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Entry tags:	books, books: recs

book recs!
Book Recommendations Post

At the very least, I give you a title and author. For some books I include summaries and for some others I include why I like them. The title of each book is a link that will lead you to the book's page on Amazon.com [for series, the hyperlink will go to the first book in the series].

I am warning you that book summaries are not my strong suit. I suck at book summaries. In fear that I will give too much away, I stick to the bare bones plot which, usually, doesn't look particularly pleasing. This is why most of the books don't have a summary written by me. My advice would be to check out the summaries on Amazon because they might actually tell you something. Keep in mind I'm saying right up front that my summaries suck, so please don't mock too much.

For some of the books I also put a "Why I Love It" section. Just because a book has it doesn't mean it is necessarily better than one that doesn't have a "why I love it" part. Mostly, I just had a hard time articulating exactly why I loved such-and-such a book so I skipped it. If it's on this list, I love it. End of story.

As of 17 September 2008, there are 39 books and 5 series on this list.




Title: 84, Charing Cross Road
Author: Helene Hanff
Quick Summary: An American writer sends off letters to a small British booksellers, looking for cheap, secondhand copies of her favorite books. The employees of the booksellers reply and a friendship is born. The book is written entirely in letter form and the correspondents start sharing their lives as well as books.
Why I love it: It's short and, even though the whole book is a series of letters, it's beautifully written. These are real people sharing their lives and their love of books. The reverence with which they discuss books makes me smile. It's also very neat to watch a friendship grow like this. This was one of my grandmother's favorite books.


Title: About A Boy
Author: Nick Hornby


Title: A Dirty Job and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Author: Christopher Moore
Quick Summary: A Dirty Job features Charlie Asher: thrift store owner, new father and widower, and recently designated Death. The socially awkward Asher has to go around collecting souls, raising his daughter Sophie, and avoid being killed by the evil that lives in the sewer. Lamb is about Josh (Jesus; his Hebrew name is Joshua) and his best friend Biff and their friend Maggie (Mary Magdalene). It focuses heavily on the years in Jesus' life that are omitted in the Gospels, from when Jesus was 12 to the age of 30.
Why I love it: Okay, obviously I recommend all of Christopher Moore's books. I talk about him all the time and constantly berate people into reading one of his novels. But rather than listing all ten of his books on this list, I chose what I believe to be his two best. But I do recommend any and/or all of his books. These are just what I think are his best/good ones to get you started.
Official website: www.ChrisMoore.com


Title: And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Why I love it: It's classic. I would say that it is the best of Christie's novels, but this is the only one I've read so I can't really compare. It is certainly the most well-known, so that's saying something. The ending is a TOTAL surprise and I love reading it over and over again.


Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Why I love it: Satire at its best. I mean really, how can you not love communist farm animals? My theory is that there is one required-for-school book that I love each year and this was the one I loved freshman year. It's clever and interesting and makes you think without being weighty and forcing the communist undertones.


Title: Big Fish
Author: Daniel Wallace
Why I love it: Yes, this is the book that the movie is based on. However, I like to think it was pretty loosely based. The basic plot is the same as that of the movie but a lot of the middle stuff - the filler part of Edward's life - is pretty damn different most of the time. Not necessarily better or worse than the movie, just different. (Truth be told, there is a part of the movie that they changed from the book and I like it better in the movie than the book.) So yeah, this is a good book, but don't go in thinking it's going to be 100% like the movie.


Title: The Book of Lost Things
Author: John Connelly
Quick Summary: A dark, twisted, inverted, grown-up fairytale. So. Completely. Awesome.


Title: Brave New World
Author: Aldous Huxley
Why I love it: My second favorite had-to-read-it-for-school book. I'm honestly not 100% sure why I love it, but I went out and bought it right after I finished it in class (several days before I had to because I couldn't put it down). It's really an intriguing look at a possible future.


Title: Cat's Cradle
Author: Kurt Vonnegut


Title: The Cay
Author: Theodore Taylor
Note: This is a "children's" book. It really is quite amazing though. Just thought I should point that out if you try and find it in a bookstore. There's also a sequel: Timothy of the Cay.


Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Why I love it: If BNW is my second favorite high-school-required-reading book, then CoMC is most definitely my favorite. I think I love it because it is not just a book about revenge; revenge is certainly a driving force, but I think it's also about this man testing himself, seeing how much he can get away with, seeing how much he can hurt people. He honestly thinks that he's doing the right thing. Plus, it has amazing quotes. My favorite: "There is no happiness or misery in the world, only the comparison of one state with another."


