Book Recommendation Thread

[Neophyte]

Another quick one, more in line with what most other folks have mentioned here, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. I can't say enough good stuff about the series.

 

[Henry]

Another quick one, more in line with what most other folks have mentioned here, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. I can't say enough good stuff about the series.

Neo, I swear to God I saw the thread bump and opened it up just to recommend The Dresden Files. Best fantasy fiction Ive read in years.

Ive also recently read World War Z. Very good as well. Better than I expected.
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[Goaldeje]

Just finished The Ripple Effect by Alex Prudhomme about our water supply. Pretty scary stuff, especially if you live in Texas.

Am now reading A Single Roll of the Dice about diplomacy with Iran.

Am looking for something more relaxing next, and I generally enjoy fantasy stuff. Can someone give me some more background on the books Henry and Neo referenced?

 

[Henry]

The Dresden Files are sort of a cross between Mike Hammer and Harry Potter. The main character is Harry Dresden, a wizard-for-hire living in present day Chicago. Most people don't believe in magic or the supernatural, but whenever something weird or unexplained happens in town, CPD's Special Investigations unit gives Harry a call.

Them's the basics. Lots of magic, guns, women, vampires, werewolves, guns, women, demons, faeries, guns and women. I went through the entire eleven-book series (I think it was eleven) in about six months.

 

[Neophyte]

Am looking for something more relaxing next, and I generally enjoy fantasy stuff. Can someone give me some more background on the books Henry and Neo referenced?

Harry Dresden is the only wizard in the Greater Chicagoland phone book. He also works as a private investigator and works supernatural cases with a special division of the Chicago Police force. In Harry's world magic, vampires, werewolves, fairies (he has a real fairy Godmother), gods and demons are real.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files

Oh, and did I mention he is a bit of a smart ass?

And the series is up to 13 published now, Henry, with #14 due out later this year.

 

[Goaldeje]

OK, I'm going to trust you on this one. I love a good fantasy series, but I forced myself to read Twilight a couple of years ago before our now-14 year old read it. Good God. I literally got through maybe one chapter before telling my wife it was her project. Terrible.

This sounds like it could be pretty good though.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Am looking for something more relaxing next, and I generally enjoy fantasy stuff. Can someone give me some more background on the books Henry and Neo referenced?

An oldie but a goodie is the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. Its filled with puns and are quite funny. Not sure how many books they're up to now, but its definitely in the high 20's. You'll blow through them pretty fast.

 

[Henry]

And the series is up to 13 published now, Henry, with #14 due out later this year.

Ah right. Does that total include Side Jobs? That was a nice little extra. The Murphy story seriously kicked ass.

By the way, do you know when the next book is coming out? I've been going through some serious withdrawal.

 

[renaissance]

Recently purchased The Hunger Games, World War Z, and The Breeders. Looking forward to reading all of them and will report back

 

[Neophyte]

Ah right. Does that total include Side Jobs? That was a nice little extra. The Murphy story seriously kicked ass.

By the way, do you know when the next book is coming out? I've been going through some serious withdrawal.

It does not include Side Jobs, nor does it include the novela Backup, a spinoff about Thomas. The closest thing I have to a date for Cold Days, the current title of Book 14, is that the final manuscript is due to Jim's editor sometime in July.

And I totally understand the withdrawal thing. I forced myself to make Changes and Ghost Story really last and lingered over them for a bit over 2 weeks each when I read them the first time. I am jonesing for some new Dresden.

 

[Goaldeje]

Finished A Single Roll of the Dice this afternoon, then polished off the Hunger Games in five hours. Pretty damned good book, actually. Recommend.

Have the Dresden Files book (1st one) loaded on the Kindle ready to go. Will start tomorrow while on the elliptical...

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Have to recommend the book "Born to Run." Ultrarunner Micah True, who was recently found dead in the New Mexico wilderness, was featured in it. Fantastic book, and very inspiring.

 

[Goaldeje]

http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Apart-...3421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334437875&sr=8-1

Good read about how our culture has changed over the past fifty years, and the resultant class gentrification. Murray is a Libertarian, and gets a little preachy at the end, but all in all pretty interesting and uses stats to back his view up. Very thought provoking all in all.

Also, per Henry and Neo's suggestion, I read the first Dresden Files book. Pretty fun, not my favorite ever, though I read on Amazon the series gets better as it goes. Once I'm finished with my new project, I will download the second book and let you know how that goes.

 

[Neophyte]

Goal, the first is easily the weakest in the series. The next couple are better but it really starts to cook along about Book 4 or though.

However, even Butcher's weakest books are better than a number of other author's best efforts.

You might try Butcher's Codex Alera too... I have a number of friends who loved Dresden but though the Alera books even better.

 

[Goaldeje]

Yeah, that's what the Amazon reviews said. I'll keep with it, it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, I did very much, flew through it in a day or so, actually. The writing is crisp and clean which I greatly appreciate.