Reddit mentions: The best british & irish literature

Sure, I generally listen to fantasy style books so it might not be to everyone's taste. If so try /r/fantasy for some great threads of lists of audio books if your interested.

I listen to Terry Pratchett books (plenty of info on where to start with these on the web but I always recommend the guards books ) when I'm walking or jogging because when I start laughing it doesn't mess me up as much. Sometimes Ill slip in an "Iron Druid Chronicles" book by Kevin Hearne these are still light enough to let you enjoy your surroundings and are great for outdoors stuff because there is lots of nature waffle :D

for running I try to stick with something that draws me in like the Dresden files by Jim Butcher. or anything by Brandon Sanderson his stuff tends to jump character perspectives from one chapter to another so you find you run through a chapter to get back to find out what happens. Well I do anyway.

I listen to a large spectrum of stuff really but my core library is Fantasy so here is a list I prepared for a friend earlier in the year Hope it helps:

Books List

• Literally anything by “Guy Gavriel Kay”
  but mainly “Under Heaven”(Asian theme beautiful book), “River of stars” (semi sequel like a thousand years later) “The Lions of Al Rasan”. Most of his books are connected and there is this thing called the “Fionavar Tapestry” that connects them. His books can also be considered stand alone.
  
  
• Under Heaven
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Heaven-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007342101/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678636&sr=1-1&keywords=under+heaven+guy+gavriel+kay
  
  
• River of Stars
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Stars-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007521936/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
  
  
• The Lions of Al-Rassan
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lions-Al-Rassan-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007342063/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678693&sr=1-5&keywords=guy+gavriel+kay
  
  
• Tigana
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tigana-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/dp/0007342047/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678693&sr=1-4&keywords=guy+gavriel+kay
  
  
• Promise of blood
  Best use of gunpowder and magic I’ve ever seen it works really well kinda like a “Mistborn” magic system. (If you haven't read mistborn you might want to its another Brandon Sanderson series) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Promise-Blood-Book-Powder-trilogy/dp/0356502007/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677263&sr=8-3&keywords=powder+mage
  
  
• Mistborn
  Really cool Magic system that revolves around swallowing Metals and “burning” them for access to their powers.
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Final-Empire-Mistborn-Book-One/dp/0575089911/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677588&sr=8-1&keywords=mistborn
  
  
• Bloodsong
  Classic young lad raised by crazy monk types turns into renegade general / gladiator type trope but with an interesting magic system that guides him.
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Song-Book-Ravens-Shadow/dp/0356502481/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677442&sr=8-1&keywords=bloodsong
  
  
• Rivers of London books
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rivers-London-1-Ben-Aaronovitch/dp/0575097582/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677738&sr=8-1&keywords=rivers+of+london
  Metropolitan police have a secret devision that deels with spooky stuff that stems from the time of Isaac Newton. Has some interesting inner city London stuff with Newtonian magic and river gods and avatars of stuff.
  
  
• The Painted Man (The Demon Cycle, Book 1) [Also called “The warded man”]
  Humans are a primitive people living in small isolated towns and require wards painted on their houses to keep them safe from demons that rampage each night. This young lad is then forced to survive in the wild one night and decides he would rather fight than cower in fear. HE then seeks out a fabled tribe of demon fighting warriors and wants to join up with em etc. Pretty good a little dark at times.
  
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Painted-Man-Demon-Cycle-Book/dp/0007492545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421677832&sr=8-1&keywords=warded+man
  
  
• The Dresden Files
  Slow building but a great series that everyone ends up recommending. Dresden is a modern day Wizard / Private Investigator. Carries a revolver and a staff etc battles the dark forces of the world and starts a few wars with spooky gangs as you do.
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0356500276/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678098&sr=1-1&keywords=dresden+files
  
  
• Iron druid chronicles
  Bit of a guilty pleasure this one I love ancient mythology and modern day wise assery so this hits the perfect combo of no higher brain function required tuning out on the bus good natured talking dog companion nonsense. plus there are like 9 of em
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hounded-Druid-Chronicles-Kevin-Hearne/dp/0356501191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421678198&sr=1-1&keywords=iron+druid+book+1
  
  
  
  

• The first book (I believe) to be written using some Scottish dialect was Sunset Song and is considered to be a classic. I read it when I was younger and thought it was OK. I probably should give it another go though.
  
