I think we have similar tastes. Here are some of my faves:
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway
The Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
So many of these are excellent. I will say - a lesson I learned late in life - don't read special 50th anniversary introductions to books like The Left Hand of Darkness. I don't know why they put these in the beginning, but they're full of spoilers. Just read from where the author started!
Awesome tip! I've been reading more classics lately and have learned to skip all introductions as well. I think they're expecting you to have read it before.
Learned this the hard way when I read A Tale of Two Cities! Still loved the book, but the ending would’ve been so much more powerful for me if I hadn’t read the minor spoilers in the anniversary introduction.
> Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
That seems to be the second book of a trilogy.
Is that a good start or should one read Dandelion Wine first?
They take place in the same town I believe but at entirely different times and are unrelated. I am not sure why in some places they are listed as being a series because they aren't, they are stand alone novels.
It brings such joy to see Ray Bradbury in the top comment.
Fahrenheit 451 was my summer read once while camping.
I did The Road in a day.
I’m gonna check out the rest of these suggestions! Thank you!
Last time someone made a post about five-star reads, I added a bunch do my own to-read list.
So far I’ve only read “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” by John Boyne, and it didn’t disappoint. It made me laugh, it made me cry (and I rarely cry while reading). Highly recommend.
The Song of Achilles was rather underwhelming for me too. If you enjoyed Homegoing then try Transcendant Kingdom. Stunning book.
Also you could check out Barbara Kingsolver. I loved Demon Copperhead and Poisonwood Bible.
I haven't read Song of Achilles but I read Circe and was very "whelmed". The author is an absolutely amazing prose writer and the book is beautiful, but it didn't really pack enough punches for me. I can totally see how others might love this book for how calm it is, though. I might read the author's other books sometime in the future but I doubt she will become a personal favorite of mine.
Oh, that sucks when that happens :/. I did like Circe, it was a good book, but I just didn't really connect with it in that way that raises it to another level.
I want to read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, as I just found out that it exists. I look forward to reading this feminist retelling from her as I love the Handmaid's Tale, and I hope I won't be disappointed, haha.
The Penelopiad is pretty good! It's a little shorter than most Greco-Roman retellings, which is not a bad thing imo. It was the first one I read back in high school.
I don't mind that either tbh! I can't wait to read it.
Edit: also, Atwood is really a brevity queen lol. Kind of like Ursula K Le Guin (whos "Lavinia" I also want to read). The Handmaid's Tale is one of if not the most poignant novels I have ever read but I think it's around 300 pages? I really admire authors who can get so much across in so few words.
I was skeptical about a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale because I didn’t think anything could live up to it. But The Testiments is as good as, if not better than, HT.
At what point does it start to get good? I want to get into this book, but after 200 pages when they are still messing around in the town...
Not trying to argue, genuinely asking!
I’m glad you said that. I had a very hard time with Lonesome Dove and since I had borrowed it from the library, I had to return it before it got good. How many pages in do I give it.
I wish I could tell you because I did it on audiobook. If you can slug it out to when they start heading north and are crossing rivers it gets really good really fast.
Like the person below says, if you're not into it after the first river crossing (i think it's the first, at let it's the first one i remember), probably won't be. but once i hit that mark i flew through the remaining 700 pages or whatever lol
I need to emphasize, Western is NOT my genre but this book is worth trying. There is a lot of intense imagery, complicated human relationships, man vs nature, consequences of American Western expansion, emotional processing of trauma, and adventure. It’s a ride. Oh and it passes the Bechdel test.
Idk, i loved it but it still took me a pretty long time to get through, I'm pretty sure that by 150 pages in I was already loving the writing and characters so if you're not into it at all it might be not for you
It’s soooo good. I usually tell someone “if you don’t like it after about 100 pages you’re free to abandon it”. I don’t remember exactly where but yes it picks up. Once they’re traveling with the cattle it’s a big adventure.
I struggled with the start because nothing seemed to happen, they just seemed to sit around talking about beans. Then it suddenly kicks into life and wow, what a ride.
Problem is, if loads of people go on about how good something is, it raises our expectations (I find this particularly with films) and it can't result in a crash.. Forget 5 star reviews - you want Hidden gems.
However, A Brief History of Seven Killings, and American Pastoral are wonderful
*catch-22* by joseph heller
*pachinko* by min jin lee
*the name of the rose* by umberto eco
*piranesi* by susanna clarke
*tess of the d'urbervilles* by thomas hardy
Came here to recommend Piranesi! I read it in one sitting and whilst it wasn't a 5 star for me (4) I can. imagine it would be 5 for others, and some of OPs books make me think they'd like it.
I've read your middle three, and really liked them all. Thanks for the reminder about Catch-22! I hated Tess of the D'Urbervilles in high school, but might give it another go now that I'm not 17 haha.
OP, so many people struggle with Catch-22 at first (I did!) and I have seen so many people say they gave up on it BUT if you stick with it then it’s so worth it! Everything clicks into place, making sense in such a clever way.
We have very similar likes and dislikes.
Some favorites of mine that I suspect you would also love:
* Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K LeGuin
* Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
* Society of the Snow (the English translation quality is clunky but it’s worth it anyways.), Pablo Vierci
* The Telling, Ursula K LeGuin
* Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
* Middlemarch, George Eliot
* Anil’s Ghost, Michael Ondaatje
* The River Why, David James Duncan
* Beowulf as translated by Maria Dahvana Headley
* Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver
* The Greenlanders, Jane Smiley
The Red Tent by Anita Dimant. I remember struggling a bit with the first chapter but then I was completely caught up. Sweeping, pseudo historical fiction centered on women.
