Recommendations: What's on Your Bookshelf?

Zurbaran1 · 09-03-2006, 01:11 PM

One of the reasons I'm psyched about this new forum is the potential it has to let us know about some great books we may never have heard of. Way, way back on the old forum a thread was posted asking folks for recommendations. A member made a recommendation that I took and boy am I glad I did. If we can do a little more of that here then this forum will be a great success.

Anyway THAT book was REPLAY by Ken Grimwood. You have got to read this book, it's fantastic. I've read many books in my life but this one stands out above just about all of them. It's a compelling read. This book got to me in a way most books never could and it really made me think about my life. The story is a twist on the classic time-travel tradition and presents the question "What if you could live you life over and over again, knowing the mistakes you'd made before." This book is worth hunting down. Trust me.

I read pretty much everything but since my childhood I have been a big fan of fantasy and science fiction. I love reading multi volume sets. The biggest problem I have with these is that there can often be a period of a year or two between books and that can disrupt the flow.

I started reading the fabulous Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan when it was already up to voluem 8. The nice thing about coming in late to a series or when it's all done is that you can start at the beginning and just work you way straight through it, but this can take time!
I think Wheel of Time is up to 11 or 12 books right now so I've got some more catching up to do having stopped at #8.

I'm a big, big fan of Terry Goodkin's Sword of Truth series. I started that set at the begining and have been looking forward to each succeeding volume. The series has lost a little bit of steam (not much really) but it is a fantastic read. It's up to 10 volumes with Phantom being the last one, released this past July. I think the series has 2 more volumes to go before it wraps up. I love these books.

Right now I am reading The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. Martin is being called America's Tolkien and he may very well deserve the accolade. This series is awesome. I'm on the second book right now, A Clash of Kings. The set is up to 4 books with, I think, another 2 expected. These are huge sweeping books but once you pick them up they are hard to put down. I also recently read Fevre Dream an earlier book by Martin. A very different vampire story set on the Mississippi back in the 1800s.

Another recommendation I took from the old board was The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman. This was another set of books I had never heard of. A great three volume read for fans of SF & Fantasy. It deals with the forces of good and evil, the fine line between them and redemption. This one came highly recommended and I pass it along that way.

While over at Barnes & Noble last night I picked up The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle Earth by John Garth. I'll probably get to these when I'm done with Ice and Fire or maybe squeeze them in between books.

While I've got plenty more, this will do for now. What's on your bookshelf?

devlinboy · 09-03-2006, 01:15 PM

chuck palahniuk: choke, lullaby, haunted. i couldnt explain these if i tried lol. they are great though
richard marcinko: rogue warrior, red cell. books about navy seals and what not. i really liked them all

JLM · 09-03-2006, 02:10 PM

Holes by Loius Sachar. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Funny, intiguing, well written. An all round darn fine read.

Zurbaran1 · 09-03-2006, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonathan74

Holes by Loius Sachar. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Funny, intiguing, well written. An all round darn fine read.

Haven't read this one but my kids had to for school. They loved it. We did see the movie together and it was quite entertaining.

JLM · 09-03-2006, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zurbaran1

Haven't read this one but my kids had to for school. They loved it. We did see the movie together and it was quite entertaining.

My sister is a teacher and she got her kids to read it and they loved it. I've sucessfully recommended it to a work colleague. The movie is a good adaptation of the book.

High Lord Apocalypse · 09-03-2006, 03:26 PM

microbiology made ridiculously simple.

Zurbaran1 · 09-03-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malulinx

microbiology made ridiculously simple.

Not exactly what I had in mind, but whatever floats your boat.

lord odin · 09-03-2006, 04:26 PM

Dante`s inferno.

Going to hell is a blast.

**Bullseye** · 09-03-2006, 04:36 PM

Paradise Lost.

Ghost · 09-03-2006, 05:39 PM

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Book about an Indian boy stuck in a raft with a tiger and his journey. Highly recommend. Even Stephen King praised it as a must read.

Also The Memory of Running. I forgot the author's name, but it's about an obese man that takes off on his bike just one day. This book was never published or was never allowed to be, but was put on audio tape. After King heard it, he pushed everyone to publish the book. It really is good.