Title: The Confessions of Max Tivoli
Author: Andrew Sean Greer
Quick Summary: Shortly after Max Tivoli is born, his body takes on the appearance of an old man. As Max grows older his body grows younger, cursing him to always "be what they think [he is]" rather than himself. His changing appearance also allows him to meet the love of his life three different times even though she never recognizes him.
Why I love it: Beautifully written and, if you think about it, incredibly sad. Except for a few years in the middle of his life when the ages of his body and mind cross, Max can never really be himself. He is constantly forced to be someone else, anything else, besides a freak.


Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Author: Mark Haddon
Why I love it: The point-of-view. Geeminee. It's written from the point of view of an autistic teenager and while someone without autism will never know really what it is like, I have a friend whose brother is autistic and I worked with Special Olympics for four years and I have to say that there are parts where I thought, "This is so real. This is how he would really react to this situation." Amazingly written.


Title: Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Author: Lynne Truss
Why I love it: If you are a grammar Nazi, a punctuation stickler, or someone who just loves the English language you will love this book. I pretty much guarantee it.


Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Why I love it: Technically speaking, this book is a "children's" book (or at least according to its reading level it is). Screw that. I don't care if you are fourteen or forty, everyone should read this book. I don't care if you love or hate sci-fi, you should read this book. It is about so much more than kids in space, it's about life and choices and doing what other people want you to do versus what you want to do.


Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Note: This is the first book in a fantasy trilogy. The second book is Eldest and the third book has not yet been released.


Title: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
Author: Anne Fadiman
Quick Summary: A series of essays written by Fadiman about her reading and writing experiences throughout her life. For example: when she and her husband combine their libraries and her family's compulsive spellchecking.
Why I love it: So many of the essays rang true with me. There is a big part of me that will be just like Fadiman when I grow up. My personal favorite is the one about her family spellchecking everything because I so totally do that. If you love to read at all you really should read this book.


Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Why I love it: I haven't read this in a few years but I always remember how it freaked me out a little the first time I read it (I was in 7th grade, I think). Not that it's a frightening novel, per se, but the idea of people burning books always sets me on edge. It's a Bradbury novel, folks, it's bound to be wonderful.


Title: Fight Club
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Why I love it: It's an incredibly eloquent mindfuck.


Title: Flags of Our Fathers
Author: James Bradley
Quick Summary: The story behind the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima from the famous photograph and the lives of the men in the photo.
Why I love it: I love war books. I love history. If you love war books/history, you will love this.


Title: Flowers for Algernon
Author: Daniel Keyes
Why I love it: It's fascinating and heartbreaking all at once.


Title: The Fourth Perimeter
Author: Tim Green


Title: Ghost Soldiers
Author: Hampton Sides
Why I love it: See the "Why I love it" section for Flags of Our Fathers.


Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Why I love it: Yet another technically labeled "children's" book that should not be disregarded because of its length or font size. An intriguing and, at times, frightening look at a highly regulated future. Is there anyone left who hasn't read this book?


Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Quick Summary: Earth comes to an end, robots have the ability to be depressed, you learn the answer to life, the universe, and everything, and dolphins are the second smartest beings [who used to be] on Earth. It's kinda hard to describe this book.
Why I love it: One of the funniest, if not the funniest, books I have ever read. If you don't like British-Monty-Python style humor, though, you probably won't like it much. The book is way better than the movie, but the movie has Mos Def, Martin Freeman, and Zooey Deschanel in it so it's worth a watch at least.


Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Note: The movie's pretty kickass, too.


Title: Lord of the Flies
Author: William Golding
Why I love it: I must admit, the first time I read it I hated it. It was required reading for my senior year and I thought it was one of the most pointless books I had ever read. For some reason I don't recall, I picked it up a few months later (in the middle of my senior year) and reread it in one afternoon and loved it. Yeah, I don't get it either.


Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Why I love it: I just... do.


Title: My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
Why I love it: It's told from...six points of view (I think) which is always pretty interesting. I really love the way that each character/POV is a different font. A note of caution: do not read this book in public, unless of course you enjoy crying in front of people. Because you will sob. Trust me.