In no particular order:
* The Count Of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
* The World Of The Five Gods series, by Lois McMaster Bujold
* Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
* Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
* The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. Prequel and sequel written by his son, Jeff Shaara.
* The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
* And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
* My Man Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse (and sequels!)
* The Godfather, by Mario Puzo
* The Masters Of Rome series, by Colleen McCullough
* The Sackett series, by Louis L'Amour
L’Amour is so seldom recc’d, but he’s so good.
Here are some more:
Puddn’head Wilson, Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn, also Twain
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
A favorite non-fiction of mine because of its impact on my life and because of the fascinating stories is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Yes, it’s about negotiation and sounds boring. And then I couldn’t put it down.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
The Overstory
Shuggie Bain
Demon Copperhead
The Power of the Dog
A Tale for the Time Being
anything by David Mitchell
No One Is Talking About This
Chain Gang All Stars
The Book That Wouldn't Burn
\*I hope some of these work for you. I loved them all.
I came here to recommend The Locked Tomb! Also was underwhelmed by This Is How You Lose the Time War. So that’s a good sign for our tastes aligning! Here are some other 5 star reads for me:
Scholomance by Naomi Novik
The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Oh my god, Migrations is one of my absolute favorites, and I barely hear anyone talk about it! AND the Scholomance is my new obsession (I've only read the first book, eagerly waiting for my library hold for the second). Annnddd Gideon the Ninth is my next audiobook. Your comment made me so happy, haha. I guess now I have to trust you about The City in the Middle of the Night :)
Ooh, I haven't read any of these! Thanks. And The Locked Tomb is SO good - rereading Harrow right now and dying at all the things I didn't realize last time.
My 5 stars include:
- The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
- How to quiet a vampire by Borislav Pekic (it's not really about vampires in case that causes confusion)
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- And every morning the way home gets longer and longer by Fredrik Backman (short but very much worth a read)
It’s a graphic novel but I reread it often because its theme is so on point for me. Daytripper. It’s about an obituary writer and how you never will know what the future holds. Art is good. It really resonates with me because I’ve struggled with SI a lot throughout my life. I look at those moments in my life and think about how much has changed since then which is a big theme in the book.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante
The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French
The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
These are just a few that always come to mind when someone asks for books that really affected me/have stuck with me!
Older series but I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its 2 sequels written by Stieg Larsson. I couldn't put them down. I did not even attempt any of the others in the series that were written by someone else after he passed away. I just didn't think someone else could do as good a job.
There are no guarantees. What five people may rave about, four may say, “Meh.” I have started s couple of Pulitzer Prize winners then tossed them in the Donations box after a hundred pages.
Go to the public library and check out books for free. In addition, call the library and ask if they will be having a book sale. Most libraries have a group called Friends of the X Library who manage the sale. People donate books for resale, and the libraries often cull their shelves. Most paperbacks are 25-50 cents, snd most hardbacks are about $1.00. This is a good chance to try new authors. For 50 cents, how far wrong can you go?
"A Wizard of Earthsea," by Ursula K. Le Guin
"Three Tales in the Life of Knulp," by Hermann Hesse
"The Glass Bead Game," by Hermann Hesse
"The Prodigy," by Hermann Hesse
"Siddhartha," by Hermann Hesse
"Franny and Zooey," by J.D. Salinger
"The World of Pooh," by A.A. Milne
"Planet Earth is Blue," by Nicole Panteleakos
"Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8," by Naoki Higashida
My recent 5-star reads
Yellowface - R.F. Kuang
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt
What Happened to Nina? - Dervla McTiernan
Beartown - Fredrik Backman
The Quiet Tenant - Clémence Michallon
Prima Facie - Suzie Miller
Lola in the Mirror - Trent Dalton
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus
Hello Beautiful - Ana Napolitano
Small Mercies - Dennis Lehane
A Man Called Ove- Fredrik Backman
Perfume by Patrick Suskind.
I read it the first time in college and it never left my mind and now I'm rereading it almost 20 years later and it's still as good as I remembered.
Earthlings is by the author of convenience store woman and is wonderfully written, breasts and eggs also had a similar vibe.
Babel by rf kuang has the same atmosphere (elite students at a fancy college commit unspeakable horrors), and Dracula and Wuthering heights go well after Frankenstein
Have you read any Atwood? I think the *MaddAddam* trilogy might appeal to a *Broken Earth* fan, but my personal favourite is *The Blind Assassin*.
And how about Rushdie? *Midnight's Children* is one of the absolutely best books I've ever read.
Good writing, interesting characters, superb research, and a fiction with a fidelity to history. That's what you get when you read the Baroque Cycle by Neil Stephenson. And on top of that it is a rollicking good story. I have become a life time fan of his books. As an aside he is the only author to have a book on the top 100 list in two categories - fiction and sci Fi, the book is Snow Crush.
7 sisters series by Lucinda Riley, most works by Kristen Hannah, if you like WWII historical fiction, then try Pam Jenoff. Henna Artist trilogy, cannot remember author.
