Readout

[pasithea]

So. Lately I've somehow been hanging around online with all these insanely cool people and they make references to all these books they've read that are really thought provoking and I'm like totally here in the dark when it comes to good fiction.

One of my New Year's resolutions was 'read something other than a textbook or manual', and while 'Booru mata mata mata' may meet the letter of the resolution, it doesn't meet the spirit of it.

So... Suggest books for me to read! (Reading order determined by available time and what I find at the second-hand bookshop)

Now is the part where confess shame in my lack of fiction reading. The last sci-fi/fantasy type stuff that I can clearly remember reading are the 'Bill the Galactic Hero' series when I was in the hospital almost six years ago, and in all honesty I haven't read much more than that (in the way of sci-fi) since ~1990. I've read most of the 'great classics', but hardly any of the classics of sci-fi or fantasy. So hit me with basics and help me patch this hole before someone finds out I'm ignorant! @_@

Comments

[perlandria.livejournal.com]

Come over, ook at the bookshelves, grab 10 things, read, repeat.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Friz Leiber's Lankhmar books. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser have lovely interplay; it's a shame most fantasy goes the epic Tolkien route instead of this quieter, nastier direction.

Damn near anything by Michael Swanwyck. Especially Vaccuum Flowers, Iron Dragon's Daughter, and Stations of the Tide.

Tim Powers, On Stranger Tides, The Stress Of Her Regard.

Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Best if you just dedicate a whole weekend without distraction to reading this one; it's better in absurd megadoses.

Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon The Deep.

Iain M. Banks, Use of Weapons, Feersum Endjinn, Against A Dark Background.

Lord Dunsanay, The King of Elfland's Daughter

I'd swear I did an LJ entry like this a long while back but I can't find it.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

I'd swear I did an LJ entry like this a long while back but I can't find it

Aha!

[wyldekyttin.livejournal.com]

So what if I just mail you a couple of books, then you mail them back, and I mail you another couple? I've got a geisha book I keep thinking about you in reference to.

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

I'm always neurotic about wrecking other people's books because I bicycle and travel by train so I tend to just stuff them in my backpack a lot.

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

I would like to recomend the March Books by David Weber and someone Juno (March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars). While it IS a military journal, for the most part, it is a story about survival in a alien enviroment with cultures not quite our own. I liked it a lot, even though I don't like a lot of Weber's books.

The Ender's Shadow series is also a lot of fun, with the story of Bean growing up to be a Man, effectivly. It's a interesting look at how the world was after Ender left for space. Written by Orson Scott Card.

Children of Odin (I think that is what it was called) is a book on Norse Gods. Really well done. Always a good read.

Lackeys wrote a book, I don't remember it's name, but it's about a modern day medicine woman who has to belive in the spirits in order to save someone. Kinda spooky, really well done. Wish I could remember the name. If you find a book that she has down that is not part of a long series, that's probably is it.

Anything by James White is always good. Medicine in Space is cool.

[mercia.livejournal.com]

Probably "Medicine Woman". ^^;;

I can recall reading it from my (former) local public. Very good read. Nice, re-readable, good way to kill an hour or two. :D

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Actually, I ran into my sister (Who has the book), and she said it's called Sacred Ground. If she's released a new one, that's cool. :')

[saberwind.livejournal.com]

When you get time, and feel in need of some wonderful mind candy, Terry Pratchett's The color of magic, the first book of his Discworld series, should more likely than not set a smile to your face. :}

[paka.livejournal.com]

The Art of Star Wars: Episode I is actually a nice insight into concept art and how it's made.

[mercia.livejournal.com]

Okay. >>

First off, two of C.J. Cherryh's series:
The Foreigner Universe (Foreigner, Invader, Inheritor, Precursor, Defneder, Explorer)
I've read (and re-read) all but the last and highly recommend.

The Chanur series (Pride of Chanur, Chanur's Venture, The Kif Strike back, Chanur's Homecoming, Chanur's Legacy)
Again, read and re-read all of them. Have most of them, in fact.

Cherryh is the queen of getting you into an alien mindset, and that's what both of these series demonstrates wonderfully. I found them to be a bit of heavy going the first time I read, but repeated readings made them better with each. ^^

Also, for fantasy, I *LOVE* Dave Duncan's "A Man of His Word" series (Magic Casement, Faery Lands Forlorn, Perilous Seas, Emperor and Clown) and, to a lesser extent, his "Seventh Sword" series (Reluctant Swordsman, Coming of Wisdom, Destiny of the Sword). Sword series isn't *quite* as good, IMHO, as the Word series, but still quite good. ^^

Will post more as I remember/get ideas.