I thought it would be fun to look at someones library and give him/her recommendations based on what he/she likes. Anyone in?

Message edited by its author, Jan 22, 2008, 3:29pm.

For you, I'd recommend Lady Jane Grey by Hester W. Chapman.

Fleela, I recommend for you the Sandman graphic novels... classic graphic novels that they are.

Tane, I'd recommend Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie for you. They have super-powers.

edited to fix a bad touchstone.

Message edited by its author, Jan 22, 2008, 3:42pm.

thanks Philosojerk ;-)

Great pick, Tane. I was given some of the graphic novels, but I haven't cataloged or read them yet.

I just want to add that I think this is a great idea for a thread...

philosojerk, I'd recommend checking out God's Debris

It's like the fun part of SantaThing! (I mean, getting my books was fun too, but...)

kawika, for authors you already have, I'd recommend The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay and A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore.

For something new, I'd recommend The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold.

fyrefly98 - I think you might enjoy Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It is an unusual young adult book which I think many adults would also find interesting.

this is a great idea sophies_choice.

katylit - I think you may like more of Sharon Kay Penman, maybe start the Welsh trilogy, Here Be Dragons is the first one.

This fun!

We skipped Maggie, so i will recommend to both her and Jeri

Maggie: If you liked Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen you'll love Lucky You!

Jeri: If you liked The Angel of Darkness you should check out Caleb Carr's The Alienist!

Jeri, I think you might like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. You might also the year 1000.

Oops Groo got in there before me whilst I was trying to spell Connecticut.

This is a great idea for a thread, but I'm too tired to think.

I'll come back in the morning.
:o)

Thanks, sophies_choice!

Soda pop, for you I would recommend How to be Good by Nick Hornby.

Clam, anything by Graham Greene, especially The heart of the Matter or The End of the Affair.

Ooh! This sounds like a lot of fun!

Arctic-Stranger, for you I recommend Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint.

Ok, I suck at this, but I'll give it a try :P

Cheri, I recommend Ethan Hawke's Ash Wednesday.

I think you'd like it :)

Cheri, I recommend The Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells.

Aviddiva, for you I'd recommend The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.

Delirium, I think you'd like A Hundred Million Francs by Paul Berna. It was one of my favourite books as a kid and Philip Pullman got his inspiration for Lyra from one of the main characters.

mrgrooism, somehow you were skipped so I will recommend Weaveworld for you. And thanks for the recommendation you gave me.

note: I'm not looking for more recommendations, I just did not want groo to be missed ;

littlebookworm, you might like Wildwood Dancing, since you've read (and apparently enjoyed) other books by Juliet Marillier.

foggidawn - I recommend you Stephen Lawhead's Taliesin and the rest of the Pendragon books, since you like YA.

Oooh, I dont know that I'll be very good at this, I know what I like, but i usually cant tell you why I like it, let alone decide what other people might like... But I really like the idea, so I'll give it a try...

WillSteed, considering that you like Robin Hobb, I'd recommend Karen Miller's Kingmaker/Kingbreaker duology :)

I don't know what you would like Seanie, but if you like cute but non-sickeningly so stories with adorable pictures, "Yotsuba&! Volume 1" would be the Manga for you, since it is an all ages Manga that everybody can enjoy without having any experience of the genre.

DAMNED TOUCHSTONES!

I don't need a recommendation, because Arctic's done mine. Brilliant choice, Arctic, as I own a bunch of Graham Greene's books that I haven't gotten to, yet, including The End of the Affair.

TeenAuthor, you need to get your hands on something written by Carl Sagan. You might try something short, like Billions and Billions just to get you started.

Blasted touchstones!

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2008, 9:25am.

YAY!! I get to do Clamairy's! OK, based entirely on something you said in HH one day, I'm recommending to you the book Paganism, An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions, by Joyce & River Higginbotham. They just seem like such nice people, just like you!

(and I know you said you didn't need a recommendation, but it's such fun to try to suggest things for people!)

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2008, 2:43pm.

>29 RowanTribe - The first recommendation that came to mind based on your other books is Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. I listened to it on audio (Brenden Fraiser did a fantastic job reading) and think it is a great story.