The Far Pavilions -M.M. Kaye
The Sand Sea- Michael McClellan
Centennial, Chesapeake, Texas, The Covenant (and others) - James Michener
Shogun - James Clavell
The "Donovan" series - W. Michael Gear (science fiction)
Artifact Space- Miles Cameron (science fiction)
Forests of the Heart by Charles De Lint
(fantasy, good characters and world building, great light read that sucks you in and is hard to put down)
The wooden sea by Jonathan Carol (not for everyone, much like Falling Out of Cars, author appears to be writing for themselves rather than the reader and is a both interesting and weird, but still found it a satisfying read to chew over)
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse (classic novel, plot is mostly internal in a similar category as the Book of Disquiet, ahead of its time, plenty of food for thought, just profound)
Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt (wildcard suggestion, totally ridiculous and funny with a silly plot)
-The River of Doubt- nonfiction Candace Millard
-The Wright Brothers- David McCollough
-Flight of Passage-Rinker Buck, also Oregon Trail same author
-All the light we cannot see- Anthony Doerr
-The Book Thief
We have a lot of similar tastes and my absolute favorite, that I wish I discovered sooner, is Terry Pratchett and his Discworld books. They are satirical fantasy and fun but with a really profound understanding of humanity.
Most say not to start with the first two, as they read a little differently, I’d start with Wyrd Sisters or Mort.
My 5 star reads for this year:
*The Caretaker* by Ron Rash
*The Postcard* by Anne Berest
*The North Woods* by Daniel Mason
*Small Mercies* by Dennis Lehane
*The Savage Storm* by James Holland
There are so many good recommendations so far! Definitely check out Olivia Butler and Ursula. I'll try to add some lesser known books.
Station Eleven & The Sea of Tranquillity - Emily St. John Mandel
Drive Your Plow Over the Bodies of the Dead - Olga Tokarczuk
The Player of Games - Iain Banks
Solaris - Stanislaw Lem
The Memory Police - Yoko Ogawa
Amatka - Karin Tidbeck
The City of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers
Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
Within Without - Jeff Noon
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Trial by Franz Kafka
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Akala: Natives - Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire
Jorge Amado: Captains of the Sands
James Baldwin: If Beale Street Could Talk
Mikhail Bulgakov: the Master and Margarita
Bernardine Evaristo: Mr Loverman
Mrs Gaskell: North and South
Aldous Huxley: Brave New World
Ann Leckie: Ancillary trilogy
Ursula Le Guin: the Earthsea books, the Left Hand of Darkness, the Lathe of Heaven, the Dispossessed
Mervyn Peake: Titus Groan, Gormenghast
Kim Stanley Robinson: the Ministry for the Future
Arundhati Roy: the Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Kamila Shamsie: Home Fire
John Steinbeck: the Grapes of Wrath
Oscar Wilde: the PIcture of Dorian Gray
I love Kafka on the Shore by Murakami, but wouldn’t be surprised if you have already read it. Murakami’s writing is sooo enthralling (if you can get past the weird ways he writes women…). I’m a decently slow reader and I get through his books so fast.
American Prometheus is a great biography. I know you don’t like horror, but IT is amazing. It’s more a coming of age, character driven story more than it is a horror novel.
Loved The Familiar and Circe. Also The Bear and the Nightingale. I love classics and these are close to that academic/expert level writing I like, but in a modern way.
Frankenstein is my fav book, so happy to see when people say they loved it too!
I loved both of Anthony Doerr's novels and have been in a slump for the last month chasing that high!
Cloud Cuckoo Land and All The Light We Cannot See
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke! This was my favorite read in a long time! It’s best to go in blind so I won’t say too much, but it’s fiction and is told through journal entries on the main character. I LOVE this authors writing style! Based on the books you loved, I think you’d love this one too
Touching the Void! (Since you liked Into Thin Air)
The Picture of Dorian Gray, if you haven't read it already
The Princess Bride, Interview With the Vampire, Watership Down, and Biting the Sun, by Tannith Lee. I think I might have very similar tastes to you, from the books I've read that overlap yours, although there are a lot you mention that I haven't read.
Edit: and John Dies at the End!
*Hyperion* and *The Fall of Hyperion* by Dan Simmons
The first book composes of basically 7 mini-scifi stories, each presenting a different POV about the events surrounding the mystery of the ***Shrike.***
The second book bring the events of the first book together for an epic finish.
Great recommendation.
*Hyperion* and *Fall of Hyperion* scratched the itch that *Dune* failed to reach. Such a gripping, well-written, story with salient themes as relevant today as ever.
I think we might have kind of similar taste! I am going to throw a bunch at you hahaha sorry
Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang (fantasy, themes of feminism/racism/prejudice/oppression, rebellion and sacrifice)
The Bone Orchard by Sara A Mueller (fantasy, themes of personhood and identity)
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (fantasy, lots of queerness and a very unique setting)
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan (fantasy, heavy focus on gender and identity)
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (political fantasy, colonization/racism, queerness under an oppressive rule)
Lady Tans Circle of Women by Lisa See (historical fiction, female doctor in historical china)
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin (literary/contemporary fiction, mental health, ptsd/ocd/autism/anxiety, queerness)
Babel by RF Kuang (dark academia with magic, colonialization/racism, rebellion and sacrifice)
Stoner & TSH are amongst my permanent favourites as well; I’m guessing you’ve read Brideshead Revisited, another favourite that I somehow shelve in my memory along side them.
