Book Recs
A list of the top 10 best books you have ever read, any genre.
So, in no particular order:
Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, Book 1)
by Tamora Pierce
Actually, I recommend all of her books, in both the Tortall and Circle of Magic worlds, but the Trickster's duo is my favorite. I started with Squire (the 3rd Kelandry book) and devoured the entire series. Tortall is a fantasy world of knights, royalty, and mythical beings, featuring cultures based on Ancient Europe, Asia, and Hawaii. The Trickster's books are based on the Yamani islands, where sly young spy Aly has to help lead a revolution against the island's conquerors, put a native queen on the throne, and hide her own past while she's at it. Ostensibly geared towards teenage girls, I still love these books, even in my mid-twenties.
Alone (Lost Girls)
by Linda Williams Aber
This book is probably not as good as I remember, but I read it as a kid, right around the same time as Titanic came out. The combination inspired my first piece of fanfic, though at the time I had never heard of the word and I considered it my first attempt at a "novel." This was hopelessly bad, but I remember it with fond memories, and therefore I consider this one of the best books I've read.
Dragonsdawn (Dragonriders of Pern Series)
by Anne McCaffery
Again, I love this whole series, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Dragonsdawn. I actually don't recommend reading it first, because the world of Pern is better entered from an established point of view, such as in Dragonsflight or Dragonquest. However, this is a great look at the way that world was built, filling in so many gaps and explaining so much of the myth and legend of the Pern universe. A bit of space adventure, a bit of pioneer saga, fantasy elements, some political drama, and a bit of scientific horror. AKA something for everyone! ;) Great female characters (despite the problematic nature of the series in general in that regard, which I don't deny) and wonderful worldbuilding.
Mossflower (Redwall, Book 2)
by Brian Jaques
Mossflower is the first/second book in the Redwall series (The second published, but a prequel to the first). This is a world of intelligent woodland animals fighting for their freedom against an oppressive wildcat and her minions. This is another one with amazing worldbuilding - if the descriptions of their feasts do not get your mouth watering, you are officially a cyborg. The symbolism can get a bit thick in some of the books, and there are a few problematic areas (aren't there always, with your childhood or teenager-hood favorites?) but I recently reread it and still loved it, so it gets a thumbs up!
Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
by Orson Scott Card
I know that others will have mentioned this series, and I will as well. However, I suspect that I am a bit out of the norm in that I enjoyed the story from Bean's point of view more than from Ender's. I really liked the view of Earth that Bean provided more than the safe American nuclearish family of Ender, and I found his unique take on things fun to read. The mind games that he and the staff played with each other were fun to witness, and it was also interesting to see the rise of The Great Ender Wiggens from a side point of view. Sci-fi and crime story elements, as well as coming-of-age and mind-game. And the obligatory warning for problematic content discovered upon adult rereads. (Actually, I noticed some of it at the time with this one)
Pay It Forward
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Not a sci-fi or fantasy tale from my childhood! I actually read this a few years ago (long before I saw the movie) and it made me absolutely bawl. But in a good way. The touching story of a child who comes up with a plan to change the world for a school project and tries to implement it. The idea soars, eventually reaching the ears of a journalist who tries to track the pay it forward back to its source. I will warn for the super tear-jerker ending, and also warn that the movie changes quite a bit, but not the essence of the story, which also gives the movie a thumbs up in my book.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling
Yes, I know, you've probably already read this series, but still. Despite the problems I have with this series (continuity and logic being the biggest ones) and the fact that she KILLS OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS!!!! this is still one of my top ten books. I feel like this is the book when our gang really starts to walk in the world of adults, rather than in the world of children wherin one adult just keeps bringing death into the mix. This is a major turning point for them, and their relationships, and their magic, and again, I BAWLED at the ending. Also, after seeing the movies, which I have extremely mixed feelings about, I was surprised to go back and read the book again and enjoy it even more. In fact, it is the only one that I own two copies of, because I didn't have my series with me at one point, and really wanted to reread it, and it was worth a rebuy in paperback for me.
