Book Recommendations while you wait!

[Librarian of Doom]

So one of my favorite parts of being a librarian is helping kids find books that they will love. I firmly believe that people who don't like to read just haven't found the right books. However, with summer vacation (ha!) rapidly approaching, I'm not going to have much opportunity to practice my recommending skills.

So, if anyone is interested in book recommendations, hit me up here or in a PM! I am most knowledgeable in sci-fi, fantasy, romance and childrens and YA. I'm also open to "what should I get for my kids to read" questions.

Some information that will help me focus my recommendations:

• 1-3 books/series you've enjoyed in the past
  
• 1-3 movies/TV shows you enjoy
  
• 1-3 books/series/authors you dislike
  
• Any hard limits or important preferences (i.e., no explicit sex, limited cursing, etc.)
  

And maybe we're all too busy or have too much of a reading backlog, but if anyone's interested, I'm here

[leadchipmunk]

Yay! I could use some suggestions!

I normally read scifi or fantasy stuff. I absolutely loved the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series and anything by George Orwell. Alice in Wonderland (and the sequel), just finished the first John Carter book (A princess of Mars). A Clockwork Orange is also one of my favorites.

For dislikes, non-fiction and Charles Dickens (I cannot get 3 pages into anything he has written). Besides that, I'm mostly good.

I would prefer dystopian themes and especially if it includes steampunk or cyber/neuropunk stylings. If you know of any Teslapunk books, I'm definitely in. I've heard of it and it seems interesting, but never seen anything that was part of it.

Oh, if it helps any, as of right now my next purchase is probably going to be Clockwork Angel of the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.

And if I am too specific, just name books off the top of your head, I'll most likely like them.

[Oklibrarian]

Nerdfitness Summer Reading! I love it! Let me know if you could use the help of a highfalutin academic librarian--maybe I could help on the nonfiction recommendations?

[67alecto]

Good place to start is here:

http://nerdfitness.com/community/showthread.php?1529-What-s-everyone-reading

[Librarian of Doom]

Nerdfitness Summer Reading! I love it! Let me know if you could use the help of a highfalutin academic librarian--maybe I could help on the nonfiction recommendations?

Definitely! I do NOT have time to keep up with nonfiction, too

[Librarian of Doom]

Yay! I could use some suggestions!

I normally read scifi or fantasy stuff. I absolutely loved the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series and anything by George Orwell. Alice in Wonderland (and the sequel), just finished the first John Carter book (A princess of Mars). A Clockwork Orange is also one of my favorites.

For dislikes, non-fiction and Charles Dickens (I cannot get 3 pages into anything he has written). Besides that, I'm mostly good.

I would prefer dystopian themes and especially if it includes steampunk or cyber/neuropunk stylings. If you know of any Teslapunk books, I'm definitely in. I've heard of it and it seems interesting, but never seen anything that was part of it.

Oh, if it helps any, as of right now my next purchase is probably going to be Clockwork Angel of the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.

And if I am too specific, just name books off the top of your head, I'll most likely like them.

Oh, I'm so glad you're open to YA, that opens up a LOT of options. Clockwork Angel was great; not sure about the sequel yet, because I haven't had time to read it.

As far as steampunk, etc., go, I would recommend the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. It's an alternate history of the early days of World War I, where the fight is between the Clankers, who rely on machines, and the Darwinists, who fabricate living creatures through DNA manipulation. Very interesting to see what the author keeps from actual history and how he makes it fit with his story.

A dystopian fantasy with a steampunk "feel" is the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. If you haven't read it, run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and buy it immediately. Or if you e-read, get it for Kindle. It's one of the best fantasy series I've ever read. I've never met anyone who's read it and didn't like it (although, now that I've written that, someone is sure to pop up here and go "meh, it was okay, I guess")

As far as straight-up dystopia goes, Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, is one of the best books I've ever read. It came out around the same time as the Hunger Games, so it got overshadowed, but (in my opinion) it's much better. My husband agrees, and says that it made him cry manly tears.

