This sounds a bit daft, but I've spent the last ten years or so reading very little other than "self help" and study material. Now I think it's time to get back to reading. Has anyone read anything that they think may be interesting enough for me?

I used to like Sci-fi - in particular I loved Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion books, so anything along those lines...

Stewart is you man on this. He does excellent reviews on his web site. I think he has a link to them in his signature - :)

a good book is Time enough for Love - bit of a classic
for pure fantasy and easy reading dragon series by Anne McCaffrey

start at the beginnning of the series .

anything by tad williams seems to be good

Has anyone read anything that they think may be interesting enough for me?

I used to like Sci-fi - in particular I loved Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion books, so anything along those lines...

I'm not a big sci-fi fan, preferring less genre driven literature, although literary has become a genre in itself these days. For sci-fi, the nearest thing I've read this year was The Invention Of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares, which is a slim volume that can be read again and again. Being that it's set on island where everything is not quite as it seems, I think this little Argentinean classic from 1940 is quite an influence of the television show Lost.

I suppose you could have a nosey through my blog (in signature) and see if anything takes your fancy there. It's quite a varied mix.

Stewart is you man on this. He does excellent reviews on his web site. I think he has a link to them in his signature - :)

Who is Stewart?

.
.
.
Mile-O :p

a good book is Time enough for Love - bit of a classic
for pure fantasy and easy reading dragon series by Anne McCaffrey

start at the beginnning of the series .

anything by tad williams seems to be good

Dragons, now we're talking!

I just can't get out of this blooming trap! Went to a local bookshop at lunch time and end up coming back with a book on practicle magick. Maybe I shop in the wrong bookshops. Think I'll try Amazon :(

I'm not a big sci-fi fan, preferring less genre driven literature, although literary has become a genre in itself these days. For sci-fi, the nearest thing I've read this year was The Invention Of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares, which is a slim volume that can be read again and again. Being that it's set on island where everything is not quite as it seems, I think this little Argentinean classic from 1940 is quite an influence of the television show Lost.

I suppose you could have a nosey through my blog (in signature) and see if anything takes your fancy there. It's quite a varied mix.

Thanks Mile (or Stewart, sorry), I'll take a look. I've heard of that book, so maybe I can find it on Amazon. I'm thinking, if I don't do a specific search I'm going to end up with the same old, same old.

Who is Stewart?

And you a Scot!:eek:

Mod Mr S J McAbney aka Mile o Phile is a national treasure (here at least). His technical input (much reduced nowadays due to other commitments) is much missed by those of us who benefitted from his elegant coding.

And you a Scot!:eek:

Mod Mr S J McAbney aka Mile o Phile is a national treasure (here at least). His technical input (much reduced nowadays due to other commitments) is much missed by those of us who benefitted from his elegant coding.

Darn! I should have known that because we're practically related both being Scots ha ha ha. :D

And now that you've blown his cover name I'm guessin' MFI are going to recall him :D

...is much missed by those of us who benefitted from his elegant coding.

I would like to echo that sentiment. I have never seen anyone that can churn out more elegant code and - do it as fast as he can. I was amazed... :)

I suppose you could have a nosey through my blog (in signature) and see if anything takes your fancy there. It's quite a varied mix.

Where do you get the time? ;) LOL, here am I making the decision to read something "just for the fun of it" for a whole 30 minutes a day! Unfortunately that's all I can afford out of my busy schedule as my boss insists on me being here for 8 hours a day and if he doesn't hear the keyboard clatter he thinks I've fallen asleep and prods me with a cattle prod! Time theives, that's what they are. (rant finished, apologies, I get rather emotional about being forced to spend time here when I could be, oh, I don't know, watching paint dry :))

I got a recommendation:

Conn Iggulden:
* The Gates of Rome (2003)
* The Death of Kings (2004)
* The Field of Swords (2005)
* The Gods of War (2006)

Not historically correct in any sense, other than bits and pieces, but he makes it for the greater good :)
All in all, very good to start your history carrer with :) And the Roman Empire is very much like our civilization.... just have to read between the lines. :)

Happy reading!

Ouma,

My son is a great sci-fi / fantasy fan. He is currently reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Huge volumes and many books in the series.

Of course if you want something a little nearer to home you could try the Rebus books by Iain Rankin. For the authentic Edinburgh/Fife settings

ever read 2001: a space odyssey? it's really quite good.

Wow, this will take me right through my retirement! Thanks everybody.

I've read most of the Rebus books Rabbie, I just love the way Ian Rankin writes. The final one is due out this autumn I think. Pity Ken Stott won't be doing the TV show though.

ever read 2001: a space odyssey? it's really quite good.

LOL, yes, actually, we read that way back at high school. Then it was Dune, now THERE is a boring book! 2001 was quite good as I remember.

