Books! I Need Books!

vicky271 · Mar 23, 2014

Since this is the spot where we discuss books we couldn't put down, I thought I would ask for some good books! Specifically, of course, books you guys couldn't put down!

If you need my own preferences: I loved Veronica Roth's divergent series, The Inheritance has always been a personal favorite!

I love the literature we read in school like Paradise Lost, Heart of Darkness, Beowulf, Frankenstein, Hamlet, Macbeth etc. (I'm going to read of Mice and Men hopefully when schools over ^^)

Now, I was once a fan of the Mortal Instruments, but not anymore. And I'm not a huge fan of Fifty Shades of Grey or The Hunger Games.

Those are some of the books i've read; my genre preference are the following:

- fantasy
- action
- adventure
- the subplot can have some romance, but I prefer if romance wasn't a huge contributor to the main story-line.

If there are books that do not meet my preferences, list them anyway! I'm always ready to try something new!

Brightdreamer · Mar 23, 2014

Some favorites of mine...

The Bartimaeus series, by Jonathan Stroud (first book: The Amulet of Samarkand) - YA fantasy in an alt-modern world ruled by magicians, who get their powers by enslaving spirits. Sharp, witty, and the original trilogy has one of those endings you remember long after the book closes.

The Fairyland series, by Catherynne M. Valente (first book: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making) - YA fantasy tale in the vein of Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland, somehow simultaneously whimsical and deep, with an excellent heroine and some great turns of phrase.

The Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfield (first book: Leviathan) - YA sci-fi, in an alternate World War 1 fought between "clankers" (nations using steampunk/dieselpunk walking machines) and "Darwinists" (who use genetic manipulation to create specialized "beasties"). Lots of action, with an old-school adventure flair.

The Airborn books, by Kenneth Oppel (first book: Airborn) - YA airship adventures in an alternate-early-20th-century world.

The Elvenbane and Elvenblood, by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton - Powerful elven lords have enslaved humans. Meanwhile, a hidden race of shapeshifting dragons amuses themselves by meddling in their affairs, spreading rumors of an "Elvenbane" halfbreed who will end the elf dominion... rumors that they inadvertently help come true.

The Bloody Jack adventures, by L. A. Meyer (first book: Bloody Jack) - YA historical adventure series, starring a plucky 18th-century London girl who escapes starvation on the streets by posing as a ship's boy. Lots of action and adventure, some humor, and a great heroine who has a way of getting into more trouble than she anticipates... yet somehow manages to scrape her way out again.

If you want classic adventure, Jules Verne's works hold up well - just get the unabridged versions, not the hack jobs.

The link in my signature leads to my book review page, if you're exceptionally bored.

vicky271 · Mar 23, 2014

Brightdreamer said:
Some favorites of mine...

The Bartimaeus series, by Jonathan Stroud (first book: The Amulet of Samarkand) - YA fantasy in an alt-modern world ruled by magicians, who get their powers by enslaving spirits. Sharp, witty, and the original trilogy has one of those endings you remember long after the book closes.

The Fairyland series, by Catherynne M. Valente (first book: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making) - YA fantasy tale in the vein of Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland, somehow simultaneously whimsical and deep, with an excellent heroine and some great turns of phrase.

The Leviathan trilogy, by Scott Westerfield (first book: Leviathan) - YA sci-fi, in an alternate World War 1 fought between "clankers" (nations using steampunk/dieselpunk walking machines) and "Darwinists" (who use genetic manipulation to create specialized "beasties"). Lots of action, with an old-school adventure flair.

The Airborn books, by Kenneth Oppel (first book: Airborn) - YA airship adventures in an alternate-early-20th-century world.

The Elvenbane and Elvenblood, by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton - Powerful elven lords have enslaved humans. Meanwhile, a hidden race of shapeshifting dragons amuses themselves by meddling in their affairs, spreading rumors of an "Elvenbane" halfbreed who will end the elf dominion... rumors that they inadvertently help come true.

The Bloody Jack adventures, by L. A. Meyer (first book: Bloody Jack) - YA historical adventure series, starring a plucky 18th-century London girl who escapes starvation on the streets by posing as a ship's boy. Lots of action and adventure, some humor, and a great heroine who has a way of getting into more trouble than she anticipates... yet somehow manages to scrape her way out again.

If you want classic adventure, Jules Verne's works hold up well - just get the unabridged versions, not the hack jobs.

The link in my signature leads to my book review page, if you're exceptionally bored.

They all sound amazing! I can't wait until University is done in three weeks, I'm going to start reading these!

ULTRAGOTHA · Mar 23, 2014

Brightdreamer said:
The Fairyland series, by Catherynne M. Valente (first book: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making) - YA fantasy tale in the vein of Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland, somehow simultaneously whimsical and deep, with an excellent heroine and some great turns of phrase.

I've read the first one of these and it was very enjoyable!

Brightdreamer said:
The Elvenbane and Elvenblood, by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton - Powerful elven lords have enslaved humans. Meanwhile, a hidden race of shapeshifting dragons amuses themselves by meddling in their affairs, spreading rumors of an "Elvenbane" halfbreed who will end the elf dominion... rumors that they inadvertently help come true.

I stopped part way through the first book. Just hit a wall. And normally I like Lackey.

In a different vein from either of those is The Curse of Chalion, The Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold. Curse won the Mythopoeic Award and was nominated for the Hugo, World Fantasy and Nebula awards. Paladin won a Hugo, a Nebula and the Locus award, so members of WorldCon, SFWA, and the readers of Locus all really liked it.

She also has her Sharing Knife series which is not at all like the Chalion books in tone or anything else.

If you're into epic and lots of myths you might try American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

I'm also fond of anything at all by Jo Walton, Patricia McKillip, Meredith Anne Pierce, Robin McKinley or Diana Wynne Jones. Everything they write is interesting.

Cathy C · Mar 23, 2014

Roth's Divergent is considered urban fantasy. If you like urban fantasy without a lot of sex, some of my personal favorites are:

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series
Simon Green's Nightside series
Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde series

Also, in October, Tor is going to re-release my own Thrall series as urban fantasy (which it always was, but such a category didn't exist until recently.)

vicky271 · Mar 23, 2014

Cathy C said:
Roth's Divergent is considered urban fantasy. If you like urban fantasy without a lot of sex, some of my personal favorites are:

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series
Simon Green's Nightside series
Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde series

Also, in October, Tor is going to re-release my own Thrall series as urban fantasy (which it always was, but such a category didn't exist until recently.)

Thanks, I will totally check out those books when I get a chance!

Congratulations! That sounds so exciting!

Books! I Need Books!

vicky271

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

vicky271

ULTRAGOTHA

Merovingian Superhero

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

vicky271