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Post by katya on Nov 24, 2014 15:48:14 GMT -8
So you know what they say about getting better at writing? Read, read, read. Write, write, write. As rpers, we do a lot of writing, but what about reading?
Here's a few from me:
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - I consider this my childhood favorite, although I don't think I read it until I was twelve or so. It's a lot of wordplay and puns, but they're good puns ok.
Nation by Terry Pratchett - Fun fact: I love Terry Pratchett, and I love his Discworld series. Nation is not Discworld, but it's pretty glorious. It's for kids, but it gets pretty deep.
Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix - Y'know, I may have a thing for kid's books, because here's another! It starts with Sabriel, who's a necromancer off on an rather un-merry adventure, and it's just lovely, thoughtful stuff.
Embers by Sándor Márai - AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, you know those cheesy trailer lines? Like a story of love and honor and betrayal? That's what Embers is about, except instead of being 90 minutes of CGI explosions, it's actually about that--about life and living, about humanity. It's about two old acquaintances in the latter days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire meeting up again for the first time in forever (and probably also the last time ever). It's elegant, it's beautifully translated, and it's heartfelt without being soulless manpain. I've heard of it categorized as psychological thriller, but it's not horror at all. |
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Post by Eostre on Nov 24, 2014 18:08:27 GMT -8
The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin: In all honesty, I have only read the second book in the series, and even though it did take a few chapters to pick up, it was very well done. My sister has read all of books, and she loves them. They are somewhat similar to LOTR, only it's more based around the religion and magic of the land rather than the war and diverse races that inhabit the country. I would highly recommend this for all those fantasy lovers out there, and even if you aren't interested in fantasy all that much, you should still try it out; there's a lot of great life lessons and awesome moments that you really don't want to miss out on. Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Most people who I recommend this to are like, "Psh, screw that I can just watch Benny Cumbers or RDJ." Well, they obviously aren't true Sherlockians. Even if you aren't totally submerged in the Sherlock fandom, I am telling you, this is one you will love, or at least like. A lot of people think that it's going to be really hard to read, but I was surprised to find it's actually quite easy. Once you get the hang of his writing style it's not that hard to keep up with the rest of the story. Plus, if you've seen the BBC series "Sherlock", then holy heck, I swear, they didn't even write a script for that show. They just took everything from the books. It's insane. A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin: I have some very strong feelings about this book, because I can personally relate to the story. I'm not going to spoil anything for you, but I will warn you, there are some triggers directed towards suicide, and for those of you who are sensitive towards the topic of disabled persons, I am warning you now as well. Despite these things, this is a very inspirational and powerful book, and if you really want to read it, please do. It is quite possibly one of my favorite novels, which is good, since I am very picky, and it always makes me cry (be prepared for that, all you softies). |
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Post by Zozma on Nov 30, 2014 1:24:32 GMT -8
I've been telling everybody but The Raven Cycle is fantastic. It's the last favorite book series I've read. It's about a girl named Blue who's been told all her life that she will kill her true love when she kisses him and she soon finds out that her true love is a young man named Gansey and that he's searching for a sleeping Celtic king with his three best friends, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. Ronan is absolutely my favorite character because who doesn't love a rebellious rich boy with a sweet car, a penchant for driving too fast, and a sarcastic streak a mile long? But I honestly love the entire main cast. You can read more about the series at the link I provided but I strongly recommend this series! Another great series is the Unwind series. It's about a future where people can replace their failing body parts with the parts "unwound" from the bodies of children whose parents give them up after a certain age. Basically, they're late abortions and these unfortunate kids run away from their fate and band together, trying to stay alive until their 18th birthday, when they are no longer candidates for the unwinding process. |
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Post by darth vader on Nov 30, 2014 13:15:09 GMT -8
Read Animorphs and it's all you'll ever need.
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Post by Kratos on Nov 30, 2014 19:31:21 GMT -8
I recommend the Angelus Trilogy by John Steele. It's only on book 2 out of 3 right now but I'll be damned if The Watchers (Book 1) wasn't worth reading through. Will forewarn it might seem a touch slow at first but by the end it was one of the first books to make me cry in years and I'm currently rereading it while I prep myself for reading book 2. Not sure If I'll be able to handle the feels every time Monsiuer Booty comes up.
