Books

[Kate]

Now that we've got time to read, what books would people recommend?
After last exam sitting there already was a survey going on and I took some of the advices (whoever recommended Jeeves by PG Woodhouse -- thanks).
OK! Let me go first.
I like fantasy that is also funny -- it is light, funny, gives you a lot to think about if you like trying to be philosophical, but do not have to think at all if you do not want to -- can just read it as a fairy tale. My picks are:
:P 1) MYTH series by Robert Asprin. I recommend getting the whole series but do not read the last book -- "Sweet Mythtery of life" -- it ends in the middle of the story and fans have been waiting for the continuation for almost 9 years -- very frustrating. The good news is -- the next book is due to come out in a year or so.
2) Could read Phool series and Wager of Sin series by Asprin -- not as good as Myths, but also pretty good.
3) Connie Willis "To say nothing of the dog"
4) Tanya Huff "Summon the keeper" and "Second summoning"

Non-fantasy:

5) Short stories by Patrick McManus -- hilarious
6) Jerom K Jerom "Three man in a boat"
7) "Jeeves" by PG Woodhouse

If you like more serious staff:

8) Anything by Feihtwanger (not sure how to spell the name -- only read him in translation)
9) Anything by Eric Maria Remarh (again not sure how to spell)
10) Henrih Senkevitch
11) Yan

Enjoy!

[Ben Kenobi]

I seem to recall at least one other series where Aspirin just kind of lost interest and quit writing, but I don't remember what it was now. (That's Phule, BTW ) That does beat Piers Anthony's tired rehash of the same material.

If you liked To Say Nothing of the Dog, you'll probably like Bellwether as well.

Have you read any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld stuff?

Along the light-hearted fantasy you were looking for, I really liked Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Immortality" series. Much better than his Xanth stuff, which also falls into the light-hearted fantasy category but is far floofier (don't think that'll make it by a spell-checker, but I think you get the idea).

My favorite series (and I know some disagree) is Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time", still being written. Very long, but very vivid with substantial character development from start to, well, not finish but we're getting close.

For dark sci-fi, try Stephen Donaldson's "Gap" series. If you've only read his "Thomas Covenant" books, you're missing the better ones - I preferred "Gap" but "Mirror of Her Dreams" was also very good (I think that's the first book, not the series name?).

Your post got me thinking in terms of sci-fi/fantasy...If I think of some in a different genre, I'll re-post. Although I am reading "The Bondswoman's Narrative" right now. Pretty good considering it's published mostly uneditted and was written by an escaped slave 150 years ago.

[Ben Kenobi]

Originally Posted by urysohn

My favorite series (and I know some disagree) is Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time", still being written. Very long, but very vivid with substantial character development from start to, well, not finish but we're getting close.

Are you sure? The pace gets more and more galacial with each passing book. The first few were great. The last four or five could easily have been shrunk into two (IMNSHO). Still worth reading, but the benefit/time ratio is falling fast.

Edit to fix slope of trend line

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I'm reading HP book 4 to my child. It's very slow going. Not even at the Quidditch WC match yet.
I'll try to read LOTR. A friend of mine has the book.

[Elisha]

Kate,
Thanks for the reminder about the Myth series. I had an Independent Reading class in high school and was reading of those books a day at one point.

[CJL]

I liked the first couple of Asprin's "myth" books, but by the end of the third, I was tired of them and never felt like going after any more of them.

Ben, I agree with your assessment of Jordan's pace. Although, I'd say the first 4 or so were good. It's only been the last 2 or 3 that I felt were glacial. And with each book, he adds more storylines that don't end with more characters in each story line. It makes it hard for me that so many of the women's names start with E, the places all start with C, and people keep dying and being reincarnated as someone else. I don't know who the hell is who anymore.

I really enjoy Terry Goodkind's series (Wizard's First Rule is the first one), although the death/pain/torture is extremely vivid. They stick with a handful of characters, and the development of those characters is very well done.

[JO]

Last year I read the 4 Harry Potter in like 2 weeks right after the Spring sitting. It helped keep the mind occupied but to more relaxing purposes. Absolutely loved it..

The Potter books are definitely a good read and not just for kids.

I didn't really think the pace in the Jordan books changed much. The first one moved at a pretty deathly slow pace as well, but since all the characters were together it might have felt like it was moving a bit quicker. The reincarnations are making it a bit hard to follow and I think somebody should start using a lot more balefire to put an end to that.

I wanted to read Bias by Goldberg, but my wife told me to wait until it comes out on paperback. Right.

Anyway. Currently reading.
South by Earnest Shackelton is pretty good...Kind of at first. Once the Endurance sinks though it picks up.
The Whole Shebang by I forget... Layman's guide to big bang and the expansionary universe. This is a really interesting book.
99 Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke Short stories some of em are pretty cool.

Trying to read before scores come out.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville Haven't read it yet. But I've read other things by Melville. The most interesting was his description of a flogging at sea.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Wife says I'm like Rourke... I don't know what that means. I've gotta find out. She says it's like Atlas Shrugged w/o the speeches...So, two for the price of one.

Other than that I've got a classical guitar lesson book by Noad. I'll never finish that. It takes a while to get through a lesson.