Book Recs

[anonshadow]

What it says. I was going to post this in Milagre, but then I was like, well, the book club must exist for some reason...

So. Recommend your favorite books, and please, when you do, also tell us why you are recommending them and what they're about.


To start it off:

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi: A memoir in graphic novel form of a girl who grew up in Iran during the cultural revolution. It can be very funny at times, and absolutely heart-wrenching at others. As it is told from the perspective of the young child she was at the time, it has both the limited understanding of a child watching a war and the amusing comments that children make when they're not quite aware of what the laws of the universe are.


The Onion Girl, by Charles De Lint: A book written about Jilly Coppercorn, a woman who lives in De Lint's fictional city of Newford. Jilly gets hit by a car, and is hospitalized. It is unknown whether she will ever be able to walk again, and shortly thereafter, someone goes into her studio and destroys some of her artwork. The book follows Jilly at some times and Raylene, the sister she left when she ran away from home, at others. It's basically the whole background story on Jilly, where she comes from, and why she first came to Newford. It's beautiful. It also involves the first real connections Jilly is able to make with faeries and dreaming and the like.

[Rei]

We had started plans for a series of fairy tales earlier, which could still be neat. Comparing and contrasting different fairy tales.

[anonshadow]

Oo, that would be. Tell me more.

[Rei]

I'm inclined to pick stories from four different cultures (one for each week) with certain similar elements. For example, stories that deal with animals (which is my personal leaning). So "East of the Sun, West of the Moon", "Ashputtle", a varient of "Red Riding Hood", and a fourth which isn't coming to mind off the top of my head, for example.

[anonshadow]

Huh. That would definitely be interesting. Count me in.

[Hegemon]

If you do the Brothers Grimm sometime, I might participate in that one.

[Rei]

Ashputtle is written by the Grimm Brothers.

[Dobie]

Left Behind
It's like a really good historical novel, except it's about events that haven't happened yet.

[Young Val]

if your'e talking fairy tales, i'm your girl. two classes and a minor thesis under my belt.


as for "Different Versions" of "Classic" fairytales, read When The Clock Strikes by Tanith Lee. seriously. it's fantastic.

[Rei]

That sounds so familiar... is that the short story of... well, I can't say or it'll give crucial spoilers, possibly. Check your PMs.

[lyons24000]

Almost anything by Isaac Asimov. (Just no movies, please)

Foundation and Robot series

[Jayelle]

Left Behind
It's like a really good historical novel, except it's about events that haven't happened yet.

Ha!

[wigginboy]

The Road to Gandolfo by Robert Ludlum is an interesting turn from his usual work. In this, the author of The Bourne Supremacy takes the reader on the hilarious journey of a discharged US Army Brigadier and a former JAG lawyer as they conspire to kidnap the Pope and put his cousin on the throne. I liked this book because it was not what I expected from Ludlum, his books usually being quite serious in nature. This book is littered with humour and I recommend it to anyone who a) likes humour and b) can stand seeing the Catholic Church and the United States Army ridiculed just a little bit.

[Kaira]

anyone read Harry Potter??? if you have and like that book you should read Cassandra Claire's fanfiction called Draco Dormiens the second is Draco Sinister the third is Draco Veritas (its a triligy) you will have to search for it cuz i dont remember the link... oops... but she is comming out with a new triligy that is being published called mortal instraments the first book is called City of Bones comes out in april i think. im soooo excited! shes a great author.

[Young Val]

ugh!! i can't talk about Cassie. i'll turn into a monster. i just can't do it. she makes me want to rip all of my hair out.

[Jebus]

anyone read Harry Potter???

Harry who? You ever heard anything about this guy, EL?

[Rei]

*facedesk*

As much as I enjoyed reading some of Cassandra Claire's Draco Trilogy until it took forever to get out and I lost interest, I would generally prefer not to do fanfiction. Least of all fanfiction that has its first publication on the internet.

[Eaquae Legit]

anyone read Harry Potter???

Harry who? You ever heard anything about this guy, EL?

Who?

