Avid Readers?

[Taite]

Anyone on the org an avid reader? And by this, I don't mean an avid reader of manga or comic books, I mean novels and the such.
I thought maybe this might be a nice thread to have. It can be a place to just say what books you like, are currently reading, make recommendations about which books not to read, and anything related to the topic. It's quite geeky, I know, but hopefully I'm not the only one.

As for me, I'm currently reading the Outlander series, and it is because of an unfortunate event regarding the series that I wanted to make this thread:

I just spoiled a major event in one of the future books. I know absolutely no one who can relate to the crushing feeling of spoiling something big in a book/series you absolutely love, and how badly you want to get it off your back!
So I hope by meeting others who actually like to read and can relate, I can get this itchy feeling off my back. I told my mom, and it was quite unsatisfactory, as I explained to her what happened and she merely laughed at me as she saw how emotional I was over it.

Books is such a nerdy topic, so I'll probably get people making jokes and posting pics/gifs in here, but I figure it can't be any worse than amvs (no offense ya'll).

[Ileia]

Nerdy? Hehe, I got that. I only read Star Wars books these days, but I've read about 150+ and I re-read them often. I like them more than I like the movies (gasp!) and Todd will frequently ask me a question and I'll go on and on about them, haha.

Getting into the Star Wars expanded universe is really daunting and sometimes people don't know where to start so they don't end up in the middle of an arc or something. If any of you ever decide you want to start reading them, though, I suggest reading the Darth Bane trilogy. Darth Bane is the Sith who instituted the "Rule of Two" (one master, one apprentice) and the book doesn't expect you to have knowledge of pre-existing books. Another good way is to pick up a book that plays off the movies. Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Tales from Jabba's Palace are great for this because they tell the stories of the characters we see in those scenes (like the band at the cantina or the dancers in Jabba's palace) and actually intertwine them with the stories of the other characters in the Cantina/Palace to piece together the whole scene from the movie.

And, a personal favorite by far, I'd also suggest Shatterpoint, which is all about Mace Windu and shows him in a grittier, much more badass role than in the prequels.

[Ileia]

Oh, woops. Wrong link for Shatterpoint. >_>

This is the right one.

(I accidentally linked the reason why the book is called Shatterpoint, though, haha.)

[BasharOfTheAges]

Hah. I used to read a lot of those 10-12 years ago. At one point I think I had gone through about 1/3 of the 200 or so official novels at the time. There has to be up over 500 now, right?

[Ileia]

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_books

Even though they take up a large chunk of that, I ignore the Young Reader books (at least...for now), but I've read all the E-books and almost all of the adult novels. The only ones from the latter that I haven't yet read are Red Harvest, Death Troopers, and I'm waiting for Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse to get published.

[kikai_saigono]

Right now I'm in the mood to go back and re-read all the Harry Potter books, which has proved to be great fun. I'm about 75% through Chamber of Secrets (which is admittedly my favorite book, second is Order of the Phoenix).

Other than that I love reading, but it has to be a specific kind of books. I love anything by Phillipa Greggory. Wasn't really really in to the Hunger Games, but I read that too.

[Glitzer]

Neeeerds!

I'll compliment Ileia's Star Wars recommendation with a healthy dose of fantasy!

If you like Lord of the Rings, allow me to suggest "Tolkien's true life work", The Silmarillion. It is considered the bible of his universe, while Lord of the Rings is more of the climax. He spent his entire adult life writing it and still ultimately never finished. Don't let that discourage you, however. Within, I have found stories unmatched in tragedy and triumph carefully crafted with the utmost care. It may be difficult reading, his writing approach mimicked that of an ancient tome using prose and a mythical style. Even with that said, it is highly recommended from me.

I started with Tolkien because his influence has extended to all modern day fantasy. If you want a fantasy novel light on magic, but keen on dialogue and world-building, I urge you to read the series A Song of Ice and Fire. You may have heard of the fantastic TV show, Game of Thrones, that encompassed the first book in this series. If you've seen the first season though, I would be surprised if you haven't already started reading the rest of the series.

For some great mindless entertainment from the D&D world, you could sample Homeland from the Legend of Drizzt series.

Also, here's a brilliant flowchart of NPR's Top 100 SciFi/Fantasy Books.

Here's my favorite quote on books,
"A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called 'leaves') imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person - perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic."
Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

[Warlike Swans]

I read a lot of fiction-- fantasy, science-fiction (written out that way to appease Ileia), and classic literature.

I'm currently reading "the Taming Fire" by Aaron Pogue, which is one of the self-published books I ran across on Amazon. Can't say whether I'd recommend it as of yet. I'm 31% through it and the writing is good, but the story-line seems pretty generic (adolescent boy + wizard mentor).

Glitzer, I can't say our tastes seem to overlap (unless you count Guy Gavriel Kay)... but I do need to thank you for sharing that flow-chart

[Taite]

Wow, I had no idea there were that many books in Star Wars I remember trying to read one of them when I was in 5th grade, and I couldn't understand half of it. I have it laying around here somewhere, and thought I might try it again.


I really like that flowchart, Glitzer! Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is amazing, and a very hefty book, which I love. Definitely recommend.
I also see the Outlander series on there, which made me smile. My favorite books of all time. I thank god they are as long as they are, and that there are seven of them out, even though I'm nearing the end (I'm on the sixth) where I'll have to wait for the eighth.

@kikai_saigono Phillipa Gregory is great. If you like PG, I think you should look at Outlander series, if you're looking for something new. I honestly rave to everyone about these books. It's historical fiction/romance/time travel/adventure/action/mystery/amazing.

[irriadin]

Long before I got into anime and manga, I was a huge fantasy reader. Still am, to a certain extent. I'm just starting another re-read of the Wheel of Time before the last book comes out, and some of my other favorites are A Song of Ice and Fire, the Dresden Files, the Mistborn trilogy, etc. It would be easier to just list authors: Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, George RR Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, Steven Erikson, Tad Williams and Robert Morgan are my favorites.

EDIT: also, I've read the Wheel of Time series in its entirety about... 3 times. That's 13 books with an average page count of about 700.