If you like sci-fi of the "man builds lots of stuff" post-societal-collapse type, the Live Free or Die series by John Ringo is good; also the Looking Glass Wars series by the same author.

And for a fun space-opera-turned-galactic-intrigue series, the Honor Harrington series by David Weber is quite fun, if you have the ability to skim some info-dumpy stuff.

This is off the top of my head before breakfast. Let me know if any of these work for you, or not, and I can further refine my recommendations

[Rosie]

Ooh this is a great idea for a thread! Was planning on getting back into the Discword Series from where I left off but I could always use some recommendations for when I need a break from those.

Some books I have read that I loved:

Hunger Games trilogy

His Dark Materials

A couple of the Neil Gaiman books although I prefer the ones aimed at the younger audience (Read a bit of american gods but then thought "woah this is too much for me!)

I like fantasy books that are loosely based on our own reality - His dark materials being a good example as it crosses our own reality with one closely resembling our own. I'd be quite open to getting into another trilogy again, especially if the first book leaves you desperate to hear more about the characters.

Dislike books that are sexually explicit. I'm no prude but I feel uncomfortable reading things like that, especially on the bus to work!

Im also not a fan of books that are overly descriptive or that drag on too long. I recently tried to read LOTR all the way through but 2 months later I wasnt even onto the final book and as I already knew the ending from seeing the movies, I quickly lost interest in trying to finish it!

Can't wait to see what books you recommend for me :-D

[ZenGwen]

Ohmygod there's a sequel to CLockwork Angel?! *googles furiously*

Edit: Oh, darn, I was thinking of Clockwork Heart. I really want a sequel to that. You guys might love it, though. Steampunky, very cool little world, kickass female flying courier heroine, intrigue, romance, gravity-defying metal, punch-card computers, duels! It's awesome.

[leadchipmunk]

Awesome suggestions. It is off to the bookstore on my way home tonight. Probably going to look for the first of the Leviathan series and the first Mistborn book.

I also forgot to mention that I'm planning on getting the Hunger Games series, but it completely slipped my mind. I wanted to get it before I saw the movie but my ex made me go see it opening day. I think that book has been put on hold for now.

[leadchipmunk]

Im also not a fan of books that are overly descriptive or that drag on too long. I recently tried to read LOTR all the way through but 2 months later I wasnt even onto the final book and as I already knew the ending from seeing the movies, I quickly lost interest in trying to finish it!

That is exactly the reason I prefer to read the book first. When you see the movie, then read 4 pages that do nothing but describe a single acre's worth of forest, I quickly lose interest. I never made it through the second book, and I had to force myself to finish Fellowship of the Ring. But I absolutely loved The Hobbit. I could read that book a dozen times back to back.

[ZenGwen]

Oooh ooh, I could always use more recommendations! Especially for stuff available on Audible, I've got a couple credits waiting at the moment.

Recent stuff I've been reading... The Night Circus, Crimnoir Chronicles, Vampirates, Orcs, America's Women, Pillars of the Earth, The Crimson Petal and the White, biography of Marie Antoinette, biography of Abraham Lincoln... and lots of comics, mostly Marvel superhero stuff and ACTION PHILOSOPHERS. (Gosh I didn't realize I was reading so much, thank you audiobooks.)

TV shows I like - Law & Order, Firefly, The West Wing, Star Trek, Babylon 5, magical girl anime.

I'm open to pretty much anything but "chick-lit". Fiction, non-fiction, Young Adult, very adult, it's all good. I do mostly tend to go with fantasy/sci-fi (was president of the club in college oh yes), historical fiction, biographies and pop-sociology.

Ooh this is a great idea for a thread! Was planning on getting back into the Discword Series from where I left off but I could always use some recommendations for when I need a break from those.

Some books I have read that I loved:

Hunger Games trilogy

His Dark Materials

A couple of the Neil Gaiman books although I prefer the ones aimed at the younger audience (Read a bit of american gods but then thought "woah this is too much for me!)

