Katie Recommends
So, you've finished "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". But what now? What will you read? Well I have come to your rescue (I'm also very bored). Here is a list of books that I recommend. Lucky you! (Sorry Bridget, you've read most if not all of these….)
In the Children/ Young Adult Category:
Patricia C Wrede wrote a wonderful series of books call "The Enchanted Forest Chronicles".
The first of which is titled "Dealing with Dragons". It’s a cute book, revolving around a head strong Princess name Cimorene, who decided she doesn’t like being a typical princess and runs away to live with dragons. Very cute. The other three books in the series naturally follow the course of the first. They are "Searching for Dragons", "Talking to Dragons" and "Calling on Dragons."
Another series that I can recommend is the "Princess Diaries" series by Meg Cabot. Very, cute and funny. Light reading. The book is different from the movie in several key aspects, her father is alive and her grandmother is a real pain in the neck. Each book comprises less than a year, typically weeks or even days. But they're worth it.
In a book store last summer I happened to stumble across another excellent read, "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini. The author was only about 15 or 16 when he wrote the first book. The story is a bit dark, leans more towards Tolkien than Rowling. However there is an intriguing prophecy mentioned. It's been a while since I've read, it so the plot is a little fuzzy. An orphan finds and raises a dragon egg and becomes an elite Dragon Rider, and of course has to take down the evil ruler (prophecy?). The good news if you liked this book is that it's sequel "Eldest" is due out August 23rd.
Jonathan Stroud is writing an interesting trilogy, the first which is called "The Amulet of Samarkand" and the second "The Golem's Eye". Again, these are a bit darker in some aspects than the Potter series. The main character is a boy training to be a magician in modern day London (oh the similarities…) and a Jinn he happens to conjure. As it happens, Magicians rule the government and such. In the second book you more accurately see the oppression of the common people (muggles to you Potter fans). In the first book, the boy and the jinn get in a sufficient amount of trouble.
General Lit:
I love everything written by Jennifer Weiner. Her books are "Good in Bed" "In Her Shoes" and "Little Earthquakes". All of her books have spunky women in the leads, lots of comedy and romance. Her characters are not the typical "chick lit" variety, are very fully formed and real. She has a mystery coming out in the fall called "Good Night Nobody". Check out her web page at www.jenniferweiner.com.
A few months ago I read a great book called "The Time Traveler's Wife" by a woman named Audrey Niffenegger. It's about this woman who meets this man who has a peculiar problem. At any given moment he can leave the present and go to any place in time. Often he travels the span of his life at different moments. The book is funny, sweet and thoughtful. And Shayna still has my copy…
I can also recommend books by Alice Sebold. I've read "The Lovely Bones" and Lucky". These books are very powerful and need to come with a box of tissues. They're definitely not beach reads. The first book is fictional, about a 13 year old who was brutally murdered. She sees in heaven how the murder and it's investigation is tearing her friends and family apart. However, the book does resolve nicely and has some very touching moments in it. The second book "Lucky" is a narrative of Alice Sebolds rape as a young coed (I hate that word, "coed", but whatever). This books is not for the faint of heart. I recommend a feel good book for a chaser.
Last fall I read a book called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon. Otherwise known to Bridget at the "upside down poodle book". It's a rather short but good read. The main character has Asperger's Syndrome ( a degree of Autism) and it's how he sees and deals with the world. Very eye opening.
If you liked "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", you may like "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. Again, this isn't a happy book. The main character has a low I.Q. But as low IQs go, it's high. He has an operation to increase his I.Q. The meat of the book deals with complications from doing such a thing.
Mitch Albom is a literary genius. His books "Tuesday with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" were excellent. They were sad at times, but very touching. Leaves you with a case of the warm fuzzies.
Bridget gave me a great book in the fall called "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. The book starts out in India, where the main character Pi lives. His father manages animals at the zoo. Do to some political upheaval, the zoo closes and sells animals to other countries. Pi's family decides to move to Canada. The family winds up on the same cargo ship as some of the animals, including an untamed tiger by the name of Richard. The ship wrecks and Pi finds himself on a life raft with the tiger. The story depicts his daily struggle for life while coexisting with this tiger. The book has a lot of spiritual notes to it. The narrator comes across this story second hand. The person who beings to tell him starts with "This story will make you believe in God.". This is a very exciting read.
