Having difficulty on deciding what to read?

Question

I have recently found myself with actual free time to read. (I just finished up my masters in special education teachers). I had been reading a 19 book arc in the Star Wars series before I had to put it them aside. I am wondering if I should continue with this series or read some other books. I like sci-fi (Star Wars), mystery, and romance the most. Maybe you can even recommend some good books outside this series.

Even though people are still answering this question, I want you to know that I am writing down all of your suggestions to save to read. I appreciate all of you taking the time to answer this question and sharing some of the books you love with me.

Answer 1

I'm a huge Science Fiction fan, but occasionally I enjoy a diversion - as long as it's strange enough to hold my interest. A few of those come to mind:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon

This is a GREAT novel about an autistic boy who decides to solve the killing of a neighborhood dog. He proceeds as though he were a detective trying to solve a human murder. The novel is seen through his eyes and consequently is also rich with descriptions of the world as seen through the autistic mind. The procedures he needs to follow to get around safely are fascinating, and the result of his investigation impacts the entire neighborhood.

The Diagnosis: A Novel, by Alan Lightman

This one is diffcult in a way that makes it another great book. A man travelling to work one day suddenly forgets where he is going and why. He uses investigative techniques to try to recall phone numbers which he feels are somehow significant, but fails. His mental condition deteriorates as family and doctors remain baffled about what is going on. His wife's role in the situation is ambiguous enough to be intriguing. Does she have anything to do with this? The style is excellent: dark humor, introspection, mystery, good pace.

Einstein's Dreams, by Alan Lightman

The author of The Diagnosis first published this collection of short stories in which time does not flow in the same direction and/or non-linearly in European village settings. Characters meet and fall in love in reverse order, time flows as a series of still photographs, etc. His style, like that of The Diagnosis, is a complex mix of romance, mystery, beauty, fear.

Anyway, those are a few of my ideas.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you find!

Answer 2

For Science Fiction:
Philip K Dick is a must read. A Scanner Darkly is very good, but I personally like Man in the High Castle the best (which he also won the Hugo for) and it's an alternate history WWII science fiction book. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is also another great.

Frank Herbert's Dune Chronicles is a bit heavier than the Star Wars series, but it is just amazing. It takes place on Dune, the planet, and the first book chronicles the banishment and rise to power of Paul Atreides, who is supposed to be the savier of this desert planet. His son, Brian Herbert is continuing the legacy and it just keeps getting better.

You cannot go wrong with Nick Sagan, who is fast, thrilling, and cyper-space sci-fi awesome =). Idlewild is the first of the series and Edenborn just came out in paperback. He is highly recommende by Neil Gaiman who I will talk about next...

Neil Gaiman. There are no words to describe the genius of his work. He is just plain brilliant. With the ability to mesh myths of all cultures with humor, fantasy, and wonder, he is just amazing. He is not "hardcore" science fiction, but I have yet to recommend him to a science fiction fanatic and been rebuked. I'd start with Neverwhere, which is kind of a dark, Aliceinwonderland-esque novel which takes place in London. American Gods is his masterpiece, which topped The Da Vinci code off the #1 spot and won all the awards imaginable. And if you have a chance, go see the movie Mirrormask, which he wrote the Screenplay for =). You'll love him.

Neal Stephenson. Back to more traditional sciencefiction. Snow Crash is arguably the best, if not one of, scifi/cyperpunk novel ever written. It's thrilling, and just amazing. Snowcrash is similar to A Scanner Darkly in that it deals with a drug called Snowcrash (haha) and the government. Brilliant.

These are my favorites, but if you want more, feel free to email me! I work at Borders as one of the science-fiction/fantasy recommenders. Enjoy!

Answer 3

ok, it's not a sci fi book, but since you said you studied special ed,you might find actor Chris Burke's biography A Different Kind of Hero interesting and fun to read. It's out of print, but still available on amazon and I have see it on ebay.
By the way, the show he stared in Life Goes On is now available for purchase.
Some other recommendations...
For mystery try any Mrs. Polifax one. If I were you, I'd start with the first The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax.
For romance, I recommend Bookends by Liz Curtis Higgs which is really fun and down to earth. (I am not a Danielle Steel fan)
Another good one is The Locket by by Richard Paul Evans.

Answer 4

I liked the Star Wars books and now I read the "Keys to the Kingdom" series by Garth Nix, the latest book in the series being "Sir Thursday". Really strange in a sense but in a good way. But if you do decide to read the series you can't start in the middle. You have to read the first one "Mister Monday" to get a basic understanding of the series and how it all works.

Answer 5

Ender series by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Game
Speaker of the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the Mind
Ender's Shadow
Shadow of the Hegemon
Shadow Puppets
Shadow of the Giant

Also the Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card

Answer 6

Another good series is in the Forgotten Realms. The Dark Elf Trilogy is pretty good.
I'm reading Star Wars and Dragon Lance right now. Kind of nerdy but I like it.
Maybe start writing your own epic?

Answer 7

As far as Sci-fi goes, I really like George Orwell's book 1984. It's a little outdated now, but when it was written in the 40's it would've had really cutting edge technologies in it. It's a great (and very scary) look at how a totalitarian society can work. Read it and see what's happening today, you might be surprised.

Answer 8

James Patterson's winged-children series - The Lake House, When the Wind Blows, and Maximum Ride.

Answer 9

Asimov and Bradbury. The Handmaids Tale by Atwood. These would also double as literature. For a lighter read I liked a book called "The Color of Distance" about aliens and a woman - I think starwars fans would like it, and it has some 'teaching' stuff in it too.

Answer 10

Try some books by Phillip K. Dick, such as " A Scanner Darkly"
" Ubik " and the one they made the movie " Bladerunner "from
" Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ?" They're intellectually stimulating and different from anything you've ever read. He has many books you may enjoy! He died roughly 15 or so years ago=
I love'em !