Writing Book Recommendations

[Anime Elf]

I'm looking for a book to read outside of school and the whole anime scene, more of a New York Times bestseller type of book. I heard that Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt was pretty good, but I would like to hear what (more) other people think of it before I go out and buy it. Would anyone recommend this or any other book for me to go out and read?

[Retribution]

[size=1]What grade/level/year are you in? It's somewhat hard to recommend you a book if it's way off your readng list. But in case you're somewhere around my reading level, here are a few of my favorites.

A Clockwork Orange
Brave New World
1984
Ender's Game

The Things They Carried I think the first three books are considered "worthy" by any teacher, as they're at least 40 years old (all of them) and yet still taught in high school English classes. As for Ender's Game, it got several Science Fiction book awards (the Nebula being one, I believe), and The Things They Carried got a pat on the back by the New York Times.[/size]

[Samsara]

The Da Vinci Code is a pretty good read, if you haven't already read it. Plus you might wanna read it before seeing the upcoming film based on the book.

[IceRose]

The Great Gatsby, Murder in the Orient Express and The Purloined Letter are good books if you like suspense. If you like sci-fy and comedy I recomend the Hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy and The Restaurant at the end of the Universe. If you like fantasy I recomend the Lord of the Rings and a Wrinkle in Time.

[Nomad]

[SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Heh we're all just kind of taking blind stabs at this because, well, as Retri stated, we don't know your reading level, so and he did, I'll go ahead and assume that your reading range is somewhere within mine.

A really great book I really enjoyed, and have read multiple times already, is called [B]Fallen Angels[/B] by Walter Dean Myers, who is no stranger to writing good books, and I'm sure you've probably seen this book before. It's especially good if you're into that whole, war-time story genre. It's about this kid Perry who gets put into Vietnam and then everything continues to add up and...yea, great book.

I also recommend and of the books in the Hitchhiker's Guide series as an entertaining read, if you like the way Adams writes. He's got humour and science fiction and all the good things a book needs. More humourous than not though.

One more book then I'll go. [B]Truth[/B] by Simon Blackburn. It is a much higher level book on philosophy and whatnot. To put it the easiest way possible, very big words, and a lot of them. lol. If your interested in that though, check it out. I am currently reading it and am enjoying it thoroughly. :animesmil [/FONT][/SIZE]

[Japan]

[COLOR=DarkRed]There's shogun as well as Tai Pan. Cloud of Sparrows, um, Eragon and Eldest, there is another fantasy series called Prydain, or something like that. Tai Pan, Shogun are by the same author. The first three are historical fiction and are set in Japan, and or China...I think. I am not sure about Tai Pan. Eragon and Eldest are in the same series and are about Dragons. The other fantasy series are children books but entertaining books nonetheless.[/COLOR]

[Goodbye, Face]

[font=trebuchet ms]Hmm, yeah, might as well list my favorites...

[b]Choke[/b] by Chuck Palahniuk, a story about a sexaholic who pays for his dying mother's hospital bills by pretending to choke on his food at diners, then recieving money in birthday cards recieved by his so-called heroes.

[b]Fight Club[/b] by Chuck Palahniuk, yes, it's the book that the movie stemmed from, it's another one of Chuck's best.

[b]Dragonsong[/b] by Anne McCaffery. A side-story of the Dragonriders of Pern series where a musician discovers some fire lizards and adopts them as pets. Trust me on this one.

[b]The Catcher in the Rye[/b] by J.D. Salinger, you'll probably have to read this at school at some point, if you haven't already. It's a fun story about this angsty boy's misadventures in a city and how he winds up in an asylum.

Glad to be of service.[/font]

[Annie]

[size=1]Anyone who knows me can tell you that I hate reading [books, that is]. Absolutely hate it. So, in school, I read what I had to read; but blocked it all out of my head. Out of dozens of books, I only remember two that I liked and I would suggest. [b]To Kill a Mockingbird[/b] by Harper Lee was amazing. At first, it's really slow; but it sucks you in. Another is [b]That was Then, This is Now[/b] by S.E Hinton. It was a simple, but powerful book. In fact, all of her books that I have read were really good. But that one has stuck in my memory; it was just so sad, but really powerful.

Oh, I forgot to mention an autobiography. Though, you have to like this person to read it. The autobiography of Marilyn Manson. While a bit disturbing in some parts, the book is just a great insight into Manson's past and gives you a glimpse of why he is--the way he is, lol. So, if you are interested in him, you must read that book. You'll have a totally different outlook on him after you're done reading.[/size]

[Starwind]

If I was going to advice some good books I'd Go with [B]Inferno[/B], which is a great epic written senturies ago but still proves enlightening and enterataining even to this day.