I like fantasy books that are loosely based on our own reality - His dark materials being a good example as it crosses our own reality with one closely resembling our own. I'd be quite open to getting into another trilogy again, especially if the first book leaves you desperate to hear more about the characters.

Dislike books that are sexually explicit. I'm no prude but I feel uncomfortable reading things like that, especially on the bus to work!

Im also not a fan of books that are overly descriptive or that drag on too long. I recently tried to read LOTR all the way through but 2 months later I wasnt even onto the final book and as I already knew the ending from seeing the movies, I quickly lost interest in trying to finish it!

Can't wait to see what books you recommend for me :-D

You might like War For the Oaks... it's one of my favorite Urban Fantasy novels EVER. Rocker chick in Detroit starts up a band, finds herself caught in the middle of a fairy war, becomes an epic rock-out bard. It's just one book and fairly fast-paced, I read it in a couple days at around age 14. It does have a couple of sex scenes though. Nothing hugely explicit, but part of the plot is a series of romances the main character has. It's about at the level where when my mom found out I'd taken it from the bookshelf and read it as a tween, she went "Oh, I was going to give that to you when you were older, it has sex in it! Ah.... *shrug*"

Or anything by Tamora Pierce, whoo! (Only the mildest of references to people having had sex at some point in most of her books. I remember my middle school friends freaking out about this while I was reading The Black Jewels, that was hilarious.)

Another one which I think everyone in this thread would love is A Night in the Lonesome October. (Rosie, if you started American Gods but found it a bit too heavy, this is an awesome alternative.) Copies are a bit hard to track down these days but TOTALLY worth it. Basically, there are character from all kinds of stories... all the classic monsters, Sherlock Holmes, Lovecraft, Shakespearean characters, even some nursery rhymes - every time I re-read it, I've read more books and notice something new. And they're all gathering for some sort of battle which they have a month to prepare for. It's hilarious and fantastic. Zelazny Does Fanfic. Freaking amazing.

[bgvanbur]

Ohmygod there's a sequel to CLockwork Angel?! *googles furiously*

Edit: Oh, darn, I was thinking of Clockwork Heart. I really want a sequel to that. You guys might love it, though. Steampunky, very cool little world, kickass female flying courier heroine, intrigue, romance, gravity-defying metal, punch-card computers, duels! It's awesome.

Oh, Clockwork Heart looks very interesting! Its now on my random list of books to read. My library doesn't have a copy, but it only costs $5 on AbeBooks.com (which will probably make it a lower priority since there are so many good books at the library I haven't read yet).

[Benjsec]

Rosie, you might want to try Clive Barker's Abarat series, about an American schoolgirl who ends up in a very wierd and wonderful world. Technically young adult books, but still very good!

Anyone interested in Fantasy should read Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy (and the rest, but start there). One of my favourite books and a credit to the genre.

[Oklibrarian]

ZenGwen, have you read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire hunter? It's actually quite accurate to history in it's way, a d since you just read his bio...

[Rosie]

Forgot to add one book I absolutely loved was Stardust (Loved the movie too) so any kind of romantic fantasy novel would be right up my street too.

[leadchipmunk]

Forgot to add one book I absolutely loved was Stardust (Loved the movie too) so any kind of romantic fantasy novel would be right up my street too.

I never knew it was a book? The movie is in my top ten.

[Rosie]

I never knew it was a book? The movie is in my top ten.

Yes! And its in my top 10 of movies too! Its by Neil Gaiman who also wrote Neverwhere which I enjoyed a lot although American Gods was where I lost my interest in him as an author.

[HorrorGeek]

I know this is going to surprise you all, but I really like horror books. (No, really, it's true! Honest!) But I also do the mystery/thriller thing, and just regular fiction if it's good.

1-3 books/series you've enjoyed in the past

For series, I loved Harry Potter and The Hunger Games (well, I'm in the middle of the second book right now, but I loved the first one), the Dexter series

For books, my all time favourites are A Clockwork Orange, Odd Thomas, Brave New World, American Psycho

1-3 movies/TV shows you enjoy

TV Shows - Law & Order SVU, Supernatural, Dexter

Movies - The Shining, The Lost Boys, A Clockwork Orange

1-3 books/series/authors you dislike

I'm in no way a fan of anything bodice ripping or period pieces, like Jane Austen's books. Can't do it.