Jenson_AKA_DL, from what I can see in your library you'd like Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books. Enormous fun.

Glad to see people like this topic! I knew my fellow Green Dragon-friends would never give up a chance on a good read!

Grammath - I recommend Larklight by Philip Reeve - maybe a bit 'young' for you, but it's well worth the effort.

WillSteed, given your interest in fantasy, medieval times, the different shapes of religion, alternate perspectives and strong female protagonists, I recommend The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

ETA: This is so much fun! Thanks sophieschoice.

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2008, 6:51pm.

Can I do this again to get more recommendations? (Because god knows what I need is MORE books in my TBR pile.)

citygirl - I think you would like Water for Elephants, A Cure for Death by Lightning or Peace Like a River.

fyrefly98, I'm going to do the same -- I love recommendations!

For you, I would recommend Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones.

I spent about an hour reading fyrefly's reviews, which I highly recommend. But foggi beat me to it!

foggi, my friend, you really should try a little Trollope. I recommend Barchester Towers.

(and for fyrefly, I was about to recommend The Fortress of Solitude or Motherless Brooklyn both by Jonathan Lethem. He's cool.)

LG, I was surprised to find NO Tom Robbins in your stacks. I started with Still Life with Woodpecker but others swear by Jitterbug Perfume.

Arctic Stranger,

I'd recommend that you read Thomas Mann's Transposed Heads.

Why?

Because from your talk page you are more interested in things that you cannot talk about, because you found Buddenbrooks interminable, and because you have a bunch of things on Eastern Religion.
And, of course, because I like the book!

Thanks Arctic, I have read both, and have been meaning to reread Jitterbug Perfume for a while. (who has the time?!)

>37 That seriously just made my night. Thank you! :-D

I've had Fortress of Solitude on my "books to keep an eye on" list for a while now; I guess I should promote it up to regular wishlist status, huh?

>36 Diana Wynne Jones sounds really familiar, although I'm 99% sure I've never read anything by her - maybe someone's recommended her before? I'll have to check her out.

A_musing -- You like history, you don't seem to shy away from tough subject matter, and one of your favorite authors is "anonymous." So I'd recommend A Woman in Berlin, by Anonymous -- a no hold's barred account of the bitter end of the Third Reich and of life after the Soviets took occupation of the German capitol city. Actually, "Anonymous" was recently identified posthumously, 45 years after the book was published. It was a tremendous literary scandal in Germany when the author's name was made public.

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2008, 9:59pm.

That looks absolutely fascinating, and why anonymous is one of my favorite authors!

#22
Thanks, Sodapop! :)

I think I will definitely get it, then, with such a recommendation! :D

Hmmm... do I get another recommendation if I post again? :D :D :D :D

Heh :P

jburlinson, I don't know how to tell you this, but.... We.Have.No.Books.In.Common. :-O

I couldn't tell by your profile, but... do you read Spanish? I know one of your favorite authors is Borges.

First I thought of Mario Benedetti. I love his poetry.

But then, I decided I was going to recommend Primavera de luto, by Juan José Millás. It's a collection of stories, related to each other.

Dumb touchstones aren't working. :(

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2008, 10:34pm.

#44 -- Excelente. Yo no estoy familiarizado con ese autor. Amazon tiene una copia utilizada para $16. ¿Es eso un precio bueno? Muchas gracias.
BTW. Tengo una copia de La Brújula Dorada. Soy simplemente demasiado perezoso entrar todos mis libros.

Message edited by its author, Jan 23, 2008, 10:55pm.

How about Spanish-English Dictionary for you?

Das ist eine gute Idee. Was ist eine gute Wahl?

Learn German in Your Car?

Muy good, danke.

Ah, fuggedaboudit!

什么? No has gesprecht s jazykom melangée before? C'est とっても divertido!

I'll recommend "How To Offend People In Several Languages"

It was called something like that. I don't remember the exact title.

For all of you polyglots or anyone that's ever taught EFL, I reccomend Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. The chapter where he tries to explain the Easter bunny to his classmates is particularly funny.

