(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best coming of age fiction books

Hmm.......

If you're a comics kind of person, I'd suggest Sandman Volume 4. Not the first in the series, but the best early one that gives a feel for the rest of them, and a self-contained story.

For YA, Coraline is fantastic, and even better than the quite good movie.

For an adult novel? See, I'm not sure his best work is the long-format Adult novel. My favorite adult text work of his is probably Smoke and Mirrors, which is a short story collection.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is also very good, but might not be a good FIRST Gaiman novel. It's sort-of a magical realism book, and that can be off-putting sometimes.

GAH! He's such a good author, and such a great PERSON, that I want him to make a good impression!

If you like epic fantasy (of course you do!) then check out my first novel, A Crucible of Souls, and the sequel which is out soon!
A Crucible of Souls won the 2013 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the first self published novel to do so.

My series was then picked up by Harper Voyager, and the current version has been revised/re-edited to bring out the best in the book.

Blood of Innocents is the second book in the series. It's currently up for pre-order and will be released in Australia/NZ on December 14, and internationally on February 2, 2016.

Also, some fellow Australian fantasy authors and I are running a Christmas giveaway! You can enter to win signed copies of my debut novel A Crucible of Souls, along with The Unbound Man by Matt Karlov (group winner in the SPFBO run by Mark Lawrence), and Hunt for Valamon by award nominated author DK Mok.
If you like epic fantasy, and you like winning things, then enter!

It's towards the YA end of things, but I've really enjoyed the Tainted Accords, starting with Fantasy of Frost. It features some pretty cool worldbuilding, though it could stand to be more fleshed out (the second and third books are a lot better in this regard than the first.) I often try to avoid books with too much of a romance subplot, but this one was done really well; it's a bit slower, and a lot more believable than the typical YA fare.

The protagonist herself is fantastic; extremely likable, smart, funny. She's been forced to wear a veil her whole life for an unknown reason, which provides a very interesting perspective.

Edit: looks like the Kindle version is only a $1 at the moment too, if that's an option for you.

I feel cold on the outside but good on the inside. Had another amazing plate of the Gordon Ramsey scrambled eggs for breaky and I'm currently enjoying a cup of tea.

This weekend my SO is working nights, so I imagine I'll do some catching up on some Netflix I've been neglecting, maybe pop over to see a friend who didn't see over the holidays, and I'm definitely going to be up to my elbows in books. I've got 2 books (Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything and Haruki Murakimi's Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage) on the go. I want to finish them both this weekend so I can start another (Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential). PLUS I'm starting a course on Tuesday so I'm trying to get a head start on that reading.

Since the weather is COLD COLD COLD it should make for nice, toasty, relaxing weekend :)

I've made all of my books free, because I have a problem...
Every time I meet someone who has read one of my novels, they tell me they enjoyed it, despite the errors. This sends me into a panic, and I devote the rest of my weekend to reading a book I wrote. Along the way, I can never find the errors.
I'll reach out and ask the reader if they can send me some of the mistakes they encountered while they were reading, and if they respond, it's always something along the lines of, "There are words missing from sentences and typos!" This sends me back to the book, to re-read again, and my brain fills in the words because the story is so completely my voice that I know what the next word will be before I read it.
So, dear redditor, I've come to you, with my hat in my hand, and I beg of you, PLEASE tell me how I've fucked up. Don't sugar coat it. Send to me, "The sentence that starts chapter 4 makes no fucking sense at all, and here's why." Doing this is a massive help to me.
"Dude, just pay an editor," you might want to tell me. In that case, I graciously accept your downvote and you can accept my free novels as an apology for wasting your time.
I'm confident that one or two or ten people out there might want to read one of these books, and as they do, they will certainly encounter errors, and it's my deep hope that they will contact me to alert me to the errors they notice.