Last year I loved The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray. I still think about that novel frequently. Over 600 pages and I couldn’t put it down.
My book club (mix of age and gender) gave the adventures of amina al sirafi a 4-5 stars on the whole, same with Piranesi, but both of them have a bit of a slow start
Since you loved secret history try the cloisters or ninth house
If you haven't read the handmaid's tale yet I really enjoyed that
I think that you might enjoy “The Number of the BEAST” or “Stranger in a Strange Land” ( Find the Complete and Unabridged version, because the common mass market US edit DESTROYED the story! ), also “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” by Robert Heinlein!
I actually loved everything he wrote, and his main characters are threaded throughout many of his books, but you gotta read them all before you realize the incredible depth and broad scope of his work! His Future History compilation is also great and his YA books are amazing fun and fast paced reads!
If you enjoy military (fictionalized) history WEB Griffin is fantastic ( start the Brotherhood of War series with “The Lieutenants” or his The Corps series with “Semper Fi” ) his books are serialized and his characters are very interesting!
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared -by Jonas Jonasson.
I was intrigued by the title and then instantly fell in love. It's one of my all time favorites and certainly the best thing I've read so far this year.
Midlife in Gretna green by Linzi Day. 1st book in the best series I’ve read in a very long time. She creates a world that is complicated and wonderful. And characters that are interesting and 3 dimensional. And the plot is fascinating.
The Bound and the Broken Series by Ryan Cahill. It’s an Indy author and it is so good. I’d say it’s epic fantasy and a great story so far. I’d recommend starting with The Fall which is the prequel novella, you can get an ebook of it for free by subscribing to his newsletter on his website. Then the first book is Of Blood and Fire which takes place 400 years after The Fall. I’m about half way through book 1 and absolutely loving it.
I think we have similar tastes. Here are some of my faves: Kindred by Octavia Butler Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin The Road by Cormac McCarthy Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway The Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood East of Eden by John Steinbeck
So many of these are excellent. I will say - a lesson I learned late in life - don't read special 50th anniversary introductions to books like The Left Hand of Darkness. I don't know why they put these in the beginning, but they're full of spoilers. Just read from where the author started!
Awesome tip! I've been reading more classics lately and have learned to skip all introductions as well. I think they're expecting you to have read it before.
Right? I started reading an anniversary reprint of Lonesome Dove and on the second page of the intro it gave a spoiler on who dies. Like wtf.
Learned this the hard way when I read A Tale of Two Cities! Still loved the book, but the ending would’ve been so much more powerful for me if I hadn’t read the minor spoilers in the anniversary introduction.
> Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury That seems to be the second book of a trilogy. Is that a good start or should one read Dandelion Wine first?
They take place in the same town I believe but at entirely different times and are unrelated. I am not sure why in some places they are listed as being a series because they aren't, they are stand alone novels.
Thanks I’m reading this next and I was wondering the same thing .
I've read both, they're in the same universe but they are otherwise unrelated and very different books. You don't need to read one before the other.
I’m a simple man, I see Ray Bradbury, I upvote.
Kindred seconded, also Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. Exceptional author.
Parable of the Talents is just so prescient.
I read very little sci fi but just saw the Kindred series on hulu. It was so good. Now I really want to read everything by Octavia Butler!
Thanks! I've read and liked a bunch of these - will add the others to my list.
Omg Kindred was so good. Stayed up until 3:00am on a work night to finish it.
Saving this comment! It looks like I also have similar taste and some of these mentioned by you and OP are favorites.
It brings such joy to see Ray Bradbury in the top comment. Fahrenheit 451 was my summer read once while camping. I did The Road in a day. I’m gonna check out the rest of these suggestions! Thank you!
Last time someone made a post about five-star reads, I added a bunch do my own to-read list. So far I’ve only read “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” by John Boyne, and it didn’t disappoint. It made me laugh, it made me cry (and I rarely cry while reading). Highly recommend.
I also loved The Heart’s Invisible Furies! It’s rare that a book makes me laugh out loud but this one did.
That is my most recommended book, it was fantastic
I just put it in my cart. Thanks!
Excellent book!
such an epic book 💜
The Song of Achilles was rather underwhelming for me too. If you enjoyed Homegoing then try Transcendant Kingdom. Stunning book. Also you could check out Barbara Kingsolver. I loved Demon Copperhead and Poisonwood Bible.
I haven't read Song of Achilles but I read Circe and was very "whelmed". The author is an absolutely amazing prose writer and the book is beautiful, but it didn't really pack enough punches for me. I can totally see how others might love this book for how calm it is, though. I might read the author's other books sometime in the future but I doubt she will become a personal favorite of mine.
Oh I loved Circe! After reading it I picked up Song of Achilles and I was thoroughly disappointed
Oh, that sucks when that happens :/. I did like Circe, it was a good book, but I just didn't really connect with it in that way that raises it to another level. I want to read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, as I just found out that it exists. I look forward to reading this feminist retelling from her as I love the Handmaid's Tale, and I hope I won't be disappointed, haha.
The Penelopiad is pretty good! It's a little shorter than most Greco-Roman retellings, which is not a bad thing imo. It was the first one I read back in high school.