  
• A book I loved was How Late It Was How Late which captures the internal dialogue of a Glaswegian through his various trials and tribulations. It (controversially) won the Man Booker prize in 1994.
  
  
• I also loved The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson. I can't remember if it is written in Scots, but I'm fairly sure it is. I think James Robertson is a great author and I've never read a duff book of his yet. I loved And the Land Lay Still. The Fanatic was really interesting and I'm currently reading Joseph Knight.
  
  
• Swing Hammer Swing! was pretty enjoyable.
  
  
• Budda Da was pretty good, worth a read.
  
  Good luck in finding something else you enjoy reading!
  

If you like fantasy things, but enjoy new and unusual twists and turns then the Dragaera books by Steven Brust.

If you like (fantasy) comedy with some interesting parallels to our world then you'll love the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. Similar to that there is a nice series of books by Tom Holt based upon the idea of "real world" + "magic" but in a very comedy-friendly way - particularly in the series of books that starts with The Portable Door.

Finally... I loved Dune, and the sequels, but not the prequels.

It's not my area of study, but I really loved The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, I found it really engaging. Then I started doing a little reading into the Sakoku period, inspired by In Our Time's recent radio programme on it and it was fascinating to find out how historically accurate the book really was. I would highly recommend!

Like I said, I haven't gone too deep into it so maybe a Japanese historian will come along and tell me I'm wrong...

The Best of Roald Dahl - a great collection of short stories.

The Portable Door by Tom Holt - funny & a good story.

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich - fast-paced, entertaining non-fiction.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby - better than the movie. Easy read, funny.

How about Inferno by Dan Brown?

Ha ha ha! Just kidding. How about some urban fantasy? It's all the rage in the finer boutiques. I would recommend Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. It has a Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe, with a genuine three-dimensional kick-ass heroine, lots of magic, plenty of evil monsters to dispatch, and a will-they or won't-they plot thread with a handsome [Spoiler.]

There's also The Rook, a fantastic book which I don't think got enough love when it was released and also featuring a great heroine. This has a better plot than most.

Rivers of London is the start of another great series set in modern London. It's about a young copper who discovers that ghosts, vampires and what-nots are real. Exciting and told in the first person with an intelligent, dry-witted voice.

And finally, if you've never read American Gods, well, then you've just been depriving yourself.

I know these recommendations aren't exactly what you've been looking for, but I think these are all great books set in the modern world. Just with some extra magic.

I have yet to read And Another Thing..., but I have heard that it is both good and different. I would say get more opinions on it before reading Mostly Harmless. Moreover, if you do decide to go on with the series and want something that looks good on your shelf, I would recommend The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide. It is the first five and some short stories, which are also good. Moreover, it is a very nice looking book. Then have And Another Thing... as a separate book beside it, as it should be being from a different author.

If I remember after I get around to reading And Another Thing..., I'll come back and update this.

I read a bunch of Tom Holt's books, they were pretty light and funny, they each (at least the ones I read) had an interesting twist on standard fantasy fare. Neil Gaiman's books also has some pretty awesome (if sometimes twisted) humor in it. I also suggest trying an Anthology (like this one) to scope out some authors and see if you like their writing style.

dude, don't even talk to me about dropping much more on liquids than you should. You should read my review series... i've got so fuckin many bottles. here's the link to the latest one, links to the others at the top of the page. I've got 36 bottles from Gremlin to review and about 18 from rasta vapors that just came in. Prolly do AiV, greenmanjuice and a few others as soon as I can get through what I have left.