If I were to say another it would be [B]Tears of the Tiger[/B] This is kind of an interesting tale, that is best understood when read. I'd really rather not say to much about it here.

Another good one would be (like mentioned above) [B]1984[/B] This is a good and very trippy book to read. And if you live in the US you can start to see some of these things already happening here.

[Stark]

Anime Elf, the book you mentioned is written by Anne Rice, correct? Well, I can't say that I've read this one, but I have read her other works, and I can easily say that you might like it.

Along that note, I'd reccommend the Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice, as well as her Mayfair Witches series. I figure you might like them as well, if you like the book you mentioned.

Another series features a person called Sano Ichiro, and his tales are written by Laura Joh Rowland. If you like Japanese history, and murder mysteries, then you are going to love my favorite Samurai detective.

I also have a list of just random books. NOIR, by K.W. Jeter is good if you like deep science fiction with a hard bent toward Nihilism. Choke, as reccommended by RiflesAtRecess, is another good one. Lately, I've picked up J.D. Robb's futuristic detective series, featuring the tough-as-nails Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

A few other favorites are Shade's Children, by Garth Nix; The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand; In the Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley; and Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse.

I'm a really bookish individual, so I'm always more than glad to take part in book reccomendations. Feel free to ask, okay?

[EVA Unit 100]

[B]His Dark Materials[/B] is probably the best book series I've ever read. The first book is [B]The Golden Compass[/B] (or [B]Northern Lights[/B]), the second is [B]The Subtle Knife[/B], and the final book in the series is [B]The Amber Spyglass[/B]. If you're a fan of sci-fi and fantasy stuff these are required reading, and even if you aren't typically a fan of those genres you'd probably like them anyway as long as you aren't the ultra-conservative book-burning type.

Of course the [B]Harry Potter[/B] books are amazing, and if you finish all six of the currently books before the seventh book comes out you won't have to deal with major spoilers for the ending (I unfortunately had to cope with spoilers when reading HDM). Ditto on anything by Dan Brown. I also second the recomendation of [B]Ender's Game[/B] and [B]The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[/B]. Recently I read [B]Elsewhere[/B], a young adult book by a writer who lives pretty close by to me, and it's an amazing book that I feel everyone should read.

[Raquel]

I suggest the Sword of Truth series. The first book is [U]Wizard's First Rule[/U] by [B]Terry Goodkind[/B] This is a very descriptive well written series of about 800 pages per book.

For somthing a shorter, I reccomend books by [B]Tamora Pierce[/B]. They are short books of about 200 pages that come in groups of four. Focus mostly on female charecters.

For some good out of the box vampire reading I strongly suggest [B]Amelia Atwater Rhodes[/B]. Books are about 200 pages long and are not really a series.

If you liked the movie Willow, there really good books about Elora Danan's adventures. [U]Shadow Moon[/U] is the first. The books are written by [B]Chris Claremont[/B] and the story is by [B]George Lucas[/B]. It's about 500 pgs

One of my all time favorites is [U]Sabriel[/U] by [B]Garth Nix[/B]

[Zenriek]

This probably isn't a New York Times bestseller, but I absolutely [B]loved[/B] this book.

It's called Uglies, and it's by Scott Westerfeld. It's about a world where average means ugly. Everyone, until you turn 16, is considered ugly and live in UgliesVille (I think that's the name). When they turn 16, they go and have an operation to be turned pretty. Their skin is scrubbed off, their bones shaped and molded, and a whole lot of other things, until you are what is considered pretty, and you live in New Prettyville until you become a middle pretty, etc. In New Prettyville, the only rule is have fun. You do whatever, wherever, and whenever. You don't have to work, you can party all day and night, and there is never a dull moment.

Tallie's best friend, Peris, becomes a Pretty about a month before, and she's left alone. Then she meets another ugly girl who doesn't want to be pretty. On their last night of being ugly, her friend gives her a choice.

Come with her, run away to a place with people called the 'Smokies'. Basically a village with runaway uglies. Tallie refuses, and is left alone.

But as she goes in for the surgery, she's not allowed it. She is given a choice. Go find her new friend and bring her back, or remain ugly forever.

:animesigh :animestun

It's a series. The second book is out (haven't read it yet though). It kept me reading it until the end, it was too interesting to put down. Hopefully somebody here will find it interesting enough to pick up. :animeswea

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]Lots of intelligent replies (hooray!) but that doesn't stop this thread being in the wrong forum.

