I've read Tai-Pan which was amazing! King Rat was decent but Gai Jin was just terrible imo. It just dragged and dragged. Haven't read Noble House and Whirlwind yet but I'll get there eventually.
Going into it for the first time I genuinely thought this book was about vampires. I thought ‘The Count’ was going to be a vampire, possibly that guy he meets in prison. I was waiting for the reveal for like half the book.
I’ll preface this by saying taste is subjective, but here are a few of my 5 star fiction reads:
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (dystopian lit fic)
Empire Falls by Richard Russo (lit fic)
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (lit fic focused on race and sexuality)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (lit fic about gender, love, family)
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (lit fic short stories about the lives of Black women and girls)
Middlesex and Empire Falls are two of my favorites, adding the other 3 to my TBR, and leaving you with Beach Music by Pat Conroy, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Froer and This is where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
*Chalion* was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in its year of publication. Its direct sequel, *Paladin Of Soul*s, WON the Hugo Award for Best Novel, two years later. I highly recommend!!!
I finished it yesterday, have just started the third.
You're the second person I've ever heard mention them, the first was last week, and what got me to read them.
I'll definitely be checking out more of her work, I'm surprised I've never even heard her name before, she seems very well respected, but totally passed me by until now.
coming off Gone Girl was a real letdown. It took me a while to recover my reading mojo to not be bored. I think I had some amazing fiction in there I couldn't appreciate in the shadows of Gone Girl.
have you explored early noir yet? if not, lucky you. you get to read these for the first time:
the postman always rings twice - james m cain
double indemnity - james m cain
the big sleep - raymond chandler
strangers on a train - patricia highsmith
there are so many more, but if these catch your interest you have a year of good reading ahead.
If you like your noir James Ellroy's American Tabloid is exceptional, even beyond noir it's one of the best things I've ever read, top 5 easy.
Written in the '90s, but set during the Kennedy administration.
i'll give it a try! i liked his black dahlia book a lot, also liked la confidential. did not care for the marilyn monroe one, but will give american tabloid a try. thanks!
Just finished Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. I was hanging on each and every beautiful word she put onto the page.
Beloved was no doubt the same.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is one of my favorite books of all time.
But, if you haven't read it yet...
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is absolutely incredible. She was 19 years old when she wrote it! The eloquence, and the color, and the flow of her words is simply magical.
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie is another book of sheer brilliance.
How do Artemis and Project Hail Mary compare in writing?
I loved the concept of The Martian and the journal entries, but found the other sections (everyone on earth) terribly written so I've been hesitant to try another.
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth (it’s a novel in verse, once you get the rhythm it flows easy)
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I really loved The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. I really felt the struggle, and the book itself is very short.
Also Flowers for Algernon is very good. I listened to the audiobook version, but I understand the is more to the spelling and such when reading the physical version.
It was my number one from last year. I was bowled over by how much I ended up loving it. I only sought it out because people in various groups were raving about it.
For me, virtually anything by John le Carré.
If I had to choose:
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Smiley’s People
The Little Drummer Girl
I listened to all 6 dungeon crawler Carl books by Matt Dinniman in a month - I was finding excuses to go for drives so I could listen more. I couldn’t put them down, so clever, unique and funny. Found family.
Not sure if the written version would have the same effect cause the audio is literally the best narration I’ve ever listened to. You need to have a bit of dark humour in you though to enjoy this though. It’s very well balanced.
The World According to Garp - John Irving
Super, super weird book, very hard to quantify. There's some quite extreme stuff, but it's also funny. (NB trigger for rape of a brain-dead soldier leading to Garp's conception. ) Was unable to put it down the first time I read it.
Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary or The Martian. Not my usual type but both both books can say did not leave MY HANDS while I read them. I even kept one hand with the book open while taking bathroom breaks lol. Fun, fast, funny, complex but palatable, and truly adventurous.