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
by Christopher Moore
I will warn you right off the bat that this book is extremely heretical. And that's part of why I love it. This book is (un)reliably narrated by Biff, the best friend of Joshua (you might know him better as Jesus Christ). Biff regales the reader with a detailed account of Josh's life as a child, dealing with his destiny and learning how to use his powers. It also covers the period of time that the bible often forgets between his childhood and later teachings, when he and Biff travleled around the world. A hysterical read that raises some good questions and answers some others. (Not always the way you might think.) If you liked the movie Dogma, I'm sure you'd love this too.
The Biograph Girl
by William J Mann
The biographical (fictional) account of one of Hollywood's first female film stars, and the incredible life she lead. A fascinating account of the origins of film, and of the world that followed (Hollywood). A look at gender roles and sexuality in a time with strict rules about both, and the investigative trail of the writers who are telling her story. A super thick book, but a super compelling read.
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
This was the first book of mythology that I ever read, back in middle school, and it completely captivated me. I loved the way the stories were told, and the illustrations were gorgeous. This is the kind of book that stuck with me for so long that after I graduated college (we're talking ten years after first reading it) I googled it, found it, and bought it, just so that I could always have it. If you have any interest in Greek Mythology at all, this is a must read.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1)
The first book in this series will always be my favorite, but they are all worth a read. The story of a young woman who's life as a radio DJ was rudely interupted by a werewolf bite, this book explores the practicalities of life after the bite. From the change in personality, to the awkward conversations with the family, to planning her life around the moon, this book approaches the fantastic world with a domesticity that I loved. It also delves into pack dynamics (the way wolves have alphas and omegas, and pack hierarchy in terms of sexuality) and how those translate into the human form. A much gritter and less romanticised look at the life of a werewolf, but a fantasticly empathetic narrator (Kitty) with a great plot.
And without realizing it, I've reached 11 books. So enjoy the extra one, anonymouse requestor! :D
So, in no particular order:
Trickster's Choice (Daughter of the Lioness, Book 1)
by Tamora Pierce
Actually, I recommend all of her books, in both the Tortall and Circle of Magic worlds, but the Trickster's duo is my favorite. I started with Squire (the 3rd Kelandry book) and devoured the entire series. Tortall is a fantasy world of knights, royalty, and mythical beings, featuring cultures based on Ancient Europe, Asia, and Hawaii. The Trickster's books are based on the Yamani islands, where sly young spy Aly has to help lead a revolution against the island's conquerors, put a native queen on the throne, and hide her own past while she's at it. Ostensibly geared towards teenage girls, I still love these books, even in my mid-twenties.
Alone (Lost Girls)
by Linda Williams Aber
This book is probably not as good as I remember, but I read it as a kid, right around the same time as Titanic came out. The combination inspired my first piece of fanfic, though at the time I had never heard of the word and I considered it my first attempt at a "novel." This was hopelessly bad, but I remember it with fond memories, and therefore I consider this one of the best books I've read.
Dragonsdawn (Dragonriders of Pern Series)
by Anne McCaffery
Again, I love this whole series, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Dragonsdawn. I actually don't recommend reading it first, because the world of Pern is better entered from an established point of view, such as in Dragonsflight or Dragonquest. However, this is a great look at the way that world was built, filling in so many gaps and explaining so much of the myth and legend of the Pern universe. A bit of space adventure, a bit of pioneer saga, fantasy elements, some political drama, and a bit of scientific horror. AKA something for everyone! ;) Great female characters (despite the problematic nature of the series in general in that regard, which I don't deny) and wonderful worldbuilding.
Mossflower (Redwall, Book 2)
by Brian Jaques
Mossflower is the first/second book in the Redwall series (The second published, but a prequel to the first). This is a world of intelligent woodland animals fighting for their freedom against an oppressive wildcat and her minions. This is another one with amazing worldbuilding - if the descriptions of their feasts do not get your mouth watering, you are officially a cyborg. The symbolism can get a bit thick in some of the books, and there are a few problematic areas (aren't there always, with your childhood or teenager-hood favorites?) but I recently reread it and still loved it, so it gets a thumbs up!