Best gift I ever got anyone in my life, i got it for one of my best friends: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Hitchhikers-Guide-Complete/dp/0517226952/ref=pd_sim_b_1

leatherbound with a silk page holder. I don't really like tobacco flavors, but I trust the chef and I love HHGTTG, so I ordered beeblebrox, slartibartfast and deep thought samples. I'll be writing a review of them shortly, along with all the other flavors I didn't try from the chef last time.

Good gravy, please read this ASAP. The Hitchhikers series is phenomenal. I have read the entire series multiple times, and it's great every time. Funny, insanely smart, sarcastic, just great. Douglas Adams was an incredibly smart guy (regularly lectured on technology, etc) and it really comes through in the books.

Seriously. Get this now. I have this bad boy and it's one of my most prized possessions.

Ok, so your response was a little confusing, but after a bit of homework, it's become more clear: Danusia is the translator for my copy as well, and that's fine - I'm only a few pages in, it may very well get better later on. She was responsible for TLW and Blood of Elves. But apparently after the first two, she stepped down and Mr. French took her place for Time of Contempt and Baptism of Fire, along with presumably any future translations.

It sounds like you've been enjoying the full series quite a bit, regardless of translator. What is your opinion of French's work, and does it detract at all compared to Stok?

There are three recent good translations from Mexican authors and the books are great, considering you liked Aira, Cortázar and Bolaño.

The story of my teeth (Valeria Luiselli)
Signs preceding the end of the world (yuri herrera)
and I'll sell you a dog

enjoy!

Could you please recommend three of the type from India?

There's a book series I read, the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaranovich and the lead character, DC Grant, is a black copper. (Also, slightly a wizard).

And there's a thing that happens in them, which is that often when Grant meets someone he'll say if they're white or not. So I'll be reading merrily along and run into a line like

> She was a white, middle-aged woman who looked like she was already losing her patience

And for a while that was really jarring.

I'd literally stop reading to think "Why the fuck would you bother to mention that she's white?"

...And after a while, I realised that Grant mentions that she's white because he's a black guy. It makes sense he'd notice that sort of thing, when I personally wouldn't bother to describe a white woman as white - I tend to see people as white by default to the extent I'd forgotten that DC Grant was a black character with a different worldview to mine. That was a pretty valuable discovery for me, if I'm honest, because at least now I know I'm prone to think like that.

And I suspect that something similar might be happening when people listen to the descriptions of inclusive characters in TAZ.

It's very easy (assuming that you're more or less straight, white and cisgendered) to kind of forget that some people aren't the same as you. Not in a malicious way (or at least not necessarily in a malicious way), but if you happen to inhabit the same cultural space as most portrayals of "what people are like", being reminded that a character is outside those parameters can feel jarring.

It's a good jarring, if you ask me - it makes as much sense to say "But why is Merle a dwarf though?" as it is to complain that so-and-so isn't cisgendered, but people are conditioned to expect dwarves in the context of a fantasy narrative, and they're not (so) conditioned to expect LGBTQ or ethnic variations to be represented in a fantasy narrative or in the media generally.

Honestly the way the McElroys do it, as an aspect of a character rather than the central focus, is probably the best way to fix that lack of representation. I don't think people find it jarring out of malice, just because they're not used to it - but having that representation is how people get used to it. And for those demographics that are traditionally underrepresented, getting to that point is huge.

I took a gay lit class in undergrad, and our reading list was pretty fantastic.
Some of the books I remember are:



Stone Butch Blues- semiautobiographical novel about a butch lesbian- read this one with kleenex around

Tipping the Velvet- lesbian fiction set in Victorian England

At Swim Two Boys- gay fiction set in Ireland

Angels in America- Tony/Pulitzer winning play that was made into a HBO series

Zami- Lesbian "biomythography"


Latin Moon in Manhattan- queer diaspora in NYC

Faggots- I had a hard time getting through this one, but my prof really recommended it



I put the books in the order I would recommend them by- SBB was definitely my favorite out of the class, although it was deeply disturbing and difficult to get through at times. Hope this helps!