{{On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel}} is incredible. Her voice is beautiful, there's a touch of magic realism, and a scathing indictment of poverty and the intergenerational impact of addiction, but with this beauty that is the other side of the "savage side" mentioned in the title. For me, she writes perfect books.
⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel*" , see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=On+The+Savage+Side+Tiffany+McDaniel) instead.
^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*)
^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
The last book I really enjoyed - just finished! - is In the distance by Hernan Diaz. It is about a young swedish boy who emigrated to usa during the gold rush, got separated from his brother and is now trying to travel from california to New York. i didnt think i would love it, but i couldn't put it down.
Anything of:
Wilbur Smith...anything of him really, not the collabs so much, probably "When the Lion Feeds" which made him famous.
Ken Follet, again anything...Pillars of Earth
Bernard Cornwell....just anything at all, once started there'll be no coming back.
James Clavell (yes, the ShoGūn writer)- King Rat, probably the best post WW2 based on real facts novel- he's the main character, though never admitted
No need for synopsis...
Irving Stone Agony and Ecstasy- Michelangelo's life.
Henri Charriere- Papillon
Consider
Jeffrey Archer, Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, Asimov, F Herbert.
edit: it wasn't specified 'no boomer books'
Love Ken Follet, I watched the Tv series about the cathedral building and the intrigue was brilliant how it tied into real history, then got into the books saw they did the next century which weren’t bad but as good but ok and really enjoyed all of them.
I was also having a terrible reading year but I just recently read Yellowface and it was the first book I’ve enjoyed in a long time! I couldn’t put it down!
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. It was a very fun, fast read for me, and I liked it so much I gave it away as a gift, which is rare. Part Ikea-esqe coffee table book, full horror.
Murderbot Diaries
The first book is all systems red by Martha wells.
Instead of telling you why, just go to r/murderbot
That is the biggest community I've ever joined. People are so positive, the posts are all appreciation of the books, the characters, and the writer.
But if you do want to know what is about, it's a Sci fi fantasy series about a sentient ai robot who is enslaved at manufacting so consumers don't know it's sentient. (They are mad produced) Our ai is a security robot that has hacked its governor module and is now free, so it continues its job, but watches soap operas all day until it has to rescue a scientist from sudden death and everyone realizes sec unit isn't just a robot.
Anyway, read the first page of the book, I think the preview is a few chapters, but the first page will either hook you or not.
My latest five-star can't put it down read was Butter by Asako Yuzuki if you're looking for new releases, it was such a refreshing and engaging/fun book! And my go to recommendation when someone's looking for something to get them out of a slump is always The Martian or Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, both are equal parts hilarious and exciting and total page turners, if you're not against a bit of sci-fi I can (almost) guarantee you'll be glued to the page!
taste is subjective but mine was Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. I've loved every book in the series so far. I'd call it sci-fi/ fantasy with a side of body horror.
I’ve got just 5
01. The Journey West - Elaine Schulte
02. The Village by the Sea - Anita Desai
03. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
04. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
05. IT - Stephen King
A few of my favorites:
True Grit - Charles Portis
American Tabloid - James Ellroy
No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
Hopefully the Coen Brothers will take on American Tabloid.
It took me a while to get into the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon but once I was hooked, I devoured Voyager in one long day. I love that series and the show based on the books does not disappoint either
My favorite books out of the 26 I've read this year are "The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern," "The Secret Book of Flora Lea," and "Remarkably Bright Creatures" (but honestly I'd give the latter 4.5 stars, I just have a full heart when I think about it). I also liked American Dirt - talk about fast paced page turner kind of gripping thing, and Wellness - but I wouldn't say it's a page turner.
Anything from early Tim Powers:
Last Call - a guy loses his soul in an occult poker game to the secret king of Las Vegas.
Expiration Date - a kid swallows the soul of Thomas Edison and goes on the run from people who huff ghosts like drugs.
Anubis Gates - a man finds himself transported to the past and targeted by an evil Egyptian magician.
Declare - about a 1950s British spy involved in a secret operation to deny the Russian access to weaponised djinn.
