Official book recomendations and review thread!

*READ FIRST*

*Hey guys I though it was about time people started to talk about the books they like the most. It will help those people trying to find a new book to read. And will allow you to post what you think about the books you have read and think other people should read. So please post, write a review, or ask for help about what books are the best. If you want to. Also post about comics, nespaper articles, anythink that you would read or a have a question about. If you do not read usually now is a great time to start, and to find out why reading is just so great, and relaxing. So go at it. Post what books you like, and dislike. Review books, and even comics,*

Now to kick this thing off..................

Books I would recomend: The Covert One series by Robert Lulum, and every other book he wrote, they are all great. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrel. Band of Brothers by Steaphen E. Ambrose. The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis-for younger readers. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas. Biggest Brother by Larry Alexander. Shooter by Jack Caughlin. Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley. Citizen Soldiers by Ateaphen Ambrose-if you want a well told informative outline of WWII.

Books I would not recomend: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells- I know it's a classic, but in todays modern world it's lost quite a bit. Farenheit 451 by Ray bradberry. Brothers in Battle Best of Friends not sure of the authors name.

Hopefully this will give it a jump start!

Oh and how do you make a sticky, if you ahve to vote for it please do, Thanks.

*EDIT* To add some debate to this thread. Who do you think is the best author. Dead or Alive it does not matter. In my opinion it is J.R.R. Tolkien-Steaphen E. Ambrose, and Robert Ludlum are close behind. He is a true visionary, and created one of the deapest and intresting worlds ever created. As well as creating a history and dozens of unique likable characters. How many authors can create a book series that has stood as possibly the greatest fantasy series of all time. The only book pronted more times is the Bible. Not only that, but he also wrote a few good-but not great- novels. Not only that, but after his death his work-The Children of Hurin, and the Silmarillion- were finished and published by his son.

Books I recommend :

Last Exit To Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr
Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahnuik
Nineteen-Eighty-Four - George Orwell
The Room - Hubert Selby Jr

Recommended:

All Quiet on the Western Front

I would recommend War of the Worlds. It started a genre, and if you think its lost its punch i dont believe you were considering when it was written, and what other books were available for comparison at the time.

Its probably the most recent book ive read that terrified me at some point.

i always recommend "the metamorphosis" by franz kafka, but nobody listens. anyway, read it now. its dark, funny, and you may not look at society the same way after reading it.

btw ive been trying to find children of hurin but barnes and noble sucks.

btw ive been trying to find children of hurin but barnes and noble sucks.

LoG-Sacrament

*Doesnt listen

Hey do they have that out in paperback yet? I dont get the big deal with hardcovers, you cant take them anywhere

I loved Shadow of the Wind by Carols Ruiz Zafon. Easily one of the best books that I have read in a long time!

Excellent idea for a thread, btw. I am always looking for new books to read. :)

i always recommend "the metamorphosis" by franz kafka, but nobody listens. anyway, read it now. its dark, funny, and you may not look at society the same way after reading it.

btw ive been trying to find children of hurin but barnes and noble sucks.

LoG-Sacrament

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"]

i always recommend "the metamorphosis" by franz kafka, but nobody listens. anyway, read it now. its dark, funny, and you may not look at society the same way after reading it.

btw ive been trying to find children of hurin but barnes and noble sucks.

Tiefster

blasphemy. madness. it was too short to get boring and everything kept moving. gregor and his family's condition were constantly evolving and devolving.

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"]

btw ive been trying to find children of hurin but barnes and noble sucks.

Witchsight

*Doesnt listen

Hey do they have that out in paperback yet? I dont get the big deal with hardcovers, you cant take them anywhere

i wouldnt know since B&N refuses to stock the book so i can atleast fricken look at the damn thing.

Song of Ice and Fire series by George Martin. Easily the greatest series I have ever read. So many plot twists and cliff hangers. Martin is amazing.drufeous

How many books were in the series? Is it still ongoing?

[QUOTE="drufeous"]Song of Ice and Fire series by George Martin. Easily the greatest series I have ever read. So many plot twists and cliff hangers. Martin is amazing.strieeyes

How many books were in the series? Is it still ongoing?

1984- George Orwell

The Old Man and the Sea- Ernest Hemingway

The Catcher in the Rye- JD Salinger

My favorite books... EVER.

I recomend;

World War Z by Max Brooks

Nightw4tch(wtf why is it censored) by Sergei Lukyanenko

I have recently finished the Drenai Saga by David Gemmell. It consists of 11 books, all of which are excellent. I would recommend all of these books, but my favorite is Legend. Legend was the first of his books I read as well as the first book Gemmell wrote.