Well, Sodapop, I guess you're up. For you, I've got Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott which is chick lit set in Manhattan and written in the 1920s and/or Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, which is a very well-written account of a midwestern girl's experiences in a fancy Eastern boarding school. More adult than YA, I think you might like it.

Sorry touchstones wonky.

citygirl,

If you have not read The Night Watch by Sarah Waters, I highly recommend it. For that matter, you might like The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko as well.

Arctic Stranger;

Based on your interests and your work with people who are dying, I recommend A Bed by the Window by M. Scott Peck.

It's been several years since I read it, but it made a deep impression on me!

Enjoy!

Arctic Stranger! i think you would enjoy the tormented and tormenting tale of Warren Zevon in I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon by Crystal Zevon, featuring anecdotes from family and friends and Warren himself.

Sometimes you want to hug him, help him, slap him, strangle him, all at the same time. While he was dying, he insisted that his ex-wife not only write this, but drag everything out of the closet, and not pull any punches.

A fascinating book about a super talented train-wreck of a man.

agjuba! You got in before me, heee heee!

Looking through your list, I see you liked John Irving enough to read two of his better books. Have you read The World According to Garp yet? If not, do so, it's a thrilling, emotional read like no other!

Mrgrooism, because your catalog shows you enjoy a good mystery and aren't afraid to visit the dark side, I recommend Skull Session by Daniel Hecht.

Message edited by its author, Jan 24, 2008, 10:51pm.

aviddiva, I see you have a few books by Peter S. Beagle, but not The Last Unicorn! Definitely a classic. Also, since you like fairy tales, you might like Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

StarGazer as you seem to like the same sort of complex fantasy books I do you might want to try

Fortress in the eye of time which is an intreguing twist on the young wizard discovers his powers type.

Good omens and if you enjoy that all of the Discworld series - I suggest Equal rites as a suitable beginning. Some Gaiman fans aren't so keen on Pratchett's influence in Good omens but I think it will appeal.

reading_fox, on the outdoors side of things, I'd really recommend Annapurna by Maurice Herzog. I know it's a bit controversial but it's still a good read. I know it's sort of the wrong end of mountains for you, but my knowledge of caving books, good or bad, is zilch :-)

And I'd recommend reading Vurt, by Jeff Noon, as I noticed you liked Pixel Juice. It's partly fun for the Manchester references but I also remember it being a suitably entertaining and bizarre cyberpunkish world.

LizT, we share 118 books, so I think I can come up with something. I predict that you will absolutely love The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. And I think you might like The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber.

This thread is so addictive!

Thank you fyrefly98 and Arctic for the recs. Both of those Night Watch books look really tasty.

>#60 Stargazer, you're right on the money -- I've read and enjoyed both of those!

Citygirl, because you like Dorothy Sayers, I think you might also enjoy the mysteries of Ngaio Marsh. Her first (which introduces her detective) is A Man Lay Dead, and one of my favorites is Artists in Crime.

Aviddiva - A suggestion for you just leaped right to mind: Fables of Fontaine, in verse and as illustrated by Marc Chagall!

You've raved about a couple different versions of Mother Goose, including one illustrated by Charles Addams, and you've got Japanese and Italian fairy tales and a collection of tales from around the world - well, this one is a real treasure, for the art and poetry, and Fontaine's fables (often derived from Aesop) are less well-known in the English speaking world.

(You may be interested in the books in my library tagged "Mythic or Fabulous" - I think we share an interest!)

Message edited by its author, Jan 25, 2008, 4:19pm.

A_musing - I'll give this a shot. You are looking for a book to read about south-east Asia, would Korea count? I read The Living Reed by Pearl S. Buck and enjoyed it a lot. Or, based on the books we have in common, if you haven't read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, I recommend that.

MrsLee, for you I would recommend The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman.

How fun!

Thanks Kimberly, that is an excellent recommendation, because I have read it and enjoyed it. :D

MrsLee, if you haven't read it, I think you might enjoy Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell.

(edit)
Oops, didn't realized I'd skipped someone. KimberlyL. for you I recommend Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon -- it has mystery and theater!

Message edited by its author, Jan 26, 2008, 6:56pm.