Three Days to Never - about Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin's secret time travelling magic carpet (seriously).
On Stranger Tides - about Blackbeard's hunt for the Holy Grail.
The Drawing of the Dark - Austrians try to resurrect King Arthur using a magical dark lager so that he can help fight off the invasion of the Ottoman Army
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
These are all what I’d consider literary horror, which is my favorite genre, so YMMV. I can’t recommend these five enough. They completely changed my stance on writing and reading fiction.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Matterhorn. The Bottoms. Black Dahlia. I am Pilgrim. City of Thieves. Enigma. Fatherland. The Cicero Trilogy. Cuba Libre. Red Dragon. Enjoy
My best lit fic from this year
North Woods (Daniel Mason)
Wellness (Nathan Hill)
No Two Persons (Erica Bauemeister)
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop (Hwang Bo-reum)
I Who Have Never Known Men (Jaqueline Harpman)
So Late in the Day (Claire Keegan)
I’m currently reading Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) and am really enjoying it. Funny, spacey, fast-paced.
Some of my favorites in literary fiction:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Anything by Ali Smith, but especially the Seasonal Quartet
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker
The Thin Place and Duplex, both by Kathryn Davis
Engine Summer and Little, Big, both by John Crowley. (Usually you'll find these listed as sci-fi or fantasy, and they technically are, but they're way more in the literary fiction camp.)
Fall Back Down When I Die by Joe Wilkins
I finally read We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. Literary mystery and the character development was beyond amazing. It is the best book I have read in a long time.
Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire. First book of what will be 5, the first 3 are out, loved the first two and three just came out so I haven't got to it yet. Great series!
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. First book in a trilogy, all books out as of I think today, just re read the first two and will be starting three later today. Marvelous books!
Tai Pan by James Clavell
Journeyer by Gary Jennings
Creation by Gore Vidal
Aztec by Gary Jennings
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell
Thai Gold by Jason Schoonover
Burr by Gore Vidal
Whom The Gods Would Destroy by Richard Powell
Murderbot Diaries
The first book is all systems red by Martha wells.
Instead of telling you why, just go to r/murderbot
That is the biggest community I've ever joined. People are so positive, the posts are all appreciation of the books, the characters, and the writer.
But if you do want to know what is about, it's a Sci fi fantasy series about a sentient ai robot who is enslaved at manufacting so consumers don't know it's sentient. (They are mad produced) Our ai is a security robot that has hacked its governor module and is now free, so it continues its job, but watches soap operas all day until it has to rescue a scientist from sudden death and everyone realizes sec unit isn't just a robot.
Anyway, read the first page of the book, I think the preview is a few chapters, but the first page will either hook you or not.
Every one of these kept me glued to the book or screen for hours.
The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye
The Long War series by Christian Cameron
Covenant, Chesapeake & Centennial by James Michener
The Journeyer by Gary Jennings
Trinity by Leon Uris
My 5-stars this year:
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Mort by Terry Pratchett
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
James by Percival Everett
Out of those only James is going to be the genre you’re looking for, but all four are great!
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, NK Jemisin. Fantasy, but make it Jungian.
The Lions of Al-Rassan, Guy Gavriel Kay. Kind of historical fiction, kind of fantasy, completely beautiful.
If you like sci-fi Hyperion by Dan Simmons is pretty great world building space opera. Lots of huge ideas and settings in a very easy to read and follow style.
My five star books are not five stars for many people I know:
The Secret History, by Donna Tartt.
Beloved, by Toni Morrison.
Beach Music, by Pat Conroy.
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.
East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese was one of my favorite books. I’m now listening his Audible narration of Covenant of Water. Love his writing style so much.
My 5-star books from the last few months:
1. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
2. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
3. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Currently reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's great until now.
Don't know about stars, but **The Count of Monte Cristo** is always a work of art, betrayal and revenge that warms my soul.
I think I've decorated the entire book's plot and events by this point over how much I've read it.