Historical Fiction:
In this realm I believe that Sharon Kay Penman rules supreme. I love her books. In particular I've read: "Here Be Dragons", "Falls the Shadow" and "The Reckoning". This trilogy deals with the politics and the relationships between 13th and 14th century Wales, England and France. There is a good bit of romance in theses books. "Here Be Dragons" is my favorite book of all time. She also has a mystery series in the same time setting. The first book is "The Queen's Man". This series revolves around Justin De Quincy, who is as can be guessed the Queen's Man. He works for the famed Eleanor of Aquitaine runign errands and solving mysteries for her. I believe that there are 5 in the series now.
Jennifer Roberson wrote two books, placed in King John's England, about Maid Marion and Robin Hood. They are "Lady of the Forest" and "Lady of the Glen". The books are very interesting and full of passion. I like that the story is told from Marion's point of view.
Fantasy:
Fantasy is perhaps my favorite genre, especially Arthurian legend.
After you read Sebold, I suggest Terry Pratchett. His books deal with the ridiculous and are hysterical. I've never laughed so much while reading a book. The books are all of a fantasy sort, he has amusing characters such as Nanny Ogg the witch and Death. Of his books (all are good) I do suggest "The Wyrd Sister" and "Witches Abroad".
"The Mists of Avalon", by Marion Zimmer Bradley is perhaps my favorite Arthurian Legends.
It's a HUGE book, so be warned. It's fairly unique in that it's told through the eyes of Arthur's sister, Morgaine. It's an interesting tale full of magic and adventure. Wow, such cliché writing here….But take my word for it, it's quite good. Bradley made this a series and wrote books that take place before and after "Mists". If you're into Arthurian Legend I also recommend Mary Steward and her trilogy as well as T.H. White's "The Once and Future King".
"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman is an excellent read. The book goes so much more in depth than the movie (naturally). The book does have one irritating quality, however. A fictional character "Morgernstern" constantly breaks into the narrative. Goldman claims that this "Morgernstern" actually wrote the book, and that he Goldman is merely abridging it. I've looked into this, and it's not true. I don't know why he would use this particularly annoying device, but my guess is that he uses it to give his work more authority. So, if you don't like the comments, don't read them. There also isn't and possibly never will be a sequel called "Buttercup's Baby".
These are all I could think of at the moment. There are sure to be revisions. I also welcome your own recommendations!
In the Children/ Young Adult Category:
Patricia C Wrede wrote a wonderful series of books call "The Enchanted Forest Chronicles".
The first of which is titled "Dealing with Dragons". It’s a cute book, revolving around a head strong Princess name Cimorene, who decided she doesn’t like being a typical princess and runs away to live with dragons. Very cute. The other three books in the series naturally follow the course of the first. They are "Searching for Dragons", "Talking to Dragons" and "Calling on Dragons."
Another series that I can recommend is the "Princess Diaries" series by Meg Cabot. Very, cute and funny. Light reading. The book is different from the movie in several key aspects, her father is alive and her grandmother is a real pain in the neck. Each book comprises less than a year, typically weeks or even days. But they're worth it.
In a book store last summer I happened to stumble across another excellent read, "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini. The author was only about 15 or 16 when he wrote the first book. The story is a bit dark, leans more towards Tolkien than Rowling. However there is an intriguing prophecy mentioned. It's been a while since I've read, it so the plot is a little fuzzy. An orphan finds and raises a dragon egg and becomes an elite Dragon Rider, and of course has to take down the evil ruler (prophecy?). The good news if you liked this book is that it's sequel "Eldest" is due out August 23rd.
Jonathan Stroud is writing an interesting trilogy, the first which is called "The Amulet of Samarkand" and the second "The Golem's Eye". Again, these are a bit darker in some aspects than the Potter series. The main character is a boy training to be a magician in modern day London (oh the similarities…) and a Jinn he happens to conjure. As it happens, Magicians rule the government and such. In the second book you more accurately see the oppression of the common people (muggles to you Potter fans). In the first book, the boy and the jinn get in a sufficient amount of trouble.
General Lit:
I love everything written by Jennifer Weiner. Her books are "Good in Bed" "In Her Shoes" and "Little Earthquakes". All of her books have spunky women in the leads, lots of comedy and romance. Her characters are not the typical "chick lit" variety, are very fully formed and real. She has a mystery coming out in the fall called "Good Night Nobody". Check out her web page at www.jenniferweiner.com.