#68, oh shoot, I was hoping it wasn't one you had and just not on your LT yet. Then let me recommend a personal favorite The Character of Rain: A Novel by Amelie Nothomb. Not a Children or YA book, but told from a child's point of view and utterly charming.

#69. Thank you for the recommendation aviddiva! Death at La Fenice went straight into my Amazon cart. I have no restraint.

KimberlyL - After taking a look at your library, I think you should read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The book was amazing!

aviddiva, based on our shared works, I'd recommend The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

GeorgiaDawn, on the same criteria, I'm suggesting The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall for you.

foggidawn - I actually checked out The Penderwicks from the library and never got around to reading it. We were moving at the time. I'll certainly pick it up again! Thanks!

I suggest The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers for you.

Message edited by its author, Jan 26, 2008, 9:24pm.

#71 Thanks for recommendation GeorgiaDawn! *and back to Amazon she goes*

Thanks foggidawn -- I don't know The Thief and it looks good. I've just put a hold on it at the library.

Thanks also to A_Musing -- I ordered the fables and am looking forward to them!

Thanks #69 & 70, those look like a good read!

GeorgiaDawn, I found you surprisingly hard to recommend for, despite the fact that we share 138 books! Everything I thought of at first, you'd already read, so I've got a few different ones for you:

A mystery/crime series by Carol O'Connell. The first is Mallory's Oracle.

The Feast of All Saints - Anne Rice. Historical novel about the affluent and educated free people of color in ?19th Century? New Orleans.

The Count of Monte Cristo, if you haven't already read it.

Message edited by its author, Jan 28, 2008, 5:38pm.

Oh, and aviddiva, thank you for the Marsh recommendations. I've been meaning to try one, so now I'll take the next opportunity.

OK, Citygirl, I'm debating a few ideas for you:

Marguerite Duras' The Lover - it's poetic and hypnotic, by a woman, about another part of the world, and would fit your boysandgirls tag, and those all seem like things you would like, but you own another Duras and only gave it three stars, so maybe not.

Katherine Anne Porter's Flowering Judas - she is one of the best writers of short stories in the English language, and there are some haunting stories in here of her time in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution, stories that combine spirtuality, politics, and romance. She is also a much undervalued poet, though that would be another work, and you have nothing by her!

Leila Aboulela's The Translator - a story of Africa and Islam, that has a wonderful sense of time and place and a lyrical tone to it.

I think I'm leaning toward the Katherine Anne Porter for you, but might as well give you all the choices.

Mrs. Lee - I've read the Rebecca, and enjoyed it (as well as the movie), but not the Pearl Buck, which I'm going to keep an eye out for (the B&N in my building didn't have it).

Thanks!

#77 - Thanks, citygirl! I'd love to get lost in a good mystery series and I love Anne Rice! I'll add those to my evey growing and never ending TBR list!

**gone to look at citygirl's library**

#77 citygirl - I'm back!

I suggest A Thousand Spendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini to you. It was an amazing book!

Since you have alot of books about Great Britain and you like mysteries, I'd suggest anything from The William Monk Series by Anne Perry. They're not books that you have to think alot about, but they will certainly keep you interested. Fun books!

OH - and I have not read The Count of Monte Cristo! Thanks, again!

A Musing, since you recommended fables for me, I'll return the favor: Little Mook and Dwarf Longnose by Wilhelm Hauff, in the edition illustrated by Boris Pak if you can get it. Hauff wrote his own interesting fairy tales which aren't found so often in English, and Pak's illustrations are rich little jewels.

citygirl - I've been eyeing up The Thirteenth Tale and wondering about it for a while now so it's definitely going on the wishlist now :-) And thanks for the other rec, I will definitely check it out!

I'm confused about what's going on now, so I'm just going to recommend to both aviddiva, for whom I would suggest Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, if you haven't read it already (we share surprisingly few books - this is based on the fact that you like Sunshine and they're both urban fantasy, so it's a little tenuous! But Neverwhere is a fantastic read anyway!) and to GeorgiaDawn, I want to recommend Mister God, This is Anna, which is Christian story, that I guess is kind of YA/children's, that I just loved.

Oooh, this is *fun*. It really is like SantaThing! But without spending money! Woo!

