Can you recommend a good book?

Question

I read a lot but lately have grown disappointed in the books I have picked up to read. Please don't list the normal like Koontz or King I already read those. I love Laurell K. Hamilton and have read every book she has wrote to date. So if you could suggest some good horror or fantasy I would appreciate it.

I wan't to thank everyone for taking the time to respond here. I am having the worst time choosing a best answer.

Lucifer. I happen to love all the classics you have responded with. Your statement about todays fiction rings very true.

Answer 1

I also adore Laurell K. Hamilton!

Have you tried "War for the Oaks" by Emma Bull? It has much of the same flavor as Hamilton, I think (though much less sex). And although it's rather much darker, some really good 'horror' (not your typical horror, though) is most stuff by Graham Joyce. His books are haunting in a way you really can't imagine until you read them- good stories, too. Try "Dark Sister", "The Tooth Fairy", or "Indigo"- his best, in my opinion. A 'typical horror' that I enjoyed is "Wither" by J.G. Passarella- it's a good story that had me glancing around fearfully more than a few times while reading at night.

Happy reading!

Answer 2

If you don't mind some crude humor John Irving's book The World According to Garp is AMAZING. I would recomend anything that John Irving has done. A Prayer for Owen Meany is also good. The movie Simon Burch is based off of it. The Cider House Rules would also be a good one.

David Eddings (sp?) has a 5 book series called the Belgariad which leads into another 5 book series called the Maloreon. Both are good. It all starts with The Pawn of Prophesy and you can usually find them in compilations. Once I got hooked on his books I couldn't put them down. All of his books relate to each other too.

I haven't read much by him, but you can also try Terry Brooks.

Answer 3

I remember this really good book I read in like 7th grade...it's called "Searching for David's Heart" by Cherie Bennett. I think it's actually a movie now and was aired on ABC Family. It's just the best book you will ever read. And I really think that if you pass up the chance to read this then you're really missing out.


I also loved "Where the red fern grows" by Wilson Rawls. Its a book about a boy who wants 2 coon dogs, but his parents are poor. He finds an ad in the paper for two pups for 50 bucks. He works for 2 years and saves up the money. He travels out into the city to get his pups. He trains em and they become the best coon huntin dogs. In the end, the pups died( lil ann, the girl, died because she couldnt live w/o old dan) and old dan died after he had a fight with another animal. Where they were burried, a red fern grew. Its really a sad story of never giving up. I loved it a lot.

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Answer 4

I have to say, most of the books of our generation are mediocre. If you do not want to be disappointed in the books you're reading, read classics.

Read H.G. Wells. He's a science fiction writer. Read his:

The War of the Worlds
The Island of Dr. Moreau
The Time Machine

Also, read Douglas Adams, he has a five-book series:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaruant at the end of the Universe
Life, the Universe, and Everything
So long, and thanks for all the Fish
Mostly Harmless

Read J.D. Salinger's:

The Catcher in the Rye


Read George Orwell's:

1984
Animal Farm

And let me just say, King is my favorite author, but his books aren't scary at all, just entertaining. The only one I found to be remotely scary at all was:

'Salem's Lot.

And his most entertaining one was: IT

If you want actual horror, read Edgar Allan Poe, and Stoker and Shelley:


Dracula, Bram Stoker
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

And Jules Verne is a good fantasy/sci-fi:

20,000 leagues under the sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Answer 5

Bitten By Kelley Armstrong is awesome. The Silver Wolf By Alice Borchardt is another good werewolf book. The Dragon Queen is a great fantasy, and an intriguing take on arthurian lore. That's also by Alice Borchardt. I also like Nora Roberts's Sisters Island Trilogy.

Answer 6

This book isn't completely horrifying, but it definitely has an eerie, haunting mood throughout the whole book. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk, author of the well known and popular Fight Club. Invisible Monsters is the most amazing book I've ever read. It was so intriguing in such a horrifying way. It's one of those books you wonder why you like so much because it is somewhat disturbing.

Answer 7

The following are fantasy authors.

Robert Jordan is a great fantasy author!
So is Salvatore and Terry Brooks.

If you like stuff about dragons, try McCaffrey (I think that is spelled correctly).

If you're into Dungeons and Dragons or those realms, "The Forgotten Realms" books are written by a variety of authors but there might be some in there you like.

Then of course, Lord of the Rings (if you're in for a longer haul) or even Harry Potter (good for all ages, not just kids.)

Answer 8

If you haven't already read it, I would recommend "Clan of the Cave Bear' by Jean Auel.

The author is an anthropologist and has set the book in a time when Homo-Sapien co-exists with Neanderthal.

A young Homo-Sapien girl is orphaned. She is then adopted by a group of Neanderthals where she learns her role as a female in a Neanderthal 'clan' whose totem is the 'Cave Bear'.

She learns about medicines, food, hunting, animals, matters of the spirit and many other things not generally learned by a female. This is to ultimately hold her in stead when she leaves the group.

The story continues in a further 4 books.


I also recommend David Eddings' "The Belgariad" for his fantasy. Well written and entertaining.

Fantasy with an excellent sense of humour can be found in any of the books by Terry Pratchet.

Answer 9

My favorite is Anne Rule. She is a true crime author. She writes about several high profile cases. Hers are the only books I don't get rid of, I like to re-read them a few times. She keeps you glued to the book. I have stayed up all night before cuz they were so interesting. She wrote about Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgeway, and many more.

Answer 10

Try anything by Wen Spencer. Or if you just like mystery/thriller try TEMPLE and THE SEVEN DEADLY WONDERS by Matthew Reilly. Those books are seat of the pants nailbiting quick reads that almost everyone will enjoy. Also, try AMAZONIA by James Rollins it is a great read by itself.