# Can anyone recommend any good books to check out?



## stellarx1587 (Aug 10, 2008)

I'm going to be starting nursing school next month and I'd like to fill what's left of my time with some good reading! I'm a fan of fantasy, horror, action, adventure, and of course some good old romance 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





. 

Here's some of the books I've read lately to give you an idea for rec's:

Twilight Saga
The Host (By far much better than Twilight, IMO)
Mortal Instruments Saga (Awesome series as well!!! Can't wait for City of Glass!!)
The Vampire Diaries
The Watchmen
Harry Potter Books
House Of Night Series
City Of Ember
Vampire Academy

Hmmm... I've noticed a vampire trend in my reading.. HAHA 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




But of course I'm open to all sorts, so long as its a good story! I read a lot of YA novels for some reason... even though I'm 26. Its just fun to read! But again I'm definitely not limited to that genre... I think the last adult books I read was The Da Vinci Code, I Am Legend, & Angels and Demons. So any adult recs would be awesome too! 

TIA for the suggestions!!! =)


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## k.a.t (Aug 10, 2008)

I don't know if you would like these but i love Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn - it's a series of fantasy novels set in medieval Japan; here's an extract from wikipedia (lol): "The books follow a young warrior named Takeo in his struggles to avenge an adoptive father, escape the legacy of his biological father, and pursue the love of his life in the midst of an enormous power struggle involving dozens of clan lords and thousands of warriors"
They're really addictive lol oh but i'm not sure if you'd be able to get them where you live =\


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## stellarx1587 (Aug 10, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *k.a.t* 

 
_I don't know if you would like these but i love Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn - it's a series of fantasy novels set in medieval Japan; here's an extract from wikipedia (lol): "The books follow a young warrior named Takeo in his struggles to avenge an adoptive father, escape the legacy of his biological father, and pursue the love of his life in the midst of an enormous power struggle involving dozens of clan lords and thousands of warriors"
They're really addictive lol oh but i'm not sure if you'd be able to get them where you live =\_

 
Ooohh thanks for the rec!! I looked it up and its in stock at my bookstore! It sounds really interesting!! I'm going to add that title to my list!! Thanks again!


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## Le-Saboteur (Aug 10, 2008)

For Fantasy, George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is my favourite. It's quite adult, and not particularly light hearted (overall, that is, there are a lot of funny moments), so if you're after an easy read it's probably not what you're looking for. I still find myself devouring it on my fourth re-read of the series so far, however. He's written book 4/7 so far, with number 5 due out sometime 'soon'. Even though it's not finished, it's still an amazing read. But, yeah, like I said, very adult. Magic and such takes the backburner to political intrigue, court posturing and the war for the throne. Ooooh, it's so good 

In the same vein but not quite so dark is Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series. This one is actually finished, lots of great characters, great story... Not as enthralling as ASoIaF but still really good. If you don't mind weird Sci-Fi kind of stuff, his series Otherland is worth a read, too. 

For light fantasy, I'd go with Terry Brooks, the stuff he has set in our current time (Word and Void series, two books from Genesis of Shannara series) so far is definitely the best, I think. Most of his other books are pretty hit and miss. I did like Wishsong of Shannara, though.

Yep. That's all I have to add, really


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## *KT* (Aug 10, 2008)

In keeping with your vampire theme, you could check out "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova... more about Vlad the Impaler, but a fun read none-the-less.

PS  I saw this at my local Costco in hardcover for about $5.  I'd purchased it as a large paperback months ago, so I think Costco is trying to clear out some backstock.


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## melliquor (Aug 10, 2008)

Here are some of my favourite books to read... noticed you read Watchmen as well... so will also recommend graphic novels.

Time Traveler's Wife
The Vampire Lestate by Anne Rice 
The Tale of the Body Theif by Anne Rice
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Preacher by Garth Ennis
Valley of the Dolls
Haruki Murakami - all of them... his writing is beautiful... its like reading a story in poetry
Absolute Scandal


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## Pinkcaviar (Aug 10, 2008)

A great fantasty book I fell in love with was definitely;

Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy) by Gath Nix

It's a good read with lots of magic and fantasty! I think you will enjoy this one!

And for humour and romance, I would recommand

Shophaholic Series by Sophia Kineslla and her other series

People who really like her writing, loves the series! And other who hate it, can't stand the character!

But great books to check it out at your nursing school!=)


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## BarrelOfDonkeys (Aug 10, 2008)

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. One chapter made me feel nauseous, it was so descriptive and disgusting. It's been reported that people have fainted during readings of that chapter.


