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I desperately need recommendations...

hungergames1989

New Member
I've only read a handful of books throughout my life... and never really considered reading a worthwhile past-time until I started reading The Hunger Games... that was the first time that I was actually obsessed with a book so much that I was physically incapable of putting it down. I'd stay up nights late just to finish it... but unfortunately, THG only has 3 books and I've finished them :sad:

Anyway, I bought Don't Blink by James Patterson a few days ago hoping it'd be awesome seeing as how the author is so famous. I finished it in a couple of days but I came away quite disappointed. It just seemed riddled with cliches and etc etc. It seemed as though the author wrote it fully intending it to one day become straight to DVD movie.... :lol:

Anyway, if you have a moment to spare, what are some books to look forward to in these genres?

Suspense... - anything as gripping as the films Enemy of The State or The Phone Booth?

Fantasy - I've looked into Game of Thrones but I'm not sure yet.

Realistic Science Fiction? - I've read Contact by Carl Sagan twice actually and liked it quite a bit, especially because of how realistic the world was but each read took me several weeks. I also tried the complete edition of Stranger In A Strange Land, but a year later I still haven't finished it.
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I may edit this and add more...
 
I could probably suggest some Fantasy to you but it is a very broad genre, any clues as to what may interest you would help figure out what you might like. Do you like epics that involve magic and made up worlds? Do you like fantasy where animals show qualities like humans (Watership Down, The Book of the Dun Cow, Redwall)? Do want fantasy that takes place in our world? Do you like real world historical fantasy? What about fantasy about mythology? What about Dark fantasy, which would have elements of horror in it, or futuristic fantasy. Do you like the idea of fantasy that involves parallel universes? As you can see, fantasy has a lot of categories, any idea of what you're particularly interested or not interested in would help.

As far as suspense goes, I am a big fan of the Michael Slade novels which are a mixture of crime, mystery, thriller, horror, and action.
 
Fantasy about mythology seems more to my liking, and so does fantasy that takes place in our world... maybe...

I'd be up for anything though as long as the story is good and allows me to connect with the characters, almost on a personal level like The Hunger Games did..

Velocity by Dean Koontz also seems like it has a terrific story... That's not fantasy though, its suspense...
 
You might like:
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

Also, I would suggest that you check books out of the library instead of buying them.
 
Honestly, I prefer buying books. Then I could always sell them on ebay if end up not liking them or don't plan to read them again...

Anyway, today at Walmart I bought the smaller paperback edition of The Hobbit, and The Passage by Justin Cronin.

The Passage by Cronin seems like it would last me a long time since I'm a slow reader...
 
Fantasy about mythology seems more to my liking, and so does fantasy that takes place in our world... maybe...

I'd be up for anything though as long as the story is good and allows me to connect with the characters, almost on a personal level like The Hunger Games did..

Velocity by Dean Koontz also seems like it has a terrific story... That's not fantasy though, its suspense...

Ok, perfect, so my suggestions would be...

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony
Earthsea cycle by Ursula K. LeGuin
Ysabel by Guy Gaverial Kay
Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
The Nightside series by Simon R. Green
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
The Magicians and The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Oryx and Crake by Margeret Atwood
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Emberverse series by S. M. Stirling
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

not in any particular order. Hope some of these can appease your desire for good reading material.
 
If you like fantasy, I highly recommend Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller trilogy. Unfortunately, the final book hasn't been published yet, but the first two are spectacular. They are thick, but not hard to read. I found the story to be very engaging.

If you're looking for some YA dystopian future reading, Ally Condie's Matched or Veronica Roth's Divergent are also really good reads.
 
Hmmm, I finished The Hobbit but its going Ebay now. Lol... I didn't really like that book.

The Passage started off REALLY good... In fact I was loving it almost as much as The Hunger Games up until the time skip. It has been pretty good as well, but there are some sections that are just needlessly long and uninteresting. I still like it enough to finish it but I hope it gets better.
 
If you like realistic fantasy, have you tried Terry Pratchett? His discworld novels are captivating, his characters are your best friends (or worst bosses), and his cynicism is amazing. He says it like it is...
 
The Twilight series might be a good next read for you. Even if you've seen the movies, the books were great. Also there's the new Insurgent series by Victoria Roth. I haven't read them yet but have them on my Kobo and am excited. Holding off cuz the 3rd one isn't out yet. They sound like they're going to be right down the same alley as Hunger Games.
 
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