Lovetrust- a campus novel- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01666S6FW/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Beach House Burning- a beach novel- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GV269WZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

Leeds House- a horror comedy-
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PNUZRPK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

Famous For Nothing- a celebrity satire-
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQC4H3K/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3

Empire Waste- a contemporary noir-
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K5WI1JK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4

I can be e-mailed at: tjamesreagan@yahoo.com
/or I will follow you back on Twitter @t_jamesreagan and you can DM me the edits.
/or you can PM me on Reddit!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

actually I do have a submission.

The Impossible Fortress - Jason Rekulak

Nerds and Misfits and pre-internet hacking involving a Vanna White Playboy magazine. in the 80s. What's not to like?


“A sweet, funny, and moving tribute to nerds and misfits everywhere.” —Seth Grahame-Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Until May 1987, fourteen-year-old Billy Marvin of Wetbridge, New Jersey, is a nerd, but a decidedly happy nerd.

Afternoons are spent with his buddies, watching copious amounts of television, gorging on Pop-Tarts, debating who would win in a brawl (Rocky Balboa or Freddy Krueger? Bruce Springsteen or Billy Joel? Magnum P.I. Or T.J. Hooker?), and programming video games on his Commodore 64 late into the night. Then Playboy magazine publishes photos of Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White, Billy meets expert programmer Mary Zelinsky, and everything changes.

A love letter to the 1980s, to the dawn of the computer age, and to adolescence—a time when anything feels possible—The Impossible Fortress will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you remember in exquisite detail what it feels like to love something—or someone—for the very first time.

I just finished An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green last night. I loved it, and can't wait for the sequel.

I'm just started reading The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. I'm not far enough into it to make any judgement yet, but I'm intrigued as to where it's going.

Also, a friend sent me Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life by Humble the Poet. I have the feeling it's going to get boring after the first five truths, but I promised I'd read it and give honest feedback.

Title: EYESORE

Genre: Accessible Literary Fiction

Words: 77k

Instances of the word 'fuck': 200+ which is fun

Type of feedback: Honest Amazon reviews (Book is free through July)

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N16JNMN/

​

As I said, I'm looking for honest reviews. EYESORE was my first novel and I'm still really proud of it, though I think I've improved greatly since I wrote it. Again, she's free through July.

>More and more publishers are pricing their eBooks to be competitive...

What planet are you from jaekido?

Amazon

The eBook sells for nearly the same price on the trees hardcover and MORE than the trees paperback.

This is not unusual. This was the first book at random I opened.

As a consumer (clearly lacking in the sensibilities of the publishing industry) a virtual book made up of only electrons should cost LESS than a real book. A LOT LESS in order to be competitive.

A real book I can give to anyone I want, move from one room/bookshelf of my home to another, or re-sell for money.

Often the virtual book is locked to my account (making it worth considerably less than a real book to me) and so I can't share it with anyone.

When a new eBook format is developed, then my older version of the eBook format will eventually become unreadable. Real books last for decades with little care, and much longer with a bit a care.

A competitive price for an eBook version of a $13 hard-cover would be maybe $8. If that same real book is out in paperback format for $8 then the eBook should be $5, probably a bit less. A virtual book is only half as good as a real book.

The only eBooks I regularly see for under $5 are also free from Gutenpress.

If someone has a source for eBooks that are around $5 I'd truly love to learn what that source is.

By a comedian: Let's pretend that never happened by Jenny Lawson, or Dear Fatty by Dawn French. One is sincere and sweet and feel-good; the other is dangerous to read in public.

Obscure non-fiction: Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks. The book to give as a gift if you're not sure what someone else enjoys reading.

Chick-lit: Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. Over ten years old now, but a funny, sweet, girly novel. Happy ending, or course.

MONDAY

I absolutely loved "The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller. It tells the story of a pilot living in Colorado after an epidemic has nearly wiped out all of human civilization. It's not your typical post-apocalyptic story. There are no zombies. The book explores the human aspect of a mass extinction event, and shows us that the true horror of the apocalypse will be the loss of human contact. I loved it.

I've been itching to read "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage: A novel" by Haruki Murakami. Yeah, it's kind of a weird title, but I love the author, and I've heard great things about it.