In Legend, the Drenai empire is under threat from the conquering Nadir hordes. These invanders will pour into the Drenai mainland if they can take the fortress Dros Delnoch. The Dros is manned by only 10,000 men, against the 500,000 strong Nadir army. In desperation, the Earl of Delnoch sends a letter to his old friend Druss the Legend, the sixty year-old axman.

I have recently finished the Drenai Saga by David Gemmell. It consists of 11 books, all of which are excellent. I would recommend all of these books, but my favorite is Legend. Legend was the first of his books I read as well as the first book Gemmell wrote.

In Legend, the Drenai empire is under threat from the conquering Nadir hordes. These invanders will pour into the Drenai mainland if they can take the fortress Dros Delnoch. The Dros is manned by only 10,000 men, against the 500,000 strong Nadir army. In desperation, the Earl of Delnoch sends a letter to his old friend Druss the Legend, the sixty year-old axman.

ShuLordLiuPei

Sounds similar to Mehmed II's assault on Constantinople. Except replace the Drenai Empire with Europe, and forget about the axeman. (On the other hand, now that I think about it, Constantine XI did enlist the aid of a famed soldier/sailor, a venetian. It was thanks largely to him the city held out as long as it did, and when he was wounded the defense went to hell.)

Pretty generic stuff, but it's only been about six months since i started reading on a regular basis.

Fantasy:

The Tears of Artamon triology by Sarah Ash

The Briar King by Greg Keyes

Sci-fi:

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons

Engines of light triology by Ken Macleod

I would recommend War of the Worlds. It started a genre, and if you think its lost its punch i dont believe you were considering when it was written, and what other books were available for comparison at the time.

Its probably the most recent book ive read that terrified me at some point.

Witchsight

I never said it was not a fantastic, and visionary novel at the time. But now in todays world. After star Trek, Stargate and Star Wars-does all good scifi shows/movies have the word star in front of it- it has lost some of it's thunder. I can imanage it being incredable at the time, and I don't take anything away from Mr. Wells at all. Please don't think that I dislike his writing or disrespect him. I think he is one of the most visionary men, and is the founder of modern Science fiction. I just think that today it is kind of lame, because it is so simple compared to others like Star wars.

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin

i always recommend "the metamorphosis" by franz kafka, but nobody listens. anyway, read it now. its dark, funny, and you may not look at society the same way after reading it.

btw ive been trying to find children of hurin but barnes and noble sucks.

LoG-Sacrament

kafka is one of my favorite writers! that story was fantastic!

I'd also like to reccommend any compilation of H.P. Lovecraft's work. If you want an atmospheric, supernatural read, that's your novel.

Also, As I Lay Dying is one of the absolute best novels I've ever read.

[QUOTE="Witchsight"]

I would recommend War of the Worlds. It started a genre, and if you think its lost its punch i dont believe you were considering when it was written, and what other books were available for comparison at the time.

Its probably the most recent book ive read that terrified me at some point.

Hickamie14

I never said it was not a fantastic, and visionary novel at the time. But now in todays world. After star Trek, Stargate and Star Wars-does all good scifi shows/movies have the word star in front of it- it has lost some of it's thunder. I can imanage it being incredable at the time, and I don't take anything away from Mr. Wells at all. Please don't think that I dislike his writing or disrespect him. I think he is one of the most visionary men, and is the founder of modern Science fiction. I just think that today it is kind of lame, because it is so simple compared to others like Star wars.

I really liked War of the Worlds. It can inspire a sort of horror and hopelesness that I don't see that often.

[QUOTE="strieeyes"]

[QUOTE="drufeous"]Song of Ice and Fire series by George Martin. Easily the greatest series I have ever read. So many plot twists and cliff hangers. Martin is amazing.MahlerFreak

How many books were in the series? Is it still ongoing?

There are 4 books in the series right now. The 5th should be out soon. Reading through them again to get ready for it.

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut. It's just flat out amazing. Easily the best book I've ever read.

The Lucifer Principle - Howard Bloom (A very interesting read. You want an alternative to why suicide bombers are blowing themselves up or why Pat Robertson gets millions of dollars from followers, it's really amazing.)

World War Z - Max Brooks. Think of the 'War of the Worlds' broadcast during the '30's and multiply it by about 5.

I have to recommend the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (RIP)Funkyhamster

I have read the first one, but i stopped after that. It was good, but i heard that there are 6-8 books after each other where almost nothing happens. That they could have been 2-3 books. So now i have pushed it behind most other series that i'm considering.