If you have not read Philip Pullman's trilogy titled "his dark materials", I think that it might be a good read for you. It has three books:
The Golden Compass (Made into a movie in 2007)
The Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass

So, why is it so many techie folk seem to be into sci-fi and fantasy? I've never seen the appeal.

oumahexi, if you want something completely different to strike you out of a rut, but with a hint of sci-fi, then what about Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro?

So, why is it so many techie folk seem to be into sci-fi and fantasy? I've never seen the appeal.

oumahexi, if you want something completely different to strike you out of a rut, but with a hint of sci-fi, then what about Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro?

I have been interested in Sci-Fi and Fantasy since I was in grammar school (two favorite books that I remember from that time are "Fahrenheit 451" and "a Wrinkle in Time", so I think that it might just be the other way around (that people who like Sci-Fi and Fantasy are prone to become techies).:D

You MUST read the Anne McCaffrey dragon series (Dragon this of Pern, Dragon that of Pern), as Gary suggested. Here is a link to the reading order: http://www.annemccaffrey.net/2006-Pern-Reading-Order.pdf. There is a sub-series about a young lady and "mini-dragons" that is quite good (I think it fits in the middle of one of the dragon series books). It is pure escapism. I found her other series provided the same escapism value but without all the dragons (something about a crystal singer).

Other similar authors: Andre Norton, Ursula K. LeGuin. I could read all 3 authors all day/night long. They are a bit mushy/girlie but I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff, in private.

The Dune (Frank Herbert) series was good. Anything by Douglas Adams (combines sci-fi with humor). The Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy" is classic/a must read.

The "Gor" series (John Norman) was...interesting, a bit brutal at times, and a bit sexy at times (not porn though). Not for the squeamish, though. Exactly the opposite of some of the more "principled" books I mention later.

An obvious set of books are the middle earth books by J.R.R. Tolkien. I used to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit once a year. If you can stand it, the Silmarilion (SP?) is interesting and fits together nicely with LOTR.

For a sci-fi character you love to hate, try Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series. Easy read and you hate the hero but want everything to work out for him.

Piers Anthony writes some pretty good stuff. I particularly loved his "Xanth" series. There was also a series about a magician in an alternate universe, one of the titles was "The Blue Adept" (I think the first in the series). Those were good and would transition nicely from your witch readings.

I particularly enjoyed the 7 books in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. Chock full of Christian principles but the stories are quite good.

Some web comics are good. Banana is always linking some interesting new web comic. I end up spending huge hours chasing one or the other of his links.

Harder, less sci-fi stuff, but still good: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, War and Peace (if you can get through the middle) by Tolstoi, The Holy Bible. These will all take some time but are worth it. Don't think of it as self help as there are some really interesting stories in the Bible and although there are potential life lessons in all three, the stories can be quite provocative.

All this should take you about 6 months to read. Better get to work.

This sounds a bit daft, but I've spent the last ten years or so reading very little other than "self help" and study material. Now I think it's time to get back to reading. Has anyone read anything that they think may be interesting enough for me?

I used to like Sci-fi - in particular I loved Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion books, so anything along those lines...

Are you a fan of Orson Scott Card? I particularly like the Ender's Game series. It is old now, but still great.

the crystal singer and the other two novels that go with it are excellent reads as its the short stories that Anne M has written -
however the short stores do relate to the dragon series

the dragon singer is fantastic

- warning though read them in order - as they are charater based stories and if you skip a book then you have to read back to catch up - i have about 13 of the books and even now keep going back to them

Catherine Kerr is another author - however this is more celtic in its approach and doesn't matter too much in which order they are read - about 10 books in total and still going on strong - but best to start at the begining

Dune - a big read and a bit invovled - but i did enjoy ...
Terry Pratchett - just easy fun - the books are written on two levels one for kids one for adults seems to work

there a pretty good book about a stone and a flute - as a story without having to get involved in a series - written by a German author
then Sparrowhawk as a book (series of 3 ) the film does not do the book justice

Harder, less sci-fi stuff, but still good: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, ...The Holy Bible.
Strange to see those two mentioned in the same breath. Ayn Rand is someone who teenagers and selfish people seem to get on well with since her Objectivist rantings are all about to hell with everyone else just do things for yourself, whereas the teachings of the latter, in its New Testament, at least, propose the opposite.

Surprised nobody mentioned David & Leigh Eddings. I loved both Belgarath & Mallorean series and the other series which escapes me, about the character Sparhawk.

It was very appealing in part because there was so much political intrigue; eventually led me to decide to minor in International Relations (political science).

It's not fantasy but sci-fi ...

Stephen R Donaldson (might remember from the Thomas Covenant fantasy series) came out with another series; The Gap Cycle. The first book is called The Real Story.