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## urbanlilyfairy (Aug 10, 2008)

Anne Rice Mayfair Chronicles is a great series. THe witching hour, Lasher, Taltos are the 3 books. Vampires and witches yay =P


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## Mabelle (Aug 10, 2008)

i recommend this book to everyone i know
"hey Nostradamus!" by douglas coupland. He's my favorite author and this is by far my favorite book. This is what it's about (without giving too much away)
In the 80's theres a school shooting British Columbia. The first fourth of the book focuses on Cheryl, the last girl to be killed in the shooting. She's narrating this section. The Second fourth focuses on Jason, Cheryl's boyfriend at the time. This is later on in his life, i think hes in his mid 30s. The third fourth focuses on Heather, Jasons girlfriend. And the Last on Reg, Jason's father.
This book is touching, hilarious and so sad. I was literally bawling my eyes out while reading this. I cannot recommend this highly enough. It's a must read!!

Another great book is "Lullaby" By Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club).  This is the description on Amazon 
Assigned to write a series of feature articles investigating SIDS, troubled newspaper reporter Carl Streator begins to notice a pattern among the cases he encounters: each child was read the same poem prior to his or her death. His research and a tip from a necrophilic paramedic lead him to Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate agent. Boyle and Streator have both lost children to "crib death," and she confirms Streator's suspicions: the poem is an ancient lullaby or "culling song" that is lethal if spoken--or even thought--in a victim's direction.

Anyway, i loved both. Lullaby is pretty screwed up (like all chuck's books) but it's a great read. you won't be able to put it down!


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## pink_lily002 (Aug 10, 2008)

Ok, it's not a fantasy book at all, but I love this book - My Name Is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok.  I had to read it for one of my college english courses, and I just fell in love with it.  I re-read it once or twice a year and recommend it to EVERYONE.  It's about a young Hasidic Jew who has an amazing gift for creating art, but it goes against much of the community's beliefs and particularly displeases his father.  Great read!


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## BarrelOfDonkeys (Aug 10, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Mabelle* 

 
_Another great book is "Lullaby" By Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club).  This is the description on Amazon 
Assigned to write a series of feature articles investigating SIDS, troubled newspaper reporter Carl Streator begins to notice a pattern among the cases he encounters: each child was read the same poem prior to his or her death. His research and a tip from a necrophilic paramedic lead him to Helen Hoover Boyle, a real estate agent. Boyle and Streator have both lost children to "crib death," and she confirms Streator's suspicions: the poem is an ancient lullaby or "culling song" that is lethal if spoken--or even thought--in a victim's direction.

Anyway, i loved both. Lullaby is pretty screwed up (like all chuck's books) but it's a great read. you won't be able to put it down!_

 

I wanna read that next. So far I've read Fight Club, Choke and Haunted and right now I'm reading Invisible Monsters. I love his style of writing, he goes into a lot of detail but at the same time manages to get the point across quickly without letting any one particular plot point drag on for too long.


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## macslut (Aug 10, 2008)

For funny, romance and crime-busting by an incredible female lead:

Janet Evanovich's Stephenie Plum books (One for the Money, etc.). 

Some of the funniest books I have ever read! You will fall in love with all the characters.


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## Mabelle (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *BarrelOfDonkeys* 

 
_I wanna read that next. So far I've read Fight Club, Choke and Haunted and right now I'm reading Invisible Monsters. I love his style of writing, he goes into a lot of detail but at the same time manages to get the point across quickly without letting any one particular plot point drag on for too long._

 
if you like chuck, you might like douglas coupland. 
i've like most of chucks books excluding haunted and rant.
i duno if you know, but choke has been made into a movie starring sam rockwell as victor. it looks awesome


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## BarrelOfDonkeys (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Mabelle* 

 
_if you like chuck, you might like douglas coupland. 
i've like most of chucks books excluding haunted and rant.
i duno if you know, but choke has been made into a movie starring sam rockwell as victor. it looks awesome_

 
I heard about that a while back, I didn't know they already made it though. That'd make an awesome movie, well it has the potential to be an awesome movie anyway. He seems kinda old to be playing Victor though, cause he's supposed to be in his twenties.