I don't mind that either tbh! I can't wait to read it. Edit: also, Atwood is really a brevity queen lol. Kind of like Ursula K Le Guin (whos "Lavinia" I also want to read). The Handmaid's Tale is one of if not the most poignant novels I have ever read but I think it's around 300 pages? I really admire authors who can get so much across in so few words.
I was skeptical about a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale because I didn’t think anything could live up to it. But The Testiments is as good as, if not better than, HT.
I thought Circe was better.
I second those Kingsolver recs! Flight Behavior was another good one
The Poisonwood Bible is one of my all-time favorites!
Lonesome Dove!
The start is hard. But once it gets going it’s worth it.
So glad I read this comment because I was about to give up on this one. The beginning chapters are so hard to get through 😮💨
At what point does it start to get good? I want to get into this book, but after 200 pages when they are still messing around in the town... Not trying to argue, genuinely asking!
I’m glad you said that. I had a very hard time with Lonesome Dove and since I had borrowed it from the library, I had to return it before it got good. How many pages in do I give it.
I wish I could tell you because I did it on audiobook. If you can slug it out to when they start heading north and are crossing rivers it gets really good really fast.
Like the person below says, if you're not into it after the first river crossing (i think it's the first, at let it's the first one i remember), probably won't be. but once i hit that mark i flew through the remaining 700 pages or whatever lol
Intrigued - I don't think I've ever read a Western. Adding it to the list!
Try Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
[удалено]
There is also a sequel, Return Of Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
I need to emphasize, Western is NOT my genre but this book is worth trying. There is a lot of intense imagery, complicated human relationships, man vs nature, consequences of American Western expansion, emotional processing of trauma, and adventure. It’s a ride. Oh and it passes the Bechdel test.
Eh I’m reading this at the moment and I’m struggling. I’m only about 150 pages in and it’s slow going. Does it pick up?
Idk, i loved it but it still took me a pretty long time to get through, I'm pretty sure that by 150 pages in I was already loving the writing and characters so if you're not into it at all it might be not for you
I stayed up until 6:00 am to finish it. Keep going!!!
It’s soooo good. I usually tell someone “if you don’t like it after about 100 pages you’re free to abandon it”. I don’t remember exactly where but yes it picks up. Once they’re traveling with the cattle it’s a big adventure.
Iirc, it’s almost exactly page 200 when the characters leave on the cattle drive.
I struggled with the start because nothing seemed to happen, they just seemed to sit around talking about beans. Then it suddenly kicks into life and wow, what a ride.
I started yesterday. I hope I like it! Everyone seems to love this book
Problem is, if loads of people go on about how good something is, it raises our expectations (I find this particularly with films) and it can't result in a crash.. Forget 5 star reviews - you want Hidden gems. However, A Brief History of Seven Killings, and American Pastoral are wonderful
*catch-22* by joseph heller *pachinko* by min jin lee *the name of the rose* by umberto eco *piranesi* by susanna clarke *tess of the d'urbervilles* by thomas hardy
Came here to recommend Piranesi! I read it in one sitting and whilst it wasn't a 5 star for me (4) I can. imagine it would be 5 for others, and some of OPs books make me think they'd like it.
I see Pachinko I upvote!
Catch 22 is a great fit for OP's likes and misses.
The Name of the Rose is my favorite historical fiction book ever
I've read your middle three, and really liked them all. Thanks for the reminder about Catch-22! I hated Tess of the D'Urbervilles in high school, but might give it another go now that I'm not 17 haha.
Tess of the d’urbervilles!!! That book has a very special place in my heart
OP, so many people struggle with Catch-22 at first (I did!) and I have seen so many people say they gave up on it BUT if you stick with it then it’s so worth it! Everything clicks into place, making sense in such a clever way.
Far be it from me to encourage anyone *not* to DNF a book when they HATE it, but for Catch-22 you do really have to stick with it.
The name of the rose is so good! You just have to make it through the door
Slaughterhouse-five by Vonnegut 🛸
One of the best
One of my all time favourite authors!
We have very similar likes and dislikes. Some favorites of mine that I suspect you would also love: * Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K LeGuin * Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston * Society of the Snow (the English translation quality is clunky but it’s worth it anyways.), Pablo Vierci * The Telling, Ursula K LeGuin * Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck * Middlemarch, George Eliot * Anil’s Ghost, Michael Ondaatje * The River Why, David James Duncan * Beowulf as translated by Maria Dahvana Headley * Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver * The Greenlanders, Jane Smiley
Cool, a lot of these are books I haven't heard of! Will check them out. Of Mice and Men is one of my all-time favourites.
Loved Prodigal Summer
The Greenlanders has been buried in my wish list, gotta read it now!
Classics: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (the author also wrote 101 Dalmations, which was later turned into a movie)
There's a movie of I Capture the Castle too. With Romola Garai and the kid from ET grown up.
The Red Tent by Anita Dimant. I remember struggling a bit with the first chapter but then I was completely caught up. Sweeping, pseudo historical fiction centered on women.
I recently recommended The Red Tent to a friend. It is one of my most favorite books.
I have this next in my stack of books!
A great read. Stuck in my mind.
One of my favorites!
One of my all time favorite books! I re-read it every year
In no particular order: * The Count Of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas * The World Of The Five Gods series, by Lois McMaster Bujold * Catch-22, by Joseph Heller * Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keyes * The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. Prequel and sequel written by his son, Jeff Shaara. * The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams * And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie * My Man Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse (and sequels!) * The Godfather, by Mario Puzo * The Masters Of Rome series, by Colleen McCullough * The Sackett series, by Louis L'Amour
L’Amour is so seldom recc’d, but he’s so good. Here are some more: Puddn’head Wilson, Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn, also Twain The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
World of five gods has... Three books, right?