Lizt - The Dirk Gently maybe - quirky humour, but not as SF as Hitchhikers

The rest of FForde's work as you mostly enjoyed the Eyre affair. They don't get any more literery but are still quite fun.

Watership down and Wind in the willows as more delightful children's ish tales of english life.

Non-fiction wise maybe The Omnivore's Dilemma: which I haven't actually read, but is supposed to be a reasonable guide to the ethics of eating.

reading_fox, for you I could suggest:

for your appreciation of C. J. Cherryh, try Julie E. Czerneda, In the Company of Others

and as a wild card mix of fantasy, history, and a slanted take on an archangel, try the Damiano trilogy, by R. A. Macavoy, beginning with Damiano, Damiano's Lute and ending with Raphael

Also, for SF with the harder edge, if you can get it, a superbrly thought provoking read, Jerusalem Fire by R. M. Meluch

And another whap, for the eeevile glitch, with loading touchstones - why does the author's name and one title come up correctly, but another one that isn't even the same wording get substituted for Raphael, and with yet another author???

*just popping in*

Thanks, GeorgiaDawn. I've been wondering about A Thousand Splendid Suns, so I'll add it to tottering pile.

A_musing. You hit it with The Lover. I thought it was in my library. Maybe under L'Amant. It's absolutely beautiful.

I'd never heard of Flowering Judas or The Translator and am very excited to try something new.

*pops out*

Janny> One of the recommendations I got from SantaThing was for The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey. I really enjoyed it and from the looks of your library, you might too.

I also recommend Double Whammy and Skinny Dip to anyone who likes Carl Hiaasen. I am still reading his works but these are my two favorites so far. Who knew a book about bass fishing (Double Whammy) could be so entertaining?

Message edited by its author, Jan 29, 2008, 5:59pm.

let me play...

xorscape, I didn't see An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England by Brock Clarke. Part mystery, part spoof on the memoir genre, I really liked it. Hope you do too. :)

Message edited by its author, Jan 29, 2008, 2:05pm.

My TBR list will be crying, but this is too fun!

monica, with the books you have tagged Christian, fantasy and children I highly recommend Patrick Carman's Land of Elyon series. The first book is called The Dark Hills Divide. If you like the Chronicles of Narnia I think you'll like Carman's stuff too. :)

elbakerone, based on the stuff we share, I think you'd like His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik and Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer. Both are historical fiction crossed with fantasy, and both are quite a lot of fun.

Also, all that Ray Bradbury and no Martian Chronicles?!? Really?

#90 - The Martian Chronicles is an amazing book!

#83 LizT - That's for the suggestion! I'll check it out!

Oh my...I'll never get to all the books! Isn't that wonderful!

#85 Janny! Someone else who has read about Damiano and Raphael - very cool. I love those books and was so tickled to find an omnibus on Alibris a while back so indulged in a wonderful re-read. reading_fox, I second Janny's recommendation, I really think you'd enjoy them.

Monica, thanks for the recommendation! I will look for the book. It sounds quite interesting and the ratings here make me even more curious!

I don't see many angel books in your library, but if you like them, one that I really enjoyed was An Angel for the Earl by Barbara Metzger. It is a fun, light regency romance.

#83 LizT - I never suggested a book for you! I recommend The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I read this several months ago for a group read here at LT. Since then, I've read it for two other real life book clubs. It's an amazing autobiography!

#87 xorscape - thanks for the recommendations.
I agree that Carl Hiassen is tops for the cynical romp that runs into frazzled whimsy. Good thought, I am well aware of Mercedes Lackey - can you or anyone clue me as to how The Fairy Godmother differs from her other work?

#92 - Katylit - how I wish R. A. Macavoy had some recent titles. There's an author I miss, and sorely. I was enchanted from the moment I found Tea with the Black Dragon which is proof positive that sometimes the best fantasy can be slim and have a short page length.

Message edited by its author, Jan 30, 2008, 4:24pm.

The Audiobook group recommended The Thirteenth Tale and I loved it! They also recommended The Time Traveler's Wife which I am going to start this weekend.