The Altar of Bones by Phillip Carter is another I recently came across I suggest people give a try, it's one of those sorts that plays with historical events a bit (It's set in modern times but regularly touches on different events as having gone differently from what is commonly known) and gives them a Mystical twists of sort, in this case the existence of the 'Altar of Bones' which is said to be able to give eternal life in exchange for your sanity.
Also Dust to Dust by Tami Hoag if you happen to like cop/crime novels. Revolves around veteran detective Sam Kovac and his partner Nikki Liska, she's got a more with them too so if you're into those sorts of books I recommend taking a look.
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Post by CRANE on Nov 30, 2014 21:37:07 GMT -8
after dark by haruki murakami - i used to be such a huge fan of murakami and uhh....tbh i'm not now lmao but this was the book that started it all and the only book of his that i still like. it's pretty formative, i guess, in that i read it first when i was a high school freshman and i've been looking for a book with a similar vibe ever since. it has nice imagery and it's short. an easy read.
middlesex by jeffrey eugenides - good story-telling?? explores gender identity and the language is nice. i'm not sure but i think i cried at one part. probably the bit about the old people......
kokoro by natsume soseki - it's sad. most reviews abt it will tell you that it's sad. i went through the entire thing in three days because i couldn't put it down for some reason?? like it usually takes me some time before i can power through a book that has the same melancholic quality with a narrative that's not difficult to follow because it'll get to me faster |D
noli me tangere by jose rizal - (and its sequel el filibusterismo, maybe i should have rec'd this it's more exciting) FILIPINO PRIDE LMAO but it's got a nice story and it's pretty funny/sad bc it's a satire. it's true though, that you'll probably appreciate it more if you're a filipino who grew up in the philippines. i think. but then i guess it really depends. the language is kind of tedious because rizal's style is so flowery. the original text is in spanish though and that's probably added value i'll never get bc i don't think i'll ever be fluent enough to read it in that language
THE JOY LUCK CLUB (amy tan, book and movie) MADE ME CRY LIKE THE TRU ASIAN DAUGHTER THAT I AM
this was hard all i have to say about any book rec is that "it's good pls try" |
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Post by eggy azoozoo on Jun 7, 2015 20:16:25 GMT -8
HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET -young love between two asian american leads -historical Asian Americans!!!!!!!! -Asian Americans participating in swing culture!!!!!!!!!! -exploration of ethnic tensions between Chinese and Japanese Americans !!!!!!!!!! she's japanese but his parents are staunch KMT supporters, oh no! -Japanese internment narrative with zero that's right zero heroic white male saviors!!!!!!!!!! -characters move around massive historical events instead of being props to sell a cheap moral !!!!!! -do you believe in a love that never dies  ??
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Post by nono on Jun 7, 2015 21:03:03 GMT -8
The Stravaganza series.
Stravaganza is a series of novels written by children's author Mary Hoffman. The books are set alternatively between Islington, an area of London, England, and various cities in Talia, an alternate version of Renaissance Italy. The series originally consisted of a trilogy of books: City of Masks, City of Stars, and City of Flowers. The popularity of the trilogy allowed the series to be extended for three more books: City of Secrets, City of Ships, and City of Swords.
These books are so full of heartbreak and just so much good story telling. I haven't read them in ages though.
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??
Five years ago, the Pokemon League formed Lux to create a new world order of peace and harmony. A rebellion formed, under the name of Nox, cries tyranny at Lux's new microcosmic control. Their civil war now tears the Pokemon world apart. The world hangs in the balance of predormitum. Which side will you choose?
is a high stakes RP set in a dystopian Russian society recovering from an apocalyptic war between the armies of Heaven and Hell. Greater Russia now stands free from the influence of God and the Devil, and all non-humans run the risk of execution. Outside the safe zones lies the contained wasteland of Moscow, where demons and mutated shadowbeasts continue to terrorize the remaining human survivors who have been penned in with them. As of late, increasing evangelic disturbances threaten the peace that has ruthlessly maintained by the secret police.