Not all within the last five years but,

Await Your Reply. Best if you don't read anything about it before you start.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

A Suitable Boy

The Ghost Writer

Little Hands Clapping was pretty good and kind of messed up. It's pretty short too.

Horns by Joe Hill was also good.

But the two I'd really recommend are The little girl who was too fond of matches

And End of Alice by A.M Homes which is one of my favourite books of all time.

There is a book somewhat that effect, "Scepticism, Inc," about a man who has people bet that their faith is the One True Faith and gets insanely rich in the process. It was a good read in High School, not sure if it holds up with age, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Scepticism-Inc-Bo-Fowler/dp/B000HWYT6C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292219191&sr=1-1

I finished this book this week and I'm going to recommend it:

https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Away-World-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307389073

>"Reading The Gone-Away World is a bit like spending a week with a hyperactive puppy: there are delightful moments aplenty, but it's slightly wearing over the long run. Still, any author who has come up with the beautifully silly plan of melding a kung-fu epic with an Iraq-war satire and a Mad Max adventure has to be worth keeping an eye on."

It's very much "The Zone", it involves a superweapon that can erase information from energy and matter. The government deploys it without realizing that it creates fallout in the form of "stuff" energy and matter that reforms based on the contents of the minds it comes into contact with.

So for example, a army unit gets ambushed by the idea of an ambush, bullets flying out of nowhere, everything seeming too cinematic because the hallucination is based on their perception of war rather than the reality. But still deadly.

So the whole world gets eaten by "stuff" and there's one big company left producing "anti-stuff" and the world cowers beneath its skirts. It gets political but I don't want to spoilers.

Really can't say enough about how it was written, either. The first third was slower and didn't hook me as much as the rest of it, but once I got out of that section I couldn't put it down. I'm picking up another novel by him to add to my list because I so thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Maybe I should just start doing fiction review posts, instead of finding places to hide these

Highly recommend this collection.

The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories https://www.amazon.in/dp/014011615X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_EqxQAb9K3BX86

I love 'The Night Train at Deoli'. It's so down to earth! And it pulled just the correct strings of my teenage heart.

The book I am pulling these excerpts out of is "The Gone Away World" by Nick Harkaway.

It is the funniest, saddest, most entertaining, mind-warping tale of brotherhood, coming of age, romance, war, ninjas, and survival I have ever read. It has painted my ideals of politics, ethics, morality, philosophy, and writing that I still strive to come ever closer to each day.

Please dive into this book with nothing else (I've only spoiled some of the funnier quotes, thankfully not the plot nor any of the other insanely comical characters). I promise you, it will blow you away.

The Gone Away World is super fun, and a great big trip. Plus, the action scenes are mind blowing.

Blind Faith by Ben Elton.. It's so witty and clever, I love the concept too :D Here it is on amazon :)

those are awesome. They come in paperback and hardcover too, but I love the leather bound ones because they look almost like bibles.

Jasper FForde's The Big Over Easy is pretty light, but funny. I'd also reccomend The Automatic Detective. Neither of these are particularly deep, but they're fun stories, imho.

Not what you're thinking I think, but I'm reading Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch right now. Really fun and the detail about London is fantastic. Nothing new but he paints a vivid picture.

I stumbled on Academy X and it looks baller. I'd also be down to read Point Omega by the incredible Don Delillo or Wool. I'm in the middle of Wool, and it's just a really excellently written and pretty straightforward dystopian novel.

Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse is a good read. Not as laugh out loud as some of the others mentioned, but the setting and characters make it enjoyable.

Also, The Big Over Easy and The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde. If you like Christopher Moore, either one is worth checking out.

Well, I don't know about wrap up covers, but the UK version of the books are pretty decent. You can find them on Amazon as well: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Wish-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0575082445

Well in that case you definitely need to read the Discworld series, has a lot of the same sort of humour. I'd reccomend starting with Guards! Guards!, it's the first book in the City Watch arc. Here's a guide to how to read the Discworld books, it's a bit chaotic I know but it's well worth it.