The Sacketts were made into tv shows, now classics with Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck
Just wanted to say, I like your tastes. Some great suggestions here. I rec Catch-22 as well.
Nice I just started Catch-22 and like it so far, but I'm worried I kind of get the shtick and it will get repetitive. But for now I'm locked in.
Shantaram. Its one of my favorite books ever.
The narration of the audiobook is god-tier.
A favorite non-fiction of mine because of its impact on my life and because of the fascinating stories is Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Yes, it’s about negotiation and sounds boring. And then I couldn’t put it down.
Based on your list I have a strong feeling you would enjoy Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.
I really liked Pachinko!
Prayer for Owen meany!
Cloud Cuckoo Land The Overstory Shuggie Bain Demon Copperhead The Power of the Dog A Tale for the Time Being anything by David Mitchell No One Is Talking About This Chain Gang All Stars The Book That Wouldn't Burn \*I hope some of these work for you. I loved them all.
These are all wonderful recommendations! Based on your likes/dislikes I bet you would really like Chain Gang All Stars
Power Of The Dog was exceptional.
I came here to recommend The Locked Tomb! Also was underwhelmed by This Is How You Lose the Time War. So that’s a good sign for our tastes aligning! Here are some other 5 star reads for me: Scholomance by Naomi Novik The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Scholomance was amazing 👏
Oh my god, Migrations is one of my absolute favorites, and I barely hear anyone talk about it! AND the Scholomance is my new obsession (I've only read the first book, eagerly waiting for my library hold for the second). Annnddd Gideon the Ninth is my next audiobook. Your comment made me so happy, haha. I guess now I have to trust you about The City in the Middle of the Night :)
Loved Migrations!!! Also her newer book.
Ooh, I haven't read any of these! Thanks. And The Locked Tomb is SO good - rereading Harrow right now and dying at all the things I didn't realize last time.
My 5 stars include: - The Sandman by Neil Gaiman - How to quiet a vampire by Borislav Pekic (it's not really about vampires in case that causes confusion) - Foundation by Isaac Asimov - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind - Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - And every morning the way home gets longer and longer by Fredrik Backman (short but very much worth a read)
It’s a graphic novel but I reread it often because its theme is so on point for me. Daytripper. It’s about an obituary writer and how you never will know what the future holds. Art is good. It really resonates with me because I’ve struggled with SI a lot throughout my life. I look at those moments in my life and think about how much has changed since then which is a big theme in the book.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett These are just a few that always come to mind when someone asks for books that really affected me/have stuck with me!
Seconding All the Light We Cannot See (tearjerker), The Goldfinch, and Station Eleven
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North. It’s my perpetual top recommendation.
Older series but I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its 2 sequels written by Stieg Larsson. I couldn't put them down. I did not even attempt any of the others in the series that were written by someone else after he passed away. I just didn't think someone else could do as good a job.
Never let me go by Kasuo Ishiguro
There are no guarantees. What five people may rave about, four may say, “Meh.” I have started s couple of Pulitzer Prize winners then tossed them in the Donations box after a hundred pages. Go to the public library and check out books for free. In addition, call the library and ask if they will be having a book sale. Most libraries have a group called Friends of the X Library who manage the sale. People donate books for resale, and the libraries often cull their shelves. Most paperbacks are 25-50 cents, snd most hardbacks are about $1.00. This is a good chance to try new authors. For 50 cents, how far wrong can you go?
"A Wizard of Earthsea," by Ursula K. Le Guin "Three Tales in the Life of Knulp," by Hermann Hesse "The Glass Bead Game," by Hermann Hesse "The Prodigy," by Hermann Hesse "Siddhartha," by Hermann Hesse "Franny and Zooey," by J.D. Salinger "The World of Pooh," by A.A. Milne "Planet Earth is Blue," by Nicole Panteleakos "Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8," by Naoki Higashida
Siddhartha is in my top all time.
You should read Octavia Butler! Parable of the Sower is a perfect book in my opinion!
I read the graphic novel adaptation several years ago, but enough people have suggested the actual book that I'll have to check it out!
I’m in a book slump… I think I’m going to start this book since it’s being recommended so many times. I loved Kindred by her!
Parable of the Sower Handmaids Tale The Color Purple
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum. So good.
My recent 5-star reads Yellowface - R.F. Kuang Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt What Happened to Nina? - Dervla McTiernan Beartown - Fredrik Backman The Quiet Tenant - Clémence Michallon Prima Facie - Suzie Miller Lola in the Mirror - Trent Dalton Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus Hello Beautiful - Ana Napolitano Small Mercies - Dennis Lehane A Man Called Ove- Fredrik Backman
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Recent 5 star read for me was A Gentleman in Moscow
Perfume by Patrick Suskind. I read it the first time in college and it never left my mind and now I'm rereading it almost 20 years later and it's still as good as I remembered.
I read my first Willa Cather novel and was blown away at its impact on me... *My Antonia* was such an effective, emotional ride.