[b]Shunted to OB Anthology.[/b]
[/font][/color]

[Nomad]

[quote name='Starwind]If I were to say another it would be [B]Tears of the Tiger[/B'] This is kind of an interesting tale, that is best understood when read. I'd really rather not say to much about it here.[/quote]
[SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]This is an excellent book. I've forgotten about it up until you mentioned it. I love this book. I read it in school my 7th grade year. I really enjoyed it. Another book to add to reading this one (after you've read this one) is [I]Forged by Fire[/I], which intwines Gerald from [I]Tears[/I] and other characters. Both excellent books that aren't hard to read at all, if you've got the time, check them both out.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[Mitch]

You must read [b]Hey Nostradamus[/b] by Douglas Coupland. It's about a Columbine-like school shooting and the butterfly effect it causes even years and years after the shooting, and is narrated in four parts by four different characters who all have a different view on things. A very powerful book, it deals with spiritual issues in such an expert way that it doesn't offend, and it expertly handles feelings of loneliness and is just a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

I second the notion of [b]Choke[/b] and [b]Fight Club[/b]. Chuck is one of the best writers who's a big-shot around now. I look up to the guy, and his writing has heavily influenced my own. Some other books I'd say you should read include: [b]The Great Gatsby, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Things Fall Apart, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Heart of Darkness, 1984, The Jungle, The Contortionist's Handbook, Carrie, Of Mice and Men, Oryx and Crake, Catcher in the Rye, The Autobiography of Malcolm X[/b], and I'm pretty much dry now.

[Shane12_01]

Anything by Dean Koontz is good if your looking for a book that will grab you keep your interest and rip your lungs out (depending what book of his you pick up :D ). My fav. is [U]Watchers[/U] I sujest that. It has a great story and well built characters and just a fun book to read. :animesmil

[2010DigitalBoy]

Well, I haven't read very many books though I am starting to get into them a lot now that I write them :animeswea

I'd have to say that my favorite book of all time, though meant for younger folk, is [B]Holes[/B] which was so much better than the movie....

[B]1984[/B] is classic brilliance, for not only the reasons that Starwind stated, but also because it has a great plot and loveable charachters whose fate, in the end, hold meaning to you (well... they did to me)

Henai#1 suggested [B]Watchers[/B] which I'm assuming is reffering to the new novel series being released. It is rather short (I read it in 2 hours) but it is very good, with compelling and realistic charachters and an interesting plot which takes an interesting twist at the end.

Brian Jaques's infamous [B]Redwall[/B] series is always great for action fans, with masterfully orchestrated battle scenes and exciting exploration, which brings the greatness of action novels to the animal kingdom.

I'm afraid those are the best I can offer, [B]Animal Farm[/B] is good too, but it's too much like 1984, which is far better in my opinion.

[Wolf2gto]

Personally if your a fantasy book fan i would recomend [COLOR=Red]Eragon and Eldest[/COLOR] the first 2 books of a 3 book series. There about a boy named Eragon that is raised as a farm boy but when he finds a sertain somthing in the forest it changes his life forever, along with the life of the entire village he lives in. its kidna hard to descripe them withought giving away spoilers. but it is about Dragons and Dragon rider's When i first started to read it i found i couldnt put it down, i had read both books in roughly 2weeks, which for me is rare considering i never fully read a book all the way through before these. Tho these are fairily big books there a great read ^_^[SIZE=1](eragon 497 pages of actuall reading not including extra pages, Eldest 668 pages of the actual story not including the reminisents of eragon)[/SIZE]

[kalon]

For fantasy, any of the [B]Dragonriders of Pern[/B] books by Anne McCaffrey are good reads, but they are geared more towards older teens. She is a great author with a few other series, but my favorite book of hers is a historical fiction called [B]Black Horses for the King[/B]. It is about a young boy who ends up helping a realistic version of King Arthur to find and breed the best horses for battle.

[2010DigitalBoy]

My all-time favorite book [COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]Boogiepop And Others [/COLOR] is a great read for anyone into mystery/psychological books. It's really great and unique in that it tells a story with different parts told by different characters which tie together.

Also, for any fans of dark horror/action novels, go for [COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]Vampire Hunter D[/COLOR]. It's increadibly well-written and cool.