Whilst it's a lot less comedy I'd also reccomend the Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch.

What did that picture have to do with your question?

But, to answer your question (if I didn't already have a fully packed bag), if I had a minute or two before I had to flee I'd grab my backpack and pack it with (and my answer will not include things already packed in my BOB, just regular normal stuff here in my apartment)...

Peanut butter

Tuna fish

Can opener

Tylenol

Caffeine pills

Ephedrine

Contact case, contact juice, all my extra contacts

the glasses they issued me in boot camp

2 pairs of socks

2 pairs of underwear

1 pair of the pants they issued me in boot camp (mine are slightly different than the one in this link. No drawstring, they have the typical zipper and button like normal jeans and typical front pockets found on jeans)

my Dad's old Navy cold weather jacket he was issued in the 70's. (Very similar to this but without the hood. I'd secure it to my backpack with the straps on the bottom made for a tent or sleeping bag.)

Leather belt

the knife they issued me at my first duty station

the largest Nalgene-style water bottle I own, filled with water

Several bottles of water

Flashlight, extra batteries

Ear plugs

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide

Pocket magnetic chess set

I have a large and light weight hiking backpack, I've fit a cube shaped 36-pack of beer in it with room for more. And of course, I'd walk out the front door with my two melee weapons in hand: a homemade mace/baton and short sword.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. A light and bouncy entertaining urban fantasy that has a great first-person protagonist.

If anyone wants to start reading The Witcher novels I made a guide over on the "Featured Character" comment section that I'll repost here:

Short stories:

1. [The Last Wish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Wish_(book) - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   
2. Sword of Destiny - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   Novels:
   
   
3. Blood of Elves - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   
4. Time of Contempt - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   
5. [Baptism of Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptism_of_Fire_(novel) - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   
6. The Tower of the Swallow - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   
7. [The Lady of the Lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Lake_(novel) - Amazon US / Amazon UK
   
   Overall:
   
   
8. The Last Wish
   
   
9. Sword of Destiny
   
   
10. Blood of Elves
    
    
11. Time of Contempt
    
    
12. Baptism of Fire
    
    
13. The Tower of the Swallow
    
    
14. The Lady of the Lake
    
    The short stories are a must-read before the novels because they introduce many characters and plot points for the main saga. There is also a prequel story called Season of Storms which hasn't been officially translated into English yet, but there are fan translations if you can't wait. I haven't read it myself, but I hear that it is best read after the others. If you want to know more about The Witcher lore there is always The World of the Witcher^UK which will give you more backstory and details.

Other books we discussed were books that Redditors had recently read or were planning to read:

The Snow Child

Purple Hibiscus

For We Are Many and All These Worlds Volumes 2 and 3 of the Bobiverse (and it wasn't me who mentioned it, smartass).

October

Silver Sparrow

Hidden Figures

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

And Danger-Moose mentioned The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, and he had completed The Gone-Away World, which a lot of us were not able to do.

Jbcoll04 suggested Homegoing: A Novel by Yaa Gyasi a couple of posts ago, and I don't want to lose track of that, because both me and darr76 want to read that at some point.

So, be thinking about our next choice. I'm definitely going to read October, Homegoing, and I'll try Volume 2 of the Bobboverse.

The Portable Door by Tom Holt is great. British humor with a fantasy element. And goblins. Lots of goblins.

Give "The Last Wish" a go, if the first couple of short stories about the White Wolf don't grab you, so be it and have a good day sir :) but it might just make a reader of you yet ;)
Going for peanuts on Amazon

This is the best, in my opinion

The Deluxe Version is awesome

And the BBC Radio series is not too shabby either.

You're probably thinking of the UK versions, the only thing is that P&P might cost a bit.

