Your favourite books?

Hey all, I have a new favourite book, and I want to share it with you:
Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest is a 1996 novel written by David Foster Wallace. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semi-parodic future version of North America. The novel touches on the topics of tennis, substance addiction and recovery programs, depression, child abuse, family relationships, advertising and popular entertainment, film theory, and Quebec separatism.
In 2005, Time magazine included the novel in its list of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present

Hmm let's see my favourite book is " Assassin's Creed" by Oliver Bowden. In this book there is a boy named Etsio who have two brothers and father.They are killed unjustly, that's why Etsio starts his training for assassin and to get revenge on all who were plotting to assassinate his father, brothers and himself.His sister and mother are going to his uncle. And there goes Etsio revenge the death of relatives.The story is really interesting...I can't tell everything with words.I sugest it to all who like that kind of books :p

Pffff Assassins Creed 2? ^^ Ezio?

yeah I'm not sure how to write it ^^

LOOOL.

I could play the game if I wanted to know the story x D . But still, thanks for sharing.

Any more books not related to Games ? x D

Yeah, there's an insan amount of books in the Warcraft/WoW-universe. I never read the but i know they exist. The same on the warhammer-scenario.

Nope game is totally diffrent xD

Where to begin?

I am guessing from a lot of the other posts that not all of you read in English, however those of you that do, or if you can get your hands on a translation....here we go!

Lovers of the Fantasy genre:

<<< Readers Choice >>>

- Robert Jordan
Takes off where Tolkien began. He unfortunately passed away recently (couple of years ago) however before doing so penned 11 unbelievable novels in a series called the "wheel of time". The only down side being that the series was never completed by him and is being finished by a different author selected by his widowed wife.

- Steven Erikson
Very much still alive, and writing some of the most colourful, imaginative and humorous work to have ever hit the fantasy genre. For some reason this guy is still very largely unknown but is up to his 8th or 9th novel (I lost count) in the "Malazan Empire" series. This is the sort of material that you start reading and can't put down. Warning, the series isn't complete so expect to race through them and then be hanging on the edge of your seat for the next edition.

- George R Martin
By far the most daring writer of this genre and probably in many senses this century in general. I have never read a collection of works that have packed as many punches and had so many twists. With George you are never safe in your assumptions and you will be turning every page in anticipation.

- Robin Hobb
A brilliant "fairly" new entrant into the Fantasy genre, Robin provides wonderfully imaginative worlds that at the same time show fantastic depth of character which guides the reader seamlessly into a new world of wonder. I literally jump for joy each time I see a new series of hers hit the shelf.

- Ursula Le Guin
I read most of her works many years ago when I was half the age I am now. Years later I re read the series and was again mesmerised by a wonderful story teller who's real talent is in what she doesn't tell you, allowing your imagination to really soar through the gaps of her writing. A thoroughly enjoyable writer who has had a number of tv and movie series made after her novels (none which were much good to be truthful).


<<< Staple Picks >>>

(Not going to write a blurb for each writer, they all have fantastic and voluminous bodies of work).

Raymond E Feist

David Eddings

Janny Wurts

David Gemmel

Ian Irvine

Terry Brooks

Steven Donaldson


If that isn't enough then I don't know what is, that is years worth of reading right there.


Those not interested in the "fantasy" genre exclusively, I have also thoroughly enjoyed works by the following authors in particular

- Wilbur Smith
A brilliant writer that spends most of his time writing adventure novels set in his beloved Africa. I can honestly say this is the first and last author I have ever read that has made me cry O_o

- Jeffrey Archer
A wonderfully cheaky action/adventure writer who has a fantastic knack of writing a good read with a twist. Be warned, start reading one of his novels and you should not expect to do anything else until you turn the last page.

- James Patterson
Spine tingling detective novels that are great for a read every now and then, though they do get repetitive if you plough through his collection in one sitting.

- Steven King
What can I say, if you haven't read one of his novels, you haven't truly lived. The absolute master of scary suspense thriller. Be warned, after reading any of his too numerous to mention classics, you won't be able to sleep at night!

- Dean Kootz
The master of the supernatural. This guy could talk about a pen for 200 pages and make it sound scary. My only complaint is he can be somewhat hit and miss. However chose his novels with care and you will be rewarded with a great read.


There are truckloads of other authors I could recommend however I think I have already loaded you guys up for time immemorial.

