For the Love of Reading [Book Discussions/Recommendations]

[Kannap]

So I was looking for a thread about sharing book recommendations or discussing books in general. I came very close to asking for book recommendations in the "What Book Are You Reading?" before determining that thread may not be the best place for that question. So I decided that perhaps a new thread needed to be created - upon not being able to find one that fit my search.

So, NationStates, what books do you really like, perhaps what is your favorite book and why? What book do you hate and why (perhaps books you were forced to read)? And do you have any book recommendations you want to request or share?

[Xmara]

1. A book that takes place in the "great wide open"
2. A book about the end of the world as we know it
3. A book featuring fishing or fishermen
4. A book that features a popular Summer sport
5. A book that features letters [like pen-pal letters] or journal entries
6. A book that features a father [as a main character]
7. A book that "scares the bejesus out of you" [give me scary books]
8. A book that takes place on the water
9. A book that is becoming a movie this year
10. A book by an author of color

I can recommend a couple of these:

8. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. A teenage boy and a tiger are the sole survivors of a shipwreck and drift for months in the Pacific Ocean.

9. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. The movie has already been shown in theaters, but I think it still counts.

[Likar]

1. Animal Farm, By Mr. Orwell.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

7. A book that "scares the bejesus out of you" [give me scary books

Anything Dean Koontz, IMO, is scary. Give him a try. It’s a lot of psychological thrillers but if you’re interested in a good fright, check Koontz out.

[Conoga]

4. A book that features a popular Summer sport
6. A book that features a father [as a main character]
10. A book by an author of color

I think A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man has rugby, but it's been a while
The Power and the Glory features a Father
Twenty Years After or something else by Dumas might work. A Brief History of Seven Killings is also really fantastic

What about Australian literature? I don't think I've ready anything other than Maxx. I guess Oceania generally is fine.

[Pax Nerdvana]

If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers. It's fast paced, and it makes you think.

[Forsher]

1. A book that takes place in the "great wide open"

The Wind in the Willows

2. A book about the end of the world as we know it

The Wind in the Willows

3. A book featuring fishing or fishermen

pass

4. A book that features a popular Summer sport

The Wind in the Willows

5. A book that features letters [like pen-pal letters] or journal entries

Watchmen

6. A book that features a father [as a main character]

Inkheart

7. A book that "scares the bejesus out of you" [give me scary books]

Thomas

8. A book that takes place on the water

Thomas

9. A book that is becoming a movie this year

movies don't exist, silly... this is a thread about books

10. A book by an author of colour

...you know, if I have read any such books I don't know them. Noughts and Crosses (Malorie Blackman)

7/10. 8/10 What do I win?

[Universiox]

So I was looking for a thread about sharing book recommendations or discussing books in general. I came very close to asking for book recommendations in the "What Book Are You Reading?" before determining that thread may not be the best place for that question. So I decided that perhaps a new thread needed to be created - upon not being able to find one that fit my search.

So, NationStates, what books do you really like, perhaps what is your favorite book and why? What book do you hate and why (perhaps books you were forced to read)? And do you have any book recommendations you want to request or share?

Right now, for me, I have found a Summer reading challenge posted by Goodreads and decided to adopt it as my Summer reading challenge. So for book recommendations, I am presently looking for books to read in June that meet the following descriptions.

1. A book that takes place in the "great wide open"
2. A book about the end of the world as we know it
3. A book featuring fishing or fishermen
4. A book that features a popular Summer sport
5. A book that features letters [like pen-pal letters] or journal entries
6. A book that features a father [as a main character]
7. A book that "scares the bejesus out of you" [give me scary books]
8. A book that takes place on the water
9. A book that is becoming a movie this year
10. A book by an author of color

1/. Defoe - Robinson Crusoe
2/. Neville Shute - On The beach
3/. Hemmingway - The Old Man And The Sea
4/. Dickens - The Cricket On The Heath
5/. Bram Stoker - Dracula
6/. Dickens - Domby And Son
7/. H P Lovecraft - The Call Of Cthulhu
8/. Peter Benchley - Jaws
9/. Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger
10/. Neddie Okorafor - Lagoon

[New Emeline]

5. Illuminae is told through not letters exactly, but a collection of files, emails, and documents. It’s a YA novel but it isn’t very annoying and it has a cool plot.
7. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer isn’t scary per say, but extremely creepy and unnerving. One of my current favorites. It also got turned into a movie, but I haven’t seen it yet.

[Pax Nerdvana]

5. Illuminae is told through not letters exactly, but a collection of files, emails, and documents. It’s a YA novel but it isn’t very annoying and it has a cool plot.
7. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer isn’t scary per say, but extremely creepy and unnerving. One of my current favorites. It also got turned into a movie, but I haven’t seen it yet.

I've read the first two Iluminae books. They're awesome.