Edit: All of the Witcher books, apart from lady of the lake and season of storms, are available with the better covers

Edit 2 (All books): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0575082445/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i7_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=VQ4X0QZWHXKCZ7D040C4&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=16f14aeb-bd11-4e9e-8c26-9ca0139074ee&pf_rd_i=desktop

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1473211549/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=M4XTC8VMRK55E0NP173A

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0575084847/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=M4XTC8VMRK55E0NP173A

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0575090944/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i5_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=VQ4X0QZWHXKCZ7D040C4&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=16f14aeb-bd11-4e9e-8c26-9ca0139074ee&pf_rd_i=desktop

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0575090979/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i4_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=VQ4X0QZWHXKCZ7D040C4&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=16f14aeb-bd11-4e9e-8c26-9ca0139074ee&pf_rd_i=desktop

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1473211565/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=M4XTC8VMRK55E0NP173A

Yes, ordered them from here on the 7th if you live in the UK. If you live somewhere else they might be different dimensions.



Sword of Destiny



Lady of the Lake


Blood of Elves


The Last Wish


Tower of Swallow


Baptism of Fire


Time of Contempt

back to the beginning

---

Current Selection#####

• Echopraxia by Peter Watts [Echopraxia]. Began September 3rd.
  
  
  ---
  

  Past Selections#####
  

  
  

  2014######
  

  
  

• The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke [Songs]. Began August 6th.
  
  
• 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson [2312]. Began July 7th.
  
  
• The Crystal World by J. G. Ballard [crystal]. Began June 4th.
  
  
• The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon [Lot49]. Began May 7th.
  
  
• The Lilith's Brood Trilogy by Octavia Butler [lilith]. Began April 7th.
  
  
• Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie [Justice]. Began March 6th.
  
  
• [Invisible Cities] (http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Cities-Italo-Calvino/dp/0156453800) by Italo Calvino [Invisible]. Began February 5th.
  
  
• Machine Man by Max Barry [Machine]. Began January 1st.
  
  

  2013######
  

  
  

• House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds [suns]. Began December 5th.
  
  
• Singularity Sky by Charles Stross [singularity]. Began November 4th.
  
  
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood [Oryx and Crake]. Began October 7th.
  
  
• The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway [gone-away]. Began September 3rd.
  
  
• The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin [dispossessed]. Began August 2nd.
  
  
• The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks [sonata]. Began July 3rd.
  
  
• Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark [rama]. Began June 3rd.
  
  
• Jack Glass by Adam Roberts [glass]. Began May 3rd.
  
  
• Of Men and Monsters by William Tenn [monsters]. Began April 3rd.
  
  
• Solaris by Stanisław Lem [solaris]. Began March 3rd.
  
  
• Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan [carbon]. Began February 1.
  
  
• The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson [diamond]. Began January 4th.
  
  

  2012######
  

  
  

• Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke [childhood]. Began December 1st.
  
  
• Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo (aka Unto Leviathan) [fools]. Began November 3rd.
  
  
• Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg [dying]. Began October 4th.
  
  
• China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh [china]. Began September 4th.
  
  
• Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges [labyrinths]. Began August 4th.
  
  
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury [martian]. Began July 2nd.
  
  
• The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle [mote]. Began June 1st.
  
  
• Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky [picnic]. Began May 2nd.
  
  
• The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester [Destination]. Began April 2nd.
  
  
• Diaspora by Greg Egan [diaspora]. Began March 5th.
  
  
• Stories by Ted Chiang [Chiang]. Began February 3rd.
  
  
• Grass by Sheri S. Tepper [grass]. Began January 2nd.
  
  

  2011######
  

  
  

• Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny [lord]. Began December 5th.
  
  
• Zones of Thought Trilogy by Vernor Vinge [zones], [fire], [deepness], [children]. Began October 28th.
  
  
• Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami [Wonderland]. Began October 3rd.
  
  
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline [rp1]. Began September 1st.
  
  
• Rule 34 by Charles Stross [Rule 34]. Began August 2nd.
  
  
• The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi [quantum]. Began July 1st.
  
  
• Embassytown by China Miéville [Embassytown]. Began June 1st.
  