WoW awsome post man! Thank you for this authors I may read something :p

I recent just finished a heart-warming conversation with an acquaintance from another online game I play, more of a browser-based one than some fancy downloadable client kind, and we were talking heavily about books and authors to read.

Before I go into that though, I want to say a few things though. First off, Robert Jordan is indeed a fantastical writer, or was, fates bless his soul. The "Wheel of Time" series is filled with stunning detail, characters, and depth which really can match up to any other fantasy book you can think of. I have read the first few books, and although my uncle later told me the stories were boring to him because of the immense amount of depth and sheer detail, I still found, and still find, myself enjoying the books, and continue to plan on reading them all where I can. =) If any of you are indeed into reading good english-based fantasy books, definitely keep an eye out for those at your local library, or whenever you might see someone selling books. =)

Also Ane (Is it alright to call you Ane? Or would you prefer more letters of your name to be included? It is more easy to call you Ane rather than the full name, but it is up to you. Let me know which you prefer to be called!), I give a hearty nod of appreciation for posting those many authors along with a brief description for some of them. As I told my new companion from the conversation I was referring to earlier, reading for enjoyment is something that I only recently re-discovered. (Less than 2 days ago actually) And I plan on heavily researching these various authors + titles both you, he, and others have shared. It is about time I got myself away from the depressing 'university textbooks' that can seriously harm anyone's childhood enthusiasm for reading, and to start returning to my roots. Hehe. =)

Oh yes, and before I post the list of books + authors the other fellow shared with me, I will also recommend one book + series myself, the very book I just finished reading a few days ago actually, and it too, is also of the fantasy genre. Like Robert Jordan's books, hopefully some of you may have heard of this too. The name of the book I recommend is "The Legacy", by R.A Salvatore, and the book belongs to a fantasy series called "The Forgotten Realms". A very great collection of books, tales, fables, and legends that tell of heros, heroines, good against evil, friendships, loyalty, learning, and so many other great things a book can encompass. If you are up to reading fantasy, and like Ane said, have access to books in the english language from a nearby store/library, definitely give this one a try. Great stuff, if not inspiring and good for keeping one's passion for reading very high, to say the least. =)

And now, to end my post, I will copy + paste the conversation where the other guy I talked about earlier shared some good books + authors he recommended reading to me on my own. It's not exactly my favorite books since I haven't read them yet, but I'm going to post it here anyways to serve as a reminder to me to look them up.

Two, I have the legacy, and the three following books in an omnibus of sorts on my bookshelf on my To Read list. First I have to get through The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (an amazing story by all accounts, and unlike anything I've ever read before in my life. The writing style is amazingly different). Probably one or two L.E. Modesitt Jr. books that have been hanging around. Definitely need to get on top of Changes from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Dracula, The Undead by Stoker's great great grandson or nephew or something. It's going to restore my faith in the world after the Twilight fad started.

Also, if you like comedy in your fantasy, I highly recommend the Dresden Files which have a unique spin on old fantasy.

Also, if you like dwarf humor, then any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld Series involving Vimes would work starting from Feet of Clay. There's a dwarf girl who decides she should be more feminine and starts trying to wear dresses/skirts and makeup.

Thank you both, Aneurysm and TNaismith for the lists!
I think I've read the first book of 'The wheel of time', and it was awesome.
And Terry Pratchett is one of the best authors! I think I've read all books from him, about 10-20! He writes in a funny way, with very dark humor and a lot of irony. It's more a parody of all Fantasy books, but a really good one. (The first books you'll read are very confusing, because the series doesn't have a real beginning.^^

I will search for the books you've mentioned, but I'm not sure if I can find them in English...

And I have a few authors to add, too:

Christoph Marzi, he has a great writing style and his books, Lycidas, Lilith and Lumen are really awesome! It's not the 'normal' kind of fantasy, a bit different, something new =)

Dimitry Glukhovsky: He wrote the 'Metro' series, Metro 2033 and Metro 2044, maybe you've heard from him.

And finally, one of my favourite authors, Frank Schätzing (a german writer).
He wrote 'Der Schwarm, Lautlos and LIMIT. ( I don't know the english titles)
No fantasy, but really great if you are interested in science! I learned a lot from his books.

DieOrFail wrote:And finally, one of my favourite authors, Frank Schätzing (a german writer).
He wrote 'Der Schwarm, Lautlos and LIMIT. ( I don't know the english titles)
No fantasy, but really great if you are interested in science! I learned a lot from his books.

