Book Suggestions?

[marycatherine]

I just graduated from university and am looking for fun summer reading-- I'm so excited to have enough free time to read again!! Does anyone have any good sci-fi/fantasy book suggestions? When I was younger I loved Anne McCaffrey, and I'll be honest and admit I've devoured the Sookie Stackhouse novels already.

(Also, I'm an English major, so don't worry I have a collection of real literature.

I just am really ready to have some purely selfish reading for a little while.)

 

[otto]

Anne McCaffrey has many many books to recommend, don't even know where to start. What have you read so far? Her son Todd has also taken up the Dragonriders of Pern story, he writes mostly about the watchwhers.

If you like books about animals read the All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot.

And Deric Longden's books about his cats are wonderful too.

If you like books geared toward the younger set read The four books in The City of Ember Series.

Lowis Lowry's The Giver, Gathering Blue and Messenger are also terrific reads.

In addition there are several reading/book threads in the forum you can get ideas from.

Congratulations on your graduation!

 

[marycatherine]

I've read almost all of DRoP-- didn't care as much for the recent Todd additions, but I might pick up the ones I've missed and see if they're better now. I've also read (and loved) the Crystal Singer series and the Ship Who books by McCaffrey.

I'm actually looking to go into Childrens Lit, so I've read the Giver but have heard less-than-rave reviews of Gathering Blue, though might read it just to see what it's all about.

I'll look into the City of Ember! I just picked up the Bartimaeus trilogy. I think I'm happy to just read some mindless books for a while, haha.

 

[Winchester]

Kim Harrison has the Rachel Morgan series. Rachel is a witch who's rooming with Ivy, a female vampire in an old church. The series is actually quite good.

I've also enjoyed the Anita Blake Vampire Executioner series by Laurell K. Hamilton, although I wouldn't call it light summer reading.

For just all around what-a-hoot reading, I love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie is a wanna-be bounty hunter with Lula, an ex-prostitute as her assistant. The books are hilarious; they start with One for the Money and her last one was Finger-Lickin' Fifteen. Her new book, Sizzlin Sixteen will be released on June 22nd and I'm eagerly awaiting it. It's not sci-fi/fantasy, but the series is good for more than a few laughs.

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by marycatherine

I've read almost all of DRoP-- didn't care as much for the recent Todd additions, but I might pick up the ones I've missed and see if they're better now. I've also read (and loved) the Crystal Singer series and the Ship Who books by McCaffrey.

I'm actually looking to go into Childrens Lit, so I've read the Giver but have heard less-than-rave reviews of Gathering Blue, though might read it just to see what it's all about.

I'll look into the City of Ember! I just picked up the Bartimaeus trilogy. I think I'm happy to just read some mindless books for a while, haha.

I just finished Gathering Blue. I LOVED it, in fact liked it better than the Giver but I won't tell you why until you have read it. I just started Messenger.

I have read the city of ember books four times already, and I only bought the set a year ago

I don't normally care for movies of books, but I saw the movie before I read the book and have to admit that seeing the movie did help me picture the story better.

Out of Todd's three books, the one he wrote on his own, without collaborating with his mother (Dragon's Blood) is by far his best. I found it gripping and unputdownable.

The Crystal Singer series is one of my favorites too. My absolute favorite line is from the second book Killashandra, as they search frantically on the island for the kidnapped crystal singer she comes strolling up saying "You don't know much about Crystal singers, do you Lars, if you thought I'd just sit here until it suited you to retrieve me"

The Pern books...well what can I say I reread them often and never get tired of them. The Masterharper of Pern is my favorite though. I also bought all the companion books that were compiled by other people, but I won't tell you what I paid for some of those

Have you read the Petaybee Series? Or the Rowan/Damia books? I loved the Ship Who Sang, but could not get into the other ship/city books which I know are collaborations, as are Petaybee books, which I love.

The Pegasus series is also a favorite of mine.

Ah, I could talk about Anne McCaffrey books all day long!

 

[marycatherine]

Originally Posted by otto

I just finished Gathering Blue. I LOVED it, in fact liked it better than the Giver but I won't tell you why until you have read it. I just started Messenger.

I have read the city of ember books four times already, and I only bought the set a year ago

I don't normally care for movies of books, but I saw the movie before I read the book and have to admit that seeing the movie did help me picture the story better.

Out of Todd's three books, the one he wrote on his own, without collaborating with his mother (Dragon's Blood) is by far his best. I found it gripping and unputdownable.

The Crystal Singer series is one of my favorites too. My absolute favorite line is from the second book Killashandra, as they search frantically on the island for the kidnapped crystal singer she comes strolling up saying "You don't know much about Crystal singers, do you Lars, if you thought I'd just sit here until it suited you to retrieve me"

The Pern books...well what can I say I reread them often and never get tired of them. The Masterharper of Pern is my favorite though. I also bought all the companion books that were compiled by other people, but I won't tell you what I paid for some of those

Have you read the Petaybee Series? Or the Rowan/Damia books? I loved the Ship Who Sang, but could not get into the other ship/city books which I know are collaborations, as are Petaybee books, which I love.

The Pegasus series is also a favorite of mine.

Ah, I could talk about Anne McCaffrey books all day long!

I haven't read Killashandra in years and I still remember that part!! I haven't read her other series and think I might have to start picking them up from our used bookstore. I've been trying to find them on the cheap so what I read often depends on what I find.

Thank you so much! I'll definitely let you know what I think of them once I start reading.

