madarc Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 What are some of everyone's all time favorite books? Any that you find yourselves always recommending to other people? Also any books that you particularly enjoyed listening to on audiobook? (I've racked up a bunch of Audible credits as of late and am a bit lost on what to listen to next 😃 ((plus I'm always down to talk about books generally))) Link to post Share on other sites
PastelBread Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Good Omens!!! (But I think you have already read it. LOL) I recently read Vicious by V.E. Schwab and I LOVED IT. I read it in one day. What genre are you into? I can rec a lot of classics, and YA! Link to post Share on other sites
Rkod75 Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I'm not one to typically recommend books, because I generally prefer non-fiction, which doesn't seem to be as popular for most book readers. If you're into the philosophical stuff, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is one of my all time favorites, but it's important you get the right translation for it to be enjoyable. If you're into political/historical stuff, I am an absolute nerd for anything that Thomas Paine wrote, he's my all time favorite political thinker The most recent book I finished was Carl Hart's High Price. He's a neuro-scientist who writes a more pragmatic take on the effects of drug use and addiction, and how our drug laws have hurt the black community in the United States. If you don't read his book, I would at the very least recommend watching him give lectures and interviews on youtube Link to post Share on other sites
Yara Kai Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 What kind of books do you like to read? I usually read fantasy and sci-fi and some contemporary novels. If you like YA, I can recommend The illuminae files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. It's a trilogy but it's really fast-paced and I personally liked it. Another good book is The bear and the nightingale by Katherine Arden, it's similar to a fairy tale. I also really like Neil Gaiman's books, like The ocean at the end of the lane, The greveyard book, American gods. Every heart a doorway by Seanan Mcguire is a good book and it has an asexual main character, if you are interested. I also loved The book thief by Markus Zusak, Scythe and Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson are amazing and they have a very interesting magic system based on metals. There are more books that I really like but I'll stop here. I tend to talk way too much when someone asks me about books:)))). Link to post Share on other sites
kiaroskuro Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Those are some great suggestions, @Rkod75. I wasn't the one who was asking for book recs, but thanks. I put the Meditations and Carl Hart's book on my ever-growing "to read list" straight away. Thomas Paine's life and work seem interesting, as well. Link to post Share on other sites
BecAus Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 3 hours ago, Rkod75 said: Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is one of my all time favorites, but it's important you get the right translation for it to be enjoyable. Which translation would you recommend? Link to post Share on other sites
fuzzipueo Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 10 hours ago, madarc said: Also any books that you particularly enjoyed listening to on audiobook? (I've racked up a bunch of Audible credits as of late and am a bit lost on what to listen to next 😃 ((plus I'm always down to talk about books generally))) It really depends on your tastes and preferences, however, I recommend the following because the stories and narrators are great: Fantasy: The Smoke Trilogy (Tony Foster) - by Tanya Huff The Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron Hurog by Patricia Briggs The Lady Trent Memoirs by Marie Brennan Science Fiction: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon Have Spacesuit, Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold - start with either Cordelia's Honor or The Warriors Apprentice Supervillainy Saga by C.T. Phipps Mystery: Amelia Peabody Mysteries by Elizabeth Peters Vickie Bliss Mysteries by Elizabeth Peters Lord John Mysteries by Diana Gabaldon (historical/spinoff from Outlander) Adrien English Mysteries by Josh Lanyon History: Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets by Stephen Fry Elizabeth York: A Tudor Queen and Her World by Alison Weir Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson King Arthur: History and Legend by Prof. Dorsey Armstrong Link to post Share on other sites
Rkod75 Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 6 hours ago, BecAus said: Which translation would you recommend? I went with the Penguin Classic translation, I've heard people say there are better translations out there, but since the Penguin Classic is the one I am familiar with, that is the one I would recommend. I once tried to read a copy of the book from Gutenberg.org, but the translation they used was absolutely terrible Link to post Share on other sites
Amcan Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Watership Down. You'll never look at rabbits the same way again. (Richard Adams' other works however... they mess you up...) Link to post Share on other sites
Anie Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I love V. E. Schwab books (there’s Vicious and Vengeful, and the Shades of Magic trilogy, and I’m currently reading The Dark Vault which is great so far). Also I love the Riyria Revelations series by Michael J. Sullivan and everything I’ve read by Sebastien de Castell (the first three spellslinger books and Traitor’s Blade) so far. Link to post Share on other sites
madarc Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 On 6/19/2019 at 1:17 AM, PastelBread said: Good Omens!!! (But I think you have already read it. LOL) I recently read Vicious by V.E. Schwab and I LOVED IT. I read it in one day. What genre are you into? I can rec a lot of classics, and YA! Yes I have already read Good Omens LOL. I’ve been on a YA kick lately, but honestly I’ll read just about anything; that’s why I love hearing other people’s favorites sincerely you tend to find stuff you wouldn’t put up otherwise. Link to post Share on other sites