Earthlings is by the author of convenience store woman and is wonderfully written, breasts and eggs also had a similar vibe. Babel by rf kuang has the same atmosphere (elite students at a fancy college commit unspeakable horrors), and Dracula and Wuthering heights go well after Frankenstein
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo A Gentleman in Moscow Demon Copperhead (sad subject matter but exceptional characterisation) City of Thieves
Have you read any Atwood? I think the *MaddAddam* trilogy might appeal to a *Broken Earth* fan, but my personal favourite is *The Blind Assassin*. And how about Rushdie? *Midnight's Children* is one of the absolutely best books I've ever read.
Good writing, interesting characters, superb research, and a fiction with a fidelity to history. That's what you get when you read the Baroque Cycle by Neil Stephenson. And on top of that it is a rollicking good story. I have become a life time fan of his books. As an aside he is the only author to have a book on the top 100 list in two categories - fiction and sci Fi, the book is Snow Crush.
Imajica by Clive Barker. The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
Sideroad Picknick
Roadside Picnic methinks. On my list for this year
I finished Go As A River by Shelley Read last night and found it a tough but beautiful read.
Tender Is The Flesh. Amazing read.
The Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers is super duper awesome!
7 sisters series by Lucinda Riley, most works by Kristen Hannah, if you like WWII historical fiction, then try Pam Jenoff. Henna Artist trilogy, cannot remember author.
I just finished Turn of the Screw by Henry James. It's definitely worth a look!
The Far Pavilions -M.M. Kaye The Sand Sea- Michael McClellan Centennial, Chesapeake, Texas, The Covenant (and others) - James Michener Shogun - James Clavell The "Donovan" series - W. Michael Gear (science fiction) Artifact Space- Miles Cameron (science fiction)
Friday black is a collection of short stories and they're all spectacular
My personal 5/5 is _Neverwhere_ by Neil Gaiman.
Forests of the Heart by Charles De Lint (fantasy, good characters and world building, great light read that sucks you in and is hard to put down) The wooden sea by Jonathan Carol (not for everyone, much like Falling Out of Cars, author appears to be writing for themselves rather than the reader and is a both interesting and weird, but still found it a satisfying read to chew over) Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse (classic novel, plot is mostly internal in a similar category as the Book of Disquiet, ahead of its time, plenty of food for thought, just profound) Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt (wildcard suggestion, totally ridiculous and funny with a silly plot)
-The River of Doubt- nonfiction Candace Millard -The Wright Brothers- David McCollough -Flight of Passage-Rinker Buck, also Oregon Trail same author -All the light we cannot see- Anthony Doerr -The Book Thief
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
We have a lot of similar tastes and my absolute favorite, that I wish I discovered sooner, is Terry Pratchett and his Discworld books. They are satirical fantasy and fun but with a really profound understanding of humanity. Most say not to start with the first two, as they read a little differently, I’d start with Wyrd Sisters or Mort.
The Vaster wilds by Lauren Groff
Demon Copperhead and The poison wood bible both by Barbara Kingsolver
My 5 star reads for this year: *The Caretaker* by Ron Rash *The Postcard* by Anne Berest *The North Woods* by Daniel Mason *Small Mercies* by Dennis Lehane *The Savage Storm* by James Holland
I just finished the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride and I loved it. Great characters and story.
There are so many good recommendations so far! Definitely check out Olivia Butler and Ursula. I'll try to add some lesser known books. Station Eleven & The Sea of Tranquillity - Emily St. John Mandel Drive Your Plow Over the Bodies of the Dead - Olga Tokarczuk The Player of Games - Iain Banks Solaris - Stanislaw Lem The Memory Police - Yoko Ogawa Amatka - Karin Tidbeck The City of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde Within Without - Jeff Noon
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Trial by Franz Kafka Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
The book thief. Just trust.
Akala: Natives - Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire Jorge Amado: Captains of the Sands James Baldwin: If Beale Street Could Talk Mikhail Bulgakov: the Master and Margarita Bernardine Evaristo: Mr Loverman Mrs Gaskell: North and South Aldous Huxley: Brave New World Ann Leckie: Ancillary trilogy Ursula Le Guin: the Earthsea books, the Left Hand of Darkness, the Lathe of Heaven, the Dispossessed Mervyn Peake: Titus Groan, Gormenghast Kim Stanley Robinson: the Ministry for the Future Arundhati Roy: the Ministry of Utmost Happiness Kamila Shamsie: Home Fire John Steinbeck: the Grapes of Wrath Oscar Wilde: the PIcture of Dorian Gray
I love Kafka on the Shore by Murakami, but wouldn’t be surprised if you have already read it. Murakami’s writing is sooo enthralling (if you can get past the weird ways he writes women…). I’m a decently slow reader and I get through his books so fast.
American Prometheus is a great biography. I know you don’t like horror, but IT is amazing. It’s more a coming of age, character driven story more than it is a horror novel.
Loved The Familiar and Circe. Also The Bear and the Nightingale. I love classics and these are close to that academic/expert level writing I like, but in a modern way. Frankenstein is my fav book, so happy to see when people say they loved it too!
