Potter, The Inkheart Books by Cornelia Funke and Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy.

Everything else I read is mostly sc-fi space operas written by the likes of Alastair Reynolds - Century Rain and Pushing Ice are his best.
Or fantasy epics like Tad William's Otherworld, all are over 700 pages and I had to keep reading them! Or Ian Irvine's Mirror books.
I am currently reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon which is fantastic and is really annoying because I don't want to put it down but am at work so I kind of have to!

[Yours]

Oh my goodness!!!!!!

There are so many amazing books out there, but I'll just give a few of my favourites.

'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho
'The lovely bones' by Alice Sebold
'My sisters keeper' by Jodi Piclout
'The Celestine Prophecy' by James Redfield.

My favourite book from when I was 13 (which still holds a place in my heart).
'Stargirl' by Jerry Spinelli

[CrazyTaraWitch]

I will second Stargirl as being awesome, and add to the growing list:

All Jane Austen novels (Especially Sense & Sensibility and Emma)
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Midwives by Chris Bojahlian
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
One of Ours by Willa Cather
The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
The Mists of Avalon by Marrion Zimmer Bradley
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Curious Wine by Katherine Forrest
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Rosemary and Juliet by Judy MacLean
Doris Claiborne, Gerald's Game, and most especially Hearts In Atlantis by Stephen King
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights
and -for the child in all of us-
Tamora Pierce's series The Song of the Lioness Quartet, The Immortals Quartet, The Protector of the Small Quartet, and her Trickster books (I don't know the series name)

[mangled_monkey]

I'm a huge nut for psychology books, and anyone with an interest should read some Alice Miller. Some of my favorites by her that present good theories:

For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-rearing and the Roots of Violence
The Drama of the Gifted Child

Ok, so those are the only two I've read so far. But I'm working on it.

And in Fiction:

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
A Lantern in her Hand by Bess Streetcher Aldrich
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (don't remember the author, but... Buffy book.)
Anything by Barbara Kingsolver.
Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden (thanks to writerfreak for turning me on to that one)

That's all I can think of right now, but I have many.

[writerfreak]

Very welcome dear and I'll even add two more. Empress of the World by Sara Ryan, and Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle. writerfreak

[MsKittyB]

Love to read, heres a few of my favorites.
Deaths Of Jocausta by J.M Redmann
Other Girls by Diane Akyes
Other Woman, Chasing Destiny, Cheaters, and Lover's and Friends all by Eric Jerome Dickey
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

[Zooeys_Bridge]

Bel Canto: Ann Patchett
Ann's writing is spectacular. The plot is fairly simple and provides the stage for the real beauty. The maginificence of this book is the relationships between the characters. Touching, spellbinding, I haven't been so engrossed in a book in a long time.

Welcome to the Monkey House: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
My cousin gave me a copy of this book for my birthday when I was 15 and I read it every year. Sadly, I don't have the patience(at least not now) for Kurt's novels, but I know they're wonderful. His short stories is where his genius lies. Each little bit is a world onto it's own, and I never fail to be completely engrossed. If you like this, try The Bagombo Snuff Box another collection of his short stories.

[sweet satin lover]

I am a big fan of Philippa Gregory's books

[love_2003]

My new years resolution was to try and read more books. I would usually read maybe two books in a year. These are some of what I've read.


Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
Prayers for Bobby by Leroy Aarons
Yeah, I Said It by Wanda Sykes
Eat. Pray. Love. by Elizabeth Gilbert (this is the one I read this year)


I am currently reading: Giving by Bill Clinton

[soulspaces]

For starters ....Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

[EvilKittycatofdoom]

twilight, new moon, and eclipse by stephanie meyers
companions of the night by vivian vande velde
anything that lois lowry wrote
dean koontz books
steven king books

[Lifty]

Ummm love reading. Wish i could do it more often. Here are a few good ones

All of Terry Pratchet's works
All of Tim Winton's works (especially Cloudstreet and The Turning)
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Bliss by Peter Carey
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Lord of the rings trilogy
The Simarillion by J.R.R Tolkien
Hornblower series by C.S Forester
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques
The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz (now made into a shit film, 'Stormbreaker')

Lifty

[Guest]

The Tiger’s Child by Torey Hayden and the prequel to the story, One Child.

(Link)

Of a slightly autobiographical nature, the books plunge us into the emotional/therapeutic life span of Torey and one deeply disturbed and abused girl child she met in her special education class. Being already in the domain, I usually try to balance my life by reading on other issues but these two books caught my interest so much I finished them at one go. How this teacher managed to make a difference in the life of that girl and help her in her different transitions is really beautiful as we remain in touch with humanity throughout.

I highly recommend it even for non-therapy lovers.

[CrazyTaraWitch]

Today I began reading Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjalian, and it's simply amazing. He also wrote one of my favorite books, Midwives. I strongly recommend both novels, which are easy literary reads, but emotionally difficult in places and VERY worth-while.

[cammy]

i recomend nora roberts the circle trilogy and a book called doppleganger both are great fantasy books and even hold a large amount of wicca aspets got those who wanted to read a book that contains the fsith in it

[Zodiax]

I usually go for Teen LGBT Novels >.< But some recommendations.

Anything that Nancy Garden has written
Dare,Truth and Promise - Paula Boock ( Someone buy this for me pleaseee. )
Bermudez Triangle - Marueen Johnson
Empress of the World - Sara Ryan
Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
Buffy Series - Various Authors

[thiswomanswork]

Hmmmmzies...

For understanding the world and how it got this way, Daniel Quinn. Especially Ishmael, My Ishmael, and the Story of B. To go more in-depth, most anything by Derrick Jensen, especially Endgame.

For philisophical, nature-of-self-and-being stuff, anything by Peter Ralston.

For biblical stuff (I'm into biblical exegesis and criticism, what can I say?), Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion and Morality by (of coruse) Steve Allen, Who Wrote the Bible by Richard Friedman, and Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels.

For fiction... hmm...
The Austin Family series and the Wrinkle in Time trilogy by Madeline L'Engle
Earth, by David Brin
The Starlit Elves series by Gael Baudino
The Matador series by Steve Perry
The Athenian Murders by Carlos Sonoza
and The Mary Russell series by Laurie King.

That was kind of fun to list.