[Petra]

Alas Babylon. Favourite book. Also, I'd be interested to see who else on the forum is into the Kushiel series. Takes a different type of person to really love those books.

[anonshadow]

I adore the Kushiel series. There are very few books that I like more than the Kushiel books, although I preferred the Phedre books to the Imriel books (so far).

21 of my 104 livejournal icons are Kushiel ones, right now.

It's very difficult to describe the Kushiel books to people. "Well, it's rather pornographic, and the main character is a multilingual masochist whore that spies on the people she has sex with to gather information. Oh, and later? She becomes a diplomat."

...

[powerfulcheese04]

I second Elena (though, I have less lj icons. *pout*)

I such have a hard time explaining those books. "Er... well.. so, it's sort of like a romance novel... except about intrigue... and a game of thrones. And it's clearly set in Europe, except not. And France is called Terre D'Ange... quite literally Land of Angels. They're really great! I promise. They just don't sound it when I describe them."

[anonshadow]

Etch that, Kimmie. I redid some icons today. 36.

[Gravity Defier]

I'm recommending the Bartimaeus Trilogy, comprised of The Amulet of Samarkand (Book 1), The Golem's Eye (Book 2) and Ptolemy's Gate (Book 3), by Jonathan Stroud. It takes place in Britain where the government is run by magicians, one of whom is Nathaniel, a young boy who is very good at magic at a young age. It follows him from around the time he is 12 until he's about 16 I think.

The magicians have enslaved different levels of genies, such as djinn and afrits, to do their bidding; the main character is the djinn Bartimaeus who is quite the smart ass. The whole book sports footnotes, which are my favorite feature to the books and where Bartimaeus really shines in all his sarcastic glory.

The government is fighting "terrorists," so to speak, that are members of The Resistance, who are sick of the elitist magicians and doing everything in their power to get them out of power. The main character in The Resistance is Kitty, who watched a friend get seriously injured by a magician on a power trip.

They're great for a laugh, but have their serious moments as well.

[the HiveQueen]

anyone read Harry Potter??? if you have and like that book you should read Cassandra Claire's fanfiction called Draco Dormiens the second is Draco Sinister the third is Draco Veritas (its a triligy) you will have to search for it cuz i dont remember the link... oops... but she is comming out with a new triligy that is being published called mortal instraments the first book is called City of Bones comes out in april i think. im soooo excited! shes a great author.

Unfortunately, Cassie's taken all of her work off of the internet because she's decided to focus more on her real work (Grrrr). They're still available in PDF format on her google group, I believe.

I had no idea this many people read fanfiction on pweb. A couple years ago I made a thread about fanfiction and it died...promptly. Oh well.

Anyways, good books: American Gods, by Neil Gaiman, is based on the idea that all the gods that people have ever believed in are people trying to make it in a world of technology and capitalism. It's one of the most creative and original books I've ever read, and it's fantastic.

Another book I'm reading now that's really interesting, if you're interested in non-fiction, is Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Erenreich, in which the author, an upper middle class woman with a phD, decides to go into the work force to see what it's like, and if she can do it without welfare. It's given me a great insight on the way the backbone of America lives - though I wouldn't necessarily say great, because it's actually kind of depressing.

If you're interested in reading plays, I'd suggest Rhinoceros, by Eugene Ionesco, which I'm actually working on in school right now. It's an absurdist play about conformity, in which a random rhinoceros appears in a town, and then everyone starts turning into rhinoceroses. Sort of weird and hard to follow at some times, but it's a short, unforgettable read.

the HiveQueen

[locke]

fairy tales eh?

Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber

I don't remember much about it but I know I loved it way back when I"d like to reread it. That's the book where I learned words like 'fortnight'

[Jebus]

I'm recommending the Bartimaeus Trilogy, comprised of The Amulet of Samarkand (Book 1), The Golem's Eye (Book 2) and Ptolemy's Gate (Book 3), by Jonathan Stroud. It takes place in Britain where the government is run by magicians, one of whom is Nathaniel, a young boy who is very good at magic at a young age. It follows him from around the time he is 12 until he's about 16 I think.