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## SkylarV217 (Aug 11, 2008)

If you Like Vampires Look into 

_The Historian_ It's soo good


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## Mabelle (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *BarrelOfDonkeys* 

 
_I heard about that a while back, I didn't know they already made it though. That'd make an awesome movie, well it has the potential to be an awesome movie anyway. He seems kinda old to be playing Victor though, cause he's supposed to be in his twenties._

 
mid to late twenties, yes. it's an even sadder situation if he;s in his 30s though. the trailer is up on apple.com
It looks less "dark" than i imagined,but it look amazing. i cant wait to see it.


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## lyttleravyn (Aug 11, 2008)

I'm in total agreement with "The Historian!" I'm about two-thirds into it and I can't put it down 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I'm also a huge fan of period dramas (mostly Elizabethan era) and Philippa Greggory is great (her book "The Other Boleyn Girl" was just made into a movie). My boyfriend loves the Chuck Palahniuk books as well. I'm also reading George Orwell's "1984" (probably a book I should have read in school at some point, but I don't remember reading it) that I'm enjoying also. Probably not your cup of tea, but I'm reading a lot of Jane Austen and 'Austenite' books including several by Abigail Reynolds, Pamela Aiden's trilogy, and my favorite "Austenland" by Shannon Hale. Ahh! I have ADD sometimes and am usually in the middle of reading 3-5 books at once. I love summer reading time!


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## timepiece (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *BarrelOfDonkeys* 

 
_I wanna read that next. So far I've read Fight Club, Choke and Haunted and right now I'm reading Invisible Monsters. I love his style of writing, he goes into a lot of detail but at the same time manages to get the point across quickly without letting any one particular plot point drag on for too long._

 
Rant is one of the best books he's written, in my opinion. Definitely worth checking out.


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## noahlowryfan (Aug 11, 2008)

I think its weird because I'm 26 and all but I like reading Teen books. Adult fiction just don't amuse me at all. I like reading the Private book series by Kate Brian and the Clique series by Lisi Harrison.


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## widdershins (Aug 11, 2008)

You definitely need to check out some books by Charlaine Harris. I think the first one is called Dead Until Dark. This is one of my favorite vampire series EVER. You won't be disappointed. Another really good series about werewolves, vampires, etc is the Mercy series by Patricia Briggs. Another of my favorites.

ETA: I just thought of another good series! The Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison. The first one is called Dead Witch Walking.


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## Mabelle (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *timepiece* 

 
_Rant is one of the best books he's written, in my opinion. Definitely worth checking out._

 
 Really? I just couldn't get into rant. I loved the frist part about his childhood, but after that... it just lost me. I've been working on it since the begining of june and i'm getting nowhere. 
I'm going to see if i can get snuff though. i wonder if thats any good.


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## concertina (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Le-Saboteur* 

 
_For Fantasy, George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is my favourite. It's quite adult, and not particularly light hearted (overall, that is, there are a lot of funny moments), so if you're after an easy read it's probably not what you're looking for. I still find myself devouring it on my fourth re-read of the series so far, however. He's written book 4/7 so far, with number 5 due out sometime 'soon'. Even though it's not finished, it's still an amazing read. But, yeah, like I said, very adult. Magic and such takes the backburner to political intrigue, court posturing and the war for the throne. Ooooh, it's so good _

 
I second this!! GRRM FTW!!

Also, anything by Erica Jong is always a fun, sexy read. Middlesex is pretty heavy, but good. The Mists of Avalon is stunning. 

Annie Rice does vampires *right*, of course. Her Mayfair witches series is pretty bad-ass, too. And then Lauren Hamilton has her Anita Blake series (vampire hunter) and the Meredith Gentry (Fey/Faerie crossing with modern time) series. All pretty good, steamy stuff.


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## concertina (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *BarrelOfDonkeys* 

 
_I wanna read that next. So far I've read Fight Club, Choke and Haunted and right now I'm reading Invisible Monsters. I love his style of writing, he goes into a lot of detail but at the same time manages to get the point across quickly without letting any one particular plot point drag on for too long._

 
You should absolutely read "Diary: A Novel" next. Soooooooo played with my head.


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## Sanayhs (Aug 11, 2008)

If you like mystery and scandal, I have to say I adore "Lady Audley's Secret" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. It was written in 1862, and is considered to be sensation fiction. Definitely not the typical content you'd expect a woman in the 1860s to get published. 

There's actually a lot of fantastic older fiction out there, and part of the trick is getting your head around the language (if it's old enough). I findd 'classic' fiction to be often worth reading, as there's usually a reason it has stuck around.