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#CD6619]Well, Anime Elf, it all depends on your grade- something that hasn't been established- or what type(s) of books you like. Albeit, people have been giving you all sorts of recommendations, so shall I. But, I haven't read many books recently XP; but, I really am a book nerd deep down. Anyways, here are some books I found interesting:

[B]Dark of the Moon[/B] by Patricia Christine Hodgell: The sequel to [B]God Stalk[/B] is about a girl named Jamethiel who left Taitastigon with her companion Marc in search of her twin brother, Torisen- who is the Highlord of the Kencyrath. Jamethiel goes through rigorous obstacles to get to her brother and has a strange power of hypnotising people with her dancing, as well as a cursed sword.

[B]The Visit[/B] by Friedrich Durenmatt: A tragi-comedy play written about Claire Zachanassian and the town of Guellen and revenge. Claire wants the town to kill Alfred Ill, a man who left her when she was pregnant and turned her into a prostitute. It's quite interesting really.

Then there's [B]The Lovely Bones[/B] by Alice Sebold which is about a girl named Susie Salmon and the life she watches in her "heaven" after her untimely death.

But if you want long and interesting, there's always [B]The Tales of the Otori[/B], a trilogy by Lian Hearn. The first book is called [B]Across the Nightingale Floor[/B], the second is [B]Grass for His Pillow[/B], and the third is [B]Brilliance of the Moon[/B]. They're excellent books that capture you and it's about a boy named Takeo who is thought to be part of an isolated tribe that wanted nothing to do with the war but they were wiped out, excluding himself, and now he's honing the powers he recently found out he had.

There are also other books that Ive read but I can't remember the titles, so these will have to suffice for now.

[B]EDIT:[/B] I was reading through some of the other posts and I realized that I forgot another book that came to mind: [B]The Outsiders[/B], another book written by S.E. Hinton. It's about a group of boys who are called Outsiders and how they are disliked by the Socs, a prep group. The book is basically about what their life is like.[/size][/color]

[Shinmaru]

Some more choices that haven't been mentioned yet...

[b]A Scanner Darkly[/b] by Philip K. Dick: I've become a big fan of PKD, and this is the best of his novels that I've read. It's about an undercover police officer named Agent Fred who poses as a drug addict named Bob Arctor in order to spy on other addicts and get some information that will lead to a massive drug bust. There's a lot more to it than that, however, and it's a fantastic novel that's just hilarious and disturbing at the same time. There's also a film adaptation coming out in about a month that's looking pretty damn good as well.

[b]Paingod and Other Delusions[/b] and [b]I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream[/b] by Harlan Ellison: Two good collections of short stories. Ellison isn't the most stylish writer ever, and a few of the stories are sort of average sci-fi tales, but the best of the best make these worth reading. My favorites are "'Repent, Harlequin!' said The Ticktockman," "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream," "Paingod," "The Crackpots," and "Lonelyache." I still have a couple of stories left to read in [b]I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream[/b].

[b]Haroun and the Sea of Stories[/b] by Salman Rushdie: Very fun, witty children's novel about a kid who visits a far-off land to restore his father's talent for telling stories, which he lost after his wife left him and Haroun temporarily lost faith in the power of stories. I really can't recommend this enough... it's just a blast to read, and it's so damn funny.

[Leofski]

Anything by Pratchett is great fun, if its available in the states. Also the old favourites like Feist, Gemell, Asimov, Banks, Dick etc.

Also, when it come out in the US later this month, buy/borrow/steal The Lies Of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, you will be entertained.

[Lady Knight]

[QUOTE=EVA Unit 100][B]His Dark Materials[/B] is probably the best book series I've ever read. The first book is [B]The Golden Compass[/B] (or [B]Northern Lights[/B]), the second is [B]The Subtle Knife[/B], and the final book in the series is [B]The Amber Spyglass[/B]. If you're a fan of sci-fi and fantasy stuff these are required reading, and even if you aren't typically a fan of those genres you'd probably like them anyway as long as you aren't the ultra-conservative book-burning type.

Of course the [B]Harry Potter[/B] books are amazing, and if you finish all six of the currently books before the seventh book comes out you won't have to deal with major spoilers for the ending (I unfortunately had to cope with spoilers when reading HDM). Ditto on anything by Dan Brown. I also second the recomendation of [B]Ender's Game[/B] and [B]The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy[/B]. Recently I read [B]Elsewhere[/B], a young adult book by a writer who lives pretty close by to me, and it's an amazing book that I feel everyone should read.[/QUOTE]


^ I agree the books by Philip Pullman and J.K. Rowling are some of my favourite reads. I also like the Sabriel series(sorry I forget the author). Another one of my favourites if you like historical-fiction are books by Philippa Gregory such as [B]The Other Boleyn Girl[/b] and [b] The Queen's Fool[/b] are also extremly good books.