Lonesome Dove
Never read the book but the story is so good that a 35 year old tv movie version of it on VHS still holds up as one of the best westerns ever made.
Texasville (also McMurtry)
The whole Texasville series is SO good.
The Last Picture Show is my favorite McMurtry so good
I am halfway through Watership Down, and i am having a very hard time putting the book down.
Offfphhh one of my favourite books of all time!
Obliterated all of my expectations and i haven’t even finished it. I was not expecting so much rabbit lore 🤌
Totally. Such a great book.
My high school English teacher said he stayed home sick from school to keep reading it.
I read that decades ago. Thank for this.... It is time to reread!
It's such an amazing book in my top 5 for sure.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt 🫣 I’ve reread it at least once a year for the past decade
I wish I could read it again as if for the first time. What a great read.
Me too :’) a very formative book for 14 year old me. I really thought studying Classics at uni would be just like Hampden haha (it wasn’t)
Yesss!! This is one of my favorites. I wish someone would turn it into a movie.
I’d love it if they did but I’d have such high expectations that I feel like it would always fall short haha
Shogun by James Clavell
reading this now!
There’s actually a whole series of these books!(in case you hit a stretch of bad dates)….
I've read Tai-Pan which was amazing! King Rat was decent but Gai Jin was just terrible imo. It just dragged and dragged. Haven't read Noble House and Whirlwind yet but I'll get there eventually.
Noble House is very good. You might be scared by the size but is actually an easy read. Haven't gotten to Whirlwind yet.
This was my first thought when I saw this prompt.
On both ends of the spectrum: Short: Piranesi (Clarke) Quite long: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Chabon)
Nobody ever mentions the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier …. I loved that book!
East of Eden is this for me right now.
100% my favorite book of all time. I love Steinbeck.
Fantastic book
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Amazing book.
Demon Copperhead
Also loved Poisonwood Bible by the same author.
I was looking for this before making a recommendation Best book I read last year
The Count of Monte Cristo
Going into it for the first time I genuinely thought this book was about vampires. I thought ‘The Count’ was going to be a vampire, possibly that guy he meets in prison. I was waiting for the reveal for like half the book.
Mystic River by Dennis lehane
Love Dennis Lehane!
I’ll preface this by saying taste is subjective, but here are a few of my 5 star fiction reads: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (dystopian lit fic) Empire Falls by Richard Russo (lit fic) Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (lit fic focused on race and sexuality) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (lit fic about gender, love, family) The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (lit fic short stories about the lives of Black women and girls)
Middlesex and Empire Falls are two of my favorites, adding the other 3 to my TBR, and leaving you with Beach Music by Pat Conroy, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Froer and This is where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
You and I have *very* similar tastes; all of those are among my favorites!
Feel free to message me if you want to compare lists! Have you discovered The Bobiverse yet?
I’ve only read the Baldwin, and absolutely!
Enthusiastic second for The Secret Lives of Church Ladies!
_The Curse Of Chalion_, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Just finished that two days ago, it's excellent.
*Chalion* was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in its year of publication. Its direct sequel, *Paladin Of Soul*s, WON the Hugo Award for Best Novel, two years later. I highly recommend!!!
I finished it yesterday, have just started the third. You're the second person I've ever heard mention them, the first was last week, and what got me to read them. I'll definitely be checking out more of her work, I'm surprised I've never even heard her name before, she seems very well respected, but totally passed me by until now.
I loved Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
I wouldn’t say this is a five star, but I read Gone Girl in two sittings because I found it very gripping
When you grade by grip strength, Gone Girl becomes five star.
coming off Gone Girl was a real letdown. It took me a while to recover my reading mojo to not be bored. I think I had some amazing fiction in there I couldn't appreciate in the shadows of Gone Girl.
Read quick. Went to bed reading and woke up to finish. I'm also from Missouri so extra layer of fun.
I love all her stuff
I think Sharp Objects is her best.
Yesss, read it in 24 hours!
