Most people recommend Dostojevskey's Brothers Karamazov, but what about his other books? For e.g. Crime and Punishment, Idiot, Demons? These are great too, well all his books are great I might say. It is hard to remember all the great books I've read, but these are my favourite : Hermann Hesse - Steppenwolf Bukowski - Post Office Guy De Maupassant - Bel Ami Margaret Mitchell - Gone With a Wind ( I used to like a lot romantic novels, this one is probably the main reason I started reading books ) Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre ( another romance novel, which is one of my favourite ) Anton Chechov - The House with the Mezzanine Camus - The Stranger I also read a lot of Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare.
I'll give three recommendations. Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder is a great read for helping to understand what's going on behind the scenes in a screenplay, nuance, and story structure. It does NOT, however, deal much in the way of format. (Or any if I remember correctly.) So, for format, there are two that I've found helpful. The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley is really good for mechanics and format. It's a pretty no-nonsense approach and the writing isn't as fun or engaging as Save the Cat! or my next recommendation, but it is extremely informative and packed with information you'll want to have. Then we have The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. This one has a lot of formatting information and it's a relatively engaging read. Hope this helps.
Am I too late? Is your $100 all gone? If not, try Kage Baker's In The Garden of Iden. It'll satisfy your fantasy AND your sci-fi craving, without being heavy (at all.) One of the most fun books I've ever read, but it really is thought-provoking as well. And not like anything else you'll ever read either.
I'd read the Kingfountain series and its prequel The Maid's War. It's historical fiction disguised as fantasy. The names are changed and a magic element is added. The Kingfountain series is a "what-if" where Richard III is the monster Shakespeare portrays him as, and isn't killed at the battle of Bosworth. Richard's stand-in is a cruel tyrant named Severn Argentine. The story is told through the eyes of Owen Kiskaddon, son of one of Severn's lords, who is taken as one of Severn's servants to ensure his family's loyalty. The prequel, The Maid's War, is a retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. It's a good read, and you don't have to understand the history to understand the book.
I'll start by admitting that I've never read this book, but I've heard it referenced in a negative way many times. Don't know if it was the authors' intention, but (too tired to look up cites) it's been blamed for creating a generation of cookie-cutter screenwriter/storytellers. Again, strictly by negative reputation. I'll find cites if you want, but I need to sleep right now.
I think the same can be said for any craft book. I mean, if a writer were to follow the advice to the letter in any craft book, they won't create anything original. I don't read them that way, and it's a shame if other people do. For me, they're like jumping off points. Snyder talks about what's worked for him, and gives examples. It's a great place to start. It's not a great place to finish. You have to know the conventions to break them, right?
Stephen Woodworth: Through Violet Eyes I love this book, it was one of those hey what's this so you start reading and you are hooked
I've recently discovered Sycamore (1 and 2 + a collection of short stories) by Craig A. Falconer. Great books, intriguing and certainly thought provoking.
First, having just finished reading the physical copy and planning to get the audio book soon, I have to recommend As You Wish by Cary Elwes. It's a delightful and gripping read about the making of The Princess Bride movie. He's a wonderful storyteller. Second, though I've not actually had the chance to purchase it myself, I have heard that Kevin Sorbo's True Strength is an excellent memoir.
This book serves as the basis for my view on Story Structure; I'd also suggest Story by Robert Mckee, it changed the way I view story forever.
I recommend "A Book of Scars" by Wiliam Shaw. An entertaining realistic sort of detective novel. And deals with some serious stuff pretty intelligently.
I'm reading, and wholeheartedly recommend the literary horror novel IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN by Andy Davidson. Imagine Near Dark spliced with Henry : Portrait of a serial killer written by William Gay. Or Thomas Harris' Red Dragon mixed with John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In written by Cormac McCarthy. I can't get enough of this stupendous piece of work. It's teeth are in me. . .
Roadside Picnic is a strong read. Not much happens in the book but the characters are solid. The ending is very open and leaves you wondering "what?"
The Fox and The Hound by Daniel Mannix is one of my favourites and, criminally, largely unknown. Print copies are getting rare, but ebooks versions of it are easy enough to find. And no, it's almost nothing like the Disney movie that was 'based' off of it.
It has been much too long since I have read an anything that made me feel something, I mean really feel an emotion other than, eh... I have read certain passages that have stirred something inside me but an entire book? not so much. Any recommendations? I am looking for anything in Horror, Thriller area but I am also open to anything new.
I absolutely love N.K. Jemisin's works in general (I feel like, as an author, she's underappreciated) but my favorite series of hers -- which other people seem to agree on -- is also my favorite book series of all time; I wholeheartedly recommend The Fifth Season, and its subsequent sequels in the The Broken Earth trilogy. You can see its Goodreads page here and if you're interested in my... more in-depth analysis of the novel, you can see my review on Goodreads here.
Not sure if that's your cup of tea, but if you want to read military nonfic I can recommend a bunch. I guarantee that you will feel.
Bloody Heroes (Damien Lewis) - The story of one unit of Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan Red One (Kevin Ivison) - One guy sets out to become a bomb disposal expert and gets send to Al Amarah (Afghanistan). And he tells about his life after, too. Not easy reading, both, but oh so rewarding.
I love this series so much. The last in the trilogy just came out this past week and I got it in the mail the other day.
Black mamba boy -nadifa mohamed An interesting read about coming of age with adventure, romance, and the power of a great mind. The prestige-Christopher priest. If you've watched the movie, prepare to be astounded. It's WAY better than the movie.