A few months ago I read a great book called "The Time Traveler's Wife" by a woman named Audrey Niffenegger. It's about this woman who meets this man who has a peculiar problem. At any given moment he can leave the present and go to any place in time. Often he travels the span of his life at different moments. The book is funny, sweet and thoughtful. And Shayna still has my copy…
I can also recommend books by Alice Sebold. I've read "The Lovely Bones" and Lucky". These books are very powerful and need to come with a box of tissues. They're definitely not beach reads. The first book is fictional, about a 13 year old who was brutally murdered. She sees in heaven how the murder and it's investigation is tearing her friends and family apart. However, the book does resolve nicely and has some very touching moments in it. The second book "Lucky" is a narrative of Alice Sebolds rape as a young coed (I hate that word, "coed", but whatever). This books is not for the faint of heart. I recommend a feel good book for a chaser.
Last fall I read a book called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon. Otherwise known to Bridget at the "upside down poodle book". It's a rather short but good read. The main character has Asperger's Syndrome ( a degree of Autism) and it's how he sees and deals with the world. Very eye opening.
If you liked "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", you may like "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. Again, this isn't a happy book. The main character has a low I.Q. But as low IQs go, it's high. He has an operation to increase his I.Q. The meat of the book deals with complications from doing such a thing.
Mitch Albom is a literary genius. His books "Tuesday with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" were excellent. They were sad at times, but very touching. Leaves you with a case of the warm fuzzies.
Bridget gave me a great book in the fall called "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. The book starts out in India, where the main character Pi lives. His father manages animals at the zoo. Do to some political upheaval, the zoo closes and sells animals to other countries. Pi's family decides to move to Canada. The family winds up on the same cargo ship as some of the animals, including an untamed tiger by the name of Richard. The ship wrecks and Pi finds himself on a life raft with the tiger. The story depicts his daily struggle for life while coexisting with this tiger. The book has a lot of spiritual notes to it. The narrator comes across this story second hand. The person who beings to tell him starts with "This story will make you believe in God.". This is a very exciting read.
Historical Fiction:
In this realm I believe that Sharon Kay Penman rules supreme. I love her books. In particular I've read: "Here Be Dragons", "Falls the Shadow" and "The Reckoning". This trilogy deals with the politics and the relationships between 13th and 14th century Wales, England and France. There is a good bit of romance in theses books. "Here Be Dragons" is my favorite book of all time. She also has a mystery series in the same time setting. The first book is "The Queen's Man". This series revolves around Justin De Quincy, who is as can be guessed the Queen's Man. He works for the famed Eleanor of Aquitaine runign errands and solving mysteries for her. I believe that there are 5 in the series now.
Jennifer Roberson wrote two books, placed in King John's England, about Maid Marion and Robin Hood. They are "Lady of the Forest" and "Lady of the Glen". The books are very interesting and full of passion. I like that the story is told from Marion's point of view.
Fantasy:
Fantasy is perhaps my favorite genre, especially Arthurian legend.
After you read Sebold, I suggest Terry Pratchett. His books deal with the ridiculous and are hysterical. I've never laughed so much while reading a book. The books are all of a fantasy sort, he has amusing characters such as Nanny Ogg the witch and Death. Of his books (all are good) I do suggest "The Wyrd Sister" and "Witches Abroad".
"The Mists of Avalon", by Marion Zimmer Bradley is perhaps my favorite Arthurian Legends.
It's a HUGE book, so be warned. It's fairly unique in that it's told through the eyes of Arthur's sister, Morgaine. It's an interesting tale full of magic and adventure. Wow, such cliché writing here….But take my word for it, it's quite good. Bradley made this a series and wrote books that take place before and after "Mists". If you're into Arthurian Legend I also recommend Mary Steward and her trilogy as well as T.H. White's "The Once and Future King".
"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman is an excellent read. The book goes so much more in depth than the movie (naturally). The book does have one irritating quality, however. A fictional character "Morgernstern" constantly breaks into the narrative. Goldman claims that this "Morgernstern" actually wrote the book, and that he Goldman is merely abridging it. I've looked into this, and it's not true. I don't know why he would use this particularly annoying device, but my guess is that he uses it to give his work more authority. So, if you don't like the comments, don't read them. There also isn't and possibly never will be a sequel called "Buttercup's Baby".
These are all I could think of at the moment. There are sure to be revisions. I also welcome your own recommendations!