The magicians have enslaved different levels of genies, such as djinn and afrits, to do their bidding; the main character is the djinn Bartimaeus who is quite the smart ass. The whole book sports footnotes, which are my favorite feature to the books and where Bartimaeus really shines in all his sarcastic glory.

Sounds a tiny bit like Jonathon Strange and Mr Norell. Also a book about magicians in Britain with fake footnotes.

[Young Val]

i adored Jonathan Strange

[Luxfiliae]

In the vien of fairy tales I would like to recommend Inkheart by Corniela Funke....I really enjoy how each chapter of the book features a quote from another story that kind of relates to what is going to happen in that chapter....Inkheart is a series of 3 books but only 2 have been completed sofar.
The second book I would like to recommend is The Neverending Story...I don't know who it's by...Its multi layered there are stories within the story. Each chapter begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet ( chapter one the first word starts with the letter A, Chapter two, the first word starts with a B etc...) If you saw the films the first film only goes about halfway through the book.
Um..yeah that's two of my cents.

[Oliver Dale]

I don't feel strongly enough about any books I haven't read, really, to suggest any, so I think I will in general let the nomination process ride without participating, other than to point out books I'd rather NOT do (Holy Run-On sentence, Batman!).

I've read American Gods and was bored by it, and anything as big as Jonathan Strange will have to be scheduled accordingly (it's gonna take me some time, but I'd still like to read it eventually... it's been sitting on my shelf for an embarassing amount of time by virtue of the fact that it's big enough to fend off burglars with).

[Clover]

Oh, good! Someone else who didn't think American Gods was as good as everybody said. While I enjoy Neil Gaiman emmensly, it took me forever to finish that book; it just kept going and going...

But, while we're speaking Gaiman, Neverwhere and Anansi Boys are great. The right amount of dark humor, adventure, and fantasy.

My latest favorite series: Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair (book one), Lost in a good Book (two), The Well of Lost Plots (three) and Something Rotten. They are SO much fun. Definite read if you're a book lover, since they're all about books.

More later... need to study for bit now.

[christine]

Chuck Palahniuk is a fantastic author and has written great reads such as: Fight Club, Choke, Lullaby, Diary, Survivor, Haunted...

He's a bit twisted but amazing and always has original ideas that you've never read before. Never.

Right now my favorite book is A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, which is the most awesome piece of literature to defy the English language. You'll want to read it outloud and if you like a challenge-- the slang is most fun to try and master.

Here's a taste of Palahniuk and Burgess:

Haunted
A Clockwork Orange

Do enjoy

[Qing_Jao]

I like the fairy tale I heard about the three sisters, One-eye, two-eyes, and three-eyes. I don't remember all of it, just that it was good. I read it as a little kid in one of our anthology book things.

[Fish Tank]

This topic is pretty dead lol but I recently read the Wess'har Wars by Karen Traviss. I loved them. As well as the Uplift Trilogy by David Brin... the first Uplift trilogy, Sundiver, Startide Rising and Uplift War.

[lovesonia]

Okay, because it's 2:45 in the morning and I'm tired of going through, sorting my stuff, I'm going to sit here and list the books I'm reading or have recently read and decide whether or not I'd recommend them to others to read.

Recent:
*thumbs up*Harry Potter 1-6 by J. K. Rowling. Lots of people have something against them. All the hype, lack of interest in the topic, whatever. They haven't read the books or watched the movies. That's fine. Anyone that doesn't have something against them, or has seen the movies, should read them. I'm a much bigger fan of the books than the movies. That's just me, though.

*thumbs up*Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire. A wonderful retelling of Cinderella. Iris, Ruth and their mother, Margarethe, live with a well-to-do Dutch family after fleeing England. van der Meer is a tulip buyer/seller or some such... he has a daughter named Clara who is apparently quite beautiful.

It's a really good story. I would say more about it but all the things I can think of are some sort of spoiler... things that I really enjoyed finding out when reading it, so I don't want to ruin that for anyone else.

*thumbs up*Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice. I really like Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Sure, they tend to be a bit like trashy romance novels, but I love reading about how so many paths are woven together through time and across the globe. It really fascinates me. This book had a really great bit throughout the book about the twins, Maharet and Mekare, from the early days. Also has a bit about the genealogy of The Great Family, Maharet's bloodline.