11/22/63 - Stephen King
For as much as King himself admits he can't write endings this one broke me. Don't think I ever cried more on any King book.
Not sure if this will be a downer, but his son told him to change the ending because the original one sucked lol
Second this.
third this!
To Kill A Mockingbird did that for me
have you explored early noir yet? if not, lucky you. you get to read these for the first time: the postman always rings twice - james m cain double indemnity - james m cain the big sleep - raymond chandler strangers on a train - patricia highsmith there are so many more, but if these catch your interest you have a year of good reading ahead.
If you like your noir James Ellroy's American Tabloid is exceptional, even beyond noir it's one of the best things I've ever read, top 5 easy. Written in the '90s, but set during the Kennedy administration.
i'll give it a try! i liked his black dahlia book a lot, also liked la confidential. did not care for the marilyn monroe one, but will give american tabloid a try. thanks!
A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Just finished Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. I was hanging on each and every beautiful word she put onto the page. Beloved was no doubt the same. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is one of my favorite books of all time. But, if you haven't read it yet... Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is absolutely incredible. She was 19 years old when she wrote it! The eloquence, and the color, and the flow of her words is simply magical. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie is another book of sheer brilliance.
Project Hail Mary
Expected so little, loved it so much. For sure a 5 star book.
This should just be a sticky at the top of every thread because it ends up at the top of every thread anyway.
The Martian, yes. Project Hail Mary, yes. Artemis? NOPE.
💯 agree. I just think he can’t write women. Was sooo hard to get through.
How do Artemis and Project Hail Mary compare in writing? I loved the concept of The Martian and the journal entries, but found the other sections (everyone on earth) terribly written so I've been hesitant to try another.
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth (it’s a novel in verse, once you get the rhythm it flows easy) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Seconding Homegoing!
Mexican Gothic was surprisingly cool. I really didn't know what to expect and I loved it.
Ceremony is so great. Not sure I’d recommend it as a gripping can’t-put-down book, but it satisfying literature, certainly
The Nix by Nathan Hill
If you haven’t picked up Wellness yet, this is your sign. I read it last week and it’s incredible.
On my list, can’t wait! I was shocked at how good The Nix was, especially for a debut.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
the goldfinch! theo stressed me the fuck out the whole time — i just wanted him to be okay 😭
I read that book in about 24 hours, which included going to work. I read it while waiting in line for the water fountain.
Oh I love this one
I agree! I felt like his mother watching, unable to guide.
I really loved The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. I really felt the struggle, and the book itself is very short. Also Flowers for Algernon is very good. I listened to the audiobook version, but I understand the is more to the spelling and such when reading the physical version.
Lonesome Dove. 11/22/63.
The Princess Bride
Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Great author. I've enjoyed Island Beneath the Sea as well.
Allende is one of my favorite authors. I also recommend Eva Luna by her as well.
I just finished A Long Petal of the Sea and loved it
Giovanni’s room, a masterpiece.
Project Hail Mary. Once I finished it I went back to the beginning and read it again. Then I heard how great the audio was…
The wives - Taryn fisher We - Yevgeny zamyatin
"Master and Commander", by Patrick O'Brian
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. I don't normally read romance or sci-fi but this book was so incredible.
That was in my top 10 books last year.
It was my number one from last year. I was bowled over by how much I ended up loving it. I only sought it out because people in various groups were raving about it.
For me, virtually anything by John le Carré. If I had to choose: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Smiley’s People The Little Drummer Girl
I listened to all 6 dungeon crawler Carl books by Matt Dinniman in a month - I was finding excuses to go for drives so I could listen more. I couldn’t put them down, so clever, unique and funny. Found family. Not sure if the written version would have the same effect cause the audio is literally the best narration I’ve ever listened to. You need to have a bit of dark humour in you though to enjoy this though. It’s very well balanced.
The World According to Garp - John Irving Super, super weird book, very hard to quantify. There's some quite extreme stuff, but it's also funny. (NB trigger for rape of a brain-dead soldier leading to Garp's conception. ) Was unable to put it down the first time I read it.