*Waves to Nero to visit this topic*
You see what Die wrote mate? Science! ^^

Yes, and very interesting science! Very good explained, for 'newbies', too
The book is about an unknown specie in the ocean, about environment pollution and the effects of it. It's also about 'life' in the sea, about the relationship between us, the animals, the bacteria and microorganism and our environment. (I can't explain it very good, sorry )

I love science, specially astral science, with its lucid dreams and so. TELL ME PEOPLE, who has had lucid dreams, honestly? =)

xD So many titles to remember and authors to keep in mind! So many great things in this world to read. =D =D

Here is another brief list from another conversation I had today with someone:

L.E. Modesitt Jr. has a great Recluce Saga. It's 15 books now (I heard a rumor about a #16 I have to check out...) The Order of them might not make much sense, but it's a good read, not the best, but good. Actually, these books sort of helped form the beliefs of Scion, and now his daughter Arya here in BM
Also, a character is never the main character for more than 2 books, though there is one reoccurring character in a few books, but he only takes the spotlight for 1 of them

I liked his Corean Chronicles better, but the first trilogy felt like it had a rushed ending. The first book as a stand alone though is amazing.

What else... Brent Weeks Night Angel Trilogy. Opened it one day, and had all three read within a week.

Alan Campbell's Scar Night. If you finish the trilogy your head might be spinning though.

Karen Miller's Innocent Mage, and then the conclusion Awakened Mage. Amazing books. The final conclusive battle felt rushed and unclear, but the ending was done really well. I was actually a bit depressed when I finished it. I hear her God Speaker Trilogy is even better.

Carol Berg's Flesh and Spirit, and then Flesh and Bone. Also really amazing books.

Honestly, Tolkien was just the tip of the iceberg. Looking back on the books now, I think they're good, but not amazing. From a world perspective, they are. He crafted that world with more care than some people handle babies. The story though... kind of short in the long run. He was mostly interested in the lore and the history, I think.

@ TNaismith
I agree with your quotes opinion on Tolkien. His fame is largely for being the first as opposed to the best. Without completely discrediting him because he still wrote (in "the hobit" and "lord of the rings" at least) a great story. However there have been plenty of authors since that have written stories on much larger scales with greater ability. That said, the question remains, how many of them would have done so without his pioneering in the first place.



@ Science fans
In regards to those of you enjoying works in the field of science. The two hands down most interesting reads I have had in that category would be Steven Hawkins "A Brief History Of Time" a mind boggling look at the universe through the eyes of a man considered by most to be the greatest mind of the age. For those of you who find his read a little heavy going, at the other end of the scale, Bill Brysons "A Brief History Of Nearly Everything" is a humorous moniker of Hawkins title covering in short breadth a large percentage of our scientific history. Bryson truly is a master at making the mundane sound wonderful and he is the perfect author to take what could have easily been a stale subject and make it lively enough to jump from the pages.

Tolkien is the one who writes Lord of the Rings, right ?

I've read the first one.

Correct Adam. You should finish the other two parts to the novel however, as it is one whole piece of literature, not meant to be read as individual tales.

I read the first one. Would be worse if I had read the 3rd one

Read all 3!

Adam Shootyperson wrote:I read the first one. Would be worse if I had read the 3rd one

Fala Serio

But you are right! It is definitely better reading it in the order you have read it. A funny story really because when I was about the age you are now. I accidentally read the second part first. It took me about a year to realise that I had read what was supposed to be the second part of three books and not a single novel in its own right. Pretty stupid eh?

Haha I've done the same thing for other book series as well, and I went through the same confusion at how different events, characters and timelines seemed backwards yet still related. xD

When I do read books in the wrong order nowadays though, I am able to remember that certain things I read may already be connected to something in a previous book I haven't read yet. =D (The same method can be applied to movies too I believe)

Aneurysm wrote:

Adam Shootyperson wrote:I read the first one. Would be worse if I had read the 3rd one

Fala Serio

Haha, lolz

The problem is : I have the first one in Portuguese and the second is in English. I think I'll get confused if I read a book in english which in this case, is a sequence of a portuguese book. If you know what I mean

At the moment I read "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. It´s a very funny book, even if you´re sad or worried that book makes you glad =)

It´s about a guy traveling around the galaxy with his friend. I won´t tell more, experience it yourself! And "don´t panic"! ;-)

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

A hell of a book, 1500 pages, heavy and not easy to read...but when you've finished it, it was an infinite jest!