Books recommendations?

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Crepuscular

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Here's the thing, I used to read books upon books of fiction and non fiction from fantasy epics to social studies of the average Victorian Londoner, but stopped for one reason or another. I know this is arbitrary as things goes, but what would you, Iwaku, recommend for me to get back into my inner bookworm mindset?

I'm seeking something that suck you in to start, with amazing descriptions, deep plot-lines and intricate characterizations. The difficulty of the vocabulary and the length of the book or series don't matter to me, I just want to get back the feeling I got while reading a good book.

I'm sorry if this is not the place to put this, but this seemed like the closest match.
 
Thank you! That sound like a powerful book all right, from the reviews I saw. I'll look for it when I next go to the library.
 
If you have a Kindle or i-product, The Emperor's Edge is a free book (it's the first in a series of seven). Really great steampunk series. Unfortunately, it's an e-book, though the author has talked about a print release.
 
Crepuscular said:
Here's the thing, I used to read books upon books of fiction and non fiction from fantasy epics to social studies of the average Victorian Londoner, but stopped for one reason or another. I know this is arbitrary as things goes, but what would you, Iwaku, recommend for me to get back into my inner bookworm mindset?

I'm seeking something that suck you in to start, with amazing descriptions, deep plot-lines and intricate characterizations. The difficulty of the vocabulary and the length of the book or series don't matter to me, I just want to get back the feeling I got while reading a good book.

I'm sorry if this is not the place to put this, but this seemed like the closest match.
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If you want amazing descriptions and intricate characterizations, I recommend Beauty by Robin McKinley. Wonderful story. It's the one book I've read more than twice. Actually, I'm nearly ten times reading it. =3
 
Dune for a classic hero-type story in a great world with some pretty strong plot points.

Lies of Locke Lamora; low fantasy, morally bankrupt characters, great setting (I wouldn't recommend the sequels if you like the conmen part - it becomes predominantly hero quest thereafter)

Promise of Blood is a political Caesar-like story involving the aftermath of a coup in a world with gun mages and powerful deities.
 
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I'll be definitely looking into these, thanks!
 
Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk) - The book what done inspired the film. Delicious commentary on modern man, and a way better ending than the film if you ask me.

American Psycho (Brett Easten Ellis) - Possibly the most fucked up book I've read to date. And I've read The 120 Days of Sodom.

Crime & Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) - You don't know 'depressing books' until you've tried a bit of Russian literature. Fascinating depiction of mid-19th Century St. Petersburg, and an interesting study on what desperation and guilt can do to people.

American Gods (Neill Gaiman) - This is how you take mythological beings and insert them into a modern context, whilst keeping their origins relevant. Clever, weird, at times extremely poignant.

Haunted (Chuck Palahniuk) - Yes, I really like the stuff this chap writes. A collection of poems and short stories written by a group of people trapped at the most warped interpretation of a "writer's commune" you can imagine, each story getting darker as the writers slowly go crazier.

That's a couple off the top of my head.
 
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Howl's Moving Castle! 8D It is cute and filled with lots of imagination.

Or the Complete Sherlock Holmes collection, that was a big favorite of mine too.

A Tale of Two Cities!

Everything else I know is romance novels. >>;
 
This is not exactly (or even close) to what you described, but if you ever get around to wanting to read a non-fiction I recommend Autobiography of a Yogi by Pramahansa Yogananda. It is one of my favorite books, and I always recommend it. I even keep a spare to give to those who haven't read it and are interested.
 
Brave new world.
 
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Light Reading:
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Hobbit
Catwings
Harry Potter
Howl's Moving Castle

Regular Reading:
The Lord of the Rings
The Iron Elves Trilogy
Dragonlance (several miniseries all contributing to the same world. I started with Chronicles.)
Treasure Island
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Jungle Book
Devil Bones
"A" Is for "Alibi"

Heavy Reading:
The Silmarillion
Unfinished Tales
Hard Times
David Copperfield

If you're willing to delve into Horror/Suspense novels...

Tick Tock
Misery
Thinner
Mystic River
Dreamcatcher
 
Well, my next trip to the library will be eventful to be sure! Thanks, everyone!
 
For heavy philosophical thought provoking reading (not passive reads): Dostoyevky's Notes from the Underground, Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and Faulkner's Knight's Gambit collection.

Lots of fun with lots of thought weaved in: Don't Bite the Sun by Tanith Lee, the Haruhi light novels, Lovecraft's Necronomicon collection.

My Favorite Author: C.J. Cherryh. Anything she writes is more precious than gold to me. If you like political science fiction, definitely give the Foreigner series a try.
 
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Fiction:
-The Dune series (I really agree with the previous recommendation and would like to state it a again for emphasis. Probably my favorite sci-fi series of all time. Original author died mid-way through the series, his son wrote prequel and sequels, he is also a fantastic writer

-Stephen King: It, The Stand, The Dark Tower Series, Talisman

-A Song of Fire and Ice series

-House of Leaves

Non-fiction:
-Carl Sagan: Cosmos, Broca's Brain

-You are Not so Smart
 
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Some books I really liked are Holes, The City of Ember, The Hobbit, The Outsiders, The Diary of Anne Frank, Ghosts of Gettysburg series, Goosebumps, Nancy Drew, and The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas.
 
The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss is a really good series. It's a story within a story of how a man of simple origins became a legend. He wants to have a simple life again, but he feels that people should know the truth behind the myth.
 
@Minibit mentioned one of my favorite Dean Koontz books, Tick Tock.

Otherwise, if you're into misogynistic high fantasy, might I suggest the Wheel of Time series?
 
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Minibit said:
Light Reading:
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Hobbit
Catwings
Harry Potter
Howl's Moving Castle

Regular Reading:
The Lord of the Rings
The Iron Elves Trilogy
Dragonlance (several miniseries all contributing to the same world. I started with Chronicles.)
Treasure Island
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Jungle Book
Devil Bones
"A" Is for "Alibi"

Heavy Reading:
The Silmarillion
Unfinished Tales
Hard Times
David Copperfield

If you're willing to delve into Horror/Suspense novels...

Tick Tock
Misery
Thinner
Mystic River
Dreamcatcher
Click to expand...
I'm not sure where this would fit in, but Of Mice and Men maybe?
 
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