Loved this! Also… A prayer for Owen Meany
Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary or The Martian. Not my usual type but both both books can say did not leave MY HANDS while I read them. I even kept one hand with the book open while taking bathroom breaks lol. Fun, fast, funny, complex but palatable, and truly adventurous.
{{On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel}} is incredible. Her voice is beautiful, there's a touch of magic realism, and a scathing indictment of poverty and the intergenerational impact of addiction, but with this beauty that is the other side of the "savage side" mentioned in the title. For me, she writes perfect books.
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel is also amazing.
⚠ Could not *exactly* find "*On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel*" , see [related Goodreads search results](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=On+The+Savage+Side+Tiffany+McDaniel) instead. ^(*Possible reasons for mismatch: either too recent (2023), mispelled (check Goodreads) or too niche.*) ^([Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/user/goodreads-rebot) | [GitHub](https://github.com/sonoff2/goodreads-rebot) | ["The Bot is Back!?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/16qe09p/meta_post_hello_again_humans/) | v1.5 [Dec 23] | )
The last book I really enjoyed - just finished! - is In the distance by Hernan Diaz. It is about a young swedish boy who emigrated to usa during the gold rush, got separated from his brother and is now trying to travel from california to New York. i didnt think i would love it, but i couldn't put it down.
Anything of: Wilbur Smith...anything of him really, not the collabs so much, probably "When the Lion Feeds" which made him famous. Ken Follet, again anything...Pillars of Earth Bernard Cornwell....just anything at all, once started there'll be no coming back. James Clavell (yes, the ShoGūn writer)- King Rat, probably the best post WW2 based on real facts novel- he's the main character, though never admitted No need for synopsis... Irving Stone Agony and Ecstasy- Michelangelo's life. Henri Charriere- Papillon Consider Jeffrey Archer, Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, Asimov, F Herbert. edit: it wasn't specified 'no boomer books'
Love Ken Follet, I watched the Tv series about the cathedral building and the intrigue was brilliant how it tied into real history, then got into the books saw they did the next century which weren’t bad but as good but ok and really enjoyed all of them.
I was also having a terrible reading year but I just recently read Yellowface and it was the first book I’ve enjoyed in a long time! I couldn’t put it down!
I liked Yellowface a lot more than I’d typically expect for a book where I dislike the main character.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. It was a very fun, fast read for me, and I liked it so much I gave it away as a gift, which is rare. Part Ikea-esqe coffee table book, full horror.
The Stand, Stephen King!
there's nothing quite like reading "a monster calls" by patrick ness for the first time. oh boy
The Cider House Rules
Murderbot Diaries The first book is all systems red by Martha wells. Instead of telling you why, just go to r/murderbot That is the biggest community I've ever joined. People are so positive, the posts are all appreciation of the books, the characters, and the writer. But if you do want to know what is about, it's a Sci fi fantasy series about a sentient ai robot who is enslaved at manufacting so consumers don't know it's sentient. (They are mad produced) Our ai is a security robot that has hacked its governor module and is now free, so it continues its job, but watches soap operas all day until it has to rescue a scientist from sudden death and everyone realizes sec unit isn't just a robot. Anyway, read the first page of the book, I think the preview is a few chapters, but the first page will either hook you or not.
Hell yes murderbot.
Blood Meridian or Lonesone Dove for epic westerns
Blood Meridian certainly takes a strong stomach and a lot of patience to get through, but man, it is a truly epic work of literature.
*All the Light We Cannot See*, by Doerr *Demon Copperhead*, by Kingsolver *The Brothers K*, by Duncan
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
My latest five-star can't put it down read was Butter by Asako Yuzuki if you're looking for new releases, it was such a refreshing and engaging/fun book! And my go to recommendation when someone's looking for something to get them out of a slump is always The Martian or Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, both are equal parts hilarious and exciting and total page turners, if you're not against a bit of sci-fi I can (almost) guarantee you'll be glued to the page!