Title: Patriot Games
Author: Tom Clancy
Quick Summary: Jack Ryan, while on vacation in London with his wife and daughter, saves several members of the royal family from an assassination attempt. After he returns home to the United States, the Irish terrorists whom he thwarted conspire to kill him.
Why I love it: The movie is a great adaptation of this book. Clancy is so great with action sequences. (You liked the boat chase in the movie? You'll love it in the book.) If you haven't seen the movie, read the book then watch the movie, too. So awesome.


Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Why I love it: I've heard many people say that it is a "modern-day" Catcher in the Rye but I disagree. For one, I loathed CitR when we had to read it in school and Perks is easily in my top 5 books ever. I find Charlie incredibly real and relatable and, if it is possible for a fictional character to be so, honest. There is an honesty about the text that stuns me. Plus, it has some amazing quotes: "You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand." I'm just gonna say it's superbly written and everyone needs to read it right. Now. Go.


Title: The Phantom of the Opera
Author: Gaston Leroux
Quick Summary: Pretty girl with a good voice gets singing lessons from the "Angel of Music" so that she gets a great voice. The "Angel of Music" turns out to be a murderous Phantom named Erik who is more than a little pre-occupied with the pretty girl. (Oh c'mon, everyone knows this story, right?)
Why I love it: Book came first, Webber fans. And wow is the ending different than in the musical/movie. Way more intense and interesting, if you ask me.


Title: The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Why I love it: Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and depressing in the best way possible.


Title: Slaughterhouse-Five
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Quick Summary: Billy Pilgrim is a man who is "unstuck" in time and so the reader follows him through his life - particularly focusing on his time in the war and on his stay on the planet Tralfamadore - in a non-linear progression.


Title: The Story of King Arthur
Author: Robin Lister
Quick Summary: Exactly what it sounds like: various Arthurian legends, primarily those concerning the Knights of the Round Table and their quests for the Grail. Also details Arthur's early life and how he came to rule.
Why I love it: My dad brought this book back for me after a business trip to London when I was in fourth or fifth grade. I'm a big fans of all things Arthurian and this really started it. I know there are tons of books on King Arthur and such, but this was my first and therefore it is my favorite. I try to reread it once a year; it's an easy read but still interesting. The reading level is rather low (it was written for children/teens) so don't pick it up and be like "WTF, go read Malory you dolt!" because I plan on reading Malory's one day, I just haven't gotten there yet. This is an easy read, but very satisfying.


Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Quick Summary: Henry can time travel but he has no control as to when he does it or when/where he travels to. He often encounters his wife, Clare, at various ages and stages in their relationship.
Why I love it: Easily the best book I read last year. At the very least, the text is beautiful; the easiest way to describe Niffenegger's writing style is "lyrical." But beyond the pretty words there is a love story that transcends time and age and everything else and that will quite possibly rip your heart out. This book also gets a "Don't Read In Public" warning. I will warn y'all that the beginning is a little bit confusing but after a while you get used to Henry's time traveling and so it's a little easier to understand. The best help I can offer is to pay attention to Henry and Clare's respective ages at the beginning of each chapter: that will explain a lot.


Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Why I love it: I love it mostly because it is an amazing book but I have to say that part of my love is the fact that my mom's side of the family is Southern and this book is the most "loved" book that my mom owns. (When I saw how beat up her copy was I begged her to let me read it, but I was in fourth grade, so she made me wait until the summer before eighth grade and bought me my own copy.) ANYWAY, it's just classic and if you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?


Title: Watchmen
Author: Alan Moore (illustrated by Dave Gibbons)
Quick Summary: A graphic novel about masked vigilantes in the 1980s. That's a horrible summary. Is there any easy way to summarize this book?
Why I love it: Because when people tell you it's "the greatest graphic novel ever written," they're not kidding. I haven't even read that many, but I can't imagine I will love any as much as I love this. It's amazing. (Rorschach FTW!)