I'm hit or miss with Stephen King - loved several, meh about a few, and Misery will go down as the book I have hated the most ever (it is also the only movie I've ever seen that was better than the book!)

I can't get into anything Lord of the Rings-ish. (I know, I know...please don't ban me.)

Any hard limits or important preferences (i.e., no explicit sex, limited cursing, etc.)

Bring it. Nothing bothers me at all.

EDITED TO ADD - Deep down, I really love a good ghost story the most.

[nightlight]

ohh. this is an awesome thread. Oklibrarian - are you on goodreads?

[Librarian of Doom]

Ooh this is a great idea for a thread! Was planning on getting back into the Discword Series from where I left off but I could always use some recommendations for when I need a break from those.

Some books I have read that I loved:

Hunger Games trilogy

His Dark Materials

A couple of the Neil Gaiman books although I prefer the ones aimed at the younger audience (Read a bit of american gods but then thought "woah this is too much for me!)

I like fantasy books that are loosely based on our own reality - His dark materials being a good example as it crosses our own reality with one closely resembling our own. I'd be quite open to getting into another trilogy again, especially if the first book leaves you desperate to hear more about the characters.

Dislike books that are sexually explicit. I'm no prude but I feel uncomfortable reading things like that, especially on the bus to work!

Im also not a fan of books that are overly descriptive or that drag on too long. I recently tried to read LOTR all the way through but 2 months later I wasnt even onto the final book and as I already knew the ending from seeing the movies, I quickly lost interest in trying to finish it!

Can't wait to see what books you recommend for me :-D

Okay, here we go *virtual knuckle cracking* links may be added after I get hme from work, as my tablet is not being cooperative

The Enchanted, Inc series by Shanna Swendson. One of my favorite "fluffy series"; just really lots of fun

Seconding Zengwen's Tamora Pierce recommendation. I love love love every book of hers (yes, I've read them all)

The Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs. Her high fantasy stuff is great too, and is back in print thanks to the success she's had with her urban fantasy. A great author!

Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede is a good one based on our world, but its not your traditional fantasy. Think Little House on the Prairie meets Harry Potter, but without a big evil bad guy. Her Enchanted Forest chronicles are a lot of fun, and since you like Discworld, you'd probably like them

I thought of at least one more, but it flew out my ear and disappeared. If it comes back, I'll let you know :-)

[ZenGwen]

Oh, some good horror recommendations would be awesome too!

ZenGwen, have you read Abraham Lincoln, Vampire hunter? It's actually quite accurate to history in it's way, a d since you just read his bio...

Haven't yet, but it's on my list.

[Librarian of Doom]

ZenGwen and Horrorgeek, I will post some for you ASAP

[So Late So Soon]

1984 is an awesome read

[Oklibrarian]

ohh. this is an awesome thread. Oklibrarian - are you on goodreads?

Heard of, not on. Need to look into it.

[airen123]

I guess I read pretty much pop culturish; ie what's hot/popular now.

Aside from the obvious (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent, The Girl with Dragon Tattoo series,ASoIaF, Jodi Picoult, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Marian Keyes, Emily Giffen)

My favorite single novel is Prep by Curtis Sittenfield

I really enjoyed LJ Smith and Christopher Pike growing up, tried Charlaine Harris,House of Night YA series, didn't do it for me. Need mo vampires.

I also love forensic thrillers-Simon Beckett is great, Jefferson Bass, Patricia Cornwell (although her series is lacking lately)

a favorite series is the Besty-Tacy-Tib books...they're really old.

Favorite shows right now: Big Bang Theory, GoT, HIMYM. used to love Law and Order. Miss Stabler, though.

really only dislike religious books or nonfiction

no really hard limits...I did read Fifty Shades of Gray and

I'm all over the map. What do you have for me?