Hello, I'm a big general fiction reader. I love the books written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and I like books that deal with social concerns such Slaughterhouse Five, Player Piano and Cat's Cradle. Books by other authors I really appreciated are 1984 by George Orwell, Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, and The Man of Destiny by Barnard Shaw. I've also enjoyed modern contemporary books that are for young adults such as Among the Hidden series and the early Harry Potter books. My father recently got me a collection of H.G. Wells books because he knows that Kurt Vonnegut Jr. was considered a science fiction writer. I appreciate the offer, but I'm not sure which book to start with. War of the Worlds seems like the sensible approach. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Considering that you like books with social concerns, I think Farenheit 451 is a pretty good book actually for that genre. Also War of the Worlds is a great book! Also, like thirdwind mentioned, it may be a sensible idea to start with the shorter novels.
For H.G. Wells, it doesn't really matter what order you read them in, although it might be easier to start with his shorter works and then move up. So, I would recommend starting with The Time Machine first. It's not only a great book, but it will give you an idea of his writing. Also, I believe most, if not all, of his books are written in first person. Just throwing that out there since I know some people don't like to read first person.
Have you read Island by Aldous Huxley? It's one of his lesser known ones, but its actually really good.
Oh, I forgot about that book. I've heard of it too. After I was done with Kurt Vonnegut, I looked for others like him. Eventually, I moved on to John Steinbeck because I wanted to read something American. Maybe I'll go check out Fahrenheit 451 next.
I'm currently a big fan of Carson McCullers, because she suits my lifestyle tastes. She wrote a few good books about vague social topics, such as racism; but mainly she's a writer who you like for the person more than for the writing. Her stories can be seen as somewhat like a circus come to town, with a lot of circus people searching for love.
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Brave New World by Aldous Huxley A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Don't forget to read Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, that one's my favorite.
I do recall seeing Brave New World somewhere. It seemed interesting, but I was busy with school work and my reading list was already full at that moment. I should go check it out on my next visit to the library. And I've read Sirens of Titan already. It was such a great book. I should read it again over the summer. I've heard Breakfast for Champions is a good book, but I've also seen bad reviews. I haven't heard of the others. I'll write them done and save them for another time. Right now I have a nice list of books to read on my to-do list. Thank you everyone. Please, don't be shy to make more recommendations. It'd be nice to preselect the books before checking them out.
I'm not sure it would fit perfectly into what you're currently reading but I'd recommend 'The Bell Jar' by Slyvia Plath as you say you're into social things. Research it first and see if you're interested first though, it's semi-autobiographical so there's no scifi in there. Also, 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell is such a great book; really eye-opening. I think you'd enjoy it since you've already read '1984'. I didn't realise that 'War of the Worlds' was a book actually, I've seen both the films (not so impressed by the most recent one) so I might have to check out the novel now. In my GCSE English exam a few months ago, we had to analyse an article by Kurt Vonnegut about how we'd brought about the end of the world and that there was nothing we could do about it now so get over it. XD
I wish I had your problem. The fact is that every time I go to a garage sale or a yard sale, or a used book store or a new book store, I see three or four books that look good, and now have stacks and stacks. I tend to buy two or three for every one I read. And I read constantly... For a fun, easy, thriller-novel read, I recommend anything by Brad Meltzer. Dean Koontz' Odd Thomas is among my favorites. One of my favorite books for its beautiful language and imagery is the Red Tent by Anita Diament. An interesting historical fiction is Burr by Gore Vidal. I concur on Brave New World, though it's been many years. Animal Farm as well. I read both in the 1980s. A thriller novel series I love is David Baldacci's Camel Club series, the original Camel Club and The Collectors being two particular favorites. Cormac McCarthy's The Road was an awesome post-apocalyptic book. Clan of the Cave Bear was another good one. It became a series, I haven't read any of the later books. The Golden Compass series was fun. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovitch is funny. If you ever find yourself in a shortage of fiction... I could also recommend nonfiction, I read those too.
At the moment I would have to say that the best book to read is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Its a gripping tale of intrigue, crime and mystery. And it also has one of the best characters that I have seen in writing in years. Definitely worth a read. Its only 600 pages, but I finished it in 2 nights.
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy? Douglas Adams did admit that it's essentially what Sirens of Titan would have been if it had just been a series of jokes.
Oh, you have good taste. I suggest Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. It's her usual dystopian themes but without all the feminism. Sort of like Brave New World mashed up with The Road. It's also one of her lesser-known novels, but still my favorite from her nonetheless. Also, I'm going to throw out The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami, just because it's brilliant.