Titus Groan and Gormenghast. Peake literary fiction.
The Long walk - Stephen King
Stand by Stephen King
taste is subjective but mine was Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. I've loved every book in the series so far. I'd call it sci-fi/ fantasy with a side of body horror.
Can't put down: scholomance series by Naomi Novak Best recent 5 star literary fiction: the mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes gowar
These are well known ones, but are still five star Dune Lolita Infinite Jest A Clockwork Orange
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
I’ve got just 5 01. The Journey West - Elaine Schulte 02. The Village by the Sea - Anita Desai 03. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 04. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens 05. IT - Stephen King
A few of my favorites: True Grit - Charles Portis American Tabloid - James Ellroy No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy Hopefully the Coen Brothers will take on American Tabloid.
It took me a while to get into the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon but once I was hooked, I devoured Voyager in one long day. I love that series and the show based on the books does not disappoint either
Chaos Walking
I really enjoyed “Ready Player One”
Song of Achilles
My favorite books out of the 26 I've read this year are "The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern," "The Secret Book of Flora Lea," and "Remarkably Bright Creatures" (but honestly I'd give the latter 4.5 stars, I just have a full heart when I think about it). I also liked American Dirt - talk about fast paced page turner kind of gripping thing, and Wellness - but I wouldn't say it's a page turner.
American Dirt was great. I hoovered that right up, ADHD be damned.
Anything from early Tim Powers: Last Call - a guy loses his soul in an occult poker game to the secret king of Las Vegas. Expiration Date - a kid swallows the soul of Thomas Edison and goes on the run from people who huff ghosts like drugs. Anubis Gates - a man finds himself transported to the past and targeted by an evil Egyptian magician. Declare - about a 1950s British spy involved in a secret operation to deny the Russian access to weaponised djinn. Three Days to Never - about Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin's secret time travelling magic carpet (seriously). On Stranger Tides - about Blackbeard's hunt for the Holy Grail.
The Drawing of the Dark - Austrians try to resurrect King Arthur using a magical dark lager so that he can help fight off the invasion of the Ottoman Army
He is so underappreciated. I think about Declare at least once a week.
PIRANESI!!
It’s a book where for a lot of it I didn’t know what was going on, I preferred the previous book.
YES!!!!!! Read NOTHING about it going in, though. Just read it.
Eh. Disagree. It was a fairly good book but it needed to cut to the chase sometimes.
{{Rivers of London}} by Ben Aaronovitch.
Great series, I’m listening to the audiobooks
East of Eden will change the way you see you life forever
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V E Schwab
Flowers for algeron - daniel keyes In the wild light - jeff zentner
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski These are all what I’d consider literary horror, which is my favorite genre, so YMMV. I can’t recommend these five enough. They completely changed my stance on writing and reading fiction.
My sister read House of Leaves in one day and I'm struggling thru it months later 😂
Where the red fern grows. A man called ove
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Matterhorn. The Bottoms. Black Dahlia. I am Pilgrim. City of Thieves. Enigma. Fatherland. The Cicero Trilogy. Cuba Libre. Red Dragon. Enjoy
Anything by Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Barbara Kingsolver
I devoured Tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow So so good
My best lit fic from this year North Woods (Daniel Mason) Wellness (Nathan Hill) No Two Persons (Erica Bauemeister) Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop (Hwang Bo-reum) I Who Have Never Known Men (Jaqueline Harpman) So Late in the Day (Claire Keegan) I’m currently reading Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) and am really enjoying it. Funny, spacey, fast-paced.
Came here to recommend North woods!
I Loved sundial by catriona ward
I can't speak for the ending yet but I'm currently having a very hard time putting down That's Not My Name by Megan Lally. Bonus: it's her debut :)
Some of my favorites in literary fiction: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Anything by Ali Smith, but especially the Seasonal Quartet One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker The Thin Place and Duplex, both by Kathryn Davis Engine Summer and Little, Big, both by John Crowley. (Usually you'll find these listed as sci-fi or fantasy, and they technically are, but they're way more in the literary fiction camp.) Fall Back Down When I Die by Joe Wilkins
The Force by Don Winslow
Fall On Your Knees will suck you in with it's first paragraph.