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## as_cute_as_pie (Aug 11, 2008)

Don't think these would be up your street but may of interest to someone. I like the babylon series by Imogen Edward-Jones. Fair enought ive only read 2 lol (Air Babylon and Fashion Babylon) Fashion Babylon was my favourite out of the 2, both easy to read and you can learn some interesting facts at the same time 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Quick Synopsis
Fashion Babylon- Follows the life of a fictional designer for 6 months going in all the ins and outs of the fashion world, mixed in is mini stories about designers and scandals about models apparently all true but only the names have been changed.

Air Babylon- Follows the life of a fictional airline manager in a fictional airport (though probably highly based on somewhere like Heathrow) again it goes through all the ins and outs of the airline business from being on the ground checking in to actually being on the plane. includes some funny stories along the way


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## revinn (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Mabelle* 

 
_Really? I just couldn't get into rant. I loved the frist part about his childhood, but after that... it just lost me. I've been working on it since the begining of june and i'm getting nowhere. 
I'm going to see if i can get snuff though. i wonder if thats any good._

 
Snuff is .... eh, just ok. Not one of my favorites by him, but still interesting. Rant is my FAVORITE, then Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, Diary, then Fight Club & Snuff. He is so incredible, it blows my mind. I actually got a tattoo of the cover art from Lullaby recently!! House of Leaves is an amazing book if you like Chuck's style, it's by Mark Z. Danielewski. Trippy stuff.


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## mtrimier (Aug 11, 2008)

A few books I finished recently that I enjoyed were:

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Uglies/Pretties/Specials series by Scott Westerfield
Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
The Resurrectionist by Jack O'Connell
The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake by Breece D'J Pancake


I read so many books, it's hard to give their plots justice without filling up your post, so I just gave titles and authors.


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## stellarx1587 (Aug 11, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *SkylarV217* 

 
_If you Like Vampires Look into 

The Historian It's soo good_

 
I actually have that book! I forgot that I bought it a while back... haha well at least I already have it... I'll be sure to read it.


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## stellarx1587 (Aug 12, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *lyttleravyn* 

 
_I'm also reading George Orwell's "1984" (probably a book I should have read in school at some point, but I don't remember reading it) that I'm enjoying also._

 
1984 is such a good book!!!! Probably the best required reading I was ever given when I was in High School... that and The Color Purple!


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## k.a.t (Aug 12, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *stellarx1587* 

 
_Ooohh thanks for the rec!! I looked it up and its in stock at my bookstore! It sounds really interesting!! I'm going to add that title to my list!! Thanks again!_

 
No prob! lemme know if you actually find them...or end up reading them lol


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## PolyphonicLove (Aug 13, 2008)

A Confederacy of Dunces, Toole; A Prayer For Owen Meany, Irving.


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## user79 (Aug 15, 2008)

I'm almost done with "Escape" by Carolyn Jessop and I thought it was really good. She is one of those women who was brought up and lived on the FLDS ranch (fundamentalist mormon sect) in Utah and she writes about her life there. She escaped after being married to one of the leaders of the sect for many years, and she manages to get out all her children too. Incredible read, very insightful into this mysterious sect, although rather disturbing as well.


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## Pushpa (Aug 16, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *noahlowryfan* 

 
_I think its weird because I'm 26 and all but I like reading Teen books. Adult fiction just don't amuse me at all. I like reading the Private book series by Kate Brian and the Clique series by Lisi Harrison._

 
lol my sis and i were just saying this...i'll be 23 in a few days and shes 26 and we read the twilight series in four days lol but they are so cute

i <# vamp books

so i 2nd the anne rice series when i was younger i wished i lived in lestats world lmao i am such a looooooser
the witching hr series by rice is so good too
the last vampire series by christopher pike is...hahaha man i am such a geek i've read so many vampy books i recognize almost all of them mentioned

my fave author has to be clive barker by far so anything by him is just so twisted

and now onto non vampy/fantasy choices
brave new world by huxley
1984 and animal farm by orwell
gapes of wrath and east of eden by steinbeck
the good earth by pearl buck
the known world by edward jones
birds without wings by louis de bernieres 
shake hands with the devil by dallaire
untapped by john ghazvinian 

i read tons of poli sci books so not sure the average person would want to get bored with that crap so i won't mention all of my faves but pity the nation and the great war for civilization by robert fisk are just so powerful and just two more te he he reading lolita in theran and zaki chehabs inside hamas

ok so most of the books i mentioned have a little bit of poli sci in them


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## frocher (Aug 16, 2008)

For light reading John Irving is always good.  A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, etc.  He is a gifted story teller.


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