I wasn't a hugh sci-fi fan, and even though Donaldson's books after the Thomas Covenant were not very good this series was totally fantastic. Although the first book trends a hair over the line graphically, it sets up the remainder.

A recommended MUST TRY for anyone.

-dK

Surprised nobody mentioned David & Leigh Eddings. I loved both Belgarath & Mallorean series and the other series which escapes me, about the character Sparhawk.

It was very appealing in part because there was so much political intrigue; eventually led me to decide to minor in International Relations (political science).

excellent

sparrowhawk - Ruby knight - just re -read this the other day - brill

Yeah, this series was definitely more intriguing.

If you haven't, be sure to grab a book of Polgara the Sorceress. Lot of diplomacy going on in there. :)

Note: Don't bother if you haven't read the Belgarath & Mallorean series.

read the whole series down to the tamuils ? typo

Erm... *looking up the series on wiki*

The Elenium and The Tamuli are a separate universe from Belgarath and Mallorean series, so as long you've read the B & M, you're OK to read the Belgarath the Socerer and Polgara the Sorceress. :)

lol .. I'm sorry .. I have to give a big X to some of David Eddings stuff.

The first couple of books were good - very fresh - but it seemed to me that the following books and series' were a rehash watering them down and making them stale. Think of the Dirty Harry or Charles Bronson movies of the late 70s. Good first story, the rest was just more of the same. Frankly put, I got tired of rereading the same story over and over.

-dK

If you want to go with mushy girly stuff, I am currently reading PS, I love you by Cecelia Ahern. It was made into a movie about a year ago. Occasionally, need a break from the murder mysteries that I lap up. If you want to go that route I could load you up with recommendations to last you for years.:)

lol .. I'm sorry .. I have to give a big X to some of David Eddings stuff.

Oh, well. You can't please them all. :)

The Adept Series (Anthony) was a provocative story about future earth. Almost anything by that guy is pretty creative. His newer stuff seemed more 'young reader' since they dealt with issues of teenage suicide, et al.

My last big pick is the first book of the The Death Gate Cycle: Dragon Wing.

A very innovative approach at story telling with the setting and the players involved. The last couple of books are somewhat lacking in creativity but if you are really into fantasy, the authors created a whole new universe with a compelling story line with believable characters that you understand and agree with their motivations.

-dK

No arguments there; I read the Blue Adept and remember was glad to finally see something besides the usual bludgeoning of Orcs & Goblins. (Which reminds me- that was the another appeal of Eddings; at least they tried to make their own races and universes than just copy the universe laid down by JRR Tolkien which gets tiresome after a bit. Oh well).

Too bad I didn't keep up with Piers, but know would if I found his books. :)

Strange to see those two mentioned in the same breath. Ayn Rand is someone who teenagers and selfish people seem to get on well with since her Objectivist rantings are all about to hell with everyone else just do things for yourself, whereas the teachings of the latter, in its New Testament, at least, propose the opposite.

And oddly enough, I enjoyed both! That must say something?

The message I took from Rand's books (I've also read The Fountainhead, not as good IMHO) was "strive for excellence." The thing I learned from the Bible was giving. As such, I give away my excellence at every opportunity.

Though I can't imagine a teenager reading the entire book (Atlas Shrugged). It'd have to be a very bored or very self-disciplined teen!

Though I can't imagine a teenager reading the entire book (Atlas Shrugged). It'd have to be a very bored or very self-disciplined teen!
Hey, they get through Lord Of The Rings, something I've never been able to do.

I've read much of what has been posted here, Eddings, Donaldson, Norton, Asimov, Tolkien, etc. Been a sci-fi/fantasy fan for many years. You might also look for the Kushiel (http://www.jacquelinecarey.com/) books (some sexual stuff in there, but good stories) and check out the Deryni novels by Kathering Kurtz (http://www.deryni.net/).

Yeah, I enjoyed the Deryni stuff but couldn't remember what they were called. It's been over 20 years.

But Atlas Shrugged is all about Artitotle's philosophies, capitalism, and business, it doesn't seem that would appeal to teens. LOTR, OTOH, has Orcs, magic, flying warriors, scary stuff...right up a teens alley. I enjoyed them both.

Well, I'm a complete scifi-fantasy junkie so I'll limit this to some authors not previously mentioned. There's some great stuff mentioned previously, and some stuff I got bored with pretty quickly.

Genre: SciFi

Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan Saga Essentially a 'space opera' series. One of my favorites, and has a great sense of humour. Literally had me crying with laughter in some scenes. :D

Genre: Pure Fantasy

Robin Hobb: Farseer trilogy. Evil author :) Poor Fitz.
George RR Martin: Ice and Fire series (not yet complete though).

Genre: Alternate Historical/Fantasy

Guy Gavriel Kay: Anything he writes is gold IMO. Generally writes one-book stories, but has one duology (Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emporers). He also has one high-fantasy trilogy. I would highly recommend the Lions of Al Rassan, or Tigana. The only author whose work I re-read with regularity.