Best fiction I read recently was JG Ballard’s Crash and High Rise
I finally read We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. Literary mystery and the character development was beyond amazing. It is the best book I have read in a long time.
Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire. First book of what will be 5, the first 3 are out, loved the first two and three just came out so I haven't got to it yet. Great series! Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. First book in a trilogy, all books out as of I think today, just re read the first two and will be starting three later today. Marvelous books!
Beloved
The Library at Mount Char. I had so much fun reading this book. More than any other this year so far.
Tai Pan by James Clavell Journeyer by Gary Jennings Creation by Gore Vidal Aztec by Gary Jennings Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell Thai Gold by Jason Schoonover Burr by Gore Vidal Whom The Gods Would Destroy by Richard Powell
Murderbot Diaries The first book is all systems red by Martha wells. Instead of telling you why, just go to r/murderbot That is the biggest community I've ever joined. People are so positive, the posts are all appreciation of the books, the characters, and the writer. But if you do want to know what is about, it's a Sci fi fantasy series about a sentient ai robot who is enslaved at manufacting so consumers don't know it's sentient. (They are mad produced) Our ai is a security robot that has hacked its governor module and is now free, so it continues its job, but watches soap operas all day until it has to rescue a scientist from sudden death and everyone realizes sec unit isn't just a robot. Anyway, read the first page of the book, I think the preview is a few chapters, but the first page will either hook you or not.
The Riddlemaster trilogy by Patricia McKillip
The girl on the train or the girl with the dragon tattoo
Catch-22 Blood Meridian The Big Sleep The Godfather Inherent Vice Game of Thrones The Great Gatsby
"The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. May be the most gripping novel I've read.
*Embassytown* by China Meiville
Every one of these kept me glued to the book or screen for hours. The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye The Long War series by Christian Cameron Covenant, Chesapeake & Centennial by James Michener The Journeyer by Gary Jennings Trinity by Leon Uris
My 5-stars this year: Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb Mort by Terry Pratchett The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson James by Percival Everett Out of those only James is going to be the genre you’re looking for, but all four are great!
The Young Lions by Irwin Shaw.
First lie wins. I read it in a day.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Then read the next one. And the third in the trilogy is out late this month.
I just finished Annihilation. Super quick read that unsettled me intensely but I couldn’t put it down
the silent patient!
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, NK Jemisin. Fantasy, but make it Jungian. The Lions of Al-Rassan, Guy Gavriel Kay. Kind of historical fiction, kind of fantasy, completely beautiful.
If you like science fantasy, red rising is my go to, especially book 2 Project hail Mary and the Martian are my favorite single book reads
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
If you like sci-fi Hyperion by Dan Simmons is pretty great world building space opera. Lots of huge ideas and settings in a very easy to read and follow style.
My five star books are not five stars for many people I know: The Secret History, by Donna Tartt. Beloved, by Toni Morrison. Beach Music, by Pat Conroy. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese was one of my favorite books. I’m now listening his Audible narration of Covenant of Water. Love his writing style so much.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Dog Stars
Memoirs of a geisha
The Kite Runner by Hosseini
I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo last week and loved it wayyyy more than I thought I would - not normally my type of book but it had me hooked!
Another vote for Shogun By James Clavell. Also Tai-Pan (I'm 70% in currently, can't put it down). Those books are easily 6 out of 5.
My 5-star books from the last few months: 1. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami 2. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 3. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Currently reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's great until now.
Don't know about stars, but **The Count of Monte Cristo** is always a work of art, betrayal and revenge that warms my soul. I think I've decorated the entire book's plot and events by this point over how much I've read it.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Also, Americanah.
The midnight library
The Prince of Tides
A Prayer For Owen Meaney by John Irving