Recent Book Recommendations
During the last couple years, I've started keeping track of all the books I've been reading. While I don't feel like discussing all of them in this post, I will highlight a few from the last 2-3 years that I recommend:
(Note: I'm not going to bother describing the plot of each book, since that's something you can easily find on amazon.)
Favorites
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak): The book is beautifully written, and I adored the characters.
Warning: I couldn't stop crying throughout the last 50 pages.
Otherland quartet (Tad Williams): This is a very ambitious book, and out of all of the futuristic SF books I've ever read, this one has the best world-building. The characters are great, too, and Tad Williams gives all of them a voice. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a diverse cast and a strong female lead. (A lot of the blogs I read complain about the lack of both in popular fiction.)
Warning: These books are long. Also, I didn't like the last book as much. Some parts were too long-winded, and then the ending felt rushed.
Watchmen (Alan Moore): A very dark and nihilistic dissection of the superhero genre.
Warning: As I said, nihilistic.
The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins): You probably don't need me to tell you about this one. Just read it.
Warning: You know that overly saccharine ending to Harry Potter? Yeah, Collins doesn't do that.
Honorable Mention
The Replacement (Brenna Yovanoff): Maggie Stiefvater says it better than I do: "I loved this eerie and beautiful story of ugly things."
The Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch): This book is a lot of fun. It also has the best closing line of any book I've ever read.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan): A beautiful book about zombies. I wasn't crazy about the emotion-heavy writing style or the main character's obsession with her love interest, but I loved the story.
School Reads
El beso de la mujer arana (Kiss of the Spider Woman) (Manuel Puig): A gay statutory rapist and a political prisoner talking about movies in a dictator-era Argentine prison.
Por favor, rebobinar (Alberto Fuguet): Young people living in consumerist and pop culture-obsessed Chile.
Tajos (Rafael Cortoise): A guy whose grandma just died goes around slashing things.
There were other books I liked, but these were the ones that stood out for me.
(Note: I'm not going to bother describing the plot of each book, since that's something you can easily find on amazon.)
Favorites
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak): The book is beautifully written, and I adored the characters.
Warning: I couldn't stop crying throughout the last 50 pages.
Otherland quartet (Tad Williams): This is a very ambitious book, and out of all of the futuristic SF books I've ever read, this one has the best world-building. The characters are great, too, and Tad Williams gives all of them a voice. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a diverse cast and a strong female lead. (A lot of the blogs I read complain about the lack of both in popular fiction.)
Warning: These books are long. Also, I didn't like the last book as much. Some parts were too long-winded, and then the ending felt rushed.
Watchmen (Alan Moore): A very dark and nihilistic dissection of the superhero genre.
Warning: As I said, nihilistic.
The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins): You probably don't need me to tell you about this one. Just read it.
Warning: You know that overly saccharine ending to Harry Potter? Yeah, Collins doesn't do that.
Honorable Mention
The Replacement (Brenna Yovanoff): Maggie Stiefvater says it better than I do: "I loved this eerie and beautiful story of ugly things."
The Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch): This book is a lot of fun. It also has the best closing line of any book I've ever read.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan): A beautiful book about zombies. I wasn't crazy about the emotion-heavy writing style or the main character's obsession with her love interest, but I loved the story.
School Reads
El beso de la mujer arana (Kiss of the Spider Woman) (Manuel Puig): A gay statutory rapist and a political prisoner talking about movies in a dictator-era Argentine prison.
Por favor, rebobinar (Alberto Fuguet): Young people living in consumerist and pop culture-obsessed Chile.
Tajos (Rafael Cortoise): A guy whose grandma just died goes around slashing things.
There were other books I liked, but these were the ones that stood out for me.