Naomi Novik: Temeraire series. Essentially Napoleonic times, reimagined to include dragons and aerial corps being part of the war between Napoleon and ...well, everybody else. It's something of a cross between Master and Commander, and the dragonriders of Pern.

Genre Mystery/Fantasy

Jim Butcher: The Dresden Files. Real page turners featuring a wizard trying to make a living in modern day chicago by helping the chicago PD solve unusual cases.

I could go on, but you only have 30 minutes a day and you've already got enough recommendations for many years at that rate ;)

Craig touched on Alternative History genre... While not sci-fi at all, I have to say I enjoyed Harry Turtledove's works, especially on his Balance series and The Two Georges.

i read all of ayn rand's stuff when i was a teen. i couldn't put it down. eventually it got a bit repetitive though. i found her through one of the bands i listened to: Rush. some of their early stuff was lyrically influenced by her writing. they even have a song called "Anthem" (the title of one of her books).

recent reads:
- The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (1994-5 (in three volumes)) – Haruki Murakami
- Beyond the Sky and the Earth. A Journey Into Bhutan. (1999) – Jamie Zeppa

murakami's not sci-fi but he sends you places!

Erm... *looking up the series on wiki*

The Elenium and The Tamuli are a separate universe from Belgarath and Mallorean series, so as long you've read the B & M, you're OK to read the Belgarath the Socerer and Polgara the Sorceress. :)

Ah ha! Socerer and Soceress - now we're talking! All sounds very Welsh as well, even better! :cool:

Please, don't anyone come back with Harry P. I know a lot of adults have read them, but I draw the line...

Can I ask why the line at JK Rowling?

I don't see too much difference between Harry Potter and Buffy, except they may be of opposit genders.

Can I ask why the line at JK Rowling?In my case because I don't think they are very good:(

Oh no worries, oumahexi & Rabbie-

It's just rare for me to meet someone who wasn't all that crazy over Rowling (I haven't read the books as the whole thing just didn't appeal to me for some reason) and was curious what you felt to be missing in her stories. :)

Oh no worries, oumahexi & Rabbie-

It's just rare for me to meet someone who wasn't all that crazy over Rowling (I haven't read the books as the whole thing just didn't appeal to me for some reason) and was curious what you felt to be missing in her stories. :)


I have read all Seven books and seen all 5 Movies so far (I have four children that are fans), leaving me with these observations:
The books were well written and the storylines carried through with little confusion. I like this kind of fantasy, and enjoyed these books as well.
The movies were nowhere as good as the books (in fact most of them really have not done justice to the books that they were based on).
Most importantly, I did not assume that oumahexi would be interested in them, since they are not really science fiction as much as they are fantasy, and I thought she was looking for science fiction.

I have read all Seven books and seen all 5 Movies so far (I have four children that are fans), leaving me with these observations:
The books were well written and the storylines carried through with little confusion. I like this kind of fantasy, and enjoyed these books as well. I have heard so, not read the books but seen the movies (I have three grandchildren). My initial reaction was one of worry because the eldest, being 11, showed a great deal of interest in magic, and not the Paul Daniels type.
The movies were nowhere as good as the books (in fact most of them really have not done justice to the books that they were based on). Most movies are the same. They can rarely capture the same feelings that the books do.
Most importantly, I did not assume that oumahexi would be interested in them, since they are not really science fiction as much as they are fantasy, and I thought she was looking for science fiction.

My main preference is for science fantasy, science fiction running a very close second and any type of fantasy after that. Probably I'd only really rule out categories such as love stories, most war, and western.

Someone mentioned historic novels. I once read a whole series of books on Scottish history by Nigel Tranter - amazing.

I am currently open to suggestions, I just need to get back into the swing of reading for fun again.

Thanks for your suggestions. I can see myself getting a whole new library out of this thread :D

they even have a song called "Anthem" (the title of one of her books).

Which is an objectivist retelling of Yevgeny Zemyatin's wonderfully dystopic We, the inspiration for Orwell's Nineteen Eight-Four and, though he denied it, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.

used to read a lot of SF - 20 yrs ago or so

at that time I was very impressed by James Tiptree Jr, who turned out to be a lady (really complex and interesting short stories), and Joe Haldeman (The Forever War)
Most Philip K Dick stuff is worth reading as well.

The movies were nowhere as good as the books (in fact most of them really have not done justice to the books that they were based on).

When has a film ever done justice to the book it was based on?

I'm about halfway through "Dies The Fire" by S.M. Sirling
I guess it falls into SF, but it's really just post-apocalypse.
Not too bad so far, although it's 3 parrallel story lines.
Two of them are good, and the third is so boring that I just skim those chapters.