Recommend a book

[modularblues]

I would like to suggest a new found favorite of mine,"THE FOUNTAINHEAD," by Aynn Rand.

Then you probably have already or are planning to read Atlas Shrugged. It is pretty epic (and of course controversial), though I admit to skimming John Galt's extended monologue in the middle because I wanted to hop on the speeding plot train. I have to go back and reread that part...

"Homo Faber" by Max Frisch.
"The Idiot" by Dostoevsky.
I also recommend to read stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Man, this is when I wish I were a polyglot.

[Jave D]

The Name of the Wind is a good fantasy novel, reminiscent of A Song of Ice and Fire and has been compared to Harry Potter as a "grown-up Harry Potter," the latter I think because a lot of it involves a naturally skilled and life-beaten fellow going to a university to study arcane magic and having difficulties there. It's not written in that style at all however, and the issues involved are a lot darker and grittier. Also, demons. I recommend it; it's a fast read (took me about two days) and it's told in a very compelling way.

[Brawls]

The Book of Sand and Shakespeare's Memory by Jorge Luis Borges

It's a thin book containing 13 short stories, but you will spend hours rereading them.
I've read The Mirror and the Mask over 20 times and still sometimes get shivers reading it.
His stories reveal something special, something I haven't seen anywhere else.

[Chuff]

Y'all should go read Chekhov's four master plays (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and the Cherry Orchard). Uncle Vanya is probably the best play I've ever read.

[Magnanimous]

The Secret Life of Pronouns is pretty interesting. It's all about computational linguistics and how subtle patterns in word choice reflect the speaker's psychology.

[emceng]

The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley. Think he also wrote Flags of Our Fathers. The book is an exploration of US politics in the Pacific approx. 1895-1905. It discusses how we laid the ground work for, and instigated, WW2, and also acted like dicks in the Phillipines. Not the most scholarly book, but is good for background on conflicts in the region.

[Art3misX]

Ready, Player One? is set in a world where OASIS is an online system free to all users. It links people on an advanced version of the internet that allows characters to control their avatars via various instruments ranging from the simplest (gloves and a viser/goggles) to the highest tech never invented (a ball-type treadmill structure with a full suit that allows you to immerse yourself in the world). The creator of OASIS passed away several years ago, leaving his entire estate to the OASIS user who finds the three keys hidden in the virtual reality of thousands of worlds. These easter eggs (special treats developers leave hidden in games) are hunted by those called "gunters" (egg hunters). Wade Watts is too aware of the ugliness of the real world and always more than ready to immerse himself in OASIS. Eighteen-years-old, he attends school in OASIS, and he is one of the many who dream of finding Halliday's easter egg. Luck and dedication (the mastering of unique and often obscure skills and references) allow Wade to stumble across the first key. It's the first success of the worldwide hunt, and that makes him the number one target. Throw in a best friend, rivals and an intriguing girl that walks the line between competition and something more. Now you're holding an attention-grabbing-and-holding novel.

More than a gamer, sci-fi, or romance book, Ready, Player One? is a great story. I read the whole book, 350 pages, in one night.

[serutan]

Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space triology : Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, and Absolution Gap.

Larry Niven, Ringworld.

[Jave D]

Devices and Desires, part 1 of the Engineer Trilogy by KJ Parker. It's fantasy but in a more Rennaissance type setting, absolutely no magic or prophecy or myth involved, and the main character is an engineer seeking vengeance amidst a backdrop of aristocracy, war, betrayal, love, other good things. Well-written and a satisfying read.

[buchmaniac]

For a truly great read, try Bloodline of Evil and Devils Breath by Tanja Pleva.
A Nazi war criminal on the run, a woman on her deathbed, a young doctor in search of a terrible family secret and the hunt for a serial killer who knows no humanity...
Even in the middle of the fight against the ghosts of the past, Sam O'Connor Europol investigator brings back a new case in everyday life. A woman in Barcelona became a victim to a bestial crime. At first, the investigators suspect it's a single act, but as Sam has hardly begun to familiarize himself with the case, the culprit strikes again. Sam begins to suspect that behind every crime, an even bigger reason exists, because it seems that it means much more to the killer than just to cruelly disfigure his victims.
As the investigation doesn't progress, Sam is sent against his will to Colombia, South America. Here, doors open that lead him to a time of Nazi criminals and bring him closer to a secret not even the people directly involved suspect.

[ahammel]

David Brin's Uplift series is pretty neat (except possibly Sundiver, which I haven't read).

Existence is Brin's latest (non-Uplift) and I really enjoyed it as well. It's got a really interesting sort of post-Cyberpunk future setting, and a cool take on the Fermi problem.

[upandcomer]

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, read this!!!

[Jorpho]

David Brin's Uplift series is pretty neat (except possibly Sundiver, which I haven't read).

Sundiver was his first-ever novel. It's pretty clever, but lacks the epic scope of his other works.

Good to hear that Existence is up to snuff; now I just need to get a copy.

[addams]

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zeven.

An uplifting child's book. Easy and uncomplicated.

[KatieC]

the best book ive read recently was Passport to Hell by Terry Daniels. Not the sort of book I'd usually read but it was very interesting. It's about an English girl who is wrongly accused of smuggling cocaine from Brazil to Spain and then whilst on bail for that, in a bizarre twist, is wrongly accused of terrorism in northern ireland. it's a true story too strangely enough. she eventually manages to clear her name for both crimes but spends a lot of time in prison first and learns that the mafia were involved as well as corrupt judges and police, etc and uncovers quite a tangled web. the most interesting parts i found though were the depictions of the other criminals in spain, who are a mix of ETA terrorists, gypsies, spanish criminals and latin americans, and the decsription of northern ireland, which seems a really messed up country where there is basically a total religious apartheid between catholics and protestants (she ended up as a protestant on an almost entirely catholic prison wing)

[Nylonathatep]

For anyone who wants a change and take up a Non-fiction: Thick Black Theory

Interesting theory regarding on an alternate view in life, providing examples of how his theories applied in historical context. The book is origionally written in Chinese by a Chinese author, so if you reading translated text some of the writing might not came through as the way that it was meant to be interpreted.

[wwjd_kilden]

There are so many (!)

The secret garden - Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett

This is a story about a girl who starts off her life in India (among the rich people) and is spoiled rotten with materialistic things, but little else. She is then sent away to her uncle in England, and she meets a new world. The descriptions of the garden and the insight in the thoughts of the girl are wonderful.

I think I've read this book three times in Norwegian and once in English.

The Brothers Lionheart - Astrid Lindgren
This is my childhood favorite I think. Astrid Lindgren wrote plenty of books for children, some mostly silly, but also some with serious topics, like disease, death, war and suppression. Most of this book takes place in a realm called Nangiala.

Spoiler:

The story starts off with the youngest of the brothers (Karl) being sick, so sick that he will soon die. His older brother (Jonatan) is keeping watch over him. Then one day, a fire breaks out in their building, and they cannot get down the stairs to get out. Jonatan tells Karl about Nangiala, the realm where people go when they die. After some talking, Jonatan takes Karl on his back and leap out the window. Jonatan dies from the fall, and a while later, Karl dies from his illness.

We then follow them in Nangiala and meet the characters there. The place seems like a paradise, but after some time, it turns out not everythig is perfect here either. An evil man is occupying one of the towns, and the people suffer under his reign. The boys end up in the middle of the struggle for freedom.