* * * * *

SERIES

Title: The Harry Potter Series
Author: J.K. Rowling
Quick Summary: If you haven't read these yet what the frak are you waiting for?
Why I love it: I wasn't going to include them on the list, seeing as everyone I know has either already read them or sworn never to read them ever for unknown reasons, but I figured if it was left off someone would leave a comment like "WTF NO HP!?" so here. Why I love it? Because they're the only books that make me cry. Because I can read a 600+ page book in twelve hours. Because JK Rowling is my favorite author ever. Because you can't not love them.
Official website: www.JKRowling.com

Book 1: Sorcerer's Stone
Book 2: Chamber of Secrets
Book 3: Prisoner of Azkaban
Book 4: Goblet of Fire
Book 5: Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: Half Blood Prince
Book 7: Deathly Hallows

Title: The Mitch Rapp Series
Author: Vince Flynn
Quick Summary: Mitch Rapp is the CIA's top "counterterrorism operative." In non-Beltway speak: he's a government-trained assassin, the best of the best of the best, sent out to find and kill terrorists. The series follows Rapp on his various missions, his relationships with the CIA director[s], the President of the United States, a certain NBC White House correspondent, and the politicians in town who are always trying to set up one more level of bureaucracy he has to get past. Yeah, the books are a lot cooler than I make them sound. They're political-intelligence thriller type stories.
Note: Vince Flynn also wrote the book Term Limits. It's not a Mitch Rapp book but it is an awesome political thriller so read that one too.

Book 1: Transfer of Power
Book 2: The Third Option
Book 3: Separation of Power
Book 4: Executive Power
Book 5: Memorial Day
Book 6: Consent to Kill
Book 7: Act of Treason
Book 8: Protect and Defend

Title: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Author: Lemony Snicket
Quick Summary: First of all, I should say that there are 13 books in the series. So if you don't like sorta-long series then steer clear. However, in its defense, none of the books are terribly long (though they do get progressively longer). They are about the recently orphaned Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) and the evil Count Olaf who plans on stealing their fortune. It's much more clever and interesting than I make it sound.
Why I love it: They are comedies, mysteries, and tragedies all rolled up into one incredibly clever package. I also suggest reading The Beatrice Letters once you are done with the entire series; it, too, is very interesting and answers a few extra questions. The Unauthorized Autobiography is also a great supplemental read.
Official website: www.LemonySnicket.com

Book 1: The Bad Beginning
Book 2: The Reptile Room
Book 3: The Wide Window
Book 4: The Miserable Mill
Book 5: The Austere Academy
Book 6: The Ersatz Elevator
Book 7: The Vile Village
Book 8: The Hostile Hospital
Book 9: The Carnivorous Carnival
Book 10: The Slippery Slope
Book 11: The Grim Grotto
Book 12: The Penultimate Peril
Book 13: The End

Title: The Thursday Next Series
Author: Jasper Fforde
Quick Summary: There's really no easy, quick way to explain this series. It's set in an AU, I guess, where WWII never happened but the Crimean War (which was an actual war that lasted like a week or something) has been going on for over a hundred years [I think; I haven't read the first book in a while]. Anyway, Thursday Next is the main character and she works for SpecOps-27, which are the literary cops, basically. Thursday is pretty much spending her time breaking up fights between Shakespeare and Marlowe enthusiasts until someone creates a device in which people can travel into books. There's an entire world inside books where characters swap stories for vacation and such; they call our world "the Outland." A man by the name of Acheron Hades (Fforde is a genius with names) decides to use the device for his nefarious deeds: he gets ahold of the original Jane Eyre manuscript and plans to go in and kill Jane. Since it's the original manuscript, if Hades succeeds, Jane will disappear from every copy of the novel. And then you'll see what happens next (no pun intended). Anyway, that's just the first book and I love these books because, dammit, I wanna go in a book! Plus, if you're worrying, I've never read Jane Eyre and I understood everything just fine. I gotta say though: having read Hamlet, Something Rotten is super funny because I get all the in-jokes.
Official Website: www.JasperFforde.com

Book 1: The Eyre Affair
Book 2: Lost in a Good Book
Book 3: The Well of Lost Plots
Book 4: Something Rotten
Book 5: First Among Sequels

Title: The Twilight Series
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Quick Summary: Girl moves to new town. Girl meets boy. Boy lusts after girl['s blood]. Just read it, okay? Trust me on this one.
Note: I'm not usually one for love stories or "girly" books (I have nothing against them, they're just usually not my cup of tea) but these are fun. If you don't want your own Edward Cullen by the end of this then I don't know what to do with you. (Personally, I didn't like the last book in the series. Just a heads-up.)
Official website: www.StephenieMeyer.com

Book 1: Twilight
Book 2: New Moon
Book 3: Eclipse
Book 4: Breaking Dawn