95> Janny, I haven't read anything else by Mercedes Lackey so I'm not sure I can answer the question. My understanding is that The Fairy Godmother leans more to the romance side, even with witches, godmothers, princes, unicorns, dragons, adventure, etc. "Cinderella meets Russian folk tales with a fairy godmother, and three princes thrown in for good measure." Our heroine was supposed to have a Cinderella ending, but the local prince was only 11 years old, so she took a different career path. I quite liked it.

Thanks Janny, I just ordered it from Amazon for a penny! Now I have something to look forward to in the mail - I love getting books in the mail! :-D

I've never read anything else by Macavoy, so this will be wonderful, it sounds like an intriguing story.

#96 xorscape - thanks. Looks like I could give it a try.

For your enjoyment of early gothic, and mysteries, with a twist toward the bizarre, I'd recommend Barbara Hambly's extremely well done mysteries: Those Who Hunt the Night and Search the Seven Hills which was retitled from the hardback The Quirinal Hill Affair.

#97 Katylit - for your interest in the lives of poets, I'd recommend Tim Powers Anubis Gates.

Janny! Stop Stop, I have so many TBRs already and you keep telling me about more. I've got to stop coming to this thread ;) It's addicting like the rest of LT and the GD!! Absolutely wonderful.

Anubis Gates sounds right up my alley, I love time travel, and alternative worlds, lives of poets, it sounds totally perfect. I'm going to a big book store tomorrow with the intent of buying Invader, so I'll look for Anubis Gates too. Thank you!

>65 A_Musing, my copy of Fables of La Fontaine came this week, and it is indeed a jewel. Thanks for the recommendation. Not only are the poems fine and the illustrations beautiful, the typesetting is great, and the background information on the paintings is fascinating.

I'd recommend a book, but t seems as though this thread tied itself neatly off. I'm open for another suggestion, though!

aviddiva, you've tempted me back in. I have no business here as I already have at least three books recommended sitting here waiting to be read, including the Marsh you recommended. Oh, well.

Dear passionate and palindromic prima donna, for you I recommend you check out Tracy Chevalier. Your library shows an interest in women's lives during historical times, art and storytelling, I think you might enjoy Girl with a Pearl Earring or The Lady and the Unicorn.

Thanks, citygirl -- those have been kind of on the edge of my radar, but now I have an excuse to actually look for them. Which did you like more?

Aviddiva - great to hear you enjoy it! It's one of those books I keep telling people about, but you've really got to see it to appreciate it. I mean, how many people really think there's much behind a comment like "the typesetting is great", yet, that is the most incredible typesetting in any book I've got. Really, everyone. The typesetting alone is worth the price!

Girl with a Pearl Earring, hands down. Follow it up with the movie. Gorgeous film. Love that Scarlett.

Oh do me, do me, do me!

Taking a moment to calm down...by the way, how do we do this? Do I look at the library of the person before me and recommend something? In which case citygirl I would recommend I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles for you.

If you like horror stuff...

Have you tried H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories or Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes?

Phlox72, I'm recommending the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries for you. The first in the series is Whose Body?. You might also like to try children's books by E. Nesbit -- The Railway Children is one of her most well-known.

(ETA: Oops, TA got there first! I'm leaving my recommendations, but the next recommender should do recommendations for TeenAuthor, especially since I've already played a few times!)

Message edited by its author, Feb 20, 2008, 8:24am.

I'm going to jump in if I may and recommend We by Yevgeny Zamyatin for TeenAuthor. I noticed you had a few dystopian novels in your collection (Brave New World etc) and this is one which is often over looked. It was banned in Russia for about 50 years. It was written in the 1930s I think. Plus, it's just been released in a new edition so I know it's definitely available.

Message edited by its author, Feb 20, 2008, 8:33am.

Gah. Apart from Nineteen Eighty-Four I HATE dystopian novels, I only read them for their social importance. I was hoping for some unconventional Speculative Fiction / Fantasy in the Modern Era stuff as recommendations.

I also have negative associations with dystopian novels because Brave New World was a course unit we had to study for school.

:( I apologise profusely. I saw Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 and thought I could expand your horizons......
I will come up with something different. Give me a minute...