Also, there's really beautiful imagery about the forest that surrounds the house that they meet in a good part of the book. I'm a sucker for forests.

Current:

*thumbs down*Deryni Magic by Katherine Kurtz. This is a sort of (fictional, of course) encyclopedia explaining all the stuff about the Deryni people. Their spells, their telepathy, dark magic, shape-changing, healing abilities, etc. If you want to read anything by her, though, you should find Deryni Rising (her debut) and go from there. This is something to skim through after reading the others, if you have questions or want to know more.

*thumbs up*Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I'm still not very far into this one but it's a classic so pretty much everyone should know of it. If you haven't read it, pick it up and give it a chance. I really like it so far, and I have sources that say it gets even better. She says she enjoys the drama of it

*two thumbs way up*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Again, this is a classic. Everyone should know of it. If you haven't read it and are interested in tales of hardship, heartbreak, immense inner strength and ultimately understanding and forgiveness, this is one for you.

I got a new copy from my second mother for Christmas. I love this book so much that when I inherited a copy of it, it didn't bother me that I would have to put the pages back in order since it had come apart at the spine. I must've read it a dozen times. I'm also a fan of the 1997 version of the movie.

*thumbs up*Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire. Retelling of Wizard of Oz. So far so good. Murders are happening all over the place, a guide by the name of Oatsie Manglehand is taking a group of clients to Emerald City and pick up a guest that turns out to possibly be the son of the witch. He's left at the mauntery to recover after having been in the desert, mostly dead, for who knows how long. In the last part that I read a garden girl by the name of Candle had been brought to his room to play for him and watch out for any signs of improvement or deterioration in his health. Or if he woke up.

Apparently this is the sequel to Wicked, but I'm finding it to do just fine on its own so far. I'm sure there are things I'm missing that were in Wicked but I like it as is for the moment.

*thumbs sideways*STILL Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken. The usual. I pick it up, read a bit of it, agree with some, don't know about some of it, become annoyed, stop reading. It's taking a while to get through this one. Even if I didn't have other books, I can't imagine that it's a book I'd've gotten through in a weekend.

*thumbs sideways*STILL The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. I really want to like this book. It has some really great parts to it. History has always interested me. But there are some parts that are too boring for me to get through. I think I've been reading this off and on for about 5 months. I got through it once before, but that was so I could write a paper about it.[/u]

Upcoming:

*thumbs up*Bedelia by Vera Caspary. Love this book. I've read it a dozen times, as well. It's about this really really sweet woman who turns out to be too good to be true.

*thumbs up*Chateau of Flowers: the Romantic Story of Lily of the Valley by Margaret Rome. I love this book, too. I've probably read it two dozen times. It's a really quick read. Lots of lovely imagery of the fields of flowers in France. Perfume making, a big house, really nice local farmers. At the beginning of the book Fleur lives with her parents. Her father is a pastor and she helps out at the local hospital. She meets a patient that everyone says is impossible and turns him around. A heart wrenching story full of unintentional hurt and resultant anger, but in the end, a happy story.

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris I'm not sure about this one. Initially, it was bought as a gift for my brother who is a bit interested in it, but obviously not enough to get through the parts he finds boring. That's okay, it's just a book. No big. So, I'm going to give it a shot. I really don't have any interest in it, but what the heck.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I'm going to try to finish it this time. I decided, about two weeks ago, to eliminate it from the list of books I'm reading so that the list became more manageable. I actually feel like I might finish it, at it's current state. A whole 6 books versus 13. WOOT. Actually, I'm picking up the latest HP book soon so 7. But still. Not 13. The end is in sight. Yay.

Okay, it's 5am. Sleepy time. Someone recommend some more good books. I need an amazon wishlist full of good books to look forward to once I stop being so poor.

[luminousnerd]

Left Behind
It's like a really good historical novel, except it's about events that haven't happened yet.

You'd piss a lot of pwebbers off with that one :/

Still, they ARE good books.