I'm reading "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen E, Ambross right now.

It's defenitely the most interesting history book I've ever read....but that's not saying much. I should probably check out Band of Brothers.

My favorite books are;
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
And the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Which I think stand up as fantasy with great characters even now as I get older.

In no particular order:

On The Road, by Jack Kerouac

The Odyssey, by Homer

Lord of The Rings series, by J R.R. Tolkien

The Dragonlance books (there are three original books) by Hickmann/Weiss.

Homeland, Exile, Sojourn (to start) by R.A. Salvatore

Bankok Eight, by John Burdette

Recommended:

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Easily the best book I have read. It is more of a whole body and mind experience that can transcend reality than it is a package of papers that is read by a set of eyeballs.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. The epitome of "literature." The way Burgess combines Russian, Cockney-rhyming and English is something that could be called "art." The "nadsat" language of Alex De-Large combined with the themes and plot is a superb work that makes me ashamed to have ever like Kubrick's overly sexualized "film version."

Burmese Days by George Orwell. I am a huge Orwell fan but I am not one of those people who like him for just Nineteen Eighty-Four. I think his much lesser-known title of Burmese Days is his greatest work. It may not be a surreal journey through a dystopic world but it is simply a great novel that makes you feel for the characters involved because of its more personal tone. It may not be the subject of an English professors lecture where they are trying to find more meaning that what exists but I think it is worth reading whether or not you enjoyed Nineteen Eighty-Four.
foxhound_fox

I like the A Clockwork Orange book too. But the movie just seemed like porn to me.....

I like the A Clockwork Orange book too. But the movie just seemed like porn to me..... ElSnoopy892

The Godfather, by Mario Puzo.
Puzo's my favorite author, the Godfather's the best work he did, with The Sicilian being a great book. His other books are very good as well, but not on the same plane as The Godfather. Mark Winegardner's sequals to The Godfather are good as well, but he's no Puzo.

Shogun, by James Clavell.

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

The Long Grey Line by Rick Atkinson.

Robert Ludlum is good, but its a bit slow IMO.

Michael Crichton is sligtly better, but if you want non-stop action take Stephen King's Cell.

If you haven't seen the movie, watch the Da Vinci Code.
If you did, forget about it.
Infinite-Zr0

This is a thread about book recomendations?

The Brothers Karmazov by Feodor Dostoevsky. This masterwork is one of the peaks of world literature, it has to be one of the most intellectual novels ever written.

The plot mainly centers around three brothers Alyosha, Dmitri, and Ivan, and their estranged alcoholic father Fyodor Karamazov. Alyosha is Christlike in his innocence, and tries to reconcile Dmitri and Ivan with their father whom they both hate for disparate reasons. Dimitri hates his father because he is most like him, sensual, impulsive, and bull headed, while Ivan (who is a coldly rational atheist, nihilist, and rigid intellectual) hates his father for his baseness and animalistic drives.

In addition to being a murder mystery and a courtroom drama, this brilliant classic is also a intense study of the existence of god, a vitriolic criticism of social conformity and church rule (The Grand Inquisitor) as well as a deeply philosophical introspection into the nature of freedom and free choice.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who is seriously looking for a nourishing literary experience.

[QUOTE="Infinite-Zr0"]If you haven't seen the movie, watch the Da Vinci Code.
If you did, forget about it.
trodeback

This is a thread about book recomendations?

I meant to read Da Vinci Code, not watch it

A lot of great recommendations so far. It's nice to see several book threads in OT today. :) A few of my faves that haven't been mentioned yet:

Fantasy: The Neverending Story by Micheal Ende. An incredibly imaginative work of fantasy. Like the Narnia set it can be enjoyed by kids and adults.

Sci-fi: The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. Not really character driven but Asimov had a ton of unique ideas. His contributions to the genre cannot be overstated.

Contemporary: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn & Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Two great books, I have full reviews in my blog if anyone wants to read them.

Classics: David Copperfield & Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Not everyone likes Dickens but I've enjoyed a lot of his books. Those two are his best in my opinion, along with A Christmas Carol.

Biography: Anything by David McCullough. Check out one of his biographies on an American President. His books are painstakingly researched, well written, and more entertaining than a biography has any right to be.

Song of Ice and Fire series by George Martin. Easily the greatest series I have ever read. So many plot twists and cliff hangers. Martin is amazing.drufeous

Yay a fellow fan:D I can't wait for book five, sucks they had to split them into two books at the end, I didnt like a feast for crows as much. Still a great book, but not as good as the last 3.