Ok. New recommendation (I feel like a failure now...just so you know TA). I'm going to suggest World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie Wars. I haven't completely read this myself but I earmarked it while flipping through it at work....I love working in a bookshop.

Anyway, the story is told through a collection of individual accounts. It's set sometime in the 2010s and has been compared to H G Wells' The War Of The Worlds.

Is that more like what you were thinking? I think 2 recommendations is my limit :)

I have The Zombie Survival Guide funnily enough and I loved that. Will check it out!

#106,107 ...Yay!

Thanks, Phlox, looks right up my alley.

>107 foggidawn, I just finished reading The Thief per your recommendation. What an interesting set of complex, not entirely lovable characters! I especially liked the invented mythology, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

For you I recommend The Sherwood Ring, an older Newbery Honor book by Elizabeth Marie Pope. She was a professor of mine in college, and she was a complex, not entirely lovable character herself! This book is a historical fantasy retelling a couple of old English ballads.

Edited: Oops! I meant to recommend The Perilous Gard -- The Sherwood Ring is fun, too, but not as good as this one, and it has nothing to do with English Ballads.

Message edited by its author, Mar 3, 2008, 12:03pm.

#111 First I am going to ask if you like the Time Traveler's Wife, if so then I highly recommend Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. Someone recommended it to me and if I could remember who it was I would kiss them. One of my favorite reads of all times.
If you like fantasy from a "female" point of view, sorry if I offend any guys, you will love this book.
I recommend it to anyone!

Thanks for the recommendation MDLady. I'll give the book a go but I warn you now that romance is NOT a genre I read normally (except when I'm on long car trips with a friend of mine who reads them out complete with funny accents and we mock the characters, the story and the writer...Donna Fletcher has given us endless hours of amusement in this way). But I did like the Time Traveler's Wife (though I really wouldn't class it as romance) so I'll try Outlander. Now...to find a copy...

OK I'm reviving this because it was an awesome thread idea and it's old enough now that maybe we should do it again. Also curious to find out if people read their suggestions and if so did they like them?

Well, I'll give you a recommendation at any rate, Sodapop. Based on your collection, I'd recommend Humphrey Carpenter's Secret Gardens: A Study of the Golden Age of Children's Literature. You have one or two books by Frances Hodgson Burnett in your collection and you might find his discussion of the "golden child" to be interesting.

Oh that sounds interesting. I've wishlisted it and will have to keep an eye out for it.
Now do I recommend one for you or will we just be going round in circles then?

Oh, jillmwo, now I have something else I need in my life!

Oh what the heck. Jill for you I recommend The Blood Doctor by Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell). I'm not saying it will blow your socks off - I had sort of mixed feelings about it - didn't like the main character and guessed the ending but I see you like mysteries and you don't have any Ruth Rendell.

Try Men, Martians, and Machines if you can find a copy. It has four short stories in it and it's a nice change of pace.

Based on what's in Razorback's collection, I'd recommend anything by Suzette Haden Elgin. Start with Native Tongue but also look for The Ozark Trilogy.

Just had another flash through my head so I had to edit this. Razorback, based on your collection, I would recommend Ingathering: The Complete People Stories of Zenna Henderson. Those may be more to your taste than Elgin's material.

BTW, Sodapop, I keep trying stuff by Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) but she never hits a chord with me. I can't put my finger on why. I don't think I warm to her characters.

Message edited by its author, Aug 15, 2009, 5:33pm.

I'm not really a mystery reader so Blood Doctor is the only thing I have read by her. I was attracted by the premise of the book - it's a story (fictional) about Queen Victoria's personal doctor and Hemophilia plays a role throughout the book. It's told through the eyes of one of the doctor's descendants and I really disliked that character - there was something very cold and unfeeling about him.

124> My collection isn't complete yet, I have 200 out of about 1500 in there. =) Just don't have the cash to go paid ATM to put in any more. I haven't heard of Suzette Elgin before though, I'll take a look and see what's there. Thanks!

BTW, I don't think the Native Tounge you linked to was the one you had planned on linking.

Message edited by its author, Aug 15, 2009, 5:15pm.

You're quite right, Razorback (wonky touchstones), but that link to Native Tongue has been fixed now.