Thanks for the contest!!

Tori's totally tubular
You also look very pretty today :)

I would love a gift card to go towards purchasing this, but if you prefer a physical item, I would love a used hardcover copy of this book.

Thanks for the contest! :)

I just bought Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrammage on Kindle, plus I got A Tale for the Time Being and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena on Audible for long runs and entertainment while doing Christmas food prep :)

What to Eat looks interesting - would love to hear if you find it useful!

Greetings and salutations! I have written and published the first book of the series "Black", "Black: The Name". The paperback is available for $9.99, Kindle version for $4.99 or free on KU. Please check it out and help me get the word out!

A young girl with dark magic infused with her soul. Cast from the world she knows in a moment of pure horror. Lost but soon to be found, and accepted by those who would only want the best for her.

Elizabeth Blackswan must find herself, and her place in the world after having lost everything she has ever held dear, or risk becoming the bridge for a great evil to pass into her reality that she was created to be. Not all odds are stacked against her though, as she meets Pearl, Aldrin, and Auburn, and finds place in their company, that may very well keep her from breaking.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078R29R2S

Please consider The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. It is fantastic, and one of my favorite books I have read this year. The author has been called the next George RR Martin, but she's not there yet. However, this book has violence, language, scheming, some magic, a little romance, but most of all it has humor! This book is the first in a trilogy. The movie rights were sold before the book was even published. The book is not near the length of one of Martin's, but I think the next volume will be even longer. I know at either Amazon or iBooks you can read a free sample of the book before you purchase it -- that's what made me want to read it. I couldn't wait to see what happened after I read the sample. :-)

The new Murakami, "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage", is a great follow-up to Norwegian Wood. It's a great read, pretty straight-forward and follows characters similar to those in Norwegian Wood. Very popular at the moment so lots of discussion too.

I would really like this book... its one of his that i havent read yet. I have really enjoyed all his other books that ive read! So it goes!

Book contests are my fave! I just started re-reading The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood last night! Its been a long time fave!

I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want.

lol, I had to.

Id love this book So I have something to read while we are snowed in. <3 Its in my e-book wishlist.

Thanks for the contest!

Some favorites,

• American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell is really great because it's a collection of kind-of-unsettling short stories based around the inhabitants of rural Michigan
  
  
• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury for classic scifi
  
  
• Four Past Midnight by Stephen King is technically a book of novellas and not short stories, but they're all really good.
  
  
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is a different flavor of scifi and also written as a novel in stories.
  
  
• The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a collection of short stories about the Vietnam war.
  
  A Visit From the Goon Squad is worth mentioning because I know a lot of people really like it, but I couldn't get into it.

Thanks to your recommendation, I am reading it now. It is a great book. Check out "Boy's Life" by the same author. It is s deviation from this topic, but still great.

Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it. Please leave a review on Amazon

Check out “the Impossible Fortress” by Jason Rekulak.

It’s not set in any sort of sci-fi universe or video game like RPO or Armada, but it’s chalk full of 80’s Pop Culture and video game design.

It’s really good and I highly recommend it.

Impossible Fortress

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

> I do like a good American drama.

Try Boy's Life

I've read it 3 times.

For some fun brain vacation police procedural, you can't go wrong with John Sanford

So I actually took a "Superheroes and Monsters" English class last year (it was awesome. Comic book reading was homework). When we got to superheroes at the end of the class we read The Particular Sadness of Lemoncake and The Fortress of Solitude. They're definitely different takes on the concept of superhero (in class the term "literature" was used instead of "genre-fiction"... God I hate those terms) because they're more about people with superhuman powers and how their lives work rather than, "I have superhuman powers. I'm going to save people." Definitely a different take on the concept, and probably worth at least looking into one of them if you're interested in reading a superhero story or modern takes on it.

Also, you could consider broadening your definition of "superhero." For example, if you've never read Tarzan, he's considered by some to be one of the first "superheroes," plus the book is surprisingly good. You seemed put off by "comic books," but if you've never read something like Watchmen, it's definitely worth a read.

