The 'recommend me a book' thread

Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series: In the Woods, The Likeness, Faithful Place, Broken Harbour and The Secret Place. They're amazing. They're like Literary Fiction and Detective Fiction got married and had five children. A lot of crime novels skimp on the beauty of language or complexity of thought. Not these ones.

 

The Dwarf by Par Lagerkvist. Really dark and cynical at times regarding human nature, but it's a must-read. One of those that will stay with me forever.

 

I'm looking for a good novel written in first-person, preferably contemporary in style. As a guide I'll say I love Hunter S Thomson, but have read the ones of his I consider fiction. I like easy reads that don't get bogged down with complex plots and am especially keen on anything that features being 'on the road' or wanderlust as a theme. I've read Kerouac's On the Road.

Thanks in advance.

 

Try Fiesta (The Sun also Rises) by Ernest Hemingway. This ticks all your boxes and is also a nice introduction to his work - if needed.

 

Thanks, @outsider - I shall check that out and probably purchase when I have the funds.

 

Well that was a nice surprise. I just looked this up on amazon only to get a pop-up message saying I purchased it in Sep of 2014. Never even read it!

I shall have to go and dig it out... from where ever it might be now.

 

Here is one for October:

http://www.the-line-up.com/40-scariest-books-of-the-last-200-years/?utm_campaign=TLU+Books&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=IN_SK_6053872260501

 

I think the one that sticks out with me, as one people might not know about is: 'The Memory of Running' by Ron McLarty. Actually, it seemed to be successful but somehow I never hear about it. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it both touching, funny and thought-provoking.

 

Did you read it OurJud? If so, what did you think?

 

I read Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth and thought it was a masterpiece. Recently I found out that he has already written one sequel, called World Without End. I am wondering if anyone has read it or heard from somebody that has. The only thing I know about it is that it takes place roughly 140 years after the first one, and it's about the Black Death. It sounds interesting, but I don't know what to expect from it.

 

This short novel is closer to being a high school junior's wet dream put on paper; nonetheless, it was an absolute blast
to read and had loads of fun every page toward the end.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber​

 

It is my solemn duty to recommend the Mistborn series, or second who-so-ever has already done it.

 

My favorite is 'How to get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia'. Second person perspective on life. Really powerful story.

 

Benjamin Whitmer's 'PIKE' and 'Cry Father'.

Both are tough as a drunk's wife and about as unforgiving. Noir at it's absolute best!

 

Hi. I'm beginning the process of writing a novel that I originally intended to be a script. To give a basic gist, its half set in a cyberpunk reality and then the other half in a fantastical mind-based realm, suppose the closest thing I could compare it to would be Haruki Murakami's 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'. As such, I've been looking for stuff that could be used as inspiration and have found a lot, but could also use more, of course. So any surrealist and/or cyberpunk suggestions (or indeed anything else you think would be relevant) you wanna throw my way, be my guest, please!

 

I'm not familiar with the Haruki Murakami book, but there's an Iain M. Banks book that takes place partially in a cyberspace hell. The species has the technology to record its members' "mind states", basically transcribing their consciousness into a machine, once they die. This can be used to resurrect the dead into new bodies, but it can also be used to put them into a created computer "hell", where they can suffer for a perceived eternity if they've displeased the priests.

Not sure if that's your cup of tea or not, but I thought I'd toss the suggestion out there.

ETA: D'oh! I bet you might want to know the name of the book, no? It's called Surface Detail

 

A recent (2016) book on writing that I just finished and wished I had read before I ever started my novel: "Thrill Me" by Benjamin Percy, a short story writer and novelist. Very helpful!

 

How to be Dead by Dave Turner a fun dark comedy.

 

Sounds pretty dark and dystopian, so its most definitely my cup of tea. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a read!

 

Daemon by Daniel Suarez. Was a trilogy, knocked down to two books, second not anywhere near as good as Daemon.
Takes place now, or near future. Features tech available but not being used widely now. It is a possible future for some of us down the road 20-40 years from now, but with shades of it happening already.

Can't recommend it enough. First couple chapters are slow, but builds to a rush.

 

I've read Daemon. Have not read the second one.

In the middle of Reamde, by Neal Stephenson. I recommend it.

 

I have a hard time reading Stephenson, same with Gibson.

Another really god book I read was Gene Mapper, by some Japanese guy.
Cyberpunk future, Google screwed the world & broke the internet, MC has a job creating style sheets for plants, mystery to solve, DARPA tech.

 

I'll look at that one. I don't get into Gibson so much, though he's had a few I really liked. Stephenson, on the other hand, I like a lot, though his books tend to be long. Cryptonomicon took me a long time to get through.

 

I'd like to add Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist to this list.

It's an amazing book, and its even better if you're young and ambitious.