Must read books? : Othor Games

» Tue May 22, 2012 5:28 am

So just finished George RR. Martin's "A Dance with Dragons" and have gone into svere depression due to not being able to go into Westeros again until The Winds of Winter is released.

So people, what are some books that you think one must, absolutely, positively, cannot go on living without reading books?

Before you suggest my favorite books of all time are:

The Road, Cormac Mcarthy
1984, George Orwell
Angels & Demons, Dan Brown
The Lord of the Rings, think you know the author
A Song of Ice and Fire, George RR. Martin
Flowers for Algernon, forgot author

Suggestions?

» Tue May 22, 2012 7:18 am

good omens by terry pratchett and neil gaiman

» Mon May 21, 2012 6:59 pm

Paradise Lost, Milton
Don Quixote, Cervantes
The Divine Comedy, Alighieri

That should keep you busy for a while. Now, go! Hie thee to a bookstore.

» Mon May 21, 2012 9:14 pm

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli.
I read it for a history class, I really loved it. Which is odd because I dread History.
Its a bit short, but powerful. Theres some parts I actually cried at.

Without spoiling anything, its about a young naive boy during the Holocaust.

» Tue May 22, 2012 11:06 am

The remains of the day. A book that's truly sad yet optimistic, and not overdone in any way. It's understated and subtle.

» Tue May 22, 2012 3:22 am

good omens by terry pratchett and neil gaiman

ya know just about anything from these two authors is worth reading

» Tue May 22, 2012 1:41 am

The Castle, Franz Kafka
Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Immortality, Milan Kundera
anything by Virginia Woolf and Joseph Conrad (two of my favourite writers)

» Tue May 22, 2012 4:56 am

War and Peace
1984, though you've already read it.
A Clockwork Orange

Oh, and "Calvin and Hobbes". :tongue:

» Tue May 22, 2012 3:51 am

I would recommend the Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone by Greg Keyes, based on your fantasy tastes. It's very Morrowind-y, hence him being asked to do the Elder Scrolls novels, but frankly his Kingdoms ... books are way superior. You also might enjoy Stephen King's Dark Tower saga (which is great until the end - but isn't all Stephen King?)

» Tue May 22, 2012 10:06 am

The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and the complete History of Middle-Earth (although you've probably already at least read The Silmarillion if you're a fan of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings).

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

» Tue May 22, 2012 5:19 am

The novelisation of Spiderman 3.

Seriously though, maybe Lolita or something.

» Mon May 21, 2012 8:48 pm

You also might enjoy Stephen King's Dark Tower saga (which is great until the end - but isn't all Stephen King?)

another great series, although the first book is very hard to get into imo. It really picks up in the drawing of the three.

» Tue May 22, 2012 2:10 am

the shining
midnight express

» Mon May 21, 2012 8:58 pm

Till We Have Faces!

» Tue May 22, 2012 7:45 am

Not at all similar to any of the books you mentioned, but I love the books you listed so I figure we have similar taste. Try Survivor and Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk. Also Lord of the Flies, but I figure you've read that already.

» Tue May 22, 2012 7:10 am

Why modern life makes it hard to be happy-By Michael Foley

'The good news is that the great thinkers from history have proposed the same strategies for happiness and fulfilment. The bad news is that these turn out to be the very things most discouraged by contemporary culture. This knotty dilemma is the subject of The Age of Absurdity - a wry and accessible investigation into how the desirable states of wellbeing and satisfaction are constantly undermined by modern life. Michael Foley examines the elusive condition of happiness common to philosophy, spiritual teachings and contemporary psychology, then shows how these are becoming increasingly difficult to apply in a world of high expectations. The common challenges of earning a living, maintaining a relationship and ageing are becoming battlegrounds of existential angst and self-loathing in a culture that demands conspicuous consumption, high-octane partnerships and perpetual youth. In conclusion, rather than denouncing and rejecting the age, Foley presents an entertaining strategy of not just accepting but embracing today's world - finding happiness in its absurdity.'

Perhaps one of the most insightful and funny books i've ever read and its pretty simple too

» Mon May 21, 2012 6:40 pm

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

+1, awesome book

» Mon May 21, 2012 9:24 pm

The Divine Comedy, Alighieri

Currently reading this, fascinating stuff though some parts tend to be tedious at times.

Anyway, I'd of course recommend works of Tolkien such as The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, LOTR trilogy etc.
A lot of authors who created masterpieces I love are Hungarian though so I can't really make a lot of ABSOLUTE MUST recommendations in English. Of course you can always read classics translated into English.

» Tue May 22, 2012 5:50 am

For similarly superior low fantasy there's Joe Abercrombie's "Best Served Cold", a story about revenge. Some characters felt like refugees from other books in the same universe, and one in particular is a lame deus ex machina, but it's a fun read, and Monzcarro Murcatto is one of my favourite female characters of all time.

I'm also currently reading James SA Corey's "Leviathan Wakes", which carries a GRRM recommendation on the cover. Though I have to be honest, it starts out really strong, but less than halfway through, I have a sneaking suspicion that I know what the big reveal is. I hope I'm wrong.

» Tue May 22, 2012 5:14 am

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett should be required reading.
Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter is a gripping good read.
The Hyperion/ Endymion saga by Dan Simmons.

» Mon May 21, 2012 9:02 pm

Since you like Tolkien, I second The Children of Hurin. I'm assuming you've also read The Silmarillion?

» Mon May 21, 2012 11:06 pm

Try Survivor and Rant, by Chuck Palahniuk.

Just read everything from Chuck Palahniuk. Lullaby, Haunted, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Choke... all good fiction.

Shogun by James Clavell.

The Death Gate Cycle by Weiss and Hickman is seven books of win.

The Dune books are great.

Anything from Charlie Huston is good, too.

Try Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and if you like it, read absolutely every other one of his books that's been translated into English.

» Tue May 22, 2012 12:59 am

From Terry Pratchett's Discworld series I'd say The Truth is a nice introduction to the series. The main character hasn't been in previous books, which even though every Discworld book except the second is readable on their own, helps.

» Tue May 22, 2012 4:00 am

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb is excellent: Assassin's Apprentice. Royal Assassin. Assassin's Quest.

» Mon May 21, 2012 9:14 pm

Top 5 for me (in no particular order):

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
A Long way Down - Nick Hornby
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling

Not because they are literary masterpieces (although I think they are all great), but just because I found them very entertaining and/or thought provoking without feeling like a slog to read.