TL;DR:

The Particular Sadness of Lemoncake

The Fortress of Solitude

Tarzan

I'm getting ready to reread Everything Is Illuminated, which I think you might like.

MONDAY! Thanks for the contest.

This guy. You wouldn't expect it but he's a great writer that nobody knows about from Vancouver or Montreal

If the kindle can handle footnotes, it would be a good format for Infinite Jest

From the past year, i really liked A visit from the Goon Squad

If you guys like prompt, consider reading this novel: https://www.amazon.com/Particular-Sadness-Lemon-Cake/dp/0385720963

It's a fun read.

I'm pretty sure John Green is the guy whose brother is an author. If I understand it correctly, Hank's brother spends most of his time trying to tear down walls in his basement.

Here's the Amazon link and yeah, it is. It's funny and heartwarming and heartbreaking and scary, all at the same time and it's just #$#@#@. I highly recommend it.

The Best of Me in my pants.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Teaching-Frankenstein-Cautionary-Viktor-James-ebook/dp/B07H3BQ4DT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=teaching+frankenstein&qid=1557250327&s=gateway&sr=8-1

See if this works. It’s the direct link to the UK amazon. It’s free there, too.

If anyone's wondering, the book this assignment is on is John Connolly's "The Book of Lost Things" (http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Lost-Things-Novel/dp/0743298853)

A story of a young boy who loses his mother, and in an ill fated attempt to be reunited with her, is transported to a magical parallel world populated with creatures and characters that are twisted facsimiles of those in the fables and fairies tales his mother read to him.

Not at all a bad book, but I preferred Stephen King's "The Talisman" and Neil Gaiman's "Stardust" which both share similar themes, but are (in my opinion at least) better written.

Is this the book you're talking about? If so, it's sounds really interesting!

If you are looking to wrap yourself in a new fantasy book

One focused on a Young Magically infused girl, who is forced into a situation where she either must find a place for herself, or fall to the evil that gave her the magic in the first place.

Take a look at "Black: The Name" here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078R29R2S

Use the Look inside Feature and if you aren't enticed for more, then you lost nothing but a little bit of time.

But if you do want more then the 118,000 words are available for Kindle and the kindle replicator app (app is free from Amazon for non-kindle users) for $4.99

or Paperback for $12.99

This sounds like a Haruki Murakami book.

Which isn't to say that I disbelieve you, but that you might consider giving the book a read; you might learn there was more going on in your situation than met the eye.

I'm not sure if this wxactly fits but it might. It' called Good in Bed. About a woman who gets screwed over by her Ex and has to go through some difficult life issues but eventually gets through it and finds love again. I usually don't read books like this and I was really suprised how it turned out to be very inspirational and not just full of fluff.

This one just blew my mind. Sort of a Catcher in the Rye meets Bukowski type story. Very much like an r rated Zen and the art of.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is excellent.

As a random aside, Quill have you read or heard of Railsea by China Mieville? The use of weird/peculiar "oceans" reminds me of that novel.

Here's a shout out for you: Boy's Life by Robert McCammon. One of my all-time favorites. I have yet to meet someone who has read this book and not loved it.

Sure. I'd have to look back through some of my old purchases to find more examples but the one that I had in the back of my mind when I commented was the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence. So I guess its subsequent books are actually $8 and $10 rather than $12.

Bas Lag is awesome but I'd rather see him move on than run it into the ground. It doesn't look like he's going to run out of ideas anytime soon, he's been publishing regularly. I think I'm going to hit Railsea next.

[Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage](http://www.amazon.com/Colorless-Tsukuru-Tazaki-Years-Pilgrimage/dp/0385352107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408401087&sr=8-1&keywords=colorless+tsukuru+tazaki+and+his+years+of+pilgrimage) was released in English last week.

Railsea by China Miéville http://www.amazon.com/Railsea-China-Mieville/dp/0345524535

Robert McCammon. My favorite horror writer after King. Start with Swan Song, or Boy's Life.