Book suggestions.

So I'm pretty picky about my books. I don't know why but they can't be boring and they have to flow pretty well together. Anyway, point is I need to get back into reading I feel as if I'm losing my touch. So I'm open to all suggestions although I do have specifications. Must have some romance...hey I'm a girl after all and love the feeling when character's fall in love. Um, nothing historical. I hate history. Nothing to...well gory. I hate blood or even worse, picturing it, cause I have a hell of a vivid imagination that hates me. I mean I'm cool with vampire massacres but nothing that describes some guy slicing into the tendon of some unsuspecting victim and carving them up like some Hallows Eve pumpkin.

Right...well...let me have 'em.

Erm, well, I was going to say The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, but some bits are a bit gory...

Have you ever read His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman?

You could always try Capt. Hook: Adventures of a Notorious Youth. But it's more of a children's book...

Steal Across the Sky is a decent book, but not really the best I've read. Good for some light sci-fi, and there is a bit of romance in there. :3

I read the first one, but couldn't really get into it. I had to force myself to read it. His style is...difficult for me. I have heard of 'The Sword of Truth' but I've never read it. I'll look into it.

Not sure how you feel about wolves....

but The Sight and Fell by David Clement-Davies are wonderful books.

Also, anything by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is good. Her books are shorter and more for vampire loving people, but they are REALLY good.

Uhmmm.... I'm trying to think of some others...

Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras by Scott Westerfeld are good too.

I've read all of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books. I'm esecially a fan of her Kiesha'ra series. But I love all of her books. I hear she's working on a sequel to 'Shattered Mirror'! I'm so excited!

I haven't read any of Westerfeld's they seem strange to me.

I know! I want it! D:
Shattered Mirror is my favourite of her books...

Westerfeld writes about some odd things, but I love the Uglies series. Its rather easy to get into.

I'm still trying to think up some other suggestions for you.

Did you read Wyvernhail it's the only book I haven't read I didn't even know it was out!

I didn't get a chance to, but she has another book after that Wolfcry I think is what it is called.

Step 1: Cover the Basics
+ READ EVERYTHING BY TOLKIEN, especially the Lord of the Rings
+ Read the Inheritance books by Christopher Paolini
+ <insert more basic fantasy that everybody should read here>

Step 2: Delve Deeper
+ Read the Sword of Truth series. It's complete, and it's awesome, and the hero is SMART for once.
+ Read the Earthsea books.
+ Read the Elric books.
+ Read some Forgotten Realms
+ Read some Magic: the Gathering
+ <insert other awesome fantasy here>

Step 3: Expand Your Horizons
+ Read some chapter books, even if they seem kiddie. They can be pretty cool. Example: Deltora Quest series, Rowan of Rin series
+ Read some quality fanfiction.
+ Read some quality role-plays.
+ <insert more different kinds of great fantasy here>

Anaris wrote:I didn't get a chance to, but she has another book after that Wolfcry I think is what it is called.

Yeah it's Wyvernhail.
I just ebooked it so I'm reading it now. Lol.

ebooked?

now how do you do this?

Ebook.

Now of course you have to buy the book, but the program needed to read it is free. And that way you can read it without having to wait for the book to come in.
I've done it on several occasions now. Lol.

Wow, this thread is really useful. I'm picking up a lot of great book suggestions as well! If I may also make a recommendation, the Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare is really good as well. Also, Mercedes Lackey is an amazing fantasy writer. I've read her Dragon Jousters series twice and highly recommend them (Joust, Alta, Sanctuary, and Aerie).

The Tower of Shadows, Book One of The Tides of Fate by Drew Bowling. I'm still waiting for the second to come out, or at least be available in town, whichever the case may be.

The Moonshae Trilogy by Douglas Niles. For those who don't know, it was these books that highly inspired R.A. Salvatore and Salvatore has even admitted that the character Drizzt was initially a rip-off of a character from this series. Books are as follows: Darkwalker on Moonshae, Black Wizards, Moonwell.

Heirs of Ash series by Rich Wulf: Voyage of the Morning Dawn, Flight of the Dying Sun, Rise of the Seventh Moon.

The Iron Tower by Dennis L. McKiernan. Used to be a trilogy, though eventually was put into a single book as the author meant it to be. The seperate books are titled: The Dark Tide, Shadows of Doom, The Darkest Day.

