I'm assembling a Christmas wishlist and, as a related project, a list of books I'd like to read in the coming year. I'm interested in some recommendations. If you'd be so kind as to mention two or three titles or authors I'd greatly appreciate it. I know a lot of the friends I'm asking, and people here at the MoFo, are quite literate and will probably want to recommend dozens of books but I'd ask you to avoid that instinct because it would sort of defeat my purpose. Also, I will of course be glad for your SF/Fantasy recommendations but I suspect that I'll be getting a lot of those because of the crowd with which I roll, so I'm particularly interested in things outside those genres. And especially nonfiction. I loves me some nonfiction.
So what I really want, is just a couple of recommendations from each of you. And since I'm asking around, I might as well make some recommendations of my own.
Dune by Frank Herbert. Any Sci-Fi fan ought to read this. It's vastly complex and thought-provoking, and even though some people find it dry I think it's exciting. People have mixed feelings about the books that follow. Personally, I fully embrace all six Dune books by the original author, and I think that the prequels and sequels co-authored by his son are all right but not excellent. In any case, however, the original is great.
Anything by Matthew Woodring Stover. I first learned of him through his Star Wars novels, and his novelization of Revenge of the Sith is excellent and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of whether they liked the movie (or any Star Wars movie. Really. it's that good). But I know people tend not to believe me when I say that, so I also recommend Heroes Die, which is an excellent novel which blends Sci-Fi and Fantasy elements in a clever way with gripping and intense action scenes and characters that have fascinating psychologies. Warning: It's very violent. And tough to find, too, although Amazon does have it.
Getting Things Done by David Allen. This is a nonfiction book, almost self-help-ish but not really. Basically it sets out a set of principles for accomplishing work that are intuitive and logical and help you to maximize productivity. The way it works is by helping you deal with whatever's on your plate by getting it all out of your head and collecting, processing, and organizing it into a trusted system of reminders that you will review on a regular basis and will make sure you are always confident that what you are doing is what you need to be doing. It's aimed at busy professionals but the principles also apply to schoolwork, so it has helped me greatly as a student. It's also good for creative work. This book can make your life better if you let it. I sound like a cult leader now so I'll stop.
So, just a couple books that I'd recommend. Now you. Maybe something you just read that's been on your mind or maybe something you read years ago that has stayed with you.
Snow Crash... although if I remember correctly, it was you who suggested it to me 😯
I actually got the last three Dune books written by Frank Herbert as stocking stuffers way back in Elementary school.
I'd recommend The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It still remains one of my favorite, if not my favorite book today. I re-read it a year ago and was giddy to find it not only still quite entertaining, but still relevant despite the obvious lapse of time that has passed since the 60's until now.
It's a children's novel, but it's extremely clever and utilizes the illustrations as a part of the story. It's about a boy who, bored with everyday life, one day receives a mysterious package that turns out to be a play tollbooth. But when he plays with it, just because it's something to do, he ends up transported to another world where he encounters a series of adventures to save two princesses, all the while learning that there is a lot to be excited about in life.
The Redemption of Althalus is a good read if you can find it, by David and Leigh Eddings IIRC. I'm not exactly an avid fantasy reader - I don't like long series that span 11 or more hardback, thick novels for example - so this was nice and refreshing as it's a self-contained novel and the style it's written in isn't unnecessarily weighed down by stuffy dialogue.
o.o..House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
Tis truly a mind twister of a tale, and very enjoyable
What, you wanted a legitimate reply? Bah!
For fans who like their fantasy dark and with a minimum of thous and thuses, I reccommend The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, about a wizard who happens to live in present-day Chicago and makes rent money as a private investigator. Two parts noir, two parts fantasy, and a little dash of humor to top it off. If you watched the short-lived Sci-Fi Channel series, all I can say is the books are much better, and not canceled.
A quick jaunt into the area of nonfiction, a must-read for political junkies is Dreams of my Father by Barack Obama. You'll notice I didn't say his more-well known book The Audacity of Hope. Audacity is where Obama lays down his political agenda, and is a great book to get if you have any friends who are card-carrying democrats. Dreams of my Father is his autobiography, written back when he was still at Harvard Law in the early 90s. It's politically neutral for the most part and is a great gift for anyone who wants to get to know our future president better, left or right (Full disclosure, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I voted for McCain).
If you have any friends who are writers, I thoroughly recommend Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. This is one of a handful of books that I always bring with me no matter where I go. It's a book on writing that deals with more the mental and spiritual roadblocks that can come in the way. It's not a textbook, it's more of a reflection, and it's helped me plenty.
Hurry, back into fiction. If you have a friend who likes fantasy and hasn't read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Sussanna Clarke yet... What! The! Hell! Get it for them and put them out of their misery.
Finally, because I always recommend Orson Scott Card books in these type of posts, if you know someone who is a fan of his Ender series, get them his newest book Ender in Exile. It's the first book he's ever written to directly pick up the action after his best-seller Ender's Game from the titular character's perspective. Even better, get them the audio book, which is almost like a play, with a different actor reading the lines of each character, including Card himself (when I met the man, the only thing he ever seemed overly proud about was his acting skills).
Forbidden Archaeology by Michael Cremo and Richard Thompson
Hollow Planets by Jan Lamprecht
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
Road In The Sky by George Hunt Williamson
The Universe In A Single Atom by the Dalai Lama
Inside The Spaceships by George Adamski
and waaaaaaaaaaay more, f**kloads more <3
Thanks, all.
Hiro, it wasn't I who recommended Snow Crash. It looks interesting, but I've already got a Neal Stephenson on my list so I'm gonna put that one a bit lower on my list.
DL, House of Leaves is already on my list, and the double recommendation bumps it up. It seems awesome. Same to Srol WRT Dresden Files.
Once again, thanks to all of you.
I love Snow Crash - Just have to say that here! 
I didn't even know that people still knew how to read.
Really? O_o
It would make posting in a forum a little problematic if nobody could read, dontcha think?
Really? O_o
It would make posting in a forum a little problematic if nobody could read, dontcha think?
Good call.
Book Recommendations (They make great stocking stuffers!)
You must have some big stockings. =P
Anyhow the Wrinkle in Time trilogy has a soft spot in my heart. That and A Series of Unfortunate Events. And my sister is enjoying the Inheritance books ATM.