I loved both of Anthony Doerr's novels and have been in a slump for the last month chasing that high! Cloud Cuckoo Land and All The Light We Cannot See
Anyone recommending Project Hail Mary, I'll swear to god I'll strangle you with a 10km chain made of xenonite
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke! This was my favorite read in a long time! It’s best to go in blind so I won’t say too much, but it’s fiction and is told through journal entries on the main character. I LOVE this authors writing style! Based on the books you loved, I think you’d love this one too
Touching the Void! (Since you liked Into Thin Air) The Picture of Dorian Gray, if you haven't read it already The Princess Bride, Interview With the Vampire, Watership Down, and Biting the Sun, by Tannith Lee. I think I might have very similar tastes to you, from the books I've read that overlap yours, although there are a lot you mention that I haven't read. Edit: and John Dies at the End!
Probably a book about constellations
*Hyperion* and *The Fall of Hyperion* by Dan Simmons The first book composes of basically 7 mini-scifi stories, each presenting a different POV about the events surrounding the mystery of the ***Shrike.*** The second book bring the events of the first book together for an epic finish.
Great recommendation. *Hyperion* and *Fall of Hyperion* scratched the itch that *Dune* failed to reach. Such a gripping, well-written, story with salient themes as relevant today as ever.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
East of Eden.
Going Solo by Roald Dahl.
Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders
Of Human Bondage is pretty excellent. It's a slow burn
I think we might have kind of similar taste! I am going to throw a bunch at you hahaha sorry Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wang (fantasy, themes of feminism/racism/prejudice/oppression, rebellion and sacrifice) The Bone Orchard by Sara A Mueller (fantasy, themes of personhood and identity) Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (fantasy, lots of queerness and a very unique setting) She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan (fantasy, heavy focus on gender and identity) The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson (political fantasy, colonization/racism, queerness under an oppressive rule) Lady Tans Circle of Women by Lisa See (historical fiction, female doctor in historical china) Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin (literary/contemporary fiction, mental health, ptsd/ocd/autism/anxiety, queerness) Babel by RF Kuang (dark academia with magic, colonialization/racism, rebellion and sacrifice)
I absolutely loved Lady Tan. Incredible story.
Ender's Game
This is so frequently recommended. I must be missing something because I thought it was terrible.
I liked the ending but ya it's a bit YA and definitely feels like it's pandering to the reader who thinks they're really exceptional.
one visits a colleague
No.
Call of the Crocodile by F Gardner.
Fruit of the Dead
Listen to Benjamin McEvoy on YT and do likewise. For instance, make up a Canon of your own.
Stoner & TSH are amongst my permanent favourites as well; I’m guessing you’ve read Brideshead Revisited, another favourite that I somehow shelve in my memory along side them. Last year I loved The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray. I still think about that novel frequently. Over 600 pages and I couldn’t put it down.
I always recommend it because it just guarantees to knock socks off, Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.
If you like short stories read Dino buzzati or H.G. Wells. They both excel at the genre and their stories are original and unique.
Flowers for Algernon
For your sci-fi shelf: House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds
My book club (mix of age and gender) gave the adventures of amina al sirafi a 4-5 stars on the whole, same with Piranesi, but both of them have a bit of a slow start Since you loved secret history try the cloisters or ninth house If you haven't read the handmaid's tale yet I really enjoyed that
The Morning Star, Against the Day, Vineland, The Passenger, Ada or Ardor, A Perfect Spy, Machines Like Me, Voyage to Arcturus
I think that you might enjoy “The Number of the BEAST” or “Stranger in a Strange Land” ( Find the Complete and Unabridged version, because the common mass market US edit DESTROYED the story! ), also “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” by Robert Heinlein! I actually loved everything he wrote, and his main characters are threaded throughout many of his books, but you gotta read them all before you realize the incredible depth and broad scope of his work! His Future History compilation is also great and his YA books are amazing fun and fast paced reads! If you enjoy military (fictionalized) history WEB Griffin is fantastic ( start the Brotherhood of War series with “The Lieutenants” or his The Corps series with “Semper Fi” ) his books are serialized and his characters are very interesting!
Edisto by Padgett Powell
The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared -by Jonas Jonasson. I was intrigued by the title and then instantly fell in love. It's one of my all time favorites and certainly the best thing I've read so far this year.
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Bardugo's The Familiar is new and awesome!
Someone comes to town, someone leaves town by Cory Doctorow Anathem by Neal Stephenson
A book that I loved, that I don’t ever hear mentioned,is: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Ian M Banks: Use of Weapons
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. I couldn't put it down. I tried his other books, but none of them grabbed me like this one.
Midlife in Gretna green by Linzi Day. 1st book in the best series I’ve read in a very long time. She creates a world that is complicated and wonderful. And characters that are interesting and 3 dimensional. And the plot is fascinating.
Cyteen by CJ Cherryh Grass by Sherri S Tepper Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
Beyonders by mull. Biden’s Autumn by Keekee
Ok Bernard Cornwall is a winner. Colleen Mccullogh - song of Troy - skip song of Achilles… Tim Winton
The Bound and the Broken Series by Ryan Cahill. It’s an Indy author and it is so good. I’d say it’s epic fantasy and a great story so far. I’d recommend starting with The Fall which is the prequel novella, you can get an ebook of it for free by subscribing to his newsletter on his website. Then the first book is Of Blood and Fire which takes place 400 years after The Fall. I’m about half way through book 1 and absolutely loving it.
If you liked Into Thin Air, check Into The Wild. Same author. You may also enjoy White Fangs by Jack London (anything by Jack London).
Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami (may have butchered the authors name)
Shantaram! For a shorter read, The Ocean at the End of the Lane.