madarc Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 On 6/19/2019 at 5:42 AM, Rkod75 said: I'm not one to typically recommend books, because I generally prefer non-fiction, which doesn't seem to be as popular for most book readers. If you're into the philosophical stuff, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is one of my all time favorites, but it's important you get the right translation for it to be enjoyable. If you're into political/historical stuff, I am an absolute nerd for anything that Thomas Paine wrote, he's my all time favorite political thinker The most recent book I finished was Carl Hart's High Price. He's a neuro-scientist who writes a more pragmatic take on the effects of drug use and addiction, and how our drug laws have hurt the black community in the United States. If you don't read his book, I would at the very least recommend watching him give lectures and interviews on youtube I’ll definitely check out Meditations. It’s been a while since I’ve read any philosophy and I always forget how interesting it is. Carl Hart’s work sounds really interesting too. Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
aisofhearts Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is quite the funky book (pun intended), it also has little blurbs from other books at the beginning of each chapter that could lead to some other great reads! Link to post Share on other sites
Karst Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I'll freely confess that my taste is rather niche. I tend toward huge science-fiction doorstops, like Ursula Le Guin's The Disposessed or Ian M. Banks's Culture series. I just finished Elizabeth Bear's Ancestral Night, which was fascinating. The protagonist, a spacefaring salvager, has chosen to have her sexual and romantic attractions turned off on a neurochemical level because she's still recovering from an abusive relationship. (She also has prehensile toes, for working in zero gravity.) However, I also like graphic novels, classics, and fantasy. Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorites. I'm not much of a fan of "realist" literature. If the setting isn't somehow different from my own lived experiences, whether by location, time period, or cultural background, I might as well just be looking out the window at my street. So, some of my general recommendations: - Marie Brennan's Lady Trent series- follows the adventures of a scientist studying dragons. Thrillin' heroics and feminism. - Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett- part of the Discworld series, but you don't need to have read any of the other books to start here. - The Merry Spinster, by Daniel Mallory Ortberg (formerly of the Toast)- a collection of spooky stories in the vein of Angela Carter - Kindred, by Octavia Butler- a woman is pulled through time to the era of slavery in the South, and faces difficult ethical decisions. Depressing, but very well-written. Link to post Share on other sites
Layria Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 My all-time favorite series is the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman. The first book is City of Masks. I immediately fell in love with the characters and the incredible world building, and how interconnected all of the stories are. It's also a very unique and interesting take on time travel and alternate history. Highly recommend. Only problem: it's out of print. I've found my copies at libraries and used bookstores, and I'm sure you can find them online somewhere as well. I also really love the Lord of the Rings series (because it's amazing), The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card (only read this after you have read Ender's Game). I know I have more favorites I can't think of them right now. I am just starting to read the Mistborn series, and I've heard it's amazing so I'm excited to find out what happens! I love books with interesting magic systems! Link to post Share on other sites
kiaroskuro Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 7 hours ago, Ardoise said: If the setting isn't somehow different from my own lived experiences, whether by location, time period, or cultural background, I might as well just be looking out the window at my street. Same here, but at the same time I prefer my books to be realistic. I'm definitely an escapist, but not a fantasy fan; and nowadays I'm reading more non-fiction than I ever did before. However, I do like a tinge of magical realism from time to time, and things like fairy tales. And Jane Eyre is fantastic, I agree. Link to post Share on other sites
Alawyn-Aebt Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I mostly only read non-fiction so I cannot really offer any advice for good fiction books, but in the realm of non-fiction two spring to mind. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond - The way he thinks and explains the history and culture of the world, and how that impacts the modern people of the world today is fascinating. Even if you disagree with him the way he links the world together in a way that explains basic questions that are hard to answer is inspiring. Collapse and What Can We Learn From Traditional Societies are also two good ones by him. The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers by Robert Heilbroner - An economic historian himself, he gives a beautiful overview of economic thought from the 1780's to the 1950's. Because it was not updated it misses out on Milton Friedman the rise of neoliberalism and of the post-Keynesians but he explains what he covers perfectly. It also includes one of the easiest explanations of Marxist economics and traces the different economic strains of thinking as they bounce and modify themselves through the industrial world. Even if one has no or limited knowledge of economics he makes he subject easy to understand and having real-life implications. Link to post Share on other sites
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