  
• The Dervish House by Ian McDonald [dervish]. Began May 2nd.
  
  
• The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin [LHoD]. Began April 5th.
  
  
• A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. [canticle]. Began March 1st.
  
  
• Inverted World by Christopher Priest [inverted world]. Began February 1st.
  
  
• The City & the City by China Miéville [the city]. Began January 1st.
  
  

  2010######
  

  
  

• Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks [surface]. Began December 3rd.
  
  
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell [cloud atlas]. Began November 3rd.
  
  
• Anathem by Neal Stephenson [anathem]. Began October 1st.
  
  
• Blindsight by Peter Watts [blindsight]. Began September 1st.
  
  
• The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi [windup]. Began August 1st.
  
  
• The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams [MoPI]. Began July 15th.

Ben Elton's Blind Faith is quite a good read

It's a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy themed case. If you haven't read the books, I really wish that I were you so that I could read them again for the first time.

UK book covers look a bit nicer IMO

if you do get interested even a little their is a short stories collection. so no need to invest in an entire series of novels https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Wish-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0575082445

Ben Elton's novels have an uncanny way of getting things right. Dead Famous deals with would-be celebrities' desperation and what they will do for fame, which is why I am citing it in this thread, while Blind Faith bears more than a passing resemblance to the potential Dystopian results of adhesion to political correctness and Past Mortem looks uncannily like the activities of Jimmy Saville would have come as no surprise to him.

The full set on Amazon, including SoS.

Amazon also sells them separately, what you have to do is click the link that says "See all formats and editions" on the individual book's page, then browse the editions under "Paperback". Here's The Last Wish.

May I recommend a book called Rivers Of London (Midnight Riot in the USA). Lots of fun, each river has their own personification.

I'd pick it up used off Amazon if I were you

Get them off Amazon UK

This might be what you're looking for: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Hitchhikers-Guide-Complete/dp/0517226952/

I believe that's the version I have on my shelf at home.

Here you go.

Here ya go!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517226952?ie=UTF8&at=&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

There isn't a single mention of Taoism, but this book is 100% the culmination of Taoist teaching in the form of martial arts.

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway.

Amazon?

I will edit this comment tonight to contain a link!

Edit; https://www.amazon.de/Last-Wish-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0575082445/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?hvadid=379350559415&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9064006&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=790025916265452916&hvtargid=kwd-300929200721&keywords=witcher+book&qid=1570478376&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Gone-Away-World-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307389073

"The Gone-Away World" by Nick Harkaway is essentially based on the premise of the title of this post.

The book that I had contained all of the books in the series bound together. Similar to this

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Hitchhikers-Guide-Complete/dp/0517226952

I would do it on a particular printing of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (better yet: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide, with the four following novels)

Rivers of London by Ben Aaranovitch! The lead is a Met Police officer who becomes involved in the supernatural wing of the force. It's set in contemporary London and the atmosphere and London scenes are incredibly vivid.

Out of all of the books I have ever read, I think about only one book more than I do Hitchhiker's. That book is the Art of War.

THIS is the version I have, and highly recommend it.

You can get the European print paperbacks. They have darker coloured and considerably less flashy covers than the US ones. Finding them locally might be a bit of a pain if you're in Canada or the US, but if the covers are a major enough point of contention for you, they can be bough off Amazon UK.

The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkoway It's probably difficult to accept, but I'd strongly encourage you not to read anything about it and just buy it and read it. Ignore the horrible cover on the book itself. It's fantastic. If you must know something about it, I'd say there's some Vonnegutesque writing, some Kung-Fu, some war. Some mimes. I've said plenty...

Depends which Publisher you are talking about...Orbit is guilty of this, Gollancz did a great job with their covers putting only the characters which had more presence in those stories.

• Last Wish - Geralt
  
  
• Blood of Elves - Dandelion
  
  
• The Time of Contempt - Yennefer
  
  
• Baptism of Fire - Milva