Ender's Shadow (Ender, Book 5)
by Orson Scott Card
I know that others will have mentioned this series, and I will as well. However, I suspect that I am a bit out of the norm in that I enjoyed the story from Bean's point of view more than from Ender's. I really liked the view of Earth that Bean provided more than the safe American nuclearish family of Ender, and I found his unique take on things fun to read. The mind games that he and the staff played with each other were fun to witness, and it was also interesting to see the rise of The Great Ender Wiggens from a side point of view. Sci-fi and crime story elements, as well as coming-of-age and mind-game. And the obligatory warning for problematic content discovered upon adult rereads. (Actually, I noticed some of it at the time with this one)
Pay It Forward
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Not a sci-fi or fantasy tale from my childhood! I actually read this a few years ago (long before I saw the movie) and it made me absolutely bawl. But in a good way. The touching story of a child who comes up with a plan to change the world for a school project and tries to implement it. The idea soars, eventually reaching the ears of a journalist who tries to track the pay it forward back to its source. I will warn for the super tear-jerker ending, and also warn that the movie changes quite a bit, but not the essence of the story, which also gives the movie a thumbs up in my book.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling
Yes, I know, you've probably already read this series, but still. Despite the problems I have with this series (continuity and logic being the biggest ones) and the fact that she KILLS OFF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS!!!! this is still one of my top ten books. I feel like this is the book when our gang really starts to walk in the world of adults, rather than in the world of children wherin one adult just keeps bringing death into the mix. This is a major turning point for them, and their relationships, and their magic, and again, I BAWLED at the ending. Also, after seeing the movies, which I have extremely mixed feelings about, I was surprised to go back and read the book again and enjoy it even more. In fact, it is the only one that I own two copies of, because I didn't have my series with me at one point, and really wanted to reread it, and it was worth a rebuy in paperback for me.
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
by Christopher Moore
I will warn you right off the bat that this book is extremely heretical. And that's part of why I love it. This book is (un)reliably narrated by Biff, the best friend of Joshua (you might know him better as Jesus Christ). Biff regales the reader with a detailed account of Josh's life as a child, dealing with his destiny and learning how to use his powers. It also covers the period of time that the bible often forgets between his childhood and later teachings, when he and Biff travleled around the world. A hysterical read that raises some good questions and answers some others. (Not always the way you might think.) If you liked the movie Dogma, I'm sure you'd love this too.
The Biograph Girl
by William J Mann
The biographical (fictional) account of one of Hollywood's first female film stars, and the incredible life she lead. A fascinating account of the origins of film, and of the world that followed (Hollywood). A look at gender roles and sexuality in a time with strict rules about both, and the investigative trail of the writers who are telling her story. A super thick book, but a super compelling read.
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
This was the first book of mythology that I ever read, back in middle school, and it completely captivated me. I loved the way the stories were told, and the illustrations were gorgeous. This is the kind of book that stuck with me for so long that after I graduated college (we're talking ten years after first reading it) I googled it, found it, and bought it, just so that I could always have it. If you have any interest in Greek Mythology at all, this is a must read.
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, Book 1)
The first book in this series will always be my favorite, but they are all worth a read. The story of a young woman who's life as a radio DJ was rudely interupted by a werewolf bite, this book explores the practicalities of life after the bite. From the change in personality, to the awkward conversations with the family, to planning her life around the moon, this book approaches the fantastic world with a domesticity that I loved. It also delves into pack dynamics (the way wolves have alphas and omegas, and pack hierarchy in terms of sexuality) and how those translate into the human form. A much gritter and less romanticised look at the life of a werewolf, but a fantasticly empathetic narrator (Kitty) with a great plot.
And without realizing it, I've reached 11 books. So enjoy the extra one, anonymouse requestor! :D