[New Emeline]

5. Illuminae is told through not letters exactly, but a collection of files, emails, and documents. It’s a YA novel but it isn’t very annoying and it has a cool plot.
7. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer isn’t scary per say, but extremely creepy and unnerving. One of my current favorites. It also got turned into a movie, but I haven’t seen it yet.

I've read the first two Iluminae books. They're awesome.

Agreed. I bought the third one, but I haven't read it yet out of fear that they're going to ruin it.

I liked the first one better, mostly because it was more original (and the romance was less annoying). The second one was still really good in my opinion.
(Also it needed more AIDAN)

[Anywhere Else But Here]

Do you have a preferred genre?

Anyway, for number 6, Silas Marner or Les Miserables. The former, if you want time left over to read anything else.

[New Emeline]

Do you have a preferred genre?

Is the question just for the OP or is it an open one?
If it's open, my favorite genre as of now is probably science fiction.

[Anywhere Else But Here]

Do you have a preferred genre?

Is the question just for the OP or is it an open one?

I meant it for the OP, but I certainly can't stop you posting your favourite genre. Goodness, this might even turn into some kind of reading discussion thread:

Most of what I read is fantasy, with much of the rest being a mix of history (non-fiction), sci-fi, and the odd classic.

[New Emeline]

Is the question just for the OP or is it an open one?

I meant it for the OP, but I certainly can't stop you posting your favourite genre. Goodness, this might even turn into some kind of reading discussion thread:

Most of what I read is fantasy, with much of the rest being a mix of history (non-fiction), sci-fi, and the odd classic.

Same for me essentially, but if you swap sci-fi and fantasy.

[Kannap]

Is the question just for the OP or is it an open one?

I meant it for the OP, but I certainly can't stop you posting your favourite genre. Goodness, this might even turn into some kind of reading discussion thread:

Most of what I read is fantasy, with much of the rest being a mix of history (non-fiction), sci-fi, and the odd classic.

I dunno if I really have a favorite genre, I just read anything.

And if this ends up being a book/reading discussion thread, great, I was really hoping it would turn into that.

[New Emeline]

I meant it for the OP, but I certainly can't stop you posting your favourite genre. Goodness, this might even turn into some kind of reading discussion thread:

Most of what I read is fantasy, with much of the rest being a mix of history (non-fiction), sci-fi, and the odd classic.

I dunno if I really have a favorite genre, I just read anything.

And if this ends up being a book/reading discussion thread, great, I was really hoping it would turn into that.

I hope so too. I love talking about books!

[Geneviev]

A book by an author of color: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

[New Emeline]

A book by an author of color: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Is it good? I've seen it in bookstores.

[Geneviev]

A book by an author of color: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Is it good? I've seen it in bookstores.

It's one of the first books I enjoyed reading for school. It's very good. There's a sequel and a movie coming soon, too.

[Solomons Land]

Alexandre Dumas is an amazing writer. The only problem is it is hard to get a hold of 1 of his books, as there are often many in a series e.g. The d'Artagnon Romances.

[New Emeline]

Is it good? I've seen it in bookstores.

It's one of the first books I enjoyed reading for school. It's very good. There's a sequel and a movie coming soon, too.

I'll check it out (once I finish the nine or so books I've already started, that is )

[Geneviev]

It's one of the first books I enjoyed reading for school. It's very good. There's a sequel and a movie coming soon, too.

I'll check it out (once I finish the nine or so books I've already started, that is )

You don't have to finish books to start new ones.

[New Emeline]

I'll check it out (once I finish the nine or so books I've already started, that is )

You don't have to finish books to start new ones.

I know, but I'd like to get them out of the way first.

[Forsher]

Is the question just for the OP or is it an open one?

I meant it for the OP, but I certainly can't stop you posting your favourite genre. Goodness, this might even turn into some kind of reading discussion thread:

Most of what I read is fantasy, with much of the rest being a mix of history (non-fiction), sci-fi, and the odd classic.

I feel like the list of recommendations I gave is an accurate impression of what I generally read and I read exclusively what I am interested in so it's a good proxy for my "favourite genre" (n.b I do peruse the odd textbook... current fave: Generalized Additive Models, Hastie and Tibshirani, 1990, Chapman and Hall).

1) Reasonably to very well known older books (3/4)
2) Something I have already read. (1/2)
3) Graphic Novels (1/2)
4) Childrens/Young Adult Fantasy (3/4)
5) And when I'm feeling adventurous, random Young Adult (5)

Not featuring on this list... more satirical works such as Discworld or, yes, Jennifer Government but mostly I just mean Discworld.

I don't read that much these days and when I do I can't stand the guilt that follows because, you know, the reason I don't read so much is that I am very busy. If we put it in a hierarchy of reading priorities refer to the second set of numbers. Naturally the re-read books tend to be Childrens/Young Adult fantasy... or Discworlds, which although it doesn't belong should be bundled into (4) I guess.

Yes, I should not be posting in this thread.