The Silver Call by Dennis L. McKiernan. Follow up of The Iron Tower, same thing applies: Trek to Kraggen-Cor and The Brega Path.

Also, pretty much anything by Ed Greenwood, who is the man that created the entire Forgotten Realms world those many years ago.

I didn't realize that The Iron Tower was a single book. I bought the series as a trilogy at a used book sale. I will definitely pick up the Silver Call when I get the chance!

SilvanArrow, you are right...this thread is useful!

The Silver Call is great, and was actually written first while the author was stuck in a full body cast. Publishers wanted to wait until he had finished the Iron Tower before releasing it though. I'm pretty sure you can find both the re-release copies (the two single books) on Barnes & Noble or Amazon.

Right, Ed Greenwood.

The Band of Four stories are pretty cool. He's written a lot more than that, but that's all the Ed Greenwood I've read so far.

I've already the Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare and it was fabulous!

If anyone is interested in Celtic myth I have a few suggestions:

The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier is very, very powerful and very beautiful!

And...

The Bitterbynde Trilogy by Cecelia Dart-Thornton is as well very well written. Can be confusing if you don't pay attentions but worth it all.

Both are severely long books so if you don't like big books I wouldn't advise them. However if you do they're must reads.

For anyone who loves fantasy about dragons, any of the Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McAffrey are fabulous.

For anyone who just likes long series in general Pendragon is a good series, although it's not about Arthur, it's about time traveling/ dimension hopping. Very, very good series although I never finished it.

Chris Wooding's Tales of The Ketty Jay series is good so far, though it's only on its' second book. Retribution Falls and The Black Lung Captain are both awesome - steampunk sky pirates, daemonism, freebooting and thievery - and there is romance, but it's very slow building, takes until the end of the second book to even begin building. But it is absolutely fantastic as a result.

Who is Terra Wilder? : It is a very, well, unkown book and was *gasp* amazing. Romance, ACTION, magic, Karma, awesomeness and swords. What more could you possibly ask for?

The Emerald Knights - Anne Robillard : MUST READ, KALON, SIGHLENT, EVERYONE ELSE WHO LIKES FANTASY, READ THIS NOW. The ONLY reason why these books aren't in the USA are becuase they are in french... unless there are new translated english versions in Canada, I am not sure.

In all honestly, those books rival Tolkien (not as epic and badass, but they are like its small cousins, you know? I mean they're there and they're awesome, just not as good as uncle and aunty, you know? No one can counter Lotr, though, so that is forgiven). ANYWAY, see if it is translated to english, if not, learn french. I am not kidding, it is worth it. By the way, Terra Wilder is also french, soo... yah.

You should try the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I know you like vampires and such, so that should be good for you. I mean... I actually liked it when I didn't like the Twilight or the Vampire Diaries series, but it's still pretty much in the same category as those only interesting and creative. =3

Can anyone recommend a good work of historical fiction, or fantasy?

The Alternative Hypothesis by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

It is about what would have happened if Hitler had been admitted in Vienna Art School in 1908 instead of failing to get in. The book is constructed with parallel stories: Hitler’s story (the real one) and Adolf H’s story, the one in which Hitler becomes an art student. Chapters alternate from one story to the other.

I found it amusing and it provides food for thought, most definately. Is this what you meant by historical fiction? xD

I guess it can be? I meant more along the lines of a made up story set in a historical setting, where the author does their research and makes it as accurate of a story as possible, but of course, it being fiction since the persons the story revolves around did not actually exist.

You could read Jane Austen books. Those should be pretty historically accurate, right? I just bought Sense and Sensibility at a thrift store because I remember really liking the movie when I watched it. Plus, the movie has the guy who plays Snape in the Harry Potter movies. It's neat. ^^_^^

Eventually I would like to read Austen's work, and they are indeed accurate, except the content does not interest me as much as it does you. Not to say its a bad book, I know she is not only a talented writer but a stepping stone in the world of the rights of women, but she had to work with what she had, which was female politics in a patriarchal world. I guess I get flustered when I read from that point of view.

I've actually never read anything by her, and I honestly think that the horror rewrites that were made from her work sound more interesting. Like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. =3 I just figured that I should read something by her, and if I liked the movie version of this book, I think I can like the book, too.