 

[marycatherine]

Originally Posted by Winchester

Kim Harrison has the Rachel Morgan series. Rachel is a witch who's rooming with Ivy, a female vampire in an old church. The series is actually quite good.

I've also enjoyed the Anita Blake Vampire Executioner series by Laurell K. Hamilton, although I wouldn't call it light summer reading.

For just all around what-a-hoot reading, I love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie is a wanna-be bounty hunter with Lula, an ex-prostitute as her assistant. The books are hilarious; they start with One for the Money and her last one was Finger-Lickin' Fifteen. Her new book, Sizzlin Sixteen will be released on June 22nd and I'm eagerly awaiting it. It's not sci-fi/fantasy, but the series is good for more than a few laughs.

One of my good friends loves the Evanovich books, I just remember calling them her "number books" when she was reading them.

I'll definitely look into the vampire suggestions too!

 

[at129]

There is nothing wrong with reading for fun! I was an English major as well (writing, in my case), but my "first love" will always be science fiction and fantasy.

If you liked the Sookie Stackhouse books (obviously I'm a big fan - my female kitty is named Sophie-Ann!), look into Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. Main character is a shapeshifter (a "skinwalker")...the writing is superb, which is rare in the urban fantasy genre. The first book in the series is called "Moon Called." There are 5 total, all completely addictive.

For straight fantasy - I'm into the third book in a trilogy by an author named Anne Bishop - called the Dark Jewels trilogy. First book is called "Daughter of the Blood." I've barely been able to put it down! I believe after the trilogy, there are more books in the same "universe," but I don't know yet if they include the same characters, or are simply set in the same world.

 

[dragonheart]

Another dragon rider series is Temeraire by Naomi Novik. Starts with His Majesty's Dragon. There are five so far, the sixth coming out next month. There's also Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jousters series. For dragons sans riders, can't beat E. E. Knight's Age of Fire series.

For lighter, humorous fantasy try Jim C. Hines' Jig the Goblin trilogy.

I have tons of other fantasy suggestions but many of them tend to be darker, I'm not sure that's what you'd want for fun summer reading lol.

 

[calico2222]

Originally Posted by Winchester

Kim Harrison has the Rachel Morgan series. Rachel is a witch who's rooming with Ivy, a female vampire in an old church. The series is actually quite good.

I've also enjoyed the Anita Blake Vampire Executioner series by Laurell K. Hamilton, although I wouldn't call it light summer reading.

For just all around what-a-hoot reading, I love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. Stephanie is a wanna-be bounty hunter with Lula, an ex-prostitute as her assistant. The books are hilarious; they start with One for the Money and her last one was Finger-Lickin' Fifteen. Her new book, Sizzlin Sixteen will be released on June 22nd and I'm eagerly awaiting it. It's not sci-fi/fantasy, but the series is good for more than a few laughs.

I think you and I have the same library! Although I still have to fill out all of my Kim Harrison books.

Another series I recommend if you like fantasy is Yasmine Gaylnorn's "Sisters of the Moon". It starts with Witchling and I think there are 7-8 in the series. It is 3 sisters that are half fay/ half human. One is a witch that is still learning her powers (being 1/2 human, it's hit and miss), a shape shifter (she shifts into a cat...an orange tabby instead of something fierce) and an acrobat that was tortured and turned into a vampire against her will. The premise is there are holes to other dimensions. Otherworld (fantasy, with elves, fairies, dragons, giants, etc), Netherworld (goblins, trolls, ghosts, etc), and Underworld (Demons...well, you get the picture). They are fighting to keep the fabric of the universe from tearing completely and letting all the bad guys out...with lots of mishaps and surprises. I just gobbled up the 5th book and the 6th and 7th are on my list for this weekend. It's VERY good!

 

[mrblanche]

As an English major, you would probably enjoy Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Lots of fun with the language.

It you haven't read them, the "Little Fuzzy" books by H. Beam Piper are great old sci-fi. And one character in the book says something like, "Many of the ills of the inhabited universe are caused by lazy English teachers, who teach children that imprecise language and 'close enough' spelling are OK."

 

[at129]

Originally Posted by DragonHeart

Another dragon rider series is Temeraire by Naomi Novik. Starts with His Majesty's Dragon. There are five so far, the sixth coming out next month. There's also Mercedes Lackey's Dragon Jousters series. For dragons sans riders, can't beat E. E. Knight's Age of Fire series.

I can't believe I didn't think of that one too! It's absolutely wonderful, a nice mix of historical fiction and fantasy. It's set during the Napoleonic wars, in an "alternate reality" where all the key militaries have aerial corps consisting of dragons with their "captains" and a crew. Lots of thought went into different breeds of dragons and their purposes, and reconstructing history around the concept.

 

[mystik spiral]

Some of my recent reads are these:

James Patterson's Alex Cross series. I just finished Jack & Jill, which (I think) is the third book in the series. They are fast reads, and what I like to call good guilty pleasure reading.

I also recently read the entire series of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events". I know they're technically "kid" books, but I enjoyed them all.

For deeper reading, I've been working my way through John Irving's catalogue. He writes HUGE novels, but they pay off well. I loved The Cider House Rules, The World According to Garp, & A Prayer for Owen Meany. I'm currently working on A Widow for One Year, which is good too.

I am a member of http://www.goodreads.com/, where you can rate books and get recommendations from friends. For anonymity's sake, I won't put my account here, but if you are interested in seeing what I've read and liked, feel free to send me a PM!

 

[strange_wings]

You might try Andre Norton is you like fantasy/sci fi. She's often overlooked. Since she was a cat lover she often worked cats into her stories.